Investor's Business Daily articles from February 2002

Investor's Business Daily archives from February 2002

Institutions Propel Big Winners.(A)(INVESTOR'S CORNER)
February 28, 2002... Byline: DAVID SAITO-CHUNG In the game of investing, success depends not so much on what you know as what others know. Sure, IBD readers know how to find a good stock. It should have solid year-over-year growth, an innovative product...

Upturn "Remarkable,' But Likely Modest, Too, Greenspan Tells Panel Rates Steady Until Late '02? GDP to grow up to 3%, but consumers can't pick up pace, Fed chief says.(A)
February 28, 2002... Byline: JOSEPH GUINTO The U.S. economy is staging a "remarkable" comeback from recession, Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan told Congress Wednesday. Still, he and the Fed's other top officials see only a mild recovery this year....

Bush Team Hopes To Avoid Tech Pitfalls That Plague So Many Federal Projects Rethinking $45 Bil A Year Goal is to raise efficiency, make agencies, processes accessible, user-friendly.(A)(TRENDS & INNOVATIONS)
February 28, 2002... Byline: BRIAN DEAGON The Bush administration on Wednesday unveiled a major technology initiative that it hopes will end decades of inefficient and wasteful government projects. The "E-Government Strategy" tries to bring more sense to...

IBD'S TOP 10.(A)
February 28, 2002... Greenspan Sees Tepid Recovery 1Recovery may be at hand, but likely will be subdued, warned Fed Chairman Alan Greenspan. "An array of influences unique to this business cycle" will keep GDP growth at 2.5% to 3% this year, far less than...

AFTER THE CLOSE.(TO THE POINT)
February 28, 2002... AGILENT COO Alain Couder quit to be CEO at another firm. Bill Sullivan, head of Agilent's chip products unit, will take his post. H&R BLOCK netted 16 cents in Q3, up 433%. Targets were for 9 cents. It now sees $2.20-$2.30 in '02 vs....

BUSINESS BRIEFS.(TO THE POINT)
February 28, 2002... FINANCE Citibank settles with 27 states Citigroup's consumer finance unit will change the way it peddles services through telemarketing firms. The states accused telemarketers of selling Citibank products in a deceptive manner,...

BUSINESS BRIEFS.(TO THE POINT)
February 28, 2002... MEDICAL ImClone rises 32% on FDA news The FDA may review ImClone's colon cancer drug, Erbitux, if the biotech resubmits its U.S. data with new data from Europe. That means the drug could be on the market by mid-'03. That's a year...

BUSINESS BRIEFS.(TO THE POINT)
February 28, 2002... BUSINESS FORECASTS Blue chip CEOs see '02 recovery Some 77% of the CEOs of big U.S. companies expect the U.S. to exit recession this year, said a Feb. Business Council survey of its members. About half say the economy will be growing...

BUSINESS BRIEFS.(TO THE POINT)
February 28, 2002... RETAIL Tweeter Home to miss Q2 goals The consumer electronics retailer should earn 10-12 cents vs. 20 cents a year ago. Analysts saw 21 cents. Tweeter crashed 5.02, or 23%, to 17.05. Same-store sales fell 8.5% from Jan. 1 through...

THE ECONOMY.(TO THE POINT)
February 28, 2002... Consumer comfort index climbs The ABC News/Money Magazine consumer comfort index rose to -7 in the Feb. 24 week from -10 the week before. All three segments -- economic conditions, buying conditions and personal finances -- rose. But the...

IN BRIEF.(TO THE POINT)
February 28, 2002... United Air will give stun-gun training to its pilots, even though the FAA hasn't OK'd the devices. Carnival cruise line formally notified the EU of its proposed $5.4 bil hostile bid for Britain's P&O Princess Cruises. Cingular...

NATION.(TO THE POINT)
February 28, 2002... U.S. wants Osama DNA samples The government wants to compare bin Laden family tissue samples with some found at a site in Afghanistan where an unmanned CIA plane hit a group of men with a Hellfire missile. The U.S. did not make the...

WORLD.(TO THE POINT)
February 28, 2002... U.S. offers $5 mil Pearl reward The government will pay up to that amount for information on the killers of U.S. reporter Daniel Pearl. Pakistan doesn't object to granting custody of Ahmed Omar Saeed Sheikh to the U.S. He has confessed...

