NEW YORK — Stock indexes closed at the highest point since the U.S. debt limit showdown in August Monday. The market was driven higher by a round of big corporate takeovers and reports that Europe’s bailout fund will be larger than originally thought. The Nasdaq composite turned positive for the year. Netflix Inc. plunged 22 percent in after-hours trading after the DVD-by-mail and video streaming company forecast a sharp drop in fourth-quarter profits.

Investors are still waiting for a resolution to Europe’s debt problems. European leaders said they made progress at a weekend summit and plan to unveil concrete plans for containing the crisis by Wednesday.