U.S. Stocks Open Slightly Higher Ahead Of a Parade Of Fed Speakers

U.S. stocks on Wednesday traded marginally higher as Wall Street got a lift from higher crude-oil futures and awaited comments from a roster of expected Federal Reserve speakers later in the day. The Dow Jones Industrial Average was trading 37 points, or 0.2%, higher at 18,267, the S&P 500 index advanced about 3 points, or 0.2%, at 2,163, while the Nasdaq Composite Index picked up 6 points, or 0.1%, at 5,312. Chairwoman Janet Yellen is due to testify about regulation and supervision before a House panel on financial services at 10 a.m. Eastern, while. Elsewhere, St. Louis Fed President Jim Bullard is expected to deliver opening remarks at the St. Louis Fed's conference on community banking at 10:15 a.m. Eastern. Chicago Fed President Charles Evans is slated to speak at 1:30 p.m. Eastern about the economy at that same confab. Cleveland Fed President Loretta Mester is set to make remarks on the economic outlook and monetary policy at a forum in the Cleveland area at 4:35 p.m. Eastern. Meanwhile, West Texas Intermediate oil trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange was up 1.2% at $45.25 a barrel, as energy traders watched for headlines from a meeting of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries. Procter & Gamble & Co. gained 1.1% to lead Dow components in early trade.