The Market On Monday

  Good morning. It is 47 degrees and mostly sunny here in Upstate NY. According to the weather forecast we are in for a long period of rain. On the bright side, we are starting to see the beginning of trees coming to life. The crab apples in my backyard are well into getting their beautiful early leaves and there is more green everywhere in general. It still seems a bit cool. We have not put our winter coats away just yet.

  At 8:40 a.m. ET futures are modestly higher and the price of oil per barrel is up. The market is poised to open higher.

  The market has been slightly rattled by world events especially in the last week. Today the focus is on talk of a few major potential acquisitions. That's a big deal, literally and figuratively. We will see if  it's enough to keep things in the green today.

CNN: Stocks: Deal talk gives an early boost

"Pfizer has laid its cards on the table in a bid for pharma titan AstraZeneca..."

Both General Electric and Germany's Siemens are reportedly looking to buy the power divisions of France's Alstom...