Investor's Business Daily articles from April 2002

Investor's Business Daily archives from April 2002

Use Midpoints To Analyze A Base.(A)(INVESTOR'S CORNER)
April 30, 2002... Byline: DAVID SAITO-CHUNG When a stock breaks out of a base, its price should already stand in the upper half of its chart pattern. A big move straight up from the bottom of the base is a no-no. Why? If the stock has to rush 30% or...

March Gains Of 0.4% For Incomes, Spending Show Modest Rebound February Was Faster: 0.6% But real after-tax income grew 4% from year-ago, boosted by Bush tax cuts.(A)
April 30, 2002... Byline: CHRISTINA WISE Americans made -- and spent -- a little more money in March. But experts say that while the economy may have turned the corner, it's still not exactly roaring. Personal income rose 0.4% to $8.92 trillion in...

Anthem, Top Blue Cross Insurer, To Buy Rival Trigon For $3.7 Bil Serving only Virginians, Trigon decides isolation isn't a long-term strategy.(A)(INDUSTRY IN THE NEWS)
April 30, 2002... Byline: GLORIA LAU Leading Blue Cross & Blue Shield insurer Anthem said Monday it would buy Trigon Healthcare for $3.7 billion in cash and stock. The move lets Indianapolis-based Anthem, one of the two biggest Blues, expand into the...

IBD'S TOP 10.(A)
April 30, 2002... Health Plan Anthem Buys Rival 1Indianapolis-based Anthem is one of the top Blue Cross & Blue Shield plans. It'll pay $3.7 bil for Trigon Healthcare in a cash and stock deal worth $100.78 a share to Trigon. The move gives Anthem a...

AFTER THE CLOSE.(TO THE POINT)
April 30, 2002... NORTHROP GRUMMAN and Raytheon won a $2.88 bil Navy contract over a General Dynamics-led team to design the small DD-X warship. The contract may reach $60 bil. Northrop and Raytheon didn't up '02 goals. VENTURE CAPITAL FINANCING was $5.1...

BUSINESS BRIEFS.(TO THE POINT)
April 30, 2002... RETAIL Wal-Mart, Penney back targets Wal-Mart said last week's sales were at the low end of forecasts due to gloomy weather, but it still sees a low- to mid-single-digit gain this month. J.C. Penney's comps were still above its...

BUSINESS BRIEFS.(TO THE POINT)
April 30, 2002... MEDICAL Humana's Q1 earnings rose 75% That met views. The HMO added more members to its medical plans and increased premiums and fees it charges customers. Humana revenue rose 11% to $2.73 bil, the fastest growth in several quarters....

BUSINESS BRIEFS.(TO THE POINT)
April 30, 2002... TELECOM Qwest dives on state probe news The embattled telecom fell 0.82, or 14%, to 4.93, an all-time low. Qwest disputed published reports saying Minnesota regulators were looking into whether Qwest had struck secret deals with...

BUSINESS BRIEFS.(TO THE POINT)
April 30, 2002... TECHNOLOGY Nvidia expects to beat forecasts The graphics chip maker also restated financial results for most of the past three years at the SEC's request. Nvidia will replace CFO Christine Hoberg. It also said it's in arbitration...

THE ECONOMY.(TO THE POINT)
April 30, 2002... U.S. farm support could backfire Many Asian exporters blasted the U.S. farm bill passed by Congress Friday as anti-competitive. Australians threatened to challenge the bill, which sharply raises subsidies, at the WTO. But Chinese analysts...

IN BRIEF.(TO THE POINT)
April 30, 2002... Jury selection began in a suit that alleges Arthur Andersen could have helped prevent the giant nonprofit bankruptcy of the Baptist Foundation of America. Andersen's German unit will merge with Ernst & Young. Boeing couldn't rule out...

NATION.(TO THE POINT)
April 30, 2002... Treasury will borrow in 2nd qtr The Treasury expects to borrow money during the April-June quarter, when it often is flush with cash from people's tax payments. The projected $1 bil in borrowing marks a sharp reverse from the $89 bil...

