U.S. Stocks Advance Amid Deals as Bull Run Enters Seventh Year

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U.S. stocks rose amid corporate deals after the Standard & Poor’s 500 Index tumbled the most in two months on Friday.

The S&P 500 advanced 0.4 percent to 2,079.43 at the close in New York, as equities entered the seventh year of a bull run. The Dow Jones Industrial Average added 138.94 points, or 0.8 percent, to 17,995.72. About 6.2 billion shares changed hands on U.S. exchanges, 11 percent below the three-month average.

Concern the Federal Reserve may start raising interest rates this year amid a strengthening economy has dragged equities lower. The S&P 500 fell 1.6 percent last week, the most since January, as data showed the jobless rate reached the central bank’s range for what it considers full employment. Policy makers next meet on March 17-18.

Source : Bloomberg