Investor's Business Daily articles from December 2004

Investor's Business Daily archives from December 2004

Consumer Optimism Hits 8-Month Low, On Outlook Worries; Q3 GDP Revised Up To 3.9%; Holiday retail sales so-so, but business investment, factory growth still strong.(A)
December 1, 2004... Byline: CHRISTINA WISE Consumers are feeling more pessimistic, but the economy grew a bit faster than expected in the third quarter, reports showed Tuesday. The Conference Board's consumer confidence index fell 2.4 points in November...

Bush Focuses On Social Security, But Reforms Will Be A Struggle; Personal accounts may solve long-term woes, boost deficit short term.(A)
December 1, 2004... Byline: JED GRAHAM President Bush didn't wait long after his re-election to make clear that Social Security reform would be a top priority of his second term. "We'll start on Social Security now," Bush said at his first post-election...

IBD'S TOP 10.(A)
December 1, 2004... Q3 GDP Revised Higher To 3.9% 1The economy grew a bit faster than the 3.7% annual rate first reported. Growth was 3.3% in Q2. Consumer spending grew at a 5.1% pace in Q3, up from the initial 4.7%, the fastest since late '01. Business...

AFTER THE CLOSE.(TO THE POINT)
December 1, 2004... ANTHEM and WellPoint Health Networks sealed their $16.5 bil merger and became the No. 1 U.S. health insurer. The 2 firms planned to merge in Oct. '03, but had to clear regulatory hurdles in California. They will operate under WellPoint, with an...

BUSINESS BRIEFS.(TO THE POINT)
December 1, 2004... RETAIL Wal-Mart boosts China presence The world's No. 1 retailer will add 11 new stores in '05 as China hews to WTO requirements and eases foreign retailer restrictions. Wal-Mart currently runs 42 stores in 20 Chinese cities, but its...

BUSINESS BRIEFS.(TO THE POINT)
December 1, 2004... INTERNET Google share buyback to begin The Web search firm will buy back 23.4 mil common shares it may have issued improperly to previous and current employees and consultants; the share transactions may not have been registered as...

BUSINESS BRIEFS.(TO THE POINT)
December 1, 2004... MEDICAL Icahn loses grip on Mylan Labs Asset manager Richard Perry neutralized investor Carl Icahn's hostile takeover bid for the generic drug maker by becoming the No. 1 shareholder in Mylan Laboratories. Icahn made the $5.4 bil bid...

BUSINESS BRIEFS.(TO THE POINT)
December 1, 2004... FINANCE Price war seen at brokerages E-Trade Financial and AmeriTrade shares dipped 2.5% each after a report by Banc of America Securities suggested a price war on commission fees will slash the industry's bottom line. Charles Schwab,...

THE ECONOMY.(TO THE POINT)
December 1, 2004... Factories should hum in '05, '06 The Manufacturers Alliance/MAPI said 24 of 27 industries reported improved activity from a year ago, the same number as in Q2. 18 are enjoying faster growth. The industrial recovery should last through '06,...

IN BRIEF.(TO THE POINT)
December 1, 2004... General Cable agreed to pay $5 mil-$10 mil for parts of Draka Holding's Comteq business, which makes electronic cables and high-end data products. General Cable rose less than 1% to 13.48. American Woodmark, which makes cabinets, earned 67...

NATION.(TO THE POINT)
December 1, 2004... Democrats cash in despite loss The Democratic National Committee said it raised at least $13 mil in November, despite the GOP's Election Day sweep of the White House and Congress. That includes $10 mil collected after Nov. 2. The DNC...

WORLD.(TO THE POINT)
December 1, 2004... U.S.: Pakistan not leaving border Pakistan denied reports it withdrew troops from a tribal area near the Afghan border, a suspected hideout for al-Qaida leaders, the State Dept. said. According to a Pakistani military spokesman over the...

TRENDS & INNOVATIONS.(TO THE POINT)
December 1, 2004... Seaspray may stop spread of TB In a finding that could help control respiratory disease epidemics like SARS and tuberculosis, U.S. and German researchers found an inhaled saline spray cut down the number of germ-spreading droplets expelled...

