A modest gain in US retail sales in July has given Wall Street a boost on opening, continuing a global rebound in markets.

The Commerce Department’s monthly retail sales report came in lower than expected, with overall sales up just 0.2 per cent, but the June figure was revised sharply higher to an 0.6 per cent gain and July sales excluding autos were up a solid 0.5 per cent, better than predicted.

Five minutes into trade on Tuesday, the Dow Jones Industrial Average was up 30.52 points (0.20 per cent) to 15,450.20.

The broad-based S&P 500 rose 3.24 (0.19 per cent) at 1,692.71, while the tech-rich Nasdaq Composite gained 5.78 (0.16 per cent) to 3,675.73.