U.S.-listed Chinese firms trade higher

NEW YORK, March 29 (Xinhua) -- U.S.-listed Chinese companies traded higher on Friday with all of the top 10 stocks by weight in the SP U.S. Listed China 50 index ending the day on an upbeat note.

Shares of 58.com and New Oriental Education Technology Group rose 4.60 percent and 4.43 percent, respectively, leading the gainers in the top 10 stocks of the index.

U.S. stocks ended higher on Friday, as investors have kept a close eye on updates regarding global trade and digested a batch of encouraging economic data.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 211.22 points, or 0.82 percent, to 25,928.68. The SP 500 increased 18.96 points, or 0.67 percent, to 2,834.40. The Nasdaq Composite Index rose 60.16 points, or 0.78 percent, to 7,729.32.

The Cboe Volatility index, widely considered the best fear gauge in the stock market, decreased 4.99 percent to 13.71 on Friday.

As of Thursday, the SP U.S. Listed China 50 index stood at 2,798.23, marking a 2.32-percent increase for the month-to-date returns and a 22.12-percent gain for the year-to-date returns.