US stocks rise on improved China trade data

New York - US stocks opened higher on Wednesday, joining a rally on European and Asian markets after China's improved trade data buoyed sentiment.

Five minutes into trade, the Dow Jones Industrial Average was up 118.00 points at 17 839.25.

The broad-market S&P 500 advanced 0.59% to 2 073.93, while the tech-rich Nasdaq Composite rose 0.69% to 4 905.77.

Chinese exports rocketed by 11.5% in March from a year ago to $160.8bn. That followed a 25% slump in February and marked the first gain in nine months.

"The strong export growth had a lot to do with an easier comparison to last year due to the timing of Chinese New Year, yet this isn't a market that looks too intent on poking holes in much of anything," said Patrick O'Hare of Briefing.com.