US STOCKS-Futures higher on Caterpillar, M&A flurry

                                
   * Caterpillar shares rise after Q1 results, outlook
                                
 * Greek minister: Aid will come in time to avoid default
                                
 * Hertz to buy Dollar Thrifty; Charles River to buy WuXi
                                
 * futures up: Dow 27 pts, S&P 2 pts, Nasdaq 1.75 pct
                                
 * For up-to-the-minute market news see [STXNEWS/US]
  (Adds quote, updates prices)
                                
 By Ryan Vlastelica
                                
 NEW YORK, April 26 (Reuters) - U.S. stock index futures
rose on Monday after a new flurry of merger-and-acquisition
activity and Caterpillar reported stronger-than-expected
quarterly profit.
                                
 Caterpillar Inc <CAT.N>, the Dow component, rose 2.7
percent to $70.61 in premarket trading. The heavy machinery
maker also raised its full-year forecast, saying "economic
conditions are definitely improving." For details, see
[ID:nN26212283]
                                
 Whirlpool Corp <WHR.N> gained 7.6 percent to $109.98
premarket after it reported adjusted first-quarter earnings
that beat estimates and raised its full-year profit view, a
bullish sign for consumer spending. [ID:nN26177645]
                                
 On the merger front, Hertz Global Holdings Inc <HTZ.N>
agreed to buy rival car rental company Dollar Thrifty
Automotive Group Inc <DTG.N> for about $1.2 billion, while
Charles River Laboratories International <CRL.N>, the U.S.
clinical research company, plans to acquire WuXi PharmaTech Inc
<WX.N> for $1.6 billion. [ID:nSGE63P03V] and [ID:nSGE63P04G]
                                
 Dollar shares gained 4.2 percent to $40.50 premarket.
                                
 "Having multiple billion-dollar deals is a clear testament
to the strength of the market," said Arthur Hogan, chief market
analyst at Jefferies & Co in New York. "This is something we
should get used to."
                                
 Also, U.S. investment bank Stifel Financial Corp <SF.N>
will buy rival Thomas Weisel Partners Group Inc <TWPG.O> for
about $300 million in stock. [ID:nSGE63P0M3]
                                
 S&P 500 futures <SPc1> rose 2 points and were slightly
above fair value, a formula that evaluates pricing by taking
into account interest rates, dividends and time to expiration
on the contract. Dow Jones industrial average futures <DJc1>
gained 27 points, while Nasdaq 100 futures <NDc1> added 1.75
points.
                                
 Citigroup Inc <C.N> slipped nearly 1 percent to $4.82 after
the U.S. Treasury said it was launching a plan to sell off a
7.7-billion-share stake in the bank. [ID:nNYC003376]
                                
 Ahead of the first session since U.S. indexes hit a
19-month high, a Greek official said an aid package would help
avert a sovereign debt default, though signs grew the package
may have to be bigger. The situation in Greece has weighed on
equities in recent weeks. For details, see [ID:nTOPNOW2]
                                
 "It looks as though this issue will be resolved sooner
rather than later, so even though there are questions it looks
like a major overhang on the market will soon be behind us,"
Hogan said.
                                
 The two Democratic Senators trying to come up with a bill
regulating the $450 trillion private swaps market are near a
deal, and will include a provision to require banks to spin off
swaps desks, sources said Sunday. [ID:nN25166598]
                                
 European stocks were up more than 1 percent Monday morning,
led by banking shares, as worries eased over Greece's woes
[.EU]. while Japan's Nikkei average <.N225> jumped 2.3
percent.
                                
 U.S. stocks hit a 19-month high Friday as Merck rose after
it said costs from healthcare reform will be lower than its
rivals.
  (Editing by Jeffrey Benkoe)