Dec 31 (Reuters) - The following are the top stories in

the Wall Street Journal. Reuters has not verified these stories

and does not vouch for their accuracy.

- The New York Stock Exchange and Nasdaq separately plan to

close their markets on Jan. 9 to mourn the death of former

President Jimmy Carter.

- Britain's antitrust watchdog said it was considering

whether International Business Machines' ( IBM ) planned $6.4

billion takeover of HashiCorp ( HCP ) would affect competition.

- The Treasury Department told lawmakers that a

state-sponsored actor in China hacked its systems, accessing

several user workstations and certain unclassified documents.

- President-elect Donald Trump endorsed House Speaker

Mike Johnson for another term.

(Compiled by Bengaluru newsroom)