Business briefs

Stocks mixed

The Dow Jones indus trial average was down 8.99 points at 10,143.81. The S&P 500 Index rose 3.07 to 1,076.76. The Nas daq composite added 6.06 points to 2,223.48.

Merck loss

Merck & Co. lost the second trial to reach a verdict over claims its os teoporosis drug Fosamax causes so-called jaw death. The jury set dam ages at $8 million. Merck said it would appeal the verdict.

On the spot

Joseph Cassano, who led the AIG unit that brought the insurer to the brink of collapse with bad bets on subprime mortgages, will appear before Phil Angelides’ Financial Crisis Inquiry Commission next week to give his first testimony since leaving the com pany. Probes of Cassano by the Justice Depart ment and UK regulators were dropped last month. AIG was forced into a $182 billion US bailout in September 2008.

GDP slip

The nation’s first-quar ter gross domestic prod uct expanded at a 2.7 per cent annual rate instead of the 3 percent pace re ported last month, the Commerce Department said, in its final revision yesterday.