TRENDS & INNOVATIONS.(TO THE POINT)
February 28, 2002... Drug sales soaring in cyberspace The Web is complicating the fight against the illegal drug trade, the U.N. said. Narcotics are being sold over the Web with the aid of chat rooms protected by impenetrable firewalls. Also, Web pharmacies...

TRENDS & INNOVATIONS.(TO THE POINT)
February 28, 2002... Tobacco costs less in developing countries than in '92, creating a potential public health disaster, the World Health Organization said. Heart attack patients who take aspirin before taking clot-busting drugs are more likely to survive...

Johnson At A Glance.(LEADERS & SUCCESS)
February 28, 2002... Johnson At A Glance Born: 1887 in Humboldt, Kan. Died: 1946 in Washington, D.C. Education: Graduated from high school. Achievements: Played with the Washington Senators from 1907 to 1927. Won 416 games, second only...

COMMUNICATE EFFECTIVELY Need To Be Heard? Listen.(LEADERS & SUCCESS)(IBD'S 10 SECRETS TO SUCCESS)
February 28, 2002... Byline: Cord Cooper 9 Want to make a winning sales presentation? "Shut up and listen," said sales trainer and TV talk-show host Barry Farber. Especially when going one on one with a prospect, listening is your most effective sales...

Walter Johnson Pitched Heat Give It Your Best: His focus on technique put him in the Baseball Hall of Fame.(LEADERS & SUCCESS)
February 28, 2002... Byline: MICHAEL RICHMAN It was 1904, and Walter Johnson was waiting for his chance. He spent hours nearly every day playing catcher in pickup games with friends in Olinda, Calif. Johnson had a powerful right arm and repeatedly caught...

TECHBITS.(INTERNET & TECHNOLOGY)
February 28, 2002... Byline: Sarah Z. Sleeper Clicking On Links Could Cost You What if you had to pay each and every time you clicked your mouse on a Web site? If British Telecommunications PLC has its way, you will. At issue are hyperlinks, the...

Carriers Missing Enhanced 911 Deadlines Upgrades, though costly, would help rescue workers pinpoint callers' locations.(INTERNET & TECHNOLOGY)
February 28, 2002... Byline: SARAH Z. SLEEPER A man has a heart attack while walking on a deserted road. He calls 911 on his cell phone, but can't describe his location. Rescue workers can't find him, and he dies. If the call had come from a wireline...

Fiorina May See $70 Mil Payday If HP-Compaq Plan Is OK'd Touting Merger To Analysts HP's chief executive says the firm risks falling behind if Compaq merger is nixed.(INTERNET & TECHNOLOGY)
February 28, 2002... Byline: MURRAY COLEMAN How dire is the plight of computer makers these days? To Carly Fiorina, it's apparently bad enough to bet her future on a $21.5 billion merger with a major rival. The Hewlett-Packard Co. CEO Wednesday took...

Wireless Carriers See Revenue Per Customer As Key Business Gauge Fewer New Subscribers In '02 "All you can eat' plans may boost wireless firms' average customer revenue.(INTERNET & TECHNOLOGY)
February 28, 2002... Byline: REINHARDT KRAUSE In looking to gauge the outlook for the industry, forget how many subscribers wireless phone carriers will add in 2002. It's clear, say analysts, that it won't be a banner year for sign-ups because of the...

Allegiance Pledges It's Comfortable With Its Debt Level.(INTERNET & TECHNOLOGY)
February 28, 2002... Byline: REINHARDT KRAUSE When most start-up phone companies feasted on the proceeds from risky high-yield -- or junk -- bonds, Allegiance Telecom Inc. stuck to a lean diet. It never piled up huge debt. And unlike many debt-laden...

IBM's Next Big Project: Speech Technology That Cuts Through The Noise Making It Better Than Humans Scientists also want systems that work in many tongues; Chinese is especially tricky.(INTERNET & TECHNOLOGY)(Q & A)
February 28, 2002... Byline: DOUG TSURUOKA For most people, background noise is a nuisance. To IBM Corp., it's a technological hurdle. Background noise interferes with speech recognition systems. Something as simple as a car horn can cause systems to...

