Investor's Business Daily articles from November 2003

Investor's Business Daily archives from November 2003

Automakers See China As Big Growth Engine; Overcapacity A Risk.(A)
November 3, 2003... Byline: MARILYN ALVA From the flurry of recent news put out by global automakers, all roads seem to lead to China. Despite warning signs such as potential overcapacity, auto giants say they can't ignore surging demand in the world's...

Stock Investors Play The China Card; Riding A Raft Of Stellar ADRs; Optimism and opportunity abound in fastest-growing economy, but risks do too.(A)
November 3, 2003... Byline: JONAH KERI Relaxed government controls and a rush toward industrialization have spawned an unprecedented economic boom in mainland China -- and moneymaking manna for investors. The boom is a long time coming for the nation of...

Poll Surprise: Q4 PC Sales May Be Weak; After Third Quarter Soared; Survey of buying intent falls to its lowest levels since before war in Iraq.(A)(IBD/TIPP POLL)
November 3, 2003... Byline: PATRICK SEITZ Consumer intent to buy new personal computers has fallen to its lowest point since March, when purchase plans plummeted on the eve of the U.S.-led war in Iraq. The IBD TIPP Home Computer Purchase Outlook index hit...

MARKET TOOL BAR.(A)
November 3, 2003... S&P 500 INDEX 1050.71 +3.77 (+0.4%) Edging up to a new 17-mo. closing high DOW JONES IND. 9801.12 +14.51 (+0.1%) McDonald's at high after 8th gain in row NYSE VOL. (MIL) 1,506 -134...

IBD'S TOP 10.(A)
November 3, 2003... U.S. Shuts Saddam's Home Town 1U.S. troops moved to quell a tide of attacks from Saddam Hussein backers by closing off a village near Tikrit with barbed wire and checkpoints. Many of the 3,500 people are Saddam relatives. U.S. troops...

AFTER THE CLOSE.(TO THE POINT)
November 3, 2003... BOEING won an $823 mil Pentagon contract for 15 ground-based interceptors and other missile-defense shield work. SEMPRA ENERGY said its trading unit reached a tentative deal with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission to pay $7.2 mil to...

BUSINESS BRIEFS.(TO THE POINT)
November 3, 2003... FINANCE States fire plan manager Putnam Rhode Island's employees' retirement plan, Iowa's Public Employee Retirement System, and New York and Pennsylvania's teacher pension funds said they'll drop Putnam as plan manager. On Thursday,...

BUSINESS BRIEFS.(TO THE POINT)
November 3, 2003... ENERGY ChevronTexaco profit beat views The No. 2 U.S. oil firm posted operating net of $1.86 a share, topping views by 24 cents. ChevronTexaco has beaten forecasts three straight quarters. Last year the firm lost 85 cents ex-charges....

BUSINESS BRIEFS.(TO THE POINT)
November 3, 2003... TECHNOLOGY Microsoft, Oracle brands fading The market opinion of the No. 1 and No. 2 software companies have each fallen over 20% in under 3 years, according to research firm Techtel's Demand Index for Q3 (see Vital Signs above). Dell,...

THE ECONOMY.(TO THE POINT)
November 3, 2003... Consumer optimism firms in Oct. The University of Michigan's index of consumer sentiment, little changed since June, rose to 89.6 in Oct., up from 89.4 at midmonth and 87.7 in Sept. A gauge of consumer views of current conditions in the...

IN BRIEF.(TO THE POINT)
November 3, 2003... New York Attorney General Eliot Spitzer's office questioned Tariq Zahir, an employee of Nasdaq market maker DC Capital, about his relationship with client and ex-trader Steven Markovitz of hedge fund Millennium Partners, sources said. ABN...

NATION/WORLD.(TO THE POINT)
November 3, 2003... Israelis, Palestinians to meet Israeli Defense Minister Shaul Mofaz will hold talks with Palestinian leaders next week, political sources said. It would be the first such meeting between the two sides since Ahmed Qurie was named...

LEARN TO ANALYZE DETAILS Bridge The Say-Do Gap.(LEADERS & SUCCESS)(IBD'S 10 SECRETS TO SUCCESS)
November 3, 2003... Byline: Robin Grugal 6 What people say and do are often two different things. Toyota and FleetBoston Financial found that out when trying to evaluate employee sentiment and understand what motivates their behavior. Now they avoid the...

