Daily Investor Briefing: Wall St. ends nearly flat; semis climb...

	Click to View in Browser 11/3/2014 Wall St. ends nearly flat; semis climb NEW YORK (Reuters) - The S&P 500 and the Dow ended slightly lower on Monday after briefly climbing to intraday records, but strength in semiconductors boosted the Nasdaq. AIG beats third-quarter estimates, will buy back more shares NEW YORK (Reuters) - Insurer American International Group on Monday reported better-than-expected third quarter earnings, bolstered in part by improved performance at core insurance operations. Sprint third-quarter revenue rises slightly less than expected WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Sprint Corp, the No. 3 U.S. mobile provider, on Monday reported an increase in quarterly revenue that was slightly below analysts' expectations. U.S. factory activity back at three-and-a-half-year high, auto sales rise WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. manufacturing activity unexpectedly accelerated in October and automobile sales were strong, easing concerns of a significant moderation in economic growth in the fourth quarter. Publicis to buy U.S. digital ad firm Sapient for $3.7 billion PARIS (Reuters) - Publicis , the world's third-largest advertising agency, is to buy U.S.-based digital ad specialist Sapient for $3.7 billion in cash as it seeks to accelerate growth after a botched merger earlier this year. GM ignition-switch death, injury claims up 12 percent NEW YORK (Reuters) - A program to compensate victims of accidents caused by a faulty ignition switch in General Motors vehicles has received 1,772 claims for injuries and deaths, a 12 percent increase from the previous week, according to a report Monday. Deflation is a growing possibility: Bill Gross NEW YORK (Reuters) - Famed bond investor Bill Gross on Monday warned that deflation remained a growing possibility despite aggressive monetary policies by central banks around the world. Alibaba's first earnings to test mettle, investor enthusiasm SAN FRANCISCO/BEIJING (Reuters) - Alibaba Group Holding Ltd's first full quarterly report card to Wall Street investors on Tuesday will be scrutinized by the hopeful seeking validation for lofty stock price targets and studied by the few skeptics searching for inauspicious signs. HSBC sets aside $1.8 billion for forex probe, misconduct LONDON (Reuters) - HSBC's profits fell short of expectations in the third quarter after the bank set aside $1.8 billion for misconduct settlements and compensation for customers, including a potential fine for rigging currency markets. U.S. October auto sales best in several years, GM misses DETROIT (Reuters) - Automakers reported their strongest U.S. October sales in years on Monday, but top-seller General Motors Co missed expectations. Related Video Cheap gas helps drive big auto sales Big vehicles' bigger profits key for automakers-KBB's Brauer Related News U.S. students need more help dealing with loan companies DoubleLine attracts $2.38 billion net inflows in October, record for year A daily digest of breaking business news, coverage of the US economy, major corporate news and the financial markets. Register Today   The latest Reuters articles on M&A, IPOs, private equity, hedge funds and regulatory updates delivered to your inbox each day. Register Today   » MORE NEWSLETTERS - 3 Times Square New York, NY 10036 USA © Copyright 2010 Thomson Reuters Ensure delivery of Reuters Newsmails, add mail@nl.reuters.com to your address book. Details Subscribe to other Reuters newsletters. Unsubscribe from this newsletter. Follow us on Twitter Friend us on Facebook Forward to a friend