Investing.com - U.S. stock markets rose on Thursday, amid hopes that Greece would secure an emergency EU-IMF aid package soon and on the back of better-than-expected corporate earnings reports.
During early U.S. trade, the Dow Jones Industrial Average was up 0.61%, the S&P 500 index rose 0.78% and the Nasdaq Composite index was up 0.6%.
Motorola Inc. was among the top performers, after the largest U.S. mobile-phone maker gained 4.77% after reporting an unexpected profit.
The gains on U.S. stock markets also came after the Federal Reserve on Wednesday kept its key interest rate near zero, stating that it still plans to keep it there for an "extended period," and slightly upgraded some of its economic forecasts at the conclusion of a two-day rate-setting committee meeting.
Earlier Thursday, the European Central Bank president, Jean-Claude Trichet, urged Germany to quickly approve the bailout deal for Greece. Speaking in Munich, Trichet said policy makers must create a “sense of direction” to help overcome the fiscal crisis.
Stock markets in Europe also advanced: France’s CAC 40 was up 1.21%; Germany's DAX rose 0.66%; Britain's FTSE 100 was up 0.5%; and the EURO STOXX 50 rose 1.01%.
Also Thursday, official data showed that the number of U.S. workers filing new applications for unemployment insurance fell by 11,000 to a seasonally adjusted 448,000. Economists had expected for a bigger fall, but the decline brought claims to a 1-month low.
During early U.S. trade, the Dow Jones Industrial Average was up 0.61%, the S&P 500 index rose 0.78% and the Nasdaq Composite index was up 0.6%.
Motorola Inc. was among the top performers, after the largest U.S. mobile-phone maker gained 4.77% after reporting an unexpected profit.
The gains on U.S. stock markets also came after the Federal Reserve on Wednesday kept its key interest rate near zero, stating that it still plans to keep it there for an "extended period," and slightly upgraded some of its economic forecasts at the conclusion of a two-day rate-setting committee meeting.
Earlier Thursday, the European Central Bank president, Jean-Claude Trichet, urged Germany to quickly approve the bailout deal for Greece. Speaking in Munich, Trichet said policy makers must create a “sense of direction” to help overcome the fiscal crisis.
Stock markets in Europe also advanced: France’s CAC 40 was up 1.21%; Germany's DAX rose 0.66%; Britain's FTSE 100 was up 0.5%; and the EURO STOXX 50 rose 1.01%.
Also Thursday, official data showed that the number of U.S. workers filing new applications for unemployment insurance fell by 11,000 to a seasonally adjusted 448,000. Economists had expected for a bigger fall, but the decline brought claims to a 1-month low.