DuPont, Dow Chemical Gain After Report Of Merger Talks

Dow Chemical Co. and E. I. Du Pont De Nemours And Co. stocks rose in late trading Tuesday after The Wall Street Journal reported that the two chemical giants were in advanced talks to merge. DuPont gained 3.6% and Dow added 4.3% after the report landed. The Journal reported that the two companies would combine, then split into three different parts, with Dow Chief Executive Andrew Liveris becoming executive chairman and DuPont CEO Edward Breen keeping his title. At the end of Tuesday trading, Dow Chemical was worth more than $60 billion, while DuPont's market capitalization was roughly $59 billion.