PRESS DIGEST - Wall Street Journal - Oct 29
Oct 29 (Reuters) - The following are the top stories in the Wall Street Journal. Reuters has not verified these stories and does not vouch for their accuracy.
* The chairwoman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, Dianne Feinstein, promised a total review of all U.S. spying programs for the first time in decades, and said she expected that the White House would end all spying on leaders of allied countries. ()
* Bond dealer Cantor Fitzgerald has sought to make Nevada's legal sports books more like a financial platform but found the old ills of gambling hard to escape. ()
* Central banks in Russia and elsewhere are cutting purchase of gold, further weighing on prices of the metal. Prices are down 19 percent year to date. The last time gold prices posted an annual loss was 2000. ()
* Apple reported a third consecutive quarter of declining profits, but showed signs that both prices and profit margins are stabilizing despite heightened competition for its iPhone and iPad. ()
* After buying back its own shares from investors this year for the first time since the financial crisis in 2008, Morgan Stanley is considering asking the Federal Reserve for permission to purchase more stock next year. ()
* Consol Energy agreed to sell five Appalachian coal mines to Murray Energy, in a deal valued at $3.5 billion, its biggest step yet in shifting the focus of its business toward natural gas and away from coal. ()
* Higher mortgage rates and rising home prices scared off prospective home buyers in September, sparking the fourth straight monthly drop in a key measure of home sales. ()
* Aereo Inc's upstart TV streaming service has provoked a legal onslaught from broadcast networks. But even if it wins that fight, it still has to overcome more-pedestrian issues, like making sure it can pay for the electricity it needs. ()
* Goldman Sachs said it has spent the past year working to improve the work-life balance of most-junior employees, known on Wall Street as analysts, by reducing their hours and other measures. ()
* The federal government is set to slap Infosys Ltd with the largest immigration fine ever, claiming the Indian outsourcing giant illegally placed workers on visitor, rather than work, visas at big corporate clients across the U.S.
The government is expected to announce Wednesday it will fine Infosys about $35 million, according to people close to the matter. ()