TRENDS & INNOVATIONS.(TO THE POINT)
December 1, 2004... ** Psychological stress can age a women's chromosomes by 10 years, says the New Scientist. UC San Francisco researchers studied chromosomes in mothers of chronically ill children and those with healthy kids. Women who reported the most stress...

DON'T BE AFRAID TO INNOVATE Break Down The Fiefdom.(LEADERS & SUCCESS)(IBD'S 10 SECRETS TO SUCCESS)
December 1, 2004... Byline: Amy Alexander 8 In medieval times, lords ruled distinct fiefdoms, steering industry in little corners of the kingdom, fiercely defending the hedgerows that sealed them from the outside. These days, you can Instant Message...

He Nailed The Holiday Niche; Sound Of Success: Perseverance put songwriter Johnny Marks on the charts.(LEADERS & SUCCESS)
December 1, 2004... Byline: PATRICK SEITZ Johnny Marks knew he had a hit on his hands. Convincing others was a different story. Marks suffered rejection after rejection when he started shopping around a little song he wrote called "Rudolph the Red-Nosed...

Banks Ponder New Technologies As They Look To Beef Up Security; Protection Of Identities; Financial service firms mulling more complete offerings as risks grow.(INTERNET & TECHNOLOGY)
December 1, 2004... Byline: DONNA HOWELL Why sell security to banks? That's where the money is -- and some danger. Banks are considering a wider smorgasbord of tech security wares, while security vendors pursue a safety-conscious financial sector beset...

Palm Fronds Diverge: One Business Excels, The Other Founders; PalmOne Hot With Investors; Treo line of smart phones lifts PalmOne; PalmSource hurt by slumping PDA sales.(INTERNET & TECHNOLOGY)
December 1, 2004... Byline: PATRICK SEITZ Once part of the same company, handheld firms PalmOne and PalmSource have seen their fortunes go in different directions. Device maker PalmOne is a Wall Street darling of late, while software supplier PalmSource...

Wireless Competition Grows In Pursuit Of Youth Market; Virgin Mobile's Target; Company zeroing in on younger users, who buy their airtime in advance.(INTERNET & TECHNOLOGY)(Q & A)
December 1, 2004... Byline: REINHARDT KRAUSE The under-30 crowd is Virgin Mobile USA's bread and butter -- not that people in that age group eat a lot of high-carb food. They do, however, consume plenty of add-on products for their mobile phone services....

Marriott Holds Court With Go-Go Businesspeople; Courtyard has the right look for younger crowd seeking simple rest stop.(A)(NEWS FOR YOU: TRAVEL)
December 1, 2004... Byline: CHRIS BARNETT The cat is out of the bag. Courtyard by Marriott, with 646 hotels around the world, is actually designed for businesspeople who hate traveling and would rather be home mowing the lawn, cleaning the garage or...

TESSERA TECHNOLOGIES INC. San Jose, California; It Packages A Winner Around Smaller Chips.(THE NEW AMERICA)
December 1, 2004... Byline: PETER BENESH Big things come in small packages: digital cameras, handheld computers, iPods and cell phones that double as cameras and Game Boys. Inside these gadgets, widgets and thingamajigs are microchips, crowded together...

Dreyfus Fund Finds Trends Are Friends; Pets, Ethnic Banking; Small Company Growth seeks to limit volatility by watching valuations.(MUTUAL FUNDS)(MUTUAL FUND PROFILE)
December 1, 2004... Byline: KEN HOOVER When Randy Watts and his colleagues poke around for outstanding, underfollowed stocks to buy for Dreyfus Premier Small Company Growth Fund, they sometimes spot a big demographic or economic trend that holds great...

Gloom And Boom.(ISSUES & INSIGHTS)(EDITORIALS)(Editorial)
December 1, 2004... Economy: It's nearly impossible to escape the daily barrage of ugly economic news. Listening to it all, you'd never guess we're in the middle of a remarkable boom. If you told us five years ago that the U.S. would encounter a stock crash...