WORLD.(TO THE POINT)
April 30, 2002... U.S., Russia inch toward arms deal The American and Russian defense chiefs reported modest progress toward a nuclear arms agreement, but didn't say they cleared the big stumbling blocks. Defense Minister Sergei Ivanov said his government...

Benerito At A Glance.(LEADERS & SUCCESS)
April 30, 2002... Benerito At A Glance Born: 1916 in New Orleans. Education: B.S. in chemistry from Sophie Newcomb College in New Orleans in 1935. M.S. in physics from Tulane University in 1938. Ph.D. in physical chemistry from the University of...

Building "The Best Team'.(LEADERS & SUCCESS)(IBD'S 10 SECRETS TO SUCCESS)
April 30, 2002... Byline: Robin Grugal 2 If your goal is to take your business or department to the next level and create something really special, you'd better start with the right people. That's a no-brainer, right? History shows that leaders of...

Ruth Benerito Gave To Society Power Of Focus: Diligence helped her invent easy-care cotton.(LEADERS & SUCCESS)
April 30, 2002... Byline: MICHAEL MINK It was the 1940s, and Ruth Rogan Benerito was a graduate chemistry student at the University of Chicago. Many of the world's great scientists were there at the behest of the U.S. government, teaching classes while...

E-Mail Hoaxes Aren't Always So Funny A Drain On Resources Some hoaxes contain warnings about viruses, others harm businesses.(INTERNET & TECHNOLOGY)
April 30, 2002... Byline: BRIAN DEAGON In August 1835, a New York newspaper published a stunning report saying the moon was teeming with life. The five-part story, which ran more than 16,000 words, said a famous British astronomer using a powerful new...

Fujitsu Shakes Up Its Tech Services Unit In Pitch To U.S. Market Dropping The Amdahl Name The wholly owned Amdahl was folded into renamed Technology Solutions unit.(INTERNET & TECHNOLOGY)
April 30, 2002... Byline: J. BONASIA Japan's Fujitsu Ltd. is the world's No. 3 tech services company, but it figured not enough people in the U.S. knew that. To rectify that situation and to better take aim at Nos. 1 and 2, last month it axed a...

TECHBITS.(INTERNET & TECHNOLOGY)
April 30, 2002... Byline: James DeTar End Of Era, Squared CEO and co-founder Jerry Sanders, it turns out, isn't the only longtime Advanced Micro Devices exec bidding adieu this week. On Tuesday, another AMD era will end when Director of...

IBM, Microsoft, Others Say Better Security Will Unlock Web Services.(INTERNET & TECHNOLOGY)
April 30, 2002... Byline: DONNA HOWELL Tech trend watchers hail Web services as a new online frontier. But it's a land so unsettled, there's no sheriff to ward off the villains -- yet. Work to secure Web services is under way from two different...

Caught Speeding? Web Traffic School May Be The Ticket.(INTERNET & TECHNOLOGY)
April 30, 2002... Byline: JULIE VALLONE So the highway patrol nabbed you doing 65 mph in a 50 mph zone and stuck you with a traffic ticket. Your options: pay a whopping fine and watch your insurance rates skyrocket, or spend countless hours trapped in a...

U.S. Emerging As Top Market For Wireless Gear Rise In U.S. Wireless Workers IBM sees business clients embracing wireless as they boost efficiency, share data.(INTERNET & TECHNOLOGY)(Q & A)
April 30, 2002... Byline: DOUG TSURUOKA Dean Douglas sticks close to home these days. Douglas steers a unit at IBM that does wireless projects around the world. He used to spend most of his time on the road, meeting clients and technology partners in...

P.F. CHANG'S CHINA BISTRO Scottsdale, Arizona In The Restaurant Biz, A Rare Order Indeed Chain Doubles Pleasure Second concept is still in the red, but analysts see profitability on horizon.(THE NEW AMERICA)
April 30, 2002... Byline: AMY REEVES It's hard enough developing one restaurant concept that'll succeed over the long haul. Developing two is a rare feat indeed. It's early yet, but P.F. Chang's China Bistro Inc. might just be pulling it off. The...

