NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) - Stocks started off the second quarter right Monday, rising in the early going, despite surging bond yields and a jump in crude oil prices.

The Dow Jones industrial average (up 62.75 to 11,172.07, Charts), the broader Standard & Poor's 500 (down 5.42 to 1,294.83, Charts) and the Nasdaq composite (up 7.55 to 2,347.34, Charts) all rose in the early going.

Stocks had slipped Friday, at the end of one of the best first quarters for the major gauges in years. The S&P 500 in particular saw its best first-quarter since 1999.

The positive momentum continued Monday morning, the start of the second quarter. The start of a new quarter tends to be positive, with investors putting money to work in 401(k) retirement plans, mutual funds and other investment vehicles.

In addition, investors took in the morning's corporate news.

General Motors said Monday that it has struck a deal to sell a majority stake in its finance arm for $14 billion to a group of investors led by Cerberus Capital Management. The deal for the troubled automaker to sell its GMAC unit to the group was first announced last week.

Shares of GM (up $0.27 to $21.54, Research) were modestly higher in the early going.

Fellow Dow stock Microsoft (up $0.34 to $27.55, Research) rose more than 1 percent on a bullish mention in Barron's over the weekend. The financial weekly said that the company's new products make it a good bet despite a delay in releasing its Vista operating system, announced recently.

The Institute for Supply Management read on manufacturing is due shortly. A report on construction spending is also on tap.

Treasury prices slipped, raising the yield on the benchmark 10-year note to 4.89 percent from 4.85 percent late Friday, a 22-month high. Bond prices and yields move in opposite directions.

U.S. light crude oil for May delivery rose 51 cents to $67.14 a barrel in electronic trading.

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