AP Executive Morning Briefing

The top business news from The Associated Press for the morning of Monday, March 26, 2007:

Intel to Build $2.5B Factory in China

BEIJING (AP) _ Intel Corp. announced Monday it will build a $2.5 billion chip factory in China, giving the U.S. company a bigger presence in the booming Chinese market and boosting Beijing's efforts to attract high-tech investment. The factory will supply chipsets to customers in China, which Intel expects to be the largest information technology market by the time the facility opens in 2010, Intel CEO Paul Otellini said at a news conference in the Great Hall of the People. Chipsets are computer chips that connect a microprocessor to other system components.

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Bush, Automakers to Talk Flex-Fuel Cars

WASHINGTON (AP) _ President Bush is getting at look at U.S. automakers' latest advances in alternative fuel vehicles as the companies press the case that ethanol and biodiesel blends can help reduce the nation's reliance on foreign oil. Bush scheduled a White House meeting Monday with General Motors Corp. chairman and chief executive Rick Wagoner, Ford Motor Co. chief executive Alan Mulally and DaimlerChrysler AG's Chrysler Group chief executive Tom LaSorda.

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Wall Street Awaits Home Sales, GDP Data

NEW YORK (AP) _ The Federal Reserve's stance on interest rates helped spark a comeback on Wall Street last week, and investors are hoping that this week's data on new home sales, gross domestic product and personal spending will add momentum to the rally. The market is still showing signs of volatility, but investors are tentatively optimistic about its recovery after the Dow Jones industrials posted their best weekly point gain in four years and returned to positive territory for the year. The blue chip index jumped 159 points Wednesday after a Fed statement appeared to raise the possibility of a rate cut this year, a move the market hopes would encourage consumer spending.

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Unions Struggle With Auto Industry Cuts

ANDERSON, Ind. (AP) _ Fastened to the wall of a florist shop a block from where thousands of autoworkers once toiled is a black foil balloon splashed with musical notes and the words "Good Luck." This central Indiana city _ once pulsing with 22,000 auto jobs and a dozen auto plants _ is hoping for some.

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Wikipedia Co-Founder Seeks to Start Over

In just six years, Wikipedia has mushroomed into one of the Web's most astonishing successes, with 1.7 million articles in English alone. The downside is that the free encyclopedia has its share of errors and juvenile vandalism, and sometimes the writing is incomprehensibly arcane. To Wikipedia fans, these blemishes are an unavoidable _ and relatively small _ price to pay for the dazzling breadth spawned by its "anyone can edit" open design.

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South Korea-U.S. Free-Trade Plan Decried

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) _ Thousands of South Koreans took to the streets Sunday to denounce a proposed free trade agreement between their country and the United States just days ahead of a deadline for negotiators to strike a deal. South Korean and U.S. officials have until the end of this week to reach an agreement. Planned high-level negotiations in Seoul from Monday are aimed at closing gaps in automobiles, agriculture and other contentious issues that have defied resolution over almost 10 months of talks.

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Beckman Coulter to Buy Biosite

FULLERTON, Calif. (AP) _ Beckman Coulter Inc., maker of biomedical laboratory instruments, is acquiring the biomedical research company Biosite, Inc. for approximately $1.55 billion. Beckman Coulter, headquartered in Fullerton, will buy all of San Diego-based Biosite's outstanding common stock in a cash tender offer of $85 per share. The offer is a 53 percent premium over Biosite's closing stock price of $55.38 on Friday.

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U.S. Remains Top Food Source for Cuba

HAVANA (AP) _ Since 2003, one country has been the main supplier of food to Fidel Castro's Cuba: the United States. Surprised? You have good company.

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High Court Takes Up Price-Fixing Case

WASHINGTON (AP) _ When a family-owned retailer in Texas lowered prices on women's fashion accessories, the manufacturer cut off the store's supply. Phil and Kay Smith sued and won in a case now before the Supreme Court that asks whether price-fixing always is illegal. Arguments before the justices were scheduled for Monday. The manufacturer, Leegin Creative Leather Products Inc. in City of Industry, Calif., is challenging a 1911 Supreme Court ruling that automatically classifies agreements to set minimum prices as anticompetitive.

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Judge Lets Europeans in on Vivendi Suit

PARIS (AP) _ A federal judge in New York has ruled that French, English and Dutch citizens who bought Vivendi shares before the French media-to-telecom group neared bankruptcy in 2002 are allowed to join a U.S. class action against the company that was initiated by Vivendi shareholders. "The United States District Court in New York which is hearing the class action initiated against Vivendi in July 2002, has decided that the persons from the United States, France, England and the Netherlands who purchased or acquired shares or ADS of Vivendi _ previously Vivendi Universal _ between Oct. 30, 2000, and Aug. 14, 2002, could be included in the class," Vivendi said in a statement Sunday.

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Gold Prices

LONDON (AP) _

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Japan Markets

TOKYO (AP) _ The Tokyo stock exchange's main index rose for a fifth straight session Monday, hovering near a month high, led by consumer finance issues.

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Dollar-Yen

TOKYO (AP) _ The dollar fell slightly against the yen in Asia Monday as U.S. short-term players took profits while others kept to the sidelines ahead of events later this week.

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