Thursday's early afternoon trade: stocks higher with Apple, lower rate-hike odds

Wall Street rallied on Thursday, buoyed by Apple's best four-day run since 2014, higher oil prices and lacklustre data that further dimmed the odds of an interest rate hike next week. Apple rose as much as 3.3 percent, giving the three major indexes their biggest boost after saying that the first stock of its iPhone 7 Plus was sold out globally.
Data showed retail sales and industrial activity fell more than expected in August. The data followed a slowdown in job growth and a slump in manufacturing activity for the month and further cut the odds of the Federal Reserve raising rates at its meeting next week. "The Fed continues to be in a real pickle. They want to raise rates ... but now you get the retail sales number and that takes the wind out of the sails a little bit," said Aaron Clark, portfolio manager at GW&K Investment Management in Boston, Massachusetts.
At 12:34 am ET (1634 GMT), the Dow Jones Industrial Average was up 128.58 points, or 0.71 percent, at 18,163.35. The S&P 500 was up 15.35 points, or 0.72 percent, at 2,141.12 and the Nasdaq Composite was up 58.90 points, or 1.14 percent, at 5,232.67.
Jobless claims rose less than expected last week, indicating strength in the labor market - a key barometer the Fed considers while deciding monetary policy. Among stocks, positive reports on iPhone sales also gave a boost to Apple suppliers. Chipmaker Skyworks Solutions jumped 6 percent and was the top percentage gainer on the S&P.