Investor's Business Daily articles from August 2002

Investor's Business Daily archives from August 2002

Don't Let A Shakeout Scare You.(A)(INVESTOR'S CORNER)
August 1, 2002... Byline: JONAH KERI As we've noted again and again in this series of Investor's Corners, bases reflect investor psychology. The market's optimism and pessimism, fear and greed go into every stock's base. Rarely is that truer than in a...

Momentum Slows In New Data: Q2 Growth Pegged At Just 1.1% Prior Periods Revised Down Widening trade gap plus lower consumer spending raise odds of "double dip'.(A)
August 1, 2002... Byline: CHRISTINA WISE The economy grew at a weak 1.1% annual rate in the second quarter, the Commerce Department said Wednesday. That was just half what analysts expected. Meanwhile, the Chicago Purchasing Managers Index fell to 51.5...

Apparel Chains Pinched As Consumers Cut Back Teen Chains Dealt A Blow But others feel pain, too, as Wal-Mart, Target see some signs of softening.(A)
August 1, 2002... Byline: MARILYN MUCH Eroding consumer confidence, triggered by business scandals and the shaky stock market, may be starting to show up at the checkout counter. That's bad news for a slow-growing economy trying to get off the mat and...

IBD'S TOP 10.(A)
August 1, 2002... Q2 GDP Slows To Anemic 1.1% 1The economy grew at a tepid 1.1% annual rate in Q2, much slower than expected. Inflation, coming in at a 1% rate, was still a no-show. But the government revised '01 sharply downward, showing a much deeper...

AFTER THE CLOSE.(TO THE POINT)
August 1, 2002... ADOBE expects to earn 18-23 cents in Q3 on sales of $270 mil-$290 mil, citing a weak July. Analysts saw 25 cents on $309.8 mil. The publishing software firm fell 20% after hours. GOODRICH CORP. will provide aerospace products such as...

BUSINESS BRIEFS.(TO THE POINT)
August 1, 2002... CONSUMER Unilever beats views, ups targets The Anglo-Dutch consumer goods giant earned $1.06 bil in Q2, up 21% vs. a year ago. Sales were basically flat at $12.5 bil. But sales of its top 400 brands -- including Hellman's mayonnaise,...

BUSINESS BRIEFS.(TO THE POINT)
August 1, 2002... TELECOM Verizon latest Baby Bell to warn The No. 1 U.S. local phone company earned 77 cents a share in Q2 ex-charges of $4.1 bil, matching a year ago and analyst views. It lost a net $2.1 bil. Revenue fell a bit to $16.83 bil. Citing...

BUSINESS BRIEFS.(TO THE POINT)
August 1, 2002... MEDICAL Merck pulls plans for Medco IPO The Merck unit cited market conditions. It had planned to raise $934 mil to $1.03 bil by selling 46.7 mil shares for $20-$22 each. But the IPO had been delayed three times amid market woes and...

BUSINESS BRIEFS.(TO THE POINT)
August 1, 2002... METALS Alcoa cuts U.S. aluminum output Due to high energy and labor costs, the world's No. 1 aluminum firm will permanently shut two idling plants and trim output at a third. Alcoa sees a Q3 charge of $15 mil-$20 mil. After the...

THE ECONOMY.(TO THE POINT)
August 1, 2002... Weekly mortgage demand rises The Mortgage Bankers Association's mortgage loan applications index jumped 23.2% last week, as refinancing activity surged. Demand for new home loans rose 2.6%, while refinancing requests ballooned 35.2%. Refis...

IN BRIEF.(TO THE POINT)
August 1, 2002... Union workers picketed Fidelity to urge the No. 1 mutual fund firm to be more aggressive in cleaning up America's corporate practices. Jones Apparel earned 53 cents a share, up 13% vs. a year ago. Analysts expected a 9% drop to 43 cents....

NATION.(TO THE POINT)
August 1, 2002... Bush narrows fraud bill's reach Sens. Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., and Charles Grassley, R-Iowa, who crafted the whistle-blower section of the corporate reform bill, asked the White House to reconsider what they called a narrow, flawed...

