BIZWATCH : MARKETS.

MARKET LOGIC: Stocks climbed again Thursday, as the Dow Jones industrial average hit its seventh consecutive record high. The Dow rose 38.76 points to 6,313.00, closing above 6,300 for the first time. It has now gained 283.62 points, or 4.7 percent, since the start of November.

MEMO

MERGER APPROVED:Boomtown Inc. shareholders have approved a merger with Hollywood Park, the California-based operator of card rooms and horse and dog tracks. Executives of the Verdi, Nev.-based hotel-casino operator said the merger will allow the company to tap into Hollywood Park's assets. In return, Inglewood-based Hollywood Park expects to diversify into full-scale hotel and casino ventures. Under the merger, already approved by Hollywood Park stockholders, Boomtown will retain its name and become a wholly owned subsidiary of Hollywood Park.

COMPUTER PRICES CUT: Compaq Computer Corp. cut prices by 6 percent to 21 percent on many of its popular personal computers and notebooks. The discounts by the nation's largest maker of PCs come after similar reductions by Toshiba, Hewlett-Packard and Apple Computer in time for the busy holiday shopping period, when sales heat up. Compaq, which is based in Houston, also dropped prices by up to 29 percent on certain modems for notebook computers.

CREDIT RATING:A British retailer and credit checker is buying Experian Corp., a former subsidiary of TRW and one of the biggest credit-rating business in the United States, for $1.7 billion. The deal is part of an effort by Great Universal Stores PLC to position itself as a global supplier of credit and marketing information. Great Universal, known more commonly as GUS, said it would pay $900 million in cash and borrow the rest of the price for Orange-based Experian, which TRW sold in September.

PHONE CARDS:The Postal Service has begun selling prepaid phone cards nationwide. The cards, a joint venture with American Express, have been tested since last year in several cities across the country. The FirstClass PhoneCard will be offered in $10, $20, $50 and $100 units, which can be recharged using major credit cards.

JOBS ELIMINATED: DuPont Co. is consolidating its nylon business and will cut more than 2,800 jobs as part of a streamlining aimed at saving the chemical company $700 million annually. The company hopes the restructuring will allow it to be more flexible in what it sees as an increasingly competitive business. The sites that continue to produce nylon will use an improved spinning technology that is more efficient and will enable the company to significantly improve quality, DuPont spokesman Bill Brown said Thursday.

MISCELLANEOUS: The American Association of Retired Persons is seeking volunteers to assist with a free tax filing program at area senior centers. Information on training classes and opportunities: [phone]. . . . Ann Busby has resigned as senior vice president of the MCA Motion Picture Group. No replacement has been named.

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Software Markets

The U.S. and Europe are the largest markets, but Asia and Latin America are the fastest growing. Packaged software markets, in billions, 1995 and 2000.

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