Stocks Opened at Record Highs

U.S. stocks climbed to record highs at open on Thursday amid lingering optimism after the U.S. signed a preliminary trade deal with China. The Dow Jones Industrial Average lately gained 130.03 points, or 0.45%, to 29,160.25. The S&P 500 advanced 14.46 points, or 0.44%, to 3,303.75. The Nasdaq Composite added 63.65 points, or 0.69%, to 9,322.34.

Oil futures were headed modestly higher Thursday as investors attempted to digest the impact of a China-U.S. trade deal that could result in increased purchases of shale oil by Beijing. West Texas Intermediate crude for February delivery was up 20 cents, or 0.4%, at $58.01 a barrel. March Brent picked up 31 cents, or 0.5%, to reach $64.31 a barrel.