WORLD.(TO THE POINT)
August 1, 2002... Arrest in attempt to fix Olympics An alleged Russian crime boss was arrested in Italy on U.S. charges he tried to fix the ice dancing competition at the '02 Olympics. U.S. prosecutors say Alimzan Tokhtakhounov tried to influence judges to...

TRENDS & INNOVATIONS.(TO THE POINT)
August 1, 2002... First gene-altered vaccine tests Britain OK'd the first human trial of a vaccine containing a genetically modified bacterium. Acambis PLC developed prototype vaccines as part of an effort to produce a multicomponent treatment to prevent...

TRENDS & INNOVATIONS.(TO THE POINT)
August 1, 2002... Blocking a brain receptor may cut morphine addiction risk without hurting its effects, says the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. Women ages 18 to 22 with children are especially unlikely to be adequately physically active,...

DEAL WITH PEOPLE EFFECTIVELY Expanding Incentives.(LEADERS & SUCCESS)(IBD'S 10 SECRETS TO SUCCESS)
August 1, 2002... Byline: Cord Cooper 9 During two years as commander of the USS Benfold, Capt. Michael Abrashoff transformed the ship from a standard level-one vessel to a battle-ready juggernaut -- one of the best-run ships in the Navy. He did it, he...

His Work Powered A Golden Age Innovate To Succeed: Westinghouse made finding a better way life's work.(LEADERS & SUCCESS)
August 1, 2002... Byline: SEAN HIGGINS George Westinghouse was traveling home by train in 1866 when it suddenly began to slow down. The engineers had spotted a wreck ahead and were trying frantically to avoid a collision. Sparks flew as metal strained...

As Big Blue Gets Bigger, Do Its Services Rivals Get "Smaller'? Deal "Changes Everything' Hewlett-Packard, others face questions after IBM unveils plans to buy PwC.(INTERNET & TECHNOLOGY)
August 1, 2002... Byline: J. BONASIA and MURRAY COLEMAN It's Bigger Blue, and some analysts says that means it's lesser HP, EDS, Accenture and most anyone that wants to compete with the big boys in the huge, potentially lucrative tech services field. ...

TECHBITS.(INTERNET & TECHNOLOGY)
August 1, 2002... Byline: Brian Deagon and James DeTar CIOs Don't See '02 Budget Boost More than 40% of chief information officers now think their budgets won't pick up until 2003, according to the CIO Magazine Tech Poll released Thursday. That's up 10%...

Security Concerns Slow Wi-Fi Adoption.(INTERNET & TECHNOLOGY)
August 1, 2002... Byline: SARAH Z. SLEEPER In May, Best Buy Inc. stopped use of its wireless cash registers after anonymous hackers said they could access customer data. The firm denied the breach, says John Pescatore, analyst at Gartner Inc. But...

IBM, AT&T And Intel Exploring High-Speed Wireless Options A Joint Venture Is Rumored Cingular and Verizon are also said to be participants in national network project.(INTERNET & TECHNOLOGY)
August 1, 2002... Byline: SARAH Z. SLEEPER Two weeks ago, wireless watchers got wind of an unlikely team-up: Intel Corp., IBM Corp., Verizon Communications Corp., AT&T Wireless Inc. and Cingular Wireless. The group, three of whose members usually battle...

Visual Communicator Presents An Option To PowerPoint.(INTERNET & TECHNOLOGY)(COMPUTERS MADE PLAIN)
August 1, 2002... Byline: TED NEEDLEMAN One effect of the personal computer revolution is that more people are making presentations. Software like PowerPoint makes it easy for almost anyone to deliver a snazzy presentation. And the trend isn't limited...

BED BATH & BEYOND INC. Union, New Jersey Solid Housing Market Gives Retailer A Boost.(THE NEW AMERICA)
August 1, 2002... Byline: M. SUSAN BASAS It's all about personalization. Over the past year, more than 6 million U.S. households moved out of their old digs and into new or previously owned homes, according to the National Association of Realtors and...