NEW-ISSUE PIPELINE Tiny Biotech Moves Forward Despite Cool Reception.(THE NEW AMERICA)
February 28, 2002... Byline: Amy Reeves Corcept Therapeutics Inc. Palo Alto, Calif. 650-327-3270 no Web site Lead underwriters: U.S. Bancorp Piper Jaffray Offering price: $14-$16 Expected date: week of Feb. 25 Ticker:...

LIFELINE SYSTEMS INC. Framingham, Mass. A Profitable Solution To Age-Old Problems Elderly Get Some Help Medical firm's system is designed to ease worries for those in need of aid.(THE NEW AMERICA)
February 28, 2002... Byline: GLORIA LAU Remember those low-budget TV ads in the 1980s? An old lady falls on the floor and yells, "Help! I've fallen and I can't get up." The ads were roundly mocked for years, and the company that ran them has vanished...

R&G FINANCIAL CORP. San Juan, Puerto Rico Strong Housing Market Keeps This Bank Busy Recent Buy Also Lifts Outlook Puerto Rico proves a boon, but move onto the mainland stokes additional growth.(THE NEW AMERICA)
February 28, 2002... Byline: STEVE WATKINS Couple a chronic housing shortage with plunging mortgage rates, and you have a pretty good setup for Puerto Rican banks. Throw in an acquisition that brings the first retail banking operation on the mainland...

KEY FUND HOLDINGS.(MUTUAL FUNDS)
February 28, 2002... Key Fund Holdings / Donaldson was a top holding of Sentinel Small Company Fund in the latest reporting period. Shares are trading in a base that began Dec. 19, when the stock reached 40.35. The stock is off 10% since then. It has an EPS...

Investors Dive Back Into Stock Funds Bought $19.6 Bil In Jan. Strong start to new year after 2001 inflow dropped to lowest level since '90.(MUTUAL FUNDS)
February 28, 2002... Byline: DAN MOREAU After all but turning off the spigot in December, investors did an about-face in January and pumped more than $19 billion in net cash flow into stock mutual funds. Some big fund families reported the strong trend...

The Fed's Mistake.(ISSUES & INSIGHTS)(EDITORIALS)
February 28, 2002... The Fed: Alan Greenspan says the downturn will likely be short and mild. That's the good news. Now the bad: Don't expect a strong recovery. It didn't have to be that way. We warned way back in 1999 that interest rate hikes were ill-timed...

Relative Luxury.(ISSUES & INSIGHTS)(EDITORIALS)
February 28, 2002... Guantanamo Detainees: Life-saving surgery. Free. Medical care for serious illnesses. Free. Lamb served with holiday meals. Free again. Well, all that has been free for them. It hasn't been free to the American taxpayer. He's borne the...

Mining The HMOs.(ISSUES & INSIGHTS)(EDITORIALS)
February 28, 2002... Litigation: Are you in a health maintenance organization? Are you happy with it? Doesn't matter. You're a victim, and you deserve cash. Or so say trial lawyers in federal court in Miami. Led by Dick Scruggs, who masterminded the...

LETTERS.(ISSUES & INSIGHTS)
February 28, 2002... Israel's Terrorist History "Europe's Blindness" (Editorial, Feb. 12) gave new meaning to the Sept. 11 phrase "intelligence deficits." Many Israeli Jews support the creation of a Palestinian state. Are they guilty of anti-Semitism? Many...

Can World's 1.2 Bil Muslims Thrive Without Democracy?(ISSUES & INSIGHTS)(NATIONAL ISSUE)
February 28, 2002... Byline: PETER BENESH When Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak visits Washington March 2-6, he'll get the royal treatment. What he should get, scholars say, is a lesson in how to fight terrorism -- with democracy. But Mubarak, the Saudi...

THE REAL MOST ACTIVE Consumer Stocks Lead Upside Again.(MAKING MONEY)
February 28, 2002... Byline: DAVID SAITO-CHUNG The Dow industrial average ended another seesaw session up just 0.1% Wednesday as NYSE volume rose. Coach flew ahead 4.53 to a new high of 49.88 on triple average volume. The luxury handbag and leather goods...

THE REAL MOST ACTIVE Nasdaq Watches Early Gain Fade Into A Loss.(B)
February 28, 2002... Byline: CHRISTINA WISE The Nasdaq headed north in the morning, but even upbeat words from Alan Greenspan couldn't help it hold onto its lead. The composite index finished the day down 0.8%. Consumer electronics retailers were among...

