Wall Street extended gains and the Nasdaq rose more than 1 percent late in the session on Tuesday, with utility and other defensive sectors leading the way higher.

The Dow Jones industrial average <.DJI> was up 84.50 points, or 0.67 percent, at 12,769.18. The Standard & Poor's 500 Index <.SPX> was up 11.74 points, or 0.87 percent, at 1,358.03. The Nasdaq Composite Index <.IXIC> was up 27.97 points, or 0.98 percent, at 2,871.22.

(Reporting by Caroline Valetkevitch; Editing by Kenneth Barry)