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Stocks rose Wednesday, capping a wild month in the stock market, after a surge in factory orders reassured investors that the manufacturing industry remains healthy.

Factory orders rose 2.4 percent in July, the biggest increase since March. Demand for automobiles jumped by the largest amount in eight years and orders for commercial airplanes soared. Manufacturing has been one of the strongest parts of the economy since the recession ended about two years ago.

The Dow Jones industrial average rose 143 points, or 1.2 percent, to 11,703. The Dow turned positive for the year, and has risen seven of the last eight days. Aluminum maker Alcoa Inc. rose 4.3 percent, the most of the 30 companies that make up the Dow average.

Joy Global rose 5.1 percent after the mining equipment maker said its earnings rose 46 percent because of strong global demand for commodities like copper and coal.

That helped to push up other stocks in the mining and commodities industry. Mining operator Cliffs Natural Resources Inc. rose 3.2 percent and equipment giant Caterpillar Inc. rose 2.4 percent.

The Standard & Poor’s 500 index rose 16, or 1.4 percent, to 1,229. The Nasdaq composite index rose 34, or 1.3 percent, to 2,610.

August has been volatile for investors. After S&P downgraded the U.S. government’s credit rating, the Dow had four consecutive days of 400-point swings. That’s the first time that happened in its 115-year history.

The S&P 500 hit a low for the year on Aug. 8., immediately after the downgrade Since then, it has risen 9.7 percent.

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With the snack aisle already full of household names such as Lay’s, Chex Mix and Planters, Howie Sher knew he needed a catchy name for his new product that would help it stand out in the crowd.

So the former Metro East grocer came up with a zinger: “What-A-Ya-Nuts?!”

“I know there’s that emotional pull from the tried and true brands,” said Sher, 43, who recently launched the Clayton-based company. “So if I’m going to create a new brand, I need to grab their attention.”

So far, he has grabbed the attention of Schnucks and Straub’s as well as number of mom-and-pop shops such as Kohn’s Kosher Market in Creve Coeur that have begun carrying his nut cluster snack. His product had a soft launch last month and is now in about 100 locations, mostly in the St. Louis region. .

This week, he’s kicking off a sponsorship with Fox Sports Midwest to have a “What-A-Ya-Nuts Wednesday headlines” on its website, which will feature quirky sports stories. And he’ll be handing out lots of samples at areas stores in the coming weeks.

So what exactly is What-A-Ya-Nuts?

“We’re making like a nut-ola,” he said payday loans. “It’s almost like a granola of nuts.”

What-A-Ya-Nuts are clusters of almonds, pecans and sunflower seeds, with no added preservatives. The suggested retail price is $4.99 for a 4-ounce package.

They come in four flavors that have their own fun and zany names: “jalapeno hysteria,” “maple cinnamon madness,” ’stark raving chocolate” and “cracked Parmesan pepper.”

“We want people to think we’re a little nutty,” Sher said, “because life is too serious.”

Like with any new product, Sher faces some hurdles in getting consumers to make room in their shopping carts for his nuts.

Haim Mano, chair of the University of Missouri-St. Louis’ marketing department, said it can be difficult to get consumers to try a new product from a company with no record.

“If Pringles came up with a new kind of Pringles, it would be easy for them because people know what Pringles is,” he said.

But for these unknown items, companies have to go out of their way to provide samples and freebies

London police have arrested a 61-year old man in connection with the ongoing investigation into electronic eavesdropping of voicemail messages.

The man is the 12th person arrested in the scandal tied to the defunct British tabloid, the News of the World.

Detectives have been investigating claims the newspaper illegally eavesdropped on the phone messages of celebrities, politicians and even crime victims payday loan.

Those arrested in past include Murdoch’s former British newspaper chief Rebekah Brooks and Andy Coulson, an ex-News of the World editor who went on to be Prime Minister David Cameron’s communications chief.

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The Toronto stock market tumbled again Friday, a day after investors punished stocks and sparked the worst one-day decline in two years, with no comfort coming from a stronger-than-expected reading on U.S. employment.

The S&P/TSX composite index fell 216.03 points or 1.74 per cent to 12,164.1, led by sliding resource stocks as investors feel slowing economic conditions will heavily impact demand.

The economy is at risk of slipping into another recession.

It nearly stalled in the first six months of the year, the government reported Friday. Economic growth was feeble in the second quarter and practically nonexistent in the first no fax payday advances.

The new picture of an economy far weaker than most analysts had expected suddenly made a second recession a more serious threat

Latch on early to a growing market. Relentlessly drive down costs. Research and innovate. Take large but calculated risks. Wait for your competition to weaken, then gobble them up.

Over 25 years, that formula took Express Scripts from a five-person startup in 1986 to a company with $45 billion in revenue and 14,000 employees.

