The Dow Jones industrial average rose 77.32 points, or 0.43 percent, to 18,223.03, the S&P 500 gained 10.17 points, or 0.47 percent, to 2,151.33 and the Nasdaq Composite added 52.43 points, or 1 percent, to 5,309.83.
The S&P 500 hit a two-week high on Monday on the back of strong earnings, while a flurry of acquisitions indicated corporate America continues to see untapped value in the market.
Annualised third-quarter earnings from S&P 500 components are expected to have risen 1.1 percent last quarter, following four quarters of contraction, according to Thomson Reuters I/B/E/S data. Of the 120 companies that have reported so far, 78 percent have beaten analyst expectations, above the long-term average of 63.5 percent.
