The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 57.31 points, or 0.17 percent, to 33,503.57. The S&P 500 increased 17.22 points, or 0.42 percent, to 4,097.17. The Nasdaq Composite Index added 140.47 points, or 1.03 percent, to 13,829.31.
Six of the 11 primary S&P 500 sectors ended in green, with technology up 1.42 percent, leading the gainers. Energy slipped 1.36 percent, the worst-performing group.
U.S.-listed Chinese companies traded mostly higher with eight of the top 10 stocks by weight in the S&P U.S. Listed China 50 index ending the day on an upbeat note.
On the data front, U.S. initial jobless claims, a rough way to measure layoffs, rose to 744,000 in the week ending April 3, following an upwardly revised 728,000 in the prior week, the Department of Labor reported on Thursday. Economists polled by Dow Jones expected first-time claims to total 694,000 for the latest week.
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