Investor's Business Daily articles from August 2005

Investor's Business Daily archives from August 2005

Q2 GDP Rose 3.4% As U.S.' Prospects Are Getting Rosier; Down From Q1's 3.8% Gain; But final sales rise 5.8%; Midwest factories heat up and labor costs stay cool.(A)
August 1, 2005... Byline: KIRK SHINKLE Early reports of solid second-quarter growth brightened the outlook for the U.S. economy Friday. Amid a flurry of data, the Commerce Department said U.S. GDP rose at a healthy 3.4% annual rate in the second quarter...

MARKET TOOL BAR.(A)
August 1, 2005... S&P 500 INDEX 1234.18 -9.54 (-0.8%) Major indexes close near lows for session DOW JONES IND. 10,640.91 -64.64 (-0.6%) Exxon Mobil weighs down the industrials NYSE VOL. (MIL) 1,404 -220...

IBD'S TOP 10.(A)
August 1, 2005... Q2 GDP Grew 3.4%, Near Views 1That was down from Q1's annual rate of 3.8%. But final sales, which exclude inventory changes, surged at a 5.8% pace, the best since Q3 '03. Benchmark revisions lowered growth estimates for 2002-2004. The...

AFTER THE CLOSE.(TO THE POINT)
August 1, 2005... ITT EDUCATIONAL SERVICES said the SEC has ended its investigation and that no actions will be pursued against the firm. The firm had faced accusations of falsifying enrollment, graduation and jobs-placement data. WPCS INT'L lost 8 cents in...

BUSINESS BRIEFS.(TO THE POINT)
August 1, 2005... DIVERSIFIED ITT beats the Street, ups outlook The industrial and defense giant's Q2 profit rose 22% to $1.43 a share, 11 cents over views. ITT's sales rose a better-than-forecast 20% to $1.98 bil. Defense electronics and services...

BUSINESS BRIEFS.(TO THE POINT)
August 1, 2005... TECHNOLOGY Music over for HP-branded iPods In the midst of a corporate overhaul, the tech giant says re-selling Apple's popular music player doesn't jibe with its digital media strategy. Apple shares fell 3%. HP-branded iPods...

BUSINESS BRIEFS.(TO THE POINT)
August 1, 2005... Baker Hughes tops, raises views The oil field services company netted 60 cents a share in Q2, 7 cents better than expected and 71% more than a year earlier. Sales rose 18% to $1.78 bil. Latin America, the Mideast and Asia led the way. Baker...

BUSINESS BRIEFS.(TO THE POINT)
August 1, 2005... IPOs Two IPOs sizzle in Nasdaq debut Superior Well Services and Golf Galaxy notched huge gains in their opening day. Oil field services company Superior Well rocketed 41% to 18.32 a share. It had priced 5.62 mil shares at $13, at the...

THE ECONOMY.(TO THE POINT)
August 1, 2005... Dallas Fed: housing "unsettling' Dallas Fed President Richard Fisher noted the "unsettling price increase we are seeing in certain housing markets." He also said the U.S. current account deficit is a worry, along with paying for Social...

BUSINESS BRIEFS/IN BRIEF.(TO THE POINT)
August 1, 2005... AGRICULTURE Archer Daniels beats Q4 targets The food processing giant earned 30 cents a share, up 30% vs. a year ago. Wall Street expected 28 cents. Sales fell 3% to $9.42 bil, also better than views. Archer Daniels Midland's corn...

NATION.(TO THE POINT)
August 1, 2005... Senate passes gun shield bill The Senate OK'd legislation that would halt civil suits that aim to hold the firearms industry responsible for gun violence. The Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act would provide broad immunity from...

WORLD.(TO THE POINT)
August 1, 2005... Pakistan vows seminary cleanup President Pervez Musharraf said all the estimated 1,400 foreign nationals studying in the nation's madrassas would have to leave the Islamic seminaries. They'll be part of new rules requiring seminaries to...

TRENDS & INNOVATIONS.(TO THE POINT)
August 1, 2005... Humans learn through habit According to a study of patients with amnesia published in Nature, people can learn skills without remembering what they have done, via training through trial-and-error. Previous research found that people...

