TOP STORIES 
 
GERMANY'S MERCK TO BUY SIGMA-ALDRICH FOR $17 BILLION

German pharmaceutical company Merck said it would acquire U.S. firm Sigma-Aldrich for $17 billion, paying $140 a share in cash, to strengthen its position in the life science industry.

 
SIEMENS TO BUY DRESSER-RAND FOR $7.6 BILLION

German engineering company Siemens announced a deal to acquire U.S. oil-equipment maker Dresser-Rand Group for $7.6 billion.

 
U.S. STOCK OPEN LOWER

U.S. stock opened lower. Earlier, futures pulling back after the Dow industrials last week ended at a fresh record. Still, many investors say the outlook for stocks remain positive.

 
SIEGE ON SYRIAN CITY HALTED, KURDISH FORCES SAY

Syrian Kurdish forces said they had stopped Islamic State insurgents pushing to capture a key city near Syria's border with Turkey, as the number of Syrians fleeing across the frontier rose to 130,000.

 
APPLE SELLS 10 MILLION NEW IPHONES ON FIRST WEEKEND

Apple said it sold more than 10 million of its new iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus devices during the first weekend of sales, a new high for the company even though the devices have yet to go on sale in China.

 
CHICAGO FED'S NATIONAL ACTIVITY INDEX AT -0.21

A snapshot of the U.S. economic landscape says growth fell below its historic trends in August. The Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago's National Activity Index fell to -0.21 in August from +0.26 in July.

 
WHITE HOUSE INTRUDER SPARKS SECURITY REVIEW

The Secret Service said it has stepped up security around the White House and is reviewing its procedures after an intruder jumped a fence Friday and scrambled through a set of doors into the executive mansion.

 
OIL STEADY AS COMPETING FORCES WEIGH

Oil prices chopped around the break-even point after global supplies tightened a little because of reduced production in Libya, but concerns about oversupply remained in the absence of OPEC cutting output.

 
AUTOZONE PROFIT EDGES HIGHER

AutoZone's fiscal 4Q profit inched up to $373.7 million, or $11.28 a share, while margins expanded, although sales fell on fewer sales days in the period. Revenue fell 1.5% to $3.05 billion. Earnings beat analysts' view, while the top line fell shy.

 
ALIBABA BANKERS EXERCISE 'GREEN SHOE' OPTION

Bankers for Alibaba Group Holding maximized the size of the deal Friday, officially making it the biggest initial public offering ever, at $25 billion, according to people familiar with the sale.

 
GOOGLE'S RECIPE FOR EU'S DIGITAL AGENDA

Executive Chairman Eric Schmidt is encouraging Europe to remove remaining national borders which complicate life for tech companies, cut red tape and embrace disruptive services.

 
 
 
 
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Grand Central 
THE FED'S EXIT PLAN IS STILL A WORK IN PROGRESS

The Fed wants to keep its benchmark interest rate -- the federal funds rate -- in a quarter percentage point range for the foreseeable future. Sign up here for The Wall Street Journal's daily report on global central banks.

 
Capital Journal Daybreak 
U.S., ALLIES TRAIN KURDS TO FIGHT ISLAMIC STATE

The U.S. military and its allies have launched an urgent effort to train Kurdish forces to use sophisticated weapons that the West is expected to supply in coming months. Sign up here for The Wall Street Journal's morning rundown of the biggest news driving Washington.