New York  - Wall Street stock indices gained Tuesday as President Barack Obama reappointed Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke to a second term.

Obama credited Bernanke with helping to stabilize the US financial sector after its worst crisis since the Great Depression in the 1930s. The reappointment had been expected by most economists and investors.

Other positive economic news helped pushed markets higher. The private Conference Board's index of consumer confidence climbed for the first time in three months, jumping to 54.1 points in August from 47.4 in July.

A quarterly index of US home prices climbed for the first time since 2006. The S&P/Case-Schiller index of the 20 largest cities rose 2.9 per cent in the second quarter from the first three months of the year.

The blue-chip Dow Jones Industrial Average climbed 30.01 points, or 0.32 per cent, to 9,539.29. The broader Standard and Poor's 500 Index rose 2.43 points, or 0.24 per cent, to 1,028. The technology- heavy Nasdaq Composite Index gained 6.25 points, or 0.31 per cent, to 2,024.23.

The US currency was little-changed against the euro at 69.91 euro cents, from 69.94 euro cents on Monday. The dollar fell against the Japanese currency to 94.16 yen from 94.53 yen on Monday.  (dpa)