Investor's Business Daily articles from November 2005

Investor's Business Daily archives from November 2005

Bush Chooses Alito, Conservative Jurist, For Supreme Court; Nothing Like Harriet Miers; U.S. appeals court judge has a hefty track record; expect a big Senate fight.(A)
November 1, 2005... Byline: BRIAN MITCHELL In an abrupt change of tack, President Bush on Monday tapped Circuit Judge Samuel Alito to the Supreme Court, substituting a well-known, well-qualified and conservative white male for Bush's stealth nominee and...

Online Shoppers Bringing Holiday Cheer, With Sales Expected To Top $26 Billion; Free-Shipping Offers Spread.(A)
November 1, 2005... Byline: PETE BARLAS Online cash registers should be ringing early and often this holiday season. Aggressive free-shipping promotions and an influx of new shoppers will help boost Internet sales by as much as 25% during the Christmas...

IBD'S TOP 10.(A)
November 1, 2005... Bush Taps Alito For High Court 1Days after Harriet Miers withdrew, the president tapped Samuel Alito, on the 3rd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals since 1990, for the Supreme Court opening. With strong credentials and a clear track record,...

AFTER THE CLOSE.(TO THE POINT)
November 1, 2005... RACKABLE SYSTEMS' earnings rose 25% to 20 cents a share in Q3, beating views by 8 cents. Sales for the maker of rackable servers rose 69% to $57.4 mil. Shares jumped 7%. INTEGRAMED AMERICA earned 10 cents a share in Q3, 2 cents over views...

BUSINESS BRIEFS.(TO THE POINT)
November 1, 2005... TRANSPORTATION Upgrade lifts American Airlines American Airlines' parent AMR surged 5% to 13.51 after Lehman Bros. upgraded its rating to positive, citing expectations that airlines will reduce capacity, bolstering their pricing...

BUSINESS BRIEFS.(TO THE POINT)
November 1, 2005... MEDICAL Medicare bolsters Humana Q3 The health benefits provider earned 60 cents ex items, 9 cents above views and 15.4% more than the year-ago figure. Humana's revenue rose 20.1% to $3.82 bil, helped by its Medicare membership...

BUSINESS BRIEFS.(TO THE POINT)
November 1, 2005... RETAIL Bon-Ton buys 142 Saks stores The Bon-Ton Stores will pay Saks $1.1 bil for the outlets that include Bergner's, Boston Store, Carson Pirie Scott, Herberger's and Younkers lines. The deal nearly doubles Bon-Ton's size, which had...

BUSINESS BRIEFS.(TO THE POINT)
November 1, 2005... ENERGY Occidental oil, gas sales up 39% The oil and natural-gas exploration company earned $2.69 a share, 3 cents over views and 43% over the year-ago, as revenue rose 36.3% to $4.06 bil. Occidental Petroleum's oil and gas sales rose...

THE ECONOMY.(TO THE POINT)
November 1, 2005... Chicago PMI perks up on orders A Midwest manufacturing index of Chicago manufacturing rose 2.4 points to 62.9 in Oct., its highest since July. Economists expected a drop to 57.4. A reading over 50 indicates growth. The Nat'l Assoc. of...

IN BRIEF.(TO THE POINT)
November 1, 2005... Arden Realty, which focuses on suburban office buildings in Southern California, earned 63 cents a share in Q3, beating views by 2 cents but a penny below the year ago. Revenue rose 15% to $114.6 mil. Shares fell a dime to $45.05. Ceradyne...

NATION.(TO THE POINT)
November 1, 2005... Cheney replaces charged staffer The vice president named attorney David Addington as his chief of staff, succeeding Lewis "Scooter" Libby, who resigned last week after he was indicted on perjury charges tied to a CIA leak investigation....

WORLD.(TO THE POINT)
November 1, 2005... Musharraf decries India bombings Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf called Saturday's massacre in New Delhi, India, "a dastardly terrorist attack" and said Pakistan would fully cooperate in any investigation. Pakistan-based Islamic...

