NEW YORK: US stock markets jumped on opening Monday as investors showed optimism that Japan could deter a meltdown at a nuclear plant and Libyan leader Moamer Kadhafi appeared hobbled by coalition air strikes.
Also spurring trade was the weekend announcement of AT&T's plan to take over T-Mobile USA in a $39 billion deal that would make AT&T the country's largest cellphone carrier.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average picked up 186.29 points (1.57 percent) to 12,044.81 in the first 15 minutes of trade.
The broader S&P 500 was up 17.99 (1.41 percent) at 1,297.19, while the tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite rose 44.58 (1.69 percent) to 2,688.25.
"The US equity markets are nicely higher in morning action, beginning the week on a positive note, led by a major M&A announcement in the telecom sector and some relative optimism of progress in Japan's ability to avoid a nuclear meltdown," said analysts at Charles Schwab.
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