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AP Business NewsBrief at 2:40 p.m. EDT(Associated Press Via Acquire Media NewsEdge) Stocks wobble after Dow has best week in 2 yearsNEW YORK (AP) _ Stocks wavered between slight gains and losses Tuesday after the Dow Jones industrial average had its best week in two years. The Dow Jones industrial average slipped 2 points to 12,580 in afternoon trading. The Dow had risen as many as 19 points after the Commerce Department reported an increase in factory orders. The Standard & Poor's 500 index fell 2, or 0.2 percent, to 1,338. The Nasdaq composite index rose 4, or 0.2 percent, to 2,820. All three indexes were moving in a narrow range. Stores find success by focusing on the huntTrader Joe's, the specialty grocery chain, might not have the cheapest toilet paper or the most varieties of ketchup, but it hooks customers with mango butter, chocolate-covered pomegranate seeds and cilantro-and-jalapeno hummus. These goodies aren't on most grocery lists, but they're eye-catching enough to tempt shoppers into an impulse buy. At a time when families are watching dollars and the Web makes discount-hunting easy, unexpected treasures are an increasingly important strategy for stores. Companies ordered more factory goods in MayWASHINGTON (AP) _ Businesses requested more airplanes, autos, and oil drilling equipment in May The jump in factory orders after a sluggish spring suggests supply disruptions stemming from the Japan crisis are fading. Factory orders rose 0.8 percent in May, the Commerce Department said Tuesday. That followed a downwardly revised drop of 0.9 percent in April. Budgeting for wireless data on Verizon's new plansNEW YORK (AP) _ Are you a wireless data glutton or a nibbler? Many Verizon Wireless customers will have to figure that out _ perhaps as soon as this week _ as the country's largest wireless carrier is set to introduce data plans with monthly usage caps. Netflix to stream movies, shows in Latin AmericaLOS GATOS, Calif. (AP) _ Netflix is expanding its movie and TV show streaming service into 43 countries throughout Latin America in the online movie rental company's largest international expansion yet. Analysts said the expansion was larger than expected. The company's stock hit an all-time high of $283.50 in morning trading Tuesday. WTO rules against China on raw materialsGENEVA (AP) _ The World Trade Organization ruled Tuesday that China was unfairly protecting its domestic manufacturers by limiting the export of nine raw materials that are used widely in steel, aluminum and chemical industries. A WTO panel sided with the United States, European Union and Mexico, which had each filed complaints saying China was driving up the prices they pay for raw materials such as coke, bauxite and zinc by setting export duties and quotas on them. GOP uses budget, other tools to sap financial lawWASHINGTON (AP) _ Congressional Republicans are greeting the one-year anniversary of President Barack Obama's financial overhaul law by trying to weaken it, nibble by nibble. Wary of attempting to dismantle the entire statute and being portrayed as Wall Street's allies _ banks are among the nation's most unpopular institutions _ GOP lawmakers are attacking corners of it. They can't prevail because they don't control the White House or Senate, but they may be able to force some compromises on agency budgets, pressure regulators and influence some of Obama's nominations. Oil climbs above $97 per barrelNEW YORK (AP) _ Some major investment banks are still betting that oil prices will grow next year despite an emergency injection of crude on world markets from the U.S. and other countries. Higher oil prices should push gasoline prices up as well. Energy Transfer in new $5.1B Southern Union dealDALLAS (AP) _ Energy Transfer Equity LP has agreed to pay a revised $5.1 billion for pipeline company Southern Union Co., increasing its offer in an effort to trump rival bidder Williams Cos. Inc. The boards of Energy Transfer and Southern Union have approved the revised deal which was announced Tuesday. The apps that eat your wireless dataNEW YORK (AP) _ If you have a cellphone with a monthly limit on how much data you can use, here are some tips on what types of phone use will gobble up your precious megabytes: _ Streaming video and videoconferencing. The biggest offender. One minute of YouTube-quality video eats up 2 megabytes. If you're on a plan that gives you 200 megabytes per month, you can't even watch Lady Gaga's "Telephone" video once per day. If you're on a 2 gigabyte plan you can, but don't make your iPhone a replacement for a TV. In either case, it's fine to indulge in YouTube and Netflix if you're on Wi-Fi. (c) 2011 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. |