Possis Medical Hugs 50-Day, Builds Base.(B)(NASDAQ STOCKS IN THE NEWS)
February 28, 2002... Byline: Christina Wise Possis Medical is making its way through an 11-week consolidation. The company makes devices to treat cardio and vascular problems. Its products include a system for removing blood clots from blood vessels. ...

Stock Screens Focus On Leaders.(THE SMART INVESTOR)(INVESTORS.COM CORNER)
February 28, 2002... Leadership. Investors should keep it in mind as they search for stocks. Regular visitors to "Screen Of The Day" at investors.com get a steady diet of the market's current leading stocks. The Web site's editors have built screens based on...

Sorting Through Ascendant Industries.(THE SMART INVESTOR)(IBD INVESTOR PROFILE)
February 28, 2002... Byline: CLAIRE MENCKE Bryan Sadoff and his father use CAN SLIM as an aid to maximizing clients' returns. They manage about $300 million of assets at their investment advisory firm, Ronald Sadoff's Major Trends in Milwaukee. "We use...

IBD'S 20 RULES FOR INVESTMENT SUCCESS.(THE SMART INVESTOR)
February 28, 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...

Use Charts To Time Winning Trades.(A)(INVESTOR'S CORNER)
February 27, 2002... Byline: JONAH KERI The list of timing mechanisms so-called experts use to buy and sell stocks runs a mile long. Some wait for the price-earnings ratio to hit a certain level, then buy or sell blindly. Others simply label a stock too...

Appliances, Furniture Suddenly Looking Up, Thanks To Hot Homes Refinancings Furnish Cash Home improvement also benefiting as consumers come back to the stores.(A)
February 27, 2002... Byline: MARILYN MUCH It was only a matter of time before the busy housing market turned into strong business for home goods sellers. That time is now. Business is flooding into companies that peddle home goods and appliances, and...

Will Strong Buck Brake Upturn? Not As Much As Detractors Say Yes, factories are ailing, but strong dollar reflects our efficiency, flexibility.(A)(ECONOMY IN PERSPECTIVE)
February 27, 2002... Byline: DONALD H. GOLD After an 11-month recession, all signs point to a recovery. Except perhaps one: the strong dollar and its crippling effect on firms that make here and sell abroad. While this may prove to be the mildest...

IBD'S TOP 10.(A)
February 27, 2002... Housing Lifts Home Depot, Etc. 1The housing boom has been a boon to several related sectors. Home Depot earned 30 cents a share in Q4, up 50% and 2 cents over views. Sales rose 29%. That came a day after rival Lowe's profit jumped 56%....

AFTER THE CLOSE.(TO THE POINT)
February 27, 2002... GAP met Q4 views for a 4-cent loss vs. a 31-cent profit. Feb. same-store sales are down 17%. It'll close more stores in 2002. AUTOZONE'S Q2 net rose 79% to 50 cents, 8 cents over views. Same-store sales rose 12%. It filed to sell up to 15...

BUSINESS BRIEFS.(TO THE POINT)
February 27, 2002... ENERGY Hanover Compressor restates net The gas drilling equipment and services firm will restate results back to '00, due to accounting changes. It also cut Q4 and '02 profit views. Hanover, which defended its bookkeeping in Jan.,...

BUSINESS BRIEFS.(TO THE POINT)
February 27, 2002... TRANSPORTATION UPS sees Q1 net in line with views The No. 1 package carrier expects profit near the top of its old forecast of 40-47 cents a share. UPS said firm yields and cost controls offset slightly slower volume growth. UPS...

BUSINESS BRIEFS.(TO THE POINT)
February 27, 2002... TECHNOLOGY Hewlett-Packard loses 1 backer Brandes Investment Partners will vote against Hewlett-Packard's $20.3 bil bid for Compaq, a setback to HP CEO Carly Fiorina as she makes a final push for support. Brandes owned 24.7 mil, or...

BUSINESS BRIEFS.(TO THE POINT)
February 27, 2002... INTERNET EBay exits Japan, enters Taiwan The Web auction site will shut its struggling Japanese unit March 31 due to heavy local competition. Also, eBay will buy Taiwanese auction site NeoCom for over $9.5 mil cash, giving eBay...

