Acquisition action has captured Wall Street's attention after AT&T announced it was taking over DirecTV, and AstraZeneca rejected Pfizer's attempts to complete a mega-deal.
Shares of DirecTV (DTV) were narrowly higher after AT&T (T) said Sunday that it had agreed to pay nearly $50 billion to acquire America's biggest satellite television provider.
AstraZeneca's (AZN) shares fell by roughly 14% in London after the board rejected yet another takeover bid from U.S. pharmaceutical giant Pfizer (PFE). Investors had pushed AstraZeneca stock higher as they hoped Pfizer would be able to woo the British firm, but the rejection of a fourth and "final" offer from Pfizer suggests the deal is dead in the water.
In broader terms, U.S. stock futures were modestly lower Monday ahead of the opening bell.
The latest reading from the CNNMoney Fear & Greed index indicates investors are feeling fearful after stock markets hit fresh all-time highs last week.
Related: Retailers under the microscope
There's not much in terms of economic and earnings announcements on the docket Monday.
Campbell Soup (CPB) reported slightly better than forecast earnings early Monday but lowered its 2014 sale guidance, sending shares lower. Retailer Urban Outfitters (URBN) will report results after the close.
European markets were mostly declining in morning trading.
Banking stocks, including Deutsche Bank (DB) and Barclays (BCS), were down in Europe after Deutsche Bank announced it was raising roughly €8 billion ($11 billion) from investors to meet regulatory requirements.
Asian markets mostly ended with losses. However, the Mumbai Sensex index continued to rise as investors cheered the election of a new leader, Narendra Modi.