Three times, in 1998, 1999 and 2009, the pharmacy benefits company bought competitors twice or nearly twice its size in bet-the-company gambles that paid off.

On Thursday, it made its biggest bet yet: the $29.1 billion purchase of Medco, its biggest rival.

If antitrust regulators approve, and executives can successfully knit the two firms together, it will become the banner corporate success story of the new century in St. Louis. The bold acquisition further provides a lesson for St. Louis in corporate Darwinism, analysts say.

“If you’re not one of the sharks, then you’re the food,” said analyst Juli Niemann of Smith Moore & Co. in Clayton.

St. Louis has its share of shark food; companies that grew fast in the 19th and early 20th century, only to atrophy once complacency set in.

May Department Stores stood idle as discounters stole business from old-fashioned department stores. It was swallowed by Federated Department Stores in 2005 online payday loan lenders.

The St. Louis banking business was almost entirely home-grown 20 years ago. Now it’s dominated by giant banks based elsewhere.

Anheuser-Busch may provide the most striking comparison to Express Scripts. One was flabby, and the other lean, says Keith Womer, dean of the business school at the University of Missouri-St. Louis.

A-B dominated the American beer industry with nearly half the market. But that industry wasn’t growing, and the brewer sat back while competitors sought growing markets overseas. Eventually, one of those overseas giants, InBev, devoured Anheuser-Busch.

“A-B had gotten a little slow, a little comfortable in the way things had been,” Womer said. “If you walked into the executive suite at Anheuser-Busch, it was a very plush place. Walk in to the executive offices at Express Scripts, and you’re hard-pressed to tell the difference with any other office in the building.”

Other old-line companies survived by evolving, in some cases radically. Monsanto morphed from a chemical company to a plant biotech powerhouse in Creve Coeur. It’s now the biggest seed company in the country.

Starting from scratch

Express Scripts had no choice but to innovate

What does a junior Toronto mining company have in common with avant-garde fashion designer Vivienne Westwood?

They both dig palladium.

The rare precious metal has always flown under the radar compared to its more glamorous cousins gold and platinum, but lately it

Dietician Maisie Vanriel won Moneyville’s blogging contest and will begin writing twice a week beginning in early July exploring smart food shopping, and things the food industry doesn’t want you to know. She will also be taking part in a 12-week challenge to reduce her family grocery spending.

Canadians can reduce their grocery bill and eat healthier food and they do not need coupons and special deals to do it. As a dietitian, I often teach healthier eating by teaching smarter shopping, because supermarkets have perfected separating you from your money and not always in the healthiest way.

Here are 5 things you may not know about grocery stores:

1. Why produce is misted.

The first thing you see when you enter many grocery stores is a colourful wall of fresh produce, sometimes being misted gently. It screams healthy. That wholesome look has been proven to result in $5 to $8 more in sales per visit.

So next time you go into a grocery store save the produce area for last. Start by walking past the cash registers and the rows of chips, candy and treats. I guarantee you will buy less. Nothing kills spending faster than the thought that the last thing your waistline needs is $5 worth of treats.

2. Why milk is at the back.

Most quick trips to the grocery store are for bread, milk and eggs, so marketers place these items at the back of the store hoping you will walk down an aisle and make an impulse buy. Avoid the temptation — just walk around the perimeter, pick up your bread, milk and eggs and leave.

3. Always try lower shelves.

If you must walk down an aisle it is easy to buy healthier foods and save money by choosing the foods you have to bend down or stretch up to reach. The shelf space at eye level is aimed at the average Canadian woman who is 5-foot-5. Since women do most of the grocery shopping manufacturers will pay thousands of dollars per store to own that space.

Take the cracker aisle; the least healthy, most expensive crackers are generally on the eye-level shelves. Choose healthier and less expensive crackers by just bending down or stretching up to reach them.

4. Featured specials aren’t so special.

Be wary of items that are “on special” or “featured” at the front of an aisle. Notice they don’t always say “on sale,” because often times they are not. A “featured” cereal may be exactly the same price as it is in the aisle, just placed in a more prominent spot to increase sales.

5. Watch for “me too” items.

The front of the aisle is also a favourite spot for what I call “me too” items. A more expensive cereal is “accidentally” placed next to the featured cereal, and only when you get to the checkout do you find out it is more expensive. Most shoppers just keep it rather than go back to change it. Next time avoid those featured areas.

It may not seem like much but remember, “look after your pennies and the dollars will take care of themselves.” It is often the mundane day-to-day activities like grocery shopping where people are most easily parted from their money.

Also read:

New blogger to cut food spending 15%

Maisie Vanriel is a nutritionist with the Region of Peel in the Toronto area. She has a degree in Nutritrion and Food Science and has been a cook since the age of six.

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DES MOINES, Iowa

Dominique Strauss-Kahn’s bail hearing Friday could spell the end of his leadership of the International Monetary Fund.

