IN BRIEF

Jobs report sows seeds of concern for inflation

The stock market appears to be regaining its health after a weak first quarter, but a full recovery may be far off if upcoming data suggests inflation is a growing concern for the Federal Reserve.

Before this week’s inflation data comes in, though, stock market investors will likely react today to the stronger-than-expected employment report released by the Labor Department on Friday, a stock market holiday. The data showed nonfarm payrolls rose by 180,000, higher than the 135,000 that had been expected. The nation’s unemployment rate fell to 4.4 percent, a five-month low.

LONDON

Brewer mulls deal for Scottish & Newcastle

Brewer SABMiller is weighing a move to acquire rival Scottish & Newcastle in a $12.8 billion deal, a British newspaper reported Sunday.

Britain’s Sunday Express, quoting unnamed sources it said were close to SABMiller, claimed a bid could be made for the rival brewer within days, valuing the company at around $13.90 per share.

Shares in Scottish & Newcastle closed Thursday at $11.90. There was no trading in London on Friday, a British public holiday.

CAMARILLO, Calif.

Price of gasoline jumps over two-week period

The average cost of self-serve regular gasoline rose about 18 cents per gallon nationwide over the past two weeks, according to a survey released Sunday.

That translated to an average price of $2.78 a gallon, according to the latest Lundberg Survey of 7,000 gas stations across the country.

On Friday, a gallon of mid-grade gasoline averaged about $2.89, and premium nearly $3.

Nationwide, the lowest price for regular fuel was $2.54 in Charleston, S.C., and the highest was in San Francisco at $3.30 a gallon.