Audit age

The SEC adopted a rule aimed at bolstering surveillance of equities markets by establishing a central database that stores every trade order.

Thin Penney

S&P downgraded JCPenney to B+ from BB-, citing deterioration of the department store’s earnings since it implemented its controversial pricing strategy.

Merkin miss

Two investors — US citizen Joshua M. Berman, who now lives in Switzerland, and real estate developer Richard Born, a principal of BD Hotels — failed in their private bids to recover more than $10 million from fund manager Ezra Merkin for money lost in the Madoff Ponzi scheme.

Burberry

Burberry Group led luxury-goods stocks lower after reporting sales that missed analysts’ estimates for a second straight quarter, fueling concern that European and Chinese woes are taking a toll on high-end demand.

Fed notes

Fed policy-makers expect the jobless rate to average between 8 percent and 8.2 percent in the fourth quarter, according to minutes of their June meeting.