Business briefing: Twitter tests disappearing tweets in Brazil

Twitter is starting to test tweets that disappear after 24 hours, although initially only in Brazil. The company said the ephemeral tweets, which it calls "fleets" because of their fleeting nature, are designed to allay the concerns of new users who might be turned off by the public and permanent nature of normal tweets. Fleets can't be retweeted and they won't have "likes." People can respond to them, but the replies show up as direct messages to the original tweeter, not as a public response, turning any back-and-forth into a private conversation instead of a public discussion. Despite having high-profile users such as President Donald Trump, Twitter has lagged behind other tech powerhouses like Facebook and Google in terms of user growth and advertising revenue.

Services companies grew at a faster pace in February than the previous month, an indication that the economy was still expanding immediately after the first cases of the coronavirus were reported in the U.S. The Institute for Supply Management said Wednesday that its service-sector index rose to 57.3 from 55.5 in January. Any reading above 50 signals an expansion. The index covers retail, health care, hotels and restaurants, and professional services, among other sectors. Services companies added jobs at a faster pace last month than in January while business activity declined, according the survey.

Fiat Chrysler's head of U.S. sales is leaving the company after a bumpy career that saw him file a whistleblower lawsuit over a scheme to pay dealers to report fake sales numbers. The company said in a statement that Reid Bigland will leave Fiat Chrysler April 3 after 22 years with the company. He will pursue other interests. Bigland also headed the Ram brand and Fiat Chrysler Canada. During his tenure the company saw big U.S. sales growth, mainly with the Jeep and Ram brands. But his career was marred by the sales scandal, which forced Fiat Chrysler to restate numbers and pay $40 million to settle a complaint with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. Terms of Bigland's departure weren't announced.