Investor's Business Daily articles from July 2004

Investor's Business Daily archives from July 2004

Fed Ups Rates 1/4-Pt., 1st Rise In Four Years; "Measured' Pace Seen; Factory Growth Slows A Lot; Decision was no surprise, but stocks, bonds rally on gradual hike promise.(A)
July 1, 2004... Byline: JED GRAHAM The Federal Reserve raised its key interest rate a quarter point from a 46-year low on Wednesday while saying it expects future rate hikes to come at a measured pace. With the economy continuing to show solid growth...

Sly "Spyware' Sneaks Past Viruses As No. 1 Complaint Of PC Users; Critics warn programs do more than push ads; they cripple machines.(A)
July 1, 2004... Byline: BRIAN DEAGON Major League Baseball threw a curveball Wednesday at companies that use so-called spyware to place pop-up ads online. MLB Advanced Media -- the league's online arm, which is jointly owned by 30 teams -- said it...

IBD'S TOP 10.(A)
July 1, 2004... Fed Hikes Rates, Still "Measured' 1As expected, the Federal Reserve raised interest rates for the first time in over 4 years, by a quarter point to 1.25%. The post-FOMC decision statement also was no surprise, but policy-makers made clear...

AFTER THE CLOSE.(TO THE POINT)
July 1, 2004... CARDINAL HEALTH cut its Q4 outlook to 93-95 cents a share, below views of $1.03. It guided its '04 to $3.53-$3.55, below views. It also disclosed an SEC probe. Shares fell 10%. STARBUCKS' sales at stores open for a year rose 10% in June,...

BUSINESS BRIEFS.(TO THE POINT)
July 1, 2004... CHEMICAL Scotts lifts '04 outlook by 3%-6% The lawn and garden product maker expects net income to rise 13%-16% from '03, when it earned $3.57 a share. It had forecast a 10% rise, slightly below views of $4.07, or a 14% rise. It also...

BUSINESS BRIEFS.(TO THE POINT)
July 1, 2004... FINANCE Freddie Mac earnings fall 52% The government-chartered mortgage giant earned $6.79 a share in '03, including items, vs. $14.18 in '02 as it took losses from hedging against interest rate changes, and expenses rose due to an...

BUSINESS BRIEFS.(TO THE POINT)
July 1, 2004... MEDICAL Amylin files for lizard spit drug The drug maker and Eli Lilly asked U.S. regulators for permission to market a new treatment -- derived from the saliva of a desert lizard -- for Type 2 diabetes. The drug is the first in a new...

BUSINESS BRIEFS.(TO THE POINT)
July 1, 2004... AGRICULTURE Monsanto Q3 profit rises 39% The agriculture firm made 93 cents a share, up 26 cents over the year-ago quarter and 8 cents over views, on a 14% rise in revenue to $1.7 bil. But analysts fret over bad-debt reserve increases...

THE ECONOMY.(TO THE POINT)
July 1, 2004... Confidence retaking lost ground The ABC News-Money magazine consumer confidence index rose 4 points to -11. That's its 2nd straight weekly gain and recoups the drop it logged over the previous month when it dipped from -11 to -20. The...

IN BRIEF.(TO THE POINT)
July 1, 2004... Emmis Communications lost $1.36 a share in Q1, dragged down by a $1.48 loss on debt elimination. Ex items it earned 12 cents, 5 cents over views. Revenue at the radio station owner rose 14% to $161 mil. Shares rose 8% to 20.98. ...

NATION.(TO THE POINT)
July 1, 2004... No mad cow in suspect bovine A cow suspected of having the brain-wasting disease does not, the USDA said, after a second test failed to confirmed a preliminary test that often delivers false positives. Tests on a second carcass are...

WORLD.(TO THE POINT)
July 1, 2004... U.S. pushes for Sudan embargo A draft U.S. resolution is calling on the U.N. to impose an arms embargo and travel ban on Arab militias blamed for attacks in Sudan's Darfur region. The ethnic violence has driven more than 1 million people...

TRENDS & INNOVATIONS.(TO THE POINT)
July 1, 2004... Study ups 2nd-hand smoke risk Passive smokers have twice the risk of developing coronary heart disease than previously estimated because earlier studies didn't look at 2nd hand smoke from public places. For 2 years, U.K. researchers...

