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Easing concerns over global credit problems and more signs of corporate dealmaking are giving stocks a moderate boost. Major stock indexes rose less than 1% in late afternoon trading Monday following news that Abu Dhabi had extended $10 billion to Dubai to help the Middle Eastern city-state stay afloat. Markets had been worried in recent weeks that debt problems in the struggling former boomtown could send ripples through global credit markets.

Investors were also encouraged by Exxon Mobil's (XOM) $31 billion purchase of XTO Energy (XTO), which sent energy stocks sharply higher. The deal will help Exxon tap into the growing supply of natural gas in the U.S. and could signal more consolidation in the energy industry.

Exxon Mobil (XOM) will buy XTO Energy (XTO) in an all-stock deal worth $31 billion as the oil giant moved aggressively Monday to capitalize on the growing supply of natural gas at home. The deal could signal a new rush to own natural gas assets by major integrated producers, and perhaps the start of a significant consolidation in the energy industry.

"Exxon is the group leader and it sets the trend. I would expect more acquisitions in the next three to six months," said Fadel Gheit, senior energy analyst for Oppenheimer. "Who that will be is the $64,000 question."

To reduce government influence, the banking giant is set to pay back nearly half of its $45 billion in TARP funds. The government converted the remaining $25 billion into a 34 percent ownership stake, which it now plans to sell during the next year.

Stocks mostly rose as a report on retail sales indicates consumers are picking up their spending.

The Commerce Department says Friday that retail sales rose 1.3 percent in November. That's more than double the increase analysts had been expecting.

More good news came as the preliminary Reuters/University of Michigan consumer sentiment index increased more than expected for December.

The House passed the most ambitious restructuring of federal financial regulations since the New Deal on Friday, aiming to head off any replay of last year's Wall Street failures that plunged the nation deep into recession.

The sprawling legislation would give the government new powers to break up companies that threaten the economy, create a new agency to oversee consumer banking transactions and shine a light into shadow financial markets that have escaped the oversight of regulators.

Retail sales rose 1.3 percent last month, after a 1.1 percent October gain. The government report comes as a surprise because the nation's retailers have been reporting generally lackluster results for the start of the holiday shopping season.

Stock indexes rose Thursday as a jump in exports offset concerns about an increase in weekly unemployment claims. A weaker dollar is lifting demand for U.S. goods, which become less expensive for foreign buyers when the greenback falls. The Commerce Department said a rise in exports helped narrow the nation's trade gap to $32.9 billion in October. Economists had been expecting an increase. Exports rose 2.5%, the sixth straight monthly increase.

James Cox, managing partner at Harris Financial Group in Colonial Heights, Va., said the increased demand for U.S. goods will help boost the nation's economy. "These smaller trade balances are great news," Cox said. "Any time you have a small trade balance, that will really contribute greatly to GDP."

Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner announced Wednesday that the administration will extend the government's financial bailout program until next fall.

In a letter to House and Senate leaders, Geithner said the extension is "necessary to assist American families and stabilize financial markets." Money from the $700 billion taxpayer-funded bailout program has helped rescue big Wall Street firms, auto companies and others. That's angered many Americans, who feel the government hasn't provided them with relief from high unemployment and rising home foreclosures.

Slumping financial shares pulled the stock market mostly lower Monday after Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke's prediction that interest rates will remain low failed to galvanize investors. Stocks initially rose Monday afternoon after Bernanke said that forces like unemployment and tight credit would hold the economy to "moderate" improvements. He also reaffirmed the Fed's position that interest rates are likely to remain low for an extended period.

But the glow from Bernanke's comments faded by the early afternoon, sending stocks generally lower as investors went back to being cautious about the economy. Dan Deming, a trader with Stutland Equities, said there were simply too few buyers to propel the market much higher. "It just feels like it's drifting," he said. "The market feels tired."

General Motors Co. Chairman Ed Whitacre Jr. urged the troubled automaker's employees to forget their old bureaucratic culture, telling them Friday not to fear being fired for taking risks.

Whitacre, who also announced key management changes, wants to speed up the automaker's shift to an entrepreneurial culture where decisions are made quickly.

"We want you to step up. We don't want any bureaucracy," Whitacre told employees, strolling back and forth across a stage at the company's headquarters here. "We're not going to make it if you won't take a risk," he told the audience of 800.