Broadcomm is reportedly planning an unsolicited takeover of rival chip maker qualcomm. The deal if completed could top 100 billion. Broadcomms has a history of aggressively acquiring companies to bolster growth. The report sent shares of qualcomm higher by more than 12 . Its been suffering this year. Broadcomm advanced more than 5 . Dominic chu has more on this potentially massive acquisition. Reporter it has the potential of being one of the biggest merger deals ever in global technology. According to sources familiar with the matter, broadcomm is looking to buy qualcomm. Both companies are in the business of computer chips, circuits, wireless technol th sort of thing. The deal could value qualcomm at 400 billion, making it the same size as broadcomm. First of all, it would combine two of the worlds biggest Semi Conductor companies, which would likely trigger antitrust concerns by regulators. Second, both companies are in the middle of making other big acquisitions of their own. What would happen to those potential deals . And theres a political angle as well. Broadcomm is based in singapore. But just yesterday, broadcomms ceo stood alongside President Trump to announce that he was moving the companys headquarters to the united states. America is once again the best place to lead a business with a global footprint. Reporter that means it could hypothetically be a u. S. Company buying another u. S. Company, which might have a better shot at passing government scrutiny. Those are just a few of the considerations. And of course a deal may not materialize at all. But the prospects of a blockbuster deal in the tech sector is swirling all kinds of speculation, both on wall street and main street. For nightly business report, im dominic chu. The american jobs engine keeps on revving. The economy created more than 260,000 jobs last month. A welcome rebound after septembers disappointing report. To show you just how strong the labor market appears to be, take a look at this. The Unemployment Rate right now stands at a 17year low. The economy has created jobs for 85 straight months, the longest streak on record. Some economists are even suggesting that the labor market may be close to full employment. But as Hampton Pearson reports, others say the recent hurricanes are distorting that data. Reporter in october, the job market recovered from the hurricanes that slammed the southeast in september. But the addition of 261,000 jobs was less than the Consensus Forecast of 315,000 new hires. Those estimates were revised upward this week based on new data forecasting strong private sector job growth, a manufacturing surge, and growing consumer confidence. One leading Economist Says that noise makes this months report meaningless. I mean, theres too much hurricane effect in this. The nonpharm payroll number was a complete guess. Average Hourly Earnings had some hurricane effect in it. Reporter the Unemployment Rate fell to 4. 1 persian, t then 17 years. T it fell because 765,000 people dropped out of the labor force and were not counted as unemployed. Wage growth was flat, just 2. 4 year over year. The lack of worker growth too. I mean, the real problem weve got is the labor force is only 5 10ths of aercent each year. I dont see how you get to 3 real gdp growth unless you find a wear a way of increasing the force faster than that. Reporter hurricanes triggered a loss of 98,000 jobs in september but a rebound of 89,000 last month. The best highways job growth happened among professional and business services, with 50,000 new hires. Manufacturers also added 24,000 jobs. Retail was the biggest loser, dropping 8300 workers. Economists say despite the volatility over the last two months, average job gains are almost back on track with job growth before the hurricanes. You get 150,000 jobs, thats quite good pace given where we are with such low unemployment and such modest growth of the labor force. Reporter those same economists say the fed will have another month of jobs data free of hurricanerelated fallout before deciding on a rate hike when monetary policymakers meet in december. For nightly business rept, im Hampton Pearson in washington. Ethan harris joins us for more analysis on the jobs report. Hes cohead of Global Economics for bank of America Merrill lynch. You think the jobs market is in very good shape. As alan blinder said, this is a pretty good set of numbers. Obviously the hurricane caused a very weak number and a big rebound, but averaging across two months, the job market looks great. And the Unemployment Rate just keeps falling, month after month. Were now down to level normally associated with a fully employed economy. Theres no sign of momentum fading either. This is good news. You do point outhere really wasnt any wage growth. How worrisome is that . I think its a matter of time. The economy has enough momentum now that were going to see month on month further drops in the Unemployment Rate. Economists have to be humble about their ability to forecast wage growth. This is something that pinning it down oa month to month basis is very difficult. As you keep pushing the Unemployment Rate down, the laws of gravity will come in and well start to see the wage pick up. Ne of the of course in the piece there talked about the difficulty with the labor force being where it is, less growth, of getting to 3 Economic Growth over time. Weve had back to back quarters of either 3 or 3 plus percent growth. What