US stocks Tuesday moved higher in early trade despite the uncertainty generated by the US government's first shutdown in 17 years.

After 45 minutes of trade, the Dow Jones Industrial Average was up 6.09 points (0.04 percent) at 15,135.76.

The broad-based S&P 500 tacked on 4.28 (0.25 percent) at 1,685.83, while the tech-rich Nasdaq Composite Index rose 12.07 (0.32 percent) to 3,783.55.

The gains followed recent losses as investors grew nervous about a looming government shutdown amid a political impasse over striking a budget deal.

Art Hogan, head of product strategy for Lazard Capital Markets, said investors are likely assuming the shutdown will be short.

"The market is reflecting the assumption it is going to be over in 48 hours," Hogan said. "I don't know if it is going to be the case."

"The longer this situation persists, the more of an adverse effect it is going to have on the economy and the market," Hogan added.

Dow component Merck rose 2.2 percent after announcing 8,500 more job cuts in an effort to save $2.5 billion in costs by the end of 2015. The pharmaceutical giant has been under pressure following the expiration of patents on some key drugs.

Automaker Ford added 1.7 percent after posting September US sales 6 percent higher over the year-ago period. Ford said the month marked its best September since 2006.

Online retail giant Amazon tacked on 1.7 percent after announcing it would hire more than 70,000 full-time temporary workers for the holiday retail season, a 40 percent rise over last year.

Drugstore chain Walgreens jumped 3.3 percent after earnings of 73 cents per share bested expectations by a penny.

Campbell Soup Company advanced 0.6 percent after announcing it reached a definitive agreement to sell its European simple meals business to CVC Capital Partners for 400 million euros ($542.2 million).

Cree, which manufactures and sells light emitting diode (LED) and other lighting products, shot up 8.7 percent after Canaccord Genuity upgraded the stock to "buy" due to the company's success in cutting costs and developing strong technology.

Bond prices were mixed. The yield on the 10-year Treasury was unchanged from Mondat at 2.62 percent, while the 30-year rose to 3.70 percent from 3.68 percent. Prices and yields move inversely.

jmb/vs