Stocks Opened Higher as Tech Rebounded

U.S. stocks opened higher on Thursday, as technology stocks rebounded from a spate of recent weakness, amid easing fears of a trade war between the United States and China. The Dow Jones Industrial Average lately rose 171.15 points, or 0.71%, to 24,435.45. The S&P 500 gained 11.40 points, or 0.43%, to 2,656.09. The Nasdaq Composite added 32.24 points, or 0.46%, to 7,074.34.

Oil prices inched up Thursday morning on the back of declining U.S. crude inventories. Brent crude was up 0.1%, at $68.11 a barrel. West Texas Intermediate futures were trading up 0.1%, at $63.42 a barrel.

The U.S. trade deficit rose for the sixth straight month in February, reaching the highest level since October 2008. The Commerce Department said Thursday that the trade gap — the difference between what America sells and what it buys in foreign markets — widened to $57.6 billion in February from $56.7 billion in January.