Investor's Business Daily articles from May 2005

Investor's Business Daily archives from May 2005

Happy 30th To Discount Brokerages; DEREGULATION; 'Mayday' move in 1975 led to low commissions and new era for traders.(SERIES: THE NEW INVESTOR)(IBD SPECIAL REPORT)
May 2, 2005... Byline: KEN HOOVER It was 30 years ago, May 1, 1975, that commissions on stock trades were deregulated. Before that, they were fixed by the exchanges with the approval of the Securities and Exchange Commission. A traditional broker...

The Land Grab Is On -- Beyond Vegas, L.A.; HOT SPOTS; Idaho, Georgia, Utah rise; the Carolinas, Texas on the horizon.(SERIES: THE NEW INVESTOR)(IBD SPECIAL REPORT)
May 2, 2005... Byline: DONNA HOWELL It's like thousands of years ago. The big migration is still on, to better watering holes and fertile hunting grounds. Baby boomers are moving near oceans and lakes, buying homes and driving up prices, even as...

Look Before You Leap; Savvy investors find their own ways out of the mainstream; NEW DIRECTION.(SERIES: THE NEW INVESTOR)(IBD SPECIAL REPORT)
May 2, 2005... Byline: PAUL KATZEFF If you have a parachute, use it. That's what David Lamb did in 2001. The stock market was in a tailspin. So Lamb cashed out. His next move defied conventional wisdom. He decided not to seek refuge in bonds, even...

Warning Above The Tool Box: Follow The Rules; CAN SLIM; The Big Picture feature is just the start as you nail down money plans.(SERIES: THE NEW INVESTOR)(IBD SPECIAL REPORT)
May 2, 2005... Byline: DAVID SAITO-CHUNG Are you the kind of person who tries to build your own contraption? If yes, you might have mixed success if you hammer out your own rules, philosophy or biases into the investing system taught by IBD. If...

Going From Nothing Into Solid Investing; STARTING OUT; Strategy might include opening 401(k) account and trimming expenses.(SERIES: THE NEW INVESTOR)(IBD SPECIAL REPORT)
May 2, 2005... Byline: MURRAY COLEMAN The younger you start, the better chance you'll have of building a nest egg for retirement. But what if you don't have a lot to tuck away? A couple of options exist. One is to start by figuring out a stock...

Move Continues Toward Trading For Groups Of Stocks; ETFs; Exchange-traded funds finding bonds, gold and international indexes.(SERIES: THE NEW INVESTOR)(IBD SPECIAL REPORT)
May 2, 2005... Byline: NANCY GONDO Say you want to own a lot of stocks, but don't have time to carefully track each of them. And you know the costs for multiple trades can add up quickly. In the past, your best bet likely was a mutual fund. Now,...

Hitting Pay Dirt In California's Real Estate Rush; REAL ESTATE; Equity fund manager Robert Dixon knows all about home sweet home.(SERIES: THE NEW INVESTOR)(IBD SPECIAL REPORT)
May 2, 2005... Byline: DONNA HOWELL Robert Dixon is modest about his good fortune. He says he was in the right place at the right time: San Francisco in the booming late 1990s. It turned him on to real estate, in what's been a case of rewarding...

Shifting Into Reverse Can Mean Progress; RETIREMENT; Senior citizens cashing in on reverse mortgages as home values vault.(SERIES: THE NEW INVESTOR)(IBD SPECIAL REPORT)
May 2, 2005... Byline: CHRISTINA WISE As senior citizens grow in number, so has the popularity of reverse mortgages. In fiscal 2004, which ended in October, seniors took out a record 37,829 home equity conversion mortgages, according to the Housing...

What If The System Got Personal?; SOCIAL SECURITY; Some citizens suddenly would face conservative investment decisions.(SERIES: THE NEW INVESTOR)(IBD SPECIAL REPORT)
May 2, 2005... Byline: PAUL KATZEFF Social Security reform is like the ball inside a rugby scrum. You know it's in there, but it's hidden by all of those kicking feet and sharp elbows. And you can't tell what any of the players are saying because...

Bearing Up For Retirement Calls For Strategy Changes; MUTUAL FUNDS; Finding winning tech, international, real estate funds requires discipline.(SERIES: THE NEW INVESTOR)(IBD SPECIAL REPORT)
May 2, 2005... Byline: MURRAY COLEMAN Larry Gottlieb started planning for his retirement 16 years early. The retired Madison, Wis., pathologist says such advance planning came in handy when markets nose-dived in 2000. "By the time I retired, I...

