Stocks Opened Slightly Higher as Earnings Season Began

U.S. stocks opened slightly higher on Monday as investors readied for the rollout of earnings from large banks. The Dow Jones Industrial Average lately added 33.88 points, or 0.19%, to 18,091.53. The S&P 500 gained 3.77 points, or 0.18%, to 2,105.83. The Nasdaq Composite was up 22.68 points, or 0.45%, to 5,018.66.

As the U.S. job market improves, the risk is receding that an unexpected setback could derail the recovery once the Federal Reserve raises interest rates, San Francisco Fed President John Williams told Reuters.

Apple (AAPL)’s first foray into the world of the smartwatch generated nearly 1 million pre-orders in the United States on Friday, according to early estimates by the research firm Slice Intelligence.

Sears Holdings Corp. agreed to form a real-estate joint venture with Simon Property Group Inc. that will generate $114 million, the department-store chain’s latest push to use its extensive properties to shore up its finances.

Brent crude rose above $58 a barrel on Monday as a slowdown in U.S. drilling continued to support prices, offsetting a drop in Chinese imports. Front-month Brent futures (LCOc1) were up 76 cents at $58.63 a barrel by 1207 GMT, having earlier touched $59.54.