NEW YORK (AP) — Stocks are heading higher in early trading, amid a flurry of deals and earnings reports.
Tool maker Danaher Corp has agreed to buy Beckman Coulter, a manufacturer of medical diagnostic tests, for $5.8 billion. The London-based oil rig operator Ensco says it agreed to buy Pride International, another offshore driller, for $7.3 billion.
And online company AOL Inc. says it will buy the Huffington Post, an online news and opinion website, for $315 million. Arianna Huffington, the site’s co-founder and political pundit, will join AOL’s management team.
In early trading, the Dow Jones industrial average is up 25 points, or 0.2 percent, at 12,118. The S&P 500 is up 4, or 0.3 percent, at 1,314. The Nasdaq is up 4, or 0.2 percent, at 2,773.
