The Dow Jones Industrial Average (^DJI -0.05%) was largely unchanged in late morning trading Thursday. AT&T (T 0.28%) traded in line with its index, while T-Mobile (TMUS 1.07%), Sprint (S) and DIRECTV (DTV.DL) surged to the upside.

Markets closed for May Day
While the U.S. markets remained open on Thursday, many other major stock markets were closed in observance of the May 1 holiday. Most European markets were shuttered, including France, Germany, Italy, and Spain. Asian markets such as Hong Kong, China, and South Korea were also closed.

A lighter international day may have spilled over to U.S. stocks, as investors had little international news to react to.

Sprint will submit bid for T-Mobile
Both Sprint and T-Mobile shares were up more than 3% after Bloomberg reported that Sprint would make an acquisition bid for T-Mobile early this summer. The combined company may choose current T-Mobile CEO John Legere to be its chief executive. Legere has successfully turned T-Mobile around since becoming CEO in 2012, with the business adding millions of new subscribers in recent months.

T-Mobile's recent growth, however, may make an acquisition difficult. Regulators blocked AT&T's attempts to purchase T-Mobile, and something similar could happen to Sprint. The U.S. Justice Department is clearly interested in maintaining a competitive wireless industry, and merging Sprint with T-Mobile would reduce the number of major players. Nevertheless, investors are clearly buying up T-Mobile shares in anticipation of a windfall payout in the event of a deal, while Sprint shareholders should also benefit -- the combined company would be far more powerful and able to more effectively compete.

Source: Wikimedia Commons.

AT&T said to consider DIRECTV takeover
The Sprint/T-Mobile entity, if created, could pose a major threat to AT&T -- but AT&T isn't standing still. The Wall Street Journal reported that the wireless giant has approached DIRECTV's management about a possible takeover bid.

DIRECTV, primarily a provider of pay-TV services, wouldn't add much to AT&T's wireless business. However, it might allow AT&T to strengthen its offering to consumers via better bundled services -- pay TV with wireless phone service, for example.

It would also reduce the number of pay-TV providers in the industry. DIRECTV is the second-largest provider of pay TV in the U.S., while AT&T with U-verse is a major player. With those businesses combined, AT&T would be better able to negotiate with content providers, reducing the costs the company would have to pay to carry cable channels like ESPN.