US stocks shot higher on Thursday, boosted by bullish job market and consumer confidence data as trading continued to return to normal following storm Sandy's devastating sweep through the US North East. Volume was near average, with more than 3 billion shares changing hands on the New York Stock Exchange, Nasdaq and NYSE MKT in the early afternoon. Volume had been expected to spike after Sandy forced a historic two-day market closure earlier in the week.
The Dow Jones industrial average gained 112.14 points, or 0.86 percent, to 13,208.60. The S&P 500 rose 12.23 points, or 0.87 percent, to 1,424.39. The Nasdaq Composite added 35.06 points, or 1.18 percent, to 3,012.29.