Stocks Rise as Deals Spur Drugmaker Rally; Oil Retreats

U.S. stocks rose for a sixth day, the longest streak since September, amid a rally in drugmakers after more than $70 billion in global takeover offers. Oil fell the most in three months and coffee rose to a two-year high.The Standard & Poor��s 500 Index (SPX) added 0.4 percent to 1,879.55 at 4 p.m. in New York, bringing it within 1 percent of its closing record of 1,890.90 on April 2. The Stoxx Europe 600 Index gained 1.4 percent....

European Stocks Advance as Glaxo Shares Increase on M&A

European stocks rose the most in seven weeks as health-care companies lead gains amid mergers and acquisitions activity.GlaxoSmithKline Plc rose 5.2 percent after Novartis AG agreed to buy the U.K. company��s cancer-drug business and form a consumer-health venture with Glaxo. AstraZeneca Plc (AZN) jumped the most since August 2011 after reports that Pfizer Inc. discussed acquiring...

U.S. Stock Rise on Allergan Takeover Bid, Earnings Data

U.S. stocks rose, with the Standard & Poor��s 500 Index poised for a sixth day of gains, as health-care shares rallied amid a $45.7 billion bid for Allergan Inc. and earnings from Netflix Inc. to Harley-Davidson Inc. topped estimates. Allergan surged 16 percent after Valeant Pharmaceuticals International Inc. offered to merge with the maker of the Botox wrinkle treatment. Netflix soared 6.2 percent after saying it expects to increase...

U.S. Stocks Rise on Allergan Takeover Bid

U.S. stocks rose, after the Standard & Poor��s 500 Index rallied five days, amid a $45.7 billion bid for Allergan Inc. and as earnings from Netflix Inc. to Harley-Davidson Inc. topped estimates. The S&P 500 added 0.1 percent to 1,873.98 at 9:33 a.m. in New York. The Dow Jones Industrial Average climbed 16.47 points, or 0.1 percent, to 16,465.72 today. The S&P 500 rose 3.1 percent in the past five trading days, its longest ...

Asian Index Futures Rise as U.S. Extends Climb; Oil Holds Drop

Asian index futures rose as drugmakers drove U.S. stock gains, pushing the Standard & Poor��s 500 Index to its longest rally since September. Australia��s dollar held an advance before inflation data while crude oil traded near a two-week low before a report on U.S. supplies. Futures on equity gauges in Australia and South Korea rose at least 0.2 percent in most recent trading, while Nikkei 225 Stock Average futures climbed 0.9 percent...