They Just Don't Make 'Em Much Tougher Than This; He Had A Winning Attitude: Archie Moore's grit, determination and perseverance helped him conquer the boxing ring.(LEADERS & SUCCESS)(BEST OF LEADERS & SUCCESS)
August 1, 2005... Byline: PAUL KATZEFF Archie Moore was fighting for the heavyweight championship of the world. His chances didn't look good. The titleholder was the legendary Rocky Marciano, who never seemed to be anything but in his prime. And...

HOW YOU THINK IS EVERYTHING Get Everybody On Board.(LEADERS & SUCCESS)(IBD'S 10 SECRETS TO SUCCESS)
August 1, 2005... Byline: Cord Cooper 1There are two ways to promote teamwork. Galvanize workers around company goals. Or treat those workers like drones and unite them against you. To promote teamwork that works: ** Forget political correctness....

When Status Quo Isn't Enough; Visionary: Jay McGonigle proves moving from big to small reaps large rewards.(LEADERS & SUCCESS)
August 1, 2005... Byline: MARILYN ALVA Jay McGonigle was on the fast track to a partnership at McKinsey & Co. consulting firm in 1995 when he did something that seemed a bit rash: He quit. "I was the last person at McKinsey that people thought would...

In Wireless, U.S. Startup Heads East; Spectrum Issues Loom.(INTERNET & TECHNOLOGY)
August 1, 2005... Byline: REINHARDT KRAUSE Well-funded Soma Networks isn't the only startup trying to make it big selling gear that's used to deliver high-speed Internet access over wireless networks. At least 20 other startups are in the game. They all...

SSA One Of Few Techs To Cast Out IPO Line; Its Shares Above Water; Company had to reduce size of initial offering in face of a cautious market.(INTERNET & TECHNOLOGY)
August 1, 2005... Byline: J. BONASIA SSA Global Technologies had to swim upstream when the company went public earlier this year. Investors have been nervous about initial public offerings in general and particularly skittish about software IPOs. What's...

It Took Five Years, But Tech Spending Returning To 2000 Levels; Solid, Not Spectacular, Growth; 2005 shaping up as just the second time worldwide IT spending tops $1 trillion.(INTERNET & TECHNOLOGY)
August 1, 2005... Byline: BRIAN DEAGON Business spending on technology for the rest of this year will likely continue the pace of the first half. That means final figures will hit the $1 trillion mark for only the second time, joining the peak bubble year...

Can We Talx? Firm Growing Fast By Easing Employee Verification; Replacing Paperwork; Data on 100 million jobs helps customers do fast checks on job candidates.(INTERNET & TECHNOLOGY)(Q & A)
August 1, 2005... Byline: J. BONASIA Few tech stocks have been hotter this summer than Talx. The company may not be a household name, but its sales and earnings have surged in recent years. And its share price has more than doubled in 2005. On...

IBM Looks To Turn Down Heat With New Cool Blue Technology; Long-Standing Server Problem; A water-cooling approach could fight heat, but rivals say other tacks work better.(INTERNET & TECHNOLOGY)
August 1, 2005... Byline: KEN SPENCER BROWN A server-cooling technology from IBM promises to save energy in data centers, but it's taking heat from rivals who call it the wrong approach to an age-old problem. Cool Blue, the nickname for IBM's Rear Door...

Prices Of Recent IPOs.(THE NEW AMERICA)
August 1, 2005... Golf Galaxy Inc GGXY/OTC7/2913.0014.007.6918.6132.93Retail-Leisure Products Piper Jaffray & Co Superior Well Services SWSI/OTC7/2913.0013.000.0018.3240.92Oil&Gas-Field Services KeyBanc Capital Mkts Alon USA Energy Inc...

IPO Filings Soon To Be Priced.(THE NEW AMERICA)
August 1, 2005... Baidu.com Inc BIDU/OTC3,70019.00- 21.0084.1Internet-Content 140/ 62Goldman Sachs & Co. Provides Internet search, targeted online advertising and other Internet content services to Chinese language audiences. Electro Optical...

CARPENTER TECHNOLOGY CORP. Wyomissing, Pennsylvania; Specialty Metals Firm Rebounds With Focus On Efficiency.(THE NEW AMERICA)
August 1, 2005... Byline: ALAN R. ELLIOTT Saving the world can be hard on the knees. So you could see the 67-year-old Superman -- aka Man of Steel -- joining other aging Americans in upgrading to titanium hips and knees. Carpenter Technology has a piece...

