A Week's Worth

• The Dow Jones Industrial Average gained a mere 0.18 percent this past week as analysts debated whether the Federal Reserve would raise interest rates. The Fed's Open Market committee meets Tuesday.

• Not attracted to the summer clearance sales at the mall? Discover Card says that's probably because you're saving up to shop for fall. It surveyed 1,031 adults in July and – um – discovered that the largest percentage expected to spend at least $300 on clothes, back-to-school needs, or both. And here's a finding the company might not have expected: 68 percent said they'll pay by cash or check rather than with plastic.

• That black Mercedes C350 in the parking lot at work may well not be the CEO's ride, according to Cars.com and Careerbuilder.com. They polled thousands of staffers and hundreds of senior executives and found a wide gap in perception on that subject. While 59 percent of the former saw the boss as a driver of luxury cars costing at least $70,000, only 19 percent of the executives said that description fits them. More than half of the executives described their cars as ordinary sedans or SUVs.

• Speaking of cars and SUVs, 76 percent of Americans appear to believe that fuel prices will only continue to rise, a Boston Consulting Group survey has found. While shuddering at the thought, 48 percent of respondents said they could envision $5.50-a-gallon gasoline.