Fueled by energy prices and vaccine optimism, stocks hover near record levels

Stocks were rising slightly in early trading Tuesday, continuing to hover near record levels, as energy prices helped push oil and gas companies higher. The full approval a day earlier of Pfizer's COVID-19 vaccine was continuing to provide support for the market.

The S&P 500 index was up 0.1% as of 12:30 p.m. Eastern. The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 0.1% and the Nasdaq composite climbed 0.3%. The Russell 2000 index of small company stocks was up 0.5%. Oil prices were up 2% in early trading, continuing to recover from a decline earlier in the month. Halliburton, Occidental Petroleum and Valero Energy rose 3% or more.