TRENDS & INNOVATIONS.(TO THE POINT)
July 1, 2004... ** Obese men don't experience a nighttime surge of a ghrelin, a hormone that stimulates hunger, while lean men do. Contrary to what one might suspect, UCLA scientists found that lean, not obese, men were more likely to experience hunger pangs...

Space Continues To Be In Alan Bean's Big Picture; Be Persistent: The artistic astronaut soared to the moon on enthusiasm, careful preparation and try, try again doggedness.(LEADERS & SUCCESS)(BEST OF LEADERS & SUCCESS)
July 1, 2004... Byline: MICHAEL MINK Alan Bean rocketed to the moon on the wings of persistence. From the time Bean was a boy growing up during World War II and learning about the heroic exploits of American military pilots, he wanted to be one of...

COMMUNICATE WITH PEOPLE EFFECTIVELY A Winning Presentation.(LEADERS & SUCCESS)(IBD'S 10 SECRETS TO SUCCESS)
July 1, 2004... Byline: Cord Cooper 9 Making a presentation can involve all kinds of challenges. But it doesn't have to be a rough ride. When planning your next speech, consider these tips from public speaker and executive coach Jerry Weissman. ...

President George H.W. Bush; Aim High: Courage and focus propelled him through war and to the White House.(LEADERS & SUCCESS)
July 1, 2004... Byline: JAMES DETAR On June 13, former President George H.W. Bush jumped out of an airplane at 13,000 feet to celebrate his 80th birthday. It wasn't his first parachute jump.And it certainly wasn't his most dangerous one. That...

Rackable Systems Cueing Up To Challenge Server Leaders Dell, HP; Upstart Getting Noticed; Company combines own designs with commodity components to stand out.(INTERNET & TECHNOLOGY)
July 1, 2004... Byline: KEN SPENCER BROWN For years, the server market has been shifting to the Chicken McNuggets approach to technology -- "parts is parts," as the old TV commercial put it. Servers are increasingly seen as commodities, with price...

Ellison Tells Trial Judge Acquisitions Are Only Way Oracle Can Compete; Says Competition Increasing; CEO's testimony highlights fed antitrust case related to PeopleSoft takeover bid.(INTERNET & TECHNOLOGY)
July 1, 2004... Byline: J. BONASIA More than a year after Oracle Chief Executive Larry Ellison launched a fight to buy rival software maker PeopleSoft, he took center stage as a star witness in an antitrust trial in San Francisco, emphasizing his belief...

Sony Set To Spring "iPod Killer' Into Competitive Music Player Market; Will Sell For Less Than $400; Consumer electronics giant could be biggest challenge to leader Apple Computer.(INTERNET & TECHNOLOGY)
July 1, 2004... Byline: PATRICK SEITZ Apple Computer dominates the market for portable music players with its iPod devices. But it could face its toughest competition yet, and from consumer electronics giant Sony. Sony is expected Thursday to unveil...

DITECH COMMUNICATIONS Mountain View, Calif.; Tech Firm's Message Rises Above The Din.(THE NEW AMERICA)
July 1, 2004... Byline: DAVID ISAAC Voice clarity, especially with the advent of cell phones, has become an increasingly important issue for telecom service providers. It's also the singular focus at Ditech Communications, which makes gear to improve...

INAMED CORP. Santa Barbara, California; Bigger Breasts, Thinner Frames, Fatter Till.(THE NEW AMERICA)
July 1, 2004... Byline: AMY REEVES Inamed made its name helping women -- or, more accurately, their breasts -- get bigger. Now the maker of breast implants is raking in the dough with its obesity-fighting products. Inamed's top obesity fighter...

MFS Fund Grabs The Slightly Wounded; Good Firms On Mend; Strategic Value manager has been leaning toward natural gas companies.(MUTUAL FUNDS)(MUTUAL FUND PROFILE)
July 1, 2004... Byline: KEN HOOVER MFS Strategic Value Fund buys companies that are down on their luck - as long as manager Ken Enright finds that their misfortune is only temporary. "We really have only one screen: price performance," Enright said....

Can't Buy Love.(ISSUES & INSIGHTS)(EDITORIALS)(Editorial)
July 1, 2004... Education: President Bush has given schools their biggest boost in aid in decades. But he insists on standards and results. For that, teacher unions want him out. If you're in a battleground state, you may have seen the ads. If you're...

