Stocks opened higher on Wednesday after forecast-beating results from Apple removed a weeks-old market overhang and lifted optimism in a corporate earnings season that has already outstripped expectations.

The Dow Jones industrial average <.DJI> added 24.51 points, or 0.19 percent, at 13,026.07. The Standard & Poor's 500 Index <.SPX> rose 9.75 points, or 0.71 percent, at 1,381.72. The Nasdaq Composite Index <.IXIC> climbed 51.08 points, or 1.72 percent, at 3,012.68.

(Reporting By Chuck Mikolajczak; editing by Jeffrey Benkoe)