"Stocks must account for a few sessions of most positive activity in overseas markets, which have resulted in a sharply weaker yen, all of which will be tonic for buying, " said Hiroichi Nishi from SMBC Nikko Securities.
In the case of the most-active copper contract traded on the Comex division of the New York Mercantile Exchange, Tuesday was the first rise in nine trading sessions, although volume was small with electronic activity only as trading floors remained closed due to Hurricane Sandy.