Indexes on Wall Street rebounded on Thursday, closing up almost 3 percent, on a day fueled by bargain hunting and some positive economic news.

Asia and European shares were also higher, and the euro regained some ground.

At the close, the Dow Jones industrials average was up 273.28 points, or 2.76 percent, to 10,172.53. The broader Standard & Poor’s 500-stock index rose 2.95 percent, or 31.15 points, to 1,086.84, while the technology-heavy Nasdaq was up 2.77 percent or 59.86 points, to 2,218.71.

Thursday’s rally was broad-based, led by energy shares, BP in particular, which was up 10 percent. On Wednesday, BP shares decreased 15.8 percent in New York trading when lawmakers called on the company to suspend its dividends and its advertising to pay for the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico.

(Source: NY Times)