A Friend In Need.(ISSUES & INSIGHTS)(EDITORIALS)(Editorial)
December 1, 2004... Canada: The Yahoo news headline for Tuesday's AP story covering President Bush's visit suggested that he'd gone north to "repair relations." The implication, of course, was that our oafish leader had split the countries asunder. But what...

Hunter Lays Slow Hand On Heated Rush.(ISSUES & INSIGHTS)(VIEWPOINT)
December 1, 2004... Byline: CHRIS WARDEN It may seem odd to call a 24-year veteran of the House of Representatives an outsider. But Rep. Duncan Hunter, chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, has made a career out of bucking Washington's insiders. ...

New Products And Services Can Drive Sales, Stock Price.(MAKING MONEY)(INVESTOR'S CORNER)
December 1, 2004... Byline: NANCY GONDO Consumers love snapping up the next big thing, whether a gadget, a new service or even low-carb foods. Innovative companies know coming up with new products is key to growing sales, and their stock price. That's why...

THE REAL MOST ACTIVE S&P 500, Dow Drop As Retail Sales Frustrate.(MAKING MONEY)
December 1, 2004... Byline: KATHARINE STALTER NYSE stocks dipped Tuesday on higher volume. The S&P 500 slid 0.4% and the Dow 0.5%. Retailers led the decline as the International Council of Shopping Centers, a trade group, trimmed its sales forecast for...

Analyze, Profit From IBD's Market Charts.(GENERAL MARKET & SECTORS)
December 1, 2004... 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...

Parker Hannifin Scoots To Vectrix Investment.(B)(NYSE STOCKS IN THE NEWS)
December 1, 2004... Byline: Katharine Stalter Parker Hannifin broke out of a three-month cup-with-handle base at the end of September. The stock rallied to as high as 75.45 by Nov. 5. For the past five weeks, the stock's trading range has been tight as it...

THE REAL MOST ACTIVE Sentiment Numbers Send Nasdaq To Small Dip.(B)
December 1, 2004... Byline: JONAH KERI The Nasdaq fell Tuesday as a lackluster consumer confidence report overshadowed a strong Q3 GDP reading. The composite dipped 0.5%, the Nasdaq 100 0.6% as Nasdaq volume rose slightly. Syneron Medical imploded 10.49,...

Travelzoo, 51job Lead Recent IPOs' Charge.(B)(NASDAQ STOCKS IN THE NEWS)
December 1, 2004... Byline: Jonah Keri Travelzoo has notched a stratospheric rise this year, storming out of a series of short consolidations. Later-stage bases tend to carry more risk, but Travelzoo has two factors working in its favor: It's repeatedly found...

Crude Oil Prices Crash While Economic Data Show U.S. Accelerating; $3.64 Dive Most In 3 Years; Wages spur income gain, consumer outlays strong; factory activity, hiring up.(A)
December 2, 2004... Byline: CHRISTINA WISE Oil prices crashed Wednesday, good news for the U.S. expansion, which already appeared to be picking up steam, according to new economic reports. January crude oil futures in New York tumbled $3.64 -- their...

Final Push For '04 Intel Reform Urges Bird In Hand Vs. Nothing; Bush, many lawmakers want a bill passed now, but some argue details.(A)
December 2, 2004... Byline: BRIAN MITCHELL Remember Hesham Hedayet? He was the angry Egyptian who shot and killed two people at Los Angeles International Airport on July 4, 2002. Did you know he had earlier sought asylum in the U.S. on the grounds that...

IBD'S TOP 10.(A)
December 2, 2004... Stocks Roll Up On Heavy Trade 1 The Nasdaq jumped 2% as volume soared past 2 bil. The tech-heavy index is just 0.7% off its Jan. '04 peak. Data storage, chip, networking and consumer stocks led. The small-cap S&P 600 and mid-cap 400 both...

AFTER THE CLOSE.(TO THE POINT)
December 2, 2004... AMERICAN EAGLE OUTFITTERS' Nov. same-store sales shot up 22.7%, with total sales up 32% to $196.9 mil. It hiked up its Q4 outlook from $1-$1.03 to $1.08-$1.10 a share. Shares rose. AEROPOSTALE same-store sales rose 4.3% in Nov., while total...

