Investor's Business Daily articles from February 2004

Investor's Business Daily archives from February 2004

Mind-Set Is Middle Of The Road In Third Of States Up For Grabs; Slight Tilt Right, If Any; Among the swing voters most moderate message may be most persuasive.(A)(IBD/TIPP POLL)
February 2, 2004... Byline: IBD STAFF It may not seem fair, but some voters have more clout than others when it comes to electing a president. And this year will be no different, according to the latest IBD/TIPP analysis. These influential voters are...

GDP Up 4% In Q4, Short Of Forecasts But Still Solid Gain; Q3's Torrid Pace Cut In Half; January data on Midwest factories assure growth is continuing into new year.(A)
February 2, 2004... Byline: JED GRAHAM The U.S. economy grew a solid 4% last quarter, the Commerce Department said Friday, settling to a more sustainable pace after the third quarter's torrid 8.2%. While consumer spending growth slowed markedly,...

MARKET TOOL BAR.(A)
February 2, 2004... S&P 500 INDEX 1131.13 -2.98 (-0.3%) Narrowly mixed in tight-range trading DOW JONES IND. 10,488.07 -22.22 (-0.2%) Goldman's cut tops off GM's lousy week NYSE VOL. (MIL) 1,668 -282...

IBD'S TOP 10.(A)
February 2, 2004... U.S. Expanded At 4% Pace In Q4 1Economic growth slowed more than expected from Q3's blistering 8.2% annual rate. Consumer spending rose at a 2.6% rate. Business investment also cooled but kept growing at a rapid pace. Inventories rose a...

AFTER THE CLOSE.(TO THE POINT)
February 2, 2004... EXPRESS SCRIPTS closed its $335 mil buy of rival pharmacy benefits firm CuraScript. It'll boost profit by 2-3 cents a share in '04 and 10-15 cents in '05. PLAYTEX warned it likely earned 30 cents in '03 and will make 37 cents in '04....

BUSINESS BRIEFS.(TO THE POINT)
February 2, 2004... FOOD Ethanol, syrup fuel ADM profit Archer Daniels Midland, the No. 1 U.S. food processor, earned 37 cents ex-items, 105% over last year and 10 cents above views. Revenue at the agribusiness giant rose 18% as corn processing and wheat...

BUSINESS BRIEFS.(TO THE POINT)
February 2, 2004... SERVICES Adecco: accounting won't hurt The Swiss staffing firm said inquiries into its accounting would not hurt earnings. Adecco shares plunged in Jan. after it delayed releasing its '03 results due to financial and computer problems....

BUSINESS BRIEFS.(TO THE POINT)
February 2, 2004... STEEL Benefit costs weigh on U.S. Steel The steel maker reported a 4-cent loss in Q4 ex items vs. a 42-cent profit last year and a 37-cent loss expected. It blamed higher employee benefit costs for the loss. But revenue rose 41% to...

BUSINESS BRIEFS.(TO THE POINT)
February 2, 2004... MEDICAL Beckham Coulter cautious on Q1 The lab equipment maker made 90 cents a share ex items in Q4, flat with views and matching a year ago, on a 7% rise in sales. Beckham also narrowed its Q1 forecast to 48-52 cents a share. Views...

Lombardi at a Glance.(LEADERS & SUCCESS)
February 2, 2004... Lombardi at a Glance Born: 1913 in Brooklyn, N.Y. Died: 1970 in Washington, D.C. Education: B.S. in business administration from Fordham University in 1937. Achievements: ** Served as head coach of the Green Bay Packers...

THE ECONOMY.(TO THE POINT)
February 2, 2004... Mortgage decline drags on ECRI The Economic Cycle Research Institute's leading U.S. activity index fell 0.6 to 132.7 in the week ended Jan. 23. Weaker mortgage applications offset higher commodities and stock prices. The index's four-week...

BUSINESS BRIEFS/IN BRIEF.(TO THE POINT)
February 2, 2004... INTERNET Iliad renews French IPO interest The Internet firm gained 30% its first day of trading, raising $118 mil in the first public offering in France in over a year. Shares closed at $26.46 on the Paris exchange. Analysts credited...

