Stocks traded near the flat line as cautiousness ahead of Fed Reserve meeting on interest rates next week offset merger-and-acquisition news in the energy sector worth $21 billion. Anadarko Petroleum Corp. fell 4.7% after it agreed to acquire Kerr-McGee and Western Gas Resources in separate cash deals totaling $21.1 billion. Shares of Kerr-McGee soared 37%, while Western Gas Resources surged 46%. |
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