BUSINESS BRIEFS.(TO THE POINT)
December 2, 2004... FINANCE Humana raises its outlook again The health care provider expects '04 profit of $1.69 a share, the high end of its previous forecast, and over views of $1.66 a share. Commercial medical enrollment should climb 220,000-230,000...

BUSINESS BRIEFS.(TO THE POINT)
December 2, 2004... INTERNET Travelzoo share deal comes due Twenty-six shareholders are now eligible to sell up to 750,000 shares under the terms of a deal struck in Oct. that required the group to wait until their shares were registered with the SEC...

BUSINESS BRIEFS.(TO THE POINT)
December 2, 2004... RETAIL Apparel firms rebound on reports Standard & Poor's Retail Index climbed 1.6% after strong Q3 results at Chico's FAS and an upbeat analyst report lifted a sector that had sunk after disappointing weekend sales. Chico's earned 41...

BUSINESS BRIEFS.(TO THE POINT)
December 2, 2004... TELECOM ESPN preps Sprint mobile venture The sports TV network, a unit of Walt Disney, in '05 will launch its own brand of mobile phone service in a deal with Sprint, which will rent out space on its network to ESPN. The sports...

THE ECONOMY.(TO THE POINT)
December 2, 2004... Fed says U.S. doesn't look beige The U.S. economy showed continued growth from mid-Oct. to mid-Nov., with "a number of areas improving," the Federal Reserve said in its beige book report. Hiring picked up, with shortages in accounting,...

IN BRIEF.(TO THE POINT)
December 2, 2004... Copart surged 17% to 25.25 after it reported Q1 profit rose 26% to 24 cents, 3 cents over views. The salvage company sold more of its used vehicles over the Web. Cigna rose 8% to 75.80 after the employee benefits provider raised its '04...

NATION.(TO THE POINT)
December 2, 2004... HIV, AIDS rising among gays The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported that cases among gay and bisexual men in 32 states rose 11% between '00-'03. The rates were stable among most other groups. The report was published as...

WORLD.(TO THE POINT)
December 2, 2004... Powell visits Haiti amid gunfire Heavy shooting erupted outside Haiti's presidential palace as Secretary of State Colin Powell prepared to meet with the country's interim leaders. He denounced the violence as the work of thugs. Haiti is...

TRENDS & INNOVATIONS.(TO THE POINT)
December 2, 2004... "Blog' named No. 1 word of year Dictionary publisher Merriam-Webster ranked the term, referring to online personal journals that are giving traditional media a run for their money, as the most researched term on its site this year. The next...

TRENDS & INNOVATIONS.(TO THE POINT)
December 2, 2004... ** Frequent cannabis use during adolescence and early adulthood can raise the risk of psychotic symptoms later in life, particularly if individuals are genetically vulnerable to the illness, said Dutch researchers in the British Medical...

Boost Staff Performance.(LEADERS & SUCCESS)(IBD'S 10 SECRETS TO SUCCESS)
December 2, 2004... Byline: Cord Cooper 9 You're a sales exec with a straight-ahead goal: Hike revenue in 2005 whether the economy flattens or spirals up. The one thing you might lack? A game plan. If so, start by mastering a few key sales rules, experts...

She's Dedicated To Excellence; Aim High: Resilience propels Natalie Coughlin to first place in the pool.(LEADERS & SUCCESS)
December 2, 2004... Byline: LISA SCHMEISER Natalie Coughlin doesn't settle for second best. So many were surprised when Coughlin elected to forgo the women's 200-meter freestyle swimming competition at this summer's Athens Olympics in order to swim the 4...

Media Player ESPN Set To Spread Its Field Via "Sports Phones'; Will Offer Cell Phone Service; Inks wholesale agreement with carrier Sprint; parent Disney just might be next.(INTERNET & TECHNOLOGY)
December 2, 2004... Byline: REINHARDT KRAUSE Cable sports network ESPN is tackling the wireless phone business via an alliance with Sprint Corp. Owned by Walt Disney, ESPN plans to launch a subscription service targeting sports fans in mid-2005. ESPN will...