THE ECONOMY.(TO THE POINT)
February 27, 2002... Greenspan to testify Wednesday Most expect he'll walk a fine line in Wednesday's twice-yearly Congressional chat. The Fed chief will likely say he sees plenty of signs the recession is ending, but that rate hikes aren't imminent. And...

IN BRIEF.(TO THE POINT)
February 27, 2002... Escalade, a sporting goods maker, set a 3-for-1 split for March 28. The thinly traded stock jumped 4.25, or 8%, to a high of 59.80. Watch maker Fossil earned 59 cents in Q4, up 4% and a penny above views. Sales climbed 11% to $176.1 mil....

NATION.(TO THE POINT)
February 27, 2002... Campaign filibuster threat fades Opponents of campaign finance legislation indicated they may not use delaying tactics to prevent a Senate vote. There's "no need and no desire to delay this indefinitely," said Senate GOP leader Trent...

WORLD.(TO THE POINT)
February 27, 2002... U.S. asks Pearl suspect's custody Pakistan's president and the U.S. ambassador discussed possible extradition to the U.S. of Islamic radical Ahmed Omar Saeed Sheikh, suspected of planning the kidnap and murder of U.S. reporter Daniel...

TRENDS & INNOVATIONS.(TO THE POINT)
February 27, 2002... Factory employment flat in 2000 The U.S. manufacturing sector employed 16.7 mil people in '00, virtually the same as in '99, the Census Bureau said. The transportation gear and fabricated metal products sectors employed the most with 1.8...

TRENDS & INNOVATIONS.(TO THE POINT)
February 27, 2002... A woman with a gene that would most likely cause Alzhei-mer's by her 40s gave birth to a baby free of the defect after having her eggs selected in the lab, the University of Minnesota said. The anti-depressant Wellbutrin helped obese...

Douglas At A Glance.(LEADERS & SUCCESS)
February 27, 2002... Douglas At A Glance Born: 1890 in Minneapolis. Died: 1998 in Florida. Education: Bachelor's degree from Wellesley College in 1912. Achievements: Wrote "The Everglades: River of Grass" in 1947. Co-founded Friends of...

DON'T BE AFRAID TO INNOVATE Mix It Up -- And Evolve.(LEADERS & SUCCESS)(IBD'S 10 SECRETS TO SUCCESS)
February 27, 2002... Byline: Linda Stockman-Vines 8 Remember being a student and participating in sports, studying poets, analyzing works of art, learning math and logic, and writing essays on subjects ranging from the death penalty to John Lennon? Alone,...

Dedication Isn't A Dry Thing Never Give Up: Marjory Stoneman Douglas' grit helped save the Everglades.(LEADERS & SUCCESS)
February 27, 2002... Byline: KATHRYN LINDERMAN It didn't matter to Marjory Douglas that people thought she was crazy. It didn't matter that they often ignored her. Because Douglas was on a mission, and she saw no other goal than its fulfillment: make...

Firms Can Cut Costs, Add Value Through Outsourcing By letting others handle the manufacturing, tech firms focus on strengths.(LEADERS & SUCCESS)(MANAGING A SUCCESSFUL COMPANY)
February 27, 2002... Byline: JED GRAHAM IBM Corp. built the first personal computer in 1981, and has been making them ever since. But the expertise it's gained in manufacturing desktop computers hasn't given it an advantage over rivals. In fact, IBM has...

TECHBITS.(INTERNET & TECHNOLOGY)
February 27, 2002... Byline: Patrick Seitz Hewlett-Packard In Photo Finish Hewlett-Packard Co. hopes to capitalize on the fast growth of digital cameras by entering the $14 billion consumer photo-finishing market. HP said Monday new products and...

Cisco Looking For A Security Breakout Gear king faces specialists as more companies eye hardware to protect networks.(INTERNET & TECHNOLOGY)
February 27, 2002... Byline: MIKE ANGELL Amid cyber- and terrorist attacks, security gear could be one of technology's few growth areas this year. It's a trend Cisco Systems Inc. is watching. Plenty of customers look to Cisco, the top seller of...

