The Dow was up 202 within minutes of opening.
UPDATE: The Dow went up 202 points within minutes of opening this morning, with the S&P jumping 25 and Nasdaq up 77.INITIAL POST: The most immediate indicator of relief that the U.S. government has averted the fiscal cliff is world markets having good days and Dow Jones futures looking for a potential 200-point hike at the start.
In Europe, the FTSE 100 index of leading British shares jumped 2.2 percent to 6,028, its first foray above the 6,000 mark since July 2011. The CAC-40 in France rose 2.4 percent to 3,729 while Germany’s DAX was up 2.3 percent at 7,786.
Earlier, in Asia, Hong Kong’s Hang Seng index shot up 2.9 percent to close at 23,311.89, its highest finish since June 1, 2011. Australia’s S&P/ASX 200 surged 1.2 percent to close at 4,705.90, its best finish in 19 months while South Korea’s Kospi jumped 1.7 percent to 2,031.10.
Nasdaq futures were up 51 just after 7:30, while Dow futures rose 186 and the S&P futures were ahead 25.