A Week's Worth

• Rebounding from its first back-to-back weekly losses since midsummer, the Dow Jones Industrial Average gained 0.9 percent as of the close of trading Friday.

• Americans who qualify as "pre-retirees" have been telling pollsters they wish they'd begun saving for their retirement years while still in their first jobs. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans, which offers insurance and investment advice to members nationwide, surveyed 2,500 adults between 45 and 64 and found that 71 percent regretted making a late start in retirement planning. Eighty-six percent said they would advise younger generations to begin such planning as soon as possible.

• No, it's not a sexy thing to do, but you'd be well-advised to reevaluate your car insurance coverage every year, says no less an authority than the National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC). Here are a few of the reasons: turning 25, marrying, having children, adding a teenager to your coverage, moving to another state, joining the ranks of senior citizens, deployment abroad while on military duty, a change in credit rating, and possible multi- policy discounts for acquiring a second or third vehicle. On the other side of the coin, NAIC reports, 20 percent of young, single drivers surveyed said they'd consider letting their coverage lapse to save money.

• What are the people in charge of information technology at their workplaces planning to give as Christmas gifts? Probably not laptop computers, BlackBerries, Palm Pilots, or similar gadgets, according to Robert Half Technology, a leading support-services provider. It polled more than 1,400 chief information officers from medium-sized and large companies on the subject. Sixty-four percent said that even though they know the field well, they wouldn't buy high-tech gifts for loved ones or friends.