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Investors were clearly uneasy about extending last week's big gains after Bank of America said its first-quarter earnings fell 77 percent on write-downs and widening credit losses. BofA's report followed a week in which big-name companies in general turned in better-than-expected numbers for the first quarter, helping the major stock indexes to gains of more than 4 percent.

Wall Street has at times worried that a slowing economy and a potentially hesitant consumer would crimp profits - especially for the financial sector - in the first three months of the year. Shares of National City dropped after the Midwest bank said it got a $7 billion cash infusion from equity investors, lowered its dividend and posted a $171 million loss for the first quarter.

Still, the market performed relatively well Monday, climbing back from an early plunge. Part of the reason was that not all the earnings Monday were downbeat. Merck said its profit nearly doubled in the first quarter because of a $1.4 billion distribution from a partner drug company and a slight rise in sales.

With little in the way of economic data scheduled to arrive this week, investors are looking at a big flow of corporate reports for insights into the well-being of the economy. At this point, investors remain cautious, but because they have already taken huge amounts of money out of stocks, the market appears stuck in a range - fluctuating back and forth as traders recoil at disappointing news but then take advantage of bargain prices.

Diesel prices at the pump also struck a record high of $4.20 a gallon, according to AAA and the Oil Price Information Service, putting pressure on truckers and other shippers who rely on the fuel to transport goods to market.

Gas and diesel are expected to keep climbing as they trace the path of crude, which has surged to new records for six trading sessions in a row. And the worst may be still to come: The summer driving season, when demand is at its greatest, has yet to begin.

"It's uncharted territory. People look at the prices and think they're being taken advantage of," said Tom Kloza of the Oil Price Information Service, Wall, N.J. "I don't think we're done, but I have to believe we're in the eighth or ninth inning" of price increases.

Gas prices at the pump jumped more than a nickel over the weekend nationwide, and are up 23 percent from a year earlier. Drivers are paying the lowest prices in New Jersey and the most in California, where a gallon of regular is now averaging $3.86 for a gallon.

"It's extremely timely with all the talk about recession and the economy being in the toilet," said William Parsons, chairman of the conference, which originated at Western Kentucky University. "Whereas there's a lot of doom and gloom on the horizon in different industries, there's a lot of bright light coming out of certain companies within the automotive industry."

The conference, to be held at the Marriott Griffin Gate on Newtown Pike, centers on innovation, diversification and succeeding in the industry. It is expected to draw about 250 participants.

Panel discussions include topics such as breakthrough technologies and alternative fuels, at which Kevin Butt, chief environmental officer of Toyota's North American manufacturing operations, will speak.

UAW President Ron Gettelfinger will discuss the impact of private equity groups during a session on Thursday morning.

The consumer price index showed an annual rate of inflation -- the rise in prices across the economy -- of 4 percent over the 12 months that ended March 31, according to a report last week by the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Food prices rose by 4.5 percent over that period and gasoline prices rose by 26 percent.

Here are some answers to questions about inflation at home and abroad:

Question: The economy is slowing, maybe in recession. Shouldn't that cause the inflation rate to fall?

For workers like Neal, a 26-year-old jewelry designer, retirement is probably several decades away, so deciding where to invest now for something so far off can be a daunting prospect. Knowing how many questions investors often have, financial companies have been pushing funds in recent years that automatically grow more conservative as retirement nears.

But although these target-date funds are designed to work essentially on autopilot, there are still some questions investors should consider.

Target-date investments are envisioned as one-stop shopping investments -- something with enough diversity to serve as the base of investor's holdings. But some funds are more aggressive than others. Investors need to consider what kind of risk they will accept.

Someone who panics and dumps a fund when markets fall can destroy much of the benefit of a long-term investment like a target-date fund.

Peterman is the founder of The J. Peterman Co., and he, Quimby and Newmark are featured in a new book: Accidental Branding: How Ordinary People Build Extraordinary Brands by David Vinjamuri.

"He is the man who built his mail-order business to 70 million dollars in sales and reinvented the catalog as we know it," Vinjamuri writes about Peterman.

"He is also famous because of the buffoonish caricature of him played by John O'Hurley on Seinfeld starting in 1995. Four years later, Peterman went spectacularly bankrupt ... And now he's back, quietly rebuilding the empire he lost."

What was the accident that gave Peterman his start?

GBBN Architects: Matthew J. Schottelkotte has been named the company's director of architecture.

Finance

Edward Jones: Dana S. Branham has been named the financial adviser for the company's newest Lexington office, at 800 Seminole Creek Court.

Unified Trust Co.: Kevin Stortzum has joined the firm as portfolio manager and equity analyst.

The earnings will be up because the sales of printers are down.

Selling fewer printers helps a company such as Lexmark in the short-term because inkjet printers, specifically, are often sold at a loss. But that upfront loss comes with the expectation that buyers will shell out for armfuls of profit-laden ink cartridges over the next few years.

But in Lexmark's case, they haven't. And that's at the core of the company's struggles.

But then, months later, what should reappear on that same lot but a shiny new Taco Bell again handing out gorditas by the bag.

Several of Lexington's restaurants have been undergoing makeovers during the past year or so, as their owners have opted to tear them down and rebuild.

The Taco Bell at the intersection of New Circle and Russell Cave roads has been out of commission since November, the last of three of the fast-food Mexican restaurants to be razed and rebuilt.

Also torn down and rebuilt recently was a Wendy's down the road near the North Park Wal-Mart.

