NEW YORK - US STOCKS opened with a bounce on Monday as investors braced for a flood of key corporate earnings reports this week that could signal whether the recession-mired economy is on the road to recovery.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 43.60 points (0.54 per cent) to 8,190.12 in opening trades, after Friday's fourth consecutive weekly loss for blue chips.

OIL PRICES rose above US$60 (S$87) a barrel on Monday, halting last week's falling trend, as investors turned to commodities for protection against a weaker dollar and after attacks on oil facilities in Nigeria.

By mid-afternoon in Europe, benchmark crude for August delivery was up 19 cents to US$60.08 a barrel in electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange. On Friday, the contract fell 52 cents to settle at US$59.89.

MIAMI - A US judge agreed on Monday to delay the start of a trial in which US tax authorities hoped to force UBS AG to reveal the identities of thousands of Americans suspected of using the bank to evade taxes.

The postponement was requested in a joint motion from the Swiss bank and the US Justice Department on Sunday, as the clock ticked down to Monday's scheduled start of the much-anticipated trial in US District Court for the Southern District of Florida in Miami.