Electorate's Tossup Issues Include Electronic Voting; Voters Still Rap Touch Screens; Government Accountability Office among the agencies investigating the complaints.(INTERNET & TECHNOLOGY)
December 2, 2004... Byline: BRIAN DEAGON A month after the 2004 elections, the unsettling fact remains that not everyone is settled on the results. The results themselves are set. But just last week, the Government Accountability Office, responding to a...

Studies Say Vote Is In: Tech Voting Hackable; Findings Backed Fears; Some states demanding changes to the systems before making purchases.(INTERNET & TECHNOLOGY)
December 2, 2004... Byline: BRIAN DEAGON For all the complaints about electronic voting systems after last month's election, no one has documented a single case of fraud or a security breach. So why are there so many such fears? Because studies have...

Cingular 3G Deal Bodes Well For Telecom Gear Suppliers.(INTERNET & TECHNOLOGY)
December 2, 2004... Byline: MIKE ANGELL The shaky telecom gear industry got some good news Tuesday: Cingular Wireless is ready to upgrade its high-speed wireless network. That means by the end of next year, U.S. consumers will have more access to the...

FORMFACTOR INC. Livermore, California; It's Always Springtime For Chip Tester Firm.(THE NEW AMERICA)
December 2, 2004... Byline: DAVID ISAAC As the semiconductor industry moves to ever smaller chips, it needs better testing equipment. One company that can help is FormFactor, which makes advanced semiconductor wafer probe cards. Probe cards are...

MERITAGE HOMES CORP. Scottsdale, Arizona; In A Slump, Sun Belt Keeps Builder Shining.(THE NEW AMERICA)
December 2, 2004... Byline: MARILYN MUCH After more than a decade of strong, steady growth, the U.S. housing market is starting to roll over. The number of housing starts peaked when it hit an annualized monthly pace of more than 2 million units at the...

Fidelity Fund Aims For Indebted Firms; Energy Is Top Sector; Leveraged Company manager Soviero builds on junk-bond expertise.(MUTUAL FUNDS)(MUTUAL FUND PROFILE)
December 2, 2004... Byline: PAUL KATZEFF Following the crowd is rarely the way to make big money on Wall Street. That's why placing bets on firms that other investors treat like lepers can have bigger payoffs. That strategy is working for $1.8 billion...

IBD'S 20 RULES FOR INVESTMENT SUCCESS.(THE SMART INVESTOR)
December 2, 2004... 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...

Research Stocks Fast With Premium Charts.(THE SMART INVESTOR)(INVESTORS.COM CORNER)
December 2, 2004... Byline: KEN SHREVE It's common for investors to bounce around from one financial Web site to the next when researching stocks. For example, one site may be good for technical information, while another may offer an array of fundamental...

The Last Czar?(ISSUES & INSIGHTS)(EDITORIALS)(Editorial)
December 2, 2004... Ukraine: Sooner rather than later, the U.S. must make it plain to Vladimir Putin that it puts the people's will first, even ahead of his political future and friendship. The scenes we've seen lately from Kiev remind us that the Soviet...

Chill Out, Scotty.(ISSUES & INSIGHTS)(EDITORIALS)(Editorial)
December 2, 2004... Justice: It's hard for us to get worked up over whether Scott Peterson gets the death penalty or just life in prison without parole. As anyone familiar with California's legal system knows, they're really one and the same. Pop quiz: Of the...

LETTERS.(ISSUES & INSIGHTS)(Letter to the Editor)
December 2, 2004... Bigots Are In Minnesota? "Prairie Home Bigot" (Editorial, Nov. 22) incorrectly attributed "A Prairie Home Companion" to National Public Radio. Garrison Keillor's program is neither produced nor distributed by NPR. Minnesota Public Radio is...

Compare Small Caps To Big Caps In Investing Decisions.(MAKING MONEY)(INVESTOR'S CORNER)
December 2, 2004... Byline: JONAH KERI A hot trend can work wonders. The rampant popularity of Ugg boots has propelled shoemaker Deckers Outdoor to huge gains, for one. It also pays to follow the market's trends. That means buying large-cap stocks when...

