NEW YORK, July 3 (Xinhua) -- U.S. stocks opened higher Monday, the first trading day of the third quarter, as investors awaited the release of a batch of economic data ahead of the Independence Day holiday.
U.S. stock markets will end trading at 1:00 p.m. (1700 GMT) local time Monday and will be closed Tuesday for the Independence Day holiday. Trading volumes are expected to be lower for the holiday-shortened session.
On the economic front, a string of economic reports, including manufacturing PMI data for June, ISM manufacturing for June, construction spending for May, are scheduled for release later in the morning.
Oil prices were also in focus, which traded mildly higher in the early trading Monday, after posting a seven-day winning streak Friday as data showed the number of U.S. oil rigs fell for the first time since January.
Shortly after the opening bell, the Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 75.10 points, or 0.35 percent, to 21,424.73. The S&P 500 added 12.07 points, or 0.50 percent, to 2,435.48. The Nasdaq Composite Index gained 35.53 points, or 0.55 percent, to 6,173.95.
On Friday, U.S. stocks closed mixed as Wall Street digested a slew of economic reports as well as quarterly earnings reports. Enditem
