Investor's Business Daily articles from February 2005

Investor's Business Daily archives from February 2005

Allawi Calls On Iraqis To Unite After Successful Sunday Vote; Bush, U.S. Election Winners; No mission accomplished, but America's standing up after successful election.(A)
February 1, 2005... Byline: BRIAN MITCHELL The ballots are still being counted in Iraq, but President Bush has already been declared the winner. The strong turnout has earned Bush bragging rights for Wednesday's State of the Union address. It has also...

Incomes, Factories Strong, Home Sales Weak In Dec.; Fed, Jobs Data Later In Week; First day of week's deluge shows that U.S. economy still generally doing well.(A)
February 1, 2005... Byline: KIRK SHINKLE The first reports in a deluge of economic data this week were mixed as personal incomes surged on Microsoft's record dividend, Midwest factories rose at a strong pace and new-home sales slowed. Monday's reports...

IBD'S TOP 10.(A)
February 1, 2005... Unity, "Holy War' Urged In Iraq 1In the wake of Sunday's historic vote, PM Ayad Allawi urged Iraqis to work together to build a new Iraq, while Abu Musab al-Zarqawi's al-Qaida-linked terror group vowed in a Web statement to continue its...

AFTER THE CLOSE.(TO THE POINT)
February 1, 2005... SIERRA HEALTH SERVICES earned 83 cents a share in Q4, a 5% rise over the year-ago profit and topping views. Revenue fell 10.9% to $332.7 mil. The firm's '05 outlook is in line with views. Shares rose. WALT DISNEY beat Q1 views by a nickel...

BUSINESS BRIEFS.(TO THE POINT)
February 1, 2005... TRANSPORTATION Ryanair profits dip, shares soar The European discount airline's Q3 profit dropped 16% to $44.96 mil, despite a 15% rise in revenue to $383.74 mil and a 13% rise in passenger volume to 6.9 mil. The result was better than...

BUSINESS BRIEFS.(TO THE POINT)
February 1, 2005... TELECOM SBC to acquire AT&T for $16 bil The deal, approved by both companies' boards, could mark the end of a business icon once known as Ma Bell whose roots stretch back to the telephone's invention. SBC has about 50 million...

BUSINESS BRIEFS.(TO THE POINT)
February 1, 2005... INTERNET/TECHNOLOGY Yahoo adds stock exchange data The Internet firm is offering real-time stock data from major exchanges for $9.95 a month. The move ends its licensing deal with Reuters. Yahoo Finance is the most visited business...

BUSINESS BRIEFS.(TO THE POINT)
February 1, 2005... STEEL Allegheny Tech swings to a profit The steel maker earned 35 cents a share profit in Q4, topping views by a penny. Sales rose 61% to $778 mil. High-performance metal sales climbed 52% to $230.4 mil. Flat-rolled product sales rose...

THE ECONOMY.(TO THE POINT)
February 1, 2005... Q4 GDP might be revised higher Canadian imports of U.S. goods may have been understated by $1 bil. That could push the Commerce Dept. to revise U.S. Q4 GDP growth -- released just last Friday -- from a 3.1% annual rate to as high as 3.5%....

BUSINESS BRIEFS/IN BRIEF.(TO THE POINT)
February 1, 2005... FOOD Tyson misses as profit falls 66% The meat giant earned 11 cents a share ex items, missing views by 14 cents, hurt by costs associated with mad cow disease and low pork prices. Sales were flat from the year-ago period at $6.5 bil....

NATION.(TO THE POINT)
February 1, 2005... Hillary Clinton faints, recovers The N.Y. senator, 57, collapsed briefly during a speech in Buffalo, N.Y. She quickly regained her composure and walked off stage. Aides said she was suffering from a stomach virus. Later, the former first...

WORLD.(TO THE POINT)
February 1, 2005... Europe ends freeze against Cuba European Union foreign ministers also pledged to increase contacts with critics of President Fidel Castro. The EU's decision to restore normal relations came two years after Havana cracked down on...

