TOP STORIES
GERMANY'S MERCK TO BUY SIGMA-ALDRICH FOR $17 BILLION
German pharmaceutical company Merck said it would acquire U.S.
firm Sigma-Aldrich for $17 billion, paying $140 a share in cash, to
strengthen its position in the life science industry.
SIEMENS TO BUY DRESSER-RAND FOR $7.6 BILLION
German engineering company Siemens announced a deal to acquire
U.S. oil-equipment maker Dresser-Rand Group for $7.6 billion.
U.S. STOCK OPEN LOWER
U.S. stock opened lower. Earlier, futures pulling back after the
Dow industrials last week ended at a fresh record. Still, many
investors say the outlook for stocks remain positive.
SIEGE ON SYRIAN CITY HALTED, KURDISH FORCES SAY
Syrian Kurdish forces said they had stopped Islamic State
insurgents pushing to capture a key city near Syria's border with
Turkey, as the number of Syrians fleeing across the frontier rose
to 130,000.
APPLE SELLS 10 MILLION NEW IPHONES ON FIRST WEEKEND
Apple said it sold more than 10 million of its new iPhone 6 and
iPhone 6 Plus devices during the first weekend of sales, a new high
for the company even though the devices have yet to go on sale in
China.
CHICAGO FED'S NATIONAL ACTIVITY INDEX AT -0.21
A snapshot of the U.S. economic landscape says growth fell below
its historic trends in August. The Federal Reserve Bank of
Chicago's National Activity Index fell to -0.21 in August from
+0.26 in July.
WHITE HOUSE INTRUDER SPARKS SECURITY REVIEW
The Secret Service said it has stepped up security around the
White House and is reviewing its procedures after an intruder
jumped a fence Friday and scrambled through a set of doors into the
executive mansion.
OIL STEADY AS COMPETING FORCES WEIGH
Oil prices chopped around the break-even point after global
supplies tightened a little because of reduced production in Libya,
but concerns about oversupply remained in the absence of OPEC
cutting output.
AUTOZONE PROFIT EDGES HIGHER
AutoZone's fiscal 4Q profit inched up to $373.7 million, or
$11.28 a share, while margins expanded, although sales fell on
fewer sales days in the period. Revenue fell 1.5% to $3.05 billion.
Earnings beat analysts' view, while the top line fell shy.
ALIBABA BANKERS EXERCISE 'GREEN SHOE' OPTION
Bankers for Alibaba Group Holding maximized the size of the deal
Friday, officially making it the biggest initial public offering
ever, at $25 billion, according to people familiar with the
sale.
GOOGLE'S RECIPE FOR EU'S DIGITAL AGENDA
Executive Chairman Eric Schmidt is encouraging Europe to remove
remaining national borders which complicate life for tech
companies, cut red tape and embrace disruptive services.
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Grand Central
THE FED'S EXIT PLAN IS STILL A WORK IN PROGRESS
The Fed wants to keep its benchmark interest rate -- the federal
funds rate -- in a quarter percentage point range for the
foreseeable future. Sign up here for The Wall Street Journal's
daily report on global central banks.
Capital Journal Daybreak
U.S., ALLIES TRAIN KURDS TO FIGHT ISLAMIC STATE
The U.S. military and its allies have launched an urgent effort
to train Kurdish forces to use sophisticated weapons that the West
is expected to supply in coming months. Sign up here for The Wall
Street Journal's morning rundown of the biggest news driving
Washington.