NATION.(TO THE POINT)
February 2, 2004... Bush doesn't back intel probe Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., has joined with Democrats to call for a special probe into intel failures on WMDs. Bush said he wants to "know the facts," but didn't think an independent probe was needed. **...

WORLD.(TO THE POINT)
February 2, 2004... Iran's mullahs ease election ban Iran's hard-line Guardian Council reinstated a third of the pro-reform candidates it had earlier barred from running. But over 2,400 are still barred, and hard-liners refused to delay next month's vote....

TRENDS & INNOVATIONS.(TO THE POINT)
February 2, 2004... Lindows will give away software The Linux open source software seller will offer its LindowLive! operating system over peer-to-peer networks rather than selling it for $29.95 on CD or over the Internet. "No, we haven't lost our minds,"...

TRENDS & INNOVATIONS.(TO THE POINT)
February 2, 2004... ** A new family of anti-oxidants that are 100 times more effective than Vitamin E has been developed by Vanderbilt Univ. scientists. Antioxidants counteract the damaging effects of oxygen in tissues and are used in dietary supplements. **...

HOW YOU THINK IS EVERYTHING Tips For Acquiring Minds.(LEADERS & SUCCESS)(IBD'S 10 SECRETS TO SUCCESS)
February 2, 2004... Byline: Cord Cooper 1 As the economy picks up speed, so will mergers and acquisitions. During the next six years, we could see some of the biggest mergers in history, according to Graeme Deans, Fritz Kroeger and Stefan Zeisel, business...

Vince Lombardi Beat Them All; Coach To Win: He cheered and pushed the Green Bay Packers to 5 NFL titles.(LEADERS & SUCCESS)
February 2, 2004... Byline: MICHAEL MINK For Vince Lombardi, reaching the top wasn't a complicated process. A complex man who turned the core values of his youth into his credo of "God, family and the Green Bay Packers," Lombardi developed the will to...

Microsoft Hopes People See SPOTs When Glancing At Watches; New Data-Enabled Timepieces; Two companies start selling wristwatches that will bring news, other info -- for fee.(INTERNET & TECHNOLOGY)
February 2, 2004... Byline: PATRICK SEITZ Microsoft Corp. thinks your wristwatch should do more than tell the time. It also should give you the news, weather, traffic, sports and stock prices, plus send you instant messages and Outlook calendar reminders. ...

Don't Mess Up On Valentine's Day, Go Surfing; The Web Has Gift Ideas; And sites promise to get candies, flowers, jewelry to all loved ones on time.(INTERNET & TECHNOLOGY)(COMPUTERS MADE PLAIN)
February 2, 2004... Byline: RUSSELL SHAW Not all that long ago, sending a Valentine's card involved licking a stamp. And ordering flowers meant a trip to the local flower shop, or calling a toll-free phone number. These days, you can take care of just...

QLT INC. Vancouver, Canada; The News Here Is Good, Then Bad, Then Good.(THE NEW AMERICA)
February 2, 2004... Byline: AMY REEVES The good thing about making medicine for elderly Americans is that your client base is only going to get bigger. On the other hand, most of them depend on the government to pay their medical bills. QLT Inc. has...

EXECUTIVE BRIEFING.(MANAGING FOR SUCCESS)
February 2, 2004... HUMAN RESOURCES Jobless Recovery? The job market's picking up to match the better economy. But job seekers be warned: It's still pretty competitive out there. Human resources consulting firm Thomson DBM says workers should...

Giving Buyers Better Information; What's In Store: Hired-gun reps spread the word about new products.(MANAGING FOR SUCCESS)
February 2, 2004... Byline: KEN SPENCER BROWN If you want something done right, the old saying goes, do it yourself. That's why tech manufacturers, competing with a sea of rivals on retail shelves, often send their own representatives to stores to push...

Recipe For A Start-Up: One Part Grit, Two Parts Research.(MANAGING FOR SUCCESS)(REAL SOLUTIONS)
February 2, 2004... Byline: DOUG TSURUOKA As Sharon Lee has learned, it pays to do your homework. The single mother got an idea two years ago and never let it go. Lee had no professional experience as a chef, but she knew how to steam blue claw crabs....

