NEW YORK (Reuters) - Stocks turned sharply positive and rallied to session highs in a volatile session on Tuesday, with cyclical sectors like energy and materials leading the way higher.
Trading has been choppy, with major indexes briefly dropping into negative territory earlier in the session.
Energy shares <.GSPE> were the day's biggest percentage gainers, rising 1.4 percent, followed by materials <.GSPM>, up 1.2 percent. Both are closely tied to the pace of economic growth, and have rallied on signs of progress in dealing with Europe's debt crisis.
The Dow Jones industrial average <.DJI> was up 114.32 points, or 0.92 percent, at 12,525.55. The Standard & Poor's 500 Index <.SPX> was up 11.13 points, or 0.85 percent, at 1,320.06. The Nasdaq Composite Index <.IXIC> was up 26.75 points, or 0.95 percent, at 2,836.48.
(Reporting by Ryan Vlastelica; Editing by Dave Zimmerman)
