By Victor Reklaitis, MarketWatch

M&A news for GE, 3-D printing stocks, energy sector, Danaher

U.S. stock futures inched higher Tuesday, putting the market on track to add slightly to last week's gain as traders returned from a three-day weekend.

Companies from a range of sectors announced big deals ahead of the open, sending some individual stocks flying higher.

S&P 500 futures edged up by 2 points, or 0.1%, to 2,180, while Dow Jones Industrial Average futures tacked on 18 points, or 0.1%, to 18,498. Nasdaq-100 futures rose by 3.75 points, or 0.1%, to 4,799.

Analysts are bracing for the market to show more oomph after some August doldrums.

The "worst of the quiet summer period" has passed, and investors now "can expect to see trading volumes pick up significantly this week," said Craig Erlam, senior market analyst at Oanda, in a note on Tuesday.

The U.S. stock market was shuttered on Monday in honor of the Labor Day holiday.

On Friday, the S&P 500 and Dow both closed 0.4% higher (http://www.marketwatch.com/story/wall-street-poised-for-small-gains-with-key-jobs-report-ahead-2016-09-02) and up 0.5% for the week. That came as a weaker-than-expected monthly jobs report bolstered the view that the Federal Reserve won't raise interest rates in September, fueling a rally in stocks and other assets perceived as relatively risky.

Each stock gauge on Tuesday stands within striking distance of its mid-August record closing high.

See: This could be a September to remember for investors (http://www.marketwatch.com/story/this-could-be-a-september-to-remember-for-investors-2016-09-01)

Individual movers: Shares in seeds and pesticides giant Monsanto Co.(MON) rose 1% in premarket action after German chemicals titan Bayer AG(BAYN.XE) raised its bid for the U.S. company (http://www.marketwatch.com/story/bayer-raises-offer-to-buy-monsanto-2016-09-06-24852015) to $127.50 a share, up from $125 a share.

General Electric Co.(GE) rose 0.3% premarket after the conglomerate said it will acquire two European 3-D printing companies (http://www.marketwatch.com/story/ge-to-buy-two-3-d-printing-firms-for-combined-14-billion-2016-09-06) for a combined $1.4 billion, gobbling up Sweden's Arcam AB (ARCM.SK) and Germany's SLM Solutions Group AG(AM3D.XE) .

In the deal's wake, shares of U.S. 3-D printing companies Stratasys Ltd.(SSYS) and 3D Systems Corp.(DDD) were up 7% and 6%, respectively, in premarket action. The 3D Printing ETF(PRNT) , which launched in July and has not attracted much investor money (http://www.etf.com/PRNT), could see active trading Tuesday.

Enbridge Inc.(ENB) and Spectra Energy Corp.(SE) announced a stock-for-stock merger transaction, valuing Spectra's common stock at $28 billion to create North America's largest energy infrastructure company (http://www.marketwatch.com/story/enbridge-and-spectra-energy-to-merge-to-create-largest-energy-infrastructure-company-in-n-america-2016-09-06). Enbridge fell 2% ahead of the bell, while Spectra jumped 10%.

Cepheid(CPHD) soared 52% premarket following news that conglomerate Danaher Corp.(DHR) plans to buy (http://www.marketwatch.com/story/danaher-to-buy-diagnostics-maker-cepheid-for-about-4-billion-2016-09-06) the maker of clinical testing gear for $53 a share in cash, or about $4 billion. Danaher fell 0.2%.

Chip maker Marvell Technology Group Ltd.(MRVL) dropped 5% ahead of the open after reporting that quarterly revenue fell more than expected (http://www.marketwatch.com/story/marvell-technology-swings-to-profit-but-sales-dip-2016-09-06) and issuing a mixed outlook.

Other markets: The U.S. oil benchmark traded higher (http://www.marketwatch.com/story/wti-crude-oil-gains-as-russia-saudi-deal-continues-to-generate-buzz-2016-09-06), helped by Monday's agreement between Russia and Saudi Arabia on monitoring crude prices. European stocks were slightly higher, gold futures gained, and a key dollar index lost ground.

Asian stock markets were broadly higher Tuesday (http://www.marketwatch.com/story/asian-markets-rise-but-aussie-stocks-buck-trend-after-rba-stands-pat-2016-09-06), though Australian equities fell after the central bank there kept interest rates unchanged, and the Philippine benchmark fell after U.S. President Obama canceled a meeting with the country's leader.

Economic news: The August reading on Markit's purchasing managers' index for the U.S. service sector is expected to hit at 9:45 a.m. Eastern Time. The Institute For Supply Management's non-manufacturing index for the same month is due at 10 a.m. Eastern.

"The services sector is hugely important to the U.S. economy, and so this data offers important insight into how the main engine of growth is likely to perform in the months ahead," Erlam said.

Read more:Weak service sector data could further undercut hawkish Fed stance (http://www.marketwatch.com/story/weak-service-sector-data-could-further-undercut-hawkish-fed-stance-2016-09-03)

On the Federal Reserve front, San Francisco Fed President John Williams is slated to speak in Reno, Nev., at 9:15 p.m. Eastern Time. He isn't currently a voting member of the central bank's policy committee

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(END) Dow Jones Newswires

September 06, 2016 08:24 ET (12:24 GMT)