US stocks have racked up solid gains in a holiday-shortened trading session, boosted by reports of strong June sales from the leading US auto makers.
Trade closed at 1700 GMT (0300 AEST), after only three and a half hours, to allow for travel ahead of the July 4th Independence Day holiday.
At the finish the Dow Jones Industrial Average was up 72.05 points (0.56 per cent) to 12,943.44.
The S&P 500-stock index added 8.51 (0.62 per cent) to 1,374.02, while the tech-rich Nasdaq put on 24.85 points (0.84 per cent) to 2,976.08.
The market gained support from reports of strong June sales by the Big Three US auto companies, offsetting some of the worries about weak consumer spending.
