TOP STORIES 
 
U.S. STOCKS FALL ON GLOOMY GLOBAL DATA 

U.S. stocks fell, weighed down by declines in Europe that were spurred by another weak reading on the eurozone economy.

 
BEST BUY ENCOURAGED BY SALES TRENDS 
 

Best Buy said it is encouraged by sales trends heading into holiday-shopping season, although it is still concerned about potential impact of a highly competitive, promotional environment. Shares up 5% as 3Q results easily topped views.

 
U.S. CONSUMER PRICES UNCHANGED 
 

U.S. consumer prices held steady last month, the latest sign of weak inflation at home amid soft energy prices and slow growth abroad. CPI was unchanged. When excluding volatile food and energy categories, prices rose a seasonally adjusted 0.2%.

 
U.S. JOBLESS CLAIMS FALL 
 

Initial claims for unemployment benefits decreased by 2,000 to a seasonally adjusted 291,000 in the week ended Nov. 15, the Labor Department said, the latest sign of an improving labor market.

 
DOLLAR TREE POSTS BEST SALES FIGURES SINCE 2011 
 

Dollar Tree posted its strongest quarterly sales growth at existing stores since 2011 as the discount retailer pushes forward with its deal to buy Family Dollar Stores. Sales at existing locations rose 5.9%. Shares up 6% premarket.

 
APACHE TO DIVEST SOME OIL AND GAS ASSETS FOR $1.4 BILLION 
 

Apache said it agreed to sell some oil-and-gas assets in southern Louisiana and the Anadarko Basin in Texas and Oklahoma for roughly $1.4 billion in two separate deals.

 
U.S. SENATORS RIP BANK TRADING STRATEGIES 
 

A two-year U.S. Senate investigation of commodity-market activities at big Wall Street banks like Goldman Sachs and J.P. Morgan Chase found the firms compromised market integrity and put the broader financial system at risk.

 
MICHAEL'S EARNINGS JUMP 36%, RAISES GUIDANCE 
 

Michaels posted a bigger-than-expected 36% increase in 3Q earnings, the arts-and-crafts retailer's second straight quarter of strong results following June's underwhelming initial public offering. Sales rose to $1.13 billion.

 
TARULLO SEES LIQUIDITY RULES HELPING REGULATORS DURING BANK CRISIS 
 

Fed Gov. Daniel Tarullo said new liquidity rules will give regulators facing a financial crisis the time they didn't have during the 2008 meltdown to determine if a troubled firm faces a funding crunch from which it can recover.

 
EU CHARGES TRUCK MAKERS IN CARTEL PROBE 
 

European Union regulators said they have issued formal charges against a number of heavy truck makers suspected of participating in an illegal cartel.

 
EUROZONE PRIVATE-SECTOR ACTIVITY SLOWS 
 

Activity in the eurozone's private sector slowed in November, according to surveys of purchasing managers, an indication the currency area's economy will continue to grow weakly, if at all, in the final quarter of the year.

 
 
 
 
  ======= DOW JONES NEWSWIRES ANALYSIS AND COMMENTARIES ======= 
 
 
Grand Central 
FED STAFF WHISPERING CAUTION IN OFFICIALS' EARS 
 

While Federal Reserve officials sent a steady-as-she-goes message at their Oct. 28-29 policy meeting, the staff economists advising them were focused on downside risks to the economy. Sign up here for The Wall Street Journal's daily report on global central banks.

 
Capital Journal Daybreak 
AMERICANS WANT PARTIES TO WORK TOGETHER 
 

Americans have little faith that Republican gains in the House and Senate will prompt the two parties to work more closely, a new WSJ/NBC News poll finds. Sign up here for The Wall Street Journal's morning rundown of the biggest news driving Washington.