Income, Spending Up, But Inflation Eats Gain; Labor Costs Real Tame; Stocks Rally On Sub-$50 Oil; Data buffet, same menu: Growth slows, prices rise, but don't get worked up.(A)
May 2, 2005... Byline: KIRK SHINKLE Friday's economic data continued to show the U.S. economy coping with slower growth and higher inflation. Rising prices beat back gains in income and consumer spending during March. But employers' labor costs...

MARKET TOOL BAR.(A)
May 2, 2005... S&P 500 INDEX 1156.85 +13.63 (+1.2%) Stages late rally on oil drop, low inflation DOW JONES IND. 10,192.51 +122.14 (+1.2%) United Technologies fuels 14% of Dow win NYSE VOL. (MIL) 1,878 ...

Bush Social Security Plan Would Not Fully Close Financing Gap; President aims to sway wary public, Congress, but lacks easy answers.(A)
May 2, 2005... Byline: JED GRAHAM President Bush sought to shake up the Social Security debate Thursday night by touting a plan to protect low earners' benefits by enacting steep cuts for high earners. The idea would ensure that people who work hard...

IBD'S TOP 10.(A)
May 2, 2005... Oil Prices Dive, Close Under $50 1June crude retreated late, falling $2.05 to $49.72 a barrel, the first close below $50 in more than 2 months. For the week, near-term oil futures fell $5.67, the biggest loss since early Dec. Oil is now 17%...

AFTER THE CLOSE.(TO THE POINT)
May 2, 2005... FEDEX'S freight unit is raising rates by 5.6% for interstate and intrastate shipping, plus selected shipments between the U.S., Mexico and Canada, to offset higher highway tolls and new driver security requirements. Shares were flat. ...

BUSINESS BRIEFS/IN BRIEF.(TO THE POINT)
May 2, 2005... DIVERSIFIED ITT up on Q1 jump, outlook boost The electronics maker rose 6.5% to 90.46 after reporting a 22.8% rise in Q1 profit to $1.13 ex items. Views had seen $1.04. ITT Industries' revenue rose 24.5% to $1.88 bil. Night vision...

BUSINESS BRIEFS.(TO THE POINT)
May 2, 2005... TECHNOLOGY Buyout rumors swirl at Sun, Siebel Sun Microsystems rose 5% to 3.62 on heavy volume after a published report said CEO Scott McNealy is teaming up with investment firm Silver Lake Partners to take the computer maker private...

BUSINESS BRIEFS.(TO THE POINT)
May 2, 2005... ENERGY Refining profit drop tars Chevron The No. 2 U.S. oil company earned $1.28 a share in Q1, up 4% but 10 cents under views after downtime at several plants cut refining revenue by 36%. ChevronTexaco's revenue rose 24% to $41.61...

BUSINESS BRIEFS.(TO THE POINT)
May 2, 2005... AEROSPACE/DEFENSE Boeing keeps disputed $1 bil bid The Air Force let the jet maker retain a $1 bil contract to design and test upgrade kits for the C-130 cockpits, even as it invites new bids for a $3.3 bil contract to produce and...

THE ECONOMY.(TO THE POINT)
May 2, 2005... Dollar drops on China yuan talk The dollar posted its biggest losses in months vs. the yen after the state-sponsored China Securities Journal said Beijing might let the yuan trade more freely at any time. But China's central bank said it...

TRENDS/INNOVATIONS.(TO THE POINT)
May 2, 2005... Rolling camera acts as mobile eye A division of Remington Arms has developed a baseball-sized, remote-controlled camera that gives users a 360-degree look and listen at the area surrounding the device. The maker expects military and law...

NATION.(TO THE POINT)
May 2, 2005... Death sentence in G.I. killings Sgt. Hasan Akbar, 34, was ordered to die for his March '03 fatal attack on fellow soldiers in Kuwait. Two officers were killed and 14 other soldiers were wounded when Akbar tossed a grenade into their tent....

WORLD.(TO THE POINT)
May 2, 2005... Putin vows aid for Palestinians Russian President Vladimir Putin met with Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas in the West Bank city of Ramallah and offered to provide him 2 copters and training for security forces. Israel destroyed the late...

