NEW YORK — U.S. stocks advanced Monday as investors grew more optimistic that there would be a breakthrough in talks between Greece and its lenders.
Stocks also got a boost from deal news in the health care and energy sectors.
The Dow Jones industrial average added 103.83 points, or 0.6 percent, to 18,119.78, the Standard & Poor’s 500 index rose 12.86 points, or 0.6 percent, to 2,122.85 and the Nasdaq composite climbed 36.97 points, or 0.7 percent, to 5,153.97.
European nations were cautiously optimistic Monday that a deal on Greece’s bailout was within reach this week, easing fears that the country would default on its debt and leave the euro region. The country needs more loans from European lenders and the International Monetary Fund to enable it to make a June 30 debt payment.
Greece and its creditors have been negotiating for months over what economic reforms the Mediterranean nation should implement in return for the loans.
“An eleventh-hour compromise was always the likely scenario, and it looks like that is what we are getting,” said Russ Koesterich, global chief investment strategist at BlackRock.
The Greek stock market surged 9 percent.
In the U.S., health insurers Cigna and Anthem were sharply higher after Anthem made a $47 billion bid to buy its competitor. Anthem runs the largest Blue Cross Blue Shield health insurance network.
Cigna described the bid as “inadequate” and not in the best interests of its shareholders.
In the energy markets, the price of oil changed little from Friday. Benchmark U.S. crude rose 7 cents to close at $59.68 a barrel in New York. Brent crude, a benchmark for international oils used by many U.S. refineries, rose 32 cents to close at $63.34 in London.
The energy sector also had some merger news. Williams Cos. rejected a buyout offer from Energy Transfer Equity for $48 billion but said that it may still put itself up for sale.
