NEW YORK: US stocks opened with solid gains in the wake of a sweep of rises in European bourses Friday, despite a looming US government shutdown due to a stalemate over this year's budget.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average of 30 blue chips added 22.25 points (0.18 percent) at 12,431.74, while the broad-market S&P 500-stock index gained 3.88 points (0.29 percent) at 1,337.39.
The tech-rich Nasdaq Composite rose 7.29 points (0.26 percent) to 2,799.47.
Analysts said there was relief after Thursday's Japanese earthquake did not appear to have caused any significant new damage to the country.
The 7.1 quake had sent markets tumbling, coming in the wake of the catastrophic March 11 9.0 earthquake in the same area.
The markets also were unfazed by the first eurozone interest rate hike since rates hit bottom nearly two years ago.
"The US stock market once again showed it resiliency yesterday, shaking off news that the European Central Bank raised its basic interest rate level for the first time since the financial crisis hit in 2008 and another round of bad news regarding Portugal's sovereign debt," said Frederic Dickson, analyst at DA Davidson & Co.
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