Cuisine For Your Cubicle.(LEADERS & SUCCESS)(IBD'S 10 SECRETS TO SUCCESS)
May 2, 2005... Byline: Cord Cooper 6 Jason Finger was an associate at a New York law firm when a business idea hit. Working on a case one evening, he suddenly got hungry. No local restaurants in his price range were open. Pizza was the only option. ...

Loar Struck The Right Chords; Tune In: He produced sound designs for the mandolin and electric guitar.(LEADERS & SUCCESS)
May 2, 2005... Byline: MIKE ANGELL The worlds of music and technology seem to have little in common. Musicians aim for the emotions while engineers look for answers that appeal to intellect. Lloyd Loar was one of the few to bridge both worlds. A...

Mars Will Be Within Reach Soon, Though Only As U.S.-Based Resort; Real Thing? Someday; Branson, Bezos, Dyson climb aboard fast-rising space tourism industry.(INTERNET & TECHNOLOGY)
May 2, 2005... Byline: BRIAN DEAGON Some people might call John Spencer a little spaced out. He wants to build a Mars-themed resort on a 120-acre desert property near Las Vegas. Spencer is president and chief designer of Red Planet Ventures,...

Tech Entrepreneur Now Orbiting The Final Frontier -- Space; Musk Has Invested $100 Mil; His company is set to enter commercial launch field vs. Lockheed, Boeing, Orbital.(INTERNET & TECHNOLOGY)
May 2, 2005... Byline: BRIAN DEAGON Elon Musk's nickname should be rocket man. His two goals on Earth are to revolutionize the commercial space industry and help humanity become a space-faring civilization. He'll move closer to those goals if the...

Oracle, Siebel Have Talked, 2 Analysts Say; But See No Deal In Near Term; Struggling Siebel might not be urgent prize as Oracle still integrating PeopleSoft.(INTERNET & TECHNOLOGY)
May 2, 2005... Byline: J. BONASIA Two Wall Street analysts on Friday said Oracle recently held talks to buy struggling Siebel Systems, but they and others say such a deal is unlikely, at least in the near term. People who work at both companies have...

Sun Buyout Plan Seen As Unlikely, But Idea Does Have Its Proponents; Deal Has 'Huge Advantages'; Sun denies news reports that it's talking to a hedge fund about going private.(INTERNET & TECHNOLOGY)
May 2, 2005... Byline: KEN SPENCER BROWN Sun Microsystems is denying reports that it's in talks with an investment firm about going private. But some analysts say the drastic move might make sense for the ailing server maker. The hypothetical deal --...

The Economy? It's Doing Really . . . Great, Lousy, Great, Lousy; Opinions Differ Wildly.(INTERNET & TECHNOLOGY)
May 2, 2005... Byline: JAMES DETAR It's clear as mud -- semiconductor sales will go up this year. Or down. Executives at chip companies such as Intel and QuickLogic are upbeat, saying they foresee chips sales picking up as the year goes on. Many...

OLIN CORP. Clayton, Missouri; Manufacturer Turns In Record Results, Thanks To High Copper Prices.(THE NEW AMERICA)
May 2, 2005... Byline: ALAN R. ELLIOTT If you've glanced at price tags on copper pipe, electrical wiring or stainless steel appliances lately, you know even common metals have become precious. Prices are up -- way up -- largely because the rush to...

EXECUTIVE BRIEFING.(MANAGING FOR SUCCESS)
May 2, 2005... SMALL BUSINESS I More Optimism American Express released data to coincide with a speech President Bush gave last week at the Small Business Administration's convention in Washington. Highlights include: ** Growth:...

CEO Turnover Grows -- And Here Are Reasons Why; Too often, says analyst, the boss isn't prepared to take on his new job.(MANAGING FOR SUCCESS)
May 2, 2005... Byline: BRIAN DEAGON With the myriad of corporate scandals in the past few years and increased scrutiny of chief executives from all directions, it's tough being a CEO. CEO turnover jumped 25% in March, with 129 departures, according...

It's Not So Much Fun Being The Boss; More scrutiny, new laws have changed what it means to be CEO of a publicly traded firm.(MANAGING FOR SUCCESS)
May 2, 2005... Byline: BRIAN DEAGON Remember those 1970s commercials with housewives distraught over ring around the collar? Well, law enforcement officials have been dealing with their version of ring around the collar: They're trying to scrub the...

