The Dow and the tech-heavy Nasdaq were down in morning trading while Europe barely moved either side of the positive-negative line after Asia drifted down slightly.
Also, new applications for US jobless benefits fell below 400,000 for the first time since the pandemic started, while a service sector index came in at an all-time high in May.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 120.79 points, or 0.35pc, to 34,585.43, the S&P 500 gained 13.23 points, or 0.31pc, at 4,214.11 and the Nasdaq Composite added 61.48 points, or 0.45pc, at 13,797.76.