Although the Fed is largely expected to keep interest rates unchanged today, will there be anything for investors to digest in terms of the timing of an upcoming hike? Chairwoman Janet Yellen isn't scheduled to hold a press conference following the meeting and officials won't release updated economic projections, but the central bank's new policy statement could offer some clues. What to watch: References to global economic headwinds, slower domestic growth, inflation targets and more hawkish dissent.

Economy

The House has approved the reauthorization of the U.S. Export-Import Bank, marking a big victory for business groups that had fought to secure its revival. The bank's future, however, may not be fully resolved until December. The House bill now goes to the Senate, which recently approved a similar measure as part of an unrelated transportation bill.

Following years of intense debate, the Senate has passed a controversial bill that will see the Department of Homeland Security become a hub for sharing information about cyber attacks within the government and the private sector. The bill, which has faced privacy concerns from high-tech firms and advocacy groups, must now be reconciled with a separate piece of legislation that was passed by the House of Representatives earlier this year. Related tickers: KEYW, CUDA, PFPT, FEYE, PANW, QLYS, CYBR, HACK

Sweden's Riksbank has expanded its bond-purchase plan for a fourth time since February as policy makers face continuing pressure to keep up with stimulus measures in the eurozone. While holding its benchmark repo rate unchanged at -0.35%, the Riksbank said it would expand its bond-buying program by 65B Swedish crowns ($7.65B). The move follows a speech from ECB President Mario Draghi last Thursday, which spoke of ramping up the eurozone's €1T quantitative easing program in December.

Stocks

Volkswagen's results for the third quarter fell deep into the red, as costs related to its diesel emissions scandal weighed heavily on the company. VW (OTCQX:VLKAY) reported an operating loss of €3.48B during the period, its first quarterly deficit in more than 15 years, compared with a €3.23B profit a year ago. Prior to the release of its results, the automaker acknowledged that the provisions it set aside in the third quarter won't cover the full cost of lawsuits, fines and repairs for the 11M vehicles fitted with its rigged software.

Northrop Grumman climbed 5.8% in after-hours trading yesterday after it emerged as the winner for the Pentagon's Long Range Strike Bomber program. The company beat out Boeing (NYSE:BA) and Lockheed Martin (NYSE:LMT) for the huge award, which analysts estimate could be worth more than $20B. Northrop (NYSE:NOC), builder of the veteran B-2 bomber, is scheduled to deliver the first planes for the program around 2025.

Walgreens Boots Alliance is acquiring smaller peer Rite Aid (NYSE:RAD) for $17.2B (after factoring in debt), to widen its footprint in the U.S. and negotiate lower drug costs. Following the deal's closing, Rite Aid is expected to initially continue operating under its existing brand, but decisions "will be made over time regarding the integration of the two companies." Walgreens (NASDAQ:WBA) expects the transaction to close in the second half of 2016. RAD -6.6% premarket.

A MegaBrew deal may now take a little longer. SABMiller (OTCPK:SBMRY) and AB InBev (NYSE:BUD) have received permission to extend negotiations for their potential merger, pushing off a deadline under British takeover rules until Nov. 4. AB InBev is offering £44 per SABMiller share, along with a discounted alternative designed for the latter's two largest shareholders, Altria (NYSE:MO) and BevCo, which together own 41% of the target company.

BT Group's bid to acquire Deutsche Telekom (OTCQX:DTEGY) and Orange's (NYSE:ORAN) British wireless venture EE has been cleared by merger watchdogs, who found it would not cause significant harm to competition. If the £12.5B transaction is completed, BT (NYSE:BT) would control the biggest high-speed broadband network as well as the largest wireless operator in the U.K., letting it sell packages of mobile, TV, home phone and Internet services.

HSBC has begun transferring billions of dollars worth of derivatives trades from London to Hong Kong to take advantage of the city's regulatory environment, and to help position itself for a potential relocation of its headquarters, Reuters reports. HSBC's (NYSE:HSBC) development comes as a slew of tougher rules brought in after the 2008 financial crisis make it increasingly expensive for banks to trade derivatives in the U.S. and Europe.

As widely expected, Jes Staley has been appointed as Barclays' (NYSE:BCS) new chief executive, after months where the bank has been led by executive chairman John McFarlane. "In particular, he understands corporate and investment banking well, the re-positioning of which is one of our major priorities," McFarlane said. Staley is currently a managing partner at BlueMountain Capital Management, and previously served as head of JPMorgan's (NYSE:JPM) investment bank.

Confirming earlier rumors, Toshiba (OTCPK:TOSYY) has announced the sale of its image sensor business to Sony (NYSE:SNE) as it tries to recover from a $1.3B accounting scandal. Sony recently said it would spin off its image sensor business into a new wholly-owned subsidiary called Sony Semiconductor Corporation, and Toshiba's operations are set to come under that umbrella. No financial details of the deal have been disclosed.

IBM is nearing a deal in excess of $2B to acquire the digital and data assets of The Weather Company, sources told WSJ, in a purchase that would include the latter's CEO David Kenny. The Weather Company is currently owned by the Blackstone Group (NYSE:BX), Bain Capital and NBC Universal (NASDAQ:CMCSA), which paid $3.5B for the firm in 2008. IBM closed the session down 4% yesterday.

Amazon, which has rapidly built a network of on-demand workers for its Prime Now service, now faces a lawsuit over how those workers are treated. The action potentially thrusts Amazon (NASDAQ:AMZN) into the center of a debate roiling Silicon Valley over whether on-demand workers should be treated as employees or independent contractors. Companies such as Uber and Postmates, which consider their workers contractors and thereby avoid some expenses, have faced similar suits.

Tuesday's Key Earnings

Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) +1.8% after topping estimates, guiding in-line.
Alibaba (NYSE:BABA) +4% on strong results.
BP (NYSE:BP) -0.7% following a heavy profit drop.
Cummins (NYSE:CMI) -8.8% after a disappointing quarter.
DuPont (NYSE:DD) +2.8% on a pledge to tackle costs.
Ford (NYSE:F) -5.1% after missing EPS expectations.
Gilead Sciences (NASDAQ:GILD) -1.6% AH despite beating forecasts.
KKR (NYSE:KKR) -6.1% AH amid market gyrations on its investments.
Merck (NYSE:MRK) +1.1% on soaring net income.
Pfizer (NYSE:PFE) +2.4% after topping estimates.
Twitter (NYSE:TWTR) -10.5% AH following light guidance.
UPS (NYSE:UPS) -2.9% on mixed results.

Today's Markets

In Asia, Japan +0.7% to 18903. Hong Kong -0.8% to 22957. China -1.7% to 3375. India -0.8% to 27039.
In Europe, at midday, London +0.4%. Paris +0.4%. Frankfurt +0.6%.
Futures at 6:20, Dow +0.2%. S&P +0.2%. Nasdaq +0.3%. Crude -0.7% to $43.49. Gold +0.5% to $1172.
Ten-year Treasury Yield flat at 2.03%

Today's Economic Calendar

7:00 MBA Mortgage Applications
10:30 EIA Petroleum Inventories
11:30 Results of $15B, 2-Year FRN Auction
1:00 PM Results of $35B, 5-Year Note Auction
2:00 PM FOMC Announcement