Some weak Chinese August data is dampening sentiment this morning: growth in China's fixed-asset investment slowed to its weakest pace in nearly 15 years. European stocks bounced at the open but then sank lower, with the exception of the Dax, which is holding up better. The Fed decision arrives on Thursday and certainly could be a cliffhanger. Sentiment is split as to whether the FOMC will go ahead and get the first hike out of the way or deliver a "hawkish hold" (in the words of Deutsche Bank). As of writing, the DJIA is down 0.33%, the S&P500 is down 0.24% and the Nasdaq is down 0.36% ...

To resolve investor claims that twelve major banks and a pair of Wall Street groups conspired to fix prices, restrain competition and conspired to prevent would-be competitors from entering the credit-derivatives market, the group agreed to a $1.865 billion settlement. The civil lawsuit was filed in a federal district court in New York and the hearing was before U.S. District Judge Denise Cote in Manhattan. At the hearing, the group of banks along with the Wall Street Groups are accused of colluding to block competing providers and exchange trading in credit-default swaps (CDS).

Court documents show the investor plaintiffs include the Los Angeles County Employees Retirement Association (LACERA), Salix Capital U.S. Inc. and the Essex Regional Retirement System. ...

US equities are in the red this morning but still positioned for a gain on the week, with trading volumes fairly subdued. As of writing, the DJIA is down 0.26%, the S&P500 is off 0.50% and the Nasdaq is down 0.57%.

The September University of Michigan confidence index fell to 85.7 from 91.9 in August after weeks of turmoil in global financial markets. The current conditions index also fell lower, but remains above 100. ...

New guidelines laid out by the U.S. Department of Justice on (DOJ) Thursday, outlined in a memo to federal prosecutors across the United States, focus on wrongdoing by corporate executives.

The memo included that, a company would not receive any credit for cooperating during future investigations unless it disclosed all relevant facts about the people involved in suspected wrongdoing or crimes. The changes only apply to current matters to the extent it is practicable. Complex white-collar investigations frequently take years to complete. ...

Biogas - produced by the fermentation of organic matter - is being used by a Canadian chemical engineer Andrew White, as a product to produce fertilizer.

White's SulfaCHAR system eliminates chemical waste from the biogas process, while increasing renewable gas plants' profitability and stopping the degradation to gas engines caused by hydrogen sulfide (H2S). ...

US equities are giving up their early gains and retreating to unchanged mid-morning. As of writing, the DJIA is flat, the S&P500 is up 0.15% and the Nasdaq is flat.

Job openings in America have hit a record high. The latest Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey - one of Fed Chair Yellen's favorite gauges of labor market health - showed that job openings jumped to 5.75 million in July, the highest since the series began in December 2000. With openings at record highs, robust employment should be accompanied by a sustained pickup in wages, just another data point that suggests the Fed needs to tighten sooner rather than later. ...

According to a settlement with the U.S. Treasury’s Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN), Caesars Entertainment Corporation (CZR - Nasdaq) agreed to pay an $8 million civil penalty for having “severely deficient” anti-money-laundering controls in its Caesars Palace casino VIP rooms, which mainly cater to Chinese high-rollers.

In a written statement from the U.S. government Tuesday, Caesars admitted to federal authorities that it had openly allowed wealthy patrons to gamble anonymously within private rooms in its flagship casino in Las Vegas. ...

According to the Solar Energy Industries Association, over 645,000 homes in the USA have solar panels. During 2014, a new solar project was installed every 2.5 minutes.

Over the next two years, nearly 20,000 MW of solar capacity is forecasted to come online - doubling the country's existing solar capacity.

As of Q2 2014, the average price of a completed commercial photovoltaic (PV) project dropped by 14% year over year and has fallen by more than 45% since 2012. ...

Its been one year since CVS Health Corporation (CVS - NYSE) banned the selling of cigarettes. According to a study conducted by the CVS Health Research Institute released on Thursday, the move shows a positive impact of its efforts.

Per the study performed during the eight months after CVS stopped selling cigarettes, there was an additional 1% reduction in the sale of packs of cigarettes at gas stations, convenience stores, big box stores and other retailers in states where CVS had a 15% or greater share of the retail pharmacy market, compared with states where there are no CVS pharmacies. ...

Two pharmaceutical giants are tag-teaming to develop a drug that could slow or prevent Alzheimer’s disease - a debilitating brain disorder or related dementia.

Globally, an estimated 44 million people have Alzheimer's. In the United States alone, 5 million people suffer from Alzheimer’s.

In an agreement announced on Tuesday, Amgen Inc. (AMGN - Nasdaq) and Novartis AG (NVS - NYSE) will combine separate efforts on drugs that attack BACE, an enzyme that produces clusters of proteins called plaques that are believed to cause the brain disorder, Alzheimer’s. ...

The DJIA and S&P500 both closed down nearly 3% each on Tuesday for the worst first day of September trade since 2002, leaving both indices not very far from the lows hit during last week's huge selloff. Once again, the Shanghai Composite miraculously recovered from a -4.6% intraday low amid strong speculation Beijing was propping up stocks again. Futures saw good gains before the open today and the DJIA and S&P500 both opened up 1% or so and saw early gains, but indices have lost ground mid-morning. As of writing, the DJIA is up 0.97%, the S&P500 is up 0.67% and the Nasdaq has added 1.0%. ...

Amidst the nerve-racking stock market volatility that had investors shaking in their shoes during August, consumers showed resilience for their desire to purchase new cars, SUVs and pickup trucks.

