Large tech companies such as Amazon, Facebook and Google-parent Alphabet gained amid bargain hunting after technology shares finished sharply lower Monday as investors steered money into underperforming sectors.
Markets are girding for coming negotiations between House and Senate lawmakers on the long-awaited tax cut plan, as well as major US economic data, including the November jobs report which will be released Friday.
About 15 minutes into trading, the Dow Jones Industrial Average stood at 24,313.14, up 0.1 percent and adding to Monday's record.
The broad-based S&P 500 also edged up 0.1 percent to 2,640.81, while the tech-rich Nasdaq Composite Index advanced 0.4 percent to 6,802.96.
Credit card company Mastercard rose 0.3 percent after boosting its quarterly dividend by 14 percent and announcing a new $4 billion share repurchase program.
Toll Brothers slumped 9.1 percent after the homebuilder reported fourth-quarter earnings of $1.17 per share, two cents shy of analyst expectations.