The Dow Jones Industrial Average opened up by 0.4%, the S&P 500 increased by 0.4%, and the Nasdaq rose by 0.5%.

Verona surged 20.7%, Merck agreed to acquire the company for $10 billion. Starbucks rose 2.8%, with multiple parties competing for the sale of its Chinese equity. AE Power rose 15.8%, with the company considering selling off some assets. NetEase fell 1.6%, with the mobile game project "The Chant of the Three Kingdoms" being scrapped.