US stocks bolt higher in Brexit relief rally

New York - US stocks opened sharply higher on Monday, joining a global markets rally as investors cheered polls suggesting Britons may choose to remain in the European Union in a vote this week.

Polls in Britain showed the "Remain" camp gaining ground against "Leave" supporters, putting the race neck-and-neck just three days before Thursday's referendum.

"Relief seen in just about every corner," said Patrick O'Hare of Briefing.com. "It's the reaction in the capital markets to the news that the latest polls suggest UK voters may indeed choose to remain part of the European Union after all."

Five minutes into trade, the Dow Jones Industrial Average was up almost 1%, at 17 902.19.

The broad-market S&P 500 advanced 0.83% to 2 095.27, while the tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite rose 0.32% to 4 860.27.

Dow member Boeing was a big gainer, soaring 2.5% after Iran announced it would buy 100 aircraft.