U.S. stocks shot higher early Friday as Wall Street continued to search for clarity surrounding a new potential stimulus bill.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average popped 238.87 points to 28,664.38.
The S&P 500 added 32.35 points to 3,479.18.
The NASDAQ advanced 124.32 points, or 1.1%, to 11,545.30.
Those gains put the major averages on pace for solid weekly advances. The Dow is up 3.4% week to date, on pace for it biggest one-week gain since August. The S&P 500 hiked 3.8%, and NASDAQ has advanced 4.3% for the week.
Cruise operator stocks jumped after the White House announced Vice President Mike Pence will meet with industry officials later in the day. Carnival sailed higher 1.3%, and Norwegian Cruise Line shares were up 0.7%. Royal Caribbean gained 0.8%.
Investors also digested news on the coronavirus treatment front. GenMark Diagnostics said after the close Thursday that the Food and Drug Administration gave the company emergency clearance to run a test that screens for the flu, coronavirus and other viruses.
Plus, shares of Gilead rose 1.7% after a study showed its anti-viral treatment remdesivir showed that the drug cut recovery time by five days compared to patients who received a placebo. The drug also reduced fatality in patients needing low flow oxygen.
Prices for the 10-Year Treasury gave way, raising yields to 0.79% from Thursday's 0.77%. Treasury prices and yields move in opposite directions.
Oil prices were unchanged at $41.19 U.S. a barrel.
Gold prices spiked $35.10 to $1,930.20 U.S. an ounce.
Dow Heads for Best Week Since August