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U.S. stocks open higher ahead of U.S. factory data

Xinhua, May 4, 2015 Adjust font size:

U.S. stocks opened higher on Monday ahead of the release of the factory orders data which is expected to rise in March.

"March factory orders are expected to have increased 2.0 percent, reflecting the same strength in aircraft and defense that lifted the headline rise in March durable goods," chief economist Chris Low at FTN Financial said in a note on Monday.

Analysts were sifting through the data that might signal that the manufacturing sector is strengthening despite a stronger dollar.

In this week, markets mainly focused on April's official jobs report due Friday.

Shortly after the opening bell, the Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 62.02 points, or 0.34 percent, to 18,086.08. The S&P 500 increased 8.17 points, or 0.39 percent, to 2,116.46. The Nasdaq Composite Index soared 21.39 points, or 0.43 percent, to 5,026.78.

U.S. stocks rose Friday on a rebound in healthcare and technology stocks, amid a mixed bag of economic data from the country. Endi