US STOCKS SNAPSHOT-Wall Street 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 U.S. Congress eclipsed data showing elevated levels of unemployment claims.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 71.8 points, or 0.23%, at the open to 30901.18. The S&P 500 rose 16.6 points, or 0.44%, at the open to 3764.71​, while the Nasdaq Composite rose 126.5 points, or 0.99%, to 12867.34 at the opening bell.