US STOCKS SNAPSHOT-Wall St opens flat, but set for strong yearly gains

U.S. stocks opened flat on Thursday, with the S&P 500 and the Nasdaq set to record solid gains in 2020 on hopes that more stimulus and coronavirus vaccines will continue to drive a strong economic recovery.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 8.08 points, or 0.03%, at the open to 30,417.64. The S&P 500 opened higher by 1.23 points, or 0.03%, at 3,733.27, while the Nasdaq Composite gained 7.09 points, or 0.06%, to 12,877.09 at the opening bell.