Dow Jones opens higher as Democrats win Senate control

Wall Street's main indexes opened higher on Thursday, with the S&P 500 and the Dow near record levels as bets on more pandemic aid under a Democrat-controlled US Congress eclipsed data showing elevated levels of unemployment claims.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 132.8 points, or 0.43%, at the open to 30,961.99. The S&P 500 rose 34.6 points, or 0.91%, at the open to 3,782.15, while the Nasdaq Composite rose 196.5 points, or 1.54%, to 12,937.52 at the opening bell.