Wall Street Enjoys Another Strong Day

US markets have risen for the third straight session, amid hope a trade war may be averted and optimism ahead of the approaching earnings season.

The Dow Jones finished up 1 percent at 24,505. The S&P 500 rose 0.7 percent to 2,662, while the Nasdaq gained 0.5 percent to 7,076.

Key gainers included Facebook, which rose 2.7 percent as investors greeted reassurances from chief executive Mark Zuckerberg that the social network's business remains solid despite a user data scandal.

Analysts said investors are rethinking the odds that escalating tariff threats from President Donald Trump and Chinese officials will result in concrete action. Worries about a trade war have been a major drag on US stocks over the past month.

Maris Ogg of Tower Bridge Advisors said threats appear to be Trump's normal negotiating strategy. "It seems to be really unlikely that all this negative trade talk is going to really amount to much."

Ogg also pointed to hopes the upcoming first-quarter earnings period will be strong. Companies in the S&P 500 are expected to average earnings growth of 17.3 percent, according to FactSet. (AFP)