U.S. stocks end higher, rallying on Caterpillar, M&A and ongoing optimism over Europe

SAN FRANCISCO (MarketWatch)
U.S. stocks gained Monday, bumping the benchmark indexes against their early-August highs, as talk of a bigger bailout fund in Europe, an improvement in China manufacturing data, some U.S. deal announcements, and strong results from Caterpillar, Inc. kept investor sentiment afloat.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 104.83 points, or 0.9%, to 11,913.62, led by a 5% rise in Caterpillar, Inc.
The S&P 500 rose 15.94 points, or 1.3%, to 1,254.19, led by natural-resource stocks and financials.
The Nasdaq Composite gained 61.98 points, or 2.4%, to 2,699.44.
It was the second straight session of gains for the S&P 500 and the Dow average