US stocks ended higher Monday as Wall Street digested positive earnings reports as well as corporate merger announcements.

    The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 77.32 points, or 0.43%, to 18,223.03. The S&P 500 gained 10.17 points, or 0.47%, to 2,151.33. The Nasdaq Composite Index increased 52.43 points, or 1.00%, to 5,309.83