Investor's Business Daily articles from February 2006

Investor's Business Daily archives from February 2006

Google Finally Gags As Its Latest Results Fall Far Below Views; Shares Sinking After Hours; Poor Q4 showing follows Yahoo's lackluster report, taking "air out' of group.(A)
February 1, 2006... Byline: PETE BARLAS Google has finally laid an egg. The Web's No. 1 search service badly missed expectations for its latest earnings Tuesday -- Google's first disappointing quarter since it went public in 2004. The company posted...

Fed Raises Rates, Gives Ben Bernanke Flexibility As Chairman Greenspan Exits; FOMC "May' Tighten Again; Odds favor March hike, but there's a host of data between now and then.(A)
February 1, 2006... Byline: KIRK SHINKLE Goodbye Alan, hello Ben. In his last day, Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan ended his 18-year tenure Tuesday with one more rate hike and a few parting words to give his successor some room to maneuver. ...

IBD'S TOP 10.(A)
February 1, 2006... Google Dives After Missing Views 1The Web search giant fell 13% late after saying it earned $1.54 a share ex items, 22 cents below Q4 estimates and up just 67% vs. a year earlier. It's the smallest gain in years and the first time Google...

AFTER THE CLOSE.(TO THE POINT)
February 1, 2006... POWERWAVE TECH earned 17 cents ex items, up from 7 cents last year and 2 cents over views. But revenue at the wireless tech firm rose 65% to $258.7 mil, shy of views. Shares fell. WEBSENSE reported Q4 earnings rose 27% to 45 cents ex items,...

BUSINESS BRIEFS.(TO THE POINT)
February 1, 2006... METALS Harsco sees growth in 3 units The metals processing firm said its Q4 earnings surged 46% to $1.23 a share, handily beating views of 85 cents per share. Quarterly revenue rose 3% to $732.5 mil. Sales rose in its access services,...

BUSINESS BRIEFS.(TO THE POINT)
February 1, 2006... FINANCE Options exchange tops forecasts International Securities Exchange, an electronic exchange for options trading, said Q4 EPS jumped 50% to 27 cents ex items, beating views by a penny. Sales rose 15% to $40.1 mil, driven by higher...

BUSINESS BRIEFS.(TO THE POINT)
February 1, 2006... MEDICAL Merck Q4 beats, but sales flat The drug maker said Q4 EPS rose 28% to 64 cents ex items, beating views by 2 cents, while sales were flat at $5.77 bil. Sales of its top drug Zocor, a cholesterol-lowering drug that loses patent...

BUSINESS BRIEFS.(TO THE POINT)
February 1, 2006... IPOs Construction firm debuts strongly H&E Equipment Services, which rents and sells construction and industrial equipment, rose 28.5% to 23.10 in its first day of trading. The La.-based company, which has 41 service locations...

THE ECONOMY.(TO THE POINT)
February 1, 2006... Midwest business gets Jan. frost The Nat'l Assoc. of Purchasing Managers-Chicago survey lost 2.3 points to 58.5 in Jan. vs. Dec. All 7 components, including prices paid and employment, fell. Order backlog slipped below the boom-bust cutoff...

BUSINESS BRIEFS/IN BRIEF.(TO THE POINT)
February 1, 2006... FOOD Archer Daniels blows past views One of the worlds largest processors of oilseeds, corn and wheat soared 9.5% to 31.50 after it posted Q2 earnings rose 17% to 56 cents a share, soundly beating views of 42 ...

NATION.(TO THE POINT)
February 1, 2006... Abortion law loses court appeal A federal appeals court in San Francisco declared the Partial Birth Abortion Ban Act unconstitutional, saying the measure is vague and lacks an exception for a woman's health. President Bush signed the...

WORLD.(TO THE POINT)
February 1, 2006... Russia asserts role in WTO, G-8 In a lengthy news conference, President Vladimir Putin called the U.S. the last big hurdle for World Trade Organization membership and insisted the G-8 fully supported Russia's membership. He warned foreign...

TRENDS & INNOVATIONS.(TO THE POINT)
February 1, 2006... Analytical couples tied to autism Highly analytical couples, such as scientists and engineers, are more likely to produce children with autism, a University of Cambridge scientist contends. He believes the genes that make some people...

TRENDS & INNOVATIONS.(TO THE POINT)
February 1, 2006... Test takes a swipe at drug users Arkansas State University researchers have developed a test for narcotics that could quickly detect drugs on a swipe of a person's sweat or saliva. "The possibility is one day a police officer, school...