All Of The Above.(ISSUES & INSIGHTS)(EDITORIALS)(Editorial)
July 1, 2004... Governing: For today's multiple choice quiz, identify who said: "We're going to take things away from you on behalf of the common good." Please choose from among the following: a) Karl Marx b) Vladimir Ilyich Lenin c) Josef...

THE REAL MOST ACTIVE Fed's Bullish Message Buoys NYSE Stocks.(MAKING MONEY)
July 1, 2004... Byline: JONAH KERI NYSE stocks perked up late Wednesday after encouraging language from the Fed amid its quarter-point interest rate hike. The Dow rose 0.2%, the S&P 500 0.4%, the small-cap S&P 600 0.7%. NYSE volume climbed. Chicago...

Analyze, Profit From IBD's Market Charts.(GENERAL MARKET & SECTORS)
July 1, 2004... Analyzing the price and volume changes in the major market averages each day is essential to successful investing. They reveal major tops and bottoms in the stock market. Most stocks follow the general market's trend. They tend to rise...

Evergreen Riding On Strength Of Oil Group.(B)(NYSE STOCKS IN THE NEWS)
July 1, 2004... Byline: Jonah Keri Evergreen Resources soared out of an 11-week base in mid-April. The stock stalled soon afterward due to choppy market conditions, forging a fairly tight base-on-base pattern. Its latest consolidation has lasted nearly...

THE REAL MOST ACTIVE Stocks Up In Rate Hike's Wake; Trade Expands.(B)
July 1, 2004... Byline: CRAIG SHAW Stocks advanced Wednesday as the Fed raised interest rates by the expected quarter-point and hinted further hikes would come at a gradual pace. The Nasdaq added 0.6%, the large-cap Nasdaq 100 0.7%. The composite index...

Casino Hotel Operator Reclaims Support Line.(B)(NASDAQ STOCKS IN THE NEWS)
July 1, 2004... Byline: Craig Shaw Ameristar Casinos has traded between 31 and 35 the past 12 weeks after marking an all-time high near 38 on April 8. Strong up days Friday through Tuesday launched the stock back above its 50-day support line and within...

IBD'S 20 RULES FOR INVESTMENT SUCCESS.(THE SMART INVESTOR)
July 1, 2004... A vital point is these rules are not based on our personal opinion, our beliefs or those of Wall Street's analysts and experts. Investor's Business Daily built models of the most successful stocks and investors of the last half-century. We...

Stock Checkup Ratings Give Complete Picture.(THE SMART INVESTOR)(INVESTORS.COM CORNER)
July 1, 2004... Byline: KEN SHREVE When looking for stocks to buy, always ask these key questions: Is the stock fundamentally and technically strong? Is it a leader in its industry group or a laggard? Is it being acquired by mutual funds or is it being...

Factory Growth Slowed In June But Still Robust; Data Support "Measured' Fed.(A)
July 2, 2004... Byline: JED GRAHAM The nation's factory sector continued to charge ahead in June, growing only slightly slower than its breakneck pace of recent months. The Institute for Supply Management's index of manufacturing activity eased to...

IPOs Hit 4-Year High In Q2 As U.S. Economy Firmed; Is The Drought Over At Last?; Medicals lead and techs make a reappearance; the pipeline also is filling.(A)
July 2, 2004... Byline: BRIAN DEAGON The number of companies going public surged to a four-year high in the second quarter, as investors and venture capitalists grew more confident in the strong economic and jobs recovery. According to several...

IBD'S TOP 10.(A)
July 2, 2004... Stocks Sink On Corporate Woes 1 Bears clawed back on warnings by Cardinal Health and others, along with Wall St. worries about Intel, Boeing and Yahoo. Yahoo and Web search firms also fell on Microsoft's search plans. The Nasdaq fell 1.6%,...

AFTER THE CLOSE.(TO THE POINT)
July 2, 2004... NETFLIX said its subscribers rose 82% in Q2 vs. a year ago, despite a 10% price hike. Shares fell. XM SATELLITE doubled its new subscriber rate, adding 418,000 in Q2. Shares rose. MAXTOR said it'll lose 8-12 cents a share in Q2; views...

BUSINESS BRIEFS.(TO THE POINT)
July 2, 2004... FOOD ConAgra profit up despite costs The packaged food firm earned 40 cents a share in Q4, up 43% from the year before. Earnings included expenses from efficiency programs. Sales rose 11% to $4 bil. The maker of Hunt's ketchup and...

