NEW YORK, April 15 (Xinhua) -- U.S. stocks opened higher on Thursday, driven by stronger-than-expected economic data.
Shortly after the opening bell, the Dow Jones Industrial Average jumped 231.24 points, or 0.69 percent, to 33,962.13. The S&P 500 rose 26.87 points, or 0.65 percent, to 4,151.53. The Nasdaq Composite Index added 137.18 points, or 0.99 percent, to 13,995.02.
Eight of the 11 primary S&P 500 sectors advanced in morning trading, with technology up 1.5 percent, leading the gainers. Energy slipped 1 percent, the worst-performing group.
U.S. retail sales surged 9.8 percent in March, the Department of Commerce reported on Thursday. Economists polled by Dow Jones and The Wall Street Journal had forecast a 6.1-percent increase.
Meanwhile, a separate report showed the initial claims fell to the lowest level in about 13 months. U.S. initial jobless claims, a rough way to measure layoffs, registered 576,000 in the week ending April 10, a decrease of 193,000 from the prior week's revised level, the Labor Department said on Thursday.
Economists surveyed by Dow Jones and The Wall Street Journal had forecast new claims would total 710,000 in the seven days ending April 10. Enditem
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