TRENDS & INNOVATIONS.(TO THE POINT)
November 1, 2005... Gizmos inspire mixed feelings Although 72% of Americans are excited about new handheld devices, 64% say they have difficulty figuring out how to operate their devices some, most or all of the time, a Gallup Poll found. Most take a...

TRENDS & INNOVATIONS.(TO THE POINT)
November 1, 2005... ** Schizophrenics tend not to be fooled by optical illusions owing to a weakness in contextual processing, a brain mechanism responsible for picking out relevant sensory information. Reporting in Current Biology, researchers think faulty...

FOCUS YOUR TIME AND MONEY Domestic Money Merger.(LEADERS & SUCCESS)(IBD'S 10 SECRETS TO SUCCESS)
November 1, 2005... Byline: Adelia Cellini Linecker 7 Whether you're planning to marry or just split the rent, experts say you should consider combining your finances just as you would if you were running a small business. "It's so simple," said Ruth L....

Justice Sandra Day O'Connor; Focus On Details: Drive to do her best every time led her to the highest court.(LEADERS & SUCCESS)
November 1, 2005... Byline: JAMES DETAR Sandra Day O'Connor is no stranger to tough challenges. When President Reagan named her the first woman on the U.S. Supreme Court in 1981, O'Connor took her seat as an associate justice in September of that year....

Environmentalists See Risks, Rewards In Nanotechnology; Keeping Eye On "Nanotoxics'; Emerging field could boost efficiency and help fight pollution, but dangers exist.(INTERNET & TECHNOLOGY)
November 1, 2005... Byline: J. BONASIA The huge promise -- and potential peril -- of nanotechnology has environmentalists in a quandary. The emerging field, which tinkers with materials at the atomic level, has the potential to create cleaner energy...

Wide-Format Printers Turn Your Photos Into Poster-Sized Prints.(INTERNET & TECHNOLOGY)(COMPUTERS MADE PLAIN)
November 1, 2005... Byline: TED NEEDLEMAN You have digital photos, why not try supersizing them? Large-format photo printers let you do just that. They take advantage of increasingly higher photo resolution to churn out extra-large versions of your...

McDonald's Spins Off Fiery Mexican Chain.(NEW ISSUE AMERICA)
November 1, 2005... Byline: Amy Reeves Chipotle Mexican Grill Denver, Colorado 303-595-4000 chipotle.com Lead underwriters: Morgan Stanley and S.G. Cowen Offering price: TBA Expected date: TBA Ticker: CMG THE BUZZ ...

Danger, Will Robinson! Dust Balls Ahead!(NEW ISSUE AMERICA)
November 1, 2005... Byline: Amy Reeves iRobot Corp. Burlington, Mass. 781-345-0200 irobot.com Lead underwriters: Morgan Stanley and JPMorgan Offering price: $21-$23 Expected date: week of Nov. 7 Ticker: IRBT THE BUZZ...

Lange Replaces Stansky At Magellan; Look For More Tech; Departing PM steered giant through bad bear; will shift spark Fidelity?(MUTUAL FUNDS)(INVESTMENT TRENDS)
November 1, 2005... Byline: PAUL KATZEFF Fidelity Investments announced on Monday that Robert Stansky has stepped aside after nearly a decade at the helm of once-proud $52.5 billion Magellan Fund. Veteran manager Harry Lange took over the reins of the...

Alito's Way.(ISSUES & INSIGHTS)(EDITORIALS)(Editorial)
November 1, 2005... Supreme Court: President Bush reacted to last week's troubles by naming a solid constitutionalist with a long, distinguished record. That means a hard fight -- but a fight over principle is just what this White House needs. Judge Samuel...

Hanging By A Web.(ISSUES & INSIGHTS)(EDITORIALS)(Editorial)
November 1, 2005... Cyberspace: Since its beginning, the Internet has proved a supercharged way to advance liberty. That's enough for some governments to want to take control of it away from the U.S. They must be stopped. These governments -- Iran and Brazil...

