Summary Box: An early lift from deal news quickly fades on the stock market

Summary Box: Stocks erase early gains; Dow off 39

A DECENT START: Stocks started higher on optimism about deal news but the gains quickly faded. The Dow Jones industrial average had been up as much as 91 points in early trading but ended with a loss of 39.

A LOUSY FINISH: The Dow’s loss came almost entirely in the final half-hour of trading, a pattern that has been common in recent months.

DEAL NEWS HELPED: Hewlett-Packard outbid rival Dell for a data storage provider, while HSBC Holdings said it was in talks to buy a controlling stake in Nedbank Group.