Wall Street opens higher after strong retail sales data, Walmart results

US stocks opened higher on Thursday as a surge in July retail sales and Walmart's robust results eased fears of a recession in the world's largest economy, while differing reports on the US-China trade dispute kept investors on edge.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 34.83 points, or 0.14 per cent, at the open to 25,514.25.

The S&P 500 opened higher by 5.60 points, or 0.20 per cent, at 2,846.20. The Nasdaq Composite gained 16.26 points, or 0.21 per cent, to 7,790.20 at the opening bell.