US: Stocks rise; Dow up for 7th straight serssion

[NEW YORK] Wall Street stocks on Friday rose in opening trade as the positive momentum from this week's US economic growth report lifted the market higher.

Five minutes into trade, the Dow Jones Industrial Average stood at stood at 18,061.10, up 30.89 points (0.17 per cent).

The broad-based S&P 500 gained 5.70 (0.27 per cent) to 2,087.58, while the tech-rich Nasdaq Composite Index rose 15.33 (0.32 per cent) to 4,788.80.

Coming into Friday, the Dow had gained six straight sessions and jumped above 18,000 for the first time on Tuesday after data showed the US economy grew five per cent in the third quarter.

Trade was expected to be light Friday after US markets were closed Thursday for the Christmas holiday.

AFP