Wall Street Ahead After Retail Data Stocks on Wall Street opened higher Tuesday after the Commerce Department reported better-than-expected retail sales in the United States last month despite rising gas prices. The Standard & Poor's 500-stock index gained 0.5 percent at the start of trading, the Dow Jones industrial average added 0.4 percent and the Nasdaq composite index rose 0.5 percent to trade near the 3,000 level. Just maybe a little bit of a relief with some of that uncertainty out of the way and the retail sales, highest in five months, is helping. It is all good news," said Terry Morris, senior vice president and senior equity manager for National Penn Investors Trust in Reading, Pa. But Mr. Morris cautioned that the trend of low market volume was unsettling, reflecting a lack of commitment from investors. Monday's volume of 5.24 billion shares traded on the New York Stock Exchange, NYSE Amex and Nasdaq represented the lowest of the year. "The mentality has shifted from selling rallies to buying dips, so a lot of people are just sitting there, keeping their powder dry and hoping the market pulls back so they can get in," said Mr. Morris. Investor sentiment about economic prospects in Europe was heightened after euro zone finance ministers gave final approval to a second bailout for Greece and data in Germany showed analyst and investor sentiment rose significantly more than expected in March. The FTSE 100 index of British shares was up 0.6 percent, while the CAC 40 index of French stocks gained 1.1 percent. The DAX in Germany rose 0.9 percent. Later Tuesday, investors will look to the United States Federal Reserve, which is expected to hold steady on monetary policy when it concludes its one-day meeting, acknowledging a mildly brighter economic outlook while refraining from any suggestion that further easing is now off the table. Pfizer, the world's largest drugmaker, scrapped a deal to sell insulin products made by Biocon, leaving India's biggest biotech company without a partner to sell the drugs in key global markets such as the United States. Pfizer edged up 0.3 percent. Yahoo sued Facebook over 10 patents that include methods and systems for advertising on the Web, opening a legal battle among big technology companies in social media. Yahoo gained 0.8 percent. Great Wolf Resorts jumped 26 percent after the private equity firm Apollo Global Management said its affiliate will buy the operator of indoor waterpark resorts for about $703 million, including debt. Midas jumped 27.4 percent after the auto repair chain said it would be taken private by TBC for $173 million in cash.