do you say to that . Yeah, i would agree. I mean, to get to 3 growth, we need to have one of two things happen. We either need to have a big productivity revolution where all this tech stuff were doing now comes to fruition and we really see big gains in productivity, or we need to have a strong growth in population and labor force. But we havent had strong growth in population and labor force since the 1970s, 1980s. I think 3 just is not sustainable. What do you think the fed thinks about this property . I think the fed right now is very comfortable with the path theyre on. I think that they look at how well Financial Markets are doing. Very supportive of growth. They look at the steady drop in the Unemployment Rate. This makes them feel very patient about the idea of waiting for wage growth and waiting for inflation. They feel confident in that. On the tax cut as you see it, how much do you think it would add, tenths of a percentage point, a full percentage point, to growth . It actually isnt a big tax cut. 1. 5 trillion over ten years is the seventh or eighth tax cut in history for the u. S. I would think it adds a few tenths to growth next year if we get the whole thing. Ethan, thanks,than harris, bank of America Merrill lynch. Appreciate it. Other parts of the economy appear to be seeing an increase in activity. New orders for u. S. Made goods rose for a second straight month in september, suggesting Manufacturing Activity was gathering momentum. A separate report showed companies in the Services Sector grew the at their best rate in a dozen years. The Services Sector makes up the largest part of the economy. The u. S. Bought more goods and services from other in september. N it sold to them according to the commerce department, the trade gap increased to 43. 5 billion, in theory a rising trade gap reduces Economic Growth here, which is why trade is a major part of the president s First Official trip to asia. Mr. Trump left today on that trip and said hes looking forward to making progress on this economically sensitive topic. And i think were going to have great success. Well be talking about trade. Well be talking about obviously north korea. Well b enlisting the help of a lot of people. And countries. Well see what happens. I think well have a very successful trip. Theres a lot of goodwill. The president wil visit japan, south korea, china, vietnam, and finally, the philippines. The rally in qualcomm shares which we told you about earlier along with the rise in the shares of apple helped lift the market. The Dow Jones Industrial average add nearly 23 points to 23,539. The nasdaq advanced49. And the s p 500 was up eight. For the week, all of the major indexes saw a gain. Apple was the best performing stock on the blue chip dow index today. Its shares hit a record following the companys strong earnings and guidance report that we told you about last night. The market capitalization of apple now very close to 900 billion. Today apples iphone x went on sale, and long lines formed at apple stores around the world, a sign of Strong Demand f the tenth anniversary smartphone. Still ahead, amazons hunt for reporter im scott cohn. Despite the br, cleveland knows how to win. Its got a vibrant economy and the rock roll hall of fame. Will it also get amazons Second Headquarters . A look at cleveland and ohios chances, coming Health Care Jobs are in demand. And so are jobs that focus on the health of animals. And that takes kate rogers to kennett square, pennsylvania, to report o. Reporter Michelle Barrett says she has the greatest job in the world. We get to work outside every day with these wonderful animals. Reporter barrett is a Dairy Technical Services veterinarian for a Pharmaceutical Company that produces medicine for animals. Shes tasked with managing the health of cows and advising farm veterinarians and Dairy Farmers onhe best uses for the companys products. On one farm we might be talking about taking care of the calves as best we can in the first day of life, get them a healthy start. On the next farm we might be talking about a vaccine protocol and how to boost immunity and optimize it so were preventing disease appropriately. Reporter demand for veterinary professionals like barrett is on the rise, driven by a growing World Population that places a greater emphasis on food supply and safety as well as the booming pet care industry. According to t bureau of labor statistics, opportunities for veterinarians will grow by some 18 through the year 2026, while need for vet technicians will grow by 20 in that same time. Salaries can raise into the high six figures. Roles include comparing for companion animals and working for big pharma companies. It requires intense training. Training to be a veterinarian is about the same in terms of time and cost as to be an m. D. In the united states, we dont have enough slots to accommodate the students. Reporter this woman is studying to become a food animal vet. Her coursework includes everything from large animal surgery to dairy production medicine. Theres a lot of variation in what you can be doing. Its kyle tain tailored to your interest. Reporter she wants to focus on food safety and hopes to run a sustainable goat f in west africa, a project shes been working on for two years. Ive been thinking more globally about health and the ways that veterinarians can be involved, things that are larger than just the individual animal. When you think about health