His Keen Focus Put Him At The Top Of His Game; Mastery On The Mound: Major-league exercising, tough work ethic helped Nolan Ryan nail more than 50 pitching records.(LEADERS & SUCCESS)(BEST OF LEADERS & SUCCESS)
February 1, 2006... Byline: PHILIP MICHAELS While other pitchers hung out in the locker room, Nolan Ryan was training like a man half his age. Ryan, who pitched until he was 46, credits much of his mastery on the mound to his daily training regimen...

TAKE ACTION He Gets Them Pumped.(LEADERS & SUCCESS)(IBD'S 10 SECRETS TO SUCCESS)(Company Profile)
February 1, 2006... Byline: Cord Cooper 3 Retailer Chester Cadieux has turned the convenience-store industry on its ear -- by focusing on store environment, worker commitment and ironclad guarantees. Cadieux is chairman and co-founder of Tulsa-based...

Keeping His Eyes On The Stars; Aim High: Astrophysicist Neil de Grasse Tyson's dedication put him on the fast track.(LEADERS & SUCCESS)
February 1, 2006... Byline: NANCY GONDO Neil de Grasse Tyson loved going to the rooftop of Skyview Apartments, the Bronx building he grew up in, to gaze up at the star-lit sky. Because of the city lights around him, the youngster thought only a dozen stars...

The Specter Of Microsoft's Market Entry Shadows Symantec; Security Leader's Outlook Slips; Symantec beats EPS views for December quarter, will broaden its security wares.(INTERNET & TECHNOLOGY)
February 1, 2006... Byline: DONNA HOWELL No. 1 computer security company Symantec is mapping out a new world in consumer safety, as it faces a looming threat to its anti-virus home turf from none other than the No. 1 software company, Microsoft. Symantec...

Awash In E-Mail, Firms Embrace E-Discovery; Taking A Keen Eye To Records; More companies preparing for the discovery period of lawsuits by tracking e-mail.(INTERNET & TECHNOLOGY)
February 1, 2006... Byline: J. BONASIA The rapid growth of e-mail is pushing many companies toward a new legal frontier: electronic discovery. In the past, corporate lawyers exchanged reams of paper documents during the discovery process -- the period...

New AT&T Aims To Be "First Rate'; CEO Vows Consistent Growth; Whitacre says SBC-AT&T merger will add to earnings in '07, ahead of schedule.(INTERNET & TECHNOLOGY)
February 1, 2006... Byline: REINHARDT KRAUSE Wireless. Internet. Business services. AT&T touted all of that and more at its annual analysts meeting in New York on Tuesday. What analysts liked the most, in the near term, was AT&T's announcement that it...

ASTEC INDUSTRIES INC. Chattanooga, Tennessee; Business Is Up At Equipment Maker, Ya Dig?(THE NEW AMERICA)
February 1, 2006... Byline: ALAN R. ELLIOTT Civilization is a fancy way to say we're gradually wising up. We tamed fire, conceived the wheel, then moved on to deodorant and flat-screen TVs. One less obvious advance deals with demolished concrete, brick...

Magellan Boosts Its Global Holdings; New Manager's Tack; Fidelity fund's foreign and tech stakes expand under Harry Lange.(MUTUAL FUNDS)(INVESTMENT TRENDS)
February 1, 2006... Byline: PAUL KATZEFF Fidelity Magellan Fund is sporting a new look. And the fund is looking good, for a change. Since Harry Lange replaced Robert Stansky at the helm of the $51 billion portfolio on Oct. 31, Lange has reshaped its...

ETFs Offer Broad Play On Europe's Fortunes.(A)
February 1, 2006... 23.992B+41.4IS Msci BrazilEWZ1.141.350.4633 21.090B 157.9HT Oil ServiceOIH0.3155.80-1.35-21 17.690B 145.1IS S&P Latin Am 40ILF1.2144.421.52-33 17.088B 113.3IS Msci South AfricaEZA1.7114.902.48-9 14.386B-131.2BDR Emrgng Mkts...

ETFs Offer Broad Play On Europe's Fortunes.(EXCHANGE TRADED FUNDS)
February 1, 2006... Byline: MURRAY COLEMAN Will the good times keep rolling overseas in 2006? In January, the FTSE gained 6.4% in dollar terms. The Dax rose 7.9%. Meanwhile, the S&P 500 improved 2.5%. "Europe certainly faces more headwinds in 2006,"...

