With new speculation about which companies won't buy Twitter (TWTR), the stock was losing 10 percent in the premarket. Sources said Alphabet's (GOOGL) and Disney (DIS) have decided not to move forward. Apple (AAPL) is also seen as unlikely. (Recode)
Salesforce (CRM) CEO Marc Benioff confirmed interest in Twitter, saying it makes sense to look at possible deals. However, he told CNBC he passes on most. One deal Salesforce was not able to was with LinkedIn (LNKD), which was acquired by Microsoft (MSFT).
Alnylam Pharmaceuticals (ALNY) was plunging more than 40 percent in the premarket. The company said it would stop development of a drug designed to treat a genetic condition that can cause heart failure, after negative results from a late-stage study. (Reuters)
Two members of Congress are accusing Mylan (MLY) of "bilking taxpayers out of millions of dollars" by underpaying Medicaid in rebates owed on sales of EpiPens. The drugmaker raised the cost of the lifesaving device 500 percent in recent years. (CNBC)
Embattled blood-testing start-up Theranos is closing all its clinical labs and Wellness Centers, founder and CEO Elizabeth Holmes revealed in a public letter to stakeholders. Theranos now plans to focus on its "undivided attention" on its miniLab platform, Holmes wrote. (CNBC)
After the Edward Snowden fiasco three years ago, the FBI is investigating whether another NSA contractor took the highly classified "source code" developed by the agency to hack into the networks of foreign governments. (NY Times)
A system built to scan emails for spam, child pornography, and malware reportedly allowed Yahoo (YHOO) to search for a terrorist organization's "signature" to satisfy a secret government court order. (NY Times)
Short seller Carson Block unveiled his latest short trade at the Sohn San Francisco Investment Conference, a bet against a small cap construction contractor, Tutor Perini (TPC), whose accounting he called "quite aggressive." (CNBC)
Mick McGuire of Marcato Capital Management reiterated his bullish call on Buffalo Wild Wings (BWLD), telling the crowd at the Sohn San Francisco Investment Conference the restaurant chain must transition to more of a franchised store model to unlock value. (CNBC)
Facebook (FB) might be ready to take the Oculus Rift and virtual reality to new applications beyond video games. CEO Mark Zuckerberg posted a photo of himself with the gear, a day before revealing the project at today's Oculus Connect presentation. (The Verge)
Smoke from an overheated Samsung Galaxy Note 7 led to the evacuation of a Southwest Airlines from Louisville, Kentucky, minutes before departure. The owner of the recalled device told The Verge it was a replacement smartphone. (CNBC)
Of the roughly 60 ventures started or promoted by Donald Trump, a third didn't work out, a third had some success and some problems, and a third met expectations, according to a New York Times analysis.
Trump tried to give a lesson before a Nevada crowd on how to pronounce the name of the state. He got it wrong, saying: "NevAHHHHdah … nobody says it the other way." But the state is actually pronounced "NevADdah." (NBC News)
Southwest's (LUV) broad twice-a-year blockbuster fare sale, with round-trip fares below $100 on dozens of the carrier's shortest routes, ends just before midnight, at 11:59 p.m. local time in the city of the departing flight. (USA Today)
Mall of America, the nation's largest shopping center, is taking a stand against the growing trend of Thanksgiving shopping by closing on turkey day. The mall said some tenants may choose to be open, so security will be on hand. (AP)
Shoemaker Vans teamed up with Disney-Pixar to cash in on nostalgia to create a new line of "Toy Story" sneakers — for adults (Elite Daily)
BY THE NUMBERS
The world is awash with $152 trillion dollars of debt, according to the IMF, an all-time high which sits at more than double the balance at the start of this century.
After Wednesday's weaker-than-expected September ADP private payrolls report and ahead of the government data tomorrow, the weekly report on new jobless claims is out at 8:30 a.m. ET this morning.
European banks have never traded this cheap relative to U.S. banks, according to Citi, which turned bullish on the beaten-down sector. Last month, Citi declared European banks were "the world's biggest contrarian trade" but had remained neutral.
Shares of Deutsche Bank were holding their recovery from last week's record lows, while investors await news of a settlement agreement with the U.S. Department of Justice. The DOJ has asked for $14 billion, but the bank expects the final figure to be much less.
Yum Brands (YUM) reported adjusted quarterly profit of $1.09 per share, below estimates by a penny. Revenue also missed. The parent of KFC, Taco Bell, and Pizza Hut also reported a 1 percent drop in China same-store sales, compared to estimates of a 4.5 percent increase.
Costco (COST) reported a September same-store sales increase of one percent, doubling the Thomson Reuters estimate of a 0.5 percent rise.
STOCKS TO WATCH
KLA-Tencor (KLAC) and Lam Research (LRCX) have canceled their planned $10.6 billion merger. The two semiconductor companies pointed to Justice Department opposition to the deal on antitrust grounds.
MetLife (MET) plans to spin-off its U.S. life insurance business to existing shareholders, providing more details on plans announced earlier this year to separate the unit. The spin-off plan does not necessarily preclude a change to a different option such as an IPO.
Wal-Mart (WMT) nearly doubled its investment in China-based online retailer JD.com (JD) to 10.8 percent, according to the Wall Street Journal. Separately, Wal-Mart is on track to double the number of giant warehouses dedicated to online sales by year-end.
Aiming to compete with Amazon, Bed Bath & Beyond (BBBY) is testing a membership model, according to the Wall Street Journal. For $29 per year, the retailer offers a 20 percent discount on all purchases and free shipping.
AT&T (T) has struck a multi-year strategic deal with Amazon Web Services, with the two companies collaborating on cloud and networking capabilities.
After announcing it would end in-house development of smartphones, a BlackBerry (BBRY) executive told the BBC a new keyboard-based BlackBerry device will be on the market within six months.
WATERCOOLER
The American League Division Series get underway with two games today. The Texas Rangers host the Toronto Blue Jays at 4:30 p.m. ET, while the Boston Red Sox are on the road against the Cleveland Indians at 8 p.m. ET. (USA Today)
Paisley Park, the compound of the late musician Prince, officially opens to tourists today, but only for three days, until a rezoning issue can be resolved. Visitors ticketed for some later dates will be offered refunds. (USA Today)