Stocks Opened Higher Amid Deals

U.S. stocks opened higher on Monday as deal news boosted investor sentiment. The Dow Jones Industrial Average lately added 102.94 points, or 0.62%, to 16,686.28. The S&P 500 gained 12.46 points, or 0.66%,  to 1,890.94. The Nasdaq Composite rose 41.29 points, or 1.01%, to 4,113.16.

Hillshire Brands Co. (HSH), the maker of Jimmy Dean meats, agreed to buy Pinnacle Foods Inc. for about $4.3 billion, gaining products such as Birds Eye frozen foods, Duncan Hines baking mixes and Vlasic pickles.

Rupert Murdoch is pursuing a deal that would transform British Sky Broadcasting Group Plc (BSY) into a European satellite-TV giant while also leaving his U.S.-based 21st Century Fox Inc. (FOX) focused on
entertainment programming.

Alibaba Group Holding Ltd. named Jim Wilkinson, former chief of staff for former U.S. Treasury
Secretary Henry Paulson, head of international corporate affairs as it prepares for a U.S. initial  public offering.