Stocks Opened Higher after Strong Private Hiring Data

U.S. stocks opened higher on Thursday, as strong U.S. private hiring data added to the bullish sentiment. The Dow Jones Industrial Average lately rose 114.47 points, or 0.46%, to 25,037.15. The S&P 500 gained 7.83 points, or 0.29%, to 2,720.89. The Nasdaq Composite added 8.76 points, or 0.12%, to 7,074.29.

Oil rose to its highest since May 2015 on Thursday, supported by unrest in Iran that has raised concerns about supply risks, cold weather in the United States which is boosting demand and OPEC-led output cuts. Brent crude was down 1 cent at $67.83 a barrel at 1318 GMT. U.S. crude rose 15 cents to $61.78.

U.S. private employers added 250,000 jobs in December, marking the biggest monthly increase since March, a report by ADP Research Institute showed on Thursday.

AT&T has announced that it will be providing 5G services in around 12 markets by late 2018, with plans to offer the service to consumers while it trials 5G technology with businesses across all industries.