TOP STORIES 
 
AT&T IN ADVANCED TALKS TO ACQUIRE TIME WARNER 

AT&T is in advanced talks to acquire Time Warner Inc., a deal that would create a new hallmark in the rapidly converging realms of media, communications and the internet. An agreement could come this weekend.

BAT OFFERS TO BUY REMAINING REYNOLDS STAKE FOR $47 BILLION 

British American Tobacco said the deal for roughly 58% of Reynolds American would give it a major position in the U.S. tobacco market and high-growth emerging markets.

FED'S WILLIAMS SAYS ONE RATE INCREASE THIS YEAR MAKES SENSE 

San Francisco Fed President John Williams said it makes sense for the central bank to gradually move interest rates to normal levels "sooner rather than later," adding his voice to a growing chorus calling for imminent action on raising rates.

U.S. STOCKS CLOSE FLAT 

Major U.S. stock indexes finished little changed Friday, while deal talks and earnings results sparked sharp moves in individual shares.

GE CUTS FULL-YEAR SALES FORECAST 

General Electric cut its full-year sales forecast to flat to up 2% after reporting declining third-quarter orders and continued weakness in its oil and gas equipment business.

THE WALL STREET JOURNAL OFFERS BUYOUTS TO NEWS EMPLOYEES 

The Wall Street Journal is making buyouts available to a "substantial number of employees" as the news company reviews its operations amid a continued slide in print advertising.

CYBERATTACK KNOCKS OUT ACCESS TO WEBSITES 

Several websites including Twitter and Tumblr were unreachable during an extended period for many U.S. internet users Friday following repeated online attacks.

EUROZONE CONSUMER CONFIDENCE RISES IN OCTOBER 

Consumers in the eurozone were more confident in October for the second straight month since the Brexit vote in June, despite high political uncertainty across the currency bloc.

MICROSOFT SHARES HIT ALL-TIME HIGH 

Shares of Microsoft jumped to an all-time high Friday in the wake of a positive earnings report, nearly 17 years after setting its previous high-water mark in the heyday of the dot-com boom.

UPS UNION STARTS STRIKE AUTHORIZATION VOTE; NO NEAR-TERM IMPACT EXPECTED 

Aircraft maintenance workers at United Parcel Service began a strike authorization vote Friday, but union and company representatives ruled out a work stoppage during the holiday-shipping season.

MONSTER SWINGS TO SURPRISE LOSS; MEDIANEWS SEEKS TO BUILD STAKE 

Activist investor MediaNews Group sought to almost double its stake in Monster Worldwide, keeping the pressure on the job-listing company, which reported a surprising loss Friday.

HONEYWELL'S PROFIT FALLS AS ORGANIC SALES DECLINE 

Honeywell International issued the downbeat earnings report it had forecast earlier this month, saying an unexpectedly weak September and lackluster performance in the aerospace segment hurt profit.

NEW YORK GOVERNOR SIGNS BILL TO FINE AIRBNB RENTALS 

New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo signed into law one of the nation's toughest measures targeting short-term apartment rentals, a blow to Airbnb Inc., which had recently sought to placate lawmakers in one of its most important local markets.

DICK'S SPORTING GOODS WINS GOLFSMITH'S BANKRUPTCY AUCTION 

Dick's Sporting Goods Inc. was named the winner at a bankruptcy-run auction for Golfsmith International Holdings Inc.'s U.S. stores, people familiar with the matter said.

CIGNA ENDS PREAUTHORIZATION FOR MEDICATION TO TREAT OPIOID ADDICTION 

Cigna Corp. will stop requiring that patients and doctors jump through extra hoops known as prior authorization to receive coverage of a medication to treat opioid addiction under a settlement with New York State's Attorney General.

SHELL TO SELL $1 BILLION OF CANADIAN ASSETS 

Royal Dutch Shell reached a deal to sell $1 billion of shale oil and gas assets in Western Canada as part of a global divestment program to raise cash and streamline operations.

UNION AT BEAM SUNTORY PLANTS VOTES TO END STRIKE 

Union workers at Beam Suntory Inc. voted overwhelmingly in favor of a new contract, bringing an end to a strike that has lasted nearly a week.

MOODY'S EXPECTS U.S. TO SUE OVER ITS PRECRISIS RATINGS 

Moody's said the Justice Department is readying a complaint against the firm for bond ratings it issued just before the 2008 financial crisis.

HEAD OF WELLS FARGO FUND DIVISION KARLA RABUSCH TO RETIRE 

Wells Fargo & Co.'s president of its funds division is retiring in the next few months as the bank continues shaking up its asset-management unit.

JUDGE OVERSEEING LAWSUIT OVER ALASKA AIR, VIRGIN AMERICA MERGER TO MOVE AHEAD WITH TRIAL 

The proposed merger of Alaska Air Group and Virgin America ran into a new complication this week from a federal judge who is overseeing a consumer lawsuit to block the $2.6 billion transaction on antitrust grounds.

 
 
 
  ======= DOW JONES NEWSWIRES ANALYSIS AND COMMENTARIES ======= 
 
 
Technology 
FACEBOOK EMPLOYEES PUSHED TO REMOVE TRUMP'S POSTS AS HATE SPEECH 
 

Some of Donald Trump's Facebook posts set off an intense debate inside the company, with some employees arguing certain posts should be removed for violating the site's rules on hate speech. CEO Mark Zuckerberg ruled they could stay.

 
Election 2016 
IN IOWA, CLINTON CAMPAIGN TRIES TO SWAY LOYAL REPUBLICAN VOTERS 
 

Iowa is the spot where Donald Trump stands his best chance of turning a blue state red, but Hillary Clinton's campaign team is aiming to quell that possibility by turning loyal Republicans into Democratic voters.

 
 
 

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

October 21, 2016 17:22 ET (21:22 GMT)

Copyright (c) 2016 Dow Jones & Company, Inc.