MED BRIEFS.(HEALTH & MEDICINE)
February 2, 2004... Anthem Posts Strong Q4 Earnings The Indianapolis-based health insurer's quarterly profit climbed 28% to $1.43, excluding one-time gains. Sales rose 8% to $4.22 bil. Anthem is buying WellPoint in a $16.4 bil deal to create the country's...

Medical Gear Makers Raise The Bar To Protect Intellectual Property; Legal Budgets Go Up; Attorney: Globalization, competition could lead to more patent disputes.(HEALTH & MEDICINE)(Q & A)
February 2, 2004... Byline: AMY REEVES As advances in medical technology keep coming, so do the lawsuits. Makers of high-tech medical gizmos such as stents, pacemakers and diabetes pumps say they must zealously guard their intellectual property, as more...

Will Bovine Serum Be Next On The List For Drug Regulators?; Mad Cow Raises Concerns; Cow serum, used to produce most drugs, carries minimal risk, experts say.(HEALTH & MEDICINE)
February 2, 2004... Byline: GLORIA LAU Aside from steaks and stews, where do you find cow blood? In drug production. It turns out that cow serum -- a purified derivative of cow blood -- is commonly used to produce many of the new biologic drugs on the...

Market-Leading Medical Stocks.(HEALTH & MEDICINE)
February 2, 2004... 1Arrhythmia Research TechProductsHRT32.55-20.619799B2100021 Its medical technology and software can pick up signs of an impending heart attack that would escape a normal electrocardiogram. 2Bio-Reference Labs...

Who's Who in Shipping.(INDUSTRY SNAPSHOT)
February 2, 2004... 1Tsakos Energy NavTNP988524.45396.6210.7107507913.1 Athens, Greece. Transport services with 26 vessels for crude oil and refined products. 2Aktieselskabet DtTRMD859845.51865.2254.7302046285.9 Copenhagen, Denmark. Product tankers,...

Big Spills Spark A Ban On Single-Hull Vessels; Regulations demand a modernization that was already well under way.(INDUSTRY SNAPSHOT)(ENVIRONMENTAL COSTS)
February 2, 2004... Byline: MARILYN ALVA In November 2002, the single-hull tanker Prestige spilled 3 million gallons of oil off the Spanish coast as it broke up and sank. The spill killed wildlife and put tens of thousands of people out of work who depended...

Rising Oil Demand Lifts All Ships; Resurgent U.S., insatiable China and frigid winter fuel a boom in freight.(INDUSTRY SNAPSHOT)(TRANSPORTATION/SHIPPING)
February 2, 2004... Byline: MARILYN ALVA Since the tide turned last year for shipping companies, business on the high seas hasn't been this good in years -- perhaps ever. With demand for crude oil and other bulk commodities still on the rise, signals...

Tax Breaks Boost 529 Education Plans; They Often Top UGMAs; Tax-free payouts and growth are key benefits of college savings plans.(FUNDS & PERSONAL FINANCE)(SAVING FOR COLLEGE)
February 2, 2004... Byline: PAUL KATZEFF 529 college savings plans are often seen as a better way than typical alternatives to prepare for your children's education costs. "A 529 plan gives you control, flexibility and tax-free growth," said Gail...

John The Electable.(ISSUES & INSIGHTS)(EDITORIALS)(Editorial)
February 2, 2004... Election: The new buzz for the Democrats suddenly is who's "electable." That may work during the primaries, but they'll need something more come November. Massachusetts Sen. John Kerry's extraordinary resurgence in the polls marks him as...

Global HMO.(ISSUES & INSIGHTS)(EDITORIALS)(Editorial)
February 2, 2004... Immigration: For those who think that illegal aliens are a good deal because they will work for such low wages, consider this figure -- $9 billion. That rather large sum is Rep. Dana Rohrabacher's low-end estimate of how much is spent each...

Watch For New Names Weekly Among Top 100.(THE IBD 100)(INSIDE THE IBD 100)
February 2, 2004... Byline: JONAH KERI Today's Inside The IBD 100 is brought to you by the letter N. N, as in, new. In IBD's CAN SLIM investing method, investors are encouraged to look for companies churning out exciting new products, or gaining a...

