U.S. stocks opened higher on Thursday, with the Dow breaking the 17,000 level for the first time, after the unemployment rate fell to its lowest in almost six years and the American economy created many more jobs than forecast.
The Dow Jones industrial average rose 48.8 points or 0.29 percent, to 17,025.04, the S&P 500 gained 5.62 points or 0.28 percent, to 1,980.24 and the Nasdaq Composite added 16.23 points or 0.36 percent, to 4,473.97.