In brief: May hiring falters as U.S. job openings remain high

WASHINGTON – Job openings stayed close to a 15-year high in May. It’s a sign that companies are expecting continued economic growth, but the level of advertised jobs hasn’t driven the same kind of increase in actual hiring.

The Labor Department said Tuesday the number of open jobs rose 0.5 percent to 5.36 million in May. April’s total was revised down to 5.33 million from 5.38 million, which had been the highest total during the 15 years that the government has tracked the data.

General Mills will move toward cage-free eggs

MINNEAPOLIS – Food maker General Mills announced a major move toward cage-free eggs Tuesday as part of an updated animal welfare policy that now extends throughout its global supply chain.

The Golden Valley-based company committed itself to 100 percent cage-free eggs for its U.S. operations, a move several other large companies also have taken recently. The company did not set a deadline but said it will work with its suppliers to determine a “reasonable timeline,” given the disruption that bird flu has caused to the U.S. egg supply.

Eggs are an important ingredient in many products for General Mills, whose brands include Betty Crocker, Pillsbury, Progresso soups, Yoplait yogurt and Hamburger Helper. Some of its products, such as Haagen-Dazs ice cream made in Europe, already go beyond cage-free and use only free-range eggs.

New heart failure pill receives FDA approval

WASHINGTON – Government regulators have approved a new pill from Novartis to treat heart failure, a deadly chronic disease that affects millions of U.S. patients.

The Food and Drug Administration approved the combination drug, Entresto, based on studies showing it reduced rates of heart-related death and hospitalization compared with older drugs.

The FDA approved the drug under its priority review program, which accelerates review for drugs that treat serious diseases or offer a significant improvement over older drugs.

Entresto combines Novartis’ off-patent, blood pressure treatment Diovan with a new drug that decreases certain heart-damaging proteins in the blood.

WASHINGTON – The U.S. trade deficit widened slightly in May, reflecting declines in sales of American-made aircraft and machinery as exports continued to suffer from a strong dollar.

The deficit increased 2.9 percent to $41.9 billion in May, up from an April imbalance of $40.7 billion, the Commerce Department reported Tuesday.

Imports fell 0.1 percent to $230.5 billion. Exports slid at a faster pace of 0.8 percent to $188.6 billion.