Merger Monday on Wall Street; Chipotle E. coli scare; Retailers struggling for ...

Eight People Hospitalized After Eating Chipotle - The Drop Presented By ADD

Stocks (^GSPC) (^DJI) (^IXIC)are aiming to start November with more gains after finishing the best month in four years in October as the deal making frenzy continues on Wall Street.

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Visa(V)confirms it"s buying its European counterpart, Visa Europe, in a deal worth up to $23.4 billion. The deal will help Visa better compete against rivals such as MasterCard (MA) by bringing all its operations under one roof. Separately, Visa reported an earnings per share miss for its fiscal fourth quarter, while revenue came in right in line with estimates.

Food combo

ConAgra Foods(CAG)is selling its private brands business to TreeHouse Foods (THS) for $2.7 billion in cash so it could focus more on its name brands such as Chef Boyardee pastas and Slim Jim beef jerky.The deal will create the the biggest U.S. private label food and drinks maker with annual revenue of nearly $7 billion dollars.

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Dyax(DYAX) is being bought by Shire (SHPG) for $5.9 billion in cash. That comes out to about $37.30 a share. The deal will give Shire access to a treatment for rare genetic disorder that attacks the immune system. If the drug is approved by regulators Dyax shareholders may then receive an additional $4 in cash per share, or $646 million.

HP splits

Hewlett-Packard(HPQ) is officially splitting into two companies after a yearlong process. HP will largely consist of personal computers and printers while Hewlett Packard Enterprise, orHPE, will sell sell the computer servers, data storage, networking, software and consulting services.

Chipotle(CMG) said it has closed 43 restaurants in the Seattle and Portland area due to an E.Coli outbreak that appears to be linked to the restaurants. At least 20 people have gotten sick after eating at the restaurants.

Sprint cost cuts coming

Another company feeling some pain is Sprint (S). According to several news reports, the company is trying to pare $2.5 billion in costs by targeting everything from snacks and raises and even the spectre of job cuts. Sprint expected to report quarterly results on Tuesday.

Holiday hiring hurdle

The holiday season is upon us, but are retailers finding themselves in a pinch? The Wall Street Journal reports retailers are having to offer higher pay and more hours in order to attract seasonal workers - with one CEO claiming theyre not getting as many job seekers in the past.

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Source: http://finance.yahoo.com/news/merger-monday-on-wall-street--chipotle-e--coli-scare--retailers-struggling-for-holiday-help-130559078.html