EXECUTIVE BRIEFING.(MANAGING FOR SUCCESS)
August 1, 2005... CORPORATE LEADERSHIP No-Confidence Vote U.S. workers have serious doubts about the leaders of their companies. Only 40% trust top management "to always communicate honestly," and only 38% say leaders "do a good job of explaining...

Holes In The Doughnut Business; Krispy Kreme offers a case study in pitfalls to avoid when running a fast-growing company.(MANAGING FOR SUCCESS)
August 1, 2005... Byline: BRIAN DEAGON Krispy Kreme Doughnuts was the hottest thing going when Chief Executive Scott Livengood brought the company public in April 2000. At a time when tech stocks were tanking, Krispy Kreme offered investors something...

MED BRIEFS.(HEALTH & MEDICINE)
August 1, 2005... Anti-Meth Bill Proceeds In Senate Sales of cold drugs that can be distilled and cooked to make methamphetamine would be limited under a bill that cleared the Senate Judiciary Committee. Retailers would have to ask for photo ID and limit...

Legal Troubles Cost Drug Companies More Than Money; R&D Also Takes A Hit; Expert: courts, industry, regulators need a better way of dealing with suits.(HEALTH & MEDICINE)(Q & A)
August 1, 2005... Byline: PETER BENESH When a drug causes harmful side effects, the drug's manufacturer might end up paying many billions of dollars to settle lawsuits. That's the scenario facing Merck. The giant drug maker is defending itself in the...

Generic Drug Firms Jockey For Position In Changing Market; Sandoz, Teva Lead The Way; New rules might create some short-term pain, but long-term outlook is strong.(HEALTH & MEDICINE)
August 1, 2005... Byline: GLORIA LAU The generic drug industry was hailed as a great place for investors to put their money for the past five years, when some $50 billion in branded drugs lost patent protection. That attitude is changing, however. At...

Drug Firm Kicks Into Higher Gear; Idenix Pharmaceuticals; Cambridge, Mass. idenix.com.(HEALTH & MEDICINE)(UNDER THE MICROSCOPE)
August 1, 2005... Byline: Peter Benesh Jean-Pierre Sommadossi is in a race. The chief executive of Idenix Pharmaceuticals wants to get his company's hepatitis C drug approved by the Food and Drug Administration and on the market before his competitors catch...

Market-Leading Medical Stocks.(HEALTH & MEDICINE)
August 1, 2005... 1Quality Systems Computer SftwrQSII58.07-5.589997A125030.836 It develops computer-based practice management, medical records and e-business applications for medical and dental practices. 2Dialysis Corp Of AmericaOutpnt/Hm...

Who's Who In Medical And Dental Services Stocks ranked by a combined EPS and Relative Strength.(INDUSTRY SNAPSHOT)
August 1, 2005... 1Pharmacutical DevPPDI908657.053258.6934.61722.3221617.8 Wilmington, N.C. Sells contract drug discovery and development services. 2Quest DiagnosticsDGX895352.1710428.45270.21427.762216.3 Lyndhurst, N.J. Offers diagnostic testing,...

Corralling Health Care Costs; As health needs surge, companies look for ways to do more with less.(INDUSTRY SNAPSHOT)(MEDICAL AND DENTAL SERVICES)
August 1, 2005... Byline: MARILYN MUCH At a time when health care spending continues to climb, medical and dental services firms have a strong tail wind propelling them. National health care expenditures have been growing steadily -- from $1.3 trillion...

Medical Services Face Opportunities, Pitfalls; Firms have to cut costs while boosting health care quality and access.(INDUSTRY SNAPSHOT)(Q & A)
August 1, 2005... Byline: MARILYN MUCH Medical and dental services firms have their work cut out for them. Health care costs are rising at a rapid clip. The U.S. population is expanding, and an increasing percentage of Americans are ages 45 to 65. ...

Savings Amount Trumps Return Rate; Fund Choice Secondary; Investing early and big can be keys to boosting your account balance.(FUNDS & PERSONAL FINANCE)
August 1, 2005... Byline: MURRAY COLEMAN Choosing a good fund is crucial to building your nest egg. But consider a more important step. Pay yourself first. Contributing to your favorite mutual funds shouldn't be optional. "Treat it as a requirement,...