MED BRIEFS.(HEALTH & MEDICINE)
May 2, 2005... More Good News For Genentech Genentech reported that its drug Herceptin can cut recurrence of a type of breast cancer that accounts for 25% of all cases. The stock gapped up, capping off a 60% gain since mid-March, when good results...

New Food Pyramid Will Have Impact Beyond Health; A Lot Of Cash At Stake; Veggie, wheat industries should gain along with dairy and fruit suppliers.(HEALTH & MEDICINE)(Q & A)
May 2, 2005... Byline: AMY REEVES America's food makers watch the federal dietary guidelines for both inspiration and warning. A positive change can yield new marketing campaigns, such as the recent emphasis on whole grains. But some changes can...

Headaches Continue For Big Drug Firms, And No End In Sight; Maybe It's Time For A Change; Experts: Big pharma needs a new prescription when it comes to focus, research.(HEALTH & MEDICINE)
May 2, 2005... Byline: PETER BENESH Problems facing big drug makers these days have been well documented. They range from deadly medicines to questionable research practices. It's tempting to view the industry's current woes as temporary blips that...

It Teaches Old Brands New Tricks; Chattem Inc.; Chattanooga, Tenn. chattem.com.(HEALTH & MEDICINE)(UNDER THE MICROSCOPE)
May 2, 2005... Byline: Amy Reeves When it comes to growing brands, you can go two ways. You can create new ones and try to build them into household names. Or you can take familiar brands and extend the heck out of them. Chattem has taken the latter...

Market-Leading Medical Stocks.(HEALTH & MEDICINE)
May 2, 2005... 1Quality Systems IncComputer SftwrQSII44.3-16.429998A76033.321 Develops and markets practice management, clinical and record storage software. The stock hit a new high last week but then fell 16%. 2Dialysis Corp Of AmericaOutpnt/Hm...

Who's Who In Metal Ores Stocks ranked by a combined EPS and Relative Strength.(INDUSTRY SNAPSHOT)
May 2, 2005... 1Falconbridge5FL959433.155867.4323920..231012.6 Toronto. Engaged in the exploration, mining and processing of metals and minerals. 2S. Peru CopperPCU989051.267051928.1115130.2773553.4 Operates copper mining, smelting and refining...

Miners Looking To The East; Demand for raw materials surging in China and other Asian countries.(INDUSTRY SNAPSHOT)(METAL ORES)
May 2, 2005... Byline: ALAN R. ELLIOTT More than a few jaws dropped in January when U.S. iron ore leader Cleveland Cliffs announced its $465 million takeover of Portman Ltd. Portman is based in western Australia -- a long trek from Lake Erie's south...

Nuclear Power Frenzy Lifting Uranium Prices; As world rekindles desire for atomic energy, mines struggle to meet demand.(INDUSTRY SNAPSHOT)(KEY TREND)
May 2, 2005... Byline: ALAN R. ELLIOTT Yu Jianfeng, the director of the China National Nuclear Corp., went to Australia last fall on a scouting mission. A key point of interest: Australia's vast reserves of uranium. The CNNC, which oversees China's...

Linking Two Real Estate Tax Shelters; Law Clarifies Strategy; You can stack personal residence exemption on top of a 1031 exchange.(FUNDS & PERSONAL FINANCE)
May 2, 2005... Byline: PAUL KATZEFF A little-noticed provision of last October's American Jobs Creation Act clarified that you can combine two unrelated real estate tax shelters. That can lead to big tax savings. But the law set up a strict time line...

Blood For Oil.(ISSUES & INSIGHTS)(EDITORIALS)(Editorial)
May 2, 2005... Geopolitics: Critics who claimed the war in Iraq was motivated by American lust for Mideast crude are strangely silent as China protects a murderous Sudanese regime to meet its own growing energy needs. Darfur is actually Sudanese President...

Getting Personal.(ISSUES & INSIGHTS)(EDITORIALS)(Editorial)
May 2, 2005... Entitlements: President Bush at long last has put some flesh on the bones of his proposed Social Security reforms. It's a step in the right direction, which means it probably doesn't stand a chance in Congress. What Bush laid out Thursday...

The Graying Of Arnold.(ISSUES & INSIGHTS)(EDITORIALS)(Editorial)
May 2, 2005... Leadership: Will California's governor follow in the footsteps of his hapless predecessor? That's where he's headed if he keeps backing away from hard fights. It may be too early to declare that the wheels have fallen off Arnold...

