Update on the latest in business:

WALL STREET

Stocks break three-day losing streak

NEW YORK (AP) — Investors remain cautious but seem to be indicating that the three-day sell-off on Wall Street may have been a little overdone.

The stock market broke that losing streak yesterday, and the gains pushed the Standard & Poor's 500 back into positive territory for the year.

The S&P 500 rose 6.92 to 1,851.96. The Dow climbed 10 to 16,256.14, and the Nasdaq composite rose 33 to 4,112.99.

The rebound was driven partly by bargain-hunting as investors picked up stocks that had fallen the most during the slump. Technology stocks rose after taking a beating over the past week.

Utilities stocks also rose sharply as investors bought less volatile stocks. Utilities typically pay big dividends and demand for the power they generate tends to be stable, regardless of how the economy is doing.

WORLD MARKETS

Asian stocks gain but Japan down on yen strength

TOKYO (AP) — Asian stocks were mostly higher today, except for Japan where the main index tumbled on a rise in the yen.

The central bank's decision Tuesday to refrain from adding to its already lavish monetary stimulus has helped to push the yen higher. There had been hopes for more stimulus in the wake of an increase in Japan's sales tax to 8 percent from 5 percent that could crimp economic recovery.

Other markets rebounded after Wall Street broke a three-day losing streak.

Investors have grown jittery lately about whether technology, Internet and biotech stocks are largely overvalued, which sparked a sell-off in the U.S. But the losing streak was snapped Tuesday.

Benchmark U.S. crude oil fell below $102.50 a barrel.

The dollar gained against the euro and the yen.

ECONOMY-THE DAY AHEAD

Major business and economic events scheduled for Wednesday:

WASHINGTON (AP) — This morning, the Commerce Department releases wholesale trade inventories for February.

Also today, the Federal Reserve will provide a look inside its latest policy debate when it releases minutes from its March meeting. At that meeting, the Fed decided to continue trimming its monthly long-term bond purchases, while reaffirming its plan to keep short-term rates low to help support the economy. The big change was the Fed dropping any reference to a target unemployment rate, which when reached could lead to an increase in short-term rates. Instead, the central bank says it will monitor "a wide range of information" on the job market, inflation and the economy before approving any rate increase.

EARNS-ALCOA

Aluminum maker Alcoa reports 1Q loss but results excluding special charges beat expectations

UNDATED (AP) — The corporate earnings season has opened with Alcoa reporting it lost $178 million in the first quarter and revenue was disappointing.

Still that was better than analysts had been expecting. When charges to idle capacity at aluminum smelters and mills are excluded, Alcoa says it would have earned 9 cents per share on revenue of $5.45 billion.

Alcoa is being hurt by stubbornly low aluminum prices, and says the price it's receiving has dropped 8 percent from a year ago.

That's driving Alcoa away from smelting. It's closing smelters in New York state and Australia and cutting capacity in Brazil.

Instead, Alcoa is shifting to more finished products for use in building aircraft, autos and other goods. Its engineered-products division posted a record first quarter. Some of those products, like a new lightweight wheel for heavy-duty trucks, are designed to appeal to companies and consumers who are looking for lighter, fuel-efficient vehicles.

GENERAL MOTORS-RECALL-FINE

Gov't: GM missed deadline for faulty switch data

UNDATED (AP) — Federal safety investigators are fining General Motors $7,000 per day for failing to respond to more than one-third of their requests for information about a faulty ignition switch by an April 3 deadline.

The defective switch has been linked to 13 deaths and finally prompted the recall of 2.6 million small cars.

In a letter sent yesterday to GM's top lawyer, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration says it's imposing the maximum allowable fine for the delay. That adds up to $28,000 so far, and the fines will continue to accrue until GM responds.

According to the letter, GM was granted extra time to answer "technical engineering questions" posed by the agency. But NHTSA (NIHT'-suh) contends many of the questions GM failed to answer are not engineering ones, and should have been answered by the deadline.

INTERNET SECURITY THREAT

Passwords vulnerable after security flaw found

NEW YORK (AP) — Passwords and other sensitive data are at risk after security researchers discovered a problem with encryption technology used to securely transmit email, e-commerce transactions, social networking posts and other Web traffic.

The problem was found in OpenSSL, a technology that is the basis for encrypting Web traffic. Researchers say that OpenSSL is used by two of the most widely used Web server software, Apache and nginx. That means many websites potentially have this security flaw.

Researchers say the technology is also used to secure email, chats and virtual private networks, which are used by employees to connect securely with corporate networks.

The flaw was discovered independently by researchers at Google and the Finnish security firm Codenomicon.

A fix is available, but websites and service providers must install the update.

JAPAN-TOYOTA-RECALL

Toyota recalls about 6.4 million vehicles globally

TOKYO (AP) — Toyota Motor Corp. is recalling 6.39 million vehicles globally for a variety of problems spanning nearly 30 models in Japan, the U.S., Europe and other places.

