A Week's Worth: Quick takes on the world of work and money

•A big infusion of money from the Federal Reserve – and a pledge of more "as necessary" – helped the Dow Jones Industrial Average gain 0.4 percent last week.

•Exactly half of consumers are "uncomfortable" with the idea of making a big-ticket purchase in the next 90 days, due to surging long-term interest rates and fallout from the subprime mortgage crunch, according to the latest Experian-Gallup Personal Credit Index survey. Eighty-nine percent of respondents said they don't plan to apply for credit in that span. Fifty-eight percent expect the subprime problem to end up affecting the overall mortgage market.

•It seems to matter to the vast majority of Americans whether their employers are environmentally responsible, a new survey has found. But only 52 percent of respondents told Sun Microsystems that they help in that effort by switching off lights that are no longer needed, whereas 92 percent do so at home. Only 34 percent bothered to shut down their computers.

•Your method of dealing with stress on the job may be stressing out your co-workers, says Ceridan LifeWorks, a developer of productivity solutions. Such as? Incessantly clicking your ballpoint pen, snapping gum, or turning giddy as a deadline approaches. Instead, Ceridan advises "reconnecting" with yourself by stretching and taking deep breaths, going out for lunch rather than working through it, and asking co-workers for help.