J&J SNACK FOODS CORP. Pennsauken, New Jersey Pretzel Maker's Growth Recipe: A Little Diversity -- And Spinach.(THE NEW AMERICA)
August 1, 2002... Byline: MARILYN MUCH If there's a new twist to the pretzel business, Gerald Shreiber will likely find it. He's chief executive of J&J Snack Foods Corp. -- the nation's No. 1 soft pretzel maker -- and he's been scouting for ways to...

KEY FUND HOLDINGS.(MUTUAL FUNDS)
August 1, 2002... Key Fund Holdings / H&R Block was a top holding of Calamos Growth Fund in the latest reporting period. Shares are down 8% from a high reached in intraday trading on April 3. Then the stock was as high as 51.46. Analysts see earnings rising 17%...

July Fund Returns: Help Arrives Late Results Broadly Lower Despite stock bounce, best performing funds still in bond categories.(MUTUAL FUNDS)
August 1, 2002... Byline: CLAIRE MENCKE Mutual fund returns for July reflected the volatile market, which sent stock prices steeply down for much of the month only to push them rapidly higher in the past week. For stock funds, the results were broadly...

In Need Of A Shock.(ISSUES & INSIGHTS)(EDITORIALS)
August 1, 2002... The Fed: For those who needed proof, it's here: The economy has been in far worse shape than anyone thought. Shouldn't the Fed be cutting interest rates? It seems we have a little problem. The government "missed" last year's recession....

Heard It All Before.(ISSUES & INSIGHTS)(EDITORIALS)
August 1, 2002... Iraq: Those who knock whatever George Bush is up to must be running out of ideas. How else to explain the economic fear-mongering over an attack on Iraq? In a front-page story Tuesday headlined "Profound Effect On Economy Seen In A War On...

LETTERS.(ISSUES & INSIGHTS)
August 1, 2002... An American First In response to "Just How Tolerant Is Islam?" (National Issue, July 25) and recent letters, I would like to say the following: Islam is not tolerant, intolerant, peaceful or violent. People are. Please do not judge by...

Will Corporate Reform Law Just Add To The Problems?(ISSUES & INSIGHTS)(NATIONAL ISSUE)
August 1, 2002... Byline: JOSEPH GUINTO President Bush signed an accounting reform bill Tuesday, calling it "the most far-reaching reforms of American business practices since the time of Franklin Delano Roosevelt." The president said, "We will act...

THE REAL MOST ACTIVE NYSE Stocks Climb, Pack Volume Punch.(MAKING MONEY)
August 1, 2002... Byline: JONAH KERI NYSE stocks gained ground on higher volume Wednesday, marking a session of accumulation. The Dow sprang ahead 0.7%, the S&P 500 1%. Small caps were among the day's biggest losers, though, as the S&P 600 tumbled 2.1%. ...

Sierra Clears Pattern, Surges To New High.(B)(NYSE STOCKS IN THE NEWS)
August 1, 2002... Byline: Jonah Keri A few stocks highlighted in Stocks In The News recently have taken further steps forward, some breaking out of their bases. Sierra Health Services cleared a four-week, irregular-shaped pattern Wednesday, hitting a...

THE REAL MOST ACTIVE Youth Apparel Retailers Lead Nasdaq's Decline.(B)
August 1, 2002... Byline: CRAIG SHAW The Nasdaq composite dipped 1.2% Wednesday after three days of gains. The Nasdaq 100 slumped 1.9%. Volume declined, a positive sign in pullbacks during a rally. Youth apparel retailers swooned after several firms...

Conn. Banking Stock Forms Double Bottom.(B)(NASDAQ STOCKS IN THE NEWS)
August 1, 2002... Byline: Craig Shaw Regional bank stocks sport some of the best-looking charts of this nascent rally. While other stocks climb sharply from V-shaped bottoms, some banks have formed smoother cup or double-bottom bases. Connecticut...

Learning From Bear Market Missteps.(THE SMART INVESTOR)(INVESTORS.COM CORNER)
August 1, 2002... Byline: KEN SHREVE The most successful stock investors share a common trait: They learn from their own mistakes. During the bear market, investing miscues have been plentiful. Some investors let small losses turn into big ones. Some...

