TOP STORIES 
 
U.S. STOCKS CLOSE AT FRESH RECORDS 

The Dow Jones Industrial Average and the S&P 500 rose to record highs after China's central bank cut interest rates and the European Central Bank's president reiterated that the institution was ready to expand its stimulus program. The Dow industrials added 91 points to 17811.

 
CHINA CUTS INTEREST RATES 
 

China's central bank succumbed to political and market pressure and cut interest rates for the first time in more than two years, in a sign that the country's leadership is leaning toward more sweeping measures to bolster flagging economic growth.

 
BOEHNER SAYS WON'T 'STAND IDLE' ON OBAMA'S IMMIGRATION PLAN 
 

House Speaker Boehner vowed to respond to President Obama's decision to bypass Congress and shield as many as five million illegal immigrants from deportation.

 
HOUSE GOP FILES LAWSUIT OVER OBAMA'S HEALTH LAW 
 

House Republicans filed a long-threatened lawsuit against the Obama administration over implementation of its health-care law, claiming executive overreach by President Barack Obama.

 
ECB SIGNALS AGGRESSIVE ACTION ON INFLATION 
 

European Central Bank President Mario Draghi sent a strong signal that the central bank is ready to "step up the pressure" and expand its asset-purchase programs if inflation fails to show signs of quickly returning to the ECB's target.

 
DOW CHEMICAL, THIRD POINT SETTLE BOARD DISPUTE 
 

Dow Chemical and Third Point settled a looming proxy fight by adding four new directors next year, including two the activist investor had proposed. Dow Chemical shares up 2%.

 
HONDA IN TALKS WITH SUPPLIERS BESIDES TAKATA 
 

Honda Motor is in talks with several suppliers besides Takata about securing replacement parts for vehicles recalled over defective Takata-made air bags.

 
FORD'S ALUMINUM-BODIED F-150 TRUCK MORE GAS EFFICIENT 
 

Ford Motor said its aluminum-bodied F-150 pickup mated with a new 2.7-liter, turbocharged V6 can achieve 22 mpg overall and 26 mpg on the highway, the best of any gasoline-fueled pickup available.

 
TV PROGRAMMERS GRANTED STAY IN FCC DISPUTE 
 

A federal appeals court handed TV channel-owners a preliminary victory in their standoff with the FCC over disclosure of programming contracts, raising the prospect of further delays to the agency's review of big pay-TV industry mergers.

 
DUDLEY DENIES 'SERIOUS PROBLEMS' IN FED'S REGULATION 
 

New York Fed President William Dudley defended the regulator's oversight of large financial firms amid tough questioning from Senate Democrats who accused the Fed of kowtowing to the biggest banks.

 
OIL PRICES RISE ON CHINA'S SURPRISE RATE CUT 
 

Oil prices held on to small gains after an early rally was sparked by China's decision to cut interest rates, fanning hopes for increasing demand from the world's second-largest crude consumer.

 
 
 
 
  ======= DOW JONES NEWSWIRES ANALYSIS AND COMMENTARIES ======= 
 
 
The Wall Street Journal 
CENTRAL BANKS MOVE AGAIN TO BOOST GLOBAL ECONOMY 
 

In three striking developments over the past two weeks, major central banks have once again placed themselves at the center of efforts to pump up a flagging global economy, sending markets higher but raising new questions.

 
The Wall Street Journal 
OIL RIGS RETURN TO GULF OF MEXICO 
 

Four years after the Deepwater Horizon disaster, giant new oil projects are returning to the Gulf--bigger and more expensive than ever. The resurgence could be short-lived if the decline in crude-oil prices continues.