DECIDE UPON YOUR TRUE DREAMS AND GOALS A Collage Of Inspiration.(LEADERS & SUCCESS)(IBD'S 10 SECRETS TO SUCCESS)
February 1, 2005... Byline: Amy Alexander 2 When was the last time you sat down with a pair of scissors and a stack of magazines to make a collage? Chances are you were a lot younger than you are now, maybe in a classroom, peering out the window at...

He Jump-Started The Future; Visionary: Bob Evans' peripherals push helped put computers in our everyday life.(LEADERS & SUCCESS)
February 1, 2005... Byline: KEN SPENCER BROWN Bob Evans could've taken the easy way out in late 1960. That's when his bosses at IBM called him to New York to get his take on the planned successor to the firm's top-selling 7000 series of computers. No...

Trade Group Expects Flat Chip Sales In 2005 After Torrid Growth in '04; Would End A 3-Year Run-Up; SIA says chipmakers remain saddled with inventory, as PC, cell phone sales slow.(INTERNET & TECHNOLOGY)
February 1, 2005... Byline: JAMES DETAR Chip sales will fall flat this year after a 2004 that proved to be one of the best years ever, the industry's biggest trade group said on Monday. The Semiconductor Industry Association, in its latest update, didn't...

SBC's AT&T Purchase Likely A Call To Arms For Bell Phone Rivals; Verizon, BellSouth In Hot Seat; Fast-changing telecom field will see tougher competition for big-business customers.(INTERNET & TECHNOLOGY)
February 1, 2005... Byline: REINHARDT KRAUSE SBC Communications Monday agreed to buy AT&T in a $16 billion deal that would make SBC a direct competitor of the other local Bells -- Verizon Communications, BellSouth and Qwest Communications -- for business...

Microsoft Now Entering Battle In Web Search; Tackles Rivals Google, Yahoo.(INTERNET & TECHNOLOGY)
February 1, 2005... Byline: PETE BARLAS Microsoft is taking off the training wheels for its ride into the search business. On Tuesday, Microsoft will officially launch its own search service after several months of tests. Loaded with bells and...

ABERCROMBIE & FITCH New Albany, Ohio; Retailer To The Young And Preppy Adopts A More Upscale Look.(THE NEW AMERICA)
February 1, 2005... Byline: MARILYN ALVA Bring on the cashmere sweaters, $200 handbags and Italian-cotton woven shirts. Abercrombie & Fitch is moving up the luxury ladder. "There has always been a luxurious component to our business," said company...

Fund Takes Aim At Large Stock Bogey; S&P 500 With A Twist; Managers remain true to index within sectors but alter weightings.(MUTUAL FUNDS)(MUTUAL FUND PROFILE)
February 1, 2005... Byline: MURRAY COLEMAN Robert Jones and Melissa Brown's target is simple: outperform the market without taking big risks. To achieve that goal for their $786.4 million Goldman Sachs Core Equity Fund, they hold many of the stocks found...

To Be Honored.(ISSUES & INSIGHTS)(EDITORIALS)(Editorial)
February 1, 2005... Courage: More than 1,400 U.S. soldiers have lost their lives in Iraq. And for what? Well, for one, the freedom of 25 million people in the Mideast. For another, the security of 295 million of us back home. The preferred number of deaths, of...

False Prophet.(ISSUES & INSIGHTS)(EDITORIALS)(Editorial)
February 1, 2005... Politics: In a TV interview, Ted Kennedy called it a "disaster because it's a result of blunder after blunder after blunder." He was speaking of Iraq, but he might as well have been describing his own career in the U.S. Senate. Like Marlon...

A New Dynamic.(ISSUES & INSIGHTS)(EDITORIALS)(Editorial)
February 1, 2005... Mideast: Despite terrorists' threats and predictions of disaster, Iraqis turned out in huge numbers to vote in that nation's first election ever. It marks a turning point not just for troubled Iraq, but for the region as well. Iraq's...

The People: In Their Own Voice.(ISSUES & INSIGHTS)(EDITORIALS)(Editorial)
February 1, 2005... Democracy: Anyone can claim to speak for the public, but elections are the real thing. The world will now be learning what ordinary Iraqis really want. "The people have spoken" may be one of the oldest cliches in American politics, but it...