Changing Course.(ISSUES & INSIGHTS)(EDITORIALS)(Editorial)
August 1, 2005... Politics: When one party spends virtually all its time careening from one personal attack to another, and virtually no time at all actually legislating, it may be time for that party to take stock. Got that, Democrats? We happen to believe...

Hell And Thomas.(ISSUES & INSIGHTS)(EDITORIALS)(Editorial)
August 1, 2005... Media: When the first lady of the White House press corps segued into syndication, we sighed in relief: no more embarrassing anti-Bush harangues from the front row of the briefing room. But Helen Thomas hasn't gone away altogether -- and...

Korean Conundrum.(ISSUES & INSIGHTS)(EDITORIALS)(Editorial)
August 1, 2005... Diplomacy: Well, that was quick. Last Tuesday negotiators resumed "six-party talks" on North Korea's standing as a rogue, nuke-possessing nation. By Wednesday Pyongyang formally rejected the principal U.S. proposal. The rejection came as...

Playing It Cool.(ISSUES & INSIGHTS)(EDITORIALS)(Editorial)
August 1, 2005... Environment: What if the targets of the Kyoto treaty could be reached or exceeded, without resorting to Kyoto's economy-strangling restrictions? Not good enough, says the United Nations. At last week's Asia-Pacific security conference in...

Tort Cure.(ISSUES & INSIGHTS)(EDITORIALS)(Editorial)
August 1, 2005... Health Care: As Congress mulls malpractice limits, a recent study shows that states with damage caps have more doctors. The others settle for richer lawyers. The House on Wednesday gave medical tort reform another try, passing its third...

IBD 100.(THE IBD 100)
August 1, 2005... 1Forward Industries26.75999999..+560..+15030822A Designs soft-side cases and bags for cell phones, PDAs and medical devices. 2Soc Quim Mnra122.0989998+51+77..+235....A Chilean firm has near monopoly on strategic minerals like...

Small-Cap Stocks Offer Both Potential And Risk.(THE IBD 100)(INSIDE THE 100)
August 1, 2005... Byline: JONAH KERI The small-cap S&P 600 has climbed to the top of the heap, leading the major indexes higher. That small-cap strength has shown up in the IBD 100. At Friday's close, 41 of the 100 stocks on the list sported market...

Combining Light, Radio Waves; Syneron Growing With Skin Treatment Devices.(THE IBD 100)
August 1, 2005... Byline: David Saito-Chung Many firms sell laser-based gear used to remove unwanted hair, wrinkles, conspicuous leg veins, acne and other skin-related ailments. Syneron has distinguished itself with a patented technology that combines...

Talx The Talk Of HR Software; Firm Parlays Acquisitions, Subscriptions Into Gains.(THE IBD 100)
August 1, 2005... Byline: Jonah Keri Software companies of every stripe, from Oracle on down to the smallest niche player, have searched for ways to boost revenue. Talx was one such company that thought it could do more than sell a piece of software to a...

Universal Taps Medicare Field; Health Insurer's Buyouts Growing Customer Base.(THE IBD 100)
August 1, 2005... Byline: Jonah Keri The Medicare Prescription Drug, Improvement and Modernization Act of 2003 dramatically altered the program that deals with private health plans in Medicare. Ever since its passing, Universal American Financial has moved...

Insurer Sets Expansion Strategy; Tower Group Parlays N.Y. Success To New Regions.(THE IBD 100)
August 1, 2005... Byline: Juan Carlos Arancibia Tower Group found success insuring small businesses in the New York City area, largely by educating its clients on better risk management. Now Tower is expanding into new markets. An initial public...

IBD 100.(THE IBD 100)
August 1, 2005... 41Lufkin Industries48.30989398+159+184+106+447610A Oil-field gear maker's Q2 EPS surges 184%, second straight triple-digit gain. 42Apple Computer42.65909894+271+311+150+75642D IPod maker talking with recording cos. to sell music...

Analyze, Profit From IBD's Market Charts.(GENERAL MARKET & SECTORS)
August 1, 2005... Analyzing the price and volume changes in the major market averages each day is essential to successful investing. They reveal major tops and bottoms in the stock market. Most stocks follow the general market's trend. They tend to rise...

