Stocks traded mixed Monday, stabilizing after six straight weeks of declines. Corporate deals helped encourage investors to look for values. Wendy's/Arby's Group Inc. said it would sell control of its Arby's restaurant business to a private equity firm that owns several other quick-service franchises, including Moe's Southwest Grill and Auntie Anne's. Wendy's shares rose 2 percent, AP reported. Clothing maker VF Corp., whose brands include Wrangler and The North Face, said it would buy the boot maker Timberland for more than $2.2 billion. VF Corp. jumped 10 percent. The deals reassured investors that the economy may not be in as bad shape as many have feared. The Dow and the S&P 500 are both down 5 percent so far this month, while the Nasdaq is down 7 percent, as worries grow that the economy has hit a soft patch. The Dow Jones industrial average rose 13 points, or 0.1 percent, to 11,967 in afternoon trading. The Standard & Poor's 500 index fell less than a point to 1,272. The Nasdaq composite index fell 3, or 0.1 percent, at 2,641. The Dow average and the S&P 500 have closed higher only one day so far in June, last Thursday, on news that U.S. exports hit a record in April. The Nasdaq has closed higher only twice this month. Stocks have fallen since late April because of concerns about the dismal housing market, slowing manufacturing and a sluggish jobs market. On Friday, the Dow fell below 12,000 for the first time since March. The S&P 500 has also fallen about 7 percent from its recent peak in late April. If it drops 10 percent, it would indicate what's known on Wall Street as a correction. Corrections are common during bull markets and can often create buying opportunities. -- SPA