With A Whimper.(ISSUES & INSIGHTS)(EDITORIALS)(Editorial)
February 1, 2006... Supreme Court: After all the talk about a "swing vote" being lost to the Right with the confirmation of Justice Samuel Alito, the left in the end went quietly. Is Borking now a thing of the past? It does seem that bare-knuckle attacks on...

Bigger Paychecks.(ISSUES & INSIGHTS)(EDITORIALS)(Editorial)
February 1, 2006... Health Care: President Bush's proposed expansion of Health Savings Accounts will help control health care costs, most economists agree. But HSAs will have another beneficial impact by boosting Americans' pay. Americans spent an estimated...

Patriots Act.(ISSUES & INSIGHTS)
February 1, 2006... National Security: With the Feb. 3 deadline for renewing the Patriot Act looming, kicking the can down the road again is not an option. Had it been in place on Sept. 10, 2001, Sept. 11 might not have happened. If your house were on fire,...

A Political Icy-Hot Patch.(ISSUES & INSIGHTS)(EDITORIALS)(Editorial)
February 1, 2006... Leadership: The annual gathering of world bigwigs at Davos's World Economic Forum is known for its trendy forecasting. So naturally you wouldn't expect Bill Clinton to warn them of the coming ice age. Ice age? Yup. Ice age. Was the...

Gas Pain Relief Can Be Found Offshore.(ISSUES & INSIGHTS)(VIEWPOINT)
February 1, 2006... Byline: MARK J. PERRY The public uproar over volatile natural-gas prices brings up a question that lies at the very heart of the matter: Why isn't the U.S. using more of its own enormous gas resources? The Interior Department estimates...

THE REAL MOST ACTIVE; NYSE Stocks Fall As Fed Ups Interest Rates.(MAKING MONEY)
February 1, 2006... Byline: TRANG HO NYSE stocks fell Tuesday as the Federal Reserve announced its latest quarter-point rate hike. The S&P 500 sank 0.4% on higher volume. Eagle Materialsfell 7.51 to 162.89 on 2 1/2 times its normal volume. On Thursday...

Analyze, Profit From IBD's Market Charts.(GENERAL MARKET & SECTORS)
February 1, 2006... 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...

Phillips-Van Heusen Sees Better Q1 Profit.(B)(NYSE STOCKS IN THE NEWS)
February 1, 2006... Byline: Juan Carlos Arancibia Phillips-Van Heusen found support at its 10-week moving average following a Jan. 10 breakout and is about 2% from a 52-week high. The maker of dress shirts and other apparel on Jan. 10 raised its earnings...

THE REAL MOST ACTIVE; Nasdaq Finished Near Break-Even Level For Day.(B)
February 1, 2006... Byline: CHRISTINA WISE The Nasdaq finished nearly flat Tuesday, barely budging in the wake of another, yet expected, interest rate hike from the Fed. After the close, Internet powerhouse Google posted fourth-quarter profit of $1.54...

C.H. Robinson Forges A New Base Pattern.(B)(NASDAQ STOCKS IN THE NEWS)
February 1, 2006... Byline: Christina Wise C.H. Robinson Worldwide cleared a base in late October, then ran up more than 25%. It's currently working on the right side of a two-month base and finished Tuesday 2% short of its high. The company, which was...

IBD'S 20 RULES FOR INVESTMENT SUCCESS.(INVESTOR EDUCATION)
February 1, 2006... Byline: Marie Beerens These rules are not based on our personal opinion or those of Wall Streets analysts and experts. Investors Business Daily built detailed models of all the most successful stocks every year from 1880 to 2005....

Don't Fret Over Pennies During The Breakout.(INVESTOR EDUCATION)(INVESTOR'S CORNER)
February 1, 2006... Byline: CHRISTINA WISE So you've done your homework and found a good investment prospect. It has a strong earnings and sales track record, hails from a good industry group and is building a base. You calculate the ideal buy point,...

Inflation Jitters Rise As Q4 Productivity, Weekly Claims Fall; Stocks Slide, Bonds Steady; So far, pay gains modest, productivity trends strong; Jan. jobs report out Fri.(A)
February 3, 2006... Byline: LAURA MANDARO Productivity unexpectedly declined in the fourth quarter while companies' labor costs rose, raising inflation concerns. Nonfarm workers' output per hour fell at a 0.6% annual rate vs. the third quarter, the Labor...