NO TIME, NO PROBLEM.(THE SMART INVESTOR)
August 1, 2002... In just 15 minutes a day, IBD keeps you on top of the market. Scan Internet & Technology and The New America for promising companies. Then turn to the NYSE and Nasdaq Where The Big Money's Flowing. Focus on the boldfaced market-leading stocks....

Battling Tough Markets With Charts.(THE SMART INVESTOR)(IBD INVESTOR PROFILE)
August 1, 2002... Byline: DAVID SAITO-CHUNG At the University of North Carolina, T.J. Demas started the Chapel Hill campus' first investment club. He then went to the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania for his MBA. Yet neither place...

Saucer Bases Wear Out Investors.(A)(INVESTOR'S CORNER)
August 2, 2002... Byline: CRAIG SHAW Stocks either wear you out or scare you out. The sharp corrections in cup-with-handle and double-bottom bases scare out weak holders. A less common price formation, the saucer base, wears out investors with its...

Factory Upturn Slows To A Crawl As Orders Slow, Stocks Dwindle Just A Pause -- Or Worse? ISM gauge still over 50, implying growth, in sign '02 recovery is like '91's.(A)
August 2, 2002... Byline: CHRISTINA WISE Though manufacturing activity expanded for the sixth straight month in July, its pace slowed to a crawl, new data show. The Institute for Supply Management's purchasing managers' index, which gauges factory...

Iffy Qwest Books Buoyed Stock, Cinching Its US West Takeover Capacity swaps showed up as sales, giving a lift to profit at crucial time.(A)
August 2, 2002... Byline: JED GRAHAM The press release Qwest Communications issued on March 31, 1999, couldn't have sounded much more buoyant. To keep up with growing demand, Star Telecommunications had agreed to buy $85 million worth of broadband...

IBD'S TOP 10.(A)
August 2, 2002... Market Ugly Again; Volume Lags 1The major indexes, plagued by sluggish economic data, gave back much of their recent gains. The Nasdaq plunged 3.6%, the S&P 500 3% and the Dow 2.6%. But volume fell sharply across the board. Chips and...

AFTER THE CLOSE.(TO THE POINT)
August 2, 2002... TYCO INT'L CFO Mark Swartz will resign when a successor is found. The firm hired Michael Useem to oversee corporate governance. EBAY sold Butterfields, a brick-and-mortar auction house, to English firm Bonhams for an undisclosed amount. ...

BUSINESS BRIEFS.(TO THE POINT)
August 2, 2002... TRANSPORTATION Airlines cutting flights on Sept. 11 American and United are making unspecified cuts that day, based on weak bookings. Delta is trimming flights that week. Unease about another terror strike as well as patriotism and...

BUSINESS BRIEFS.(TO THE POINT)
August 2, 2002... MEDIA Disney meets views, warns on Q4 Walt Disney earned 17 cents a share in Q3, down 41% from a year ago but in line with views. Sales fell 3% to $5.8 bil. TV revenue fell 10% to $2.1 bil, as ABC's ratings lag. The entertainment giant...

BUSINESS BRIEFS.(TO THE POINT)
August 2, 2002... MEDICAL Aetna reverses loss with Q2 profit The No. 3 U.S. HMO earned 32 cents a share, beating views by 7 cents. Last year it lost 67 cents. Results were helped by cost-cutting. But sales fell 23% to $5.1 bil as it continued to drop...

BUSINESS BRIEFS.(TO THE POINT)
August 2, 2002... ENERGY Williams Cos. gets cash, credit The energy trader sold $1.4 bil in assets. It also got $2 bil in secured debt from its banks and Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway. Williams jumped 29% to 3.80 and rival Dynegy jumped 15%. A...

THE ECONOMY.(TO THE POINT)
August 2, 2002... Mortgage rates off record lows The 30-year fixed mortgage rate rose to 6.43% in the week, up 9 basis points from the prior week's level, which was the lowest in 31 years of record keeping, Freddie Mac said. But economic data showing anemic...

