BIZWATCH : MARKETS.

MARKET LOGIC: Prices skidded Thursday on Wall Street as investors were unnerved by the possibility that the Federal Reserve, fresh from pushing interest rates higher earlier this week, was preparing to do it again. Some analysts called the market's drop an overreaction.

MEMO

MARKETS CLOSED TODAY: U.S. and most foreign financial markets will be closed today in observance of Good Friday. Most government offices, many banks and the Daily News offices will be open, however.

DISNEY GETS BIDS ON NEWSPAPERS: Burbank-based Walt Disney Co. received several bids for its newspaper chain, including one from Chicago Sun-Times owner Hollinger Inc., said a Hollinger official. Disney is seeking as much as $2 billion for the newspapers, which include the Kansas City Star and the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, analysts have said. The bid deadline was Wednesday.

Executives from Hearst Corp., Knight-Ridder Inc., Tribune Co. and Times-Mirror Co. toured the Fort Worth, Texas, paper this month, the Texas newspaper reported. Executives of those companies declined to comment. A Disney spokesman also declined to comment.

RIGHT START SLOWS EXPANSION: Stock of the Westlake Village-based children's products specialist fell 13 percent after company officials said it is slowing its expansion of new stores because it's growing too rapidly. The issue fell 50 cents to $3.25. Right Start said it will focus on improving its merchandising strategy and operating systems. The 37-store chain previously planned to open about 30 stores in the year ending Jan. 31.

SANTA ANITA GETS OFFERS: Santa Anita Realty Enterprises Inc. said it received bids from several potential buyers for the racetrack and real estate company. The bids are in addition to last week's offer by Koll Arcadia Investors LLC, a partnership including developer Donald Koll and financier Leon Black, and Colony Capital Inc. to put $116.5 million of capital into Santa Anita. These two investors own 16.7 percent of the Arcadia-based company.

FILM ROMAN CLOSES AT RECORD LOW: Stock of the North Hollywood-based animator fell 15 cents to a record low close of $1.94 after it reported a fourth-quarter loss of $3.8 million on sales of $24.9 million and said it would cease production of its two interactive game titles. Film Roman, which produces ``The Simpsons,'' ``C-Bear and Jamal'' and a variety of other animated shows, said its strategy of owning the cartoon characters it creates had not worked as well as it hoped. Film Roman raised $33 million last October when it went public in October at $10 a share. Its previous low close was $2 a share.

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2 Charts

Chart: (1--Color) DOW INDUSTRIALS)

(2--Color)BIZ FACTS

Women in retail

Percentage of women-owned businesses that are retail establishments, by country or area

Knight-Ridder Tribune Graphics Network