U.S. markets closed higher on Monday, led by strong gains in heavyweight technology stocks. Sentiments were boosted after Alphabet (GOOGL) surged 4.8% following the Google parent company's inclusion in the Dow Jones Industrial Average. Semiconductor stocks also outperformed, with the Philadelphia Semiconductor Index climbing 3.8%. Sentiment remained upbeat amid easing geopolitical tensions ahead of the latest round of U.S.-Iran peace talks in Doha, Qatar. On the sectoral front, brokerage stocks witnessed significant selling pressure, dragging the NYSE Arca Broker/Dealer Index down by 2.2%. Weakness in steel, airline, and gold stocks also partly offset the gains recorded by technology stocks.
Nasdaq surged 522.53 points or 2.07 percent to 25,820.14, S&P 500 up 86.41 points or 1.18 percent to 7,440.43 and Dow Jones Industrial Average increased 306.63 points or 0.59 percent to 52,182.74.
