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In brief

By TIMES WIRES
Published September 26, 2006

New ingredients added to sweeten profits

As Mrs. Fields approaches its 30th anniversary, the cookie icon is adding some menu items and brightening the look of its stores.

Workers' comp service company acquired

Health Advocates Inc. of Tampa has been acquired by AmerisourceBergen Corp. for $83-million in cash. Health Advocates provides Medicare set-aside cost-containment services to insurers in the workers' compensation industry. It will be combined with PMSI, another AmerisourceBergen subsidiary in Tampa that processes workers' comp pharmacy benefits, and be renamed PMSI MSA. June Simpson, Health Advocates' founder and president, will become president of PMSI MSA. AmerisourceBergen of Valley Forge, Pa., is a major drug distributor. An AmerisourceBergen spokesman said combining Health Advocates and PMSI provides an opportunity for each division to cross-sell services. Health Advocates has about 100 employees in Tampa.

Inflation prediction pushes stocks higher

Stocks rose Monday after Dallas Federal Reserve president Richard Fisher suggested inflation would be dampened by a slowing economy and said that while the housing and auto sectors are economic weak points, the rest of the U.S. economy is doing "extremely well." The Dow Jones industrial average gained 67.71, or 0.59 percent, to 11,575.81. Broader stock indicators also advanced.

Nissan, GM bosses set to talk this week

Carlos Ghosn, the head of Nissan and Renault, and General Motors CEO Richard Wagoner plan to hold talks this week in Paris as they assess the possibility of an alliance among the three automakers, Nissan said Monday. "We can confirm that they will meet this week in Paris," Nissan spokeswoman Mihoko Takeda said. "But we are not providing any further details at this time." Japan's Kyodo News agency said it was unclear whether the meeting would happen before the opening of the Paris Motor Show, which starts Thursday with a media preview.

T-bill rates fall

Interest rates on short-term Treasury bills fell in Monday's auction, with rates on six-month bills dropping to the lowest level since early May. The Treasury Department auctioned $18-billion in three-month bills at a discount rate of 4.770 percent, down from 4.815 percent last week. An additional $16-billion in six-month bills was auctioned at a discount rate of 4.810 percent, down from 4.920 percent last week.

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[Last modified September 25, 2006, 23:03:39]