Stocks traded mixed Monday as oil prices eased below $60 a barrel and a legal dispute raised questions about Johnson & Johnson’s acquisition of Guidant Corp.

A lack of data left investors with little to trade on, with few third-quarter earnings reports remaining and no major economic data scheduled this week. News that Microsoft Corp. is in talks to buy a stake in America Online Inc. and a deal involving TiVo Inc. and Yahoo Inc. (Nasdaq:YHOO – news) led gains in the technology sector.

Crude oil dipped after unusually warm weather nationwide quelled fears about heating fuel supplies this winter, although the International Energy Agency reiterated capacity concerns. A barrel of light crude dropped 88 cents to $59.70 on the New York Mercantile Exchange.

In morning trading, the Dow Jones industrial average rose 7.52, or 0.07 percent, to 10,538.28.