On an annualized basis, auto-makers results on Tuesday showed sales of nearly 17.5 million vehicles. ...

Data out during the Asia session was not positive: South Korean exports plunged 14.7% in August, the biggest decline since August 2009, while China's official August manufacturing PMI fell to a three-year low of 49.7 from 50.0 m/m. Losses in Shanghai were very modest, but the Euro Stoxx 50 fell 2.7% and US indices are deep in the red. The 10-year UST is down nearly four basis points to 2.18%, the DJIA is down 1.87%, the S&P500 is off 1.72% and the Nasdaq is down 1.43%. ...

As the month of August creeps to a close, stocks on Wall Street are poised for their worst monthly drop in more than three years.

On Monday, all three major indexes fell into negative territory after weekend comments from Federal Reserve Vice Chairman Stanley Fischer appeared to keep the door open for a rate hike in September. ...

US equities are under pressure this morning, in the final trading session of a very volatile August. Absent a big move up today, this will be the worst August for the major US indices since the financial crisis. Despite Beijing declaring that its equity buying campaign was over, the Shanghai Composite staged a miraculous late-session rally that saw much of today's big losses evaporate and the index down only 0.82% on the day. As of writing, the DJIA is down 0.65%, the S&P500 is off 0.84% and the Nasdaq is down 0.55%. ...

Citing a five-day forecast from the U.S. National Hurricane Center that predict Tropical Storm Erika to travel "up the spine of Florida" from Sunday into next week, Florida Governor Rick Scott declared a state of emergency on Friday.

In preparation for the arrival of Erika, on Thursday, Scott said 8,000 National Guard were ready to mobilize and communications had been tested in anticipation of a weekend landfall. ...

Shanghai gained another 4.8% today, however European and US stocks are not moving higher, and would likely be deeper in the red without solid gains in the energy complex. Sovereign yields have come in across the board, with the 10-year yield down four basis points to 2.145%. The big story this morning continues to be crude prices: WTI added 10% yesterday, the biggest one-day rise since the rally off the bottom in March 2009, and today the front-month contract added another 4.6% before coming off its highs. As of writing, DJIA is down %, the S&P500 is off % and the Nasdaq is down %. ...

The Shanghai Composite bounced 5.3% higher in today's session, priming global markets for a big equity recovery. The stronger-than-expected preliminary US Q2 GDP data bolstered sentiment, further strengthening risk appetite. The CAC closed up 3.6% and the DAX ended up 3.4%, while the DJIA is currently up 1.59% and the S&P500 has added 1.90%. The 10-year yield is up six basis points from its session lows, just shy of 2.20%.

The second reading of US annualized Q2 GDP was very strong, rising to +3.7% from the advanced reading of 3.2%. The surprise gains were concentrated in private domestic spending, which was revised up from 2.5% to 3.3%, as well as slightly lower inventory levels. ...

Business investment during July, per the U.S. Commerce Department, shows a sign that, despite a tougher business climate, companies continue to spend. Growing concerns around the globe about the global economy has financial markets on edge.

As U.S. companies continue to spend and invest at a measured pace, executives are monitoring events in China as well around the world in an attempt to gauge whether the global economy is likely to slow further. ...

US equity markets rebounded from yesterday's late session rout, with the DJIA opening up 2% and the S&P500 up 2.2%, however markets are off their best levels mid-morning. The 10-year yield opened up at 2.150%, 10 bps off its premarket lows, but has come in a bit to 2.126% in the early going. As of writing, the DJIA is up 1.60%, the S&P500 is up 1.93% and the Nasdaq is up 1.65%.

The July advance durable goods report looked very strong, with both the headline and key capital goods orders crushing expectations. Capital goods orders saw their second straight increase and the biggest gain in over a year. In addition, the June numbers saw substantial upward revisions. There was one downside to the report, with durable goods inventories flat in July and the June inventories were revised lower. ...

After falling sharply in July, U.S. consumer confidence rebounded in August to the strongest reading in seven months.

Economists say that, even though recent turbulence in the stock market, including the historical losses on the Dow Jones Industrial Average on Monday rattled consumers' nerves, the stock market turmoil would likely be offset by the steep decline in oil prices, leaving consumers with more money to spend.

During August, consumer expectations about current conditions were more favorable. ...

The Shanghai Composite lost another 7.6% on Tuesday, compounding Black Monday's 8.5% slide. The Nikkei rode along with China, dropping nearly 4%, but the Hang Seng managed to stay in positive territory, while certain European indices have nearly filled the gap from Monday's action. US stocks are rebounding too, although the snapback has been less dramatic than in Europe. Around 06:16ET, the PBoC cut its key interest rates and reduced the Reserve Ratio Requirement (RRR) by 50bps, bringing it to 18%. This is China's second interest rate in two months. As of writing, the 10-year yield has gained nearly ten bps, rising to 2.1%, the DJIA is up 2.56%, the S&P500 has added 2.19% and the Nasdaq is up 3.36%. ...

At the opening bell on Monday, the Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJIA) plunged more than 1,000 points - setting a historical, ...

Whether you call all it Black Monday or Flash Crash Redux, it's been a rollercoaster of a morning for markets. The DJIA's mind-numbing 530-point sell-off on Friday was followed by an 8.5% loss on the Shanghai Composite earlier today. In Europe, the DAX plunged into bear market territory and every stock in the FTSE was in the red. Commodity prices and currency cross have seen massive moves, while US equities gapped lower by the biggest margin since fall 2008. ...