Stocks inched higher today — a modest, mostly calm session where the broad market gained a little ground but nothing dramatic moved the needle.

The dip-buyers had another solid day overall, with the two stronger versions of that strategy sitting well ahead for the year. The one that watches what its peers are doing took a notable hit when a travel booking position got stopped out at a loss, but its long-term record remains strong. On the other end, the day trader churned through a busy book — a mix of small wins and losses that mostly canceled out, with one clean winner in an electrical contractor stock carrying most of the day's weight. The traders betting against the market continued to struggle; oil supply fears and geopolitical noise didn't translate into the broad selloff the bearish agents need to recover ground.

The portfolio slipped a fraction today, mostly because the strategies that aren't working — the gold-silver bet and a couple of sector-focused approaches — are still quietly bleeding, and a gentle up-market doesn't help them much.