Stocks Open Higher As Mergers, Earnings Lift Shares

U.S. stocks opened higher on Monday, bolstered by strong corporate earnings and a series of merger announcements. The S&P 500 index gained 9 points, or 0.4%, to 18,254. The Dow Jones Industrial Average climbed 108 points, or 0.6%, to 18,259. The Nasdaq Composite Index added 32 points, or 0.6%, to 5,292. T-Mobile rose sharply after the company said sales grew much more quickly than expected during the third quarter. Shares of AT&T and Time Warner fell after the AT&T announced that it had agreed to buy Time Warner in a deal that's expected to face heavy scrutiny from regulators.