Boehner Elected House Majority Leader As GOP Goes With Compromise Choice; After besting "status quo' and "reformer' rivals, can he improve party's image?(A)
February 3, 2006... Byline: SEAN HIGGINS Republican lawmakers elected Rep. John Boehner, R-Ohio, Thursday to become the House's new majority leader. He replaces Rep. Tom DeLay, R-Texas, who had stepped down in the face of legal troubles. Boehner defeated...

IBD'S TOP 10.(A)
February 3, 2006... Stocks Fall On Fed, Terror Fears 1The Nasdaq sank 1.3% after new economic data raised fears of more rate hikes. Terror anxieties also hurt. The S&P 500, mid-cap S&P 400 and the Dow all lost 0.9%, while the small-cap S&P 600 shed 1%. Most...

AFTER THE CLOSE.(A)
February 3, 2006... RACKABLE SYSTEMS soared 19% after it reported Q4 profit of 33 cents ex items, beating views of 9 cents and reversing a year-ago 9-cent loss. Revenue at the server and data storage firm more than tripled to $83.1 mil. INTUITIVE SURGICAL...

BUSINESS BRIEFS.(TO THE POINT)
February 3, 2006... MEDICAL Botox adds wrinkle to earnings Allergan, perhaps best known for its Botox wrinkle cream, said Q4 earnings rose to 91 cents per share ex items, 2 cents above views. Revenue rose 7% to $595 mil, but sales growth for Botox fell...

BUSINESS BRIEFS.(TO THE POINT)
February 3, 2006... CHEMICAL Engelhard earnings up 12.7% The specialty chemicals firm reported a 14.8% rise in Q4 earnings to 54 cents per share, beating views by 5 cents. Engelhard said sales rose 30% to $1.3 bil, and predicted Q1 earnings of $2.35 per...

BUSINESS BRIEFS.(TO THE POINT)
February 3, 2006... RETAIL ** Wal-Mart has applied to the Indian gov't to open an office there to explore a possible entry into the retail market. India prohibits foreign direct investment in merchandise stores, but Wal-Mart is hoping for a rule change. The...

THE ECONOMY.(TO THE POINT)
February 3, 2006... Mortgage rates continue to rise The average rate on a 30-year mortgage rose to 6.23% this week vs. 6.12% in the week prior while 15-year rates rose to 5.81% vs. 5.70% following Tuesday's decision by the Fed to hike overnight rates a...

IN BRIEF.(TO THE POINT)
February 3, 2006... Wesco Int'l said its Q4 earnings almost tripled to 80 cents per share, beating views by 19 cents. Revenue rose 26% to $1.24 bil. Shares jumped 12.5% to 54.80. Altria said the Oregon Supreme Court affirmed a jury verdict for $79.5 mil in...

NATION.(TO THE POINT)
February 3, 2006... CIA: leak damage "very severe' U.S. intelligence officials told Congress that disclosure of once-classified projects like President Bush's no-warrant eavesdropping program have undermined their work. CIA Director Porter Goss told the...

WORLD.(TO THE POINT)
February 3, 2006... U.S.-S. Korea trade talks ahead Officials hope to sign a trade pact in a year that would end 90% of tariffs between the 2 nations. U.S. officials said a deal would be the "most commercially significant" since NAFTA. CUBA: Europe's...

TRENDS & INNOVATIONS.(TO THE POINT)
February 3, 2006... U.S. warms to heated toilet seat Toto, a Japanese firm that makes luxury heated toilet seats, is opening a factory in Mexico to keep up with growing demand in the U.S., where sales rose 20% last year to 2.4 million units. The Washlet toilet...

TRENDS & INNOVATIONS.(TO THE POINT)
February 3, 2006... Energy woes seen hurting tourism Travel in 2055 will be a rare luxury because of limited energy resources, according to a British government report organized by the think tank Foresight. Every journey will have to be justified, with most...

His Colorful, Liquid Treat Still Keeps Kids Smiling; Create Your Market: Inventor Edwin Perkins' determination and drive helped him turn Kool-Aid into a household name.(LEADERS & SUCCESS)(BEST OF LEADERS & SUCCESS)
February 3, 2006... Byline: SONJA CARBERRY Edward Perkins was smitten. The youngster had just tasted a newfangled dessert called Jell-O and knew it was going to be a hit. Now he wanted to create something just as good that would give others the same...