THE REAL MOST ACTIVE Stocks Advance In Heavy Trade; Transports Excel.(MAKING MONEY)
December 2, 2004... Byline: KATHARINE STALTER NYSE stocks gained ground Wednesday in heavier volume. The S&P 500 rose 1.5%, the Dow 1.6%. The Dow transports had an especially good day, traveling north 2.1%. Mine Safety Appliances surged 2.48 to 49.88,...

Analyze, Profit From IBD's Market Charts.(GENERAL MARKET & SECTORS)
December 2, 2004... 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...

Navigant Assists Buyer In Church's Acquisition.(B)(NYSE STOCKS IN THE NEWS)
December 2, 2004... Byline: Katharine Stalter Navigant Consulting broke out of a 5 1/2-month base Oct. 1, its heaviest day of upside volume since April. It hit a high of 25.56 Nov. 11, then retreated below its 50-day moving average. Wednesday it moved above...

THE REAL MOST ACTIVE Broad Rally Propels Nasdaq To Heady Gains.(B)
December 2, 2004... Byline: JONAH KERI The Nasdaq roared to a 52-week high Wednesday, as the index marked its biggest gain since Oct. 27. The composite gained 2% in much higher volume. Meanwhile the Nasdaq 100 soared 2.3% as the Nasdaq 100's...

IPO MarketAxess And Veteran Yahoo Set Up.(B)(NASDAQ STOCKS IN THE NEWS)
December 2, 2004... Byline: Jonah Keri MarketAxess Holdings is another recent IPO that's stormed out of the gate, going public at $11 a share Nov. 5 and rising more than twofold before pulling back. The stock may be forming the left side of a first base. It's...

Retailer Sales Fell Far Short In November; Holiday Buying Starts Weak.(A)
December 3, 2004... Byline: MARILYN MUCH The nation's retailers reported weak November sales on Thursday, suggesting only a moderately cheery holiday sales season. Overall, chains' same-store sales rose a disappointing 1.7% over last year. That's the...

Oil Continues To Dive As Swelling Stockpiles, Mild Temps Ease Fears; Crude Down 12% In 2 Days; Some analysts also claim China importing less oil; energy costs remain high.(A)
December 3, 2004... Byline: CHRISTINA WISE Energy prices cratered for a second straight day on Thursday, hitting their cheapest levels in nearly three months. January crude oil futures slid as low as $42.50 a barrel intraday -- the lowest since Sept. 9 --...

Intel Keeps Chips Upbeat With Higher Sales Outlook; AMD, Other Chip Stocks Up; No. 1 chipmaker also says it's reducing its inventory, a key factor in profitability.(A)
December 3, 2004... Byline: JAMES DETAR It's mostly been a tough year for the chip industry, but on Thursday its largest company did its part in keeping up a steady stream of upbeat news that's marked the year's end. Intel raised its sales outlook for the...

IBD'S TOP 10.(A)
December 3, 2004... Oil Prices Dive Again, Near $43 1Jan. crude fell $2.24 to $43.25 a barrel, the lowest in nearly 3 months. Higher than expected natgas stockpiles spurred further energy price drops. Crude fell $3.64 Wed. on a buildup of U.S. heating oil and...

AFTER THE CLOSE.(TO THE POINT)
December 3, 2004... PROCTER & GAMBLE'S hormone patch Intrinsia was rejected by the FDA. Regulators want more information on long-term safety data. Shares fell. U.S. AIRWAYS and the Communication Workers of America reached a cost-cutting agreement. Shares...

BUSINESS BRIEFS.(TO THE POINT)
December 3, 2004... METALS Steel demand bolsters Quanex The industrial products maker earned $1.17 a share ex items in Q4, 46.2% more than the year-ago profit and 7 cents over views. Quanex's sales rose 72% to $432 mil, helped by the vehicular products...

