WASHINGTON: U.S. stocks opened higher on Monday, with major indexes trading at or near records as concerns over the political situation with North Korea appeared to ease. The Dow Jones Industrial Average DJIA, +0.28% rose 52 points, or 0.2%, to 22,327. The S&P 500 SPX, +0.15% added 3 points, or 0.1%, to 2,504. The Nasdaq Composite Index COMP, +0.10% added 11 points to 6,458, a rise of 0.1%.
Both the Dow and the S&P 500 hit intraday records in early trading, while the Nasdaq was within a few points of its own. Recent trading has had a pronounced upward bias, though uncertainty pertaining to North Korea has been a headwind. That issue appeared to ease after U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said the U.S. seeks a “peaceful solution” and wants to “bring North Korea to the table for constructive, productive dialogue,” speaking in an interview on CBS’s “Face the Nation.” Among the day’s biggest movers, Orbital ATK Inc. OA, +20.18% gained 20% after Northrop Grumman Corp. NOC, +3.35% agreed to buy it for $7.8 billion in cash. Northrop fell 0.7%.