BUSINESS BRIEFS.(TO THE POINT)
July 2, 2004... MEDICAL Cardinal Health drags on sector The drug wholesaler's shares plunged 24.5% to a 14-month low of 52.86 after it cut its Q4 earnings forecast to 93-95 cents a share, below views of $1.03. The forecast change was prompted by...

BUSINESS BRIEFS.(TO THE POINT)
July 2, 2004... MEDIA Time seen making bid for MGM Time Warner made a bid valued at about $3 bil for the movie studio, challenging Sony's $3 bil bid, according to published reports. Time Warner is offering $13 a share for public shareholders, plus...

BUSINESS BRIEFS.(TO THE POINT)
July 2, 2004... TECHNOLOGY DRS rejects hostile bid from L-3 DRS Technologies jumped 16% to 37 after it disclosed it turned down an unsolicited proposal from defense contractor L-3 Communications for $42 a share in cash, a 32% premium to its shares on...

THE ECONOMY.(TO THE POINT)
July 2, 2004... Fixed mortgage rates fall again The average interest rate on a 30-year fixed-term mortgage slid to 6.21% this week from 6.25% last week. The year's low was 5.38% in mid-March. The average 15-year mortgage rate sank to 5.62% from 5.64% the...

IN BRIEF.(TO THE POINT)
July 2, 2004... Ceradyne will pay $136 mil for Wacker Ceramics, which is known as ESK and makes the boron carbide powder used in Ceradyne's body and helicopter armor. Shares rose 8% to 38.67. Hooker Furniture shares rose 5% to 21.14 after news that the...

NATION.(TO THE POINT)
July 2, 2004... Calif. misses budget deadline Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and legislative leaders failed to reach a budget deal before Thursday's start of the new fiscal year. Schwarzenegger had made on-time passage of the budget a priority, but lawmakers...

WORLD.(TO THE POINT)
July 2, 2004... Hong Kong democracy rally held Hundreds of thousands marched through Hong Kong to demand democratic reforms and send a defiant message to the territory's communist rulers in Beijing. Organizers said over 530,000 gathered, but police put...

TRENDS & INNOVATIONS.(TO THE POINT)
July 2, 2004... TV reduces sleep hormone levels Children who watch a lot of TV produce less melatonin, the hormone that triggers sleep and is linked to the onset of puberty, say Italian researchers. Melatonin levels in kids kept away from their TV sets,...

TRENDS & INNOVATIONS.(TO THE POINT)
July 2, 2004... ** Smokers and drinkers tend to have a genetic alteration in the cells of their mouths and throats that could flag a higher risk for cancer. Univ. of Hong Kong researchers found 68% of healthy individuals who smoke and drank carried an altered...

Tandy Turned Radio Shack Into A Money Machine; Plan Long Term: When leather entrepreneur Charles Tandy bought the ailing business, he was thinking 10 steps ahead.(LEADERS & SUCCESS)(BEST OF LEADERS & SUCCESS)
July 2, 2004... Byline: CURT SCHLEIER Charles Tandy was willing to fight for what he believed in. Tandy, chairman of Tandy Corp., which operated leather craft stores, wanted to buy Radio Shack, a Boston-based chain of nine electronics stores, in 1963....

TAKE RESPONSIBILITY The Buck Stops With You.(LEADERS & SUCCESS)(IBD'S 10 SECRETS TO SUCCESS)
July 2, 2004... Byline: Steve Watkins 10 Few have personified the idea of taking responsibility more than President Truman. The president who led the U.S. through the final days of World War II and the ensuing Cold War had a sign on his desk with the...

Conner, America's Yachtsman; Focus On Goals: For the Comeback Kid, it's all about sailing across the finish line.(LEADERS & SUCCESS)
July 2, 2004... Byline: PAUL KATZEFF Dennis Conner spends 365 days a years on the water. But he's never bothered to learn to swim. It isn't that he has anything against swimming, and he's not afraid. "I spend all of my time trying to stay out of the...

Conner At A Glance.(LEADERS & SUCCESS)
July 2, 2004... Conner At A Glance Born: 1943 in San Diego. Education: Graduated from San Diego Point Loma High School. Attended San Diego State College. Achievements: ** Won America's Cup in 1974, '80, '87 and '88; lost the Cup in '83 and...

