Wall St opens with slight gains after ECB action

Also, a flurry of economic data indicated the US economy was steadily improving

US stocks opened slightly higher on Thursday, after the European Central Bank cut interest rates to record lows and a flurry of economic data indicated the U.S. economy was steadily improving.

The Dow Jones industrial average rose 16.06 points or 0.09%, to 17,094.34, the S&P 500 gained 2.31 points or 0.12%, to 2,003.03 and the Nasdaq Composite added 9.15 points or 0.2%, to 4,581.71.