Charles, Defender Of The Faiths.(ISSUES & INSIGHTS)(EDITORIALS)(Editorial)
November 1, 2005... War on Terror: Prince Charles will waltz across the pond today to lecture Americans on the joys of Islam. Great timing: Islamic nuts just beheaded three Christian girls in Indonesia and blew up 60 Hindus in New Delhi. It wasn't but a few...

THE REAL MOST ACTIVE Financial Stocks Help Take NYSE To A Solid Gain.(MAKING MONEY)
November 1, 2005... Byline: JUAN CARLOS ARANCIBIA NYSE stocks rallied Monday on heavier volume. The S&P 500 rose 0.7% while the Dow added 0.4%. The small-cap S&P 600 led with a 1.7% romp. Financial stocks were strong. Insurance brokerage Brown &...

Analyze, Profit From IBD's Market Charts.(GENERAL MARKET & SECTORS)
November 1, 2005... Analyzing the price and volume changes in the major market averages each day is essential to successful investing. They reveal major tops and bottoms in the stock market. Most stocks follow the general market's trend. They tend to rise...

Techs Maintain Presence As Yahoo Joins List.(IBD BIG CAP 20)(INSIDE BIG CAP 20)
November 1, 2005... Byline: NANCY GONDO Big-cap stocks tend to move more slowly than their smaller-cap peers. Still, the Big Cap 20 has undergone a noticeable shift the past few months, rotating from energy into areas like health care, railroads, financial...

IBD BIG CAP 20.(IBD BIG CAP 20)
November 1, 2005... 1Google Inc372.1999996+113+121+87+9642354D Names Elliot Schrage, formerly of Gap, to head global communications. 2Apple Computer57.59999896+23+171+43+576..2D Reports iTunes sold more than 1 million videos since Oct. 12 debut. ...

Look For Management Ownership Of Shares When Studying Stocks.(B)(INVESTOR'S CORNER)
November 1, 2005... Byline: NANCY GONDO Would you rather buy a product from someone who owns and uses it or a salesman who simply hawks it? Likewise, it pays to favor firms that are heavily owned by management. You want to make sure company officials...

Motorola's EPS, Sales Showing Improvement.(B)(NYSE STOCKS IN THE NEWS)
November 1, 2005... Byline: Juan Carlos Arancibia Motorola shares on Monday rose back above their 10-week moving average as the stock continued building a new base. The company that gave us the first car radios finds a strong market for its mobile phones....

THE REAL MOST ACTIVE Small And Mid Caps Pace Second Straight Rally.(B)
November 1, 2005... Byline: MARIE BEERENS The Nasdaq rallied for a second straight day on heavy volume Monday, closing up 1.5% and regaining its 50-day moving average. Raven Industries shot up 2.54, or 9%, to an all-time high of 31.44 on nearly quadruple...

PetMed Grows On New Orders, Low Ad Costs.(B)(NASDAQ STOCKS IN THE NEWS)
November 1, 2005... Byline: Marie Beerens PetMed Express may be forming a first-stage base after it hit a 52-week high of 12.05 in mid-September. The stock closed at 11.25 on its first day of trading on the Nasdaq in January 2004, but fell 30% to a low of 4...

Protecting Patents Is Good For Patients.(ISSUES & INSIGHTS)(PERSPECTIVE)
November 1, 2005... Byline: DAN GAINOR The health care community is worried about the chance of a deadly flu outbreak. This isn't just the media trying to scare us to death. Medical professionals are genuinely concerned. While the warnings are important,...

Fed Tightens Again, With More Coming, To Contain Inflation; No Surprise In Hike, Outlook; With U.S. growth strong, and core inflation still low, "measured' moves ahead.(A)
November 2, 2005... Byline: KIRK SHINKLE Another meeting, another quarter-point rate hike. The Federal Open Markets Committee raised the fed funds rate 25 basis points to 4%. It's the 12th straight move since June 2004. The Fed's unanimous statement...

Panel Offers Tax Reform Plans; Long, Contentious Debate Likely; Battle lines are forming on state, local tax and mortgage deductions.(A)
November 2, 2005... Byline: BRIAN MITCHELL Tax reform moved a step closer Tuesday when President Bush's bipartisan panel recommended two plans for changing the income tax system -- one for simplicity, the other for economic growth. Both were designed to...

