Wall St ends up

Dow Jones closed up 0.38 per cent overnight as traders shifted their focus from EU debts crisis to positive U.S. economic news after initial report showed U.S. jobless figure at a 3.5-year low.
Gainers beat losers 3 to 1 on the Dow Jones industrials.

Defensive stocks such as staples, health care and utilities were most popular, while techology and energy shares lagged.

S&P 500 added 0.32 per cent, with 8 of 10 sectors in positive territory.

The Nasdaq composite index gained 0.07 per cent.