TOP STORIES 
 
JOBLESS RATE HITS LOWEST LEVEL SINCE RECESSION 

U.S. employers hired at a steady clip in November while the unemployment rate fell to 4.6%-the lowest level in nine years-signs of enduring labor market growth that will likely leave Federal Reserve officials on track to raise interest rates later this month.

U.S. STOCKS MIXED AFTER JOBS REPORT 

Financial markets were largely steady after the monthly U.S. jobs report showed signs of ongoing growth in the labor market and the unemployment rate fell to the lowest in nine years.

CHINA WARNS U.S. AGAINST BLOCKING AIXTRON TAKEOVER 

China cautioned U.S. President Barack Obama against blocking the takeover of Germany's Aixtron by a Chinese investor, insisting it was a "normal commercial" acquisition despite national-security concerns about the deal.

BIG LOTS REPORTS UNEXPECTED REVENUE DECLINE BUT RAISES OUTLOOK 

Big Lots reported flat comparable-store sales and an unexpected revenue decline in its third quarter but raised its profit forecast for the year.

CHINA ESCALATES EFFORTS TO COOL DOWN FINANCIAL SYSTEM 

China's central bank has stepped up efforts to drain cash from the country's financial system in the past week, which has contributed to a selloff in the domestic bond market.

FED'S BRAINARD SEES POTENTIAL IN FINTECH 

Federal Reserve governor Lael Brainard said the Fed was reviewing its guidance for how banks interact with financial-technology firms in response to their growing relationships.

SINGAPORE TO BAN EX-GOLDMAN BANKER IN CONNECTION WITH 1MDB SCANDAL 

Singapore said it will sanction Goldman Sachs's former top executive in Southeast Asia, who allegedly wrote an unauthorized reference letter for a Malaysian who U.S. authorities say is at the center of one of the world's largest-ever financial scandals.

CANADA EMPLOYMENT CLIMBS IN NOVEMBER 

Canada continued to add jobs in November, all of them part-time and in the services sector, while the unemployment rate fell as fewer people looked for work.

XEROX NAMES TIME WARNER CABLE VETERAN NEW CFO AFTER SPINOFF 

Xerox named Time Warner Cable veteran William Osbourn Jr. finance chief following the company's split into two publicly traded companies at the end of the year.

STARBUCKS' SCHULTZ STEPPING DOWN AS CEO TO FOCUS ON HIGHER-END SHOPS 

Howard Schultz is stepping down as CEO of Starbucks to lead an effort at the company to build high-end coffee shops that will charge as much as $12 a cup, his next attempt to revolutionize the way Americans consume coffee.

THERANOS INVESTOR RILEY BECHTEL STEPS DOWN FROM BOARD 

Theranos said Riley Bechtel, chairman of the construction giant Bechtel Corp., retired as a director of the embattled blood-testing startup.

MNUCHIN LEAVES CIT BOARD 

Steven Mnuchin, Donald Trump's choice to be the next Treasury secretary, left the Board of CIT Group Inc. on Friday.

EUROZONE PRODUCER PRICES INDICATE INFLATIONARY PRESSURE 

The prices of goods leaving the eurozone's factory gates fell during October at the slowest annual rate since mid-2013, a fresh sign that inflationary pressures are gradually returning to the currency area.

BOE'S HALDANE COMFORTABLE WITH CURRENT STANCE OF MONETARY POLICY 

The Bank of England faces "a material risk" of running low on ammunition if the U.K. economy weakens, the central bank's chief economist said, adding he is "comfortable with the current stance of monetary policy, with no bias on the direction of the next move in interest rates."

SWISS GROWTH MISSES FORECASTS AS TRADE SLIPS 

Switzerland's economy stalled in the third quarter, as sluggish consumption and weak trade kept a lid on economic activity.

TRUMP NAMES GEN. JAMES MATTIS AS PICK FOR DEFENSE SECRETARY 

The retired Marine Corps general has been a vocal critic of what he calls Washington's "strategy-free" approach to warfare and threats.

ISLAMIC STATE GIRDS TO DEFEND REMOTE SYRIA OUTPOST 

As U.S.-backed forces pursue offensives on Islamic State's remaining major strongholds, the militants brace for a last stand in Syria's remote Deir Ezzour province.

 
 
 
  ======= DOW JONES NEWSWIRES ANALYSIS AND COMMENTARIES ======= 
 
 
Heard on the Street 
BANKS NEED FIRMER FOOTING TO KEEP MORTGAGES SAFE 
 

The huge variety of capital requirements for mortgages is the heart of the fight over global rules

 
Business 
TOO MANY RAILCARS, TOO LITTLE FREIGHT 
 

Railcar manufacturers and equipment-leasing companies feasted on high demand to move coal, oil and other commodities from 2012 until last year. Then commodity prices crashed and output slumped.

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

December 02, 2016 10:24 ET (15:24 GMT)

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