Stocks rose on Thursday as trade talks between China and the U.S. restarted, but fears that the economy may be slowing down persisted.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 91.87 points to 25,717.46 as shares of Nike and J.P. Morgan Chase outperformed. The gained 0.4 percent to 2,815.44. The broad index is also headed for its best first-quarter performance since 1998, rising 12.3 percent. The Nasdaq Composite advanced 0.3 percent to close at 7,669.17.

Financials and consumer discretionary were among the best-performing sectors in the S&P 500, rising 0.8 percent and 0.6 percent, respectively. PVH Corp. outperformed all stocks in the broader index, surging 14.8 percent on strong earnings. J.P. Morgan Chase, Citigroup and Bank of America all rose more than 1 percent, boosted by higher Treasury yields.

Reuters reported overnight that Chinese officials made unprecedented offers regarding force technology transfers as well as other major sticking points. The report comes as U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer and Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin arrived in Beijing for further negotiations.

"Still, the ongoing debate over China and the negotiations is out there," said Phil Blancato, CEO of Ladenburg Thalmann Asset Management. "I don't see a lot more upside to the trade negotiations."

"I think the bulk is already priced in."