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CUSTOMER DEMAND is not the only force driving energy prices higher - there's fear, BusinessWeek says. "The market is justifiably worried about a massive disruption of oil supplies, possibly caused by a terrorist attack," the magazine says, citing the unsuccessful attack against the world's largest oil-processing facility in Saudi Arabia last month. "This fear is pushing oil prices higher and sending additional billions into the coffers of oil-producing nations." According to a BusinessWeek estimate, the world paid the Persian Gulf oil states an extra $120-billion or so last year because of fear of unexpected supply disruptions.

INVESTORS LOOKING for new names on Wall Street will have plenty of choices this year, Forbes reports. There's a surge in initial public offerings, or IPOs, including 11 in January that raised $1.8-billion in capital. Thomson Financial, which tracks Wall Street estimates, forecasts 300 companies will go public in 2006, with health care dominating.

HOW LONG have you held your current position? If it's longer than five years, you might need to be wary. A company in the field of "human capital assessment" says its research has found that the longer someone holds the same job, the less likely the employee is to be friendly and supportive of others in the workplace. The study of 2,300 people showed a steady drop in supportive behavior as a person's job tenure increases, said Wayne Nemeroff, CEO of PsyMax Solutions in Cleveland.

LYING ON A RESUME is more common than you might think. Surprisingly, many job seekers lie about facts that are easily verifiable. "Although many employers no longer offer character references, they will still confirm or deny an employee's dates of employment and overall role at the company," said Brad Fredericks, a co-founder of ResumeDoctor.com. "Surprisingly, these are the most common details for a job seeker to exaggerate."

WE WILL BE OLDER AND FATTER in the future, but we'll look marvelous, says Fast Company, which celebrates its 10th anniversary by looking at a variety of social, business and economic trends. The good news is that we're living longer, but the bad news is we're getting fatter and taking more drugs, the magazine says. But we'll still be image-conscious, getting more plastic surgery procedures and seeking more help for emotional problems.

[Last modified March 10, 2006, 17:38:02]