MINNEAPOLIS — Best Buy pulled further ahead of consumer electronics retail rival Circuit City on Wednesday, reporting an 18.5 percent rise in its fourth-quarter profit while Circuit City swung to a loss.

Best Buy Co. Inc., the nation's biggest consumer electronics chain, said it earned $763 million, or $1.55 per share, during the quarter that ended March 3, up from $644 million, or $1.29 per share, in the three months ended Feb. 25, 2006.

Revenue rose 21 percent to $12.9 billion from $10.69 billion a year ago, driven by store openings and a quarter that was a week longer than last year's.

Analysts surveyed by Thomson Financial were expecting earnings of $1.52 per share on revenue of $12.67 billion.

Best Buy also announced that it would carry Apple computers in 200 stores by this fall.

Meanwhile, Circuit City Stores Inc. continued to struggle.

On Wednesday, the nation's No. 2 consumer electronics chain said it lost $12.2 million in the fourth quarter, hurt by hefty restructuring charges related in part to store closings.

DAIMLERCHRYSLER STILL AWAITING WORD ON SALE

BERLIN — Shareholders of DaimlerChrysler AG had hoped for a decision on the sale of the money-losing Chrysler unit, or at least news on when that might happen — but got neither Wednesday at a meeting marked by simmering tension over the automaker's future.

The company's board would acknowledge only that an outright sale was among the options being considered — despite an ongoing recovery plan to stem losses, cut 13,000 North American jobs and pare back production.

Shareholders — many of whom have criticized from the start the 1998 merger of Daimler-Benz and Chrysler Corp. in a $36 billion deal — were agitated about the lack of updates. DaimlerChrysler shares closed down more than 1.4 percent in Frankfurt at 61.10 euros ($81.65).

U.S. SERVICE ECONOMY EXPANDS AT SLOWER PACE

WASHINGTON — The U.S. service sector expanded at a slower rate in March than in the previous month, a trade group said Wednesday, coming in below economists' expectations and adding to concerns that U.S. economic growth is slowing.

The Tempe, Arizona-based Institute for Supply Management, an organization of corporate purchasing executives, said that its index of business activity in the non-manufacturing sector registered 52.4 in March, down from 54.3 in February. Wall Street was expecting a reading of 54.7.

The index is at its lowest level since April 2003, said David Resler, chief economist at Nomura Securities.

Separately, new factory orders grew by a slower-than-expected 1 percent in February, a Commerce Department report showed. Weakness in demand for construction machinery, primary metals including steel, and electrical equipment tempered gains elsewhere including cars and other transportation equipment, computers, chemical products and clothing.

The ISM report suggests the slowdown in other sectors, such as manufacturing and housing, is starting to spread.

WAL-MART DEFENDS SECURITY PRACTICES AFTER ALLEGATIONS

BENTONVILLE, Ark. — Wal-Mart's normally low-profile security efforts were thrust into the limelight Wednesday when a fired technician alleged he had been part of a large surveillance operation that spied on company workers, critics, vendors and consultants. The company defended its security practices.

The world's largest retailer declined to comment on specific allegations made by 19-year veteran Bruce Gabbard to the Wall Street Journal in a report published Wednesday. Wal-Mart reiterated that it had fired Gabbard, 44, and his supervisor last month for violating company policy by recording phone calls and intercepting pager messages.

Gabbard was fired after recording phone calls to and from a New York Times reporter and intercepting pager messages.

Wal-Mart made the case public last month and denied Gabbard's claims that his actions were the result of pressure from Kenneth Senser, a former senior CIA and FBI official who has headed Wal-Mart's office of global security since 2003.

PROBE EXPANDS IN STUDENT LOAN INDUSTRY

ALBANY, N.Y. — Attorney General Andrew Cuomo's office is investigating stock grants from student loan companies to financial aid officers at three major universities as part of a widening investigation into the $85 billion student loan industry.

Cuomo's office on Wednesday sent a subpoena to Columbia University and sent letters to the University of Southern California and the University of Texas seeking information about financial aid officers ownership of stock in a loan company that appears on each school's list of preferred lenders.

Securities and Exchange Commission records for Education Lending Group Inc. show officials at the three schools in September 2003 owned at least 1,500 shares each of the company. Education Lending Group's subsidiary, Student Loan Xpress, is listed as a preferred lender at each school.

The records show David Charlow, the associate dean of student affairs at Columbia University, owned 7,500 shares of Education Lending Group's stock and owned 2,500 stock warrants at the time of the stock prospectus. Cuomo's office said Charlow sold the 7,500 shares for about $9.50 each and in 2005 sold more of the securities for a total profit of more than $100,000.

GOOGLE EXECS' SALARY OFFSET WITH STOCK WINDFALLS

SAN FRANCISCO — The trio of billionaires who run Google Inc. collected less than $600,000 in combined compensation last year while they raked in big jackpots by selling some of their holdings in the online search leader.

The total amount that Google paid its chief executive, Eric Schmidt, and co-founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin during 2006 would have been less than $5,200 if not for personal security and transportation costs, according to documents filed Wednesday with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Schmidt's package totaled $557,466, including $532,755 for personal security. Page pay totaled $38,519, with most of the money covering personal transportation, logistics and security. Brin's 2006 pay consisted solely of a $1 salary and $1,723 bonus. Google paid the same salary and holiday bonus to Schmidt and Page.

CRUDE OIL PRICES DROP SLIGHTLY ON NEWS FROM IRAN

NEW YORK — Crude oil prices slipped Wednesday after Iran said it was releasing the 15 British sailors it had been holding captive, alleviating some fears about tensions escalating and prompting the country to block oil exports.

But the price drop was limited. Crude held above $64 a barrel as gasoline prices surged more than 4 percent, after the U.S. government said the nation's gasoline inventories declined for the eighth straight week and that demand is still strong.

U.S. crude oil inventories rose by 4.3 million barrels to 332.7 million barrels last week, according to the Energy Information Administration, while gasoline inventories dropped 5 million barrels to 205.2 million barrels. The drop was much larger than the market had anticipated and pushed gasoline inventories into the lower half of their average range for this time of year.