IN BRIEF.(TO THE POINT)
August 2, 2002... Cisco fell 8% amid rumors, swiftly denied by the firm, that CEO John Chambers would quit. Wet Seal expects a profit of 12-14 cents in the just-ended Q2 due to poor sales in 2nd-half July, the young women's apparel chain said just before...

NATION.(TO THE POINT)
August 2, 2002... Senate OKs $355.4 bil for defense The funds approved in a 95-3 vote give the military $4.4 bil over '02. Procurement, research, personnel, and operations and maintenance programs would all get increases of at least 9%. The White House...

WORLD.(TO THE POINT)
August 2, 2002... U.S., ASEAN sign anti-terror pact The sweeping new treaty with 10 Southeast Asian nations aims at substantially upgrading security in the region -- a key front in the war on al-Qaida. It's one of the most extensive security arrangements...

TRENDS & INNOVATIONS.(TO THE POINT)
August 2, 2002... China becomes No. 2 Web market In July it passed Japan in Web traffic. The U.S. still led the Web market at 42.7%, with China a distant No. 2 at 6.6%, says WebSideStory, a maker of customer tracking software. Intel said Wednesday it expects...

TRENDS & INNOVATIONS.(TO THE POINT)
August 2, 2002... Molecules in the brain that can boost energy output to burn off extra calories were found in mice. Atlantic sharks are coming closer to shore and are more dangerous to humans because their prey is overfished, said oceanographers. A...

BE HONEST AND DEPENDABLE Finding Common Ground.(LEADERS & SUCCESS)(IBD'S 10 SECRETS TO SUCCESS)
August 2, 2002... Byline: Robin Grugal 10 Ever had a great idea get shot down? Don't blame others. Do yourself a favor and take responsibility for how others receive your ideas. Learn how to gain people's support without resorting to hard sell,...

Einstein At A Glance.(LEADERS & SUCCESS)
August 2, 2002... Einstein At A Glance Born: 1879 in Ulm, Germany. Died: 1955 in Princeton, N.J. Education: Graduated from the Polytechnic Institute in Zurich, Switzerland. Achievements: Considered the greatest theorist and scientist of...

His Passion Wasn't Just Relative Keep Learning: Einstein's devotion to knowledge helped solve scientific puzzles.(LEADERS & SUCCESS)
August 2, 2002... Byline: KEN HOOVER Albert Einstein had a passion from boyhood to unravel the way the universe worked. And thinking hard was hard work. For weeks, he pondered new concepts. Walking home one night in 1905 from work at the patent office...

Sun, SAP, BEA Say WSCI Is The Key To Unlocking Web Services Pushing Standard Interface Their goal is difficult task of letting diverse software work together seamlessly.(INTERNET & TECHNOLOGY)
August 2, 2002... Byline: MURRAY COLEMAN It's a bigger challenge than, say, crossing the Continental Divide. Software makers realize they must find better ways to make all software work together seamlessly. Three of the largest tech companies say...

Grid Computing Aims To Harness "Clusters' More Power, Less Cost Information processing moves to a higher level by utilizing group effort.(INTERNET & TECHNOLOGY)
August 2, 2002... Byline: J. BONASIA More companies facing earnings and sales growth gridlock are turning to grid computing. This emerging type of computing format lets companies tap into more computing power at a low cost by sharing resources among a...

Bells On Brink Of Going Long Distance Many Approvals Expected Big telecom competition is set to truly arrive soon in a host of U.S. states.(INTERNET & TECHNOLOGY)
August 2, 2002... Byline: REINHARDT KRAUSE Local Bell phone companies are -- finally -- close to reaching a big goal: selling long-distance services within their entire regions. Of course, we've heard that before. As in baseball, it's become a...

PORT FINANCIAL CORP. Brighton, Massachusetts Tiny Bank's Message: Bring It On, Big Boys It Relishes Competition That's because as more national players pop up, it can win new clients.(THE NEW AMERICA)
August 2, 2002... Byline: GLORIA LAU You'd think that a small, regional bank would be a little leery of having to compete against huge international players. That's not the case at Port Financial Corp. In fact, the holding company for Cambridgeport Bank...

