TOP STORIES 
 
U.S. NEW-HOME SALES FALL 14.5% IN MARCH 

Sales of newly built homes plunged in March, the latest sign of a faltering U.S. housing market that has struggled to maintain its momentum in the last year.

 
STOCKS DOWN ON DATA, EARNINGS 
 

U.S. stocks edged lower after housing data fell short of expectations and as investors digested mixed earnings reports. The Dow Jones Industrial Average was down about 20 points in midday trading.

 
BOEING'S PROFIT SLIDES ON PENSION COSTS 
 

Boeing's 1Q earnings fell 13% to $965 million, or $1.28 a share, as costs tied to changes to its retirement plans masked continued demand for its jetliners. Shares rose 2% as results beat expectations and Boeing raised its earnings guidance.

 
P&G PROFIT EDGES UP 
 

Procter & Gamble's profit grew just slightly in the first three months of the year, as the world's largest consumer-products maker struggled to expand in slow-growing markets where shoppers have cut back their spending on many everyday items.

 
DELTA AIR LINES PROFIT JUMPS, DESPITE WEATHER TROUBLES 
 

Delta Air Lines said 1Q earnings surged to $213 million, or 25 cents a share, with higher passenger demand. Revenue rose 4.9% to $8.92 billion.

 
RUSSIA FOREIGN MINISTER WARNS UKRAINE 
 

Russia warned that any attack on its citizens in Ukraine would be considered an attack on Russia itself, as the Ukrainian government resumed its military operation against pro-Russian militants who have taken over several cities in the eastern party of the country.

 
GROWTH IN EURO ZONE ACCELERATES 
 

Economic growth in the euro zone accelerated at the start of 2Q, but businesses once again cut their prices, a sign that worries over deflation are far from over.

 
LG HOUSEHOLD & HEALTH CARE MAY BID FOR ELIZABETH ARDEN 
 

LG Household & Healthcare said it is considering a bid for U.S. cosmetics company Elizabeth Arden, which would substantially boost the South Korean cosmetics and health-food manufacturer's stable of products.

 
FTC APPROVES FACEBOOK'S OCULUS PURCHASE 
 

Facebook's purchase of virtual-reality headset maker Oculus VR has secured FTC approval. The social-media giant, scheduled to post quarterly results after the market closes, moved to buy the 20-month-old maker of virtual reality goggles last month in a $2 billion cash-and-stock deal.

 
CRUDE OIL FALLS AS OIL SUPPLIES HIT ALL-TIME HIGH 
 

Oil futures slipped to two-week intraday lows, then pared their losses, as government data showed domestic crude-oil supplies at an all-time high. June oil fell 2c to $101.73 a barrel.

 
PALESTINIAN FACTIONS AGREE TO FORM UNITY GOVERNMENT 
 

The two biggest rivals in Palestinian politics said they will form a unity government, which if successful would put an end to a seven-year political divide between the West Bank and Gaza Strip.

 
 
 
 
  ======= DOW JONES NEWSWIRES ANALYSIS AND COMMENTARIES ======= 
 
 
The Wall Street Journal Online 
WHY THE HOUSING MARKET HAS SLOWED 
 

Housing's rocky recovery could signal weakness more broadly in the economy, reflecting the lingering damage from the bust that has left millions of households unable to participate in any housing recovery, writes Nick Timiraos.

 
Money Talks 
WILL THE BOE BE CAUGHT ON THE HOP AGAIN? 
 

When conditions deteriorated in the wake of the financial crisis, the Bank of England was criticized for being slow to react. Could the U.K.'s central bank prove just as dilatory into the recovery, asks Alen Mattich.