She Gets A Kick Out Of Wins; Set High Goals: Mia Hamm has given America a golden leg up on the soccer field.(LEADERS & SUCCESS)
November 3, 2003... Byline: MICHAEL MINK The defining moment in Mia Hamm's career came not on the soccer field, but across a desk. On the other side of it was her University of North Carolina soccer coach, Anson Dorrance, who was also the coach of the...

Content Overload Challenging Entertainment Firms.(INTERNET & TECHNOLOGY)(Q & A)
November 3, 2003... Byline: MICHAEL KREY From epic changes such as those caused by the advent of the Internet come two totally different, equally valid, reactions from businesses: This is an opportunity; this is scary. Media, movie, music and TV companies...

PCs Becoming Music And Photo Managers; That feature gains stature among people likely to buy new computers fairly soon.(INTERNET & TECHNOLOGY)
November 3, 2003... Byline: PATRICK SEITZ Software for managing digital photos and music on personal computers is now among the top features people are looking for in new PCs. Of those likely to buy new computers in the next six months, multimedia...

Are SCO Investors Banking On A Win In Linux Lawsuit Against IBM?; Stock Price Shoots Up; But SCO claims lawsuit is just one of the factors in its recent comeback.(INTERNET & TECHNOLOGY)
November 3, 2003... Byline: MURRAY COLEMAN About 10 months ago, SCO Group Inc. traded at less than 1. Last month, the business software maker's stock hit a three-year high over 20. Is SCO a comeback story or a mirage? The answer might not be...

Text Messaging, Ads Boost Sohu.(INTERNET & TECHNOLOGY)
November 3, 2003... Byline: KIRK SHINKLE China's Internet boom continues, which was good news for the latest earnings from one of its leading portals, Sohu.com Inc. But the boom comes with some wrinkles, one of which hurt Sohu rival NetEase.com Inc. with...

HEALTHEXTRAS INC. Rockville, Maryland; Pharmacy Benefits Manager Enjoys The Benefits Of Being Small.(THE NEW AMERICA)
November 3, 2003... Byline: PETER BENESH With brokers, mutual fund managers and even regulators under fire over kickbacks, scams and conflicts of interest, it may seem odd that full disclosure can be a business model. It is for HealthExtras Inc. ...

Strategic Alliances Can Bring Fast Growth; Joint Ventures: When properly structured, they help big companies share risks and costs.(MANAGING FOR SUCCESS)
November 3, 2003... Byline: BRIAN DEAGON IBM in 1999 took on a new attitude: If you can't beat 'em, join 'em. Big Blue stopped developing applications software, the kind used routinely by companies to manage everything from business accounts and...

LEAN OPERATIONS CEO Maintains Hands-On Style.(MANAGING FOR SUCCESS)(EXECUTIVE BRIEFING)
November 3, 2003... Byline: Peter Benesh David Blair keeps his company lean. The chief executive of HealthExtras runs the firm with just 130 people, 15 of whom handle sales. HealthExtras has two business lines. It's a pharmacy benefits manager for...

MED BRIEFS.(HEALTH & MEDICINE)
November 3, 2003... Cardinal Health Buys U.K. Firm The Dublin, Ohio, distributor of drugs and medical products said it will buy U.K.-based Intercare Group PLC for $530 million to expand its global reach. Intercare makes prefilled syringes. The deal awaits...

As Ailment Hits More Adults, It Gets Drug Firms' Attention; New Market Emerges; Attention disorder, no longer linked only with kids, is on the increase.(HEALTH & MEDICINE)
November 3, 2003... Byline: AMY REEVES In the last 10 years, there hasn't been a childhood-disease phenomenon quite like hyperactivity. Since 1991, annual prescriptions in the U.S. for treating the ailment -- technically known as attention-deficit...

CEO's Name, Focus Paying Off Here; Inverness Medical Innovations; Waltham, Mass. Invernessmedical.com.(HEALTH & MEDICINE)(UNDER THE MICROSCOPE)
November 3, 2003... Byline: Gloria Lau When a big-name executive starts a small company, you get what analysts call a pedigreed business. That's the situation at Inverness Medical Innovations, a maker of diagnostic products such as home pregnancy tests. ...