CORINTHIAN COLLEGES INC. Santa Ana, California Educator Gets Plenty Of Mileage Out Of Unit.(THE NEW AMERICA)
August 2, 2002... Byline: MARILYN ALVA When it comes to working on today's cars, not every guy with a wrench is up to the job. Modern autos feature complicated electronic engine systems and emission control gear. Trained mechanics, like health care...

KEY FUND HOLDINGS.(MUTUAL FUNDS)
August 2, 2002... Key Fund Holdings / Safeco was a top holding of T. Rowe Price Mid Cap Value Fund in its latest reporting period. The insurer's earnings rose 311% in the first quarter and swung from a loss to a profit in the second quarter. The stock is 12%...

Nations Value Returning To Its Roots New Manager At Helm She swerved away from high P-E stocks and sees fund poised for rebound.(MUTUAL FUNDS)(MUTUAL FUND PROFILE)
August 2, 2002... Byline: DAN MOREAU A year ago, Lori Ensinger was brought in to return Nations Value Fund to its value-oriented roots. She aggressively shifted out of higher P-E stocks such as Washington Mutual, which had been pummeled in a bear market...

Power Lunch.(ISSUES & INSIGHTS)(EDITORIALS)
August 2, 2002... Economic Policy: President Bush, Alan Greenspan and Paul O'Neill got together for lunch Thursday. We can only imagine how the conversation went: Bush: These numbers out of the purchasing managers this morning are even worse than...

Better To Receive.(ISSUES & INSIGHTS)(EDITORIALS)
August 2, 2002... Politics: A man sits in prison for making illegal campaign donations. The senator who accepted his gifts keeps his job. This is the story of Bob in Wonderland. David Chang, a former friend of Sen. Robert Torricelli, is serving 18 months in...

LETTERS.(ISSUES & INSIGHTS)
August 2, 2002... Spiritual Head Needed Regarding "Just How Tolerant Is Islam?" (National Issue, July 25), the problem with this religion is that there is no central authority, such as the Roman Catholic pope, to control miscreant and myriad interpretations...

Hospitals' Dirty Little Secret: Infections Now Are Rampant.(ISSUES & INSIGHTS)(PERSPECTIVE)
August 2, 2002... Byline: BETSY MCCAUGHEY The dirtiest secret in health care is how dirty some hospitals are. Dirty enough to kill you. Infections that spread through hospitals are the fourth-largest killer, right behind heart disease, cancer and strokes....

THE REAL MOST ACTIVE Dow, S&P Fall Hard While Volume Eases.(MAKING MONEY)
August 2, 2002... Byline: JONAH KERI NYSE stocks dived Thursday, but the selling seemed to lack conviction. The Dow dropped 2.6%, the S&P 500 3%. Despite the heavy point losses, however, volume closed well short of Wednesday's level, suggesting institutions...

Coventry Benefiting From Boom In HMOs.(B)(NYSE STOCKS IN THE NEWS)
August 2, 2002... Byline: Jonah Keri Coventry Health Care bent but didn't break in recent weeks, briefly slicing its 200-day moving average before bouncing back. It's now working on the right side of a seven-week base, 12% off its high. The managed...

THE REAL MOST ACTIVE Nasdaq Slumps On Soft Data; Volume Stays Light.(B)
August 2, 2002... Byline: CRAIG SHAW The Nasdaq composite dived 3.6% Thursday as weak data on manufacturing growth and construction spending worried investors. But volume dried up, leaving its rally intact. AdvancePCS and other pharmacy benefit managers...

Coin-Counting Firm Lifts 2002 Estimates.(B)(NASDAQ STOCKS IN THE NEWS)
August 2, 2002... Byline: Craig Shaw Just because the Nasdaq followed through Monday doesn't mean you should rush out and buy stocks. Many leading stocks need time to finish their bases. Keep a watch list of those forming sound price formations after...

Shhhhh, Be Very Quiet; We're Hunting Bases.(A)(INVESTOR'S CORNER)
August 5, 2002... Byline: JONAH KERI When it comes to bases, silence is often golden. Stocks stand the best chance for success when they can show calm price and volume action. A stock making herky-jerky moves in its base may be on its last legs. A...

