U.S. stocks get a lift from overseas, merger news

11:41 am ET Mar 19, 2007

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U.S. stocks get a lift from overseas, merger news

NEW YORK
U.S. stocks rallied Monday, lifting the Dow Jones Industrial Average by
100 points, as a boost from Asian and European markets overnight and a
flurry of merger news -- including talk of a big merger between two
European banks -- helped investors set aside recent concerns about the
subprime mortgage market.

ABN Amro shares rally on deal talk; Barclays to comment soon

LONDON
Shares in Dutch banking group ABN Amro jumped almost 10% Monday as
speculation mounted that it could be about to reveal merger talks with
the U.K.'s Barclays.

Nortel narrows fourth-quarter loss

WASHINGTON
Nortel Networks Corp.'s fourth-quarter loss narrowed significantly from
a year earlier, when it booked a huge one-time legal expense, as sales
rose nearly 10%.