NEW YORK, Dec. 12 (Xinhua) -- U.S.-listed Chinese companies traded mostly higher on Wednesday with nine of the top 10 stocks by weight in the S&P U.S. Listed China 50 index ending the day on an upbeat note.

Shares of TAL Education Group and JD.com rose 4.93 percent and 4.69 percent, respectively, leading the advancers in the top 10 stocks of the index.

Shares of New Oriental Education & Technology Group and Yum China Holdings climbed 4.42 percent and 4.06 percent, respectively, also among the biggest gainers.

Shares of Alibaba Group Holding dipped 0.22 percent, the worst performer among the top 10 stocks of the index.

U.S. stocks rallied on Wednesday as investors were optimistic about possible trade deals between the United States and its key trading partners.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average increased 157.03 points, or 0.64 percent, to 24,527.27. The S&P 500 rose 14.29 points, or 0.54 percent, to 2,651.07. The Nasdaq Composite Index was up 66.48 points, or 0.95 percent, to 7,098.31.

The Cboe Volatility index, widely considered the best fear gauge in the stock market, dropped 1.38 percent to 21.46 on Wednesday.

As of Tuesday, the S&P U.S. Listed China 50 index stood at 2,426.48, marking a 4.21-percent decrease for the month-to-date returns and a 21.50-percent loss for the year-to-date returns. Enditem