WEIGHT WATCHERS INTERNATIONAL INC. Woodbury, New York When Clients Lose Weight, This Firm Bulks Up.(THE NEW AMERICA)
April 30, 2002... Byline: ADELIA CELLINI LINECKER Looking for a steady client base? Check out the number of overweight people out there. It's estimated that more than a billion people worldwide are overweight. Sixty-one percent of Americans fall in...

KEY FUND HOLDINGS.(MUTUAL FUNDS)
April 30, 2002... Key Fund Holdings / Michaels Stores was a top holding of Icon Consumer Discretionary Fund in its latest reporting period. Michaels' earnings rose 27% and 26% the past two quarters. The five-year growth rate is 37%. The stock broke out of a...

Stock Fund Inflow Surges To $29.3 Bil Biggest Month In 2 Years March was up from $5.4 bil in February and groups say April was also strong.(MUTUAL FUNDS)
April 30, 2002... Byline: DAN MOREAU Mutual fund investors showed strong confidence in the stock market in March, a trend that apparently continued in April. The trend emerged as the stock market in March rallied from a soft February, but rolled over...

Good For What Ails.(ISSUES & INSIGHTS)(EDITORIALS)
April 30, 2002... Taxes: Everyone says the economy's getting better. We hate to rain on the parade, but like many others -- from Wall Street to Main Street -- we're a bit worried. Like all Americans, we're happy the yearlong slump seems to be ending. But...

Russian Revolution.(ISSUES & INSIGHTS)(EDITORIALS)
April 30, 2002... Flat Tax: Slashed rates are followed by growing revenues. An academic study with no practical application? No, just life in Vladimir Putin's Russia. The calcification of tax reform in the U.S. has allowed a former communist regime, a...

LETTERS.(ISSUES & INSIGHTS)
April 30, 2002... Assume The Extremist Position Let me add more hypocrisy to "Well-Oiled Hypocrisy" (Editorial, April 23). Liberal Democrats are fond of derisively describing Republicans as extremists when they themselves, more often than not, better fit...

Stimulus Plan To Please All: Tax Incentives For Start-Ups.(ISSUES & INSIGHTS)(NATIONAL ISSUE)
April 30, 2002... Byline: WILLIAM J. O'NEIL We're frequently asked to predict what we think the stock market and economy will do this year. Frankly, I don't think our predictions are worth very much. But we do have ideas about what's valuable, and...

THE REAL MOST ACTIVE Dow Slides Further Beneath 200-Day.(MAKING MONEY)
April 30, 2002... Byline: JONAH KERI NYSE stocks continued last week's struggles, tacking on more losses Monday. The Dow fell 0.9%, the S&P 500 1%. Volume closed lower as the Dow fell further beneath its 200-day moving average. The red-hot HMO...

Home Builder's Profit Accelerates Faster.(B)(NYSE STOCKS IN THE NEWS)
April 30, 2002... Byline: David Saito-Chung Pulte Homes has advanced 20% so far this year. The stock is working on an eight-week base. Last year, the Michigan-based home builder acquired Del Webb, which specializes in luxurious gated communities for...

THE REAL MOST ACTIVE Nasdaq Notches Lowest Close Since October.(B)
April 30, 2002... Byline: CHRISTINA WISE The Nasdaq continued on the southbound path Monday, slipping 0.4%. That marked its eighth loss in the last nine trading days. Computer and Internet names fielded some of the heaviest blows. InterCept Group...

Member Benefits Firm Moves Into The Black.(B)(NASDAQ STOCKS IN THE NEWS)
April 30, 2002... Byline: Julie Huynh Precis gapped up nearly 7% to notch a new high of 15.95. The stock broke out of a 12-week base on three times its average volume. The firm designs and markets member benefits programs that offer savings to clients...

Investors' New Mantra: High Growth, Low P-Es.(A)(INVESTOR'S CORNER)
April 29, 2002... Byline: JONAH KERI As the market gets more challenging, investors narrow their focus. They chop unprofitable stocks from their watch lists. They cross off firms in lagging industries. When the market's whipsaws reduce the margin for...

GDP Leaps 5.8% In Q1 On Consumer Strength, But Weakness Lingers Cap Spending Still Falling And most of the growth is the result of businesses cutting stockpiles slower.(A)
April 29, 2002... Byline: JED GRAHAM The economy grew at a fast 5.8% clip in the first quarter -- its best pace since late 1999. But analysts noted that, despite the faster-than-expected growth, pockets of weakness remain. After the data were...

