NEW YORK: US stocks had a strong start on Friday as three struggling eurozone governments moved ahead on crucial austerity programs, with the major indices all picking up more than 1.1 percent in the first five minutes of trade.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average was up 178.31 (1.50 percent) to 12,072.10.
The broad-based S&P 500 added 16.22 (1.31 percent) at 1,255.91, while the tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite edged up 27.36 (1.04 percent) to 2,652.51.
Italian lawmakers on Friday gave their initial approval to a package of key economic reforms aimed at staving off bankruptcy; Greece's new unity was sworn in to ratify the crucial EU bailout; and in Portugal lawmakers gave preliminary approval to the government's 2012 austerity budget.
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