A week's worth

• A combination of disappointing Internet company earnings and another round of interest-rate hikes by the Fed was blamed for last week's drop in the Dow Jones Industrial Average. It closed Friday at 10,793.62 - 1 percent lower than the previous week.

• The fastest-growing group of one-person businesses across the US is owned by women, and it's making more money than those in the category in general, according to a report by the Center for Women's Business Research. Based on data from 1997 to 2004, it says 53 percent of self-employed women are in the service sector. Only 14 percent are retailers.

• Opposites attract, but if a relationship is to be long-lasting, the attraction had better be backed up by a good credit record and a steady job, the results of a new survey confirm. The online credit-score service of Minneapolis-based Fair Isaac Corp. polled 1,022 people and found that 76 percent would advise a friend to check into the finances of the object of his or her affection early on. By a wide margin, women rated credit history more critical than did men.

• Before volunteering to give up your seat on an overbooked flight, the newsletter Travel Smart suggests you ask the gate agent: Do I get a guaranteed seat in return, or just a discount voucher? What limits will there be on my new ticket? While I wait, may I use your first-class lounge? Will you pay for my lunch? Oh, and what happens to my checked luggage?