Stocks closed solidly higher Tuesday as strong earnings from retailers, including Best Buy, allayed concerns that the consumer is weak into the holiday season. Amid the upside, several rumors swirled around the Street. Below we highlighted a few:

Mirati Therapeutics (NASDAQ: MRTX) gained nearly 16% on reports from Bloomberg News the company is attracting fresh takeover interest from large pharma companies ahead of updates on its drug pipeline.

Manchester United (NYSE: MANU) gained nearly 15% on reports the teams owners, the Glazer family, are preparing to formally announce its intention to examine a sale, according to Sky News, citing sources. The development comes on the same day that the soccer team and Cristiano Ronaldo parted ways.

Meta Platforms (NASDAQ: META) quickly shot down rumors coming from TheLeak that founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg will resign next year.

Quest Diagnostics (NYSE: DGX) gained modestly on vague takeover chatter following a recent filing that made several executives "executive officers" which makes them "participants in the Company's Executive Officer Severance Plan."

By StreetInsider.com Staff

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