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April 10, 2017: Markets opened higher Monday as we begin a short week with a bang that turned into a whimper, then turned higher again. The energy sector posted the biggest gain on the day, more than 1%, as crude oil prices continued a steady march higher. Telecom services was the only sector that traded lower today. WTI crude oil for May delivery settled at $53.08 a barrel, up 1.6% on the day. June gold dropped 0.3% on the day to settle at $1,253.90. Equities were headed for a higher close shortly before the bell as the DJIA traded up 0.03% for the day, the S&P 500 traded up 0.08%, and the Nasdaq Composite traded up 0.06%.

Stocks traded very near the break-even line just minutes before the closing bell. The closing tally could finish with either a small gain or a small loss for any or all of the indexes.

The DJIA stock posting the largest daily percentage gain ahead of the close Monday was Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE: CAT) which traded up 1.75% at $97.19. The stock’s 52-week range is $69.04 to $99.46. Volume was about 15% below the daily average of around 5.3 million shares. The company had no specific news.

The Home Depot Inc. (NYSE: HD) traded up 0.085% at $148.38. The stock’s 52-week range is $119.20 to $150.15. Volume was about 10% below the daily average of around 4 million shares. The company had no specific news.

The Travelers Companies Inc. (NYSE: TRV) traded up 0.79% at $121.11. The stock’s 52-week range is $103.45 to $125.49. Volume was about half the daily average of around 1.4 million. The company had no specific news Monday.

Chevron Corp. (NYSE: CVX) traded up 0.66% at $109.58. The stock’s 52-week range is $95.15 to $119.00. Volume was less than half the daily average of around 6.5 million shares. Higher crude oil prices bolstered Chevron’s stock Monday.

Of the Dow stocks, 15 are on track to close higher Monday and 15 are set to close lower.