Mid-Day Market Update: Idenix Pharma Surges On Merck Buyout; Pilgrim's Pride Shares Slide

Midway through trading Monday, the Dow traded up 0.23 percent to 16,963.59 while the NASDAQ surged 0.57 percent to 4,345.98. The S&P also rose, gaining 0.27 percent to 1,954.63.

Leading and Lagging Sectors

Technology shares surged around 0.62 percent in today’s trading. Top gainers in the sector included Hittite Microwave HITT, up 28.7 percent, and Sigma Designs SIGM, up 7.5 percent. In trading on Monday, utilities shares were relative laggards, down on the day by about 0.37 percent. Top losers in the sector included Korea Electric Power KEP, and NextEra Energy NEE.

Top Headline

Tyson Foods TSN announced it has submitted a unilaterally binding offer to buy The Hillshire Brands Company HSH for $63 per share in cash. The deal is valued at around $8.55 billion, including net debt. Tyson had earlier offered $50 per share for Hillshire. However, Pilgrim's Pride PPC had offered $55 per share for Hillshire.

Equities Trading UP

Idenix Pharmaceuticals IDIX shares shot up 232.92 percent to $24.07 after Merck MRK announced its plans to acquire Idenix for $24.50 per share in cash. Shares of Hittite Microwave HITT got a boost, shooting up 28.75 percent to $77.97 after Analog Devices ADI announced its plans to buy Hittite Microwave for $78 per share in cash. Family Dollar Stores FDO shares were also up, gaining 13.70 percent to $68.82 after Carl Icahn disclosed a brand-new 9.39% stake in the company.

Equities Trading DOWN

Shares of Comverse CNSI were 6.13 percent to $23.43 on Q1 results. The company reported a Q1 loss of $0.72 per share on revenue of $119.0 million. Pilgrim's Pride PPC shares tumbled 5.22 percent to $24.90 after Tyson Foods TSN outbid Pilgrim's Pride for Hillshire Brands HSH. Ferrellgas Partners LP FGP was down, falling 1.35 percent to $26.35 after the company reported weaker-than-expected fiscal third-quarter earnings.

Commodities

In commodity news, oil traded up 1.48 percent to $104.18, while gold traded up 0.06 percent to $1,253.30. Silver traded up 0.49 percent Monday to $19.09, while copper fell 0.15 percent to $3.05.

Euro zone

European shares were higher today. The eurozone’s STOXX 600 gained 0.38 percent, the Spanish Ibex Index surged 0.90 percent, while Italy’s FTSE MIB Index jumped 0.82 percent. Meanwhile, the German DAX rose 0.21 percent and the French CAC 40 surged 0.17 percent while UK shares gained 0.24 percent.

Economics

The Treasury is set to auction 3-and 6-month bills.