NEW YORK, (AFP) – US stocks pushed higher Thursday after three straight falls boosted by a sharp downturn in US weekly jobless claims and Spain’s surprisingly successful debt sale.

Shortly after the open the Dow Jones Industrial Average was up 112.84 points ( 0.95 percent) at 11,936.32.

The broader S&P 500 rose 12.02 (0.99 percent) to 1,223.84, while the tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite jumped 22.76 (0.90 percent) to 2,562.07.

Sentiment got a bump from the report that new jobless claims hit a three year low last week, suggesting layoffs are slowing down and US businesses are feeling more confident.

Also helping was Spain’s bumper bond sale, raising nearly twice the amount targeted as it snatched the chance to lock in competitive borrowing rates in the swirling eurozone debt crisis.

On Wednesday, Italy was forced to pay record high rates in a bond sale, a sign of frailty which sent stocks on both sides of the Atlantic tumbling.