THE IBD 100.(THE IBD 100)
February 2, 2004... 1Arrhythmia ReserchHRT33.44189799..+100..+211011281 Products spot early signs of sudden cardiac death. Stock consolidates after 300% surge. 2S S & C TechnologiesSSNC41.0809995+19+40+39+1013..400 Financial software beats views,...

SpectraLink Calls On Wi-Fi Phones To Fuel Growth In Coming Years.(THE IBD 100)
February 2, 2004... Byline: JONAH KERI All things being equal, many consumers opt for cordless phones over fixed phones in their homes. If you can pay equal price for both, why not gain the convenience of taking the phone with you to do the dishes or take out...

IBD'S WEEK IN REVIEW.(THE IBD 100)
February 2, 2004... Stocks Log 2nd Straight Down Week 1The Nasdaq lost 2.6% and the Dow Jones industrial average 0.8%. The week started out strong, with major indexes hitting multiyear highs. But volume lagged. Sellers took control on Tuesday and Wednesday,...

THE IBD 100.(THE IBD 100)
February 2, 2004... 51Sierra WirelessSWIR27.1408198+50+100+100+53..5..3 Canadian wireless modem maker gaps up after beating Q4 sales, earnings estimates. 52C Cor.net CorpCCBL16.70u88197..+750..+14....52 Telecom hub and multiplexer provider tops Q2...

Keep Winners Longer Than Losers.(SERIES: When To Hold A Winner)(MAKING MONEY)(INVESTOR'S CORNER)
February 2, 2004... Byline: DAVID SAITO-CHUNG When To Hold A Winner: Last In A Series Many of the points made in this series were made over and over. Were they redundant? Perhaps so, and with good reason. As many great growth investors have...

THE REAL MOST ACTIVE Dow, S&P 500 End Week Down.(MAKING MONEY)
February 2, 2004... Byline: NANCY GONDO The Dow shed 0.2% Friday to close down 0.8% for the week, but up 0.3% for the month. The S&P 500 gave up 0.3% Friday and 0.9% for the week, but held on to a 1.7% gain in January. Volume pulled back. GATX cratered...

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

Coach, National Semi In 9th Week Of Bases.(B)(NYSE STOCKS IN THE NEWS)
February 2, 2004... Byline: Nancy Gondo Coach is working on the right side of a base it's been shaping for nine weeks after hitting a new high Dec. 1. The luxury leather goods maker closed below its 50-day moving average Jan. 9, but is close to reclaiming the...

THE REAL MOST ACTIVE Nasdaq Dips In Tame Trade, Gains For Month.(B)
February 2, 2004... Byline: CRAIG SHAW The Nasdaq logged a quiet session Friday to wrap up its fourth straight month of gains. The tech composite shed 0.1% on lighter trade. The big-cap Nasdaq 100 dipped 0.2%. For January, the Nasdaq added 3.1%. Yellow...

Farm Products Chain Keeps Growth Fresh.(B)(NASDAQ STOCKS IN THE NEWS)
February 2, 2004... Byline: David Saito-Chung Tractor Supply roared back above its 50-day moving average Jan. 21 on monster turnover. The stock has since eased on less trade. The stock has risen sevenfold since its initial breakout back in October 2001. ...

JDS Uniphase: Building Block For The Bubble.(THE SMART INVESTOR)(WINNING WAYS)
February 2, 2004... Byline: KEN HOOVER When Uniphase Corp. of San Jose, Calif., started its big move in late 1998, it had just completed a merger with Canada-based JDS Fitel. The new company was called JDS Uniphase, and it would be the dominant supplier of...

$2.4 Tril Bush Budget Ups Defense, Security, Curbs Other Spending; Record $521 Billion Shortfall; Plan is to halve deficit in five years, but lawmakers on both sides react coolly.(A)
February 3, 2004... Byline: SEAN HIGGINS The White House's proposed $2.4 trillion federal budget got a chilly reaction on Capitol Hill Monday. Lawmakers in both parties criticized it for its ballooning deficit. Few were happy with President Bush's domestic...