LETTERS.(ISSUES & INSIGHTS)(Letter to the Editor)
May 2, 2005... Democrats Want It All Regarding "No Deal" (Editorial, Wednesday): Democratic Sen. Harry Reid's threat to filibuster judicial nominees is the same as stopping democracy. This only helps to prove my theory about the Democratic Party. It...

IBD 100.(THE IBD 100)
May 2, 2005... 1Quality Systems47.58999998+47+60+33+21192443A Helps doctors enter computer age with digital records systems. 2C F C Intl Inc23.85959999..+999..+3513763A Stock Checkup rates producer of holographic films Best In Group. 3Soc...

How To Gauge A Stock's Industry Strength Quickly.(THE IBD 100)(INSIDE THE 100)
May 2, 2005... Byline: DAVID SAITO-CHUNG Let's face it. People are busy. Those who invest in growth stocks must wedge yet another regular task into their tight schedules. Unlike simply holding a good mutual fund for years and years, a stock investor...

Riding A Housing Tidal Wave; Outsourcing Lifts Profits, Sales At Building Materials.(THE IBD 100)
May 2, 2005... Byline: David Saito-Chung The housing boom across the U.S. has led to huge demand for all the components needed to build houses, from roof and floor trusses to windows to interior trim. Large-scale home builders, meanwhile, have also...

Gene-On-A-Chip Work Pays Off; Affymetrix Grows Rapidly, Teams Up With China Firm.(THE IBD 100)
May 2, 2005... Byline: Ken Hoover Affymetrix is the result of the firm's GeneChip technology, developed in the late 1980s by a team led by company founder Stephen Fodor. The company's products allow massive amounts of genetic information to be...

SurModics Grows Its Client List; Selling Its Coatings To J&J, Other Stent Makers.(THE IBD 100)
May 2, 2005... Byline: Jonah Keri In the medical field, finding the right niche can prove hugely profitable. SurModics is living proof. The Eden Prairie, Minn.-based firm makes coatings used for an array of medical devices, including catheters and...

Brand Elasticity Boosts Earnings; Chattem Scores Growth By Leveraging Its Brands.(THE IBD 100)
May 2, 2005... Byline: David Saito-Chung Chattem has been around since 1879. But its profit growth record is anything but aging. The Chattanooga, Tenn.-based maker of a wide array of brand-name consumer health products has increased earnings from 31...

IBD 100.(THE IBD 100)
May 2, 2005... 21Par Technology Cp19.60999498+31+75+36+299552A Point-of-sale systems maker's Overall Rank 1st in Comptr-Intg Syst group. 22Comtech Telecomm35.11999399+27+70+14+38171410B Mobile data systems firm helped by Army pact for truck...

IBD 100.(THE IBD 100)
May 2, 2005... 41Aetna73.37979595+27+25+29+131393D Guided 2005 EPS higher to $4.52-$4.57; analysts expect $4.50 a share. 42Penn Natl Gaming31.50979595+39+19+7+1241120C Race track operator's sales growth soft, but upped full-year profit view. ...

IBD 100.(THE IBD 100)
May 2, 2005... 80Universal Amer Fnl16.75949392+18+26+29+41141411B Insurance holding firm reports Q1 5/4; analysts see EPS of 27 cents, up 29%. 81Resmed62.10999389+23+28+21+2617246D Earnings and sales have accelerated during the past two quarters....

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

THE REAL MOST ACTIVE NYSE Stocks Rally Late, Climb On Higher Trade.(MAKING MONEY)
May 2, 2005... Byline: JUAN CARLOS ARANCIBIA NYSE stocks acted well Friday as major indexes rallied late to end with meaningful gains on heavy volume. The Dow and S&P 500 rose 1.2% while the small-cap S&P 600 advanced 0.7%. A number of health care...

CB Richard Ellis Sees All Segments Growing.(B)(NYSE STOCKS IN THE NEWS)
May 2, 2005... Byline: Juan Carlos Arancibia CB Richard Ellis Group is forming its first base since the company went public last June. The stock has been trading near its 50-day moving average on soft volume. The commercial real estate services firm...

