Stocks Rise on Lehman Buyout Hopes

Updated from 9:57 a.m. EDT

Stocks were climbing Friday as traders cheered a report that an overseas buyer could have its eye on stumbling New York investment bank Lehman Brothers (LEH Quote), one of the companies at the center of investors' continuing angst about the credit markets.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average was rising 181 points to 11,612, and the S&P 500 was adding 11 points to 1289. The Nasdaq was gaining 23 points to 2403.

The primary driver behind the upward move was a Reuters report that the Korea Development Bank considered a bid for at least part of Lehman, which has recently been victimized by reports that it's struggling to raise capital and that its subprime exposure may prove crippling. ...