IBD'S TOP 10.(A)
November 2, 2005... Fed Hikes Rates, More To Come 1As expected, the FOMC raised its key rate by 25 basis points for a 12th straight meeting, to 4%. Policymakers said "core inflation has been relatively low," but they'll continue to up rates at a "measured"...

AFTER THE CLOSE.(TO THE POINT)
November 2, 2005... VALUECLICK, a provider of online ad services, earned 13 cents a share in Q3, 44% over a year ago and 4 cents over views. Sales rose 87% to $81.4 mil. Q4 guidance was below views. Shares fell 3%. CUTERA earned 27 cents a share in Q3, up from...

BUSINESS BRIEFS/IN BRIEF.(TO THE POINT)
November 2, 2005... CONSUMER Procter & Gamble Q1 beats views Profit rose 10% to 77 cents, besting views by a penny, as sales rose 8% to $14.79 bil. Procter & Gamble steered the upper end of its Q4 outlook above views, forecasting 66-69 cents a share,...

BUSINESS BRIEFS.(TO THE POINT)
November 2, 2005... ENERGY TXU profit up, spinoff rejected The No. 1 Texas electricity utility's operating earnings rose from $1.32 to $2.35 as revenue shot up 16% to $3.19 bil. TXU missed views of $2.46 on $3.57 bil, but it boosted its '05 outlook by 25...

BUSINESS BRIEFS.(TO THE POINT)
November 2, 2005... TECHNOLOGY Computer Sciences up on report Lockheed Martin is leading an investors group that may bid $64-$65 a share for info tech and outsourcing company Computer Sciences, according to a published report. That values Computer...

BUSINESS BRIEFS.(TO THE POINT)
November 2, 2005... MEDICAL Sales, guidance lift Allergan 7% The maker of brand-name specialty drugs, including Botox, rose 6.5% to 95.23 after it reported 83 cents a share, 24% more than last year and 4 cents over views. Allergan's sales rose 19% to...

THE ECONOMY.(TO THE POINT)
November 2, 2005... Construction spending hits high U.S. outlays on construction rose 0.5% in Sept. vs. Aug. to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of $1.120 tril. The increase matched views and was boosted by another gain in residential real estate investment....

TRENDS/INNOVATIONS.(TO THE POINT)
November 2, 2005... Bacteria make sewage potable Bacteria found in "clean" groundwater dispatched the pathogens and noxious compounds found on sewage in a little over three weeks, Australian researchers found. The finding suggests that wastewater can be...

NATION.(TO THE POINT)
November 2, 2005... Bank regulator to lead recovery FDIC Chairman Donald Powell will oversee the disaster recovery efforts along the Gulf Coast, the White House said. Powell will handle relations with Congress, state and local governments, and private...

WORLD.(TO THE POINT)
November 2, 2005... Arab militant group figure killed An Israeli airstrike on a car killed 2 Palestinians, including a leader of the Al Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades, in the Gaza Strip. Al Aqsa is an offshoot of Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas' Fatah movement. 3...

Try Fighting Like A Tyke.(LEADERS & SUCCESS)(IBD'S 10 SECRETS TO SUCCESS)
November 2, 2005... Byline: Amy Alexander 8 If you've ever tried to convince a 2-year-old that she doesn't really need the noisiest toy in the store, then you know it's hard to dissuade a kid from trying to get what she wants. Most folks outgrow that...

Bruce Barton's Integrity Hook; Message Received: His sincerity helped build BBDO into a powerhouse.(LEADERS & SUCCESS)
November 2, 2005... Byline: MARILYN MUCH For ad agency executive Bruce Barton, the key to creating great ads was sincerity. It was a unique approach. Barton, who co-founded ad agency Batten, Barton, Durstine & Osborn in 1928, had a credo: he had to...

