Stocks extended gains Friday morning, with the Dow industrial average up 2 percent, after Italy's Senate approved economic reforms crucial to avoid a euro zone meltdown.

Investors had worried Italy would be forced to seek a bailout the euro zone cannot afford.

The Dow Jones industrial average <.DJI> gained 231.13 points, or 1.94 percent, to 12,124.92. The Standard & Poor's 500 <.SPX> climbed 21.44 points, or 1.73 percent, to 1,261.13. The Nasdaq Composite <.IXIC> rose 39.44 points, or 1.50 percent, to 2,664.59.

(Editing by Jeffrey Benkoe)