Stocks Opened Slightly Higher, Oil Prices Ticked Up

U.S. stocks opened slightly higher on Tuesday, as concerns about global trade policy continued to fade. The Dow Jones Industrial Average lately gained 14.72 points, or 0.06%, to 24,217.32. The S&P 500 was up 0.90 point, or 0.03%, to 2,659.45. The Nasdaq Composite rose 10.14 points, or 0.14%, to 7,230.68.

Oil prices ticked up Tuesday morning, as geopolitical risks to supply continued to bolster the market. May West Texas Intermediate crude added 35 cents, or 0.5%, to $65.90 a barrel. May Brent crude rose 44 cents, or 0.6%, to $70.56 a barrel.

Home prices in the U.S. started 2018 on the rise, outpacing the rate of economic growth. Standard & Poor’s said Tuesday that its S&P CoreLogic Case-Shiller national home price index reported a 6.2% annual gain in January, down slightly from 6.3% in December. The 20-city composite rose 6.4% from a year ago, and after seasonal adjustment it posted a 0.8% month-over-month increase.

Akzo Nobel NV’s sale of its specialty chemicals unit to U.S. private equity firm Carlyle Group for 10.1 billion euros ($12.5 billion) is set to transform the Dutch company into a more focused supplier of paints and coatings.