No injuries or crashes have been reported related to the recalls announced Wednesday. But two fires have been reported related to one of the problems, a defective engine starter that can keep the motor running.

Some vehicles were recalled for more than one problem. The recall cases total 6.76 million vehicles for 27 Toyota models, the Pontiac Vibe and the Subaru Trezia, produced from April 2004 through August 2013.

For the recall, Toyota also reported problems with seat rails, the bracket holding the steering column in place, the windshield-wiper motor and a cable attached to the air-bag module.

JAPAN-RESEARCHER

Japan stem cell researcher says results valid

TOKYO (AP) — The scientist accused of falsifying data in a widely heralded stem-cell research paper says that despite mistakes in her work the results are valid.

Haruko Obokata struggled at times to maintain her composure during a news conference Wednesday in the western city of Osaka.

She insisted she did not tamper with the data to fabricate her results, and said she does not intend to retract a report that appeared in the scientific journal Nature.

Obokata apologized repeatedly for having used the wrong images and having altered an image in a report on using a simple lab procedure to grow tissue for treating illnesses such as diabetes and Parkinson's disease.

She has contested allegations of research malpractice made by a panel of scientists at the government-funded Riken Center for Development Biology.

GREECE-FINANCIAL CRISIS

Greek unions hold general strike over income cuts

ATHENS, Greece (AP) — Greek unions have launched an anti-austerity general strike that has halted train and island ferry services while disrupting state hospitals and other public services.

Wednesday's 24-hour strike is also causing public transport disruptions in Athens, where unionists are planning two separate protest marches to Parliament.

Unions say they are seeking an end to the painful belt-tightening policies that successive governments imposed to secure vital international bailouts after Greece nearly went bankrupt in 2010.

The repeated income cuts and tax hikes deepened a six-year recession, while unemployment has reached a record 28 percent.

But signs are increasing that things are slowly improving, with the economy expected to return to growth this year and the government planning a return to capital markets for the first time in four years.

JAPAN-US TRADE

Japan, US struggle to bridge gaps over trade pact

TOKYO (AP) — U.S. Trade Representative Michael Froman and a top Japanese official say they still hope to bridge significant differences over opening markets under an ambitious pan-Pacific trade pact.

Froman and Japanese economy minister Akira Amari were meeting Wednesday in Tokyo after talks earlier in the week appeared to stall.

The U.S. wants Japan to open its markets wider to U.S. farm products in areas Tokyo has reserved for greater protections, such as dairy products, rice and beef. Amari said the two sides hope to forge a basic agreement before President Barack Obama visits Japan later this month.

Japan and Australia reached agreement on Monday on lifting some trade barriers, but Japanese media reports cited Froman saying that deal falls short of the requirements of the Trans-Pacific Partnership.

COSTA RICA-INTEL

Intel eliminates 1,500 jobs in Costa Rica

SAN JOSE, Costa Rica (AP) — Chipmaker Intel says it's eliminating 1,500 jobs from its assembly and test operation in Costa Rica.

Intel says it will keep employing more than 1,200 engineers, finance and human resources employees in the Central American country.

The company says it was a "difficult decision" but that relocating its assembly and test operation to Asia will help it meet its long-term needs.

The closure is part of a strategy announced earlier this year by Intel, which has been struggling with the negative effect of weak personal computer sales.

It says geographic closeness between plants and main markets are an integral part of the strategy.

CONSTRUCTION WORKER SHORTAGE

Construction firms worried about worker shortage

DENVER (AP) — The construction industry says it's in danger of not having enough people to keep up with demand for building projects, as workers age and more teens are pushed to go to college.

That worry comes after 2 million construction workers were laid off during the recession.

One trade group, the Associated General Contractors of America, has announced a plan to draw more people into building trades. That plan includes establishing charter schools focused on technical training, starting non-union apprenticeship programs and pushing for immigration reform.

The group believes many of the laid off workers have since found work in other fields or retired.

The group made Tuesday's announcement in Denver because it has been one of the top 10 metro areas for adding new construction jobs in the past year.

TARGET-ORGANIC

Target ups game on organic, sustainable products

NEW YORK (AP) — Target is looking to organic and sustainable products to improve its financial health, as it tries to win back shoppers scared away by last year's holiday season security breach.

The nation's second-largest discounter has hand-picked 17 of the leading natural, organic and sustainable brands like Chobani and Seventh Generation that already sell to the retailer and has challenged them to come up with new product innovations across the beauty, personal care, grocery and household staples aisles.

The result: more than 120 exclusive new items or twists like non-aerosol air freshener and bleach-free baby diapers are starting to appear on the discounter's shelves.

Target came up with the initiative in 2012, well before the massive security breach. But it's taking on more importance now.

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