Wall Street ticks up at open as M&A helps

U.S. stock indexes rose at the open on Monday as acquisition deals lifted sentiment, with Wall Street looking to extend three weeks of gains.

The Dow Jones industrial average <.DJI> edged up 17.63 points, or 0.15 percent, to 11,509.54. The Standard & Poor's 500 <.SPX> gained 3.37 points, or 0.27 percent, to 1,247.28. The Nasdaq Composite <.IXIC> rose 8.01 points, or 0.30 percent, to 2,650.98.