TOP STORIES 
 
FED'S RATE DELAY SPURRED BY LOW INFLATION 

Federal Reserve officials held off on raising short-term interest rates at their September meeting because they had nagging worries about when inflation would return to 2%, minutes of the meeting showed.

STOCKS CLIMB AS FED REMAINS UNEASY ON INFLATION 

U.S. stocks climbed after minutes from September's Federal Reserve meeting indicated the central bank wants to see more inflation before raising interest rates.

ALCOA PROFIT FALLS ON ALUMINUM-PRICE SLIDE 

Industrial giant Alcoa reported sharply lower third-quarter profit as the metals company has been closing mines and cutting smelting capacity in response to lower aluminum prices brought on by a global glut.

RUSSIAN MISSILES FELL SHORT OF SYRIA, LANDED IN IRAN, U.S. SAYS 

Four Russian cruise missiles aimed at antiregime forces in Syria during an aerial assault Wednesday instead landed inadvertently in Iran, U.S. officials said.

FED'S KOCHERLAKOTA OPEN TO LOWERING FED TARGET RANGE 'EVEN FURTHER' 

The Minneapolis Fed's Narayana Kocherlakota said that moderating job growth may be the fault of the central bank's plans to wind down stimulus efforts in 2013, and he said that damage could be undone by lowering already rock-bottom short-term interest rates.

HOUSE MAJORITY LEADER KEVIN MCCARTHY EXITS RACE FOR SPEAKER 

House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy has pulled out of the race for the chamber's speaker role. The vote, which was planned for Thursday, has been postponed.

BILL GROSS SUES PIMCO FOR MILLIONS 

Bill Gross sued Pimco for breach of contract, alleging that managing directors plotted to drive the famed bond investor out of the firm because of "power, greed, and a desire to improve their own financial position."

U.S. JOBLESS CLAIMS FALL LAST WEEK 

The number of Americans filing for first-time unemployment benefits fell last week, a figure consistent with job growth.

UAW TOUTS WAGE GAINS IN CHRYSLER CONTRACT 

The United Auto Workers union will use the promise of higher wages for entry-level workers and more clarity on future vehicle production to rally skeptical rank-and-file members to support a contract with Fiat Chrysler.

VOLKSWAGEN U.S. CEO SAYS HE DIDN'T KNOW IN 2014 OF 'DEFEAT DEVICES' 

Volkswagen's top U.S. executive told lawmakers he didn't know or suspect in 2014 that the German auto maker was using "defeat-device" software to evade emissions tests on diesel-powered cars, despite hearing about issues with emissions compliance as early as that spring.

AB INBEV SLAMS SABMILLER'S REJECTION OF TAKEOVER OFFER 

Anheuser-Busch InBev publicly slammed SABMiller PLC for rejecting its latest proposal to buy the world's second-largest brewer.

FORMER DEUTSCHE BANK TRADER PLEADS GUILTY IN LIBOR MANIPULATION PROBE 

A former Deutsche Bank senior trader pleaded guilty to conspiring to rig a key lending benchmark, the latest admission in a long-running investigation.

NEW YORK FED NAMES SUPERVISION CHIEF 

The Federal Reserve Bank of New York named Kevin Stiroh, a 15-year veteran at the bank, as its new head of financial institution supervision as the bank overhauls a group that had been criticized in recent years.

WELLS FARGO INVESTIGATED OVER STUDENT LOANS 

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau is investigating Wells Fargo over its student loan servicing practices, according to people familiar with the matter.

TREASURY SETS DEBT AUCTIONS 

The Treasury Department will auction $50 billion in securities next week, comprising $30 billion in new debt and $20 billion in previously sold debt.

ECB IDENTIFIED GREATER RISK OF LOWER INFLATION 

European Central Bank officials determined that downside risks to inflation have intensified, though they need more time to asses the impact of recent market volatility and slower growth in China.

LSE TO SELL RUSSELL INVESTMENTS 

London Stock Exchange Group has agreed to sell Russell Investments to U.S. private-equity firm TA Associates for $1.15 billion in cash.

JUDGE: CAESARS ENTERTAINMENT MUST FACE INVESTORS' LAWSUITS 

The bankruptcy of its operating unit can't shield Caesars Entertainment Corp. from investors' lawsuits, a federal judge has ruled.

BLACKSTONE TO BUY BIOMED REALTY TRUST 

Blackstone will acquire BioMed Realty Trust in an $4.84 billion cash deal, adding more office buildings and laboratory-capable facilities to its real estate portfolio.

DELL IS IN MERGER TALKS WITH EMC 

Dell and private-equity firm Silver Lake are in advanced talks to buy EMC, a deal that would rank as the biggest technology-industry takeover ever and remove questions about EMC that have hung over the data-storage giant for more than a year.

 
 
 
  ======= DOW JONES NEWSWIRES ANALYSIS AND COMMENTARIES ======= 
 
 
Ahead of the Tape 
NATURAL-GAS GLUT KEEPS PRESSURE ON PRICES 
 

There is no relief in sight for U.S. natural-gas prices as brimming storage coincides with a record-low natural-gas rig count.

 
Markets Main 
WSJ SURVEY: ECONOMISTS SEE FED RATE RISE IN 2015 
 

About 64% of respondents to The Wall Street Journal's monthly survey of economists now say the Federal Reserve's Dec. 15-16 meeting will culminate with the first rate rise in nearly a decade.

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

October 08, 2015 17:00 ET (21:00 GMT)