US STOCKS-Dubai bailout, Exxon deal lift Wall St

                                

                                
 * Abu Dhabi gives Dubai $10 bln in bailout money
                                
 * XTO Energy jumps on Exxon buyout
                                
 * Citigroup to repay TARP money through stock issue
                                
 * Dow up 0.3 pct; S&P up 0.6 pct: Nasdaq up 0.9 pct
                                
 * For up-to-the-minute market news, click [STXNEWS/US]
  (Updates to afternoon, changes byline)
                                
 By Chuck Mikolajczak
                                
 NEW YORK, Dec 14 (Reuters) - U.S. stocks rose on Monday as
Abu Dhabi's $10 billion in aid to help Dubai avoid default
eased concerns, and a takeover deal by Exxon Mobil Corp raised
optimism about mergers and acquisitions.
                                
 Citigroup Inc's plan to repay the U.S. government about $20
billion in bailout funds also helped buttress optimism.
                                
 Exxon Mobil <XOM.N> said it would buy natural gas supplier
XTO Energy Inc <XTO.N> in an all-stock transaction valued at
about $30 billion, excluding debt. For details see
[ID:nN14126206].
                                
 Abu Dhabi said on Monday it will provide Dubai $10 billion
in bailout money, with $4.1 billion for payment on a maturing
bond. [ID:nLDE5BD0FV].
                                
 "It's helping -- everyone kind of scratched their head, so
we can't rely on a country or city-state to step up?'" said
Edward Hemmelgarn, chief investment officer of Shaker
Investments in Cleveland.
                                
 "People have just gone back to it, helped calm fears a
little bit and then people think about something else."
                                
 The Dow Jones industrial average <.DJI> gained 33.03
points, or 0.32 percent, to 10,504.53. The Standard & Poor's
500 Index <.SPX> rose 7.13 points, or 0.64 percent, to
1,113.54. The Nasdaq Composite Index <.IXIC> climbed 19.03
points, or 0.87 percent, to 2,209.34.
                                
 Citigroup <C.N> laid out a plan to repay the money it owes
the U.S. government, including raising money by selling $17
billion of common stock immediately, as the bank looks to end
the restrictions on executive pay that came with the funds.
[ID:nN14173715].
                                
 Citi's stock slumped 6.6 percent to $3.69.
                                
 Shares of XTO climbed 15 percent to $47.72, while Exxon
Mobil shed 4.4 percent to $69.64. The NYSE Arca Natural Gas
index <.XNG> gained 4.6 percent.
                                
 The First Trust ISE-Revere Natural Gas Index Fund <FCG.P>,
an exchange-traded fund of natural gas companies' shares, rose
5.1 percent. XTO has underperformed that ETF by roughly 14
percent this year.
                                
 Sun Microsystems Inc <JAVA.O> shares advanced 10.5 percent
to $9.23 on Nasdaq after European Union regulators signaled
they could clear Oracle Corp's <ORCL.O> $7 billion takeover of
Sun after Oracle promised measures to ease competition
concerns. [ID:nSGE5BD0BH]. Oracle's stock rose 1.9 percent to
$23.22.
                                
 Visa Inc <V.N> shares rose 3.3 percent to $84 after ratings
agency Standard & Poor's said late Friday the credit card
company will replace telecommunications equipment maker Ciena
Corp <CIEN.O> in the S&P 500 after the close of trading on
December 18.
                                
 S&P also said Bristol-Myers Squibb split-off Mead Johnson
Nutrition Co <MJN.N> will relace bond insurer MBIA Inc <MBI.N>
on the same date. [ID:nN14177230]. Mead Johnson shares rose 1.9
percent to $43.26. 
                                
 (Editing by Kenneth Barry)