BUSINESS BRIEFS.(TO THE POINT)
December 3, 2004... RETAIL Limited Brands' sales, stock fall The operator of Victoria's Secret, Express and Bath & Bodyworks chains reported same-store sales fell 5% in Nov., well below Wall Street expectations of a 4.6% rise. Net sales also fell 3% to...

BUSINESS BRIEFS.(TO THE POINT)
December 3, 2004... TECHNOLOGY Brokerage takes bite out of Apple Smith Barney went against recent conventional wisdom, lowering its rating from "buy" to "hold" even while raising its price target 25% to $75 a share, saying that was the fair value for...

BUSINESS BRIEFS.(TO THE POINT)
December 3, 2004... SHIPPING Oil's slide sinks tanker stocks For the 2nd straight day, shares in operators of vessels that transport oil fell on the back of declining crude futures. The sector had gained more than 50% since Sept. 1 on rising oil and...

THE ECONOMY.(TO THE POINT)
December 3, 2004... Factory orders rose 0.5% in Oct. Orders to U.S. factories rose 0.5%, after an upwardly revised flat reading in Sept. Defense orders surged 18.4%. Ex defense, orders were flat, after falling 0.6% in Sept. Durable goods orders slid 1.1% in...

IN BRIEF.(TO THE POINT)
December 3, 2004... Cogent Systems fell 7% to 31.99 after JPMorgan downgraded the provider of automated fingerprint ID systems to neutral from overweight on valuation and the loss of 2 U.S. government contracts to rivals. KB Home is raising its cash dividend...

NATION.(TO THE POINT)
December 3, 2004... President plans agenda summit President Bush will host a conference of Cabinet members and outside business leaders Dec. 15-16 to promote top items on his economic agenda. Discussions will include overhauls of Social Security and the tax...

WORLD.(TO THE POINT)
December 3, 2004... EU assumes Bosnia peacekeeping The European Union began its biggest military operation, formally taking over NATO's mission with 7,000 troops. The operation is a major step in the EU's drive to develop a military arm, an initiative...

TRENDS & INNOVATIONS.(TO THE POINT)
December 3, 2004... Prescription drugs taken by 44% The popularity of anti-depressants and cholesterol-reducing drugs helped push the portion of Americans who had taken at least 1 prescription drug in the prior month to 44% in '99-'00, found a survey by the...

TRENDS & INNOVATIONS.(TO THE POINT)
December 3, 2004... ** Regular toothbrushing and improved oral hygiene could reduce nursing home residents' chances of developing pneumonia, the journal Chest reported. A U. of Buffalo researcher traced germs from dental plaque to the lungs of patients with the...

His Pursuit Of Happiness Built An Ice Cream Empire; Sweet Success: Irvine Robbins' smooth idea brought smiles to millions and poured the foundation for future franchising.(LEADERS & SUCCESS)(BEST OF LEADERS & SUCCESS)
December 3, 2004... Byline: SONJA CARBERRY Irvine Robbins and Burton Baskin had an ice cream headache. Their product was delicious, but their profit margins were anything but tasty. "We had a total of eight stores going in a little over two years,"...

BE HONEST AND DEPENDABLE As Honest As Necessary?(LEADERS & SUCCESS)(IBD'S 10 SECRETS TO SUCCESS)
December 3, 2004... Byline: Steve Watkins 10 You might think most executives hold nonprofit firms in much higher esteem than for-profit companies. You might think nonprofit firms work for such good causes that they would do no wrong. And for-profit firms...

No Questioning His Dedication; Be Steadfast: Andrew Jackson's focus on liberty helped transform the presidency.(LEADERS & SUCCESS)
December 3, 2004... Byline: MICHAEL MINK Even in the most trying of times, Andrew Jackson was never one to cut and run. There was no doubt of his loyalty to his country as its seventh president, and to his men as their general during the War of 1812. ...

Jackson At A Glance.(LEADERS & SUCCESS)
December 3, 2004... Jackson At A Glance Born: 1767 in Waxhaw, S.C. (then called the Carolinas). Died: 1845 at his home, the Hermitage, in Tennessee. Education: Basic primary school education. Certified to practice law in 1787. Achievements: ...