Dow gains after Endo, Level 3 announce deals

NEW YORK — More corporate deals and hopes for strong earnings are pushing the Dow Jones industrial average in midday trading. The broader market is mixed.

Endo Pharmaceuticals Holdings Inc. and Level 3 Communications Inc. both announced takeovers before the market opened. Later Monday, Alcoa Inc. will become the first Dow 30 company to report results for the first quarter.

Investors still have a long list of worries, including high oil prices and another aftershock that struck Japan one month after the March 11 earthquake and tsunami disaster.

The Dow Jones industrial average rose 54 points, or 0.4 percent, to 12,433 in midday trading.

The Standard & Poor's 500 index rose 3 points, or 0.2 percent, to 1,331. The Nasdaq slipped 1 point to 2,779.