Sun Sets Big Goals For Java Upgrade; Brand-Awareness Plan; Troubled server maker wants its Java software in all manner of devices.(INTERNET & TECHNOLOGY)
July 2, 2004... Byline: KEN SPENCER BROWN Sun Microsystems plans to put more jolt into Java. The ailing server maker isn't the highflier it once was, but it hopes to convince a range of industries that its Java software platform -- the glue that ties...

After Cutting Waste, Autodesk Enjoying Huge Growth Spurt; Share Prices At Record Level; Design software company benefiting from a shift to 3-D graphics in simulations.(INTERNET & TECHNOLOGY)
July 2, 2004... Byline: J. BONASIA Autodesk, which makes design software for engineers, has engineered one of the brightest tech stock performances so far this year. In June Autodesk's market cap and share price hit their highest levels since the...

Fluid Dynamics Helps Speed Swim Times; Mimicking Shark Skin; Specialized software lets Speedo design swimsuits that glide through water.(INTERNET & TECHNOLOGY)
July 2, 2004... Byline: J. BONASIA The latest in swimsuit technology could give Michael Phelps a speed boost at the Olympic Games this summer. The U.S. swimmer will be sporting a Speedo Fastskin FSII suit, which mimics the unusual skin of sharks....

INTEGRA LIFESCIENCES Plainsboro, New Jersey; Medical Device Maker Focuses On Diversity.(THE NEW AMERICA)
July 2, 2004... Byline: MARILYN ALVA More than 5 million Americans suffer from wounds that don't heal. Causes range from diabetes to poor blood circulation. That's information Stuart Essig, chief executive of Integra LifeSciences, likes to share. His...

GENLYTE GROUP INC. Louisville, Kentucky; Supplier Of Lights Sees Brighter Days Ahead.(THE NEW AMERICA)
July 2, 2004... Byline: KIRK SHINKLE A weak commercial construction market slowed financial growth at Genlyte Group the last few years, and company execs don't see a significant uptick until later this year or early next year. That's the bad news. ...

Rising Interest Rates Take Bite Out Of Most Fixed-Income Funds; Fed's 0.25-point increase meets markets forecasts; corporates are harmed less.(SERIES: FUNDS & PERSONAL FINANCE/MUTAL FUND QUARTERLY)(IBD SPECIAL REPORT)
July 2, 2004... Byline: MURRAY COLEMAN On the last day of the second quarter, the Federal Reserve did what bond fund investors had expected: It nudged short-term rates up 0.25% to 1.25%. In May, investors pulling money from bond funds jumped to a...

Stock Funds Rose In Q2 Thanks To A Strong June; Small-cap beat large-cap, and value clipped growth amid solid economic data.(SERIES: FUNDS & PERSONAL FINANCE/MUTAL FUND QUARTERLY)(IBD SPECIAL REPORT)
July 2, 2004... Byline: KEN HOOVER U.S. stock funds had a positive second quarter and posted good results in June as the economy showed the strength of a weightlifter. Critics complaining about a puny jobless recovery were silenced. On April 2, the...

George Mairs Sees More Power In The Market.(SERIES: FUNDS & PERSONAL FINANCE/MUTAL FUND QUARTERLY)(IBD SPECIAL REPORT)(FUND MANAGER Q & A)
July 2, 2004... Byline: MURRAY COLEMAN Performance is what counts. And throughout its 45-year run, Mairs & Power Growth Fund hasn't had to take a back seat to many of its mutual fund rivals. Since it opened in November 1958, the fund returned an...

IRS Giving Breaks To Some Who Flub Their IRA Rollovers.(SERIES: FUNDS & PERSONAL FINANCE/MUTAL FUND QUARTERLY)(IBD SPECIAL REPORT)(TAXES)
July 2, 2004... Byline: PAUL KATZEFF How do you spell relief? I-R-S, judging by recent acts of kindness by the Internal Revenue Service. Acting on a good-guy policy created by Congress, the tax agency has exempted about 100 taxpayers in the past 18...

Foreign Funds Gave Ground To U.S. Portfolios; Pacific region ex Japan gave up the most ground, but Europe rose further.(SERIES: FUNDS & PERSONAL FINANCE/MUTAL FUND QUARTERLY)(IBD SPECIAL REPORT)
July 2, 2004... Byline: MURRAY COLEMAN International stock fund managers lost considerable ground to their U.S. rivals during the second quarter. The average world stock fund returned -2.43%, according to Lipper's preliminary figures. The average U.S....