If a New York judge denies bail for Strauss-Kahn or imposes highly restrictive conditions on his freedom, the IMF’s executive board would expect him to resign, two senior IMF officials said Wednesday. If he didn’t, the board could remove him on the grounds that he couldn’t lead the IMF from a jail cell or far from its Washington headquarters.

The two officials spoke on condition of anonymity because of the highly sensitive situation. Strauss-Kahn is jailed in New York City on charges of sexually assaulting a hotel maid.

No action is foreseen before Friday’s court hearing. Attempts to reach Strauss-Kahn’s lawyers were unsuccessful. The Frenchman hasn’t said whether he’ll yield to rising international pressure for his resignation.

One of the IMF officials said the fund had yet to speak with its managing director since his weekend arrest. The IMF has appointed an interim chief, but there are no procedures for suspending or placing its leader on extended leave.

As a result, any prolonged legal troubles would mean that Strauss-Kahn would have to resign to avoid being ousted by the 24-member board. The board can meet whenever it wants to decide on Strauss-Kahn’s future, the official said.

The other IMF official said the board will insist on a meeting Friday after the court hearing. The board can remove Strauss-Kahn without cause, the official noted.

While Strauss-Kahn remains confined to a Rikers Island jail cell, the dividing lines are sharpening in a dispute over whether someone from a rich or an emerging economy should lead the IMF after his exit.

Europe is aggressively staking its traditional claim to the top position. But fast-growing nations such as China, Brazil and South Africa are trying to break Europe’s grip on an organization empowered to direct billions of dollars to stabilize the global economy.

Europeans have led the IMF since its inception after World War II. Americans have occupied both the No. 2 position at the IMF and the top post at its sister institution, the World Bank. The World Bank funds projects in developing countries.

Europe has “an abundance of highly qualified candidates” to lead the IMF, German government spokesman Christoph Steegmans declared Wednesday. He also noted the relevance of having a European at the helm, to deal with the debt problems that have racked the eurozone.

Steegmans didn’t name any potential candidates or say whether Germany might propose one. But German Chancellor Angela Merkel, along with the finance ministers of Sweden and the Netherlands, have pressed Europe’s case for the IMF leadership.

Still, developing nations see Europe’s stranglehold on the position as increasingly out of touch with the world economy. China’s is now the world’s second-largest economy. India’s and Brazil’s have cracked the top 10. Many emerging economies are sitting on stockpiles of cash and have become forces of financial stability, while rich countries have become weighed down by debt.

“We must establish meritocracy, so that the person leading the IMF is selected for their merits and not for being European,” Brazilian Finance Minister Guido Mantega said, calling for a “new criteria” for leadership. “You can have a competent European … but you can have a representative from an emerging nation who is competent as well.”

China suggested it was time to shake things up at the IMF, with Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Jiang Yu saying the leadership “should be based on fairness, transparency and merit.”

And South African Finance Minister Pravin Gordhan spoke in stronger terms. He said the new director should come from an emerging economy, to “bring a new perspective that will ensure that the interests of all countries, both developed and developing, are fully reflected in the operations and policies of the IMF.”

It remains unclear which way the United States is leaning. Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner said Tuesday that Strauss-Kahn is “obviously not in a position” to run the IMF, escalating the pressure on the 62-year-old economist.

The United States has a major say in determining who will head the fund, in part because it holds the largest number of votes. The prevailing view among analysts and former Treasury officials appears to be that Washington would back a strong European candidate who could be approved in a smooth process.

“It’s kind of not our fight,” said Phillip Swagel, a Treasury official in the George W. Bush administration. “There are very good reasons to have a forceful, prominent European head of IMF.”

One such candidate would be French Finance Minister Christine Lagarde.

Other Europeans touted as possibilities are Germany’s former central bank chief Axel Weber; the head of Europe’s bailout fund, Klaus Regling; and Peer Steinbrueck, a former German finance minister.

Candidates from elsewhere include Turkey’s former finance minister, Kemal Dervis; Singapore’s finance chief Tharman Shanmugaratnam; and Indian economist Montek Singh Ahluwalia.

More possibilities include Trevor Manuel, South Africa’s former finance minister; Mexico’s central bank governor, Agustin Carstens; and former Brazilian central bank president Arminio Fraga.

Strauss-Kahn was removed from a plane Saturday at John F. Kennedy International Airport, moments before he was to fly to Paris. He was supposed to meet Sunday with German Chancellor Angela Merkel to discuss aid to debt-laden Greece and then join EU finance ministers in Brussels on Monday and Tuesday.

Strauss-Kahn’s flight from Washington was paid for by the IMF, with an approved stopover in New York, the official said. That meant his New York visit was in a private capacity. He was not accompanied by security personnel or any IMF aides.

The official said Strauss-Kahn’s security team was supposed to meet him at Paris’ Charles de Gaulle airport. His assistants were already in Europe.

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