U.S. Stocks Gain on M&A, Earnings; GlobalSantaFe, Merck & Co. Shares Rise

(Bloomberg) -- U.S. stocks rallied the most in a
week on $35 billion in acquisitions and Merck & Co.'s better-
than-forecast earnings.

GlobalSantaFe Corp., the second-biggest offshore oil and
gas driller, climbed to a record after agreeing to be bought by
larger rival Transocean Inc. Merck, the third-largest U.S.
drugmaker, had its steepest gain since April and accounted for
almost a third of the Dow Jones Industrial Average's advance.


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US STOCKS-Wall St indexes rise on profits, deals

(Reuters) - NEW YORK, July 23 - U.S. stocks rose on Monday as
stronger-than-expected profits in the pharmaceutical sector and
news of a takeover in the oil services industry fueled a
rebound from Friday's sell-off.




Drug makers Schering-Plough Corp. and Merck & Co.
, a Dow component, both reported quarterly results above
analysts' expectations.


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U.S. Stocks Erase Gains; S&P 500 Declines for Fourth Time in Five Days

(Bloomberg) -- U.S. stocks declined and the
Standard & Poor's 500 Index slid for the fourth time in five
days, dragged down by energy shares after the price of oil fell.

The S&P 500 lost 1.29, or 0.1 percent, to 1496.45 as of
2:26 p.m. in New York. The Dow Jones Industrial Average added
10.48, or 0.1 percent, to 13,362.53, helped by rallies in Merck
& Co. and Altria Group Inc. The Nasdaq Composite Index was
little changed at 2577.11.


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Germany's DAX Index Retreats, Led Lower by Merck, SAP, Deutsche Bank

(Bloomberg) -- German stocks dropped, led by Merck
KGaA, SAP AG and Deutsche Bank AG.

The benchmark DAX Index lost 51.28, or 0.6 percent, to
8039.21 as of 9:06 a.m. in Frankfurt. The HDAX Index of the
country's 110 biggest companies dropped 0.7 percent.


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U.S. Stocks Rise, Led by Energy Shares; Exxon Mobil, Merck Lead Advance

(Bloomberg) -- Energy shares rallied on higher oil
prices, stoking the U.S. stock market after the biggest weekly
decline since February.

Exxon Mobil Corp., Merck & Co. and General Motors Corp.
carried the Standard & Poor's 500 Index and Dow Jones Industrial
Average to their second straight gains


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Merck KGaA to Replace Altana in Germany's DAX Index, Deutsche Boerse Says

(Bloomberg) -- Merck KGaA, the German drugmaker that
bought Serono SA to become Europe's biggest biotechnology
company, will replace Altana AG in the country's benchmark DAX
Index this month, Deutsche Boerse AG said.

The changes will take effect June 18, the operator of the
Frankfurt exchange said in a statement distributed by e-mail.


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