THE REAL MOST ACTIVE Nasdaq Composite Gains 0.9% In Heavier Trade.(B)
May 2, 2005... Byline: KATHARINE STALTER The Nasdaq composite finished a choppy week on a good note with a gain of 0.9% in higher volume Friday. The index closed 0.6% lower for the week. Micros Systems leapt 5.94 to 39.65 in more than four times...

Seek Stocks That Show Evidence Of Heavy Institutional Demand.(B)(INVESTOR'S CORNER)
May 2, 2005... Byline: CHRISTINA WISE One of the most basic economic principles is the law of supply and demand. One of the places its power is most sharply demonstrated is in the stock market. There, strong demand in the face of skimpy supply of...

Penn Beats EPS Views, Rises 19% To 31 Cents.(B)(NASDAQ STOCKS IN THE NEWS)
May 2, 2005... Byline: Katharine Stalter Penn National Gaming ran up 175% from its February 2004 breakout, hitting an all-time high of 35.71 on Feb 11. It then pulled back and slipped beneath its 10-week moving average for seven weeks before rebounding....

Explosive Earnings Blew Ashton Tate Higher.(THE SMART INVESTOR)(WINNING WAYS)
May 2, 2005... Byline: KEN HOOVER Ashton Tate was founded in 1980 to sell one of the early and most popular software programs for the fledgling personal computer, dBase. DBase was an early database that went through several versions. The Culver City,...

U.S. Factory Growth Slowest Since 2003, ISM's Index Shows; Oil Rallies Back Above $50; Index falls for 5th month, but 23-mo. string over 50 is the longest in 16 years.(A)
May 3, 2005... Byline: KIRK SHINKLE Factory activity fell again in April for a fifth straight month, offering another variation on the U.S. economy's dominant theme: slower, yes, but still growing. The Institute for Supply Management's manufacturing...

Yuan Revaluation Talk Building, But Big Trade Impact Doubted; Experts doubt a move would slash trade gap or curb Treasury buys.(A)
May 3, 2005... Byline: CHRISTINA WISE Speculation has picked up in recent weeks that, after years of talk, China might revalue the yuan soon. On Friday, an official Chinese newspaper said Beijing was ready to act. The Japanese yen hit a four-week...

IBD'S TOP 10.(A)
May 3, 2005... Manufacturing Growth Slowing 1ISM's national index fell 1.9 points in April to 53.3, the 9th drop in 11 weeks and the lowest since July '03. Economists expected little change. Indexes for orders and jobs also fell to near-2-year lows. The...

AFTER THE CLOSE.(TO THE POINT)
May 3, 2005... SRA INTERNATIONAL earned 52 cents a share in Q3, up 41% and 2 cents over views. The provider of gov't IT services sees Q4 profit of 51-53 cents a share. Analysts expect 53 cents. SRA will split 2-for-1. Shares rose. QIAGEN matched Q1...

BUSINESS BRIEFS/IN BRIEF.(TO THE POINT)
May 3, 2005... TECHNOLOGY Chip sales rise on cellular usage Worldwide semiconductor sales rose 13.2% to $55.3 bil in Q1 on better than anticipated demand for wireless handsets, personal computers and consumer electronics, said the Semiconductor...

BUSINESS BRIEFS.(TO THE POINT)
May 3, 2005... BUILDING WCI Q1 boosted by price hikes The leisure and retirement community developer's earning rose 17% to 35 cents a share, beating views by 3 cents. WCI Communities' orders rose 12% and sales prices climbed 22%. Revenue surged 76%...

BUSINESS BRIEFS.(TO THE POINT)
May 3, 2005... FINANCIAL AIG will restate, slash net worth Accounting errors designed to portray a better than actual picture of the insurance giant's financial health will lead it to restate over 4 years of reports and reduce its net worth by $2.7...

BUSINESS BRIEFS.(TO THE POINT)
May 3, 2005... MEDICAL Sunrise buys continued-care firm Sunrise Senior Living will buy continuing care community developer Greystone Communities, a move that gives it inroads into the not-for-profit sector. Sunrise will pay $45 mil, about 7 times...

THE ECONOMY.(TO THE POINT)
May 3, 2005... April sales soft, retailers upbeat Market News' rolling retail sales index rose to a still-weak 49 in the 4 weeks ended April 30 from 45.9 in the prior week. Many retailers will likely post modest same-store sales growth in April, but most...

