Wall Street was up in early afternoon trade on Monday after declines earlier in the day.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average added 0.17 percent to 13,545.43, while the Nasdaq Composite gained 0.81 percent to 2,747.17 and the the S&P 500 was 0.23 percent higher to 1,504.04.

In the pharmaceuticals sector, Merck (NYSE: MRK) added $1.21 to $54.32 after it reported that profits were up by 62 percent in the third quarter, boosted by ales of asthma and allergy drugs, blood pressure medicines, cholesterol drugs and a number of vaccines, including one for the prevention of cervical cancer.

The only bad news was that the drug maker still faces liability over its Vioxx anti-inflammatory drug which was taken off the market after being implicated in cardiovascular events in patients who took it.

Elsewhere in the sector, Schering-Plough (NYSE: SGP) dropped $4.29 to $28.42 after turning in a quarterly report that was not up to investors’ expectations.

Meanwhile Pfizer (NYSE: PFE) was 3 cents lower to $24.04.

Home builders were doing well in early afternoon trade, with several builders recording gains in the near-7 percent to nearly 8.5 percent range.

Beazer Homes (NYSE: BZH) was up 76 cents to $9.82, while DR Horton (NYSE: DHI) was 88 cents higher to $12.83 and Hovnanian Enterprises (NYSE: HOV) had gained 89 cents to $11.44.

Pulte Homes (NYSE: PHM) added 94 cents to $14.62 and Lennar (NYSE: LEN) was up $1.39 to $21.08, while Toll Brothers (NYSE: TOL) jumped $1.56 to $22.08.

Wall Street saw gains in early afternoon trade on Wednesday.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average was 0.5 percent higher to 13,094.52, while the Nasdaq Composite had added 0.65 percent to 2,515.45 and the S&P 500 was up 0.75 percent to 1,437.19.

In the financial services sector, it was reported that Bank of America (NYSE: BAC) and Countrywide Financial (NYSE: CFC) have both refused to lend money when hedge funds use subprime securities, collateralized debt obligations or mortgages as collateral.

Bank of America was $1.05 higher to $48.91, but Countrywide had dropped $1.96 to $22.50 after Merrill Lynch (NYSE: MER; TYO: 8675) cut its recommendation on the mortgage lender from “buy” to “sell” on worries about liquidity in the sector.

Elsewhere among financial groups Lehman Brothers (NYSE: LEH) added 17 cents to $53.84, while Merrill Lynch gained 25 cents to $27.59 and JP Morgan Chase (NYSE: JPM) was 50 cents higher to $43.80.

Citigroup (NYSE: C) added 57 cents to $46.23, while Goldman Sachs (NYSE: GS) was up 64 cents to $170.39.

The pharmaceuticals sector was also higher, with Pfizer (NYSE: PFE) adding 25 cents to $23.83 and Schering-Plough (NYSE: SGP) up $1.29 to $29.60.

Among retailers, Wal-Mart (NYSE: WMT) gained 3 cents to $43.63 and Home Depot (NYSE: HD) added 27 cents to $33.79.

Wall Street was higher in midday trade on Monday as quarterly reports and mergers and acquisition news were in focus.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average was 0.81 percent higher to 13,963.34, while the Nasdaq Composite had added 0.54 percent to 2,702.01 and the S&P 500 gained 0.76 percent to 1,545.79.

The Russell 3000 index of small and mid-caps was up 0.52 percent to 840.82.

Credit card provider American Express (NYSE: AXP) was 35 cents higher to $64.86 ahead of the release of its second quarter report, due after the close of trade on the day.

In the pharmaceuticals sector, Merck (NYSE: MRK) said that it had seen its earnings increase by 12 percent in the quarter, sending it $3.90 higher to $52.92.

Elsewhere in the sector, Pfizer (NYSE: PFE) gained 33 cents to $25.23 and Bristol-Myers Squibb (NSYE: BMY) added 60 cents to $32.14, but Schering-Plough (NYSE: SGP) dropped 12 cents to $31.37.

In purchase news, offshore drilling contractor Transocean Inc. (NYSE: RIG) and GlobalSantaFe Corp. (NYSE: GSF) announced that they have made a deal to merge.

Transocean was $6.28 higher to $116.25, while GlobalSantaFe gained $3.86 to $78.60.

The company created by the deal will carry a market value of around $53 billion.

In another deal, United Rentals (NYSE: URI) has agreed to be taken private by affiliates of Cereberus Capital Management in a cash deal worth $4 billion.

Shares in United Rentals were trading $33.08 at mid-session, up 71 cents.

In early afternoon trade on Wall Street on Friday, the Dow Jones Industrial Average was 0.18 percent higher to 13,590.44, while the Nasdaq Composite had gained 0.09 percent to 2,659.17 and the S&P 500 was up 0.07 percent to 1,526.53.

The news that Advanced Medical Optics (NYSE: EYE) had bid more than private equity for rival eye-care products group Bausch & Lomb (NYSE: BOL) sent shares in both lower.

Advanced Medical Optics dropped 96 cents to $34.93, while Bausch & Lomb was down 16 cents to $71.84.

The pharmaceuticals sector declined on the session.

Schering-Plough (NYSE: SGP) dropped 2 cents to $30.55, while Pfizer (NYSE: PFE) fell 13 cents to $25.77 and Merck was 61 cents lower to $49.21.

Retailers were higher, however.

Discount retailer Wal-Mart (NYSE: WMT) added 25 cents to $48.34, while home improvement retailer Home Depot (NYSE: HD) gained 50 cents to $40.33. Macy’s (NYSE: M) was $1.75 higher to $41.52 and Target (NYSE: TGT) was up $2.67 to $66.88.