NEW YORK, March 15 (Xinhua) -- U.S. stocks opened higher on Thursday as investors pondered over a string of economic reports.
In the week ending March 10, the advance figure for seasonally adjusted initial claims was 226,000, a decrease of 4,000 from the previous week's revised level, the U.S. Labor Department said Thursday.
The 4-week moving average was 221,500, a decrease of 750 from the previous week's revised average.
In a separate report the department announced that U.S. import prices increased 0.4 percent in February, beating market consensus of 0.3 percent, while prices for U.S. exports rose 0.2 percent in February following a 0.8-percent advance in the previous month.
Meanwhile, business activity grew robustly in New York State, according to firms responding to the March 2018 Empire State Manufacturing Survey. The headline general business conditions index climbed nine points to 22.5, above market expectations of 15.0.
Shortly after the opening bell, the Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 88.41 points, or 0.36 percent, to 24,846.53. The S&P 500 increased 4.91 points, or 0.18 percent, to 2,754.39. The Nasdaq Composite Index was up 5.15 points, or 0.07 percent, to 7,501.96.
On Wednesday, U.S. stocks retreated further as concerns surrounding global trade continued to weigh on the market.
