Dow closes 300 pts higher with tech firms leading the way
United States stock markets ended the last session of the week with strong gains, as tech companies surged after fourth-quarter earnings results by Netflix surpassed expectations and seemingly sparked more demand for growth stocks. In addition, Google's owner Alphabet soared after it confirmed it will reduce its workforce by around 6%.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average index closed with a 1% or 331-point gain as Disney rose by 4.39%. The Nasdaq 100 increased by 2.86% at the close, pulled up by Netflix's 8.46% jump. The S&P 500 was up 1.89% with its best performer SVB Financial Group adding 16.56%.
The euro was 0.25% higher compared to the dollar, going for 1.08558 at 3:59 pm ET.