in a more comprehensive sense, that gets me excited. Reporter im kate rogers in kennett square, pennsylvania. [ mooing ] amazon has begun evaluating offers for its Second Headquarters. As amazon mulls its choice, well take you to some of the cities that have joined the race. Sco t coh joins us with more. Reporter cleveland knows something about winning, not just about last years nba title. Beating the competition for the rock roll hall of fame. Amazons heads would woue the biggest prize of all. That many jobs coming into the city has got to be important, not only the jobs themselves but all those other things that result in those jobs being there. Reporter ohio is a triple threat in the amazon race. Cleveland, cincinnati, and columbus each have submitted bids. With more than 2 Million People apiece, all three metro areas exceed amazons population requirement. But thats the easy part. Amazon also wants a stable, businessfriendly environment, a place that can attract and retain top creative talent. It means overcoming the past, according to the states Top Economic Development official. Were trying to shed this rust belt image. And i think were doing that. We like to think of ohio as part of the knowledge belt. Rter ohio has diversified into fields Like Health Care and financial services. And it has more Higher Education than all but a handful of states. But ohio has a shortage of technical workers, a difficult legal and tax climate, and not a lot of flights. Thats a key for amazon. Officials are refusing to release details on the ohio bids beyond the splashy videos. Ohio governor john kasich, who declined to be interviewed for this story, has been deliberately low key. If you go out and you try to buy a deal, you try to buy a company with these big to do it, i dont think youu should do it. Have a shot. Officials s three cities, one once known as the mistake on a lake, trying to pull off a miracle. Im scott cohn in cleveland. Blackberry is reportedly in talks to provide its software to jaguar land rover. The wall street journal says blackberry is in advanced conversations with jaguar to put its software in next generation autonomous and electric vehicles. Blackberrys selfdriving where are is already in the cars of several automakers. Blackberrys shares rose 2 to 10. 95. The reported merger between cvs and aetna could happen before the end of this year. Reuters says the companies are in the process of finalizing terms and are aiming to announce a more than 70 billion deal as early as december. Cvs shares were off a particular to 69. 25. Aetna shares rose 3 to 176. 99. The operator of outback steak house said the string of recent hurricanes significantly impacted ultimates. The company missed profit estimates and cut its full year forecast. Revenue also took a hitut it still Beat Estimates. Shares were flat, ending the day at 17. 30. Sothebys reported a narrower than expected loss. Shares at the auction house also Beat Estimates despite it being a slow time of year for auctions. Sothebys shares were more than 3 to 49. 42. After the bell, Berkshire Hathaway reported a drop in earnings as insurance claims from the hurricanes and an earthquake in mexico hurt results. Operating profit also got nicked, but s came in ahead of estimates. Class a shares of berkshire were unchanged in the extended session but finished the regular day down 1 to 280,470. Time for our market monitor who has names he says will provide some Downside Protection in your portfolio. The last time he was on in may, he recommended beckton dickinson. Alan bond joins us, coportfoliomanager of the growth fund. Welcome, alan, and coratulations on the results. Thank you. You were looking for diversification and Global Growth with your picks, thats one of the themes, anyway. Your first one is nike, tell me why you like it. Yes, we think nike is an interesting story right now. Obviously one of the most wellknown brands in the world. And we think its an interesting example of the disconnect that we see sometimes between short term Market Sentiment and long term business fundamentals. Right now nike is dealing with some challenges including increased competition and change in consumer behaor. But long term, we still see their brand as resonating powerfully with consumers around the world. We think thats a powerful competitive advantage that will reassert itself at some point. Recent weakness in the shares is a great opportunity for long term investors. Right out of your backyard, alan, arent they . Mastercard,f youre going to buy some nike gear, maybe you pull out your mastercard. Right. And so mastercard, one of the Worlds Largest electronic payment processors, and really in our view, scale is an important part of the business. We estimate they will process more than 70 billion transactions this year. And we think that pos has done very well for the global trend in which electronic transactions are increasingly displacing cash transactions. We think that poises mastercard well for continuedrowth and income and, importantly, free cash flow. Well finish up with Cognizant Technology solutions. You say they have a very nimble Business Model which gives it a big competitive advantage. Yes, so cognizant is one of the Worlds LargestTechnology Consulting firms. We think theyre very well positioned for the trend in which businesses around the world are using technology to make themselves more efficient. Cognizant right now is in a bit of a maturation