Business briefs

Area unemployment claims rise slightly

First-time claims for unemployment benefits increased slightly in the Augusta area for August, the Georgia Department of Labor reported Thursday.

There were 2,370 claims in the Augusta metro area, up from 2,217 in July. There was a 32 percent increase in initial claims for unemployment compared with August 2007, when there were 1,784 filers, according to state data.

Statewide, 50,090 laid off workers asked for benefits, down slightly from July.

U.S. trade deficit up; workers' woes to rise

WASHINGTON --- The U.S. trade deficit soared in July, the Commerce Department said, as oil imports hit an all-time high. While exports increased, economists expect slowing economies in Europe and Asia will reduce export growth later this year.

The Labor Department also reported that new applications for unemployment benefits fell less than expected last week as the struggling economy continues to take a toll on workers.

And in a sign the job market could get worse, nearly one-third of the country's top executives expect to cut payrolls in the coming months, according to a survey released Thursday by the Business Roundtable, an association of large company CEOs.

Economists welcomed the continued strength in exports, which have been the primary driver of the U.S. economy in a year when the country has been battered by a prolonged slump in housing, rising unemployment and a severe credit crunch.

China to enforce rules on bid from Coca-Cola

BEIJING --- China's Commerce Ministry says it will enforce anti-monopoly rules in reviewing Coca-Cola Co.'s bid to buy a Chinese juice producer but gave no indication what factors might affect its decision.

In the first comment on the $2.5 billion bid for Huiyuan Juice Group Ltd., a ministry spokesman quoted by the government's Xinhua News Agency late Wednesday promised to review it as soon as Coca-Cola submits an application. Coca-Cola has declined to comment.

In other news

THE CAMPBELL SOUP CO. said Thursday its profit rose 46 percent from a year ago, as it raised prices on many of its products. The Camden, N.J.-based food company earned $89 million, or 24 cents per share, in the quarter that ended Aug. 3. That's up from a profit of $61 million, or 16 cents a share, a year ago.

-- From staff and wire reports