NEW YORK (TheStreet) -- U.S. stocks opened higher on Tuesday, adding to record closes achieved a day earlier, after third-quarter GDP posted a surprise jump to 3.9% from an initial reading of 3.5%. The Department of Commerce's upwardly revised figure came in stronger than expected, topping even the most generous estimates. Economists surveyed by Bloomberg predicted a range of 3% to 3.8% with a consensus of 3.3%. Must Read: Warren Buffett's Top 10 Dividend Stocks "Hearty, positive revisions in nearly all key categories of growth [suggested] the economy was on firmer footing than originally expected at the start of the second half," Sterne Agee's chief economist Lindsey Piegza wrote in a note. She added, however, that "with international growth expected to eat further in the US external sector as we head to the end of the year, government spending likely to cool after a ramp up in end-of-the-fiscal-year defense spending, and a pullback in producer activity as consumers appear to be tightening purse strings particularly on goods spending, a stronger Q3 report may simply mean a further way to fall as we turn the corner into 2015." Consumer spending showed particular strength, upwardly revised to 2.2% from 1.8% for the quarter, with no signs of slowing down into year's end. "We are actually looking for a modest shift up in consumption. That will start in the fourth quarter," RBC Capital Markets' Tom Porcelli told CNBC. "We are looking for this modest acceleration to 2.5% [over the quarter]." Porcelli added that through to 2015, consumer spending could increase to 2.7%. The S&P 500 added 0.17%, the Dow Jones Industrial Average climbed 0.17%, and the Nasdaq gained 0.31%. European markets were all higher midway through their session after Germany posted modest economic growth. The region's largest economy reported third-quarter GDP growth of 1.2%, unrevised from the officials' previous estimates. Germany's DAX was 1% higher. Apple , caught up in the market rally, rose Tuesday while its market cap topped $700 billion. Shares rose 2.5% to $119.41. Tiffany added 2.2% on Tuesday after quarterly comparable-store sales spiked 6%. Campbell Soup added 0.36% after exceeding quarterly expectations on its top- and bottom-lines, while Hormel Foods slid 0.63% after profit fell short of estimates. Spain-based bank Santander was gaining 1.8% after naming its former chief financial officer to the vacated role of CEO. Former chief Javier Marin had held the position for less than two years. Must Read: 10 Stocks Billionaire John Paulson Loves in 2014 --Written by Keris Alison Lahiff in New York.
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