Wall St ticks up at the open; energy falls again

The energy sector of the S&P 500, the only top group in the index posting a year-to-date decline, dropped 0.5%

US stocks edged higher at the open on Thursday, as the Dow and S&P 500 hovered near record highs following earnings from Wal-Mart and data on the labor market.

The Dow Jones industrial average rose 31.28 points, or 0.18 percent, to 17,643.48, the S&P 500 gained 2.75 points, or 0.13 percent, to 2,041 and the Nasdaq Composite added 8.55 points, or 0.18 percent, to 4,683.69.

The energy sector of the S&P 500, the only top group in the index posting a year-to-date decline, dropped 0.5 percent as crude prices fell further.