A Week's Worth

• Oh, Martha! Martha Stewart's company lost nearly a quarter of its value Friday after her conviction on several felony counts. The action may bring to a close what biographer Christopher Byron described as "one of the most extraordinary business careers in American history." Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia, he wrote over a year ago, is "not really an institution so much as a kind of colossal one-woman band that is destined to fall silent when the musician stops playing. But what music she played - and how we all listened!"

• Jobs? What jobs? The economy created only 21,000 nonfarm jobs last month - one-sixth of the total economists had been expecting. January's gains also were revised downward by the Labor Department. The nation's continuing problems in creating new employment opportunities hands President Bush his toughest economic challenge in this election year.

• Mutual togetherness: Fund families are buying one another at an accelerated pace. Last year, there were 24 acquisitions, up from six in 2002 and none in 2001, according to Financial Research Corp. The latest acquisition: Hennessy Funds bought Lindner Funds late last month.

• New nickels: For the first time in 66 years, the five-cent coin is getting a makeover. Although the front will retain Thomas Jefferson, the back will carry a scene honoring the 1803 Louisiana Purchase. The new coins should start showing up in several weeks. Another nickel honoring the 1804-1806 Lewis and Clark expedition will be released later this year, the US Mint says.