Stocks struggled for direction today after the Conference Board’s monthly consumer confidence index dropped to its lowest reading in 12 years. The Dow inched back into the black within the last half hour of trading, eking out a third-straight gain alongside the S&P 500 and Nasdaq, while Wall Street's "fear gauge," the Cboe Volatility Index (VIX), posted its fifth consecutive loss. 

OIL, GOLD ON THE RISE

Oil prices are flat today as investors eye Russia and the Ukraine's Black Sea truce. May-dated West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude was last seen just 4 cents higher, or 0.06%, at $69.15 a barrel.

Gold prices rose as demand for the safe-haven asset grew ahead of President Trump's tariff deadline. U.S. gold futures settled 0.3% higher at $3,025.90 per ounce. 

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