S&P 500 Index opens higher supported by rising energy shares

• Wall Street's main indexes registered small gains on Monday.
• S&P 500 Energy Index gains more than 1%.
• US Treasury Secretary Mnuchin says there is room for compromise in coronavirus aid talks.

Major equity indexes opened higher on Monday even though investors remain cautious while US lawmakers struggle to reach agreement on the next coronavirus relief bill. As of writing, the S&P 500 Index was trading at its highest level since late February at 3,359, gaining 0.24% on a daily basis. Meanwhile, the Dow Jones Industrial Average was up 0.53% at 27,581 and the Nasdaq Composite was gaining 0.18% at 11,030.

During an interview with CNBC on Monday, US Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said there was room for compromise in coronavirus aid negotiations. "If we can get a fair deal on COVID-19 aid with Democrats, we'll do it this week," Mnuchin added.

Among the 11 major S&P 500 sectors, the Energy Index is up nearly 1% boosted by a 1.7% increase witnessed in the price of a barrel of West Texas Intermediate (WTI). On the other hand, the defensive indexes, Utilities, Real Estate and Healthcare, trade in the negative territory.

S&P 500 chart (daily)