U.S. stocks closed higher Thursday as investors appeared more optimistic about an economic recovery.
The Dow Jones industrial average, S&P 500 and Nasdaq Composite Index were all up 1%.
For the tech-heavy Nasdaq, Thursday's close put it back in positive territory for the first time after being down nearly 20% earlier in the year. Shares in Apple, Facebook, Amazon and Google were all up Thursday.
But the Dow and S&P 500 are still off more than 10% so far this year.
Travel-related stocks helped lead Thursday's gains, including Hilton Hotels, MGM Resorts, and the Carnival and Norwegian cruise lines. Millions of locked-down Americans are itching to go on much-desired vacations as soon as the coronavirus pandemic eases.
Also Thursday, shares in the home fitness equipment company Peloton rose 16% as gyms around the country remain closed.
Meanwhile, major indexes in London, Frankfurt and Paris were all up more than 1% Thursday while Asian stocks were mixed despite Beijing's announcement that exports had risen 3.5% from the same time last year — another sign the global economy is starting to slowly recover.
