Oil equities, Target lift US stocks

New York - US stocks opened higher on Wednesday as oil sector equities rose with crude prices and after retailer Target boosted its dividend.

Five minutes into trade, the Dow Jones Industrial Average stood at 17 860.44, up 96.40 points.

The broad-based S&P 500 jumped 0.53% to 2 091.13, while the tech-rich Nasdaq Composite Index rose 0.37% to 5 032.34.

ConocoPhillips rose 1.0% and Dow member Chevron tacked on 1.2% as oil prices surged for a second day.

Big-box retailer Target gained advanced 0.7% as it lifted its quarterly dividend by 7.7% and doubled authorized share repurchases.

US equities have been choppy this week on concerns about a potential Greek debt default and higher US treasury yields as investors speculate on when the US Federal Reserve will raise interest rates.