TOP STORIES
U.S. STOCKS FINISH HIGHER
U.S. stocks rose, with the S&P 500 and Nasdaq Composite
posting their biggest weekly gains in more than a year, as investor
confidence in the health of the U.S. economy continued to
strengthen.
FORD'S PROFIT FALLS 34%
Ford's net income fell to $835 million from $1.27 billion a year
ago as lower truck production and higher warranty and recall costs
hurt results in its core North American operations and losses in
Europe widened. Shares fall 4%.
H-P SEEKS BUYER FOR CHINESE-NETWORKING BUSINESS
Hewlett-Packard is said to be seeking a buyer for its
corporate-networking business in China, in a deal that could return
the operation to local control.
ABOUT 25 EUROZONE BANKS TO FAIL ECB STRESS TESTS
About 25 eurozone banks failed the ECB's financial-health checks
on the continent's leading lenders, although more than half of
these banks are said to have taken the necessary steps to shore up
their balance sheets this year.
U.S. NEW-HOME SALES UP 0.2% IN SEPTEMBER
New-home sales rose slightly in September after surging in
August, hitting their fastest pace of the recovery despite downward
revisions to sales during the summer months. Economists had
expected a September decline.
U.S. QUARANTINE PROCEDURES QUESTIONED
Lawmakers called for clearly defined protocols for military
personnel and aid workers returning to the U.S. after working in
Ebola-stricken countries in West Africa, with some saying a 21-day
quarantine should be required.
PENTAGON BELIEVES NORTH KOREA MADE NUCLEAR-ARMS ADVANCE
North Korea may now have the ability to miniaturize warheads, a
top general says, a capability that could let Pyongyang mount
nuclear weapons to missiles.
FCC DELAYS AUCTION OF TV AIRWAVES FOR MOBILE BROADBAND
The Federal Communications Commission said it is delaying to
2016 a highly anticipated spectrum auction in which TV broadcasters
will sell airwaves so they can be used for mobile broadband.
ROKU WORKING ON PLANS FOR IPO
Roku, maker of streaming media players, TVs, and software, is
said to be working on plans to file confidentially for an initial
public offering that could raise as much as $150 million.
P&G TO EXIT DURACELL BATTERY OPERATIONS
Procter & Gamble reported fiscal 1Q profit of $1.99 billion
as sales edged down to $20.79 billion. It also plans to exit its
Duracell battery business and will likely split the operation off
into a separate company. Shares up 2%.
UPS GROWTH FUELED BY INCREASE IN SHIPMENTS
United Parcel Service reported robust growth, fueled by an
increase in package shipments both in the U.S. and abroad and the
strongest increase in domestic business-to-business deliveries in
several years.
======= DOW JONES NEWSWIRES ANALYSIS AND COMMENTARIES =======
Data Week Ahead
CONSUMER DATA, GDP AND FED ON TAP
With consumer-confidence data, growth figures and a Federal
Reserve policy meeting all on tap, next week has something to offer
for economists, investors and policy wonks alike.
Heard on the Street
GM AND FORD SHOULD BE PUMPED ABOUT GAS
The world beyond America's borders is an ugly place for U.S. car
makers. But the decline in gasoline prices that has come alongside
the global slowdown might give them a boost back home.