TRENDS/INNOVATIONS.(TO THE POINT)
May 3, 2005... U.S. wealthy getting fatter faster Obesity is growing fastest among Americans making more than $60,000 a year, University of Iowa researchers found. In the 1970s, 22.5% of people with incomes under $25,000 were obese compared with 9.7% of...

NATION.(TO THE POINT)
May 3, 2005... GOP wins round in recount case Republican Dino Rossi can used "proportional analysis" to show that illegal votes cost him the Washington governor's office last year, a judge ruled. Republicans claim they have identified more than 1,000...

WORLD.(TO THE POINT)
May 3, 2005... 28 dead in Afghan ammo blast The explosion flattened a northern village, wounding 70. The dump, which contained mortar bombs, artillery rounds and other ordnance, belonged to a militia commander called Jalal Bajgaye, who was killed in the...

FOCUS YOUR TIME AND MONEY Cut Costs, Not Corners.(LEADERS & SUCCESS)(IBD'S 10 SECRETS TO SUCCESS)
May 3, 2005... Byline: Adelia Cellini Linecker 7 Spreading high performance throughout your company seems like a logical goal for any business leader. Truth is, few managers know exactly how to do it. Experts say the focus is often on trimming costs...

How The Uptons Cleaned Up; Stay Positive: Louis and Frederick put people first to keep Whirlpool churning.(LEADERS & SUCCESS)
May 3, 2005... Byline: KIRK SHINKLE Sometimes just a handshake is the best contract, even in tough times. Just ask Louis and Frederick Upton. The pair, along with their Uncle Emory, founded Upton Machine Co. in 1911 inside a machine shop in St....

Cities Face Backlash As They Plan Municipal Wireless Services; Legislation Restricts Programs; Wi-Fi plans in such cities as Philadelphia draw criticism from lawmakers, think tanks.(INTERNET & TECHNOLOGY)
May 3, 2005... Byline: MIKE ANGELL A growing number of cities plan to offer wireless Internet access as a municipal service. But as those plans spread, a backlash appears to be forming. More than 50 U.S. cities have set up or plan to install wireless...

Cable Firms Embracing Digital Video Recorders; Comcast Sees Big Gains; Satellite firms had used DVRs to attract viewers; now they lack that edge.(INTERNET & TECHNOLOGY)
May 3, 2005... Byline: REINHARDT KRAUSE Comcast and other big cable TV firms are plowing ahead with digital video recorders -- devices that consumers want but that pose a threat to advertising revenue. DVR technology -- a field pioneered by TiVo --...

Computer Security Efforts Appear To Pay Off In '04; Report: Successful Attacks Fell.(INTERNET & TECHNOLOGY)
May 3, 2005... Byline: DONNA HOWELL High-profile laptop thefts and e-mail attacks have sparked fear of cybercrime in recent months. But the number of electronic crimes is actually down, a new report says. The study, set for release Tuesday, found...

Watch Out! Bear Funds Can Bite Back; Run-Ups Usually Short; Though funds that sell short can look enticing, they lose over long haul.(MUTUAL FUNDS)(THE BASICS)
May 3, 2005... Byline: KEN HOOVER Rydex Venture 100, a bear fund that moves inversely to the Nasdaq 100 at about twice the speed, was up 29.18% this year going into Monday. The Nasdaq 100 was down 12.36%. That invites the question: Is this a good...

OSHKOSH TRUCK CORP. Oshkosh, Wisconsin; War In Iraq Keeps Truck Manufacturer Busy.(THE NEW AMERICA)
May 3, 2005... Byline: MARILYN MUCH On the battlefields of Iraq, the military vehicles that haul soldiers and supplies endure a year's worth of usage in one month. They're not taking a relaxing drive in the country. Vehicles must endure rough...

International Law.(ISSUES & INSIGHTS)(EDITORIALS)(Editorial)
May 3, 2005... Supreme Court: It is now disturbingly clear that some justices no longer feel constrained by U.S. law and increasingly rely on foreign courts and opinion. "Outrageous" is how House Majority Leader Tom DeLay described recent decisions...

Point Of No Return.(SERIES: SAVING SOCIAL SECURITY)(ISSUES & INSIGHTS)(EDITORIALS)(Editorial)
May 3, 2005... Social Security: While his opponents stress the risk of private investment, President Bush has put renewed emphasis on ownership. At least when you die, the stock market doesn't get to keep your money. In last week's press conference, when...