Look For Clues To Help You Get Out Before A 7% Loss.(MAKING MONEY)(INVESTOR'S CORNER)
February 1, 2005... Byline: NANCY GONDO You know the golden rule: Always sell if a stock falls 7% to 8% from your purchase price. But if you pay close attention to the stock's daily and weekly charts, you may spot warning signs that can help you get out...

THE REAL MOST ACTIVE Dow, S&P 500 Close Higher In Rising Trade.(MAKING MONEY)
February 1, 2005... Byline: NANCY GONDO NYSE stocks rose early Monday and held most of their gains throughout the session. The Dow advanced 0.6% and the S&P 500 rose 0.8%. NYSE volume swelled, though merger news accounted for part of the increase. Small-cap...

Parlux Sniffing For Breakout From Base.(B)(NASDAQ STOCKS IN THE NEWS)
February 1, 2005... Byline: Jonah Keri Parlux Fragrances shot out of a 6 1/2-month base in late September. The stock then formed a base-on-base pattern, breaking out again Nov. 29. It's consolidated its gains for the last five weeks, finding support at its...

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

OMI Logs Up Session For Fifth Straight Day.(B)(NYSE STOCKS IN THE NEWS)
February 1, 2005... Byline: Nancy Gondo OMI Corp. rose to an all-time high Nov. 29 on heavy volume. After hitting a new closing high the next session on bigger turnover, it pulled back to shape the left side of a base. The stock corrected up to 31% from the...

THE REAL MOST ACTIVE Lower Volume Mutes Nasdaq's 1.3% Advance.(B)
February 1, 2005... Byline: JONAH KERI The Nasdaq logged heady gains Monday, but lower volume tempered the rise. The composite rose 1.3%, as did the Nasdaq 100. Successful elections in Iraq and merger news stoked buying on the market, but volume remained...

Google Tops Views, But Big Challenges Await Search Giant; Lockup Period Expires Soon; Company entrenched as cultural icon, but Yahoo and others making gains.(A)
February 2, 2005... Byline: PETE BARLAS The king shows no signs of relinquishing its crown. Google, the No. 1 Web search service, Tuesday said fourth-quarter revenue doubled from the year-ago period to $1.03 billion. Minus traffic acquisition costs,...

Push For Social Security Reform Has Stalled With Dems Opposed; Big Bush speech Wed. may help, backers say; time for a 'Hail Mary'?(A)
February 2, 2005... Byline: JED GRAHAM President Bush has spent two months trying to soften the ground for the coming fight to reform Social Security, but on the eve of the State of the Union address, the political terrain looks no more fertile. Analysts...

IBD'S TOP 10.(A)
February 2, 2005... Google Wows With Q4 Results 1The Web search giant's revenue doubled to $1.032 bil. Ex traffic acquisition costs, revenue was $654 mil vs. views for $591 mil. Pro forma profit was 92 cents a share, most analysts said, vs. views for 77...

AFTER THE CLOSE.(TO THE POINT)
February 2, 2005... MONSTER earned 20 cents in Q4, 81.8% over a year ago and a penny over views, but steered its Q1 below views to 16-17 cents a share. Shares fell 9%. ADOBE boosted its Q1 outlook from 45-48 cents a share to 47-51 cents, against views of 47...

BUSINESS BRIEFS/IN BRIEF.(TO THE POINT)
February 2, 2005... LEISURE Royal Caribbean Q4 loss widens The world's No. 2 cruise company lost 13 cents a share, 10 cents more than views had expected and 30% more than it lost in the year-ago period. Revenue rose 9.9% to $964.6 mil, but Royal Caribbean...

BUSINESS BRIEFS.(TO THE POINT)
February 2, 2005... ENERGY Valero refinery income triples The oil refiner earned $1.89 a share ex items, 45 cents over the year-ago period and more than 3 times the year-ago profit of 51 cents a share. Revenue rose 62% to $15.39 bil; Valero's refining...

BUSINESS BRIEFS.(TO THE POINT)
February 2, 2005... INTERNET Complaints rise on Web auctions The Federal Trade Commission received over 98,000 grievances over online auction transactions last year vs. 51,000 in '02. Internet auction-related complaints comprised 16% of all 635,000 filed...

