Markets Right Now: US stocks open slightly higher

NEW YORK (AP) – Stocks are opening slightly higher on Wall Street as gains for banks outweigh losses in technology companies.

Investors were keeping a close eye on Washington Tuesday, where the Republican tax bill was moving closer to a vote. The bill would cut corporate tax rates.

Darden Restaurants, the parent company of Olive Garden, rose 2.2 percent after reporting earnings that beat analysts’ estimates.

The Standard & Poor’s 500 index rose 2 points, or 0.1 percent, to 2,692.

The Dow Jones industrial average rose 29 points, or 0.1 percent, to 24,824. The Nasdaq composite slipped a fraction of a point to 6,993.

Bond prices fell. The yield on the 10-year Treasury rose to 2.43 percent.