Manufacturing Index Hits 20-Year High In Jan. As Weak Dollar Fuels Recovery; Output, Orders, Prices Hot; Jobs index stays positive; factories' outlook strong for 2004, economists say.(A)
February 3, 2004... Byline: CHRISTINA WISE The manufacturing recovery rolled on in January, according to a key industry survey out Monday. The Institute for Supply Management's purchasing managers index climbed 0.2 to 63.6 last month. That was the highest...

IBD'S TOP 10.(A)
February 3, 2004... Bush Unveils $2.4 Tril '05 Budget 1Overall spending would rise 3.5% in fiscal '05, with defense spending up 7% and security spending 10%. Nondefense discretionary funding would rise just 0.5%, with cuts for seven Cabinet departments. Bush...

AFTER THE CLOSE.(TO THE POINT)
February 3, 2004... TASER earned 56 cents a share in Q4 vs. 2 cents a year ago and 21 cents over views. Sales nearly quadrupled on demand by U.S. police. The stun gun maker's shares surged 12% after hours. AFLAC made 50 cents in Q4 excluding big investment...

BUSINESS BRIEFS.(TO THE POINT)
February 3, 2004... TELECOM Churn hits Time Warner Telecom The telephone and data service lost 19 cents a share, beating views by a nickel and narrowing its 27-cents-a-share loss a year ago. Data service sales rose 24%, but views had expected more from...

BUSINESS BRIEFS.(TO THE POINT)
February 3, 2004... TECHNOLOGY Mydoom takes aim at Microsoft The Internet worm forced SCO Group's Web site offline Sunday, and now Microsoft is preparing for a similar Internet-based data assault Tuesday. The 2 firms are each offering $250,000 bounties on...

BUSINESS BRIEFS.(TO THE POINT)
February 3, 2004... MEDICAL Humana profits from hiking fees The health insurer made 41 cents a share, reversing a year-ago loss of a penny a share and beating views by a penny. Humana, a major provider of U.S. Medicare and military health plans, boosted...

BUSINESS BRIEFS.(TO THE POINT)
February 3, 2004... MEDIA Ad recovery boosts Gannett Q4 The No. 1 U.S. publishing firm made $1.31 a share, a 1.5% rise over Q4 '02 and in line with views, due to a 10% rise in ad revenue generated by newly acquired businesses such as SMG Publishing....

THE ECONOMY.(TO THE POINT)
February 3, 2004... Construction spending up 0.4% Spending rose less than expected in Dec., but still hit a record $933.2 bil annual rate. For the year, spending grew 4.3%. Residential spending rose 0.9% from Nov. to a record $502.2 bil. Private...

BUSINESS BRIEFS/IN BRIEF.(TO THE POINT)
February 3, 2004... FOOD Darden same-store sales mixed The restaurant franchise operator reported Olive Garden same-store sales up 8%-9%, but Red Lobster's fell 2%-3%. The seafood chain saw a 4%-5% drop in customers, while the Olive Garden served 6% more...

NATION.(TO THE POINT)
February 3, 2004... Flight grounding over, official says The terrorist threats that led to the cancellation of seven flights have passed, and there are no plans to ground any more flights, an unnamed official said. Six international flights and one domestic...

WORLD.(TO THE POINT)
February 3, 2004... Pakistani: I sold nuclear secrets Scientist Abdul Qadeer Khan confessed to selling nuclear secrets to Iran, Libya and North Korea. Khan is known as the father of Pakistan's atomic bomb. He was sacked as adviser to the prime minister...

TRENDS & INNOVATIONS.(TO THE POINT)
February 3, 2004... Anti-fat drug tied to cancer risk Vanderbilt University researchers said that the GlaxoSmithKline experimental compound GW501516, designed to fight obesity and lower cholesterol levels, was found to increase the risk of developing colon...

TRENDS & INNOVATIONS.(TO THE POINT)
February 3, 2004... ** Predatory bacteria may be the next step in treating antibiotic-resistant infections, Science reports. U.K. and German scientists are investigating the Bdellovibrio bacterium, which produces chemicals that can consume rival bacteria. **...

