Regulator blocks NAB's $12 billion bid for AXA unit (Reuters)

Reuters - National Australia Bank's (NAB) $12 billion bid for AXA Asia Pacific has been blocked for a second time, dashing its efforts to cement its lead in the world's fourth-largest wealth management market.

Spain to vote on labor market reforms (AP)

AP - Spain's Parliament is putting the finishing touches to reforms aimed at boosting a listless economy by shaking up a rigid job market and encouraging companies to hire.

UK watchdog fines Goldman Sachs $27 million (Reuters)

Reuters - Britain's financial watchdog slapped a 17.5 million pounds ($27 million) fine on Goldman Sachs on Thursday for inadequate disclosure of a U.S. probe into the Wall Street powerhouse.

Regret, apology not part of BP's oil spill report (AP)

AP - BP's long-awaited internal report on what it believes went wrong when a rig exploded and started the massive Gulf oil spill never mentions the words blame, regret, apology, mistake or pollution. The word fault shows up 20 times, but only once in the same sentence as the company's name.

Stock index futures up (Reuters)

Reuters - Stock index futures pointed to a higher open on Wall Street on Thursday, with futures for the S&P 500 up 0.25 percent, Dow Jones futures up 0.45 percent and Nasdaq 100 futures up 0.2 percent at 5.16 EDT.

U.S. slips in WEF's competitiveness rankings (Reuters)

Reuters - Switzerland remains the world's most competitive economy, while the United States has fallen from second to fourth after losing the top spot last year, according to the World Economic Forum's annual rankings issued on Thursday.

India car sales hit all-time high in August (AP)

AP - Car sales in India surged to a record for a second straight month in August on strong demand before the holiday season, despite rising prices and supply constraints.

Bank of Korea keeps interest rate near record low (AP)

AP - South Korea's central bank left its key interest rate near a record low Thursday for a second straight month as the risk of slowing global growth outweighed a buoyant outlook for the local economy.

Obama firm, won't yield on tax hike for wealthiest (AP)

AP - Politically weakened but refusing to bend, President Barack Obama insisted Wednesday that Bush-era tax cuts be cut off for the wealthiest Americans, joining battle with Republicans — and some fellow Democrats — just two months before bruising midterm elections.

Economists cut U.S. growth forecast again (Reuters)

Reuters - Projected U.S. economic growth for the rest of this year and next was revised down for a third month in a row by a panel of about 50 economists.

FDIC's Bair warns of government "exposure" in mortgages (Reuters)

Reuters - A key U.S. banking regulator raised concern on Wednesday about the risk of "exposure" the government is taking on in the mortgage market and urged more stringent standards for underwriting mortgages.

Spartech posts fiscal 3Q loss, misses expectations (AP)

AP - Plastic sheet and packaging maker Spartech Corp. reported a net loss for its fiscal third quarter on Wednesday and said that despite higher revenue, the overall market recover is slower than expected.

Fed survey sees slower growth in East and Midwest (AP)

AP - The economy lost strength in late summer as factory production weakened in areas of the East Coast and Midwest.

Coffee hits 13-year high; retail prices also up (AP)

AP - Coffee prices hit a 13-year high Wednesday, extending a rally that has sent prices up about 43 percent in the past three months.

Bankers urge government to pull plug on Fannie, Freddie (Reuters)

Reuters - The federal government should take mortgage finance giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac off life support sooner rather than later, the Mortgage Bankers Association urged on Wednesday.

Wall Street up as fears for European economy ease (AFP)

AFP - US stocks were slightly up on Wednesday after news of a successful Portuguese debt auction eased the previous day's concerns about the European economy.

The Treasury's New Research Office (BusinessWeek)

BusinessWeek - Don't expect an Elizabeth Warren-style campaign for the first director of the Office of Financial Research, yet another agency set up under the financial system overhaul. Unlike the pending decision over who will lead the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, which has prompted online petitions and a viral rap video in support of the Harvard law professor, the competition over who will be the head of the research office is a wonks-only affair. ...