NEW YORK, Feb. 6 (Xinhua) -- U.S.-listed Chinese companies traded mostly higher on Thursday with nine of the top 10 stocks by weight in the S&P U.S. Listed China 50 index ending the day on an upbeat note.

Shares of ZTO Express and NetEase increased 3.68 percent and 2.67 percent, respectively, leading the advancers in the top 10 stocks in the index.

Yum China Holdings declined 1.64 percent, the only laggard in the top 10.

U.S. stocks closed higher on Thursday as investors digested key economic data as well as corporate earnings reports.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 88.92 points, or 0.3 percent, to 29,379.77. The S&P 500 increased 11.09 points, or 0.33 percent, to 3,345.78. The Nasdaq Composite Index increased 63.47 points, or 0.67 percent, to 9,572.15.

As of Wednesday, the S&P U.S. Listed China 50 index stood at 3,297.88, marking a 6.81-percent increase for the month-to-date returns and a 4.12-percent gain for the year-to-date returns.