Will Cautious Business Traveler Like Fast-Pass Airport ID Card? Less Privacy, Waiting.(A)
April 29, 2002... Byline: DOUG TSURUOKA Business fliers nowadays are as terrified of waits at airport security gates as they are of terrorists. "By the time you pass through security, fly to your destination and rent a car you barely spend a half-hour...

IBD'S TOP 10.(A)
April 29, 2002... 5.8% Q1 GDP Gain Not All Roses 1The pace of growth was the best since late '99 and reflected heavy consumer spending. But worrisome pockets of weakness remain, and they helped send the S&P 500 and Nasdaq to six-month lows. More than half...

AFTER THE CLOSE.(TO THE POINT)
April 29, 2002... HP holders were expected to elect a board without Walter Hewlett, who opposes the Compaq deal. It would be the first time no one from the founding families is on HP's board. RED ROBIN Gourmet Burgers filed a $60 mil IPO. NEW YORK...

BUSINESS BRIEFS.(TO THE POINT)
April 29, 2002... CONSUMER 3,000 Hershey employees strike In a sign unions may balk at paying a bigger share of rapidly rising medical premiums, 20% of the No. 1 U.S. candy maker's work force struck two factories. Hershey wants to raise health...

BUSINESS BRIEFS.(TO THE POINT)
April 29, 2002... TECHNOLOGY Bell Labs has chip breakthrough Scientists at Lucent's research arm created an image of a single-impurity atom in silicon. It'll help to see how impurities affect microchips and is critical in shrinking future electronics....

BUSINESS BRIEFS.(TO THE POINT)
April 29, 2002... MEDIA AOL may sell cable stake in IPO AOL Time Warner may sell a $45 bil minority stake of its Time Warner cable unit, published reports said. AOL could then buy AT&T's 25.5% stake in Time Warner Entertainment -- Warner Bros. film...

THE ECONOMY.(TO THE POINT)
April 29, 2002... NABE: Profit margins recovering Margins improved dramatically in the latest survey from the National Association for Business Economics. Also, more firms were able to raise prices than cut them, another positive sign for profits. Nearly...

IN BRIEF.(TO THE POINT)
April 29, 2002... Varian Medical gapped up 1.68, or 4%, to 43.53 after the maker of cancer therapy systems earned 34 cents a share in Q2, up 21% and 4 cents over estimates. Varian raised 2002 estimates. Vivendi will have to hold another poll of...

NATION.(TO THE POINT)
April 29, 2002... Farm lawmakers set subsidy levels House and Senate negotiators tentatively agreed to raise loan rates -- which effectively set a minimum price for major crops -- to $5.03 a bushel for soybeans and $1.98 for corn next year. The bill, which...

WORLD.(TO THE POINT)
April 29, 2002... Bomb kills 12 women in Pakistan The bomb blew up in the women's section of a Shiite mosque in a Pakistani province wracked by religious violence. It killed 12 female worshippers and wounded at least 13 others. The mosque is in eastern...

TRENDS & INNOVATIONS.(TO THE POINT)
April 29, 2002... Bacterial sex made plague deadly A single swapped gene -- traded in the closest thing bacteria have to sex -- turned a relatively innocuous microbe into the agent of the Black Death, the journal Science said. The gene let Yersinia pestis,...

TRENDS & INNOVATIONS.(TO THE POINT)
April 29, 2002... People can think they've found a soul mate, even seeing similarities that aren't there, researchers said in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology. This can actually help form a "satisfying and stable romantic relationship." ...

HOW YOU THINK IS EVERYTHING Take A Positive Approach.(LEADERS & SUCCESS)(IBD'S 10 SECRETS TO SUCCESS)
April 29, 2002... Byline: Cord Cooper 1 Adm. Robert Peary was not alone when he discovered the North Pole in 1909. Matthew Henson, an African-American, and two Inuit men accompanied him. Henson was the first to make the discovery, but was listed as...

