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U.S. stock market report 0825 ET 27Aug2009-Goldman upgrades mid-cap brokers ------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Goldman Sachs upgraded mid-cap brokers to "attractive" from "neutral," citing improving investment banking trends, and said it favored firms that were increasing headcount, and exposed to mergers and acquisitions and equity issuance.

The M&A and equity issuance cycles are showing initial signs of improvement, and the end of third quarter and into fourth quarter may form the first upward trend in these businesses in two years, the brokerage said in a note to clients.

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Reuters Messaging: ryan.vlastelica.reuters.com@reuters.net 0815 ET 27Aug2009-Italy antitrust agency probes Google ------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Italy's anti-trust watchdog said on Thursday it was opening an investigation into Google's Italian news website after local papers complained that they were forced to appear on the site (http://news.google.it).

The competition authority said the Italian Federation of Newspaper Editors had complained that any publication refusing to appear on the website "would automatically be excluded from Google's search engine".

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Shares of Google closed Wednesday at $468.

Reuters Messaging: ryan.vlastelica.reuters.com@reuters.net 0807 ET 27Aug2009-Wells Fargo downgrades healthcare REITs ------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Wells Fargo Securities downgraded healthcare real estate investment trusts to "market weight" from "overweight," saying the group appears fully valued on several fronts.

"Cost of incremental debt capital has increased, which could suggest consensus estimates are too high for this year and next," the brokerage said, adding that defensive benefits of the group were largely priced into the stocks.

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Reuters Messaging: ryan.vlastelica.reuters.com@reuters.net 0803 ET 27Aug2009-Alkermes says J&J won't pursue 4-week risperidone ------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Units of Johnson & Johnson have decided not to pursue further development of a four-week long-acting version of antipsychotic drug risperidone, Alkermes Inc said in a regulatory filing late Wednesday.

A spokesman at J&J called the move a "portfolio decision."

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Shares of Alkermes sank 13 percent to $9 in premarket trading on light volume.

Reuters Messaging: ryan.vlastelica.reuters.com@reuters.net 0754 ET 27Aug2009-Pay package for AIG CEO likely to be approved-WSJ ------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The $10.5 million pay package for American International Group Inc's new chief executive Robert Benmosche will likely be approved formally by the U.S. government's compensation czar Kenneth Feinberg next week, the Wall Street Journal said, citing people familiar with the matter.

Benmosche's pay will likely be approved before other rulings about pay at AIG are made, the paper said.

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Shares of AIG rose 4 percent to $39.20 in premarket trading.

Reuters Messaging: ryan.vlastelica.reuters.com@reuters.net Keywords: MARKETS STOCKSNEWS

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