TOP STORIES 
 
MONDELEZ MAKES TAKEOVER BID FOR HERSHEY 

Mondelez made a bid to buy chocolate giant Hershey in what would be a blockbuster deal uniting two of the world's best-known candy makers.

U.S. STOCKS HIGHER, CAPPING ROCKY FIRST HALF OF YEAR 

U.S. stocks extended gains Thursday after Bank of England Governor Mark Carney said the central bank would likely have to stimulate the British economy.

BOE'S CARNEY SIGNALS RATE CUT 

Bank of England Governor Mark Carney said cuts in interest rates will be needed even as he declared his confidence in the U.K.'s ability to successfully adapt to a future outside the European Union.

LIONS GATE AGREES TO BUY STARZ IN $3.2 BILLION DEAL 

Lions Gate agreed to acquire Starz in a cash-and-stock deal, valued at $3.2 billion, combining the maker of "Hunger Games" movies with the operator of pay-TV networks.

VISA, MASTERCARD SETTLEMENT WITH RETAILERS REJECTED BY U.S. COURT 

A U.S. Court of Appeals rejected the 2012 swipe-fee settlement between the retail industry and payments companies Visa and MasterCard, calling the agreement "unreasonable and inadequate."

DICK'S WINS SPORTS AUTHORITY BRAND NAME IN AUCTION 

Dick's Sporting Goods prevailed at the auction for Sports Authority Holdings' brand name and other intellectual property with a bid of $15 million, people familiar with the situation said.

CALIFORNIA ATTORNEY GENERAL INVESTIGATING MAJOR OIL REFINERS 

California's attorney general has issued subpoenas to major oil refiners as part of an investigation into whether the companies artificially raised retail gasoline prices in the state, according to people familiar with the matter

AMC-CARMIKE MERGER VOTE DELAYED 

A shareholder vote to approve AMC Entertainment's $1.1 billion acquisition of Carmike Cinemas has been postponed following concerns among some Carmike shareholders that the price is too low.

HERTZ OFFERING SPECIAL RENTAL RATES TO UBER DRIVERS 

Hertz said it will provide special rental rates to drivers working for Uber and Lyft, a move designed to bolster its presence in the ride-sharing industry.

U.S. JOBLESS CLAIMS ROSE BY 10,000 LAST WEEK 

The number of Americans filing new applications for jobless benefits rose last week, but remained at a historically low level consistent with ongoing job growth.

CHINA OPENS DOOR TO FOREIGN PRIVATE-EQUITY FUNDS 

China will allow foreign private-equity funds to set up asset-management services in the country and invest in domestic stocks, in its latest move to open its markets and financial sector further to outsiders.

BREXIT MAKES LONDON-BASED EXCHANGE EYE EUROZONE 

The chief executive of Bats Europe said it is "highly likely" to establish a presence in the eurozone as a result of the U.K.'s vote to split from the European Union.

GOLDMAN SACHS EXECUTIVE SAYS LIBYA UNDERSTOOD DERIVATIVES 

In a $1.2 billion lawsuit, the country's sovereign-wealth fund accuses the company of leading novices into a disastrous investment.

SONY RE-COMMITS TO ROOTS WITH RETURN TO ROBOTICS 

Sony's return to robotics-a step announced this week along with a bullish profit outlook-reflects a commitment to its roots as a consumer-electronics giant, Chief Executive Kazuo Hirai said.

NEW DEAL WITH UNION AVERTS STRIKE AT CAESARS ATLANTIC CITY 

A tentative labor deal has averted a threatened strike at three Atlantic City casinos owned by Caesars Entertainment Corp., but the threat of holiday weekend labor trouble remains at Carl Icahn's Tropicana and Taj Mahal properties on the boardwalk.

NEWMONT MINING TO SELL INDONESIAN MINE 

Newmont Mining said that it would sell its stake in an Indonesian copper and gold mine for $920 million and contingent payments of up to $403 million.

MAJORITY OF LSE INVESTORS LIKELY TO APPROVE DEUTSCHE BÖ RSE MERGER 

The vast majority of shareholders in London Stock Exchange Group PLC have indicated they are voting in favor of the roughly $30 billion merger with Deutsche Bö rse AG.

SPANISH TAX AUTHORITIES SEARCH GOOGLE'S OFFICES 

Spanish tax inspectors searched the offices of Google here, the latest in a series of tax investigations throughout Europe targeting the search firm.

CANADA'S GDP ROSE 0.1% IN APRIL 

The Canadian economy grew in line with expectations in April-expanding a scant 0.1%- as strength in manufacturing and utilities was tempered by a steep decline in nonconventional oil extraction.

EU OPENS PROBE INTO AB INBEV'S TRADE IN BELGIAN BEER MARKET 

The European Union opened a formal antitrust probe into Anheuser-Busch InBev's practices on the Belgian beer market, citing concerns it may be hindering imports of its beer from less expensive markets in neighboring countries.

 
 
 
  ======= DOW JONES NEWSWIRES ANALYSIS AND COMMENTARIES ======= 
 
 
Europe Markets 
BREXIT VOTE PROMPTS BLEAK FORECASTS FROM ECONOMISTS 
 

The reaction of economists to Britain's vote to leave the European Union has been swift and brutal as they slash forecasts for growth across the world.

 
U.K. News 
BORIS JOHNSON WON'T RUN TO REPLACE CAMERON 
 

The race to determine the U.K.'s next prime minister took a sharp and unexpected turn when former London Mayor Boris Johnson said he wouldn't run to lead the Conservative Party.

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

June 30, 2016 13:00 ET (17:00 GMT)

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