Wednesday Evening Business Brief

• News that several top Federal Reserve officials have been expressing doubts about continuing the central bank's efforts to keep borrowing costs low has sent a shudder through investors. The Dow lost 108 points to close at 13,927 today. The S&P 500 index had its biggest loss of the year, falling 19 to 1,512, a loss of 1.2 percent. And the Nasdaq dropped 49 points, or 1.5 percent, to 3,164.W
• The Obama administration is launching a new effort to fight the growing theft of trade secrets. The plan includes a fresh diplomatic effort to discourage intellectual property theft abroad along with better coordination at home to help U.S. companies protect themselves. The administration says there are indications that economic espionage is increasing - not only through computer hacking but also through the recruitment of former employees of U.S. companies who have knowledge of inside trade information.
• A congressional official says Boeing has plans for a temporary fix of the battery problems that have grounded its 787 Dreamliners for more than a month. The official says Boeing's CEO is expected to present the plan to the head of the Federal Aviation Administration later this week.
• West Virginia Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin is asking coal companies to halt production for an hour to review safety procedures following the state's fourth mining fatality in two weeks. Tomblin is urging mine operators to hold safety talks with employees over the next 24 hours. Inspectors and mine safety officials plan to visit about 500 mines. The request comes after a worker was struck by a scoop last night and died of his injuries.
• The New York Times Co. says it is selling The Boston Globe and its related assets so it can focus on its namesake newspaper. Times chief executive Mark Thompson says, given the differences between the Globe and the Times, a sale is in the best long-term interests of both papers.

Read more business stories on the Back To Business page.