New Class Of Alzheimer's Drugs Expected To See Strong Growth; Analysts, Patients Are Hopeful; One drug, Namenda, has performed well in combo with others, studies show.(HEALTH & MEDICINE)
November 3, 2003... Byline: GLORIA LAU You could say Ron Tydings is becoming an expert on Alzheimer's disease. His wife of 41 years, Barrie, is in the late-middle stages of Alzheimer's after being diagnosed with the disease six years ago. Based on...

Market-Leading Medical Stocks.(HEALTH & MEDICINE)
November 3, 2003... 1Bio Reference Labs IncMedical/Dental-SrvcsBRLI16.6-8.549694A15036.416 Clinical lab chain names to its advisory board three experts in leukemia, lymphoma, pediatric cancer and deadly blood disorders. 2Synovis Life...

Clothing Chains Finish Strong In A Comeback Year.(INDUSTRY SNAPSHOT)(APPAREL AND SHOE RETAILING)
November 3, 2003... Byline: MARILYN MUCH Twelve months have made all the difference in the world for companies in the competitive business of selling clothes. In 2002, when the economy was weak and consumers skittish, few retail chains were able to keep...

Investors Plant $17.3 Bil In Stock Funds; Off August's $23.4 bil; Bond fund outflow slows to $5.8 bil vs. $12.6 bil as interest rates back off.(FUNDS & PERSONAL FINANCE)(INVESTMENT TRENDS)
November 3, 2003... Byline: MURRAY COLEMAN Despite a whiff of scandal, investors aren't pulling their money out of mutual funds. And leading industry stalwarts such as Fidelity Investments say they don't expect that to happen in November, either. The...

Tax Cutter's Boom.(ISSUES & INSIGHTS)(EDITORIALS)(Editorial)
November 3, 2003... Economy: The economy's sizzling 7.2% growth pace in the third quarter shows pretty conclusively what some hate to believe: President Bush's tax cuts worked. You can count on a few things in this world. The swallows will return to...

Membership Drive.(ISSUES & INSIGHTS)(EDITORIALS)(Editorial)
November 3, 2003... Defense: As many as 40 nations are able to make nuclear weapons. That makes us a bit uneasy. We hope the U.S. builds a missile shield before it's too late. For decades membership in the nuclear club has been difficult to obtain. Only the...

LETTERS.(ISSUES & INSIGHTS)(Letter to the Editor)
November 3, 2003... It Starts In College Brent Bozell hits the nail on the head about the media favoring Democrat and leftist views in "Media Gives Clinton A Pass, But Bush's Policy A "Mess' " (Viewpoint, Thursday). While in college in the early 1960s, I...

Hold On To Those Mutuals: Facts Confirm Funds' Worth.(ISSUES & INSIGHTS)(VIEWPOINT)
November 3, 2003... Byline: ALAN REYNOLDS Mutual funds are suffering the glare of regulators' high beams because some sharpies trade the funds too quickly ("market timing") or after regular business hours ("late trading"). Even The Washington Post's most...

A Correction Or A Collapse? Track Key Signs.(THE IBD 100)(INSIDE THE IBD 100)
November 3, 2003... Byline: CRAIG SHAW As the Nasdaq's rally passes its one-year mark, many leading stocks have doubled or tripled their share prices. With the market now struggling through sporadic bouts of selling, leaders increasingly fall under the gaze...

THE IBD 100.(THE IBD 100)
November 3, 2003... 1China Yuchai Intl LtdCYD29.90-99999+19+67+23+972017..1 Trading in diesel-engine maker has gotten wider, looser in latest 3-wk move off fourth-stage base. 2Ceradyne IncCRDN41.54-59897+196+288+118+8966123 Maker of ceramics that...

IT Outsourcing Passes To India; Satyam Feasts On Trend; Software service exports expected to swell 400% to $50 billion by 2008.(THE IBD 100)
November 3, 2003... Byline: DAVID SAITO-CHUNG Forget about the typical overseas goods that enjoy bottomless demand here in the U.S. -- cars, clothes, toys and TVs. One of the fastest growing imports today is Indian software expertise, a service that's helping...

