US STOCKS-Trade optimism, Apple push Wall Street slightly higher

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* Apple biggest boost on all three major indexes
* Energy stocks lead gains on S&P 500
* Indexes up: Dow 0.10%, S&P 500 0.22%, Nasdaq 0.57%

(Updates to open)
By Uday Sampath Kumar
Sept 11 (Reuters) - U.S. stocks rose slightly on Wednesday
as China's move to ease trade tensions with the United States
soothed investor nerves, while shares of Apple gained a day
after the launch of its latest iPhones.
Apple Inc AAPL.O rose 1.79% and provided the biggest boost
to all three major indexes, a day after it unveiled new iPhones
and rolled out a streaming TV service at a price that undercuts
Disney DIS.N and Netflix NFLX.O . The gains took the Silicon Valley giant's market valuation
just shy of $1 trillion and lifted the wider technology sector
.SPLRCT .
Adding to the positive momentum, China's finance ministry
exempted 16 types of U.S. goods from additional retaliatory
tariffs, ahead of a planned meeting between trade negotiators.
While the move is seen as a friendly gesture to thaw
relations with the United States, analysts are skeptical about
how much it will move the needle in resolving a trade war that
has hurt the global economy.
"The exemption could be seen as a gesture of sincerity
towards the US ahead of negotiations in October, but is probably
more a means of supporting the (Chinese) economy," Iris Pang, a
Greater China economist with ING, wrote in a note.
Comments from a senior White House adviser on Tuesday urging
investors to be patient about resolving the dispute further
downplayed expectations that a trade deal would be agreed this
year. Markets were largely subdued as investors held out on big
bets ahead of stimulus decisions from central banks to stem a
global slowdown. The U.S. Federal Reserve and the European
Central Bank are expected to cut interest rates at their policy
meetings over the next two weeks.
U.S. President Donald Trump on Wednesday renewed his attacks
on Fed Chairman Jerome Powell, saying that the central bank
should get interest rates down to "ZERO, or less."
"People will be interested to hear what is going to be said
(by the Fed) next week, so until then, barring something
unexpected, things will be quiet," said Andre Bakhos, managing
director at Janlyn Capital LLC in Bernardsville, New Jersey.
At 10:15 a.m. ET, the Dow Jones Industrial Average .DJI
was up 26.56 points, or 0.10%, at 26,935.99, the S&P 500 .SPX
was up 6.69 points, or 0.22%, at 2,986.08 and the Nasdaq
Composite .IXIC was up 46.24 points, or 0.57%, at 8,130.40.
Energy stocks .SPNY led gains on the S&P 500, with Exxon
Mobil Corp XOM.N and Chevron Corp CVX.N providing the
biggest boost to the sector.
Among other stocks, shares of Micron Technology Inc MU.O
rose 3.10% after Longbow Research upgraded its stock to
"buy". Wynn Resorts Ltd WYNN.O fell 2.44% and was among the
biggest losers on the S&P 500 after the hotel operator announced
a $750 million debt offering.
Advancing issues outnumbered decliners by a 2.09-to-1 ratio
on the NYSE and by a 2.34-to-1 ratio on the Nasdaq.
The S&P index recorded 13 new 52-week highs and no new low,
while the Nasdaq recorded 28 new highs and eight new lows.