Ely Callaway Aimed For The Top Strive To Excel: Entrepreneur built his golf equipment business on integrity.(LEADERS & SUCCESS)
April 29, 2002... Byline: KERRY JACKSON It was Christmas Day, and the Callaway Golf Co.'s offices were empty -- except for Chairman Ely Callaway. The firm's most ambitious product was months away from launch, and a small problem had him in his office. ...

Callaway At A Glance.(LEADERS & SUCCESS)
April 29, 2002... Callaway At A Glance Born: 1919 in LaGrange, Ga. Died: 2001 in Rancho Santa Fe, Calif. Education: Bachelor's degree from Emory University in Atlanta in 1940. Achievements: Founded Callaway Golf in 1982. Built the...

Today's Start-Ups Find They Need To Hit Profitability Quickly In earlier days, investors were more patient about companies' development.(LEADERS & SUCCESS)(MANAGING A SUCCESSFUL COMPANY)
April 29, 2002... Byline: MARILYN MUCH If you're starting a company and hope to become an industry leader, you'd better work fast. And online travel firms have gotten that message loud and clear. It wasn't always that way. When Henry Ford and his team...

Six-Months-And-A-Day Plans Becoming Popular Options Repricing Plan Lets companies cancel and reissue stock options without taking a charge.(INTERNET & TECHNOLOGY)
April 29, 2002... Byline: MIKE ANGELL What a difference six months and a day makes. "Six months and a day" refers to an increasingly popular way for companies to reprice their employee stock options. With shares of tech companies trading at historic...

Accounting For The Cost Of Options Two Bills In Congress Investors' groups, too, are pushing for greater disclosure about options.(INTERNET & TECHNOLOGY)
April 29, 2002... Byline: MIKE ANGELL Once considered an engine of growth, stock option plans are now a broken windshield wiper muddying financial statements. While no one disputes their motivational merits, the ways companies account for stock...

Sales Of DVD Recorders Expected To Rise Fast But Some Issues Loom Devices remain costly and differing standards can confuse buyers.(INTERNET & TECHNOLOGY)(COMPUTERS MADE PLAIN)
April 29, 2002... Byline: LYNN WALFORD You may already be watching movies on digital video discs or using them in your personal computer. DVDs are handy because they have a huge amount of storage space -- 4.7 gigabytes. That means they can hold lots...

Some Observers Give Hewlett Fighting Chance Seeks To Overturn HP Vote Did HP, Compaq leaders fail to disclose true fears about their big merger?(INTERNET & TECHNOLOGY)
April 29, 2002... Byline: MURRAY COLEMAN A week ago, Walter Hewlett's chances of derailing computing's biggest merger appeared dim. That was before last week's three days of testimony on Hewlett-Packard Co.'s bid to buy rival Compaq Computer Corp. Now...

Sun Aims To Boost Software Sales With Programs That Work Together.(INTERNET & TECHNOLOGY)(Q & A)
April 29, 2002... Byline: MURRAY COLEMAN Computer maker Sun Microsystems Inc. is moving more into software. A month ago, it took control of a joint venture with AOL Time Warner Inc. That venture, known as iPlanet, has been folded into an even larger...

VALSPAR CORP. Minneapolis, Minnesota Coatings Maker Back After A Difficult 2001 Strong Growth Forecast The recession has hurt, but acquisitions and cost cuts help ease the pain.(THE NEW AMERICA)
April 29, 2002... Byline: KIRK SHINKLE If there's a safe bet in the business world, it's that recessions spell trouble for manufacturers and their partners. After watching demand for its products soften during last year's economic downturn, industrial...

PETSMART INC. Phoenix, Arizona See Spot Run . . . To A Pet Lover's Paradise.(THE NEW AMERICA)
April 29, 2002... Byline: MARILYN MUCH Phil Francis likes to make life easy for pets and their owners. So the chief executive of retailer Petsmart Inc. is opening up a pet hotel. That's right: a pet hotel. It'll be housed next to the grooming...

KEY FUND HOLDINGS.(MUTUAL FUNDS)
April 29, 2002... Key Fund Holdings / Alliant Techsystems was a top holding of UAM FMA Small Company Fund as of its latest reporting period. The stock is 4% off its 109.28 high of April 2. Earnings rose 12% and 13% the past two quarters on sales growth of 57%...

