U.S. stocks open higher amid trade news

NEW YORK, April 5 (Xinhua) -- U.S. stocks opened higher on Thursday as investors continue to monitor the trade tensions between China and the United States.

Shortly after the opening bell, the Dow Jones Industrial Average added 127.42 points, or 0.53 percent, to 24,391.72. The S&P 500 increased 12.87 points, or 0.49 percent, to 2,657.56. The Nasdaq Composite Index was up 50.85 points, or 0.72 percent, to 7,092.95.

U.S. equities had a wide trading session on Wednesday, with the Dow surged 750 points after plunging over 500 points, as trade conflicts between the two largest economies weighed on the market sentiment.

China on Wednesday unveiled a list of products worth 50 billion U.S. dollars imported from the United States that will be subject to higher tariffs, including soy bean, automobiles and chemical products.

The move was taken after the U.S. administration announced a proposed list of products subject to additional tariffs, which covers Chinese exports worth 50 billion dollars with a suggested tariff rate of 25 percent.

The date of implementation will depend on when the U.S. government imposes the tariffs on Chinese products, the Chinese Ministry of Finance said.

The Ministry of Commerce said in a statement that the U.S. move was "an evident violation of relevant rules of the World Trade Organization (WTO)."

U.S. Labor Department said on Thursday that in the week ending March 31, the advance figure for seasonally adjusted initial jobless claims was 242,000, an increase of 24,000 from the previous week's revised level, higher than market expectations.

The four-week moving average was 228,250, an increase of 3,000 from the previous week's revised average. Enditem