Wall Street's main indexes opened higher on Thursday on increased optimism over a coronavirus stimulus bill, while an unexpected rise in weekly jobless claims pointed to further economic stress from the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 61.46 points, or 0.20pc, at the open to 30,216.00.

The S&P 500 opened higher by 12.48 points, or 0.34pc, at 3,713.65, while the Nasdaq Composite gained 72.59 points, or 0.57pc, to 12,730.78 at the opening bell.