TOP STORIES
GLOBAL STOCKS LITTLE CHANGED AS CHINA SLUMPS
Global stock markets were little changed Friday, as investors
mostly shrugged off a steep drop in Chinese equities.
CHINA INDUSTRIAL PROFITS DROPPED 4.6% ON YEAR IN OCTOBER
Profits earned by China's industrial companies dropped 4.6% from
a year earlier in October, extending a 0.1% decline recorded in
September, as the world's second-largest economy faces continuing
headwinds.
NEXTERA SELLS TEXAS PLANTS FOR $1.59 BILLION
NextEra Energy Inc. said Friday it has agreed to sell two Texas
natural gas power plants to Energy Future Holdings Corp. for $1.59
billion.
TOSHIBA MULLS SALE OF STAKE IN CHIP ARM
Toshiba Corp. said it is considering selling part of its
semiconductor business to raise financing in response to a
drawn-out accounting scandal.
NORWAY APPOINTS CENTRAL BANKER TO OVERSEE OIL FUND
Norway has appointed Dr. Egil Matsen, 46, as a deputy central
bank governor in charge of overseeing the country's vast
sovereign-wealth fund, as it expands into more complex
investments.
STRESS TEST PRESSURE MAY SEE U.K. BANKS CUT DIVIDENDS
As the Bank of England makes stress tests more difficult to
pass, U.K. banks will have to retain more capital which may see
many of them cutting dividend payouts.
GERMANS PLAN TO BUY LESS, DONATE MORE THIS CHRISTMAS
Bells might ring gentler for Germany's retailers this year as
consumers plan to spend less on Christmas presents and donate more
to help the authorities cope with the influx of migrants from the
Middle East and North Africa.
EUROZONE CONFIDENCE STEADIES
Confidence levels among businesses and consumers across the
eurozone remained relatively high before the terror attacks on
Paris, a fresh indication that the economy may have been on course
for a pickup after a third-quarter slowdown.
U.K. GDP GROWTH CRIMPED BY TRADE
Feeble trade dragged down U.K. economic growth in the third
quarter, government statisticians confirmed, as signs of a global
slackening suggest the Bank of England will be in no hurry to raise
interest rates.
BELGIAN POLICE DETAIN TWO MORE PEOPLE
Belgian police detained two more people as part of a sweeping
series of raids aimed at securing two fugitives who are wanted in
connection with the terrorist attacks in Paris and foiling similar
attacks in Brussels.
CRIMEA POWER OUTAGES MOVE INTO SIXTH DAY
Activists continued to block repair work to power lines in
southern Ukraine that supply electricity to Crimea, as power
outages in the disputed peninsula move into their sixth straight
day.
CHINESE DREDGER DELAYS IPO OVER ISLAND-BUILDING QUESTIONS
A ship owned by the world's largest dredging company, CCCC
Dredging, was seen in surveillance photos of the disputed Spratly
Islands.
FRANCE'S ODDO TRUMPS FOSUN OFFER FOR FUND MANAGER
Oddo, a French boutique investment-banking and asset-management
firm, has made a $805 million offer for Belgium-headquartered rival
BHF Kleinwort Benson, trumping an earlier approach by China's Fosun
International.
SLOVAKIAN SHOP EYED AS SOURCE OF GUNS IN PRIOR TERROR ATTACKS
A store in Slovakia was a source for weapons that European
security officials say were used by jihadists in at least two
terror attacks earlier this year, a troubling sign of how easily
guns can travel across the continent's borders.
JAPAN'S COMPETING INFLATION GAUGES
Prices in Japan fall again in October, a primary government
index showed, but measures that excludes energy prices showed
gains.
RIO TINTO BUCKS TREND TO BET ON BAUXITE
The company approved a $1.9 billion bauxite project in
northeastern Australia, bucking a trend among resources majors that
have largely iced new mines.
ISRAEL TO SEND DIPLOMAT TO ENERGY AGENCY IN U.A.E.
Israel will dispatch a diplomat to the International Renewable
Energy Agency based in the United Arab Emirates, a move that shows
how Israeli security interests are beginning to converge with Gulf
States in the wake of the Iran nuclear deal.
GREECE FACES TWO-WEEK REFORM DEADLINE TO UNLOCK AID
Greece has two weeks to implement 13 pieces of economic reform,
including changes to its banking sector and the design of a
privatization fund, to receive $1.1 billion in financial aid,
according to an agreement struck by eurozone finance
ministries.
FIVE ABDUCTED IN ATTACK ON POLISH CARGO SHIP OFF NIGERIA
Armed men who attacked and plundered a cargo ship off the coast
of Nigeria have abducted five of the Polish crew, officials said
Friday.
ZAMBIA UNVEILS AUSTERITY MEASURES
Zambia has announced a program of austerity measures to try to
close a gaping budget deficit and restore confidence in southern
Africa's third-largest economy amid a copper price slump.
======= DOW JONES NEWSWIRES ANALYSIS AND COMMENTARIES =======
Business
BLACK FRIDAY SHOWDOWN: TARGET VS. AMAZON
Before bargain-hunters entered stores on Thanksgiving, Target
employees were busy inside shipping out online orders. The strategy
provides a test for how retailers hope to thwart Amazon.
Business
BIG BANKS CUT BACK ON SMALL BUSINESS
The biggest banks in the U.S. are making far fewer loans to
small businesses than they did a decade ago, ceding market share to
alternative lenders that charge significantly higher rates.
(END) Dow Jones Newswires
November 27, 2015 10:11 ET (15:11 GMT)
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