Wall St mixed on China data

United States stocks are searching for direction in late afternoon trading despite news of solid trade data from China that suggested better prospects for the world's second-biggest economy.

At 0630 AEDT, the Dow Jones Industrial Average slipped 29.80 points, or 0.19%, to 15,964.97.

The broad-based S&P 500 inched down 1.04 points, or 0.06%, to 1,818.71, while the tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite Index added 11.10 points, or 0.27%, to 4,202.14.

Chinese exports jumped more than expected, increasing 10.6% to $US207.13 billion ($A229.81 billion), while imports were up 10.0% at $US175.27 billion ($A194.46 billion), according to Chinese government data.

While the data were promising following a spate of disappointing Chinese indicators, some economists suggested they were driven by disguised capital flows instead of real demand.