Stocks shot up 4 percent on Thursday as investors hungry for bargains overcame the recent wave of fear that has driven selling over the last two weeks.

The Dow Jones industrial average <.DJI> jumped 422.84 points, or 3.94 percent, to end unofficially at 11,142.78. The Standard & Poor's 500 Index <.SPX> shot up 51.82 points, or 4.62 percent, to finish unofficially at 1,172.58. The Nasdaq Composite Index <.IXIC> rose 111.63 points, or 4.69 percent, to close unofficially at 2,492.68.

(Reporting by Angela Moon; Editing by Jan Paschal)