BUSINESS BRIEFS.(TO THE POINT)
February 2, 2005... MEDICAL HCA beats as taxes, bad debt fall The hospital operator earned 70 cents a share in Q4, up 21% and 4 cents over views, boosted by a lower tax rate and bad-debt expense. Revenue rose 5% to $5.9 bil. Hospital and surgical centers...

THE ECONOMY.(TO THE POINT)
February 2, 2005... Rate hike likely at FOMC meeting A quarter-point hike to 2.5% for the federal funds rate is widely expected as the Fed finishes its 2-day meeting. It would be the sixth straight quarter-point hike at a Fed meeting. Analysts also don't see...

TRENDS/INNOVATIONS.(TO THE POINT)
February 2, 2005... Volatility may be built into market A computer model that randomly bought and sold stocks closely predicted the bid/ask spread on stocks and price diffusion, or how quickly the price changed and by how much, on 11 stocks traded on the...

NATION.(TO THE POINT)
February 2, 2005... Gonzales spared filibuster fight Democrats won't filibuster Alberto Gonzales' nomination to be attorney general. Instead, they'll focus Senate debate on his role in crafting the Bush administration's policies on foreign detainees, Senate...

WORLD.(TO THE POINT)
February 2, 2005... Israel to delay West Bank pullout The withdrawal from five West Bank towns will be slowed after a day of violence strained an informal cease-fire. Israeli officials said the process will be stopped if Palestinians don't halt all attacks....

Just Stop Putting It Off.(LEADERS & SUCCESS)(IBD'S 10 SECRETS TO SUCCESS)
February 2, 2005... Byline: Cord Cooper 3 Got a project you've been putting off? Delaying a job often takes more energy than actually doing the task, says motivational coach Brian Tracy. You waste countless hours thinking about a project, and have...

Innovator Thomas Gallaudet Show Us A Sign: His dedication helped standardize deaf communication.(LEADERS & SUCCESS)
February 2, 2005... Byline: SEAN HIGGINS Thomas Hopkins Gallaudet couldn't take his eyes away from young Alice Cogswell when he first saw her in Hartford, Conn. As other children played happily together on that bright summer's morning in 1814, the...

AOL Deal May Push Per-Call Ad Type; Advertisers Like Idea; Advertisers pay only per calls they receive from prospects who viewed ad.(INTERNET & TECHNOLOGY)
February 2, 2005... Byline: DOUG TSURUOKA Pay-per-call ads seem set to go big time. It's one of the newest evolutions in the marriage between the Internet and marketing: Advertisers pay only after a user dials the phone number that appears with their...

Once Viewed As An Unsound Luxury, Wi-Fi Gaining Steam In Workplaces; Business Spending Up; Companies can cut cords with wireless technology in their office networks.(INTERNET & TECHNOLOGY)
February 2, 2005... Byline: MIKE ANGELL Offices still lag homes when it comes to wireless networking, or Wi-Fi. But they're catching up. Consumers have embraced Wi-Fi as a way to share broadband connections among several computers in their homes. Yet...

HP Researchers Tout A Chip Breakthrough As Door To Tiny PCs; But Any Payoff Is Years Away; Crossbar latch circuitry may solve physical limit problem facing transistor chips now.(INTERNET & TECHNOLOGY)
February 2, 2005... Byline: KEN SPENCER BROWN Hewlett-Packard scientists have reason to be proud of their recent nanotech circuitry breakthrough, which could shrink computers to barely imaginable sizes. But even the most thrilled engineers there caution...

Applied Materials Takes On Naysayers; CEO Expecting Growth; With inventories high, analysts are predicting falling sales for Applied.(INTERNET & TECHNOLOGY)
February 2, 2005... Byline: JAMES DETAR To all those many analysts predicting a down year for chip equipment king Applied Materials, company Chief Executive Michael Splinter has a response: Not so fast. Splinter, hired away from Intel to take the top spot...

Feeds Bring You Web Deals In Bite-Sized Chunks.(INTERNET & TECHNOLOGY)(COMPUTERS MADE PLAIN)
February 2, 2005... Byline: LISA SCHMEISER Finding a bargain can be exhausting -- even online. You can surf from e-tailer to e-tailer, sift through the deluge of e-mail pitches or throw yourself on the mercy of comparison-shopping sites. All of these...

