Some analysts pointed to comments from President Donald Trump on Thursday, who said there remained a "good" chance of a deal with China, as a factor in Friday's advance.

About 15 minutes into trading, the Dow Jones Industrial Average stood at 25,656.49, up 0.7 percent.

The broad-based S&P 500 climbed 0.6 percent to 2,839.21, while the tech-rich Nasdaq Composite Index jumped 0.89 percent to 7,682.67.

The gains came as US data showed sales of US-manufactured goods in April hit a nine-month low.

After a strong run for the stocks in the first four months of the year, fresh trade war anxiety has roiled markets throughout May as the United States and China have announced new tariff measures amid sharpening rhetoric between Beijing and Washington.

The dispute has been exacerbated by a US crackdown on Chinese telecommunications giant Huawei.

On Thursday, Trump said a trade deal with China could also resolve the Huawei situation, contradicting his own Secretary of State, Mike Pompeo, who has said Huawei and the trade issues are not linked.