Wall Street was set to enjoy a positive return to trading on Tuesday after the Labor Day holiday, according to stock index futures.

At 4:50 a.m. EDT, futures for the Dow Jones, S&P 500 and Nasdaq were up between 1 and 1.1 percent.

Spot gold rose above $1,000 an ounce to its highest level since March 2008 as the dollar extended losses against the euro, traders said.

The FTSEurofirst 300 <.FTEU3> index of top European shares was up 0.5 percent at 981.03 points, on course for an 11-month closing high, with miners among the biggest gainers.

Asian markets rose, with China's benchmark Shanghai Composite <.SSEC> closing 1.7 percent higher amid continued signs of government support.

The U.S. Congress returns from a month-long recess to resume work on a landmark overhaul of the $2.5 trillion U.S. healthcare system.

No major U.S. companies were due to report results.

Kraft Foods will be in focus after its 10.2 billion pound ($16.7 billion) approach to British confectioner Cadbury was rejected.

Economic data due on Tuesday includes the U.S. employment trend index for August at 10 a.m. EDT and July consumer credit at 3 p.m. EDT.

U.S. stocks closed higher on Friday as investors focused on the bright side of a mixed payrolls report that showed smaller-than-expected job cuts in August, although the unemployment rate hit a 26-year high.

U.S. Treasury debt prices rose in Asian trade on Tuesday, edging up after the Labor Day holiday but cautious ahead of a sale of three-year notes.

(Reporting by Brian Gorman; Editing by Dan Lalor)

($1 = 0.6095 pound)

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