Chip Core Developer Engineers A Rebound; Silicon Graphics spinoff, hit hard by tech slump, re-emerges as hot stock.(INTERNET & TECHNOLOGY)(Q & A)
February 2, 2005... Byline: JAMES DETAR U.K.-based ARM Holdings carved out a profitable niche by creating chip core designs and licensing them to chipmakers. It's the leader in that market, with sales last year of $263 million. But Mips Technologies is...

Future Of On-The-Go Business Is Up In The Air; Can airlines and hotels rectify cramped flights and impersonal service?(TRAVEL)(NEWS FOR YOU: TRAVEL)
February 2, 2005... Byline: CHRIS BARNETT Anyone who traveled the U.S. for business when jumbo jets had pianos aboard and airlines were hotels with wings see today's foot soldiers of commerce as extras in a reality show. Instead of stretching out in...

KNIGHT TRANSPORTATION Phoenix, Arizona; Trucker Keeps A Steady Hand On The Wheel.(THE NEW AMERICA)
February 2, 2005... Byline: ALAN R. ELLIOTT No, truckers are not the last real cowboys. But a lot of them are Teamsters -- which means they're descended by trade from mule skinners and such -- so it's fair to call the two next of kin. It's also fair to...

Marsico Fund Wins With All Cap Sizes; Fund Owns Qualcomm; 21st Century is focused, with only 40 holdings, but in many industries.(MUTUAL FUNDS)(MUTUAL FUND PROFILE)
February 2, 2005... Byline: PAUL KATZEFF Marsico 21st Century Fund has a small portfolio, but its holdings cover a lot of territory. The focused fund holds only 40 names. Yet they range from small to large caps. Triple its size since IBD profiled it...

The Anschutz Factor.(ISSUES & INSIGHTS)(EDITORIALS)(Editorial)
February 2, 2005... New Media: Phil Anschutz, a pro-family, pro-business billionaire, is launching a chain of newspapers to shake up the old liberal media in major cities, including Washington. Old news gatekeepers are justifiably worried. On Tuesday,...

The Nutty Professor.(ISSUES & INSIGHTS)(EDITORIALS)(Editorial)
February 2, 2005... Academia: While our universities and colleges routinely shun rational and right-of-center speakers, professors and thought, the likes of Ward Churchill make the rounds comparing 9-11 victims to Nazis. In 2001, Churchill, then chairman of...

Off The Dean End.(ISSUES & INSIGHTS)(EDITORIALS)(Editorial)
February 2, 2005... Politics: Talk about timing. Just when Iraq's elections are bringing victory closer in the war on tyranny and terror, the Democrats are embracing a defeat strategy. How else does one account for the fact that the party is about to choose...

The Saud House Of Hate.(ISSUES & INSIGHTS)(EDITORIALS)(Editorial)
February 2, 2005... Terrorism: Since 9-11, Americans have gotten used to thinking the terror threat lies "over there" -- across the Atlantic. A new report shows otherwise. The report, by the widely respected human rights organization Freedom House, highlights...

Spotting The Pivot: EZCorp Provided Two Buy Chances.(MAKING MONEY)(INVESTOR'S CORNER)
February 2, 2005... Byline: JONAH KERI To spot a stock's pivot point, watch its price and volume action as it's forming a base. That way, you'll see the handle start to form ahead of time and be ready to dive in quickly. Sometimes you may discover a stock...

THE REAL MOST ACTIVE Second Straight Up Session For Dow, S&P 500.(MAKING MONEY)
February 2, 2005... Byline: NANCY GONDO NYSE stocks rose for their second straight session Tuesday, one day before the Fed announces its decision on short-term interest rates. The Dow gained 0.6%, while the S&P 500 added 0.7% to reclaim its 50-day average....

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

AK Steel Etching Base Above Its 50-Day Line.(B)(NYSE STOCKS IN THE NEWS)
February 2, 2005... Byline: Nancy Gondo AK Steel marked a five-year high Dec. 29 and pulled back as much as 22% over the next two weeks. The stock found support above its 50-day moving average and has been carving a base since. Keep in mind a cup-shaped base...

