Sentiment fuels US rise

US stocks trended higher midway through a shortened session yesterday, as positive sentiment on the one-year anniversary of the worst terrorist attack in the nation's history overpowered a weak assessment of the economy from the Federal Reserve.

Around 1.30pm ET, the Dow Jones industrial average gained 21.15 to 8,623.76; it was up more than 100 points earlier in the session before pulling back after the Fed report. The Nasdaq composite added 5.28 to 1,325.37. The Standard & Poor's 500 index rose 4.68 to 914.26. While the Nasdaq opened for trading at 11am ET, the New York Stock Exchange delayed its open until 12 noon, approximately 30 minutes after the conclusion of the memorial services at the site where the World Trade Centre stood.

Market breadth was positive on light volume.