Most Sectors Were Down In Rocky 2nd Quarter; Resources' June advance capped strong quarter; health and utility inch up.(SERIES: FUNDS & PERSONAL FINANCE/MUTAL FUND QUARTERLY)(IBD SPECIAL REPORT)
July 2, 2004... Byline: PAUL KATZEFF Only three fund sectors -- natural resources, health/biotech and utilities -- advanced in the second quarter as a fitful market held many areas back. Many sectors were helped by the stock market's rally in June,...

Top Fund Managers Grab Activision, Autodesk And Other Tech Concerns; Southwestern Energy and other oils also on buy list; Eclipsys is among the sells.(SERIES: FUNDS & PERSONAL FINANCE/MUTAL FUND QUARTERLY)(IBD SPECIAL REPORT)(BUYS & SELLS)
July 2, 2004... Byline: JULIE HUYNH The stock market ended June slightly higher after seesawing amid political skirmishes over Iraq and an interest rate hike from the Federal Reserve. The good news: the economy's recovery has proved to be better than...

New Buys Of Top-Performing Stock Funds This Year.(SERIES: FUNDS & PERSONAL FINANCE/MUTAL FUND QUARTERLY)(IBD SPECIAL REPORT)
July 2, 2004... Amedisys AMED Medical-Outpnt/Hm Care 32.5198993132 Ceradyne Inc CRDN Chemicals-Specialty 35.4099973666 Ultra Petroleum UPL Oil&Gas-U S Expl&Prod 36.7099975112116 Sanderson Farms SAFM Food-Meat Products 53.819997121111 Urban...

Latest Sells Of Top-Performing Funds.(SERIES: FUNDS & PERSONAL FINANCE/MUTAL FUND QUARTERLY)(IBD SPECIAL REPORT)
July 2, 2004... Verisign VRSN Computer Sftwr-Security 1789 US Steel X Steel-Producers 1569 Rockwell Automtn ROK Elec-Misc Products 1028 Devon Energy DVN Oil&Gas-U S Expl&Prod 18108 Verint Systems VRNT Computer Sftwr-Security 1046 Biogen...

Sailing Off The Edge.(ISSUES & INSIGHTS)(EDITORIALS)(Editorial)
July 2, 2004... Bias: Some in the media have become downright comical in their attempts to deny reality -- as if merely saying over and over, "there are no ties between Iraq and al-Qaida" is enough to convince us. Perhaps you've never heard of the...

WFB's Long Goodbye.(ISSUES & INSIGHTS)(EDITORIALS)(Editorial)
July 2, 2004... Conservatism: The clues began a few years ago, when he gave up "Firing Line," the long-running PBS debate and interview show that set standards for intelligence. Then came word that William F. Buckley Jr. would retire from the speaking...

LETTERS.(ISSUES & INSIGHTS)(Letter to the Editor)
July 2, 2004... Responding To Jack Kemp In "Rx For GOP Victory In Fall: Pro-Trade, Pro-Immigration" (Viewpoint, Wednesday), Jack Kemp does not distinguish between legal and illegal immigrants. He appears to advocate illegal immigration and actually takes...

Will Pedestrian John Kerry Pick A Veep With Pizazz?(ISSUES & INSIGHTS)(NATIONAL ISSUE)
July 2, 2004... Byline: SEAN HIGGINS Sen. John Kerry, D-Mass., is close to picking a running mate and may make his pick as early as next week, according to reports. Speculation in Washington has focused on Sen. John Edwards, D-N.C., who was one of...

Three Weeks Of Tight Closes Can Give New Entry Point.(MAKING MONEY)(INVESTOR'S CORNER)
July 2, 2004... Byline: DAVID SAITO-CHUNG When you've found a great stock, the way to make a huge profit in it is to build your position on the way up. Suppose a stock rises 200% from its breakout point. That gain is less meaningful if you also own 19...

THE REAL MOST ACTIVE NYSE Stocks Sink As Volume Trails Off Late.(MAKING MONEY)
July 2, 2004... Byline: JONAH KERI NYSE stocks fell sharply Thursday, a day after the Federal Reserve's quarter-point rate hike. The Dow and S&P 500 each fell 1%, the small-cap S&P 600 1.3%. Volume tailed off late, ending about even with Wednesday's...

