US stocks are little changed in early trading after big week

In this Monday, Aug. 24, 2015, photo, pedestrians walk past the New York Stock Exchange. Global stock markets were mixed Monday, Oct. 12, 2015, following Wall Street's gains as investors looked ahead to the week's Chinese trade data. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig) In this Monday, Aug. 24, 2015, photo, pedestrians walk past the New York Stock Exchange. Global stock markets were mixed Monday, Oct. 12, 2015, following Wall Street's gains as investors looked ahead to the week's Chinese trade data. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)

By Associated Press October 12, 2015 3 min read

NEW YORK (AP) – U.S. stocks are little changed in early trading Monday as traders look ahead to the start of corporate earnings season.

The stock market is coming off its best week of the year. Drugmaker Eli Lilly dropped after announcing that it had stopped the development of a drug to treat cardiovascular disease. EMC gained after agreeing to be acquired by Dell.

KEEPING SCORE: The Standard & Poor’s 500 index was unchanged at 2,015 as of 10:12 a.m. Eastern time. The Dow Jones industrial average rose 18 points, or 0.1 percent, to 17,102. The Nasdaq composite edged up three points, less than 0.01 percent, to 4,834.

BIG TECH DEAL: Data storage company EMC climbed 44 cents, or 1.6 percent, to $28.30 after Dell said it was acquiring the company in a deal valued at about $67 billion. Since going private in 2013, Dell has been investing in research and development and expanding its software and services business.

PULLING THE PLUG: Eli Lilly dropped after the drugmaker said it was halting development of evacetrapib, a drug that was intended to treat patients with high-risk cardiovascular disease. The stock fell $6.40, or 7.4 percent, to $79.82.