NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) - Stocks got off to a positive start Monday as a big acquisition from Dow component Boeing buoyed sentiment and investors cheered an upbeat report on consumer spending.

The Dow Jones industrial average (down 15.37 to 11,367.14, Charts) rose 0.4 percent and the Standard & Poor's 500 (up 4.33 to 1,314.94, Charts) index added about 0.3 percent after the market open.

The Nasdaq composite (up 9.51 to 2,332.08, Charts) jumped 0.3 percent after a sharp decline Friday.

In corporate news, aircraft maker Boeing (unchanged at $83.45, Research) said it had agreed to buy aviation parts and services company Aviall (unchanged at $37.70, Research) for about $1.7 billion, representing a 27 percent premium to Aviall's closing price on Friday.

Investors also took in an economic report that showed consumer spending rose a larger-than-expected 0.6 percent in March as incomes increased. (Full story.)

U.S. light crude oil for June delivery rose 37 cents to $72.25 a barrel in electronic trading.

Treasury prices declined, raising the yield on the 10-year note to 5.09 percent, up from 5.06 percent late day. Treasury prices and yields move in opposite directions.

In currency trading, the dollar tumbled to a seven-month low against the yen and remained near an 11-month low versus the euro.

COMEX gold rose $7 to $661.50 an ounce.

In global trade, many major markets in Asia were closed for the May Day holiday, although Japanese markets were open and closed slightly higher. Major European markets were closed.

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