BIZWATCH : MARKETS.

MARKET LOGIC: An interest rate cut in Germany helped spur a broad advance, led by technology shares, putting the Dow Jones industrial average back within 1 percent of its all-time high. The Dow rose 43.65 to 5,733.47, its best finish since before July's sharp sell-off.

MEMO

READY TO RETIRE: The U.S. Chamber of Commerce chose Fidelity Investments to offer retirement plans to its 215,000 small-business members employing 24 million workers. Fidelity will provide retirement plans, including a 401(k) plan to the chamber's members. The 401(k) plan will provide eight fund choices, including Fidelity Growth & Income, Fidelity Puritan, Fidelity Blue Chip Growth and Fidelity Contrafund. Fidelity already has about 5,000 small businesses as clients accounting for $13.7 billion in assets - about 12 percent of the $111.4 billion it manages in defined contribution plans.

SPRINT TO THE FRONT: A survey of long-distance telephone users ranks Sprint No. 1 in customer satisfaction. A J.D. Power and Associates' study found that Sprint's strengths were in pricing and easy-to-understand billing. The independent survey, which polled 6,100 customers, rated AT&T ranks second and MCI third. J.D. Power is based in Agoura Hills.

AWARD WINNING: Calstart, the Burbank-based advanced transportation consortium, presented its first Blue Sky Award to General Motors Corp. for developing and marketing the EV1, the auto industry's first mass-produced electric car. The award recognizes efforts to develop clean vehicle technologies and bring them to marketplace. The EV1 is based on the ``Impact'' prototype which was test driven by consumers in 11 cities. GM said the model will be available sometime this fall and priced in the mid-$30,000s. It will be sold by Saturn dealers in Los Angeles, San Diego, Phoenix and Tucson.

FAILURES UP: Business failures rose 6 percent in the year's first half, according to a new report. During the first six months, 38,866 U.S. businesses failed, up from 36,560 a year ago, Dun & Bradstreet Corp. reported. Liabilities of the failed businesses rose 51 percent to $17.08 billion. Industries seeing the biggest increases were agriculture/forestry/fishing at 46 percent, construction at 18 percent and retail trade with an increase of 13 percent. Financial/insurance/real estate saw failures rise 12 percent.

TOP TOY MAKER: Mattel Inc. named Jill Barad, currently its president and chief operating officer, as chief executive of the world's largest toy maker. Barad, 45, will succeed John Amerman, 64, on Jan. 1. Amerman said earlier he would step down sometime this year. Amerman will remain chairman of the El Segundo firm.

MISCELLANEOUS: Ralphs opened its newest Food 4 Less outlet in North Hollywood on Thursday at 8035 Webb Ave. . . . The Right Start Inc. reported fiscal year revenues of $41.786 million and a net loss of $3.899 million or 60 cents per share, compared with revenues of $45.741 million and a net loss of $2.106 million or 33 cents per share a year ago. The Westlake Village company included write-offs of $2.7 million for restructuring its catalog division and outsourcing of its telemarketing function.

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2 Charts

Chart: (1) DOW INDUSTRIALS

(2) Managers, go west

Percent of executives polled who plan to increase their management staffs in the next six months, by region.