phase itself. Its taken steps to broaden its geographic revenue base. They just started paying a dividend this year. Theyre in the middle of executing on a plan to improve profitability. We think these factors will allow them to continue to grow. Their top line and bottom line well into the future. How do you think the market finishes the y . Markets been strong this year. You know, it really feelsike its following earnings. Weve seen a good pickup in earnings growth. We expect that into next year as well. So that bodes well for the market. On that note, have a great weekend, alan, nice to see you. Alan bonds with the Jensen Quality Growth fund. Coming up, in this complex world, one entrepreneur says now is the time to simplify. His bright ide a look at what to watch for next week. On wednesday, President Trump will be in beijing as part of his 11day trip to asia. Hell be having meetings with the chinese president on security and economic issues. Also on wednesday, the former yahoo ceo and the current and former ceos of equifax are scheduled to testify on capitol hill on the twosive data breaches. On thursday, dow component disney reports results. And investors will be focused on espn and the companys streaming strategy. And thats what to watch for next week. Most of us will set back the clocks this weekend. And if youre still using an old school but still fashionable wrist watch, you might appreciate the handiwork of a philadelphia entrepreneur who got the bright idea to design a timepiece that displays natural materials, harkening back to a simpler time than this digital world. Reporter if you make and sell wrist watches these days, you have to compete with phones, fitbits, smartwatches. It better be good. And it ought to be different. Lorenzo ofas flexible wooden watch band is different. The worlds first soft and flexible woode watch band. Reporter wooden access he s werent up to snuff. Aiming to do better, his senior project at philadelphias university of the artsed him down a twisted path. Iteration after iteration. Until he settled on a wood veneer backed by leather. A process he has since patented. Then posing as a professor, he began to contact design blogs and magazines about a student who had made something he thought they should see. The watch got some press and manufacturers as far away as china began to contact him. The gumption you need as an entreprene. I have no shame. Reporter his moxie, and passion for natural materials, convinced him to start the analog watch company. His watches arent analog. We actually use Quartz Movements which are battery powered. A conventional analog watch would be a manual watch. Reporter that tick, tick, Tick Movement of the secondhand is a Quartz Movement instead of a smooth sweep. Analog references are desired to be focused on th simpler things. Our goal obviously is to inspire people and to add a little bit of nature to their every day. Reporter in 2013, he got hundreds of preorders on kickstarter, raising 75,000. At the time, kickstarter had partnered with new yorks museum of modern art. Buyers at the museums gift shop placed analogs first wholesale order. Today the business is about 60 Online Retail and 40 wholesale. Mostly museum shops across the country. They appreciate the ingenuity that goes into the design process. Really the materials on display. Reporter in 2015, analog put a new material on display, marble, as well as a line of classics with watch faces made of either wood or marble. The midcentury aesthetic attracted orders from new yorks guggenheim museum. I barely hav to sell these. The staff barely has to sell them, because people recognize them for what they are. Reporter gigi helps pick products for the guggenheims shop. We have to stay collected to the collection or of course the actual building which is a beautiful piece of art itself. Reporter that vision belonged to architect Frank Lloyd Wright who famousl connected his work to its natural surroundings. His circular design and use of light, both inspired by nature, turned Museum Architecture inside out. Nature inspires his work too. They have wooden sunglasses now and a botanist collection of watches and jewelry, featuring real flowers encased in resin. Frank lloyd wright hes not, but perhaps his time is to come. Were really creating conversation pieces or what some of ouruseums call wearable works of art. Beautiful pieces, arent they . He was just 12 when he started his first online venture, creating logos for Small Businesses across the country. For his next trick, hes working on a product using cork. Theres a social good element here. Analog contributes to causes like trees for the fute and earth works every time it sells a wooden or marble watch. I think we probably helped him sell some Christmas Gifts tonight. I think we might have, a few stocking stuffers. Im a watch person, i know you are too. Maybe that will be in your stocking, who knows . Im sue herera. Thanks for joining us. And im tyler mathisen. Thanks from me as well. Ave a great weekend, absentev this is bbc world news america. Funding of this presentation is made possible by the freeman foundation, and kovler foundation, pursuing solutions for americas neglected needs. Planning a vacation escape that is rexing, inviting, and exciting is a lot easier than you think. You can find it here in aruba. Families, couples, and friends can all find their escape on the island with warm, sunny days, cooling trade winds, and the