Wall Street stocks have opened higher after a US labour report for March showed job growth roughly in line with expectations.
Five minutes into trade, the Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 48.81 points (0.29 per cent) to 16,621.36.
The broad-based S&P 500 increased 7.25 (0.38 per cent) to 1,896.02, while the tech-rich Nasdaq Composite Index added 15.49 (0.37 per cent) at 4,253.23
The closely watched Department of Labor report said the US economy added 192,000 jobs in March, a shade under analysts’ average estimate of 195,000 net new jobs.
But the overall picture showed stronger gains in the first quarter, despite severe winter weather, than previously estimated.
The department upwardly revised job growth for January and February by a combined 37,000.
“Overall, the employment data won’t change any perceptions that the economy is growing at a decent but sluggish pace,” Briefing.com said.
“More importantly, the data also won’t change any perceptions as to how the Fed might act.”