US Stocks Rise Early Monday

NEW YORK (AP) -- Stocks are rebounding on Wall Street in early trading Monday, led by gains in technology and health care companies and retailers. Ratings company Nielsen Holdings is surging after an activist investor started pushing the company to sell itself.

Asian markets fell overnight, while European markets were slightly lower.

U.S. indexes are coming off their worst losses in a month as investors worried about financial upheaval in Turkey which has sent that' country's currency, the lira, plunging.

On Monday Turkey's central bank announced measures to help that country's banks manage their liquidity, but the Turkish lira and Turkey's stock market continued to slide anyway.

The lira has been tumbling as investors question whether the government of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan can cope with a plunging currency, a diplomatic spat with Washington and other economic problems.

Global markets skidded Friday as investors worried that Turkey's problems could cause trouble in other countries, but many analysts say that isn't likely.

KEEPING SCORE: The S&P 500 index gained 8 points, or 0.3 percent, to 2,841 as of 10:10 a.m. Eastern time. It fell 0.7 percent Friday. The Dow Jones Industrial Average added 53 points, or 0.2 percent, to 25,366. The Nasdaq composite jumped 39 points, or 0.5 percent, to 7,878. The Russell 2000 index of smaller-company stocks was unchanged at 1,686.

EARLY LEADERS: Apple rose 0.9 percent to $209.41 and chipmaker Nvidia climbed 2.3 percent to $260.68 as technology companies gained ground. Online retailer Amazon advanced 1.6 percent to $1,915.87.

RATINGS RISING: Nielsen Holdings jumped 12.6 percent to $24.74 after Elliott Associates, a firm run by activist investor Paul Singer, disclosed an ownership stake of 5.1 percent in the company. In a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission, the fund said Nielsen should consider selling itself or some of its assets to boost its stock price.

Nielsen stock was trading over $50 two years ago, but it plunged in late July after the company reported weak quarterly results, announced the retirement of its CEO, and said it will consider selling one business. The stock is down 32 percent in 2018.

BAYER SINKS: German conglomerate Bayer took a dive after a U.S. jury ruled against its Monsanto unit Friday and awarded $289 million to a former school groundskeeper who said that exposure to Monsanto's Roundup weed killer caused cancer. Monsanto said government agencies and hundreds of studies have concluded Roundup is safe.

Trading in Germany, Bayer tumbled 11.1 percent.

PANTS SPLIT: V.F. Corp., which makes Wrangler and Lee jeans, said it will separate its denim business so it can focus on its faster-growing outdoor and activewear business. Revenue from denim sales dipped in its latest quarter while sales of outdoor and activewear surged 25 percent.

VF stock lost 4.2 percent to $92.20.

OVERSEAS: Germany's DAX declined 0.5 percent and London's FTSE 100 retreated 0.3 percent. France's CAC 40 was little changed.

Tokyo's Nikkei 225 lost 2 percent and Hong Kong's Hang Seng retreated 1.5 percent.

CURRENCIES: The dollar rose to 110.86 yen from 110.64 yen. The euro rose to $1.1421 from $1.1398.

BONDS: Bond prices were little changed. The yield on the 10-year Treasury note remained at 2.88 percent.

ENERGY: Benchmark U.S. crude fell 0.7 percent to $67.16 a barrel in New York. Brent crude lost 0.4 percent to 72.52 a barrel in London.

(BE)