BE PERSISTENT AND WORK HARD When The Stakes Are Big.(LEADERS & SUCCESS)(IBD'S 10 SECRETS TO SUCCESS)
February 3, 2006... Byline: Cord Cooper 5 Strongly wrought strategies are often the stuff of successful product launches, technological breakthroughs and corporate turnarounds. The key is to keep focusing on victory, authors Peter Killing, Thomas Malnight...

Organizer A. Philip Randolph; Straight Up: Working hard until he reached his goals, he left a legacy of greatness.(LEADERS & SUCCESS)
February 3, 2006... Byline: JAMES DETAR The request from Pullman railroad sleeping car porters was simple: They wanted to form a union. But A. Philip Randolph knew it would be a tough battle. Pullman train cars were the luxury airlines of their day, and...

AT&T To Cut DSL Prices To New Low; Plan Costs $12.99 A Month; Price cut could be a blow to cable firms, which have seen broadband sales slow.(INTERNET & TECHNOLOGY)
February 3, 2006... Byline: REINHARDT KRAUSE AT&T is slashing its monthly fee for high-speed Internet access to an all-time low: $12.99. The telecom company had been charging $14.95 a month for its lowest-priced digital subscriber line plan. The new deal,...

Price Hikes, Big Merger Drive Growth At Gartner; New "Aggressive Stance'; After shake-up by CEO, stock trades at highest price since dot-com era.(INTERNET & TECHNOLOGY)
February 3, 2006... Byline: DOUG TSURUOKA Tech research firm Gartner makes its living telling clients what's going on with industries and companies. Nowadays, it could talk about itself. The tech go-go days of the late-1990s might be long gone, but...

Amazon's Earnings Beat Expectations, But Sales Fall Short; Revenue Growth Of Just 17%; Shares of the online store tumble 8% in after hours; free shipping seen as costly.(INTERNET & TECHNOLOGY)
February 3, 2006... Byline: PETE BARLAS Amazon.com got a mixed bag from Santa Claus in its holiday quarter. The online retailer on Thursday reported fourth-quarter earnings of 26 cents a share -- excluding one-time items -- up 8% from 24 cents in the...

Seek Leaders That Hold Up Even When Market's Down.(YOUR WEEKLY REVIEW)
February 3, 2006... Byline: NANCY GONDO Since the market kicked off its current rally in October, many leading stocks have broken out and are extended from their ideal buy points. So how can you build a list of the next potential winners? Try tracking...

Next Mortgage Push: Longer Loans?; More Lenders Offer 40 Years; Latest loan products seek to make homes affordable as interest-only is debated.(INSIDE REAL ESTATE)
February 3, 2006... Byline: LAURA MANDARO Could the mortgage market get a fifth wind? As lenders prepare for lower volume this year, they are rolling out new products designed for borrowers squeezed out of existing mortgages by higher interest rates. ...

ADMINISTAFF INC. Kingswood, Texas; Latest Buyout Extends Reach For Provider Of HR Workers, Services.(THE NEW AMERICA)
February 3, 2006... Byline: MARILYN MUCH Administaff Chief Executive Paul Sarvadi hasn't been big on acquisitions. So when he makes one, chances are it'll bring a lot to the table. His company serves as a full-service human resources department for about...

MFS' Fischman Has Turned His Attention To Fastest Growing Segments.(SERIES: MUTUAL FUND MONTHLY)(IBD SPECIAL REPORT)(FUND MANAGER Q & A)
February 3, 2006... Byline: MURRAY COLEMAN Eric Fischman is one of MFS Investment's most aggressive growth managers. And he's finding plenty of good ideas these days. The 41-year-old Fischman co-manages $3.7 billion MFS Emerging Growth Fund. He's...

Stock Funds Make Solid Start To New Year With 4.66% Gain; Small growth soared 8.6% while large caps lagged; Oberweis is hot on China.(SERIES: MUTUAL FUND MONTHLY)(IBD SPECIAL REPORT)
February 3, 2006... Byline: KEN HOOVER If the January barometer is any guide, 2006 is shaping up as a year of solid returns in mutual funds. Invented by Yale Hirsch, author with son Jeff of the "Stock Trader's Almanac," the January barometer tells us that...

