US stocks open strong with high vaccine rate, reopening optimism

By Ovunc Kutlu

ANKARA (AA) - US stocks opened higher on Tuesday to start June strong as high vaccination rates across the country triggered hopes that the world's largest economy would soon reopen.

The Dow Jones added 155 points to 34,685 at 9.43 a.m. EDT (1343GMT). The S&P 500 tacked on 14 to reach 4,219. Both indexes were hovering around their all-time highs.

The Nasdaq rose 44 points to 13,793 with AMC Entertainment and Blackberry soaring 16% and 6%, respectively.

The strong showing came with optimism among investors that the reopening of the American economy would be realized this summer amid rising vaccination in the US.

Almost 168 million people, or 50.5% of the population, received at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccination as of early Sunday, according to figures from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. More than 135 million, or 40.7%, have received two doses.