US stock indices opened higher on Thursday following a better-than-expected retail sales data and on solid earnings.

In the early trading, the Dow Jones Industrial Average was up 0.5% at 44,459.85. The broad-based S&P 500 gained 0.2% to 6,277.12, while the tech-rich Nasdaq Composite Index advanced 0.3% to 20,784.75.

Retail sales rose 0.6% in June to $720.1 billion as compared to a 0.9% decline in May.

Besides the retail sales, modest weekly US jobless claims also provided reassurance on the economy.

United Airlines stock jumped 5.8%, PepsiCo surged 5.9% and Abbott Laboratories slumped 7.3%.