IBD'S WEEK IN REVIEW.(THE IBD 100)
November 3, 2003... GDP Up 7.2%; Biggest Jump Since '84 1Tax cuts and low interest rates fueled the third quarter's surge in economic growth. Consumer spending and housing construction led the broad-based gains. Economists forecast a 6% gain. Business...

THE IBD 100.(THE IBD 100)
November 3, 2003... 51Lennar Cl ALEN91.87-19881+27+33+7+23281232 Miami-based builder one of several to break out in late Sept./early Oct.; has built on its gains. 52MDC HoldingsMDC67.32-29881+25+51+8+372311302 Home builder posts fifth straight quarter...

THE REAL MOST ACTIVE Dow, S&P 500 Finish Day, Month With Gains.(MAKING MONEY)
November 3, 2003... Byline: CRAIG SHAW Stocks edged higher Friday on positive consumer and factory data to wrap up a strong month. The S&P 500 added 0.4% on lighter trade, the Dow 0.1%. For October, the benchmark index gained 5.5%, the Dow 5.7%. Both indexes...

Analyze, Profit From IBD's Market Charts.(GENERAL MARKET & SECTORS)
November 3, 2003... 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...

Vitamin Manufacturer Reclaims Support Line.(B)(NYSE STOCKS IN THE NEWS)
November 3, 2003... Byline: Craig Shaw NBTY Inc. is trading near all-time highs as it shapes an eight-week base. The stock dipped below its 50-day moving average the week ended Sept. 26, but rebounded to the support line the very next week, a sign of...

THE REAL MOST ACTIVE Nasdaq Holds Firm, Finishes Week Up 3.6%.(B)
November 3, 2003... Byline: JONAH KERI & NANCY GONDO The Nasdaq finished down less than a point Friday, preserving its 3.6% gain for the week. The Nasdaq 100 eased 0.1% for the day, as volume eased lower. Packeteer plunged nearly 3 points early in the...

Medical Software Firm Clears Six-Week Base.(B)(NASDAQ STOCKS IN THE NEWS)
November 3, 2003... Byline: Nancy Gondo IDX Systems cleared a short six-week base on double average volume. Shares of the medical software maker closed at a two-year high, but are still trading within 3% of their Oct. 17 pivot point. The Burlington,...

Hi-Tech Pharmacal: New Bull's Early Winner.(THE SMART INVESTOR)(WINNING WAYS)
November 3, 2003... Byline: KEN HOOVER Health care, biotech and tech stocks led the charge when a new market rally began in March 2003. Hi-Tech Pharmacal was one of the first stocks out of the block, scoring a significant gain. Hi-Tech operates in a...

Fund Scandal Widens As Congress Opens Hearings Into Trading; Putnam CEO Forced To Quit; Industry observers worry investors may wind up footing bill for more safety.(A)
November 4, 2003... Byline: MURRAY COLEMAN Regulators alleged mutual fund trading abuses are widespread and warned charges are being prepared against brokers and others, as Congress began delving Monday into the exploding scandal. Meanwhile, the scandal...

Factory Gauge And Tech Spending Jump, Adding To Evidence Of A Swift Recovery; Shaking Off Dot-Com Excess; Tech companies seeing double-digit rise in orders for first time since 2000.(A)
November 4, 2003... Byline: BRIAN DEAGON Two reports out this week forecast a rise in tech spending in 2004 after two years of record declines. It's more evidence that the tech industry is on the path of sustainable recovery. But the strongest evidence...

Factory Gauge And Tech Spending Jump, Adding To Evidence Of A Swift Recovery; ISM Index Near 4-Year Peak; Orders at nine-year high; jobs index raises hopes of Oct. employment gains.(A)
November 4, 2003... Byline: CHRISTINA WISE Factory activity surged last month to its highest level in nearly four years, according to an industry report out Monday. The Institute of Supply Management's manufacturing index rose to 57 in October from 53.7...

IBD'S TOP 10.(A)
November 4, 2003... Mutual Funds Ripped In Hearings 1Federal and state law enforcers drew a portrait of widespread trading abuses by funds and brokers and said major changes are needed. Senators expressed outrage at the abuses and the SEC response. The SEC's...

