Oct. 4--The Asbury Park Press/Bloomberg 75 index fell 1.88 percent last week on signs that the economy continues to stumble.

The index, made up of 75 companies either headquartered at the Shore or with significant operations in New Jersey, was at 103.11 Friday at 5 p.m., down 1.98 points.

Sixty-one companies declined and 14 companies advanced.

The index has risen 7.1 percent since the beginning of the year.

The companies with the biggest percentage losses were: Hovnanian Enterprises Inc., $3.50, down 52 cents, or 12.9 percent; OceanFirst Financial Corp., $11.08, down $1.57, or 12.4 percent; Comcast Corp., $15.24, down $1.45, or 8.69 percent; The Macerich Co., $27.88, down $2.64, or 8.65 percent; and Sun Bancorp Inc., $5.04, down 41 cents, or 7.52 percent.

Philadelphia-based Comcast, the biggest U.S. cable company, was in talks last week with General Electric Co. to form a joint venture that would own GE's NBC Universal, a source said. The agreement would allow Comcast to acquire programming that it has targeted.

The Macerich Co., based in Santa Monica, Calif., said it sold the real estate investment firm Heitman LLC a 49.9 percent stake in the Freehold Raceway Mall and Chandler Fashion Center in Arizona for $167.5 million in cash.

The companies with the biggest percentage gains were: Gannett Co. Inc., $11.84, up $2.46, or 26.2 percent; AC Moore Arts and Crafts Inc., $3.95, up 27 cents, or 7.34 percent; Wayside Technology Group Inc., $8.38, up 51 cents, or 6.49 percent; CommVault Systems Inc., $20.44, up 64 cents, or 3.23 percent; and Schering-Plough Corp., $28.18, up 64 cents, or 2.32 percent.

McLean, Va.-based Gannett, the parent company of the Asbury Park Press, forecast a third-quarter profit that exceeded analysts' estimates and announced a plan to offer $400 million of senior notes.

The company said it is benefiting from consolidation and cheaper newsprint, which cut operating expenses and helped reduce debt by $195 million.

--Bloomberg News Service contributed to this story.

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