TOP STORIES 
 
STOCKS LITTLE CHANGED AS OIL FALLS 

U.S. stocks were little changed Wednesday, while falling oil prices weighed on energy and mining shares.

EXPRESS CUTS GUIDANCE AS SALES DECLINES 

Express again slashed its profit forecast for the year as the apparel chain reported sliding sales in the latest quarter, hurt by dwindling store traffic and online sales.

PFIZER BUYS PART OF ASTRAZENECA'S ANTIBIOTICS BUSINESS 

Pfizer said the deal would boost the stable of older products it sells, some of which have lost patent protection.

EARTHQUAKE HITS CENTRAL ITALY, KILLING DOZENS 

A 6.2-magnitude earthquake struck central Italy, killing 38 people and leaving many trapped beneath the rubble of buildings that collapsed while they slept. Local officials said the number of injured was "high" and dozens of people were missing.

SKULLCANDY TO BE BOUGHT BY MILL ROAD 

Headphones maker Skullcandy said it would be acquired by private-equity firm Mill Road Capital Management, likely ending a monthslong takeover battle as rival bidder Incipio walks away from its pursuit.

HONG KONG SECURITIES REGULATOR FINES MORGAN STANLEY $2.4 MILLION 

The regulator fined and publicly reprimanded an Asian unit of Morgan Stanley for the failure of its internal controls related to trading, among other things.

LLOYDS CHIEF APOLOGIZES AFTER AFFAIR ALLEGATIONS 

Lloyds Banking Group Chief Executive Antó nio Horta-Osó rio apologized to the British bank's staff following allegations that he had an affair while on a business trip.

ROYAL BANK OF CANADA'S PROFIT INCREASES 

Royal Bank of Canada, one of Canada's largest lenders by assets, said revenue and profit rose in its third quarter.

PETROCHINA AND CNOOC RESULTS PLUNGE 

The tough times for China's oil companies appear likely to continue after PetroChina and Cnooc reported weak earnings Wednesday and said they saw little room for optimism for the rest of the year.

UBER LETS DRIVERS HAIL AN IRA WITH BETTERMENT 

Uber Technologies is partnering with robo advice provider Betterment to offer thousands of its drivers access to retirement accounts.

GERMAN ECONOMIC GROWTH SLOWS ON LOWER INVESTMENT 

Germany's economy slowed in the second quarter, as investment dropped after a strong start to the year, official data confirmed.

ROVIO ENTERTAINMENT PLANS SEQUEL TO 'ANGRY BIRDS' MOVIE 

Rovio Entertainment, the Finnish maker of the "Angry Birds" mobile game, said it plans a sequel to its successful animation movie based on the irascible fowls.

VOLKSWAGEN FACES RECALL OF AUDI MODELS IN KOREA 

South Korea ordered the local unit of Volkswagen to recall some of its Audi A8 models, dealing a fresh blow to the German auto maker mired in a global emissions scandal.

WPP SHARES BOOSTED BY SALES GROWTH 

WPP, the world's largest marketing company by revenue, posted growth in second-quarter sales, sending its shares up more than 5%.

GLENCORE REPORTS NARROWER LOSS, CUTS DEBT 

Mining and commodities group Glencore reported a narrower first-half net loss, said it might reinstate its dividend next year, and signaled that it's on track to reduce its net debt by selling unwanted assets.

DUKE UNIVERSITY MAKES CLAIM ON ESTATE OF AUBREY MCCLENDON 

Duke University made a claim on the estate of oil magnate Aubrey McClendon, saying the Chesapeake Energy co-founder died before he could make good on roughly $10 million of pledges.

BRAZIL JUDGE AUTHORIZES SALE OF PETROBRAS UNIT 

A Brazilian federal judge ruled in favor of a $593 million sale of a minority stake in a subsidiary of state-run oil firm Petró leo Brasileiro to Japan's Mitsui.

RECENT BOND OFFERING BY SOLAR CITY PRIMARILY FINANCED BY ELON MUSK 

A recent bond offering to shore up Solar City Corp. was primarily financed by Elon Musk, the company's chairman, and two of his cousins who are executives with the rooftop solar outfit.

NORWAY OIL COMPANIES CONTINUE TO SLASH SPENDING 

Norwegian oil companies say spending on exploration and production is likely to fall more than previously expected next year.

QANTAS SOARS TO RECORD PROFIT AS PAIN PAYS DIVIDEND 

A first dividend payment in seven years marks a big turnaround for Qantas, which as recently as 2014 had been selling terminals, deferring plane orders and laying off staff to stem losses from a bruising battle for Australia's skies.

 
 
 
  ======= DOW JONES NEWSWIRES ANALYSIS AND COMMENTARIES ======= 
 
 
Election 2016 
DONALD TRUMP FACES NARROW PATH TO WHITE HOUSE VICTORY 
 

As the traditional Labor Day kickoff of the fall presidential race approaches, Republican Donald Trump faces an increasingly narrow path to the White House.

 
Europe Economy 
GREECE'S EX-STATISTICS CHIEF, EMBATTLED AT HOME, IS BACKED BY EU 
 

The European Union has thrown support behind the ex-head of Greece's statistics agency, who faces charges of inflating budget-deficit data.

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

August 24, 2016 10:01 ET (14:01 GMT)

Copyright (c) 2016 Dow Jones & Company, Inc.