A Week's Worth

• April showers brought nothing but dampened spirits for investors. They saw economic growth slow to 3.1 percent for the first quarter and energy prices spike sharply. All three major market indexes fell anywhere from 2 percent to nearly 4 percent for the month. But April ended on an up note with the Dow gaining 122 points. Oil prices slid below $50 a barrel and inflation fears were calmed by a government report showing no immediate threat from rising labor costs.

• Is family business a good idea? That depends, say researchers at Mississippi State and the universities of Alberta and Calgary. Their study shows that parent-child firms have less conflict, more cohesion, and better consensus on business strategy than other kinds of businesses, But other family firms - made up of siblings, cousins, or distant relatives - had more conflict than either parent-child or nonfamily businesses.

• Working mothers would rather work for other mothers, according to a survey by WorldWIT, an online community for professional women. Some 2 in 3 said mothers had greater patience as bosses than nonmothers.

• Priciest zip code? Forget 90210. The famous Beverly Hills neighborhood ranks a mere 15th on a Forbes.com list of the poshest postal zones. California swept the top four spots with 94027 - better known as Atherton, in Silicon Valley - ranked No. 1. Median sale price of its homes last year: $2.49 million. Fifth place went to Mill Neck, N.Y., on Long Island ($1.95 million).