Stocks struggle at the open

NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) -- Reports of several deals were in the air Monday morning, but stocks got off to a lackluster start as investors kept to the sidelines ahead of this week's Federal Reserve meeting.

The Dow Jones industrial average (Charts) and the broader Standard & Poor's 500 index (Charts) both hovered around breakeven after the market open. The tech-fueled Nasdaq composite (Charts) fell about 0.3 percent.

The Fed meets Tuesday, and investors widely expect policymakers to hold interest rates steady for a fourth straight meeting. They're also eager to see the central bank's statement for clues about the future direction of rates.

The dollar rose against the euro and the yen.

Treasury prices rose in early trading, lowering the yield on the benchmark 10-year note to 4.51 percent from 4.55 percent late Friday. Bond prices and yields move in opposite directions.

Oil prices fell in electronic trading on strong inventory expectations. U.S. crude fell 55 cents to $61.48 a barrel in electronic trading.

In overseas markets, stocks in Asia closed mostly higher, while stocks in Europe also were higher in early trading.

Airline reservation service Sabre Holdings (Charts), the owner of both Travelocity Web site and the computer reservation system used by travel agent and airlines, could be sold this week for a premium to its $3.75 billion market value, according to published reports.

Casino operator Harrah's Entertainment (Charts) plans to meet Wednesday to consider all buyout offers presented to the gambling giant, also according to published reports.

Wire service Reuters reported that Europe's biggest medical device maker, Smith & Nephew (Charts) is close to bidding about $11 billion for U.S. rival Biomet (Charts), citing sources familiar with the situation.

And Home Depot (Charts) is preparing to spend $100 million on a majority stake in Chinese chain HomeWay in a deal that will be unveiled in China this week, the Financial Times reported Monday.

The Sunday Times of London reported that bidding for Ford Motor (Charts) unit Aston Martin had been particularly fierce and there was a strong chance that it could sell for more than $1.2 billion.

More market news and futures ahead of the U.S. open

Gearing up for the Fed