Paltry 6,000 July Jobs Add To Fear Recovery May Be Hitting A Wall June Factory Orders Slide Incomes, spending solid, but consumers may not be able to carry the load.(A)
August 5, 2002... Byline: JED GRAHAM The economy created just 6,000 jobs in July as workers put in fewer hours than in any month since October, the Labor Department said Friday. While the jobless rate held steady at 5.9% and the economy gained jobs for...

E-Services Show Staying Power, Especially In Travel And Leisure Who Tries On Tickets?(A)
August 5, 2002... Byline: BRIAN DEAGON The dot-coms may have bombed long ago, but you wouldn't know it by looking at what USA Interactive is up to. It's offering $4.5 billion in stock to buy the shares it doesn't already own in three Web firms that...

IBD'S TOP 10.(A)
August 5, 2002... July's Jobs Data Not Encouraging 1Businesses created only 6,000 new jobs as the jobless rate remained at 5.9%. The rise was well below the 60,000 most analysts predicted. Manufacturing, which earlier this year looked to be on the mend,...

AFTER THE CLOSE.(TO THE POINT)
August 5, 2002... ADELPHIA won a 45-day extension to run its Los Angeles cable TV systems. The bankrupt cable firm's pact was to expire Friday. GENERAL DYNAMICS got a $28 mil U.S. Army pact to build a plant to make ammo cartridges. NORTHROP GRUMMAN...

BUSINESS BRIEFS.(TO THE POINT)
August 5, 2002... TELECOM GEAR Investors wary of Cisco results The networking giant is expected to give a weak sales forecast again when it reports Q4 results after the close Tuesday. Positive Q1 guidance could hint at a recovery. Investors also wonder...

BUSINESS BRIEFS.(TO THE POINT)
August 5, 2002... TRANSPORTATION Bankruptcy lawyers hired by UAL United Airlines' parent sought their help soon after the Sept. 11 attack, an airline spokesman said. UAL may not be able to refinance its debt later this year if it doesn't get federal...

BUSINESS BRIEFS.(TO THE POINT)
August 5, 2002... ENERGY Hanover Compressor top guns out The largest provider of natural gas compression gear said CEO Michael McGhan and COO Charles Erwin had resigned. It was part of an expected restructuring that saw the new group in control putting...

BUSINESS BRIEFS.(TO THE POINT)
August 5, 2002... FINANCE Wall St. firms to face e-mail fines The SEC will likely fine Citigroup's Salomon Smith Barney, Deutsche Bank, Goldman Sachs, Merrill Lynch, Morgan Stanley and U.S. Bancorp's Piper Jaffray a total of $10 mil for not properly...

THE ECONOMY.(TO THE POINT)
August 5, 2002... Parry says Fed ready, if needed San Francisco Federal Reserve President Robert Parry said the Fed would act decisively if the economy should stall, but he doesn't see a double-dip recession as likely. Even with the fed funds rate at a low...

IN BRIEF.(TO THE POINT)
August 5, 2002... Verizon Wireless and America Online will offer AOL services and features to Verizon Wireless Mobile Web subscribers. CVS will resume dispensing drugs to Medicaid patients in Massachusetts. The state agreed to freeze its planned...

NATION.(TO THE POINT)
August 5, 2002... Pentagon reviews al-Qaida hunt Top Defense officials met to plot better ways to press the hunt for al-Qaida terrorists, following reports that Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld is unhappy with the pace of the Afghan mission. Among the...

WORLD.(TO THE POINT)
August 5, 2002... Israel destroys two weapons labs Israeli forces arrested 50 residents as they swept into Nablus, which the government called "the main factory of suicide bombings." Officials approved expelling two relatives of Palestinian attackers from...

TRENDS & INNOVATIONS.(TO THE POINT)
August 5, 2002... Three "longevity factors' found Men with low body temperature, low insulin levels and a slower decline in the DHEAS hormone may live longer even without cutting calories, National Institute of Aging researchers said. Rhesus monkeys with...