It took the maker of the Xbox video game console nearly two full years to finally acquire the maker of 'Call of Duty.' And that qualified as one of the few pieces of good news Friday. Microsoft formally closed its acquisition of Activision Blizzard on Friday morning, after finally winning the approval of the U.K.'s main antitrust regulator.
The Middle East is tilting closer to an all-out war, as Israel warned more than a million residents of the Gaza Strip to evacuate —something the UN says would make the dire situation there even worse. And a downbeat view broadcast by major banks that posted quarterly results Friday morning certainly didn't help sentiment. “This may be the most dangerous time the world has seen in decades,” JPMorgan Chief Executive Officer James Dimon said in his company's report. Most major U.S.