RIM Looks To Keep Sales Lead With Its Revamped BlackBerry; Intel-Powered Smart Phone; New device plays catch-up with competitors' products, connects with 3G network.(INTERNET & TECHNOLOGY)
November 2, 2005... Byline: MIKE ANGELL As its BlackBerry wireless e-mail device faces stiffer competition, Research In Motion looks to keep its lead by rolling out a new model. An estimated 6 million people in the U.S. access e-mail on cell phones and...

Security Firms Wait For Microsoft's Move; Invoking The "M' Word; Digital River says sales may plummet, but other firms are less concerned.(INTERNET & TECHNOLOGY)
November 2, 2005... Byline: DONNA HOWELL The question is just how much splash an 800-pound gorilla will make, since it's headed straight for the middle of the pool. Anticipation of Microsoft's foray deeper into tech security is already causing ripples in...

Christmas PC Sales Look Bright, But Dell's Brand Loses Luster; Likelihood Of Buying Goes Up; Dell was the top brand for 39% of likely PC buyers, a fall from 51% in September.(INTERNET & TECHNOLOGY)(IBD/TIPP POLL)
November 2, 2005... Byline: PATRICK SEITZ The holiday shopping season is looking up for personal computer makers overall, according to a new consumer survey. But No. 1 PC maker Dell, which Monday warned that its third-quarter profit and sales will come in...

Refills Help Cut Cost Of Color Laser Toner; Some Dexterity Needed; Refilling process is fairly quick, though it may call for some soldering work.(INTERNET & TECHNOLOGY)(COMPUTERS MADE PLAIN)
November 2, 2005... Byline: TED NEEDLEMAN The price of a color laser printer has tumbled in recent years, with terrific models available for $500 or less. But you may suffer sticker shock the first time you have to replace your toner cartridge. Prices...

Broadband Internet Service Reigns, But Dial-Up Is Slow To Surrender; Core User Group Holding Out; Analysts struggle to predict when dial-up online service will disappear altogether.(INTERNET & TECHNOLOGY)
November 2, 2005... Byline: PETE BARLAS Dial-up is dying, but no one's sure when to expect the funeral. As high-speed Internet services get cheaper, the number of Internet users who surf the Web using basic dial-up access is shrinking. But even as the...

Lawyer/Restaurant Investor Has Highflying Taste; Stu Gordon works aloft nonstop, and it pays off when he lands in style.(NEWS FOR YOU)(NEWS FOR YOU: TRAVEL)
November 2, 2005... Byline: CHRIS BARNETT For San Francisco lawyer and restaurant angel investor Stu Gordon, there's no place like Home. The tall, lean litigator just sank half a million dollars into a failed French eatery in the city's hip Union Street...

FLORIDA ROCK INDUSTRIES Jacksonville, Florida; Sunshine State Provides Sunny Outlook Here.(THE NEW AMERICA)
November 2, 2005... Byline: STEVE WATKINS If you've ever driven past one of those giant stone quarries, you know there's nothing too sexy about them. They're dirty, dusty and look like the kind of place Fred Flintstone toiled in. But to investors, the...

Sit Mid Cap Growth Gets New Energy; Doesn't Stand Around; Manager trims Murphy and adds Southwestern, Noble as well as Tesoro.(MUTUAL FUNDS)
November 2, 2005... Byline: KEN HOOVER Sit Mid Cap Growth Fund has done well last year and this year in large part because of the success with investments in energy stocks. Manager Gene Sit is still high on energy, although he's changed his mix of companies...

Poor Valerie?(ISSUES & INSIGHTS)(EDITORIALS)(Editorial)
November 2, 2005... CIA: Joe Wilson says his wife's undercover career was destroyed when her name was leaked to the press. That's too bad, but what did she or Wilson expect? To hear Wilson tell it, as he did Sunday to CBS' "60 Minutes," the unmasking in 2003...

Flu Bugged.(ISSUES & INSIGHTS)(EDITORIALS)(Editorial)
November 2, 2005... Health: President Bush's plan to spend $7.1 billion on avian flu prevention understandably gives pause to the cost-conscious. But if the plan ends up saving millions of lives, it'll be money well spent. It's hard persuading people to take...