AFTER THE CLOSE.(TO THE POINT)
November 4, 2003... CEPHALON'S Q3 net rose 23% to 47 cents, 6 cents over views. The biotech sees $2 in '04 vs. views for $2.07. It'll buy Cima Labs for $515 mil, or $34 a share. Cephalon fell after hours. Cima rose after hours. UNITED SURGICAL PARTNERS' Q3...

BUSINESS BRIEFS.(TO THE POINT)
November 4, 2003... ELECTRONICS TCL, Thomson merge TV, DVD ops China-based TCL will own two-thirds of the money-losing business now and the rest in 18 months, creating the No. 1 TV maker in unit sales, producing 18 mil TVs and generating sales of $3.51...

BUSINESS BRIEFS.(TO THE POINT)
November 4, 2003... MEDICAL First Health gives profit warning The preferred provider organization earned 42 cents a share in Q3, up 31% from last year and 2 cents above views. First Health offers "self-insure" plans that let big corporations save costs....

BUSINESS BRIEFS.(TO THE POINT)
November 4, 2003... RETAIL Electronics Boutique cuts outlook Shares of the gadget retailer fell 18% after it slashed its Q3 forecast by two-thirds to 5-6 cents a share. Same-store sales should fall 7% vs. prior forecasts of flat to 7% higher sales. It...

BUSINESS BRIEFS.(TO THE POINT)
November 4, 2003... TECHNOLOGY Conexant buys GlobespanVirata The maker of broadband communications chips is buying fellow chipmaker Globespan Virata for about $832 mil. Globespan holders will get 1.198 shares of Conexant stock per Globespan share. That's...

THE ECONOMY.(TO THE POINT)
November 4, 2003... Housing affordability falls in Q3 The National Association of Realtors said the median annual income of families could cover 136.6% of the cost of a down payment on a median-priced home in Q3, down from 143.8% in Q2. The affordability...

IN BRIEF.(TO THE POINT)
November 4, 2003... MRI firm Intermagnetics bid $140 mil, or $19 a share, for medical monitoring firm Invivo, which rose 2% to 16.63. Intermagnetics rose 2%. Citigroup will buy Forum Financial to boost back-office services. It lags State Street and Bank of New...

NATION.(TO THE POINT)
November 4, 2003... High Court rejects Moore appeal The Supreme Court won't hear the case of Alabama Judge Roy Moore, suspended for refusing to remove a 10 Commandments display in front of the state courthouse. It let stand a lower court ruling that Moore...

WORLD.(TO THE POINT)
November 4, 2003... Many Anglicans decry gay bishop A group of overseas Anglican leaders, many in Africa, loosened ties with the U.S. Episcopal Church over its Sunday consecration of its first openly gay bishop, Gene Robinson. But they stopped short of...

Get Your Ducks In Order.(LEADERS & SUCCESS)(IBD'S 10 SECRETS TO SUCCESS)
November 4, 2003... Byline: Robin Grugal 7 No one wants to think about the inevitable. But if you assume everything is in order just because you have sufficient life insurance and a will and/or trust, you're doing your loved ones a disservice. Passing on...

Mario Garcia Makes Headlines; Eye On Details: World's premier news designer charted his own success.(LEADERS & SUCCESS)
November 4, 2003... Byline: KEN SPENCER BROWN Mario Garcia sees only one picture when he works -- the big one. Garcia's name isn't in headlines. His mug doesn't appear on front pages. And aside from a few "note to our readers" mentions, most of his work...

Conflict Dogs Tech Researchers; Critiquing Customers; Market tracker Forrester tightened some policies for vendor-paid research.(INTERNET & TECHNOLOGY)
November 4, 2003... Byline: J. BONASIA Tech research firms advise companies on tech goods and services to buy. That's the well-known bulk of their business. Less known is the fact that many of these research firms get a third or more of their income from...

Research Firm Customers Favor Funding Disclosure.(INTERNET & TECHNOLOGY)
November 4, 2003... Byline: J. BONASIA In seven years as chief information officer for defense contractor Northrop Grumman Corp., Tom Shelman figures he's pretty much seen it all. From the Y2K computer crisis to the Internet boom, from the B2B craze to...

