TOP STORIES 
 
DOW PARES LOSSES TO END VOLATILE SESSION OFF 1.1% 

The flight from risky assets accelerated Monday, pummeling shares of big global banks and sending gold prices to their biggest one-day gain in more than a year.

CHESAPEAKE, ITS STOCK TANKING, TRIES TO ALLAY BANKRUPTCY FEARS 

Chesapeake Energy said it "has no plans to pursue bankruptcy" after reports intensified such fears, cutting its stock in half in early trading.

U. OF PHOENIX OPERATOR APOLLO EDUCATION TO BE TAKEN PRIVATE 

Apollo Education, which operates the for-profit University of Phoenix, agreed to be taken private by a group of investors in a $1.1 billion deal.

FOX REVENUE FALLS 

21st Century Fox said its revenue fell 8.4% in its latest quarter, as stronger cable and television advertising revenue was offset by lower revenue at its film business and the effect of asset sales a year earlier.

GAP GIVES ROSY GUIDANCE FOR FULL YEAR 

Gap gave rosy guidance for the fiscal year for which it plans to report on shortly, despite saying fourth-quarter overall sales declined and comparable sales at its three major brands fell in January.

YELP POSTS RESULTS EARLY; CFO TO STEP DOWN 

Yelp said its chief financial officer was leaving as it reported another quarterly loss, driven by higher spending.

FRENCH REGULATOR ALLEGES FACEBOOK VIOLATES PRIVACY LAWS 

France's data-protection regulator late Monday threatened to fine Facebook Inc. if it doesn't change how it handles data about its users and others on the Internet.

DEUTSCHE BANK SHARES DROP AS EUROPEAN BANKS GET PUMMELED 

Deutsche Bank's shares dropped sharply Monday, losing almost 10% of their value as the battered European banking sector came in for fresh punishment.

GOOGLE CEO GETS EQUITY AWARD OF $199 MILLION 

Alphabet Inc. granted Sundar Pichai, chief executive of the company's main Google business, an equity award valued at $199 million, making him one of the world's highest-paid executives.

U.S. FINANCIAL STOCKS FALL 

U.S. financial stocks fell Monday, as investors worried that banks could be hurt by low energy prices and slowing economic growth around the world.

'STAR WARS' IS THE FORCE BEHIND STRONG HASBRO SALES 

Hasbro reported strong revenue during the holiday period, helped by a surge in demand for lightsabers, action figures and other toys tied to "Star Wars: The Force Awakens."

CHIPOTLE PLEDGES $10 MILLION TO HELP LOCAL GROWERS MEET SAFETY STANDARDS 

Chipotle said it plans to set aside up to $10 million to help local growers meet its new food-safety standards, as the burrito chain outlined for its employees its efforts to recover from disease outbreaks tied to its food.

MEXICAN PRESIDENT TO NAME NEW HEAD OF STATE OIL COMPANY 

Mexican President Enrique Peñ a Nieto plans to replace the chief executive of Petró leos Mexicanos, shuffling the management of the state oil company as it struggles with the fallout from the plunge in global oil prices, people familiar with the situation said Monday.

FRANCE SAYS IT COULD INCREASE ALSTOM STAKE 

France said an agreement with conglomerate Bouygues had gone into effect, giving the state voting rights equivalent to 20% of Alstom's share capital.

PFIZER OUTLINES POST-MERGER MANAGEMENT SLATE 

Pfizer unveiled its slate of executives who will run the combined company after it closes its roughly $150 billion inversion deal to buy Allergan.

CONFERENCE BOARD: EMPLOYMENT TRENDS INDEX RISES IN JANUARY 

A compilation of U.S. job-market indicators rose in January but at a slower pace than in December, the latest indication of a job market that lost some steam at the start of the year.

VOLKSWAGEN'S QUALITY-CONTROL CHIEF RESIGNS 

Volkswagen said its head of quality assurance will leave the company, as Chief Executive Matthias Mü ller continues to shake up the car maker's management in the wake of its emissions-cheating scandal.

IMAGINATION TECHNOLOGIES WARNS OF FULL-YEAR LOSS; CEO STEPS DOWN 

Imagination Technologies Group PLC announced the resignation of its long-standing Chief Executive Hossein Yassaie as the semiconductor designer warned it will report a loss for the full year.

ORCHESTRA-PREMAMAN BOOSTS CASH IN DESTINATION MATERNITY OFFER 

Children's clothing company Orchestra-Premaman SA boosted the cash component of its unsolicited offer to buy Destination Maternity Corp. after the maternity clothing maker turned down its previous proposal.

INDIA'S ECONOMY EXPANDED 7.3% LAST QUARTER 

India said output expanded 7.3% in last year's fourth quarter, as consumer and government spending lift the economy.

 
 
 
  ======= DOW JONES NEWSWIRES ANALYSIS AND COMMENTARIES ======= 
 
 
Ahead of the Tape 
DISNEY EARNINGS: WHY ESPN HAS TO GET BACK IN THE GAME 
 

In Disney's quarterly results, the cord-cutting phenomenon and its impact on ESPN will likely overshadow success from 'Star Wars: The Force Awakens.'

 
Capital Journal 
JEB BUSH, FAMILY DYNASTY FACE MOMENT OF TRUTH IN N.H. 
 

Will Jeb Bush do well enough in New Hampshire to recharge his presidential effort, or will the remarkable Bush family run in presidential politics begin to wind down? The situation there is sufficiently in flux that either is possible, Gerald F. Seib writes.

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

February 08, 2016 17:00 ET (22:00 GMT)