New York, Jul 3 (IANS): Wall Street closed slightly higher, ending a volatile session amid concerns over a potential US-EU trade dispute.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 69.25 points, or 0.26 per cent, to 26,786.68 on Tuesday. The S&P 500 increased 8.68 points, or 0.29 per cent, to 2,973.01. The Nasdaq Composite Index was up 17.93 points, or 0.22 per cent, to 8,109.09, Xinhua reported.

The Dow's gains were led by upbeat Verizon Communications and Cisco Systems stocks. Shares of the companies climbed 2.59 per cent and 1.95 per cent, respectively.

Seven of the 11 primary S&P 500 sectors closed higher, with real estate and utilities up 1.82 per cent and 1.24 per cent, respectively, the biggest winners. Energy sector, however, erased 1.74 per cent, the worst-performing group.

The US government on Monday proposed punitive tariffs on additional USD 4 billion of EU goods amid their dispute over aircraft subsidies.

Wall Street was worried that the potential new levies would further dent economic outlook and impact corporate earnings, experts noted.