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

AnnTaylor Sets Up In Fashionable Base.(B)(NYSE STOCKS IN THE NEWS)
July 2, 2004... Byline: Jonah Keri AnnTaylor Stores nearly tripled over a yearlong span from March 2003 to March 2004. The stock then fell into a new base, finding support at its 200-day moving average along the way. It's now trading above its 50-day as...

Lottery Systems Maker Builds Base On Base.(B)(NASDAQ STOCKS IN THE NEWS)
July 2, 2004... Byline: Craig Shaw Scientific Games is shaping a six-month base-on-base pattern, a common formation in this year's choppy market. Up weeks on above-average trade outnumber down weeks 9-3, a sign of accumulation by mutual funds. The stock...

THE REAL MOST ACTIVE Nasdaq Stumbles 1.6% In Fed Rate Hike's Wake.(B)
July 2, 2004... Byline: CRAIG SHAW Stocks slumped Thursday as some tech bellwethers took hits and oil prices jumped ahead of the holiday weekend. The Nasdaq shed 1.6% on above-average volume, the large-cap Nasdaq 100 1.8%. Chip, Internet and computer...

Job Growth Slowed To 112,000 In June, Half Of Expectationsp; Jobless Rate Remains 5.6%; Report is latest evidence of a deceleration in Q2; rate hikes now less likely.(A)
July 6, 2004... Byline: JED GRAHAM The economy added 112,000 jobs in June as hiring unexpectedly slowed after a three-month surge, the Labor Department reported Friday. Following weaker-than-expected readings on consumer spending and durable goods...

MARKET TOOL BAR.(A)
July 6, 2004... S&P 500 INDEX 1125.38 -3.56 (-0.3%) Lower jobs report is market's latest drag DOW JONES IND. 10,282.83 -51.33 (-0.5%) Dow hits 4-wk low, but stops at 50-day NYSE (MIL) 1,081 -411 (-27.5%)...

Did PC Replacement Cycle Come And Then Go With Little Notice?; Vaunted growth spurt already has slipped by, some analysts suspect.(A)
July 6, 2004... Byline: PATRICK SEITZ The "replacement cycle." PC makers and sellers look forward to this phenomenon as much as astronomers anticipate the next passing of Haley's comet. But the personal computer industry better get the stars out of...

IBD'S TOP 10.(A)
July 6, 2004... Just 112,000 New Jobs In June 1That was less than half the 250,000 jobs economists expected. And April and May nonfarm payroll growth was revised down a little. Manufacturers shed 11,000 jobs, ending a recent uptrend. The jobless rate held...

AFTER THE CLOSE.(TO THE POINT)
July 6, 2004... GIBRALTAR STEEL raised its Q2 forecast from 56-61 cents to 72-75 cents. Shares fell. EMBARCADERO guided its Q2 outlook below views of 9 cents a share to 7 cents, citing poor sales. Shares fell. MYLAN LABS will pay $9 mil to settle...

BUSINESS BRIEFS.(TO THE POINT)
July 6, 2004... SECURITY Taser rises on lawsuit dismissal The stun gun maker's shares rose 1.5% to 44.30 after a Florida court dismissed a suit blaming the weapon for the death of a man in police custody. A medical examiner's report said the death was...

BUSINESS BRIEFS.(TO THE POINT)
July 6, 2004... MEDICAL Barr get initial OK for Allegra-D Barr Laboratories got tentative FDA approval to market a generic form of Aventis' extended-release allergy drug Allegra-D. Aventis has filed claims to halt the marketing of generic versions....

BUSINESS BRIEFS.(TO THE POINT)
July 6, 2004... FINANCE Bank One ends Sallie Mae pact The Chicago-based bank, acquired last week by J.P. Morgan to create the nation's No. 2 bank, has terminated its marketing agreement with student loan provider Sallie Mae. Bank One was the No. 1...

BUSINESS BRIEFS.(TO THE POINT)
July 6, 2004... SERVICES Staffing firms fall on job news The world's No. 2 staffing firm Manpower fell 1.5% to 48.63 while rivals Labor Ready dropped 4% to 14.43 and Kelly Services slipped 0.5% to 28.82 after the Labor Dept. said 112,000 jobs were...

THE ECONOMY.(TO THE POINT)
July 6, 2004... Factory orders fall again in May Factory orders fell 0.3% after April's 1.1% decline, the Commerce Dept. said. Still, that beat forecasts for a 0.8% fall. Transportation orders were the hardest hit, shrinking 2.9% due in part to a large...