Wall Street opened higher on Wednesday as investors remained optimistic that the worst of the economic slowdown was abating.

McDonald's Corp and Procter & Gamble Co

were the top boosts on the Dow after upgrades from Deutsche Bank and Barclays Capital, respectively.

The Dow Jones industrial average <.DJI> gained 64.03 points, or 0.76 percent, to 8,538.88. The Standard & Poor's 500 Index <.SPX> rose 9.52 points, or 1.05 percent, to 917.65. The Nasdaq Composite Index <.IXIC> climbed 13.40 points, or 0.77 percent, to 1,747.94.

(Reporting by Chuck Mikolajczak; editing by Jeffrey Benkoe)