NEW YORK (TheStreet) — Stocks were slightly higher after Monday’s opening bell, as markets looked forward to a speech from Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke for any insight into the future direction of interest rates.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average was up by 28 points, or 0.3%, to 10,416.86 after Monday’s opening bell. The S&P 500 was trading 1.88 points, or 0.2% higher at 1107.9 and the Nasdaq was up 3.3 points, or 0.2, to 2197.7.
Stocks closed marginally higher last week after November jobs data released on Friday suggested a gradually improving employment picture. The report pushed the U.S. dollar to its highest level in recent months.

Early Monday, the dollar showed continued strength, with the dollar index up by 0.1%.

Gold prices, which lost nearly 4% on Friday, continued on their downward course. The most actively traded February contract was down by $23 to $1,146.50 an ounce.

Oil was also trading lower, with the January crude contract down by 86 cents at $74.61 a barrel.

Overseas, Hong Kong’s Hang Seng declined 0.8%, and Japan’s Nikkei increased 1.5%. The FTSE in London was down by 0.4% and the DAX in Frankfurt was down by 0.5%.

In morning news, the long-term cost of the government’s Troubled Asset Relief Program is now expected to be about $141 billion, or $200 billion lower than initially forecast, according to The Wall Street Journal.

Intel(INTC Quote) will be in the spotlight on Monday following reports that the company delayed the release of its Larrabee graphics chip. The stock was down by 15 cents, or 0.7%, at $20.31.

Online video delivery company Akamai Technologies(AKAM Quote) also will be watched by investors, after the company boosted fourth-quarter outlook. The stock was 3% higher at $25.74.

Shares of MetLife(MET Quote) were trading 3.3% higher on Monday. The insurance provider raised its fourth-quarter earnings expectations, citing higher premiums and fees.
Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke will speak to the Economic Club of Washington on Monday. As ever, investors will be looking for clues as to where interest rates are headed — particularly in the wake of Friday’s better-than-expected jobs report.

The state of consumer credit comes into view Monday afternoon when the October report is released at 2:00 p.m. EST. Analysts anticipate a decline of $9.3 billion, an improvement from September’s $14.8 billion decrease.

– Written by Melinda Peer in New York.

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