More detailed information about Kentucky's Eastern Division bankruptcies can be obtained for a fee by visiting www.kyeb.uscourts.gov, clicking on the electronic case file (ECF) icon and following the instructions for setting up a PACER account.

Chapter 7

ASHLAND DIVISION

Paul R. Carter Sr., Morehead. 08-10181.

Global Automotive Conference: Through Thursday, Griffin Gate Marriott Resort, 250.

International Ministry Conference, Lay Ministry Conference: Wednesday-Sunday, Hampton Inn at I-75, 50.

Coal Prep and Aggregate Processing: Friday through May 2, Hyatt Regency, 1,200.

University of Louisville College of Business, 2008 Kentucky International Equine Summit: Sunday through April 29, Radisson Plaza, 400.

Patent No. 7,354,476 assigned to Lexmark International, Inc., Lexington.

Printed conductive connectors. Inventors: Frank Anderson, Sadieville; Richard Corley Jr., Richmond; Paul Spivey, Lexington; Carl Sullivan, Stamping Ground.

Patent No. 7,354,794 assigned to Lexmark International, Inc.

Encapsulated pigment for ink-jet ink formulations and methods of producing same. Inventors: Charles Edward Akers Jr., Jing Sun, both of Lexington.

The Bluegrass Kiwanis Club meets at 11:30 a.m. Thursdays at Ryan's Steak House, 701 Red Mile Road. Information: Paul Bimschleger, (859) 272-1467.

The Lexington Kiwanis Club meets at 11:30 a.m. Tuesdays at Ryan's Steak House, 701 Red Mile Road. Information: Mel Boyd, (859) 277-2058.

The Lexington Lions Club meets at 11:30 a.m. Wednesdays at the Fayette County Extension Building, 1140 Red Mile Place. Information: Sue Alexander, (859) 266-6969.

Seminars, other

A company executive told the Philippine media at the celebration that the country's operation now has just as many employees as the corporate headquarters. And it's hiring 300 to 400 more people over the next few years.

He also said the company can now build a product from beginning to end at the site, a process that was once the primary domain of the company's armada of highly paid engineers and scientists in Lexington.

"If you're in Lexington, you've got to be nervous," said Larry Jamieson of industry tracker Lyra Research. "Every other major company is moving more and more stuff offshore into wherever they can get the cheaper labor. Is it going to be the same company? Who knows?"

'A global company'

The leading maker of chips for cell phones, TI said it earned $662 million, or 49 cents per share, in the first quarter this year, compared with $516 million, or 35 cents per share, a year ago.

Excluding a tax gain, the most recent profit would have been 43 cents per share. That was in line with the prediction of analysts surveyed by Thomson Financial.

Revenue rose 3 percent, to $3.27 billion, a tick below analysts' forecast of $3.28 billion.

Before the report was released, Texas Instruments shares rose 99 cents, or 3.3 percent, to $30.59. In extended trading after the report's release, they fell 69 cents, or 2.3 percent.

Federal health officials said new tests indicated a solid link. China said the contaminant could not be the "root cause" of the problem.

Chinese officials suggested at an embassy news conference that the problem with the drug could have occurred in the United States. They plan to visit a Baxter International plant in Cherry Hill, N.J., to get a better picture of how the finished product is manufactured.

Raw heparin is derived from pig intestines, often processed by small, unregistered workshops in China. The raw ingredient for Baxter's recalled heparin came from Wisconsin-based Scientific Protein Laboratories, which in turn owns a Chinese factory - Changzhou SPL - and buys additional raw heparin from other Chinese suppliers.

The Food and Drug Administration warned Changzhou SPL on Monday that the company does not have adequate systems for ensuring that the raw materials it uses are safe and that any impurities are removed. The FDA noted that as many as 12 companies in China are involved in the supply chain for heparin. Agency officials don't know at what point the contaminant was introduced.

Other commodities traded mostly lower, with crude oil falling from a record above $117 and silver and copper also retreating.

Dry, warm weather is expected this week across the U.S. corn belt after days of heavy rainfall that have soaked fields and slowed spring planting. The favorable forecast raised hopes that planting could resume at a faster pace, touching off a broad agriculture sell-off in everything from corn to wheat to oats.

"Planting is still going to be very slow, but we have a drier outlook for this week, so you've got prices dropping back," said Jason Ward, analyst with North Star Commodity in Minneapolis.

Soybeans for May delivery fell 46 cents to settle at $13.155 a bushel on the Chicago Board of Trade, after earlier dropping as low as $12.915, its lowest level in two weeks. Corn for May delivery lost 19.25 cents to settle at $5.8025 a bushel on the CBOT after earlier falling as low as $5.695.

Lexmark has prominently pushed its lineup of wireless inkjet printers at stores, trying to shed its dependence on low-end printers whose owners don't use enough ink -- a printer company's key profit driver.

"It's a disturbing sign for the future of inkjet," said Tom Carpenter, vice president and senior equity analyst at Hilliard Lyons in Louisville, noting the company also has a limited presence in Staples stores.

Lexmark has boasted in recent months about the popularity of its wireless inkjet printers, telling investors it held 30 percent of the domestic market for the products in December.

"If you're doing as well in wireless as Lexmark claims, it's kind of surprising that Best Buy would not want to carry your products," Carpenter said. "Part of it is they might be able to see that Lexmark's inkjet business might not be around in a couple of years, and they prefer to work with other manufacturers that are going to be around."