Wall Street opens higher, boosted by Draghi's comment

Dow Jones, S&P 500 index and Nasdaq up 0.5% each

US stocks rose at the open on Thursday after labour market data came in within expectations and following encouraging comments by European Central Bank President Mario Draghi on tools to tackle the region's debt crisis.

The Dow Jones industrial average gained 40.66 points, or 0.30%, to 13,535.27. The Standard & Poor's 500 Index gained 3.54 points, or 0.24%, to 1,454.53. The Nasdaq Composite Index gained 5.45 points, or 0.17%, to 3,140.68.