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.