THE REAL MOST ACTIVE Swelling Oil Prices Weigh On The Stock Market.(MAKING MONEY)
August 1, 2005... Byline: CHRISTINA WISE Bulging oil prices and news of a fire at a Texas refinery overshadowed solid second-quarter GDP data Friday, weighing on stocks. The S&P 500 shed 8%, while the Dow gave up 6%. International Rectifier plunged 7.98...

Mechel Steel: Mining For Profits In Russia.(B)(NYSE STOCKS IN THE NEWS)
August 1, 2005... Byline: Christina Wise Mechel Steel Group debuted on the New York Stock Exchange last October at 29 a share, climbed to 33.27, then fell into a six-week consolidation. In April, it tried to move to higher ground, but instead dropped...

THE REAL MOST ACTIVE Leading Nasdaq Stocks Drop On Earnings News.(B)
August 1, 2005... Byline: KATHARINE STALTER The Nasdaq composite finished Friday with a loss of 0.6% as volume edged down slightly. Microsemi pierced its 50-day moving average during intraday trade, but made up some ground to close above that line. The...

Breakouts In Below-Normal Trade Can Work If Conditions Are Right.(B)(INVESTOR'S CORNER)
August 1, 2005... Byline: KATHARINE STALTER Big volume on the breakout. That's one of the key signs that CAN SLIM investors know to watch for. "The best way to measure a stock's supply and demand is by watching its daily trading volume. When a stock...

NASDAQ STOCKS IN THE NEWS.(B)
August 1, 2005... SECURE COMPUTING CORP (SCUR)Grp 122o$12.35 32.7M Shares97 Comp. Rating99 EPSRS 92ROE 16% DEVELOPS NETWORK SECURITY SOFTWARE THAT FACILITATES INFORMATION EXCHANGE IN ENTERPRISE AND GOVERNMENT ORGANIZATION. +105% Ann. EPS Gro PE 27...

NASDAQ STOCKS IN THE NEWS.(B)
August 1, 2005... ESSEX CORP (KEYW)Grp 126o$20.95 17.1M Shares81 Comp. Rating78 EPSRS 94ROE 3% MANUFACTURES OPTOELECTRONIC, RADAR, AND SIGNAL PROCESSING DEVICES TO U.S. GOVERNMENT INTELLIGENCE/DEFENSE AGENCIES. ... Ann. EPS Gro PE 110 Avg. Daily...

NASDAQ STOCKS IN THE NEWS.(B)
August 1, 2005... ALLIANCE RES PARTNERS LP (ARLP)Grp 10o$83.94 12.1M Shares99 Comp. Rating99 EPSRS 86ROE 226% PRODUCER/MARKETER OF COAL TO MAJOR UTILITIES WITH PLANTS IN INDIANA, ILLINOIS, KENTUCKY AND MARYLAND. +48% Ann. EPS Gro PE 14 Avg. Daily...

Essex Excels With Its Products For Military.(B)(NASDAQ STOCKS IN THE NEWS)
August 1, 2005... Byline: David Saito-Chung Essex cleared a nearly six-month, cup-with-handle base to all-time highs on June 20 and rallied 13%. The stock has pulled back to its buy point of 21.45. The Columbia, Md.-based firm makes optical and...

Political Risks Cut Off Vimpel's Major Move.(THE SMART INVESTOR)(WINNING WAYS)
August 1, 2005... Byline: KEN HOOVER Vimpel Communications became Moscow's biggest provider of wireless telephone service in 2002, edging out rival Mobile TeleSystems for the top spot. Then Vimpel set its sights on the rest of Russia. It won licenses...

Factories Ramp Up As Low Inventories Spur Orders, Output; ISM July Index At '05 High; The latest sign of revival in factories and economy hint at no '05 Fed pause.(A)
August 2, 2005... Byline: LAURA MANDARO U.S. manufacturing activity increased in July, as automakers revved up production. The Institute for Supply Management on Monday said its manufacturing index rose 2.8 points to 56.6 in July, the best reading of...

IBD'S TOP 10.(A)
August 2, 2005... Oil Surges On King Fahd's Death 1Sept. crude jumped to a near-month all-time high of $62.30 a barrel, ending up $1 to $61.57, a record close, after the death of the long-ailing Saudi King Fahd. His successor, King Abdullah, had run Saudi...