Two Broadband Chip Rivals Unite To Better Fight The Big Boys; Conexant-Globespan Merger; The two companies plan to push deeper into home with chips for networking.(INTERNET & TECHNOLOGY)
November 4, 2003... Byline: JAMES DETAR Chipmaker Conexant Systems Inc. loves to make deals. Conexant bought 11 companies in 1999 through 2001. Its earnings tanked in the big tech downturn, but its deal-making didn't stop. Instead of buying, it started...

ZIMMER HOLDINGS INC. Warsaw, Indiana; Medical Device Maker Beefs Up With Buyout.(THE NEW AMERICA)
November 4, 2003... Byline: AMY REEVES Zimmer Holdings Inc. is just a baby as an independent company, but it's growing up fast. The surgical implant maker, spun off from Bristol-Myers Squibb Co. two years ago, just closed a deal that made it the biggest...

RYLAND GROUP INC. Calabasas, California; Builder Nails Down A Different Growth Plan.(THE NEW AMERICA)
November 4, 2003... Byline: MARILYN MUCH When it comes to growing his business, Chad Dreier doesn't follow the rest of the home-building pack. At a time when most of the top players are hot on the acquisition trail, the chief executive of Ryland Group...

Reynolds Fund Comes Roaring Back; Up 122% So Far In '03; Manager directs focus to companies serving people's main concerns.(MUTUAL FUNDS)(MUTUAL FUND PROFILE)
November 4, 2003... Byline: KEN HOOVER The $43 million Reynolds Fund is cruising near the top of the heap in this bull market, up a whooping 122% this year going into Monday. It's no small feat for a fund that holds 250 names, none taking up more than...

Take The Pledge.(ISSUES & INSIGHTS)(EDITORIALS)(Editorial)
November 4, 2003... Iraq: Waffling on the war gives the enemy hope. Democrats have a right to criticize, but they also need to make a clear commitment to victory. We have an image -- not pleasant, but plausible -- of Saddam Hussein in a bunker somewhere in...

Another Wall To Fall.(ISSUES & INSIGHTS)(EDITORIALS)(Editorial)
November 4, 2003... Media Bias: The handling of weapons inspector David Kay's probe has been so shameful he had to write a letter to The Washington Post to set the record straight. Kay, head of the Iraq Survey Group, is finding that his search for weapons of...

LETTERS.(ISSUES & INSIGHTS)(Letter to the Editor)
November 4, 2003... The Beauty Of A Letter . . . I must compliment you on publishing "Fully Commit To Terror War" (Letters, Monday). The writer states a few obvious facts that are grossly ignored by the PC crowd, facts that I fear will be the destruction of...

Caps On Campaign Spending Firmly Entrench Incumbents.(ISSUES & INSIGHTS)(VIEWPOINT)
November 4, 2003... Byline: JOHN LOTT JR. Do publicly financed campaigns help challengers against incumbents? Democrats have claimed so, but the main Democratic presidential candidates are running, not walking, away from public financing. Howard Dean,...

THE REAL MOST ACTIVE Financials Lead NYSE Stocks Up But Trade Thins.(MAKING MONEY)
November 4, 2003... Byline: DAVID SAITO-CHUNG The S&P 500 rallied 0.8% while the Dow gained 0.6%. NYSE volume declined. Mortgage financiers had a good Monday. Last week, the Federal Reserve, the central bank of the U.S., decided to keep its fed funds...

Analyze, Profit From IBD's Market Charts.(GENERAL MARKET & SECTORS)
November 4, 2003... 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...

Mortgage Firm Enjoys Solid Asset Growth.(B)(NYSE STOCKS IN THE NEWS)
November 4, 2003... Byline: David Saito-Chung Flagstar Bancorp, featured here on Oct. 27, surged past its pivot point of 23.70 on volume 77% higher than its 50-day average. The stock's Relative Strength line is rising, but has still yet to enter new high...

THE REAL MOST ACTIVE Nasdaq Marks 21-Month High On Heavier Trade.(B)
November 4, 2003... Byline: CRAIG SHAW The Nasdaq marked a 21-month high Monday as positive factory data lifted hopes for an economic rebound. The composite jumped 1.8% on heavier volume. Chip, Internet and telecom stocks led the way. American Home...

