NEW YORK — Major stock indexes headed higher on Monday as deals and economic news gave stocks a lift. The Nasdaq (^IXIC) briefly touched 5,000, the first time the tech-heavy index has hit that mark in nearly 15 years.
Keeping score: As of 3:20 p.m., the Standard & Poor’s 500 index (^GSPC) was up 10 points, or 0.5 percent, to 2,114. Consumer-discretionary stocks led six of the 10 industries in the index to gains.
The Dow Jones industrial average (^DJI) rose 128 points, or 0.7 percent, to 18,260 while the Nasdaq composite gained 36 points, or 0.7 percent, to 4,999.
Today it’s about the consumer. That’s the story of the day: Consumers appear to be feeling a little bit better.
Spending: The government reported Monday that consumer spending fell slightly in January, but there was better news elsewhere in the report. Overall income edged up and consumer spending actually rose when adjusted for inflation, reflecting a slide in gas prices during the month. That could turn out to be a good sign for economic growth, as people have more money left over after filling up their gas tanks.
The view: “Today it’s about the consumer,” said David Joy, chief market strategist at Ameriprise Financial. “That’s the story of the day: Consumers appear to be feeling a little bit better.”
Chippy: NXP Semiconductors (NXPI) said Sunday that it’s planning to acquire Freescale Semiconductor (FSL) in an $11.8 billion deal. The merger would create the largest supplier of microchips for cars. Boards of both companies have already approved the deal, but regulators still need to sign off on it. NXP’s stock jumped $13.86, or 16 percent, to $98.82, and Freescale soared $4.04, or 11 percent, to $40.15.
No bid: Sotheby’s (BID) stock sank after the auction house posted a big drop in quarterly earnings. Higher expenses weighed on the company’s profits, which came in below analyst estimates. Sotheby’s sank $1.82, or 4 percent, to $42.13.
Solid month: Last week, the stock market closed out its best monthly gain in more than three years. The S&P 500 climbed 5.5 percent in February, its strongest gain since October 2011. Consumer-discretionary companies and technology firms had the strongest gains.
Europe: Germany’s DAX closed with a gain of 0.1 percent, while France’s CAC 40 fell 0.7 percent. Britain’s FTSE 100 shed 0.1 percent.
China rate cut: The People’s Bank of China cut interest rates for the second time in three months on Saturday, trimming the rate for one-year commercial loans to 5.35 percent. It’s the latest measure aimed at propping up growth in the world’s second-largest economy. The government has recently cut business taxes and boosted pay for government workers.
Asia’s day: Japan’s Nikkei 225 gained 0.2 percent, and South Korea’s Kospi added 0.6 percent. In China, Hong Kong’s Hang Seng Index rose 0.3 percent, while the Shanghai Composite Index advanced 0.8 percent.
Currencies: The dollar rose to 119.72 yen from 119.63 late Friday. The euro gained to $1.1229 from $1.1199. Prices for U.S. government bonds fell, pushing yields up. The yield on the 10-year Treasury note rose to 2.06 percent from an even 2 percent late Friday.
Metals: Precious and industrial metals ended mixed. Gold dropped $4.90 to settle at $1,208.20 an ounce, while silver slipped 11 cents to $16.45 an ounce. Copper picked up a penny to $2.70 a pound.
Crude: Benchmark U.S. crude oil slipped 17 cents to $49.59 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange. Brent crude fell $3.04 to $59.54 a barrel in London.
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