·         The Dow Jones Industrial Average .DJI rose 147.07 points, or 0.57 percent, to 26,145.99, the S&P 500 .SPX gained 15.26 points, or 0.53 percent, to 2,904.18 and the Nasdaq Composite .IXIC added 59.48 points, or 0.75percent, to 8,013.71.

Apple led a rebound in technology shares and boosted all three major U.S. stock indexes on Thursday, while trade worries eased after China welcomed new talks with the United States.

The Dow inched closer to its all-time high hit on Jan. 26, closing at its highest since Feb. 1 and just 1.8 percent below the Jan. 26 close. The S&P 500 and the Nasdaq had already moved past their January peaks to record highs in prior weeks.

·         Asia markets were positive on the morning of the final trading day of the week despite trade tensions continuing to linger.

·         The Nikkei 225 jumped 0.95 percent in early trade as most major sectors saw gains, with shipping rising 1.87 percent.

·         South Korea's Kospi traded up by an even larger 1.25 percent, as major chip manufacturers such as Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix bounced back strongly to see gains of more than 3 percent in early trade. The moves among the chipmakers came on the back of Micron's strong rebound overnight on Wall Street, with investor David Tepper's positive comments about the company's future.

Reference: Reuters, CNBC