US STOCKS-Wall St set for higher open after G20

By Angela Moon NEW YORK, Nov 9 (Reuters) - Wall Street was set to open higher on Monday on renewed risk-taking sentiment after the Group of 20 pledged to maintain economic stimulus in place until a recovery was reassured. Finance ministers and central bankers of the G20 agreed on Saturday to keep the aid flowing, giving a boost to global stocks while pressuring the dollar as high-yielding and commodity-linked currencies benefited. For details, see and "Cheap money continues to fuel the rush into stocks, not just in the U.S., but on a global scale (after G20)," said Peter Cardillo, chief market economist at Avalon Partners in New York. Corporate mergers and acquisitions were in the spotlight. Kraft Foods Inc formalized a proposed takeover of Britain's Cadbury Plc, but failed to improve the terms of its initial approach, sending shares in the British confectionery maker down 2 percent. Kraft Foods rose nearly 1 percent to $27 before the bell. General Electric Co gained 2.8 percent to $15.76 premarket after a source said the company and Comcast Corp agreed on a valuation of around $30 billion for a joint venture between NBC Universal and Comcast. S&P 500 futures were up 9.3 points and 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 gained 82 points, and Nasdaq 100 futures added 15.50 points. Healthcare companies were also in the spotlight after the U.S. House of Representatives approved a healthcare reform bill Saturday that would include a government-run health insurance option to compete with private insurers. "The initial impact may be (negative) ... that the government is over-reaching in its spending. But while the bill did make its way, the fight is going to be tougher and longer," said Rick Meckler, president of LibertyView Capital Management in New York, adding that the market reaction will be mixed. Aetna Inc shares were down 1 percent to $28.87. Shares of McDonald's Corp rose 0.5 percent to $62.05 premarket after the fast food chain posted a 3.3 percent increase in global comparable sales. Sprint Nextel Corp is preparing to pump at least $1 billion more into Clearwire Corp, the Wall Street Journal reported, citing two sources.. Sprint Nextel rose 2.1 percent to $2.91 in premarket trading. Oil jumped 1.4 percent and gold hit a record high above $1,110 an ounce, as the dollar index slid 1 percent on the outcome of the G20 meeting. (Reporting by Angela Moon; editing by Jeffrey Benkoe) (([e-mail];[phone]; Reuters Messaging:[e-mail])) ============================================================== To access running updates on what's moving U.S. stocks double click on ============================================================== For other U.S.

market data and news, click on codes in brackets: U.S. Equities speed guide........................ S&P 500 index ........................................ Dow Jones industrial average.......................... Nasdaq Composite index............................... Nasdaq 100............................................ Russell 2000 small cap................................ S&P major sectors.............................. NYSE most active..................................... Nasdaq most active................................... Top NYSE pct gainers................................. Top NYSE pct losers.................................. Top Nasdaq pct gainers............................... Top Nasdaq pct losers................................ 52 week highs: NYSE............... Nasdaq.............. 52 week lows: NYSE............... Nasdaq.............. Main global stock indexes and market reports: FTSE Eurotop 300 ..... European report ....... Nikkei 225............. Tokyo report............ FTSE 100............... London report........... Xetra DAX............. Frankfurt market stories CAC-40................. Paris market stories... World Indices..................................... Reuters survey of world bourse outlook......... U.S. IPO diary........................................ U.S.

Asset Allocation Table....................... More Reuters News on equities at a glance: Equities ............ US company news......... Key non-equities market reports: Foreign exchange...................................... Oil.................................................... US Treasuries......................................... International bonds................................... Gold....................................... or CRB index of commodity futures........................ (Multimedia versions of Reuters Top News are now available for: * 3000 Xtra: visit http://topnews.session.rservices.com * BridgeStation: view story .134 For more information on Top News: http://topnews.reuters.com) COPYRIGHT Copyright Thomson Reuters 2009. All rights reserved.

The copying, republication or redistribution of Reuters News Content, including by framing or similar means, is expressly prohibited without the prior written consent of Thomson Reuters.