THE REAL MOST ACTIVE Nasdaq Logs Small Gain, But Volume Expands.(B)
February 2, 2005... Byline: JONAH KERI Nasdaq stocks logged smaller gains Tuesday than those seen in Monday's session, but higher volume helped the cause. The composite rose 0.3%, as did the Nasdaq 100. Investors were looking ahead to Google's earnings...

American Medical Weakly Clears 50-Day.(B)(NASDAQ STOCKS IN THE NEWS)
February 2, 2005... Byline: Jonah Keri American Medical Systems has cleared a series of short patterns since staging a huge breakout in January 2004 from a well-formed base. The stock's latest consolidation has lasted five weeks. The stock's low-volume move...

Fed Increases Rates By 1/4-Point Again With More To Come; Fin'l Markets Hardly Notice; Greenspan likely to hike at next 2 or 3 meetings, with 3.5% rate by Dec.(A)
February 3, 2005... Byline: CHRISTINA WISE As expected, the Federal Reserve raised its overnight interest rate by 25 basis points on Wednesday and signaled it'll continue its policy of "measured" rate hikes. The Fed has raised its fed funds target rate...

Canada Considers A Crackdown On Drug Resales To Americans; Ottawa moving to stem cross-border drug sales to defend price controls.(A)
February 3, 2005... Byline: SEAN HIGGINS If you're an American looking to buy cut-rate prescription drugs from Canada, you might want to take that trip up north right now. Canada is seriously looking at clamping down on sales to Yanks. Health Minister...

IBD'S TOP 10.(A)
February 3, 2005... Fed Hikes Rates 25 Pts To 2.5% 1The Federal Open Market Committee raised rates by a quarter point for a 6th straight meeting, surprising no one. The Fed also said in its post-meeting statement, virtually unchanged from December, that...

AFTER THE CLOSE.(TO THE POINT)
February 3, 2005... AEROPOSTALE boosted its Q4 outlook from 63 cents a share to 65 cents a share, against views of 64 cents. January same-store sales rose 2.5%. Shares fell. STARBUCKS' Jan. same-store sales rose 7%, below views, and the lowest increase since...

BUSINESS BRIEFS.(TO THE POINT)
February 3, 2005... GAMING Wall Street's wild about Harrah's The casino operator rose 3.7% to 66.19 after earning 68 cents a share ex items in Q4, up 36% and 2 cents over views, as its benefited from its acquisition of the Horseshoe casinos and the...

BUSINESS BRIEFS.(TO THE POINT)
February 3, 2005... MEDICAL Barr beats despite generics drop The drug maker earned 56 cents a share in Q2, up 4% from a year ago ex items and a penny over views. Revenue fell 31% to $257 mil, missing views. Generic product sales, which make up the bulk of...

BUSINESS BRIEFS.(TO THE POINT)
February 3, 2005... LEISURE RV demand drives Thor Q2 sales The vehicle manufacturer said preliminary sales showed a 26% rise over the year-ago quarter to $537 mil, boosted by a 28% rise in RV sales and a 11% rise in bus sales. Thor Industries' RV retail...

BUSINESS BRIEFS.(TO THE POINT)
February 3, 2005... RETAIL CVS lifts outlook as sales surge The No. 2 drugstore chain earned 56 cents a share ex items in Q4, down 13% but a penny over views. Sales climbed 20% to $8.92 bil, boosted by the addition of 1,268 Eckerd stores and other units....

THE ECONOMY.(TO THE POINT)
February 3, 2005... Mortgage apps up on refinancing The Mortgage Bankers Association's seasonally adjusted index of refinancing applications shot up 16.6% to 2,253.9 in the week ended Jan. 28, reversing a 5.7% drop the prior week. The overall application...

IN BRIEF.(TO THE POINT)
February 3, 2005... Flir Systems earned 62 cents a share in Q4 before accounting for a 2-for-1 split, up 41% and 4 cents over views. The maker of infrared gear sees '05 growth moderating from '04 but in line with analysts' estimates. Shares fell 1% to 61.17. ...

NATION.(TO THE POINT)
February 3, 2005... Chertoff vows to guard liberties Democrats grilled the Homeland Security secretary nominee on the use of torture on terror suspects. Michael Chertoff, a top Justice Dept. prosecutor, said he only gave broad outlines on interrogation...

