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NEW YORK (Reuters) – Stocks rose while the Nasdaq turned slightly positive on Tuesday after the Federal Open Market Committee’s minutes said some Fed officials were ready to provide more easing monetary policy easing if the recovery was too sluggish to cut the nation’s unemployment rate.

In the minutes of their June meeting, other Fed officials disagreed and said that if recent increases in inflation do not moderate, the Fed should consider tightening policy sooner than expected.

The Dow Jones industrial average was up 60.17 points, or 0.48 percent, at 12,565.93. The Standard & Poor’s 500 Index was up 7.19 points, or 0.54 percent, at 1,326.68. The Nasdaq Composite Index was up 3.96 points, or 0.14 percent, at 2,806.58.

(Reporting by Ryan Vlastelica; Editing by Jan Paschal)

SANATOGA – For the second time within 20 months, a car dealership located at the heart of the Sanatoga village business district, 2148 E. High St., has closed due to what its owners said were “economic” conditions.

The Driven Autoplex officially closed 17 days ago, on June 24, according to notices posted on glass doors at all three entrances to its showroom. “We appreciate all of our customer support, but, sadly, for economic reasons, we are closing for business,” the printed notice announced.

Similar wording used back in October 2008, on notices very similar to the ones taped up by Driven Autoplex, was used to announce the closing of its predecessor at the same location, the Norco Auto Group.

The Driven Autoplex website is no longer available online. On its LinkedIn page, however, the company said it served “the Pottstown region and neighboring Philadelphia, Lancaster and Allentown, with quality used cars and trucks … something for every taste, and every need.” It also said it provided “a full line of services … from auto repair performed by expert mechanics, to car loan assistance.

Click here to read more or visit The Sanatoga Post on our Town Square.

AP Photo Renita Manny Williamson, a former Army reservist listens as Mississippi Department of Employment Security representative Tuskie Sanders. right, suggests ways to improve a job application letter at a state employment center in Jackson, Miss., Thursday.

AP Economics Writer

WASHINGTON — Hiring slowed to a near-standstill last month, raising doubts that the economy will rebound in the second half of the year.

The report baffled economists who had predicted much stronger job creation. And it escalated a debate in Washington over how to spur hiring and energize the economy while also cutting federal spending.

Just 18,000 net jobs were created in June, the fewest in nine months. The unemployment rate rose to 9.2 percent, the highest rate of the year, the Labor Department said Friday.

Stocks plunged after the report was released, although the market recovered some losses in late-afternoon trading. The Dow Jones industrial average closed down 62 points for the day. B

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Facebook officials introduced to the world on Wednesday their concept of ‘video chatting,’ melding Facebook and Skype.

Now that Facebook partnered with Skype, video chatting with any one of your Facebook friends is now one click away if you have a webcam.

WSBT’s Colleen Ferreira shows us how to use this new feature. Click on: HOW TO USE NEW FACEBOOK/SKYPE FEATURE

Once you’ve come up with a business idea (the first step to starting a small business), it’s time to write a business plan.

This is the step to starting a business that many people like to try to avoid or shortcut, but it’s one of the most important steps of all.

When you write a business plan, you:

So why do some people try to avoid writing one? Laziness, I think. It’s a lot of work to write a business plan. However, if you want to start a successful small business, it’s work that’s absolutely vital.

And be aware, too, that you don’t have to work all the way through a full-blown business plan if all you want to do is see if a particular business idea is worth exploring further.

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The turmoil in North Africa has hit growth across the continent but may be prompting important indirect political changes, the chief economist of the African Development Bank said on Monday.

In a speech, Mthuli Ncube said the unrest in Egypt, Libya and Tunisia will probably reduce economic growth in North Africa this year to 0.7% from 4.7% last year. Overall, Africa’s growth is estimated at 3.7% in 2011, down from 4.9% last year.

Further south, Ncube said economies have been affected by a drop in money sent home by Africans from elsewhere on the continent who had been working in North Africa. Niger, for example, had 200 000 citizens working in oil-rich Libya, according to bank statistics.

Sub-Saharan African countries with high unemployment should also be wary, Ncube said. He noted in an interview with the Associated Press after his speech on Monday that former South African president Thabo Mbeki — which is struggling to cut unemployment, particularly among the young — was ousted in 2008 by his own African National Congress in campaign led by the party’s youth wing. Read more…