From staff and wire reports

FirstEnergy Corp. gets subpoena

A federal grand jury wants FirstEnergy Corp. to provide documents concerning its damaged Davis-Besse nuclear plant.

FirstEnergy said Friday in a filing to the Securities and Exchange Commission that its FirstEnergy Nuclear Operating Co. subsidiary recently received a grand jury subpoena, which calls for documents and records relating to the inspection and maintenance of the reactor vessel head at Davis-Besse.

The plant along Lake Erie near Toledo has been shut down since February 2002. A month later, a leak was discovered that had allowed boric acid to eat nearly through the 6-inch-thick steel cap over the plant's reactor vessel.

Gallatin meets new standard

Gallatin Steel Co., flat-rolled carbon steel maker near Warsaw, Ky., has achieved requirements of ISO/TS 16949 international quality standard. It is one of only three North American steel makers to achieve the certification.

The standards, a sort of industry seal of approval, were developed by the international standards community, the Japan Automobile Manufacturers Association and the International Automotive Task Force. Gallatin employs 400.

P&G helps lead bond sales rush

Procter & Gamble Co. and Hutchison Whampoa Ltd. led companies that sold about $22 billion of bonds in the United States this week, the most in two months, as issuers rushed to take advantage of the lowest borrowing costs in four years.

Hutchison Whampoa increased the biggest global bon` sale ever for an Asian company, to $5 billion from $3 billion, after receiving $12 billion of orders. Cincinnati-based Procter & Gamble, the biggest U.S. household-goods maker, boosted its sale to $1.2 billion from $1 billion. Total issuance was almost twice the annual weekly average of $12.7 billion, as companies worked to complete sales before the Thanksgiving holiday.