TOP STORIES 
 
EBAY TO SPIN OFF PAYPAL BUSINESS

EBay said it plans to spin off its PayPal business into a separate publicly traded company next year, taking a page from the playbook of activist investor Carl Icahn, who had pushed for the company to split. EBay shares up 7%.

 
U.S. CONSUMER CONFIDENCE UNEXPECTEDLY DROPS

U.S. consumers unexpectedly pulled back on their economic optimism in September. The Conference Board said its index of consumer confidence fell to 86.0 in September from a revised 93.4 in August. Economists had forecast the latest index to edge up to 92.8.

 
U.S. STOCKS END SLIGHTLY LOWER

Stocks ended lower after a last-minute stumble, but major benchmarks posted gains for the quarter. The Dow industrials shed 28 points to close at 17043. The Nasdaq Composite and S&P 500 also ended with modest losses.

 
SECRET SERVICE CHIEF TAKES GRILLING OVER INTRUDER

Secret Service Director Julia Pierson told a congressional committee that the agency's security plan was "not executed properly" when an intruder climbed over the fence and ran deep into the White House on Sept. 19.

 
U.K. CARRIES OUT FIRST AIRSTRIKES IN IRAQ

Britain's Royal Air Force carried out its first strikes in Iraq, destroying an Islamic State arsenal and a machine gun-mounted vehicle, the Ministry of Defense said.

 
J&J TO ACQUIRE ALIOS BIOPHARMA FOR $1.75 BILLION

Johnson & Johnson agreed to pay $1.75 billion to acquire privately held Alios BioPharma, a developer of experimental treatments for viral diseases including hepatitis C. J&J's shares edge higher.

 
NEWS CORP TO BUY MOVE FOR $950 MILLION

News Corp agreed to acquire Move, the third most-trafficked website network for property listings in the U.S., as the media company seeks to aggressively move into the digital arena and expand its presence in the real-estate market.

 
TWO CHARGED WITH INSIDER TRADING ON HERBALIFE

Two individuals were charged with insider trading related to the news that William Ackman and his firm, Pershing Square Management, in 2012 had formed a negative view on Herbalife.

 
EU BELIEVES APPLE'S IRISH TAX DEAL BREACHED RULES

European Union regulators laid out for the first time reasons why they believe tax deals granted to Apple in Ireland and Fiat in Luxembourg constituted illegal state support for the companies.

 
MURPHY OIL TO SELL MALAYSIAN ASSETS FOR $2 BILLION

Murphy Oil has agreed to sell 30% of its Malaysian oil and gas assets to Indonesian state energy firm PT Pertamina for $2 billion. The all-cash deal makes Murphy the latest U.S. oil company to refocus on business back home.

 
FCC VOTES TO END SPORTS BLACKOUT RULES

The Federal Communications Commission voted to scrap the agency's 40-year-old ban on cable and satellite providers airing football games blacked out on local stations due to low attendance.

 
 
 
 
  ======= DOW JONES NEWSWIRES ANALYSIS AND COMMENTARIES ======= 
 
 
The Wall Street Journal 
CORPORATE BOND SALES COMING AT BLOCKBUSTER PACE

Bond sales from highly rated companies in the U.S. clocked a record pace through the third quarter, as companies took advantage of low rates and investors sought out securities that pay more interest than low-yielding government bonds.

 
MoneyBeat 
PIMCO CEO SAYS 'FIRM IS MOVING FORWARD'

Pimco executives are sounding an optimistic tone in the wake of co-founder Bill Gross's departure last week, saying the firm is "moving forward" without the longtime face of the firm.