US stocks edge higher at the open

US stocks stabilized today, erasing earlier losses posted at the beginning of the session as the US-China trade war concerns still presist in addition to the release of weak economic data.

Government data showed US retail sales fell by 0.2%, while analysts expected a 0.2% rise.

US President Donald Trump said today that his administration does not attach much importance to the trade dispute with China, while noting that there are still opportunities for a trade deal.

This comes after China announced its plans to increase tariffs on imports of US goods worth $60 billion to 25% from 10% by June. in response to the decision of the United States to increase tariffs on imports of Chinese goods worth $200 billion.

Sources pointed out that the US administration is preparing a list of Chinese goods worth an additional $300 billion to be targeted with tariffs.

In terms of trade, Dow Jones Industrial Average rose by less than 0.1% (15 points) to 25,542 points. Nasdaq rose 0.7% (54 points) to 7,788 points, while Standard & Poor's rose by 0.3% (8 points) to 2,842 points.