• Crude Oil drops nearer to $68 after unexpected US supply gain.
• EU raids cement makers, Holcim & Cemex in Spain, as part of a price-fixing probe.
• Euro falls from one-year high versus Dollar before meeting of G-20 leaders.
• European Commission proposed new bloc-wide regulatory bodies to supervise banks.
• Fed highlighted signs of recovery as it left rates steady.
• Japanese exports fell 36% in August from year ago, 11th straight decline.
• Most Asian stock markets fall on drop in commodity prices; Japan advances.
• Abbott emerges as strong competitor to buy pharmaceutical unit of Solvay.
• Aiful to cut 2,000 jobs, forecasts loss of $3.4B as claims increase.
• Areva SA received 3 offers of less than $5.9B for its transmission, distribution unit.
• AutoZone Inc.'s Q4 net falls 3% to $236.1M; revs up 1% at $2.23B.
• Bed Bath & Beyond Q2 profit up 14% to $135.5M as revs rise 3.3% to $1.91B.
• CanWest Global sells its 50.1% stake in Ten Network for A$680M.
• China Metallurgical shares decline 12% in Hong Kong on first day of trading.
• Cintas Corp. reported Q1 EPS of $0.43, beating average analyst estimate by 9.4%.
• Copart Q4 profit down 15% at $34.6M on lower sales, currency effects.
• General Mills' Q1 net rises 51% to $420.6M on sales growth, lower costs; ups Y09 f'cast.
• GMAC is using its new access to low-cost capital to compete more directly with banks.
• Hercules Offshore f'casts Q3 sales below cons. est., offers 17.5M shares to repay debt.
• Japan Airlines will consider a breakup of the company along with other options.
• Marriott plans to take a Q3 pretax charge of $760M in its timeshare business.
• Microsoft says it has 'no plans to acquire EA'.
• Nintendo cuts Wii price by $50 to $199 for first time after reductions at Sony, Microsoft.
• Paychex Inc. expects Y09 revenue to come in lower than previously estimated.
• Red Hat beats est., Q2 net rises 36.9% to $28.9M; revs up 12% at $183.6M.
• United Steelworkers, three others file antidumping petitions against China, Indonesia.
• Xilinx sees Q2 sales at $413.9M (cons $392.5M) on rebounding demand.

Economic Calendar: Data on Initial Claims to be released today.
Earnings Calendar: ALOG, AM, CBK, COMS, FINL, MKC, RAD, RIMM, SCHL, SCS, TIBX.
Companies to watch: American Greetings, Analogic Corp, Christopher & Banks, McCormick & Co,
RIM, Rite Aid Corp, Scholastic, Steelcase, Vail Resorts.

Recent Egan-Jones Ratings Actions:
DENBURY RESOURCES INC (DNR)
CHESAPEAKE ENERGY CORP (CHK)
UNION PACIFIC CORP (UNP)
NORFOLK SOUTHERN CORP (NSC)
CONAGRA FOODS INC (CAG)
CARNIVAL CORP (CCL)
ARCH COAL INC (ACI)
COOPER TIRE & RUBBER CO (CTB)
CLOROX CO (CLX)
DIAMOND OFFSHORE DRILLING INC (DO)
AMERICAN INTERNATIONAL GROUP INC (AIG)
MOLSON COORS BREWING CO (TAP)
ENSCO INTERNATIONAL INC (ESV)

Data provided by Egan-Jones Ratings And Analytics