Stocks build on their gains and open higher on Wall Street

Stocks are off to a solid start on Wall Street today as investors continue to wager that the new variant of the COVID-19 virus won’t pose a big threat to the economy.

The S&P 500 rose 2.1% by 10 a.m. Central, adding to its gains from a day earlier. The tech-heavy Nasdaq rose 2.8%, and small-company stocks also posted gains.

Safe-play sectors like utilities lagged the rest of the market.

Treasury yields rose and crude oil prices climbed about 3%.

European markets were also solidly higher, and Asian markets closed higher overnight.