Kept In Suspense.(ISSUES & INSIGHTS)(EDITORIALS)(Editorial)
November 2, 2005... Illegal Immigration: When he signed the Homeland Security spending bill, President Bush said: "If somebody's here illegally, we've got to do everything we can to find them." Try looking in Social Security records. The president also asked...

Stepping Assad.(ISSUES & INSIGHTS)(EDITORIALS)(Editorial)
November 2, 2005... Foreign Affairs: Syria, long a troublemaker, is next in line for transformation to a representative government in the Middle East. Right on the edge, it needs only a firm yet unmistakable nudge in that direction. The unraveling of Bashar...

THE REAL MOST ACTIVE NYSE Declines Moderately As Volume Eases.(MAKING MONEY)
November 2, 2005... Byline: JUAN CARLOS ARANCIBIA NYSE stocks fell moderately Tuesday as the S&P 500 lost 0.4% and the the small-cap S&P 600 eased 0.3%. Big Board volume was lower. Medco Health Solutions gapped down below its 50- and 200-day moving...

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

Spotting The Sell Point: Amazon Signaled It Was Ready To Fall.(B)(INVESTOR'S CORNER)
November 2, 2005... Byline: CHRISTINA WISE Buying the right stock at the right time is only half the profit equation. To hold onto your profits, you have to know when it's time to sell. By analyzing a stock's daily and weekly price and volume action, you...

Knight Transportation Posting Solid Growth.(B)(NYSE STOCKS IN THE NEWS)
November 2, 2005... Byline: Juan Carlos Arancibia Knight Transportation shares, which have been consolidating since mid-March, are now about 5% from an all-time high. The short- to medium-haul trucking company serves most of the U.S. with a fleet of about...

THE REAL MOST ACTIVE Debt Collector And Biotech Firms Post Declines.(B)
November 2, 2005... Byline: MARIE BEERENS Nasdaq stocks fell 0.3% on Tuesday, closing just below the composite's 50-day moving average on slightly higher than average volume. Asset Acceptance Capital gapped down 7.32, or 28%, to 19.17, sinking below its...

Same-Store Sales Rising Fast At Panera.(B)(NASDAQ STOCKS IN THE NEWS)
November 2, 2005... Byline: Marie Beerens Panera Bread is possibly forming the right side of a base. The stock hit a record high of 66.49 on June 17 and declined 27% to the bottom of the base. It crossed above its 10-week moving average in early October....

Momentum Growing In Halls Of Congress For Windfall Oil Tax; Big Hearing Set For Nov. 9; Fearing voters' reactions to soaring energy prices, Republicans in vanguard.(A)
November 3, 2005... Byline: SEAN HIGGINS Despite the recent decline in prices at the pump, momentum built in Congress this week to enact a "windfall tax" on oil industry profits. Republican leaders set Wednesday as the date for a hearing on "excessive...

Pay Gains Are Lagging Inflation: Just A Blip Or Enduring Trend?; Tighter U.S. job market will up wages, some say; others cite globalization.(A)
November 3, 2005... Byline: LAURA MANDARO Payday isn't what it used to be. The economy has ticked along at a healthy 3%-plus growth rate for 10 straight quarters, unemployment has fallen to 2001 levels and corporate profits are running strong. But wage...

IBD'S TOP 10.(A)
November 3, 2005... Indexes End Near Session Highs 1Small caps led, with the S&P 600 surging 2.1% to close above its 50-day average for the first time since Oct. 4. The Nasdaq rose 1.4%, the S&P 500 1% and the Dow 0.6%, all above their 50-days. Leading stocks...

AFTER THE CLOSE.(TO THE POINT)
November 3, 2005... GUESS jumped 7% after it reported Q3 earnings of 46 cents, 70% more than a year ago and 9 cents over views. Sales rose 34% to a record $266 mil. Same-store sales rose 9%. PRUDENTIAL FINANCIAL rose 4% after it reported Q3 earnings rose 57%...