Business School Firm Beats Earnings Views.(B)(NASDAQ STOCKS IN THE NEWS)
November 4, 2003... Byline: Craig Shaw Strayer Education cleared an 11-week flat base Monday to mark an all-time high. The stock accelerated more than 60% before starting its latest pattern. Strong stocks show prior uptrends of at least 30%. But its Relative...

Ex-Prudential Staffers Sued In Fund Scandal; Clients Ditch Putnam; SEC opens new fronts as investigation looks into pricing, 12(b)1 fees.(A)
November 5, 2003... Byline: MURRAY COLEMAN Regulators opened more fronts in their probe of the $7 trillion mutual fund industry Tuesday. Federal and state officials in Massachusetts filed suit against seven former employees of Prudential Securities for...

IPOs Start To Heat Up As Debuts, Filings Rise After Post-Boom Bust; Profits, Experience Are Key; Groundbreaking leaders linked with IPO revivals, but maybe not this time.(A)
November 5, 2003... Byline: MARILYN ALVA The market for initial public offerings has started to revive. But unlike the ground-breaking and often financially shaky debuts of the early 1980s or late 1990s, the new crop tends to include more solid profit makers....

IBM Backing Novell's Push Toward Linux; Blow To Microsoft, Red Hat.(A)
November 5, 2003... Byline: KEN SPENCER BROWN With Novell Inc.'s stock up 21% and rival Red Hat Inc. down 12% on news of Novell's acquisition of German Linux developer SuSE on Tuesday, it's almost too easy to pick out the deal's winners and losers. Almost....

IBD'S TOP 10.(A)
November 5, 2003... Mutual Fund Charges Mounting 1The SEC and Massachusetts charged ex-Prudential Securities staff in Boston with improper fund trading. New York's Eliot Spitzer is probing Deutsche Bank, a source said. Stephen Cutler, head of SEC enforcement,...

AFTER THE CLOSE.(TO THE POINT)
November 5, 2003... ESPERION THERAPEUTICS said its ETC-216 drug cut heart attack- and stroke-causing fatty artery deposits by 4.2%. Esperion rose after hours following Monday's plunge. PRICELINE'S Q3 net of 24 cents beat views by 3 cents. Last year it lost 63...

BUSINESS BRIEFS.(TO THE POINT)
November 5, 2003... MEDICAL HealthSouth's Scrushy indicted Richard Scrushy, founder and ex- CEO of the rehab services firm, was indicted on 85 criminal counts related to a $2.5 bil accounting fraud at HealthSouth. Federal prosecutors seek over $278 mil in...

BUSINESS BRIEFS.(TO THE POINT)
November 5, 2003... LEISURE Slot machine firm hits Q3 jackpot International Game Technology earned 29 cents a share, up 93% vs. a year ago and beating views by 1 cent. Sales rose 14% to $547.5 mil. IGT sells two-thirds of all slot machines in the U.S.; it...

BUSINESS BRIEFS.(TO THE POINT)
November 5, 2003... CONSUMER Gillette's Q3 earnings rose 24% The world's largest blade and razor maker earned 41 cents a share, a nickel over views. Sales rose 11% to $2.4 bil, but the soft dollar accounted for nearly half the gain. Heavy marketing lifted...

Jay At A Glance.(LEADERS & SUCCESS)
November 5, 2003... Jay At A Glance Born: 1745 in New York City. Died: 1829 in New York. Education: Graduated from King's College (now Columbia University). Achievements: ** Served as president of the first Continental Congress. **...

THE ECONOMY.(TO THE POINT)
November 5, 2003... Retail sales edge upward in Oct. Instinet's Redbook Index rose 1.1% in Oct. from Sept. levels and 3.4% from Oct. '02. The monthly rate was lower than the target 1.5% pace, Instinet said. Separately, the Bank of Tokyo-Mitsubishi-UBS index,...

IN BRIEF.(TO THE POINT)
November 5, 2003... McDonald's named Claire Brabowski to the new post of chief restaurant operations officer for international operations to counter weak non-U.S. sales. Network Appliance will buy Spinnaker Networks, a private software technology firm, for...