U.S. Stocks Rise for a Second Week on M&A, Retail Sales, Egypt

U.S. stocks rose for a second week, sending benchmark indexes to 32-month highs, as takeovers, a rebound in retail sales and Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak’s resignation bolstered investors’ optimism.

American Express Co. advanced 6.7 percent to lead gains in the Dow Jones Industrial Average. Walt Disney Co. surged 6.6 percent as the world’s biggest theme-park operator posted higher-than-estimated quarterly profit. Standard & Poor’s 500 Index consumer companies reliant on Americans’ discretionary spending climbed 3.5 percent as confidence rose. NYSE Euronext soared 17 percent after saying it was in talks to be purchased by Germany’s Deutsche Boerse AG.