NEW YORK (Reuters) - Stocks opened higher on Tuesday as materials shares were boosted by merger and acquisition talk and better-than-expected profits from Wal-Mart and Home Depot.
* In the materials sector, CF Industries Holdings Inc
* The Dow Jones industrial average <.DJI> rose 55.18 points, or 0.54 percent, to 10,357.19. The Standard & Poor's 500 Index <.SPX> added 7.57 points, or 0.70 percent, to 1,086.95. The Nasdaq Composite Index <.IXIC> gained 17.36 points, or 0.80 percent, to 2,199.23.
(Reporting by Leah Schnurr; editing by Jeffrey Benkoe)