Wall St opens higher ahead of U.S. factory data

(Reuters) - U.S. stocks opened higher on Monday ahead of an expected rise in U.S. factory orders in March, pointing to a strengthening manufacturing sector despite a stronger dollar.

The Dow Jones industrial average <.DJI> rose 37.33 points, or 0.21 percent, to 18,061.39, the S&P 500 <.SPX> gained 5.99 points, or 0.28 percent, to 2,114.28 and the Nasdaq Composite <.IXIC> added 20.09 points, or 0.4 percent, to 5,025.48.

(Reporting by Narottam Medhora in Bengaluru; Editing by Savio D'Souza)