U.S. stocks up; Dow average nears 11,000

Date: Mon, 05 Apr 2010 12:01:04 -0400

U.S STOCKS UP; DOW AVERAGE NEARS 11,000
U.S. stocks rise Monday, lifting Dow industrials within striking
distance of 11,000.

APPLE'S IPAD SALES HIGHLIGHT TECH ACTION
Gains from Apple Inc. highlight a broad advance in the tech sector in
early activity as Apple says it sold more than 300,000 iPads during
the first day of the touchscreen computer's release.

CRUDE OIL TOPS $86 A BARREL AFTER U.S. JOBS DATA
Crude futures top $86 a barrel, reaching fresh 18-month highs, as
investors react to a batch of economic data stretching back to Good
Friday's release of nonfarm payrolls for March. Traders read the data
as evidence that an improving U.S. economy will mean greater demand
for energy.

SANDRIDGE ENERGY BUYING ARENA FOR $1.6 BILLION
SandRidge Energy is paying about $1.6 billion in cash and stock to buy
Arena Resources as the company positions itself as one of the largest
producers of conventional oil and natural gas in western Texas.

ENTERGY WON'T PURSUE SPIN-OFF OF NUCLEAR-POWER ARM
Entergy will book potential charges pegged at 40 to 45 cents a share
against financial results as it moves to scrap plans to spin off its
nuclear-power unit. The company's board also approves its first
dividend increase in more than two and a half years.