Business News Digest

REGION
Wendy's buys shares
DUBLIN, Ohio -- Wendy's International said Wednesday it spent 801.3 million to buy 22.4 million of its common shares at 35.75 per share as part of a modified Dutch auction.
In a modified Dutch auction, shareholders indicate how many shares they wish to sell and at what price within the company's specified range. The company then determines the lowest price within that range at which it can buy back the shares.
The number of shares the company accepted for purchase is approximately 19 percent of its outstanding common shares, the company said in a news release.
Based in a Columbus suburb, Wendy's, the nation's third-largest hamburger chain, operates about 6,600 restaurants in the United States and abroad. Wendy's stock rose 94 cents, or 3 percent, to 33.99 on the New York Stock Exchange.
NATION
Money market rise
NEW YORK -- Assets of the nation's retail money market mutual funds rose by 8.46 billion in the latest week to 952.48 billion, the Investment Company Institute said Thursday.
Assets of taxable money market funds in the retail category rose by 6.64 billion to 733.35 billion for the week ended Wednesday, the Washington-based mutual fund trade group said. Tax-exempt fund assets rose by 1.82 billion to 219.13 billion.
Assets of institutional money market funds rose by 14.49 billion to 1.358 trillion for the same period. Among institutional funds, taxable money market fund assets rose by 10.97 billion to 1.216 trillion; assets of tax-exempt funds rose by 3.51 billion to 142.29 billion.
Total money market assets stood at 2.311 trillion for the week.
Associated Press