02:19 PM EDT, 10/28/2024 (MT Newswires) -- US benchmark equity indexes were higher after midday Monday as investors awaited mega-cap technology earnings due later in the week, while oil prices plunged.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average was up 0.8% at 42,430.4 intraday, while the Nasdaq Composite rose 0.6% to 18,621.6. The S&P 500 gained 0.4% to 5,833.9. Barring energy, all sectors were in the green, led by financials and utilities.

Tech giants Apple ( AAPL ) , Microsoft ( MSFT ) , Google ( GOOG ) parent Alphabet (GOOG, GOOGL), Amazon.com ( AMZN ) , and Facebook parent Meta Platforms ( META ) are scheduled to report their latest quarterly financial results later this week.

Roughly 37% of S&P 500 companies have logged results so far, with quarterly profits up 3.6% from a year earlier on 3.9% revenue growth, Oppenheimer Asset Management said in a Monday note to clients.

In company news, 3M ( MMM ) shares were up 4.4%, the top gainer on the Dow and among the best on the S&P 500, as JPMorgan adjusted its price target on the stock to $165 from $160 and maintained its overweight rating.

Steel Dynamics ( STLD ) was one of the best performers on the S&P 500, up 4.9%, as BNP Paribas Exane adjusted its price target on the stock to $125 from $123 while maintaining its neutral rating.

Centene ( CNC ) shares were down 3.8%, the steepest decline on the S&P 500, as Jefferies adjusted its price target on the stock to $68 from $72 and maintained its hold rating.

The US 10-year yield increased 5.6 basis points to 4.23% intraday, while the two-year rate gained 5.5 basis points to 4.15%.

West Texas Intermediate crude oil was sliding 5.6% at $67.74 a barrel. "Oil prices tumbled after Israel's retaliatory strike against Iran over the weekend bypassed oil and nuclear facilities and did not disrupt energy supplies," D.A. Davidson said in a Monday note to clients.

Gold was up 0.1% at $2,756.30 per troy ounce, while silver added 0.5% to $33.96 per ounce.