TOP STORIES 
 
STOCKS CRUISE, DOW HITS INTRADAY RECORD 

U.S. stocks extended gains, fueled by merger news and positive economic data on consumer confidence. The Dow Jones Industrial Average gained about 50 points, pushing to a new intraday record high.

 
DEAL REACHED TO END GAZA WAR, HAMAS SAYS 
 

Hamas has agreed to a long-term cease-fire deal in its seven-week war with Israel, a spokesman for the Islamist movement said. Neither Israel nor Egypt confirmed that a deal had been worked out.

 
BURGER KING TO BUY TIM HORTONS FOR ABOUT $11 BILLION 
 

Burger King agreed to buy Canadian coffee-and-doughnut-chain Tim Hortons for more than $11 billion, confirming plans to move the iconic American brand north of the border. Berkshire Hathaway has committed $3 billion in financing.

 
DURABLE GOODS ORDERS SURGE 22.6% IN JULY 
 

Orders for big-ticket manufactured goods jumped to a record in July thanks to a surge in aircraft purchases, while underlying gauges of demand indicated strong momentum in broad business spending.

 
BEST BUY PROFIT TOPS VIEWS; OUTLOOK STILL SOFT 
 

Best Buy's focus on cost-trimming and e-commerce started to pay off in the most recent quarter, but it expects sales to stay sluggish for another holiday shopping season. It posted a profit of $146 million, or 42c a share. Revenue fell 4% to $8.9 billion. Shares fell 5%.

 
U.S. HOME-PRICE GROWTH CONTINUES TO SLOW 
 

The yearly growth in home prices across the U.S. continues to slow this year. The home-price index covering the entire nation increased 6.2% in the 12 months ended in June, the S&P/Case-Shiller Home Price Index showed.

 
U.S. CONSUMER CONFIDENCE RISES UNEXPECTEDLY 
 

U.S. consumers view the economy with more optimism this month, according to the Conference Board, which said its index of consumer confidence increased to 92.4 in August from a revised 90.3 in July. Economists had forecast the index to fall to 88.5.

 
AMERICAN AIRLINES PULLS FARES FROM ORBITZ 
 

American Airlines has withdrawn its flights from consumer websites powered by Orbitz Worldwide, echoing a similar dispute between the airline and travel website about three years ago.

 
PFIZER, MERCK TO TEAM UP ON LUNG-CANCER STUDY 
 

Pfizer and Merck said they would collaborate on another study evaluating a potential lung-cancer treatment, the latest partnership of pharmaceutical firms looking to capitalize on emergence of immunotherapy in fighting the disease.

 
CITI TO PAY $2.5M FOR PRICING FLAWS OF MARKETS UNIT 
 

Citigroup will have to pay $2.5 million in fines and restitution after regulators said the bank's markets unit had failed to give customers the best possible prices and had "deficient" supervisory procedures.

 
MCDONALD'S EVALUATING RELATIONSHIP WITH OSI 
 

McDonald's has replaced its largest supplier in China in the wake of an expired-meat scandal and could reconsider the relationship pending results of a government probe into the supplier's practices.

 
 
 
 
  ======= DOW JONES NEWSWIRES ANALYSIS AND COMMENTARIES ======= 
 
 
The Wall Street Journal 
U.S. FACTORIES KEEP LOSING GROUND TO GLOBAL RIVALS 
 

America's shale boom has raised hopes of a revival in U.S. manufacturing, in part fueled by cheaper energy. But U.S. factories still are losing ground to rivals in Asia and Europe.

 
Money Talks 
CAN MR. DRAGHI GET GERMANY TO SPEND? 
 

European Central Bank President Mario Draghi may be espousing a euro-zone version of Abenomics, but the prospect of getting it seems remote, Alen Mattich writes.