Equities on both sides of the Atlantic moved higher overnight with oil prices and bets that the US Federal Reserve appears in no rush to raise interest rates.
Oil rose to the highest level since October 2015, with Brent crude futures rising as high US$51.30 a barrel earlier in the day, and US crude oil futures touching US$50.37.
"Demand for oil seems to be stronger than we anticipated and the price continues to rise, that is something that is positive," Kim Forrest, senior equity research analyst, Fort Pitt Capital Group in Pittsburgh, told Reuters.
Wall Street gained. In 2.39 pm New York trading, the Dow Jones Industrial Average added 0.40 percent. In 2.25pm New York trading, the Standard & Poor's 500 Index rose 0.42 percent. In 2.40pm trading, the Nasdaq Composite Index eked out a 0.08 percent increase.
Gains in shares of Chevron and those of Verizon, last trading 2.4 percent and 2.2 percent stronger respectively, led the Dow higher. Shares of Chevron also rose, last up 1.6 percent, with the price of oil.