PRESS DIGEST - Washington Post Business - Oct. 11

WASHINGTON, Oct 11 (Reuters) - The Washington Post included the following items on the front page of its business section on Oct. 11.

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Cloaked in the fear of a global recession, U.S. stocks limped to the end of a brutal week of trading, ending their worst week in history.

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Fear seized investors around the world as stock markets dropped to levels not broached for several years. National leaders tried to intervene -- to no avail.

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While the giants of the global economy wrestled over access to commercial paper and federal bank bailouts, small businesses are being squeezed also. Locally, a contractor who lays fiber cable needs cash for payroll and materials and a gourmet coffee supplier needs to replenish inventory and pay for delivery to customers.