TOP STORIES 
 
VOLKSWAGEN U.S. CEO SAYS HE DIDN'T KNOW IN 2014 OF 'DEFEAT DEVICES' 

Volkswagen's top U.S. executive told Capitol Hill lawmakers he didn't know or suspect in 2014 that the German auto maker was using "defeat-device" software to evade emissions tests on diesel-powered cars, despite hearing about issues with emissions compliance as early as that spring.

BILL GROSS SUES PIMCO FOR BREACH OF CONTRACT 

Bill Gross sued Pimco for breach of contract, alleging that managing directors plotted to drive the famed bond investor out of the firm because of "power, greed, and a desire to improve their own financial position."

GLOBAL STOCKS EDGE LOWER AS INVESTORS AWAIT FED MINUTES 

U.S. stocks eased Thursday as investors await further clues about the timing of a potential interest-rate increase and the start to the third-quarter earnings season.

U.S. JOBLESS CLAIMS FALL LAST WEEK 

The number of Americans filing for first-time unemployment benefits fell last week, a figure consistent with job growth.

AB INBEV SLAMS SABMILLER'S REJECTION OF TAKEOVER OFFER 

Anheuser-Busch InBev publicly slammed SABMiller PLC for rejecting its latest proposal to buy the world's second-largest brewer.

GENERAL EXPECTS RESULTS OF PROBE INTO AFGHANISTAN HOSPITAL STRIKE IN 30 DAYS 

The commander of U.S. and coalition forces in Afghanistan said he expects to have preliminary results from an investigation into the strike on a Doctors Without Borders hospital in about 30 days.

ENCANA TO SELL COLORADO OIL AND GAS ASSETS FOR $900 MILLION 

Encana will sell oil and gas assets in Colorado's Denver Julesburg Basin for $900 million to a new joint venture majority owned by Canada's biggest pension fund.

RUSSIAN BOMBINGS IN SYRIA CONDEMNED BY NATO MINISTERS 

Russian warplanes backed Syrian regime forces in an extension of a new ground assault on a rebel-held enclave on Thursday, activists said, as NATO defense ministers condemned Russia's actions.

ECB IDENTIFIED GREATER RISK OF LOWER INFLATION 

European Central Bank officials determined that downside risks to inflation have intensified, though they need more time to asses the impact of recent market volatility and slower growth in China.

EX-TD BANK EXECUTIVE PLEADS GUILTY IN PONZI SCHEME 

A former Toronto-Dominion Bank executive pleaded guilty to a federal charge for his role in ex-lawyer Scott Rothstein's $1.2 billion Ponzi scheme.

DELL IS IN MERGER TALKS WITH EMC 

Dell and private-equity firm Silver Lake are in advanced talks to buy EMC, a deal that would rank as the biggest technology-industry takeover ever and remove questions about EMC that have hung over the data-storage giant for more than a year.

DEUTSCHE BANK WRITE-DOWNS POINT TO CHALLENGES 

Deutsche Bank's $6.5 billion write-down and bonus warning are positive signs that executives are digging in to cut costs while managing tougher regulatory constraints, analysts said.

TALEN ENERGY TO SELL THREE POWER PLANTS 

Talen Energy, the spinoff of PPL's power-generation businesses, said it has reached agreements to sell three Pennsylvania power plants in deals totaling about $1.51 billion.

ELLIOTT PUSHES FOR POLYCOM-MITEL TIE-UP 

Activist investor Elliott Management Corp. released a letter Thursday disclosing stakes in Polycom Inc. and Mitel Networks Corp. and urging the telecom companies to merge to increase profitability.

OECD LEADING INDICATORS POINT TO CONTINUED SLOWDOWNS 

Growth is set to slow in each of the world's three largest economies, according to leading indicators released by the OECD.

BOE KEEPS INTEREST RATES STEADY 

The Bank of England kept its benchmark interest rate at 0.5%, amid signs of a slowdown both at home and overseas.

ALIBABA SEEKS TO SOOTHE SHAREHOLDERS 

Alibaba is mounting a campaign to reassure shareholders of its growth prospects after investors dumped its shares over slowing revenue growth, China's economic woes and other issues.

SHAKE SHACK'S PRE-IPO INVESTORS CASHING OUT 

Shake Shack announced plans to convert Class B shares into Class A shares, enabling some early investors like Leonard Green, its top holder, to exit about nine months after the burger chain's public debut.

NATIONAL RETAIL FEDERATION SEES HOLIDAY SALES UP 3.7% 

The National Retail Federation expects sales to rise 3.7% this holiday season, less than the 4.1% gain last year, as sluggish U.S. job growth and other economic factors continue to weigh on consumer spending.

GAZPROM TO SELL FIRST EURO DEBT SINCE LAST YEAR 

Russian energy giant Gazprom is set to sell a three-year euro-denominated bond; the issue comes as some investors take encouragement from a perceived easing of tensions in Ukraine.

 
 
 
  ======= DOW JONES NEWSWIRES ANALYSIS AND COMMENTARIES ======= 
 
 
Markets Main 
WSJ SURVEY: ECONOMISTS SEE FED RATE RISE IN 2015 
 

About 64% of respondents to The Wall Street Journal's monthly survey of economists now say the Federal Reserve's Dec. 15-16 meeting will culminate with the first rate rise in nearly a decade.

 
Briefly Blog 
5 THINGS TO WATCH IN THE FED MINUTES 
 

The minutes of Fed policy makers' discussions, to be released Thursday at 2 p.m. EDT, could reveal more detail on officials' views on when to start lifting rates and how much to worry about global economic and market turbulence.

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

October 08, 2015 12:09 ET (16:09 GMT)

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