NEW YORK, March 15 (Xinhua) -- U.S. stocks traded higher on Friday as investors digested the country's key economic data as well as the latest corporate earnings reports.

At midday, the Dow Jones Industrial Average increased 194.34 points, or 0.76 percent, to 25,904.28. The S&P 500 was up 19.27 points, or 0.69 percent, to 2,827.75. The Nasdaq Composite Index added 74.71 points, or 0.98 percent, to 7,705.62.

Business activity grew only slightly in New York State, according to firms responding to the March 2019 Empire State Manufacturing Survey.

The headline general business conditions index fell five points to 3.7, missing analysts' estimates. It is also the lowest level in almost two years.

The new orders index fell five points to 3.0, indicating that orders grew at a slower pace than last month. The shipments index declined three points to 7.7, a level indicating that shipments grew modestly, though representing the lowest reading in more than two years.

The stock market gains this week were largely led by tech shares, as the sector surged about 4 percent so far.

Broadcom shares led the gains of semiconductors on Friday, rising nearly 9 percent in morning session after the company reported better-than-expected quarterly earnings. Enditem

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