Organize Your Tax-Prep Forms, Tally Expenses.(SERIES: MUTUAL FUND MONTHLY)(IBD SPECIAL REPORT)(TAXES)
February 3, 2006... Byline: STUART WEISS Feb. 1 marks the unofficial beginning of tax season and for many the impending scramble to steer clear of trouble with Uncle Sam. Being forewarned means being forearmed against possible costly mistakes. So here's a...

High Yield, World Income Led Bonds During Month.(SERIES: MUTUAL FUND MONTHLY)(IBD SPECIAL REPORT)
February 3, 2006... Byline: MURRAY COLEMAN After inverting in December, the yield curve resumed a less negative, flatter shape last month. As such, investors in shorter-term bond funds took less of a hit than those further out on the yield curve. ...

Foreign Funds Kick Off New Year By Leaving U.S. Peers In Dust.(SERIES: MUTUAL FUND MONTHLY)(IBD SPECIAL REPORT)
February 3, 2006... Byline: MURRAY COLEMAN International funds started 2006 much as they finished last year. The average world stock fund returned 7.45% in January. That soundly trumped a typical U.S. diversified peer, which gained 4.66% in the month, say...

Gold, Natural Resources Pace Strong Sectors.(SERIES: MUTUAL FUND MONTHLY)(IBD SPECIAL REPORT)
February 3, 2006... Byline: PAUL KATZEFF Sector funds raced out of the 2006 starting gate. All categories advanced fast in January, paced by gold funds' and natural resource funds' double-digit gains. Gold funds soared 19.36% on average, according to...

Top Managers Put More Oil Stocks In Their Tanks.(SERIES: MUTUAL FUND MONTHLY)(IBD SPECIAL REPORT)(BUYS & SELLS)
February 3, 2006... Byline: JULIE HUYNH Oil stocks have taken the center stage once again as crude oil prices have been hiking north. Managers of top-performing funds have been adding Halliburton , Schlumberger, Valero Energy, National Oilwell Varco and...

New Buys Of Top-Performing Stock Funds For Past Six-Months.(SERIES: MUTUAL FUND MONTHLY)(IBD SPECIAL REPORT)
February 3, 2006... Empire Resources ERS Metal Prds_Distributor 19.0099992310.1 Hansen Natural Corp HANS Beverages_Soft Drinks 87.80989941713 Joy Global JOYG Machinery_Constr/Mining 54.049998391670 Tenaris SA ADR TS Steel_Producers 162.4599981417149...

Latest Sells Of Top-Performing Funds.(SERIES: MUTUAL FUND MONTHLY)(IBD SPECIAL REPORT)
February 3, 2006... Verisign VRSN Computer Sftwr_Security 361224 Goldcorp GG Metal Ores_Gold/Silver 24816 America Movil L AMX Telecom_Wireless Svcs 402416 Coach COH Apparel_Clothing Mfg 20614 Global Payments GPN Financial Services_Misc 20713 ...

Small Change?(ISSUES & INSIGHTS)(EDITORIALS)(Editorial)
February 3, 2006... Republicans: It could have been worse. It could have been better. In choosing John Boehner as the new majority leader, the House GOP gives a nod -- but maybe not much more -- to reform. It's hard to avoid the impression that, in Thursday's...

Hello, Mr. Chips.(ISSUES & INSIGHTS)(EDITORIALS)(Editorial)
February 3, 2006... Energy Policy: President Bush once touted oil drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge as a top priority. But now he wants to power the world's largest economy by turning switch grass into ethanol. In a January 2002 meeting with...

In Defense Of Bad Taste.(ISSUES & INSIGHTS)(EDITORIALS)(Editorial)
February 3, 2006... The Media: Before the left pushed "political correctness" there was "bad taste," invoked this week for similar reasons in Washington. At the same time Europe is hearing an echo from its darker past: "blasphemy." Let's start in the...

Motor City Madness.(ISSUES & INSIGHTS)(EDITORIALS)(Editorial)
February 3, 2006... Urban Solutions: As host of Super Bowl XL, the city of Detroit is riding a wave of attention. Much of it, sadly, focuses on ugly urban decline. The problems, however, are not without answers. Once mighty Motown has been stuck in reverse for...

Emerging-Market Portfolios Still Going Strong In 2006.(A)
February 3, 2006... 19.490B+41.5IS Msci BrazilEWZ1.239.85-1.01119 17.789B+116.7IS Msci South AfricaEZA1.7115.63-0.99202 14.489B-145.1IS S&P Latin Am 40ILF1.2140.48-3.245 15.186B-157.9HT Oil ServiceOIH..148.25-1.1585 8.385B-39.7IS Msci...