Is It Too Late To Shift To Value Funds? Indicators Show Trend Over long run, value beats growth, but some detect more risk in fallen angels.(MUTUAL FUNDS)
April 29, 2002... Byline: KEN HOOVER By now, most mutual fund investors have figured out that value funds are doing better than growth funds. In fact, it's no contest. Small-cap value funds, the best-performing part of the market, were up an average...

Out Of The Woods?(ISSUES & INSIGHTS)(EDITORIALS)
April 29, 2002... The Economy: It's welcome news, of course, that the economy grew at a 5.8% pace in the first quarter. But don't get out the party hats and confetti just yet. Yes, GDP grew at rates not seen since the roaring '90s. And that does suggest a...

Cognitive Dissonance.(ISSUES & INSIGHTS)(EDITORIALS)
April 29, 2002... Energy: The Senate's now passed an energy bill rejecting President Bush's plan for Arctic drilling. Ironically, the debate on the bill focused on national security. The worry is that the more dependent we are on foreign oil from...

LETTERS.(ISSUES & INSIGHTS)
April 29, 2002... It's Tea Time Again "King Tom" (Editorial, April 19) was perfect. It points out that the current system of government in our country is not working properly. Our Founding Fathers set up our government so that it represents all of the...

Bush Slides In Public's Eye On Issues He's Toiled Over.(ISSUES & INSIGHTS)(IBD/TIPP POLL)
April 29, 2002... Byline: BRIAN MITCHELL President Bush's approval ratings are still high, but key agenda items show a worrisome weakness, says the latest IBD/TIPP Poll. Bush's overall job approval dropped 8 percentage points in three months -- from...

THE REAL MOST ACTIVE NYSE Indexes Finish Week On Sour Note.(MAKING MONEY)
April 29, 2002... Byline: CHRISTINA WISE NYSE stocks looked past hearty economic data as they moved south Friday. The Dow Jones industrial average gave up 1.2% and the S&P 500 shed 1.4%. Disappointing earnings sent many stocks lower, including General...

Builder, Insurer Wind Way Through Bases.(B)(NYSE STOCKS IN THE NEWS)
April 29, 2002... Byline: Christina Wise Arthur J. Gallagher is winding its way through a 26-week base. The current consolidation formed atop an earlier base that lasted from December 2000 through last September. The Illinois-based insurance broker...

THE REAL MOST ACTIVE Nasdaq Falls Again, Ends Week Down 7.4%.(B)
April 29, 2002... Byline: JONAH KERI The Nasdaq ended a brutal week with its seventh loss in eight sessions. The composite index skidded 2.9% Friday, 7.4% for the week. The Nasdaq 100 fell 3.9% for the day, 9.7% for the week. Volume eased, cold comfort...

Dollar Tree Gaps Up To 52-Week High.(B)(NASDAQ STOCKS IN THE NEWS)
April 29, 2002... Byline: Jonah Keri Dollar Tree Stores gapped up to a 52-week high on four times normal trade. On a weekly chart, you can see the stock's long, sloppy base. Volume did calm down in the weeks leading up to Friday's move. Late...

Let Rules Blaze A Trail Through A Murky Market.(THE SMART INVESTOR)(IBD INVESTOR PROFILE)
April 29, 2002... Byline: KEN HOOVER David Grogan bought his first stock when he was 12 years old. It was 10 shares of a company called Computer Consoles. The purchase price with commission in 1974: $77.88. His grandfather was an investor who became...

IBD'S 20 RULES FOR INVESTMENT SUCCESS.(THE SMART INVESTOR)
April 29, 2002... A vital point is these rules are not based on our personal opinion, our beliefs or those of Wall Street's analysts and experts. Investor's Business Daily built models of the most successful stocks and investors of the last half-century. We...

MRV Lights Up A Marvelous Gain.(THE SMART INVESTOR)(WINNING WAYS)
April 29, 2002... Byline: KEN HOOVER A new bull market had been under way for six months when MRV Communications broke out of a 38-week cup-with-handle base on July 28, 1995 1. The Chatsworth, Calif., company was a leader in concentrators and...

