New York - Wall Street stocks opened higher on Tuesday, joining a rally in Europe as bourses in Frankfurt, Paris and London rose by one percent or more.
The strong performances in Europe followed better-than-expected German growth figures but a disappointing reading on German investor confidence due to worries about a possible exit of Britain from the European Union.
Analysts said the uncertainty about Britain will likely keep the European Central Bank on an accommodative course.
Five minutes into trade, the Dow Jones Industrial Average was at 17 615.99, up 0.7%.
The broad-based S&P 500 rose 0.6% to 2 514.50, while the tech-rich Nasdaq Composite Index climbed 0.7% to 4 797.43.
US stocks have drifted early this week in the absence of major US economic reports and ahead of the release of first-quarter growth figures and other key data later in the week.