TOP STORIES 
 
FED TO EASE STRESS TESTS FOR REGIONAL BANKS 

The Federal Reserve will propose easing stress tests requirements for banks with less than $250 billion in assets, a senior official said, a major piece of good news for U.S. regional banks.

STOCKS DOWN AS BANK SHARES FALL 

U.S. stocks fell Monday, led by losses in the financial sector, in the wake of recent central bank meetings that suggested easy money policies were likely to continue.

CBOE HOLDINGS TO BUY BATS FOR $3.2 BILLION 

The operator of the Chicago Board Options Exchange will buy Bats Global Markets for about $3.2 billion, the latest move in a wave of consolidation in the exchange market.

FED'S LACKER SAYS THE CASE FOR A RATE INCREASE REMAINS STRONG 

Richmond Fed President Jeffrey Lacker reiterated his call for increasing short-term interest rates, saying the central bank's employment and inflation benchmarks point to "substantially higher" rates.

PFIZER THROWS OUT PLAN TO SPLIT INTO TWO COMPANIES 

Pfizer said it would remain a single company, deciding not to split into one business focused on patent-protected drugs and another on cash-rich older products.

DRAGHI SAYS EUROZONE IS WEATHERING U.K.'S BREXIT IMPACT 

European Central Bank President Mario Draghi said the eurozone's economy had so far proven resilient to Britain's vote to leave the European Union, but he warned that economic risks remained and said the ECB stood ready to boost its stimulus again to support growth.

MERRILL LYNCH TO PAY $12.5 MILLION FINE FOR MINI-FLASH CRASHES 

Merrill Lynch has agreed to pay a $12.5 million fine for maintaining ineffective trading controls that led to at least 15 mini-flash crashes between late 2012 and mid-2014.

MYLAN'S EPIPEN PROFIT 60% HIGHER THAN TOLD TO CONGRESS 

Mylan says that the $100 profit per two-pack of its EpiPen injectors presented by CEO Heather Bresch to Congress last week is actually 60% higher.

HEDGE FUND GIANT BREVAN HOWARD CUTS  SOME  FEES TO 0% 

Brevan Howard will stop charging a management fee in its flagship fund for new money from current investors, marking one of the starkest signs yet of the pressure facing hedge funds.

TECH CHIEF STEFAN KNIRSCH DEPARTING AUDI BOARD 

Audi said head of technical development Stefan Knirsch resigned from the company's board effective immediately.

KASHKARI: MINNEAPOLIS FED TO SUBMIT IDEAS ON TOO-BIG-TO-FAIL TOPIC BY YEAR-END 

Minneapolis Fed President Neel Kashkari said the regional bank is on track to release its recommendations to Congress by year-end on ways to end the problem of banks that are so big they pose a systemic risk to the financial system.

YUM BOARD APPROVES SPINOFF PLAN, RAISES DIVIDEND 11% 

Yum Brands said its board approved the planned spinoff of its China unit, which remains on track to close at the end of next month, as the company also raised its dividend by 11%.

TRANSCANADA TO BUY COLUMBIA PIPELINE PARTNERS 

TransCanada Corp. said it had offered $848 million to buy Columbia Pipeline Partners LP, the master limited partnership affiliate of its newly acquired Columbia Pipeline Group Inc. unit.

U.S. NEW-HOME SALES FELL 7.6% IN AUGUST 

Sales of newly built homes pulled back in August after surging the prior month, though the broader trend showed solid momentum in the market for single-family houses.

IRAN PLAYS DOWN PROSPECTS OF OPEC OIL PRODUCTION DEAL 

Iranian officials played down expectations for an oil-production deal, calling an OPEC gathering in Algiers this week "consultative" and renewing their vow to pump their output higher.

U.S. INDICTS CHINESE BUSINESSWOMAN, TRADING COMPANY FOR HELPING NORTH KOREA EVADE SANCTIONS 

The Justice Department indicted a prominent Chinese businesswoman on charges that she and her trading company helped blacklisted North Korean companies evade U.S. sanctions and procure raw materials, potentially for use in Pyongyang's nuclear-weapons program.

FEDEX APPOINTS CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER 

FedEx said that David J. Bronczek, chief executive of its time-definite delivery service, will become its president and chief operating officer starting in 2018.

DEUTSCHE SHARES DROP ON CAPITAL RAISING FEARS 

Deutsche Bank shares fell sharply on investor concerns about the German lender's capital position ahead of an anticipated legal settlement with the U.S. Justice Department.

INVESTORS IN ISRAELI NATURAL GAS AGREE JORDAN SUPPLY DEAL 

Investors in Israel's largest natural gas field have agreed with Jordan's national power company to supply it with gas worth up to $10 billion, in a deal that could jump-start Israeli hydrocarbon exports.

WILLIAMS UNVEILS MORE BOARD CHANGES 

Williams named two new members to its board and plans to name two more before its annual meeting in November, a move praised by activist investor Corvex Management, which plans to withdraw plans for a proxy contest.

 
 
 
  ======= DOW JONES NEWSWIRES ANALYSIS AND COMMENTARIES ======= 
 
 
Election 2016 
POLL: DEBATES WILL BE MAJOR INFLUENCE FOR A THIRD OF VOTERS 
 

The campaigns of Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton acknowledged the huge stakes of Monday's televised presidential debate, saying the event could shape the opinions of a large number of Americans.

 
Heard on the Street 
A SYMBOLIC FREEZE AGREEMENT WON'T REVIVE OIL PRICES 
 

An oil producers' meeting in Algeria may be surprisingly productive but there will be little fundamental impact of a freeze on a still-glutted market.

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

September 26, 2016 13:00 ET (17:00 GMT)