WORLD.(TO THE POINT)
February 3, 2005... Tsunami aid botched, official says Bureaucratic bungling has blocked food and medicine from reaching 70% of the 1 mil Sri Lankans left destitute by the tsunami disaster, according to the head of a relief task force. Hundreds of people...

TRENDS & INNOVATIONS.(TO THE POINT)
February 3, 2005... Medical bills cause bankruptcies A Harvard Medical School survey of 931 personal bankruptcies in five states found half cited medical causes for the filing, even though over 75% had insurance when their illness started. Researchers...

TRENDS & INNOVATIONS.(TO THE POINT)
February 3, 2005... ** A printer that replicates skin cells using a process similar to that of inkjet printers has been developed at the Univ. of Manchester. Scientists expect the technique, which could treat skin wounds, to be tested in clinical trials in 5...

NEVER STOP LEARNING Better To Look Before You Leap.(LEADERS & SUCCESS)(IBD'S 10 SECRETS TO SUCCESS)
February 3, 2005... Byline: Adelia Cellini Linecker 4 Starting a new job is a lot like being the new kid in school. You try hard to fit in -- without always thinking about the consequences of your actions. Experts say you should tread carefully during the...

Fed Chairman William McChesney Martin Jr.; Act With Integrity: His straightforward approach and ability to compromise shaped the system we have today.(LEADERS & SUCCESS)
February 3, 2005... Byline: CURT SCHLEIER William McChesney Martin Jr. refused to succumb to pressure -- even if the person pressuring him was one of the most powerful men on Earth. Martin (1906-98) served as chairman of the Federal Reserve System under...

Amazon Follows In EBay's Footsteps With Disappointing Fourth Quarter; Earnings Fall Short Of Views; Company also unveils new discount shipping program with an annual member fee.(INTERNET & TECHNOLOGY)
February 3, 2005... Byline: PETE BARLAS Now, the other e-commerce leader has disappointed investors. Amazon.com late Wednesday reported fourth-quarter pro forma profit that failed to meet analyst expectations. Amazon shares were down more than 14% after...

Firm's Laser Products On Target With Needs; Crystals Powering II-VI; Industrial and overseas demand still on upswing for infrared, other lasers.(INTERNET & TECHNOLOGY)
February 3, 2005... Byline: MARILYN ALVA II-VI makes complex materials taken from the second and sixth columns of the periodic table of elements - thus its name, pronounced "two six." The company makes crystals to produce optical components for...

HP Aims To Retake Lead In Notebooks, Plans New Phone.(INTERNET & TECHNOLOGY)
February 3, 2005... Byline: KEN SPENCER BROWN Dubbing 2005 the "Year of Mobility," Hewlett-Packard on Wednesday launched 10 new notebook computers, fresh versions of its iPaq handheld device and services aimed at business users on the go. It also promised...

COMSTOCK HOMEBUILDING Reston, Virginia; Builder Puts Capital Into Nation's Capital.(THE NEW AMERICA)
February 3, 2005... Byline: ALAN R. ELLIOTT Last year, 8 million new and existing homes were bought and sold in the U.S., and 1.5 million homes were built. At the end of the year, homeowners held 69% of all occupied, single family units in the U.S. --...

CB RICHARD ELLIS GROUP Los Angeles, California; Buyout Gives Realtor A New Lease On Life.(THE NEW AMERICA)
February 3, 2005... Byline: MARILYN MUCH When CB Richard Ellis bought Insignia Financial Group 18 months ago, it marked a turning point in the firm's 100-year history. CB Richard Ellis, or CBRE, had grown to be the top commercial real estate services...

Fund Takes Cautious Tack Overseas; Waits For Right Deals; Managers at Causeway pursue foreign stocks with solid balance sheets.(MUTUAL FUNDS)(MUTUAL FUND PROFILE)
February 3, 2005... Byline: MURRAY COLEMAN An accident of history sparked the creation of Causeway Capital. When Merrill Lynch decided to put its Hotchkis & Wiley unit on the market, its top international analysts and managers packed up and moved across...