US stocks opened higher today, as sliding oil prices held near $50 a barrel and Wall Street hoped for a clear-cut winner in the US presidential race as Americans went to the polls.
The Dow Jones industrial average was up 7.23 points, or 0.07 per cent, at 10,061.62. The Standard & Poor's 500 Index was up 1.12 points, or 0.10 per cent, at 1,131.63. The technology-laced Nasdaq Composite Index was up 2.37 points, or 0.12 per cent, at 1,982.24.
US oil prices fell further below $50 a barrel, adding to a week-long slide that has cut more than $5 off record-high prices as some traders cashed in profits ahead of the US election.
US light sweet crude fell 10 cents to $50.03 in electronic trading, easing worries that high energy costs would pinch corporate profits and slow economic growth.
But all eyes are on the tight contest for president. "The big concern is if the election doesn't have a clear mandate one way or the other," said Ms Lisa Hansen, head trader at Transamerica Investment Management.
The delayed result and month-long legal dispute in the 2000 election caused the stock market to sell off amid the uncertainty.
No major data are due on today, but economy-watchers are waiting for Friday's US employment report for October ahead of the next Federal Reserve interest-rate setting meeting.