US stock indices opened higher on Thursday, after the Congress ratified Democratic candidate Joe Biden's election victory .
Thousands of Trump supporters yesterday stormed the US Capitol building to protest the session that declared Joe Biden the new President of the United States.
US President Donald Trump called on his supporters to return home, amid condemnations by some congressional officials and world leaders, and demands for a peaceful transfer of power.
Data showed today that the initial unemployment claims in the US fell 3,000 to 787,000 last week, ahead of the monthly jobs report on Friday.
As for stocks, Dow Jones rose 0.8% or 245 points to 31,077 as of 15:11 GMT, and S&P 500 rose 1.4% or 51 points to 3,799, while Nasdaq fell 2.1% or 267 points to 13,008.