Business briefs

TAMPA

Starbucks trying even bigger drinks

For some, 24 ounces of coffee just doesn't cut it. Starbucks Corp. hopes to satisfy their hankering for more with a new 31-ounce drink dubbed the Trenta, Italian for 30. The nearly quart-sized drink is available only for iced coffee and iced teas, none of those fancy lattes or mochas. It is being tested in Tampa and Phoenix, chosen because of their warm climates. A Trenta coffee costs $3.30, a Trenta tea goes for $2.60.

NEW ORLEANS

Inquiry sought on drywall deaths

U.S. Sen. David Vitter is calling on federal officials to do a thorough inquiry into the deaths of several people who lived in homes built with suspect Chinese drywall. A spokesman for the Consumer Protection Safety Commission says the deaths have been investigated and experts found no correlation between the deaths and the sulfur-emitting drywall. Vitter is from Louisiana, where many of the homes containing the suspected drywall are located.

WASHINGTON

Jobless claims dropped last week

New claims for jobless benefits fell last week in a sign that layoffs may be easing as the economy slowly recovers. The government said that initial claims for unemployment insurance fell by 29,000 to a seasonally adjusted 469,000. That nearly matches Wall Street analysts' estimates of 470,000. Meanwhile, orders to U.S. factories posted the biggest increase in four months in January, led by a surge in demand for commercial aircraft. Orders rose 1.7 percent. The government also said productivity jumped at an annual rate of 6.9 percent in the fourth quarter.

WASHINGTON

Bank warrants bring in $1.54 billion

The Treasury Department has received a record $1.54 billion from the sale of warrants it received from Bank of America as part of the support it provided during the financial crisis. The Treasury said it sold 272.17 million warrants in an auction held because Bank of America and the government could not agree upon an acceptable price.

UNITED ARAB EMIRATES

Moody's cuts Abu Dhabi ratings

A leading credit rating agency has cut its ratings on seven state-linked companies in oil-rich Abu Dhabi, citing a lack of formal government backing. The downgrades by Moody's Investors Service come in the wake of the debt crisis in neighboring emirate Dubai, one of seven making up the United Arab Emirates. That city-state rocked world markets late last year by refusing to stand behind its government-linked companies' debts. Investors had assumed those companies carried government backing.