TOP STORIES 
 
U.S. ADDS 295,000 JOBS IN FEBRUARY 

U.S. employers added 295,000 jobs in February and the unemployment rate fell to 5.5%, signs of a strengthening labor market that should keep the Federal Reserve on track to raise interest rates this year.

 
APPLE ADDED TO DOW INDUSTRIALS, REPLACES AT&T 
 

Apple will join the Dow Jones Industrial Average this month, a long-anticipated change that adds the world's most-valuable company to the 119-year-old blue-chip index. Apple shares rise 1%.

 
U.S. STOCKS TRADE LOWER 
 

U.S. stocks traded lower after the nonfarm payrolls report showed the economy added more jobs than expected last month. Meanwhile, the dollar soared and Treasurys sold off.

 
ALCOA CONSIDERS CUTTING SMELTING, REFINING CAPACITY 
 

Alcoa said it is considering closing or divesting itself of some of its smelting and refining operations as part of a continuing effort to improve its profitability.

 
U.S. TRADE GAP NARROWS IN JANUARY 
 

Cheaper U.S. energy prices and lower demand for foreign oil helped narrow the U.S. trade gap in January. The trade deficit shrank to a seasonally adjusted $41.75 billion. Economists surveyed by The Wall Street Journal had forecast a trade deficit of $41 billion.

 
STAPLES REPORTS LOSS ON WRITE-DOWN 
 

Staples, awaiting regulatory approval for its deal to merge with Office Depot, swung to a 4Q loss as it took a write-down on some of its international businesses. Excluding charges, results were in line with expectations.

 
OIL TURNS LOWER AFTER STRONG U.S. JOBS DATA 
 

U.S. oil futures wavered between gains and losses after monthly domestic job growth data came in better than expected and drove the dollar higher. Nymex April crude traded between $50.11 and $51.22 a barrel, and was recently down 26c at $50.50.

 
BIG LOTS SALES RISE, BUT POSTS SOFT GUIDANCE 
 

Big Lots reported its fourth consecutive quarter of same-store sales growth, but warned sales for fiscal 2015 would be flat. Results from fiscal 4Q were in line with expectations. It posted a profit of $94.4 million as net sales grew 1.4% to $1.59 billion.

 
ATHENS SHOWS CREDITORS DRAFT REFORMS 
 

Greece has submitted a draft list of reform proposals to creditors ahead of a crucial meeting of eurozone finance ministers next week, at which Athens hopes to unlock more financial aid to avert a growing cash crunch.

 
STATOIL DELAYS TWO PROJECTS OFF NORWAY 
 

Norway's Statoil said it is delaying two major oil projects off Norway to cut costs further, as profitability is challenged by a roughly 50% drop in oil prices since last summer.

 
SAP TO SHED JOBS 
 

SAP said it plans job cuts that could affect as much as 3% of its current global workforce, as the software company transitions from offering installed applications to a cloud-based business model.

 
 
 
 
  ======= DOW JONES NEWSWIRES ANALYSIS AND COMMENTARIES ======= 
 
 
Analysis 
FED ON TRACK FOR MIDYEAR RATE INCREASES 
 

Jon Hilsenrath says the robust job market keeps the Federal Reserve on track to alter its guidance on interest rates at its policy meeting this month--and debate whether to start raising short-term interest rates in June.

 
The Wall Street Journal 
FED SEES ALL BANKS IN STRESS TEST ADEQUATELY CAPITALIZED 
 

The largest U.S. banks are strong enough to keep lending during a severe recession, the Federal Reserve said, a sign that many banks will soon get permission to return profits to investors by raising dividends or buying back shares.