US STOCKS-Market gains on tech, dollar; Nasdaq up 2 pct

(Updates with Nasdaq rising 2 percent)

NEW YORK, May 1 (Reuters) - U.S. stocks rose on Thursday as investors snapped up technology bellwethers, including Apple Inc (AAPL.O: Quote, Profile, Research), sending the Nasdaq up more than 2 percent, as the dollar's rebound drove oil prices lower, easing worries about high energy costs and inflation.

Financial shares also underpinned the market.

The Dow Jones industrial average .DJI gained 87.36 points, or 0.68 percent, to 12,907.49. The Standard & Poor's 500 Index .SPX rose 11.54 points, or 0.83 percent, to 1,397.13. The Nasdaq Composite Index .IXIC shot up 49.33 points, or 2.04 percent, to 2,462.13. (Reporting by Ellis Mnyandu; Editing by Jan Paschal)