Stocks rally…NFL sponsors unhappy…NASA picks Boeing, SpaceX to carry astronauts into space

NEW YORK (AP) — Investors are waiting to hear the Federal Reserve’s latest assessment of the economy tomorrow, but that didn’t stop the buying today. The Dow gained 100 points to close at 17,132. The S&P 500 gained nearly 15 points, finished just below 1,999. The Nasdaq composite rose almost 34, finishing at 4,552.76.

NEW YORK (AP) — There’s some deal news following the end of Wall Street’s trading day. Endo International says it is making an unsolicited offer for Auxilium Pharmaceuticals that values Auxilium at $28.10 per share, a 31 percent premium on today’s closing price. The deal is worth more than $1.4 billion in cash and stock, based on Auxilium’s shares outstanding. Endo values the offer at $2.2 billion.

UNDATED (AP) — One of the NFL’s biggest sponsors says it isn’t happy with the controversy that has engulfed the league. Anheuser-Busch issued a statement on today saying it is “disappointed and increasingly concerned” by recent incidents and is not yet satisfied with the league’s response. It says it has shared its concerns and expectations with the NFL. Sponsorship consultants IEG say Anheuser-Busch’s sponsorship fees alone are worth an estimated $50 million a year to the league. Visa and Campbell Soup say they have voiced similar concerns.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — NASA is a step closer to launching Americans into space from U.S. soil again. The space agency has picked Boeing and SpaceX to transport astronauts to the International Space Station in the next few years. The deal will end NASA’s expensive reliance on Russia. U.S. astronauts have been riding Russian rockets ever since NASA’s shuttles retired in 2011. The latest price tag is $71 million per seat. NASA has set a goal of 2017 for the first launch under the commercial crew program.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Nonpartisan congressional investigators are warning of significant security weaknesses in the HealthCare.gov website. The Government Accountability Office has identified more than 20 specific security issues related that it says the Obama administration must resolve. The issues relate to who can get into the online system, who can make changes in it and what to do in case the network fails. The GAO says the weaknesses put Americans’ personal information at risk.

Copyright 2014 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

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