Belichick at a Glance.(LEADERS & SUCCESS)
February 3, 2004... Belichick at a Glance Born: 1952 in Nashville, Tenn. Education: Graduated with an economics degree from Wesleyan University in Middletown, Conn., in 1974. Achievements: ** Served as defensive coordinator of two New York Giant...

DECIDE UPON YOUR TRUE DREAMS AND GOALS Go For The Outrageous.(LEADERS & SUCCESS)(IBD'S 10 SECRETS TO SUCCESS)
February 3, 2004... Byline: Robin Grugal 2 Ambitious corporate goals that border on outrageous are often the best kind. They force us to consider alternative processes and technologies, often improving a business in ways never intended. Bill Davidson,...

Bill Belichick, The Super Coach; Just Win: His focus on detail helps New England's Patriots claim another NFL title.(LEADERS & SUCCESS)
February 3, 2004... Byline: MICHAEL MINK If a team truly reflects its coach, then the New England Patriots are a mirror image of Bill Belichick. Coach and team are prepared, methodical, efficient, heady, calm and have joined the rarified ranks of multiple...

American Film Institute Giving Tech A Starring Role In Schools; "Kill A Mockingbird' Gets Twist; Calif., Maryland students learn digital video, editing through a special program.(INTERNET & TECHNOLOGY)
February 3, 2004... Byline: KATHARINE STALTER High school teacher Elizabeth Lay wanted students to get a deep understanding of books they read in her classes. The English and social studies teacher at Technical High School in Oakland, Calif., knew that...

Qwest Skirted Bankruptcy, But "Tough Road' Ahead.(INTERNET & TECHNOLOGY)
February 3, 2004... Byline: REINHARDT KRAUSE Richard Notebaert has gotten high marks on Wall Street since taking over as Qwest Communications International Inc.'s chief executive in mid-June 2002. But the hybrid local/long-distance phone company has...

Software Rainmakers Could End IPO Drought; Close Watch On Google; Search engine expected to raise billions, and it's not alone in IPO quest.(INTERNET & TECHNOLOGY)
February 3, 2004... Byline: J. BONASIA Amid the recession and corporate financial scandals, only five software firms had the nerve to go public last year. But 2004 could see a return of software initial public offerings, say analysts. Software...

APPLIED FILMS CORP. Longmont, Colorado; Flat Panels, Junk Food Keep It On The Move.(THE NEW AMERICA)
February 3, 2004... Byline: KIRK SHINKLE With Asian manufacturers finally ramping up production of flat-panel screens, Applied Films Corp. figures to be one of the beneficiaries. The Longmont, Colo.-based company makes machines that apply thin films to...

AT ROAD INC. Fremont, California; Tech Firm's Gear Offers A Road To Efficiency.(THE NEW AMERICA)
February 3, 2004... Byline: MARILYN MUCH Anyone who's had to sit at home waiting for a cable installer or phone technician to show up knows how disruptive it can be. Often they arrive late due to unexpected delays, and sometimes they don't come at all....

Turner Small Growth Works Off Losses; New Bull Restores Lift; Fund is bouncing back as the hunt for relative strength yields results.(MUTUAL FUNDS)(MUTUAL FUND PROFILE)
February 3, 2004... Byline: KEN HOOVER Turner Small Cap Growth Fund is back on track after being pummeled in the bear market. And it was opened to new investors in the middle of last year for the first time since 1997. The $244 million fund rose 59.4% in...

Spend, Elect, Tax.(ISSUES & INSIGHTS)(EDITORIALS)(Editorial)
February 3, 2004... Budget: Republican leaders have come up with their own twist on an old liberal formula. They're buying votes now at the cost of future pain. President Bush's 2005 budget promises, among other things, that Washington's outbreak of spending...

Not Just In Denmark.(ISSUES & INSIGHTS)(EDITORIALS)(Editorial)
February 3, 2004... Europe: The EU has sneered at U.S. corporate scandals in recent years. Now, as it faces its own spate of scandals, the EU's jeers at "cowboy capitalism" have ended. The tut-tutting and tsk-tsking from Europe's elite in recent years could...

FACT BOX.(ISSUES & INSIGHTS)
February 3, 2004... ON THIS DAY In 1946, peacetime started to look like one big picket line, with millions of workers either on strike or threatening to. Employers hit included U.S. Steel, General Electric and General Motors. In 1969, oil companies agreed...

