NEW YORK (AP) — The stock market held close to record levels on Monday as a report showed that manufacturing remains on sound footing in the U.S., even as other parts of the global economy struggle. Falling oil prices weighed on energy stocks. The Dow Jones industrial average dropped 24 points, or 0.1 percent, to 17,366. The S&P 500 fell 0.24 points, or less than 0.1 percent, to 2,018. And the Nasdaq composite gained 8 points, or 0.2 percent, to 4,639.
TOKYO (AP) — European shares mostly rose today on expectations for strong corporate earnings. Japan’s stock benchmark ceded some of its early gains to close 2.7 percent higher, while other Asian markets had gains and losses. Wall Street is poised for modest gains at the open, with Dow and S&P 500 futures both up 0.1 percent.
DALLAS (AP) — The federal government is suing Southwest Airlines Co. after failing to reach a settlement with the carrier over allegations that repairs to prevent cracking in the aluminum skin of dozens of planes didn’t meet safety standards. The Justice Department has filed suit against Southwest in federal district court in Washington state, asking that the court enforce $12 million in civil penalties that the Federal Aviation Administration announced in late July.
BRUSSELS (AP) — European Union economic forecasts point toward a sluggish recovery. The EU’s vice president says “the economic and employment situation is not improving fast enough” in the wake of the financial crisis that has hit the continent for the past half-decade. The forecasts say growth is expected to be only 0.8 percent in the 18-country eurozone as a whole this year.
UNDATED (AP) — Germany’s luxury automaker BMW saw its net profit slip 1.2 percent in the third quarter. But the company was helped by surging sales of its big, expensive X5 sport-utility. Still, net profit of 1.31 billion euros ($1.64 billion) for the third quarter ending Sept. 30 fell short of analyst expectations for 1.36 billion euros. Nissan says its July-September profit jumped nearly 15 percent to 124.9 billion yen ($1.1 billion) as vehicle sales improved in almost all regions.
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