AFTER THE CLOSE.(TO THE POINT)
August 2, 2005... KINDER MORGAN will buy Canadian energy and utility services firm Terasen for $5.6 bil; the buy is expected to bump '06 profit above views. COMSTOCK'S Q2 profit slid 35% to 26 cents, missing views by a penny. The residential home builder,...

BUSINESS BRIEFS/IN BRIEF.(TO THE POINT)
August 2, 2005... BUSINESS SERVICES Administaff beats, raises targets The human resources management firm made 28 cents a share in Q2, up 180% vs. a year ago and 9 cents over views. Revenue rose 20% $279.9 mil as clients swelled 44%. Administaff raised...

BUSINESS BRIEFS.(TO THE POINT)
August 2, 2005... REITS Shurgard rejects Public Storage The self-storage unit developer rejected its rival's unsolicited $2.5 bil bid. Public Storage offered 0.8 share per Shurgard Storage Centers share -- $52.48 after Mon.'s close. Shurgard surged 13%...

BUSINESS BRIEFS.(TO THE POINT)
August 2, 2005... MEDICAL Teva Q2 profit up, light on sales The Israeli generic drug maker met views for a 6% rise to 36 cents a share. Sales rose 4% to $1.23 bil, a bit shy. MS drug Copaxone's 29% rise in global sales to $291 mil helped offset an 8%...

THE ECONOMY.(TO THE POINT)
August 2, 2005... China's yuan edges up again The Chinese currency closed at a post-revaluation high vs. the dollar for a 3rd straight session. The currency closed at 8.1046 yuan per dollar, up a mere 0.07% since July 21, when Beijing revalued the yuan by...

TRENDS/INNOVATIONS.(TO THE POINT)
August 2, 2005... Atkins firm files for bankruptcy The privately held firm founded by the late low-carb diet guru Richard Atkins had a hearing for a prearranged Chapter 11 filing . Atkins Nutritionals was hurt by the waning popularity of low-carb diets....

NATION.(TO THE POINT)
August 2, 2005... Feds round up gang members Federal authorities arrested 582 alleged gang members over a 2-week period, officials said. The arrests targeted some 80 violent groups. Most were picked up July 16-July 28 for being in the U.S. illegally. 76...

WORLD.(TO THE POINT)
August 2, 2005... Anti-Arab riots erupt in Sudan 36 people were killed and many others were wounded in rioting that broke out in Khartoum and Juba following news of Vice President John Garang's death in an air crash. Setting Arab shops ablaze, thousands of...

MacCready At A Glance.(LEADERS & SUCCESS)
August 2, 2005... MacCready At A Glance Born: 1925 in New Haven, Conn. Education: B.S. in physics from Yale in 1947. M.S. in 1948 and Ph.D. in 1952 from CalTech. Achievements: ** Won two Kremer Prizes. ** Built the first human-powered...

Anxiety-Proof Decisions.(LEADERS & SUCCESS)(IBD'S 10 SECRETS TO SUCCESS)
August 2, 2005... Byline: Amy Alexander 2 Making choices can be the most nerve-racking part of becoming successful. Often, as responsibilities swell, so do the frequency and importance of decisions. The most talented leaders are often masters at...

No Hurdle Too High For Him; Air Innovator: MacCready's optimism helped push the aviation envelope.(LEADERS & SUCCESS)
August 2, 2005... Byline: CURT SCHLEIER Paul MacCready owes much of his success to bad debt -- and unlimited confidence. He's a latter-day Daedalus, the character from Greek mythology who fashioned wings from feathers to escape prison. MacCready, too,...

Chip Sales Up 6.5% First Half Of 2005; But Pace Slowed Q2, Says SIA; Trade group hints sales will pick up, but keeps full-year growth forecast at just 6%.(INTERNET & TECHNOLOGY)
August 2, 2005... Byline: JAMES DETAR Despite signs that it might be a much better than expected year for chip sales, the industry's main trade group on Monday declined to boost its already once-raised outlook. The Semiconductor Industry Association in...

High Def Brings High Sales Hopes; HD-DVD Players Due This Year; The initial next-generation devices will be pricey, but industry eyes big potential.(INTERNET & TECHNOLOGY)
August 2, 2005... Byline: BRIAN DEAGON Hollywood studios, electronics retailers and consumer electronics makers have a potential gold mine waiting for them when a new generation of DVD players starts to arrive late this year. Total U.S. sales of...