Top Firms Spend Plenty On R&D.(A)(INVESTOR'S CORNER)
April 26, 2002... Byline: CHRISTINA WISE A firm with a big-hit product enjoys hefty sales, nice profits and a smart rise in its stock price. But eventually the good times end. That's why the best companies don't rest on their laurels. Even in good...

Tyco Shelves Breakup, Sets Job, Factory Cuts As Profit Outlook Dims CEO: Plan Was "A Mistake' IPO of CIT finance unit is still in works as Tyco works to generate cash.(A)
April 26, 2002... Byline: CHRISTINA WISE Since Tyco International unveiled its spinoff plan in January, the specifics of how it would "unlock shareholder value" have shifted back and forth. On Thursday, it nixed the idea altogether. "In hindsight, the...

Premium Spikes Put "Mo' Back In HMOs; Aetna Joins Others With Blowout Results New Share-Price Highs Galore Profit growth reaccelerates as customer resistance to rate hikes starts to crumble.(A)(INDUSTRY IN THE NEWS)
April 26, 2002... Byline: GLORIA LAU Health plan earnings reports are rolling in, and they look robust. Three major HMOs have reported, and nine more will by early May. Happy investors are pushing up their share prices. Since the start of the...

IBD'S TOP 10.(A)
April 26, 2002... Tyco Falls As Breakup Scrapped 1Tyco Int'l dropped its plan to split into four firms, apologizing for the "mistake." The conglomerate lost $1.9 bil in Q1, slashed its 2002 profit forecast and will cut 7,100 jobs, or 3% of its work force....

AFTER THE CLOSE.(TO THE POINT)
April 26, 2002... OVERTURE earned 48 cents in Q1 vs. a 13-cent loss a year ago. It beat views by 15 cents. The paid-listing Web search firm's sales rose 41%. It expects to beat Q2 views. It extended its deal with Yahoo. It rose 25% after hours. AMGEN...

BUSINESS BRIEFS.(TO THE POINT)
April 26, 2002... MEDICAL AmerisourceBergen soars on Q2 The drug wholesaler earned 87 cents a share, up 53% and 12 cents over views. Sales jumped 214% to $10.9 bil. AmerisourceBergen credited higher drug prices, low interest rates and merger cost...

BUSINESS BRIEFS.(TO THE POINT)
April 26, 2002... FINANCE IPO probe hits J.P. Morgan, Fleet A regulatory probe into how Wall Street firms doled out IPO shares has turned to J.P. Morgan Chase and FleetBoston Financial, sources said. They allegedly charged customers commissions of up...

BUSINESS BRIEFS.(TO THE POINT)
April 26, 2002... TECHNOLOGY HP trial ends, ruling to come soon The three-day trial regarding the suit to block Hewlett-Packard's buy of Compaq closed. Delaware Chancery Court Judge William Chandler promised a ruling soon. The trial addressed whether...

BUSINESS BRIEFS.(TO THE POINT)
April 26, 2002... ENERGY Dynegy dives 30% on SEC probe The energy trader fell 8.09 to 19.21 after saying the SEC is looking at a natural gas deal that resulted in an $80 mil tax benefit. Dynegy also cut its 2002 EPS target to $2.00-$2.05. Analysts...

THE ECONOMY.(TO THE POINT)
April 26, 2002... Initial jobless claims fall 31,000 Workers applying for benefits slid to 421,000 in the week ended April 20. But the four-week average rose for the eighth straight week to 452,000. Claims remain well above the 400,000 mark deemed...

IN BRIEF.(TO THE POINT)
April 26, 2002... Tiffany sees 22 cents in Q1, up 16%, vs. views of 17 cents. The luxury jeweler surged 3.15, or 9%, to 39.55, a 52-week high. Kellogg earned 37 cents a share in Q1, up 76%, and 2 cents over views on cereal sales and its Keebler buy. ...

NATION.(TO THE POINT)
April 26, 2002... House passes INS restructuring Attorney General John Ashcroft said the White House would likely work with the Democratic-controlled Senate to get a plan more to its liking. The overhaul would scrap the INS and create one agency to...