After cutting interest rates five times in six months, Federal Reserve policy-makers are pondering what more they need to do to restart the ailing economy.

        The Fed's midafternoon announcement today is widely expected to be that the central bank is cutting interest rates for a sixth time. But economists on Tuesday were split over whether the Fed will stick with the half-point moves it has been making so far this year or switch to a smaller quarter-point reduction.

        The Fed's answer probably will depend on what carries greater weight — glimmers that the economy is pulling out of its yearlong funk or concerns that the recovery could be derailed if Americans slow their spending.
       

Fraud fight requested

        Amazon.com Inc., EBay Inc. and Yahoo! Inc. have been asked by a U.S. House committee to help stop scam artists targeting the 36 million Americans who participate in Internet auctions.

        Some bidders take part in an online sale solely to drive up the price. Such fraud was the topic of a letter sent Monday by House Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman Billy Tauzin.
       

EarthLink raises fees

        EarthLink Inc. will raise the price for its Internet service by 10 percent, a month after top rival AOL Time Warner Inc. announced a rate increase.

        Monthly fees will rise to $21.95 from $19.95 on July 2 for new subscribers who access the Web through phone lines, the company said. The increase is effective Aug. 1 for 3.1 million of EarthLink's 4.8 million customers.
       

Retail chain shuts down

        Weiner's Stores Inc., a troubled chain of retail clothing stores based in Houston, announced Tuesday that it will close all of its stores and eliminate 2,700 jobs by September.

        Last October, the chain filed for bankruptcy protection and closed 44 of its 141 stores, citing cash-flow problems and operating losses.
       
       

International
German railway
cuts 8,000 jobs

        The national railway Deutsche Bahn plans to close eight repair stations by the end of 2003, eliminating about 6,000 of its nearly 23,000 maintenance jobs.

        A union representing railway workers threatened strikes to protest the job cuts announced Tuesday in a bid to make the railway more profitable.

        The repair stations are only being used at less than two-thirds of their capacity, Deutsche Bahn said, and investments in new trains will reduce the need for the facilities.

Delta says outlook bright
Comair's 1st flight Monday
Economy showing signs of life
Plan on despite job cuts
EU chief looks to calm U.S.
Convergys shares fall 5 percent
Industry notes: Banking
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