US stocks open higher on manufacturing data

Just after the opening bell, the Dow Jones industrial average is up 78 points, or 0.6 per cent, to 12,713. The broader Standard & Poor's 500 index is up 9 points, or 0.7 per cent, to 1,322. The Nasdaq composite is up 19 points, or 0.7 per cent, to 2,833. 

Investors hope positive manufacturing data for China and Europe mean similar growth is happening in the U.S. 

The Institute for Supply Management's manufacturing index is due to be released at 10 a.m. Eastern. Economists forecast that U.S. factory output grew faster in January after businesses spent more on machinery, airplanes and other equipment.