EchoStar, DirecTV Press "Local' Argument For Their Merger Feds Closely Reviewing Deal Satellite TV firms up ante by promising to broadcast local stations if combined.(INTERNET & TECHNOLOGY)
February 27, 2002... Byline: REINHARDT KRAUSE The nation's two big satellite TV broadcasters Tuesday promised to deliver local channels across the country if regulators OK their merger. EchoStar Communications Corp. and DirecTV, owned by Hughes...

Security, Defense Push Is Making Government A Key Tech Customer But Relationships Get Tricky Silicon Valley businesses getting to know ins, outs of Washington, D.C., life.(INTERNET & TECHNOLOGY)
February 27, 2002... Byline: DONNA HOWELL In Washington, three rings of a circus are trying to learn how to best work together. They are government, contractors and tech firms. Inside the Beltway, mind-sets and business timelines can be different than in...

Semiconductor Trade Group Shaking Off Effects Of Worst Year Ever SIA Says Market Hit Bottom Organization says firms are past the worst pain; sees 6%-7% rise in sales.(INTERNET & TECHNOLOGY)(Q & A)
February 27, 2002... Byline: JAMES DETAR They aren't out of the woods, but semiconductor makers say they aren't likely to have a year as bad as 2001 for a while. Chip sales fell 32% vs. 2000 to $139 billion. The slump looks even worse compared with the...

Supply Chain Issues Take On New Urgency Dell Seen As Poster Child Internet's helping to spur cooperation between firms, say Accenture consultants.(INTERNET & TECHNOLOGY)
February 27, 2002... Byline: J. BONASIA Smart supply chain management isn't sexy, but it often makes the difference between winning and losing in a down economy. For instance, failed online grocer Webvan might have done better if it partnered with...

With Alchemy, AMD Aiming To Tap Hot Markets Chips For Handhelds, TV Gear AMD to build new division with Alchemy as the heart; Motorola alumnus at helm.(INTERNET & TECHNOLOGY)
February 27, 2002... Byline: JAMES DETAR Advanced Micro Devices Inc., the world's No. 2 chipmaker, is branching out. On Feb. 19, AMD bought a smaller rival, Alchemy Semiconductor Inc., for $50 million in cash. It's a relatively small purchase in the...

For Windows Users, Shutting Down Can Be Hard To Do Source Of Headaches Software conflicts can prevent you from closing down computer properly.(INTERNET & TECHNOLOGY)(COMPUTERS MADE PLAIN)
February 27, 2002... Byline: LYNN WALFORD Sometimes you run into Windows problems -- not when you're using the operating system, but when you're trying to shut it down. The software's shutdown process can be complicated. And there are a number of things...

ECHELON CORP. Sunnyvale, California A New Italian Renaissance Built On High-Tech Homes.(THE NEW AMERICA)
February 27, 2002... Byline: KIRK SHINKLE The evolution of the high-tech house of the future might start with Italian electric meters. Echelon Corp. is in the early stages of a project that could open the first viable avenue to fully wired homes. It...

HEALTH NET INC. Woodland Hills, California Health Care Provider Learns A Hard Lesson.(THE NEW AMERICA)
February 27, 2002... Byline: AMY REEVES With merger mania hitting managed health care lately, it's hard to believe that one company's set on shrinking. But Health Net Inc. is doing just that after a bitter lesson. "The previous management made far...

LUXOTTICA GROUP SPA Agordo, Italy Bet You Didn't Know This: Eyeglasses Are Fun.(THE NEW AMERICA)
February 27, 2002... Byline: MARILYN MUCH If you're one of the roughly 164 million Americans who need eyeglasses, you probably know all the pros and cons of wearing them. In the minus column, they slip off your nose, they're bulky to carry, they're easy...

KEY FUND HOLDINGS.(MUTUAL FUNDS)
February 27, 2002... Key Fund Holdings / Accredo Health was a top holding and Dean Foods was a new buy of Deutsche Small Cap Investment Fund. Dean Foods was also a new buy of Hartford Capital Appreciation Fund. Accredo Health's stock shot out of a five-week...

Tax-Prep Aids Can Save Time, Cash Tools For PC Or Online Programs help you fill out forms faster, get refund sooner, answer questions.(MUTUAL FUNDS)
February 27, 2002... Byline: PAUL KATZEFF H&R Block wants you to know about the Camdenton, Mo., man who got a $43,568 tax refund. He asked the firm to review several years of his federal returns. Block pointed out shortfalls that were grounds for filing...

