Dow closes with third straight day of gains, up more than 20 percent over three-day period

The Dow on Thursday gained more than 1,300 points, its third straight day of gains following weeks of record losses because of the coronavirus. 

The turnaround comes as Congress works overtime to pass a $2.2 trillion spending package to help suddenly unemployed Americans and shuttered businesses. 

The Senate passed the bill late Wednesday, and the House is expected to vote Friday in favor of the record stimulus measure. President Trump has said he would sign the Senate-passed bill.

The S&P 500 on Thursday closed more than 6 percent higher, its third consecutive day of gains, and the Nasdaq closed more than 5 percent higher – despite a Labor Department report earlier in the day that showed 3.28 million Americans filed jobless claims last week. 

The Dow has risen more than 20 percent over the past three days.