Blu-ray Vs. HD DVD Slows High-Definition; A Costly Standards War; Sony- and Toshiba-led camps lining up support for incompatible formats.(INTERNET & TECHNOLOGY)
August 2, 2005... Byline: BRIAN DEAGON Much to the chagrin of most everyone, people who plan to buy high-definition DVD players will have to decide between two competing formats. The first models will arrive later this year, using a format called HD...

Giant Spiders And Other Hoaxes Are Hard To Kill On The Web.(INTERNET & TECHNOLOGY)(COMPUTERS MADE PLAIN)
August 2, 2005... Byline: SHEILA RILEY Imagine giant spiders that squeal loudly and scamper across the desert at 25 miles per hour. They attach themselves to camels, numb the camels' flesh with a natural anesthetic and then devour their stomachs from...

NEW-ISSUE PIPELINE Golf Galaxy Makes An Eagle In Debut.(NEW ISSUE AMERICA)
August 2, 2005... Byline: Amy Reeves Golf Galaxy Inc. Eden Prairie, Minn. 952-941-8848 golfgalaxy.com Lead underwriters: Piper Jaffray and William Blair Offering price: $14 Offering date: July 29 Ticker: GGXY THE...

Davis Opportunity In For Long Haul; Sees Strong Consumer; Fund seeks solid firms that trade at a fraction of their actual worth.(MUTUAL FUNDS)(MUTUAL FUND PROFILE)
August 2, 2005... Byline: J. ROBINSON PURDY A big question mark for investors this year is if consumer spending can hold up in the face of higher energy prices and rising interest rates. The managers of $608 million Davis Opportunity Fund, which has had...

The Right Move.(ISSUES & INSIGHTS)(EDITORIALS)(Editorial)
August 2, 2005... Diplomacy: President Bush was correct to make John Bolton our man at the U.N. -- even if he had to do it through a recess appointment. Now, maybe we can stop the silly political games and start reforming. By now, Bolton is a known quantity....

Frist, Do No Harm.(ISSUES & INSIGHTS)(EDITORIALS)(Editorial)
August 2, 2005... Bioethics: Sen. Bill Frist's abandonment of the Bush position on embryonic stem cell research comes as a result of no advances in the medical science. The only thing being advanced is Frist's political ambition. You can already see the...

Not So Fast.(ISSUES & INSIGHTS)(EDITORIALS)(Editorial)
August 2, 2005... California: To hear the latest chatter, you might think hope of real reform was dead along with Arnold Schwar- zenegger's political future. But we see signs of life. One of those signs is that the governor shows no sign of folding. He has...

Green For Launch.(ISSUES & INSIGHTS)(EDITORIALS)(Editorial)
August 2, 2005... Political Correctness: After 2 1/2 years and $1.4 billion spent to make the space shuttle safer, the same problem that doomed Columbia now plagues Discovery. Has environmentalism doomed the shuttle program? After the space shuttle Columbia...

Ex-President Gantry.(ISSUES & INSIGHTS)(EDITORIALS)(Editorial)
August 2, 2005... Leadership: The Rev. Dr. Jimmy is back. Be prepared to wallow in America's fallen nature. Repent, and know that President Bush's policies will lead us to perdition. New voters won't remember, but that '70s show known as the Carter...

LETTERS.(ISSUES & INSIGHTS)(Letter to the Editor)
August 2, 2005... Reflecting On Welfare E.J. Dionne is to be congratulated on "SCHIP, EITC, WIC, Etc., Spell Liberal Success " (On The Left, July 19). He states that welfare is cheaper than defense -- 3.8% of GDP for welfare versus 4% for defense -- and...

THE REAL MOST ACTIVE Energy, HMO Stocks Lead NYSE's Upside.(MAKING MONEY)
August 2, 2005... Byline: DAVID SAITO-CHUNG The S&P 500 sold off in the last hour to cut its mild gains to less than 0.1% Monday. The Dow slipped 0.2%. NYSE volume cooled. The Dow utility average dropped 1.2%. Energy shares saw heavy demand as light...

Analyze, Profit From IBD's Market Charts.(GENERAL MARKET & SECTORS)
August 2, 2005... Analyzing the price and volume changes in the major market averages each day is essential to successful investing. They reveal major tops and bottoms in the stock market. Most stocks follow the general market's trend. They tend to rise...