Recipe For Growth.(ISSUES & INSIGHTS)(EDITORIALS)
February 27, 2002... Tax Cuts: After 11 months, our recession may be ending. To many, that means we should forget stimulus. Nothing could be more wrong. Look around. Signs of recovery are everywhere -- rising retail sales, surging home sales, stronger...

A Fearful Master.(ISSUES & INSIGHTS)(EDITORIALS)
February 27, 2002... Congress: It's a happy day in Washington when something in America goes off track. Breakdowns give statists the chance to federalize a solution. Rep. Dennis Kucinich, D-Ohio, is expected to unveil a bill Wednesday paving the way for the...

The Courage To Veto.(ISSUES & INSIGHTS)(EDITORIALS)
February 27, 2002... Politics: After it's rushed through the Senate, campaign finance reform is on its way to becoming law -- unless the president answers with a veto. It would be a courageous act. Campaign finance reform is the heartthrob of the mainstream...

Is Reform Of Social Security No Longer Politically Taboo?(ISSUES & INSIGHTS)(NATIONAL ISSUE)
February 27, 2002... Byline: SEAN HIGGINS You gotta give Dick Armey credit: His dreams are big. You might say Texas-sized. House Majority Leader Armey, R-Texas, believes that the Social Security issue can be made into a Republican advantage. He believes...

THE REAL MOST ACTIVE Indexes End Mixed; Home Builders Rise.(MAKING MONEY)
February 27, 2002... Byline: DAVID SAITO-CHUNG In a mixed session, the Dow industrial average slipped 0.3% Tuesday while the S&P 500 was virtually unchanged. The Morgan Stanley cyclical index gained 1.1%. Home builders pocketed more gains. M.D.C....

THE REAL MOST ACTIVE Nasdaq Moves Ahead, But Gains Fade Quickly.(B)
February 27, 2002... Byline: CHRISTINA WISE The Nasdaq looked past worries about sagging consumer confidence Tuesday to fight its way back above water. But it didn't stay there long, finishing the day down 0.2%. Medical stocks took some of the day's...

Micro Cap A.C. Moore Breaks Out Of Base.(B)(NASDAQ STOCKS IN THE NEWS)
February 27, 2002... Byline: Christina Wise A.C. Moore Arts & Crafts shot out of a 12-week base Tuesday, hitting a new closing high as volume swelled to more than twice its usual level. With just 3 million shares outstanding, the firm is rather thinly...

Check If Execs Eat Their Own Cooking.(A)(INVESTOR'S CORNER)
February 26, 2002... Byline: CHRISTINA WISE Many companies use stock options and profit-sharing plans to inspire employees to work hard. Workers are more inclined to do what's best for the company, the thinking goes, if they have a stake in it. The...

Home Sales Soar 16% To High As Low Rates, Warm Jan. Spark Buys High Confidence A Factor Annual gain is strongest since July 1998 as buyers bet loan rates may climb.(A)
February 26, 2002... Byline: DONALD H. GOLD Existing-home sales flew through the roof in January. They soared a record 16.2% to a record 6.04 million units, the Commerce Department said Monday. That's far more than the 5.23 million unit annual rate...

Theater Chains Back From Abyss, But New Costs, Challenges Loom They've closed screens, and ticket sales are back despite DVD popularity.(A)(INDUSTRY IN THE NEWS)
February 26, 2002... Byline: ADELIA CELLINI LINECKER The movie theater industry is only now beginning to recover from the brink of death. In the 1990s, theater owners boosted screens by 60% -- to 36,500 from 22,904. But the crowds didn't...

IBD'S TOP 10.(A)
February 26, 2002... Existing-Home Sales Set Record 1 They soared 16.2% to a record 6.04 million unit annual rate, far more than the 5.23 million units analysts forecast. It's another clue the recession is ending. Sales were boosted by unusually mild winter...

AFTER THE CLOSE.(TO THE POINT)
February 26, 2002... ODYSSEY HEALTHCARE netted 24 cents in Q4, a nickel over views. It sees '02 sales and EPS up 30%. XEROX said a court ordered Palm and 3Com to post a $50 mil bond relating to patent infringement of its handhelds. INTEL CEO Craig...