TOP STORIES 
 
SLOW U.S. CONSUMER SPENDING SIGNALS CAUTION 

U.S. consumer spending grew slowly in October, rising only 0.1%, while Americans stepped up their savings, a sign of caution among households that could weigh on the economy heading into the final months of the year.

U.S. STOCKS INCH HIGHER 

Health-care shares helped U.S. stock indexes edge higher on Wednesday, the last full trading day of the week.

U.S. CONSUMER SENTIMENT SLIPS 

U.S. consumer confidence slipped at the end of November, suggesting retailers could face a challenging holiday season.

U.S. NEW-HOME SALES CONTINUE ROBUST PACE 

Sales of newly built homes rose in October, leaving the housing market on track for its best year since 2007.

DEERE REPORTS CONTINUED SALES DECLINE 

Deere & Co. said fourth-quarter revenue tumbled and warned sales would continue to slide next year amid lower demand for its farm equipment.

EPA REVOKES APPROVAL OF DOW CHEMICAL HERBICIDE 

The Environmental Protection Agency has withdrawn approval for a Dow Chemical Co. herbicide designed to be used on genetically engineered crops, saying it has new information that suggests the weedkiller is more toxic to surrounding plants than previously thought.

U.S. DURABLE ORDERS CLIMB 3% IN OCTOBER 

Orders for long-lasting goods rose in October, climbing 3.0%-a sign demand for manufactured products could be firming after falling for most of the year.

U.S. JOBLESS CLAIMS FELL LAST WEEK 

The number of Americans filing for first-time unemployment benefits decreased last week, a healthily signal for the labor market.

TAKATA U.S. EMPLOYEES SAW PROBLEMS IN AIR-BAG TESTS 

For a decade, Takata employees in the U.S. raised concerns internally about misleading testing reports on air bags that later became prone to explosions.

PETROCHINA SELLING GAS PIPELINE UNIT STAKE 

Chinese state-controlled oil company PetroChina moved to shore up confidence in its balance sheet, announcing a plan to sell off a greater-than-$2 billion stake in natural-gas pipeline assets.

RUSSIA KEEPS UP TOUGH STANCE ON TURKEY JET SHOOTDOWN 

Turkish and Russian leaders issued warnings on Wednesday, stoking tensions between the two Black Sea neighbors a day after Turkey downed a Russian jet for what it said was violating its territory from Syria.

ROSNEFT REPORTS $1.7 BILLION NET PROFIT FOR THIRD QUARTER 

Rosneft's third-quarter net profit was based on a large foreign-currency gain, after the company posted zero profit for the same period last year.

ENERGY FUTURE HOLDINGS CHAPTER 11 EXIT PLAN ADVANCES 

Energy Future Holdings could win confirmation of its chapter 11 exit plan as early as next week, far ahead of schedule, after a rash of recent settlements that were approved on Wednesday by a bankruptcy judge.

ISLAMIC STATE SAYS IT CARRIED OUT TUNIS ATTACK 

Islamic State has claimed responsibility for the fatal attack on a bus carrying members of the Tunisian presidential guard.

SPAIN'S ABENGOA FILES FOR CREDITOR PROTECTION 

Spanish renewable energy and engineering firm Abengoa is filing for preliminary creditor protection, an initial step that could lead to the largest bankruptcy case in the country's history.

U.K. TREASURY CHIEF BACKTRACKS ON WELFARE CUTS 

U.K. Treasury chief George Osborne backtracked on cutting tax credits, a key plank of plans aimed at reducing government spending, but said he remained on course to achieve his goal of eliminating Britain's deficit.

CITIC SECURITIES OVERSTATED EQUITY-SWAPS NUMBERS 

Chinese brokerage Citic Securities said it overstated certain financial transactions during a period of extreme volatility for China's stock market around the middle of this year.

PFIZER'S LYRICA FAILS TO TREAT TRAUMATIC NEUROPATHIC PAIN 

Drug maker Pfizer Inc. said Wednesday that its drug Lyrica didn't reduce pain any more than a placebo for those suffering from chronic nerve pain caused by traumatic accidents or surgeries.

ECB SAYS NEGATIVE RATES HAVEN'T DISRUPTED MARKETS 

The experience of smaller European countries with negative interest rates suggests they don't pose a risk to financial stability, ECB Vice President Vitor Constancio said.

RUSSIA-UKRAINE FEUD GROWS, WITH HALTED FLIGHTS, ENERGY 

Kiev said it would close its airspace to Russian airlines and halt gas purchases from Russia, while Moscow accused Ukraine's government of "silent consent" to a power outage in the disputed Crimea region.

 
 
 
  ======= DOW JONES NEWSWIRES ANALYSIS AND COMMENTARIES ======= 
 
 
Middle East News 
U.S. SAYS SYRIA IS BUYING OIL FROM ISLAMIC STATE 
 

The Obama administration on Wednesday charged Syria's government with purchasing oil from the Islamic State terrorist group and sanctioned a Syrian businessman for allegedly facilitating these transactions.

 
Business 
SOME MALLS PRESSURE RETAILERS TO OPEN ON THANKSGIVING 
 

While most department stores set their own hours, the small shops that line mall hallways tend to follow the lead of their landlords, which take their cues from chains like J.C. Penney and Macy's.

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

November 25, 2015 13:00 ET (18:00 GMT)