LETTERS.(ISSUES & INSIGHTS)(Letter to the Editor)
February 3, 2004... The Church Chicken Just as coaches watch films to see what went right or wrong, our nation needs to be made aware that the intelligence failures noted in "Bigger Than Iraq" (Editorial, Friday) began with the infamous Church Commission...

Energy Bill Debate Confirms A Lawyer-Democrat Alliance.(ISSUES & INSIGHTS)(VIEWPOINT)
February 3, 2004... Byline: DOUG BANDOW Congress is back in session, so Americans' lives and liberty again are at risk. Among the most divisive issues is the pork-laden energy bill, which failed in the face of a Democratic filibuster backed by a handful of...

THE REAL MOST ACTIVE Dow, S&P 500 Edge Ahead In Seesaw Session.(MAKING MONEY)
February 3, 2004... Byline: CRAIG SHAW NYSE stocks closed an indecisive session with mild gains Monday even as tech shares lost ground. The Dow industrials added 0.1% on lighter trade, the benchmark S&P 500 0.4%. The small-cap S&P 600 finished flat. ...

Analyze, Profit From IBD's Market Charts.(GENERAL MARKET & SECTORS)
February 3, 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...

Entertainment Firm Pulls Back To Pivot.(B)(NYSE STOCKS IN THE NEWS)
February 3, 2004... Byline: Craig Shaw 4Kids Entertainment surged out of a 10-week base Jan. 26 on robust trade. The subsequent market sell-off knocked the stock back into its base. But it never fell more than 1% below its pivot point of 28.70. It's hugged...

THE REAL MOST ACTIVE Nasdaq Gives Up 0.1% In Slightly Lower Trade.(B)
February 3, 2004... Byline: NANCY GONDO The Nasdaq closed 0.15% lower Monday on lighter volume after a seesaw session, extending its downtrend for five days. The big-cap Nasdaq 100 shed 0.3%. ICU Medical sank 4.51 to 33.07, slicing through its 50-day...

SFBC International In Fourth Month Of Base.(B)(NASDAQ STOCKS IN THE NEWS)
February 3, 2004... Byline: Nancy Gondo SFBC International hit an intraday high of 37.60 Sept. 24 before reversing to close near the bottom of its range. It continued down the next two days on heavier trade to close below its 50-day moving average. But it...

Cisco Net Beats Views; Sales Best In 3 Years But Some Want More; Shares Lower After Hours; Many analysts had hoped Cisco would meet or beat Juniper's sales forecast.(A)
February 4, 2004... Byline: MIKE ANGELL Network gear spending is back -- but not as strongly as some people had hoped. The leading maker of networking equipment, Cisco Systems Inc., reported strong fiscal second-quarter numbers Tuesday, echoing similar...

Weak Dollar Not A Stock Killer, Despite Fears Of Another 1987; Current trend no fluke: Stocks have often risen as greenback declined.(A)
February 4, 2004... Byline: DAVID SAITO-CHUNG When the dollar fell like a rock in the mid-1980s, stocks eventually fell. Many remember the tail end of it: On Oct. 19, 1987, Black Monday, the Dow dived 22.6%. By the next day, the blue chip index had fallen...

IBD'S TOP 10.(A)
February 4, 2004... Ricin Find Grinds Senate To Halt 1A white powder found in Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist's office tested as an active form of the deadly poison ricin. 40-50 Capitol employees were decontaminated, but so far no one is sick. Anthrax was...

AFTER THE CLOSE.(TO THE POINT)
February 4, 2004... GENERAL MILLS got a Wells notice indicating likely SEC civil charges vs. the cereal giant, its CEO and CFO. General Mills first disclosed the SEC probe into its sales and accounting in Oct., part of an accounting probe at an Ahold unit. ...

BUSINESS BRIEFS.(TO THE POINT)
February 4, 2004... FINANCIAL First Data warns on '04 earnings The electronic payment firm made 55 cents a share in Q4, 19% over the year-ago period and a penny over views, but said the cash outlays for restructuring and integrating soon-to-be acquired...