and-stock deal worth about $36 billion in order to gain more business customers and more wireless airwaves to transmit calls. Nextel shares fell 2 percent to $29.40 after rising earlier. Analysts said it might take a few years for the two companies to integrate. Sprint fell 2.5 percent to $24.47. Shares of Lehman Brothers rose 2.4 percent to $87.70 after Lehman said fourth-quarter profit rose 22 percent on continued strength from fixed-income businesses and record investment banking revenue. Best Buy rose 5.4 percent to $59.07 after it posted a 21 percent rise in quarterly profit and said it gained market share in the period. In an initial public offering, shares of Las Vegas Sands Corp. jumped 69 percent to $49.10 after the casino operator's IPO priced above the expected range. Biomet Inc. fell 7.4 percent to $44.77 after the orthopedic device maker said quarterly earnings rose 10 percent, but sales of hip implants were weaker than expected. Traders also pointed to some volatility ahead of Friday's quadruple witching -- a term used by pros to describe the quarterly expiration of four different types of options and futures. --SP 2123 Local Time 1823 GMT
