TOP STORIES 
 
REGULATORS QUESTION HIGH-SPEED TRADING IN TREASURYS

Senior officials at the Treasury Department and Federal Reserve questioned the benefits of high-frequency trading in U.S. Treasury markets, suggesting market overseers are building the case for new rules targeting the firms.

U.S. STOCKS LOWER AS OIL PRICES DROP

U.S. stocks were dragged lower Monday by a continued fall in the price of oil and as investors digested a slew of mixed economic data.

LONDON TRADER HAYES SENTENCED TO 14 YEARS

Former bank trader Tom Hayes was sentenced to 14 years in jail on Monday after a London jury convicted him of fraudulently trying to rig the London interbank offered rate, or Libor.

PUERTO RICO DEFAULTS ON MOST OF DEBT PAYMENT

Puerto Rico missed most of a $58 million bond payment Monday, the first default by the U.S. commonwealth in what may become one of the largest restructurings in the history of the $3.7 trillion market for debt sold by U.S. state and local governments.

OBAMA UNVEILS RULE TO CUT CARBON EMISSIONS FROM POWER PLANTS

President Barack Obama announced the nation's first-ever federal limits on carbon emissions from power plants, his administration's opening pitch ahead of an international climate conference later this year.

BRENT CRUDE FALLS BELOW $50 A BARREL

The world's benchmark oil price fell to less than $50 a barrel Monday for the first time in six months as a sluggish global economy and rampant oil boom keep crude markets falling.

FOUR U.S. AIRLINES OBJECT TO COMPLAINTS AGAINST PERSIAN GULF AIRLINES

A long-running attempt by the three largest U.S. passenger airlines to persuade the government to limit access to U.S. air routes by three big Persian Gulf airlines received more pushback, this time from a different group of U.S. carriers.

AIG RAISES DIVIDEND AS OPERATING PROFIT RISES

American International Group boosted its common-stock dividend by 124% and raised its share-repurchase target by $5 billion as the insurer posted a 5.4% increase in second-quarter operating profit.

AUTO MAKERS POST STRONG U.S. SALES

Car makers are facing a conundrum as buyers are rushing to buy bigger vehicles even as car companies face steeper U.S. requirements for increasing fuel economy.

U.S. CONSUMER SPENDING UP 0.2% IN JUNE

Americans curbed their spending increases in June, a sign that weak wage growth might be weighing on consumers.

FED SURVEY FINDS PICKUP IN DEMAND FOR LOANS

Banks reported stronger demand for commercial and consumer loans in a variety of categories during the second quarter, a Federal Reserve survey found, suggesting a positive uptick in growth in the second half of the year.

U.S. MANUFACTURERS EXPAND AT SLOWER PACE IN JULY

U.S. manufacturers expanded at a slower pace in July, according to a survey released Monday by the Institute for Supply Management, the latest signs of tepid growth in the sector.

GOLDMAN RAISES LEGAL-LOSS RANGE

Goldman Sachs raised the top end of its range of "reasonably possible" legal expenses to about $5.9 billion, up from about $3.8 billion in May.

EXOR, PARTNERRE SETTLE ON $6.9 BILLION DEAL

Italy's Exor reached a $6.9 billion agreement to buy reinsurance group PartnerRe, ending months of negotiations and sealing a deal that is key to long-term plans by Italy's Agnelli family to diversify their holdings.

AT&T TO OFFER TV AND WIRELESS BUNDLE

AT&T plans to offer bundled TV and wireless phone services, about a month after the company closed its acquisition of DirecTV.

GULF ARAB STATES VOICE SUPPORT FOR IRAN NUCLEAR DEAL

Gulf Arab states on Monday cautiously backed the Obama administration's nuclear agreement with Iran, giving the White House a potentially important diplomatic win.

HSBC TO SELL BRAZIL BUSINESS

HSBC said it plans to sell its Brazil business to Banco Bradesco in an all-cash deal worth $5.2 billion as it reported a fall in its second-quarter net profit.

DEPOMED TO FILE INJUNCTION AGAINST PURSUER HORIZON

Depomed Inc. said it would attempt to block Horizon Pharma PLC from using confidential data, a week after the company rejected Horizon's roughly $2 billion hostile takeover bid.

DELTA BANS SHIPMENT OF WILDLIFE HUNTING TROPHIES AS FREIGHT

Delta Air Lines Inc. on Monday said that it will no longer carry hunting trophies of lions, leopards, elephants, rhinoceros and buffaloes as freight.

ROLLS-ROYCE HAS MET WITH VALUEACT

Rolls-Royce Holdings PLC on Monday said its top leaders met with ValueAct Capital Management LP after the activist investor raised its stake to more than 5% in the British aircraft-engine maker.

 
 
 
  ======= DOW JONES NEWSWIRES ANALYSIS AND COMMENTARIES ======= 
 
 
Capital Journal 
FIVE IDEAS WORTH DEBATING ON THE GOP STAGE

Thursday's Republican presidential debate has been about Donald Trump and who will qualify for it, but Gerald F. Seib writes that candidates have put out several ideas that are worthy of discussion.

 
Heard on the Street 
HIGHER SPENDING SHOULD DRIVE UP CAR MAKERS' MARGINS

Car sales probably can't get much stronger than they were in July, but Americans will find another way to spend their money.