Stocks Flatline At Start Of Trading Week (SPY, QQQQ, GLD, USO, TLT, UUP)

It was a rather un-eventful trading day on Monday, as the major averages traded in a tight range between small gains and small losses. The Dow Jones Industrial Average closed the session 3.6 points higher at 11,010. The widely watched blue-chip average traded in a range between 10,978 and 11,030.50. The SPDR S&P 500 ETF

gained 0.10% to close at $116.65. Volume was incredibly light with only 102 million SPY shares trading hands compared to a 3-month daily average of 200.5 million. This was the lightest volume day in SPY that we have seen in awhile and underscores the general lack of participation in the markets. The PowerShares QQQ Trust ETF

, which tracks the Nasdaq 100, gained 0.04% to $49.77. The Nasdaq gave up most of its gains in the last hour of trading. Again, volume was incredibly low in the Q's with just over 39 million shares trading hands compared to a 3-month daily average of 74.2 million. Gold put in another strong day, and continues to trade at all-time highs. COMEX gold futures rose 0.65% to $1,354.10. The SPDR Gold Trust ETF gained 0.48% to $132.29. The GLD now has a market cap of $55.76 billion - which is truly incredible. Oil pulled back on Monday, but remains in a strong uptrend. NYMEX crude oil futures have fallen 0.90% to $81.92. The United States Oil Fund ETF

closed New York Stock Exchange trading 1.52% lower at $35.60. Treasury prices were relatively flat on the session. The iShares Barclays 20+ Year Treasury Bond ETF

gained 0.02% to $104.24. The yield on the 10-Year Note rose 1.39 basis points to 2.3955%. The U.S. Dollar rose on the session, but remains in a steep downtrend. The activity in the dollar in the coming days will likely have a significant impact on stock and commodity prices. The PowerShares DB US Dollar Index Bullish ETF

, which tracks the performance of the greenback versus a basket of foreign currencies, rose 0.40% to $22.49. The UUP is close to a multi-year low, and could be volatile in the coming days. A bounce seems likely as the ETF is trading in a range of support that goes back to the summer of 2008, but a breakout to the downside could lead to intensified dollar selling, which would be bullish for stocks and commodities.