TOP STORIES 
 
FED'S YELLEN SEES STRONGER CASE FOR INTEREST-RATE RISE 

Federal Reserve Chairwoman Janet Yellen signaled growing conviction that the central bank will raise short-term interest rates in the weeks or months ahead.

PRICEWATERHOUSECOOPERS SETTLES CRISIS ERA LAWSUIT 

Accounting giant PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP has settled a $5.5 billion lawsuit in the middle of a trial over its alleged failure to catch the massive fraud at Taylor Bean & Whitaker Mortgage Corp., according to a lawyer involved in the case.

STOCKS SLIP AFTER YELLEN'S REMARKS 

U.S. stocks turned lower Friday after Federal Reserve Chairwoman Janet Yellen said in prepared remarks that the case for an increase in short-term interest rates has strengthened in recent months.

U.S. CORPORATE PROFITS CLIMBED AS GDP TICKS DOWN TO 1.1% 

A key measure of corporate profits rose this spring for a second straight quarter alongside modest growth in the overall economy, though U.S. businesses remain under pressure from global weakness and other forces.

U.S. CONSUMER SENTIMENT EASES SLIGHTLY IN AUGUST 

A gauge of consumer sentiment edged lower in August, a potentially worrying sign for an economy heavily reliant on personal spending for growth.

CARL ICAHN MULLED SELLING HERBALIFE STAKE TO ACKMAN 

Carl Icahn recently discussed selling his stake in Herbalife to a group including the company's arch-nemesis William Ackman, another surprising twist in a battle between billionaires that has riveted Wall Street.

WEB FIRMS MAY HAVE TO PAY PUBLISHERS FOR NEWS UNDER NEW EU RULES 

News aggregators like Google news search may have to pay publishers to list news articles on their websites under European Union plans to update copyright rules.

RACKSPACE TO GO PRIVATE IN $4.3 BILLION DEAL 

Cloud-computing provider Rackspace Hosting is being taken private by private-equity firm Apollo Global Management for $4.3 billion.

THERANOS TO APPEAL REGULATORY SANCTIONS 

Silicon Valley startup Theranos said it plans to appeal a decision made last month by regulators to revoke its license to operate a lab in California, among other penalties, because of unsafe practices.

ALERE SUES ABBOTT TO FORCE MERGER 

Alere Inc. escalated its fight with reluctant buyer Abbott Laboratories by filing a lawsuit against its potential acquirer to push it to move forward with the deal.

TESLA RAISES PRICE OF AUTOPILOT OPTION BY $500 

Tesla raised the price of its semi-autonomous Autopilot option by $500, the latest move by the Silicon Valley auto maker to adjust prices and options on its electric vehicles.

AB INBEV WARNS OF THOUSANDS OF MERGER-RELATED JOB LOSSES 

Belgium's Anheuser-Busch InBev warned its beer megamerger with SABMiller could lead to thousands of job losses in coming years, according to documents related to the transaction.

BIG LOTS POSTS REVENUE DECLINE BUT RAISES FORECAST 

Big Lots Inc. on Friday reported soft comparable-store sales and a revenue decline but raised its profit forecast for the year.

PROCTER & GAMBLE CEO TAYLOR COMPENSATION SOARS TO $14 MILLION 

The value of Procter & Gamble Co. Chief Executive David Taylor's total pay more than doubled in the latest year, bolstered by stock awards and bonuses as profit at the consumer-products giant has climbed despite falling sales.

STX OFFSHORE & SHIPBUILDING AIMS TO STAY AFLOAT 

Troubled Korean shipbuilder STX Offshore & Shipbuilding said it will lay off about a third of its workforce and sell a yard in France as part of wide ranging restructuring plan to stay above water.

PRADA SALES, PROFIT FALL IN FIRST HALF 

The chairman of the Hong Kong-listed fashion house said the company was now aiming to double its online sales, an area it had largely ignored, for each of the next three years.

JAGUAR LAND ROVER DRAGS ON PROFIT AT TATA MOTORS 

Indian auto maker Tata Motors said net profit dropped in the latest quarter because of weaker earnings at its Jaguar Land Rover unit.

AFTERSHOCK COMPLICATES RESCUE EFFORT 

A strong aftershock on Friday hampered the search for survivors and bodies after a devastating earthquake that left at least 267 people dead, as the mayor of the hardest-hit town pledged to rebuild from the rubble.

ECB DATA SHOW SPURT IN EUROZONE LENDING 

Lending to firms increased on the year at a faster pace in July than in June, data from the European Central Bank show, offering more evidence that the economy was resilient post Brexit and potentially weakening the need for the ECB to pump more money into the economy at its next meeting.

U.K. GDP BOOSTED BY HOUSEHOLD SPENDING AHEAD OF BREXIT VOTE 

Strong growth in household spending helped boost the British economy in the run up to the U.K.'s referendum on continued European Union membership, while business investment fell slightly year-over-year.

 
 
 
  ======= DOW JONES NEWSWIRES ANALYSIS AND COMMENTARIES ======= 
 
 
Central Banks 
TIMING OF FED INTEREST RATE INCREASE STILL IN QUESTION 
 

Federal Reserve officials signaled clearly they see an interest rate rise in the economy's future. What they didn't have much to say about was when it might happen.

 
U.S. News 
FDA CALLS FOR ZIKA TESTING OF ALL BLOOD DONATIONS 
 

The Food and Drug Administration is calling for Zika testing of all donated blood and blood products nationwide as a preventive measure to help stem the spread of the virus.

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

August 26, 2016 12:56 ET (16:56 GMT)

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