(Bloomberg) -- U.S. stock-index futures rose, signaling equities will extend a quarterly advance, amid increased deal activity and optimism central banks will support global growth. Horizon Pharma Plc rose 7.4 percent in early New York trading after saying it will acquire Hyperion Therapeutics Inc. Catamaran Corp. jumped 26 percent after UnitedHealth Group Inc. agreed to buy it. E-mini contracts on the Standard & Poor’s 500 Index expiring in June added 0.5 percent to 2,062.5 at 7:20 a.m. in New York. China’s central bank chief said the government can do more to support growth in the world’s second-largest economy. Dow Jones Industrial Average E-minis gained 98 points, or 0.6 percent, to 17,724. The S&P 500 climbed 0.2 percent on Friday as semiconductor stocks rallied, helping the gauge maintain its longest streak of quarterly gains since 1998. Federal Reserve Chair Janet Yellen said that day the central bank will probably raise rates this year, with subsequent increases taking place gradually, without following a predictable path. “The big question in the U.S. right now is whether the growth slowdown in the numbers we’ve seen is real,� said Henrik Drusebjerg, who helps manage about $17 billion as chief strategist at Carnegie Investment Bank AB in Copenhagen. “Going forward, the macro numbers won’t be bad but the positive surprise also won’t be there. The timing of the Fed is also extremely important.� The U.S. economy grew at a slower pace in the fourth quarter than economists had estimated, a Commerce Department update showed on Friday. Investors are parsing more economic data this week for clues on the timing of the rate increase. Home Sales Data at 10 a.m. Washington time may show an index of pending home sales from the National Association of Realtors rose in February for a second month, economists forecast. Other reports this week may show the Institute for Supply Management’s manufacturing gauge slipped in March, while payrolls rose at a slower pace. The S&P 500 fell the most since January last week amid a slump in technology shares and conflict in the Middle East, extending a monthly loss. Health-care shares rose on Monday amid mergers-and-acquisitions activity. Horizon jumped 7.4 percent after agreeing to buy Hyperion for $1.1 billion. Hyperion, whose holders will receive $46 a share in cash, rallied 6.6 percent. Catamaran jumped 26 percent after UnitedHealth’s OptumRx agreed to buy the provider of pharmacy benefit management services for about $12.8 billion. UnitedHealth advanced 2.7 percent. Altera Deal Altera Corp. gained 2.1 percent. The chipmaker’s shares surged 28 percent on Friday amid reports Intel Corp. is in talks to acquire it. The purchase would make sense from manufacturing and strategic perspectives, Jefferies Group LLC said late on Friday. DreamWorks Animation SKG Inc. climbed 5.8 percent after its “Home� film delivered $54 million in opening-weekend ticket sales, beating projections. Google Inc. and Amazon.com Inc. advanced at least 1 percent, signaling technology shares may climb for a second day. The Nasdaq Composite Index fell for four days last week, before trimming losses on Friday. E-mini futures on the Nasdaq 100 Index gained 0.7 percent today. Biogen Inc. increased 1.7 percent after falling 9.7 percent last week. The shares rose to a record on March 20. To contact the reporter on this story: Inyoung Hwang in London at ihwang7@bloomberg.net To contact the editors responsible for this story: Cecile Vannucci at cvannucci1@bloomberg.net Namitha Jagadeesh

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