NEW YORK, June 3 (Xinhua) -- U.S. stocks ended higher on Tuesday, bolstered by a strong earnings season and unexpectedly increased job openings.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 214.16 points, or 0.51 percent, to 42,519.64. The S&P 500 added 34.43 points, or 0.58 percent, to 5,970.37. The Nasdaq Composite Index increased 156.34 points, or 0.81 percent, to 19,398.96.

Eight of the 11 primary S&P 500 sectors ended in green, with technology and energy leading the gainers by adding 1.48 percent and 1.11 percent, respectively. Meanwhile, communication services and real estate led the laggards by losing 0.75 percent and 0.39 percent, respectively.

New data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics showed that job openings rose slightly to an estimated 7.39 million at the end of April, up from 7.2 million the previous month. Despite the increase, signs of real momentum remain elusive. According to Allison Shrivastava, an economist at job site Indeed, the labor market is becoming "distressingly gridlocked."

In an interview with CNN, she noted that companies are hesitant to make major hiring moves as they face conflicting signals from the economy -- including rising global uncertainty and an unpredictable U.S. trade policy landscape. "Businesses are like deer in the headlights, unsure of which direction to take," she said.

The sense of hesitation is further compounded by a bleak global outlook. On Tuesday, the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development cut its global growth forecasts, highlighting the chilling effect of U.S. President Donald Trump's erratic tariff strategies on both investment and business confidence. The U.S. economy, in particular, is expected to slow significantly -- from 2.8 percent growth in 2024 to just 1.6 percent in 2025 and 1.5 percent in 2026, according to the new projections.

Adding to the economic tension, tech magnate Elon Musk delivered a blistering critique of Trump's flagship tax-and-spending proposal currently advancing through Congress. He called the legislation a "disgusting abomination," marking his sharpest public criticism yet of the bill touted by Trump as "big and beautiful."

JPMorgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon also again expressed growing concern Monday that the rapidly rising U.S. government debt could soon create serious challenges for the bond market.

"If people decide that the U.S. dollar isn't the place to be, you could see credit spreads gap out; that would be quite a problem," Dimon said. "It hurts the people raising money. That includes small businesses, that includes loans to small businesses, includes high-yield debt, includes leveraged lending, includes real estate loans. That's why you should worry about volatility in the bond market," Dimon added.

Still, amid the cautious economic backdrop, there were some bright spots in the stock market. Smaller companies saw a bounce, with the Russell 2000 index climbing 1.5 percent, and a historic shift occurred at the very top of the tech world.

Nvidia reached a new milestone on Tuesday, becoming the most valuable company in the world again. The AI chip giant's market capitalization surged to 3.444 trillion U.S. dollars, narrowly surpassing Microsoft's 3.441 trillion. The achievement reflects Wall Street's continued optimism around artificial intelligence, even as broader economic concerns weigh on sentiment.