Stocks Recover From Early Slump
(AP) -- A rebound in energy stocks helped lift U.S. stocks in early afternoon trading Monday. The sector had been down earlier after major oil-producing nations failed to hammer out a deal over the weekend to cut output, sending crude oil prices lower. Several pharmaceutical companies were also moving higher.
KEEPING SCORE: The Dow Jones industrial average rose 102 points, or 0.6 percent, to 17,999 as of 12:41 p.m. Eastern time. The Standard & Poor's 500 index added 11 points, or 0.6 percent, to 2,092. The Nasdaq composite index gained 15 points, or 0.3 percent, to 4,953.
NO DEAL: Talks in Doha, Qatar, failed to reach a consensus on freezing production to support oil prices. Saudi Arabia said it wouldn't back a deal if Iran, which is trying to ramp up output as international sanctions are lifted, wasn't involved. Already tense relations between the two countries deteriorated in recent months over issues including the wars in Syria and Yemen, in which they are backing opposing sides.
ENERGY: U.S. crude was down 33 cents, or 0.8 percent, at $40.03 a barrel in New York. Brent crude, the international benchmark, was up 2 cents at $43.12 a barrel in London. Earlier, both prices had been even lower, with New York crude down 7 percent at one point.
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PUMPED UP: Energy companies were rising again after a sell-off earlier in the day. Hess rose $2.79, or 4.9 percent, to $59.96, while Marathon Oil climbed 48 cents, or 3.7 percent, to $13.49. Murphy Oil gained $1.03, or 3.6 percent, to $29.52.
TIME TO PLAY: Hasbro jumped 5.5 percent after reporting better results than analysts were expecting. The toy company benefited from strong sales of "Star Wars," ''Frozen" and Disney princess products. The stock added $4.52 to $86.93.
BIG PHARMA: Endo International led a surge among several pharmaceutical companies. Endo vaulted $1.85, or 7 percent, to $28.18, while Regeneron Pharmaceuticals climbed $12.86, or 3.2 percent, to $419.59. Vertex Pharmaceuticals also rose, adding $2.15, or 2.6 percent, to $83.90.
STREAM THIS: Amazon rose 0.9 percent after the e-commerce giant introduced a stand-alone video streaming service available to users who aren't already subscribers to its Amazon Prime service. The stockadded $5.55 to $631.44. Investors appeared to take Amazon's news as a negative on rival Netflix. The stockslumped $4.58, to 4.1 percent, to $106.93.
RATTLED: Taser, which makes electrical weapons and body cameras, is down about 5 percent following news that Los Angeles is delaying a plan to put body cameras on almost all of its police officers. Taser shed 94 cents to $18.20.
BIG SLIDE: Calumet Specialty Products Partners tumbled 41.9 percent after the fuel and specialty chemicals company issued a discouraging first-quarter forecast and suspended its cash distribution. The company lost $4.30 to $5.97.
OVERSEAS: Germany's DAX rose 0.7 percent, while the CAC-40 in France edged up 0.3 percent. Britain's FTSE 100 index was up 0.2 percent. In Asia, Japan's Nikkei 225 index dropped 3.4 percent as a rising yen and quake-related production halts added to investor worries. Hong Kong's Hang Seng index lost 0.7 percent. South Korea's Kospi slid 0.3 percent, while Australia's S&P/ASX 200 dipped 0.4 percent.
BONDS AND CURRENCIES: Bond prices fell. The yield on the 10-year Treasury note rose to 1.78 percent from 1.75 late Friday. In currency markets, the dollar slipped to 108.89 yen from 108.70 yen. The euro rose to $1.1314 from $1.1288.
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