By Ovunc Kutlu
ISTANBUL (AA) - US stock opened Thursday with strong gains.
The Dow Jones was up 420 points, or 1.05%, to 40,428 at 9.49 a.m. EDT. The S&P 500 rose 53 points, or 0.97%, to 5,508.
The Nasdaq, meanwhile, jumped 240 points, or 1.4%, to 17,434.
The VIX volatility index, also known as the fear index, fell 5.4% to 15.32. The 10-year US Treasury yield rose 3.5% to 3.959%.
The US dollar index increased 0.5% to 103.09, while the euro fell 0.4% to $1.0966 against the greenback.
Precious metals were mixed, with gold falling 0.3% to $2,440 per ounce but silver adding 1.7% to $28.02.
Oil prices were up around 1.4%, with global benchmark Brent crude at $80.89 per barrel and US benchmark West Texas Intermediate at $78.07.