Emerging-Market Portfolios Still Going Strong In 2006.(EXCHANGE TRADED FUNDS)
February 3, 2006... Byline: MURRAY COLEMAN Investors who put money into exchange traded funds tracking emerging markets in the past year should take a bow. "If you look at the three-year performance of Latin America, it certainly has been spectacular,"...

THE REAL MOST ACTIVE; NYSE Tumbles; S&P Falls 0.9% As Trade Eases.(MAKING MONEY)
February 3, 2006... Byline: JUAN CARLOS ARANCIBIA The NYSE tumbled Thursday as the S&P 500 and the Big Board composite both lost 0.9%, but volume was slightly lower. Energy stocks had significant losses. CNOOC gapped down, losing 3.55 to 83.30 on...

Analyze, Profit From IBD's Market Charts.(GENERAL MARKET & SECTORS)
February 3, 2006... 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...

Peru's Rising Economy Helps Credicorp Grow.(B)(NYSE STOCKS IN THE NEWS)
February 3, 2006... Byline: Juan Carlos Arancibia Credicorp is near an all-time high. The stock corrected 23%, found support at its 40-week moving average and recovered. The firm is the holding company for Peru's largest bank, Banco de Credito del Peru,...

THE REAL MOST ACTIVE; Profit Woes, Economic Jitters Dampen Nasdaq.(B)
February 3, 2006... Byline: CHRISTINA WISE Mixed economic data and worries about earnings and terror threats helped send the Nasdaq down 1.3% Thursday. Coldwater Creek gapped down 1.44 to 18.97 as volume swelled to more than six times its usual level. ...

Universal Truckload: Hauling Up Earnings.(B)(NASDAQ STOCKS IN THE NEWS)
February 3, 2006... Byline: Christina Wise ,Christina Wise Universal Truckload Services came public a year ago at 20 a share. It's now moved back above its 10-week moving average and seems to be forging a base. The Michigan-based company provides...

IBD'S 20 RULES FOR INVESTMENT SUCCESS.(INVESTOR EDUCATION)
February 3, 2006... Byline: Marie Beerens These rules are not based on our personal opinion or those of Wall StreetAEs analysts and experts. InvestorAEs Business Daily built detailed models of all the most successful stocks every year from 1880 to...

Buy High, Sell Higher To Maximize Profits.(INVESTOR EDUCATION)(MYTH BUSTERS)
February 3, 2006... Byline: MARIE BEERENS Buy low, sell high. It's a Wall Street maxim that most investors never question. Books tout it. Analysts swear by it. Yet the majority of professionals underperform the market. If you want to achieve...

Avoid Laggards Even If Their Group Is Strong.(INVESTOR EDUCATION)(INVESTOR'S CORNER)
February 3, 2006... Byline: PAUL WHITFIELD Confederate Lt. Gen. Nathan Bedford Forrest once described his strategy as "get there first with the most men." That's a pretty good approach to investing, too. You want most of your money on the stocks that get...

Strong Wage Gains, Solid January Hiring Heighten Fed Fears; Two More Rate Hikes Left?; 4.7% jobless rate lowest since mid-'01; pay rose 3.3% from a year before.(A)
February 6, 2006... Byline: KIRK SHINKLE America is working, and it looks like the Fed's job isn't done. Robust hiring and pay gains raised concerns about wage pressures -- and fears that the Federal Reserve will keep hiking interest rates well into...

MARKET TOOL BAR.(A)
February 6, 2006... S&P 500 INDEX 1264.03 -6.81 (-0.5%) Jewelry sellers, meat products close lower DOW JONES IND. 10,793.62 -58.36 (-0.5%) GM, PFE, INTC each pulls back close to 2% NYSE VOL. (MIL) 1,837 -87...

Key Senator Backs Bush's Right To Eavesdrop Without Warrant; NSA program is legal, says Senate Intel chief; Judiciary hearing Mon.(A)
February 6, 2006... Byline: BRIAN MITCHELL Senate Intelligence Chairman Pat Roberts, R-Kan., on Friday strongly backed President Bush's authority to eavesdrop on suspected terrorists in the U.S. without a warrant, ahead of Monday's Senate Judiciary Committee...