SECURITIES

Prudential Securities Investors Opt Out: Lawyers said many hundreds of investors opted out of a class-action settlement in the final days before the Jan. 22 deadline, so many that an estimate of the total number isn’t expected before Friday. The settlement was to cover up to 128,000 investors who lost $1.44 billion on the Prudential Energy Income Funds series of limited partnership interests. As reported, some lawyers urged investors to reject the settlement because it will pay only a few pennies on the dollar for their losses.