Stocks opened higher on Tuesday, with the S&P 500 and the Nasdaq gaining 1 percent after Chinese economic data drew investors into an equities market that has been through six weeks of sharp declines.

The Dow Jones industrial average <.DJI> was up 94.98 points, or 0.79 percent, at 12,047.95. The Standard & Poor's 500 Index <.SPX> was up 13.05 points, or 1.03 percent, at 1,284.88. The Nasdaq Composite Index <.IXIC> was up 26.88 points, or 1.02 percent, at 2,666.57.

(Reporting by Angela Moon)