NEW YORK (Reuters) – U.S. stocks opened slightly higher on Monday, following sharp weekly declines on major indexes, led by stocks in the energy sector as U.S. crude futures prices rose.

The Dow Jones industrial average <.DJI> rose 43.15 points, or 0.25 percent, to 17,208.1, the S&P 500 <.SPX> gained 6.52 points, or 0.33 percent, to 2,001.51 and the Nasdaq Composite <.IXIC> added 6.99 points, or 0.15 percent, to 4,642.23.

U.S. consumer spending recorded its biggest decline since late 2009 in December, with households appearing to save the extra cash from cheaper gasoline.

(Reporting by Rodrigo Campos; Editing by Nick Zieminski)

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