TOP STORIES
U.S. STOCKS END LOWER
U.S. stocks fell, ending the recent winning streak at four
sessions, as some of the post-ECB euphoria faded and worries about
Greek elections over the weekend set in. The DJIA shed 141 points
to 17672.
SEASONAL EXPENSES DENT UPS RESULTS
UPS said higher-than-expected seasonal expenses dragged down its
earnings in the fourth quarter as the shipping giant took steps to
avoid a repeat of the holiday shipping snafus that plagued its
network in 2013.
GE TO FEEL OIL DROP'S RIPPLE EFFECT
General Electric's oil and gas business managed to blunt the hit
from plunging prices of crude but the company is braced for
deepening trouble in the year ahead.
MIDDLE EAST LEADERS MOURN DEATH OF SAUDI KING
Middle East leaders offered their condolences to Saudi Arabia's
ruling family on the death of Abdullah bin Abdulaziz al Saud,
praising the late king as a "wise leader" who dedicated his life to
his country.
FXCM TO CONSIDER SALE OF NONCORE ASSETS
Foreign-exchange broker FXCM is said to be planning to consider
sales of noncore assets to help pay off portions of a $300 million
rescue loan it received after trading losses nearly sank the
firm.
MORGAN STANLEY'S GORMAN GETS $4.5M STOCK BONUS
Morgan Stanley awarded its chairman and chief executive, James
Gorman, restricted shares valued at $4.5 million for his
performance this past year.
U.S. EXISTING-HOME SALES REBOUND A BIT IN DECEMBER
Sales of previously owned homes rebounded somewhat in December.
Existing-home sales rose 2.4% from November to a seasonally
adjusted annual rate of 5.04 million. Economists expected sales
would rise to a level of 5.08 million.
MCDONALD'S REPORTS DISAPPOINTING RESULTS
McDonald's posted a worse-than-expected 21% drop in 4Q earnings.
It reported a profit of $1.1 billion, or $1.13 a share, on revenue
of $6.57 billion, and unveiled its lowest capital budget in more
than 5 years.
U.S. OIL PRICES SLIDE TO SIX-YEAR LOW
U.S. oil prices declined to a new six-year low as investors bet
that a change in Saudi Arabia's leadership was unlikely to alter
the kingdom's policy of continuing to pump crude despite falling
prices.
BOX SHARES SURGE IN MARKET DEBUT
Shares of Box rose 66% in their market debut on the belief that
the company can grow beyond the commodity business of online
storage and into a more lucrative suite of tools tailored for
industries such as health care and retail.
GAP ABANDONS ITS ONLINE BRAND PIPERLIME
Gap Inc. is closing Piperlime, abandoning an online brand it
launched to fend off hipper new Internet-based rivals. The decision
to scrap the brand comes as the company is struggling to right its
namesake Gap brand, which has posted weak sales.
======= DOW JONES NEWSWIRES ANALYSIS AND COMMENTARIES =======
Analysis
AS EURO SLIDES, STRATEGISTS CUT FORECASTS
A day after the European Central Bank unveiled its bond-buying
program, the single currency was still in free fall, blowing past
analysts' expectations for how low the euro can go.
The Wall Street Journal
GREECE'S SAMARAS TRIES TO WOO VOTERS AHEAD OF POLLS
Greek Prime Minister Antonis Samaras warned that promises made
by the main opposition party Syriza to end austerity imposed by
international creditors could result in the country crashing out of
the eurozone.