BUSINESS BRIEFS.(TO THE POINT)
November 3, 2005... FINANCE Credit Suisse posts Q3 profit rise Switzerland's second biggest bank netted $1.49 bil in the period, 42% higher than the year-ago result. Street views weren't available. Investment banking and private banking led the way for...

BUSINESS BRIEFS.(TO THE POINT)
November 3, 2005... MEDICAL Hologic soars as net beats views The maker of diagnostic and digital imaging systems netted 41 cents a share in its Q4, 71% over a year ago. Sales rose 22% to $78.2 mil. Much of the gain came from sales of its Selenia digital...

BUSINESS BRIEFS.(TO THE POINT)
November 3, 2005... TELECOM Sprint, cable firms in bundle pact Four cable TV providers will deliver phone, video, Internet and wireless services jointly with Sprint Nextel. Comcast, Cox Communications, Time Warner and Advance/Newhouse Communications will...

BUSINESS BRIEFS.(TO THE POINT)
November 3, 2005... ENERGY Foundation Coal swings to profit The coal miner posted 46 cents a share profit for Q3, reversing a year-ago loss of 72 cents and walloping views by 19 cents. Shipments rose 11% while the average price per ton shot up 20%,...

THE ECONOMY.(TO THE POINT)
November 3, 2005... Oct. layoff plans still on the rise Challenger, Gray & Christmas' monthly survey showed planned layoffs rose 13% vs. Sept. to 81,301 jobs. They remain 20% below a year ago. Year-to-date layoffs are 4.7% above the same period in '04. Weak...

IN BRIEF.(TO THE POINT)
November 3, 2005... ** Hansen Natural shot up 17% to 58.11, a new high, after Citigroup initiated coverage with a buy. The maker of natural sodas, juices and other specialty beverages has been in a steep rally for 27 months. ** Per-Se Technologies bested Q3...

NATION.(TO THE POINT)
November 3, 2005... Prince Charles visits Washington President Bush and first lady Laura welcomed Britain's Prince Charles and his wife, Camilla, to the White House in an otherwise low-key visit to the nation's capital. The royal couple began their weeklong...

WORLD.(TO THE POINT)
November 3, 2005... Chavez might move jets to China President Hugo Chavez also warned he might share Venezuela's U.S.-made F-16 fighters with Cuba. He claimed the U.S. broke a contract to supply parts for Venezuela's 21 F-16s. "We can do whatever we want with...

TRENDS & INNOVATIONS.(TO THE POINT)
November 3, 2005... Blair takes on global warming The U.K. prime minister is lobbying G-8 nations, including the U.S. and China, to shift to cleaner energy in a bid to combat global warming. Tony Blair launched a new round of international talks on climate...

TRENDS & INNOVATIONS.(TO THE POINT)
November 3, 2005... ** A major earthquake in Northern California could disrupt the state's water supply for a year, said the director of the California Water Resources Department. Two-thirds of the Golden State's residents would be affected if such a quake...

Motivator Dale Carnegie Influenced Many People; Focus On Goals: In refusing to accept a list of failures, he found a strategy that helped millions learn how to succeed.(LEADERS & SUCCESS)
November 3, 2005... Byline: SEAN HIGGINS If ever there were a sad sack who needed the keep-your-chin-up advice of Dale Carnegie (1888-1955), it was Dale Carnegie. Until he published "How to Win Friends and Influence People" in 1936, the founding guru of...

COMMUNICATE WITH PEOPLE EFFECTIVELY Simplicity Is The Keynote.(LEADERS & SUCCESS)(IBD'S 10 SECRETS TO SUCCESS)
November 3, 2005... Byline: Cord Cooper 9 When simplicity and common sense are absent, ad campaigns can spiral out of control. Yet in many marketing departments and ad agencies, common sense is all too uncommon, and complexity trumps simplicity. The...

Inventor Thomas Alva Edison Incandescent Ideas: His inspiration helped bring technology into our living rooms.(LEADERS & SUCCESS)
November 3, 2005... Byline: REINHARDT KRAUSE When it came to modernization, Thomas Alva Edison and Albert Einstein cornered the market. When it came to math skills, however, Edison was no Einstein. Asked about Einstein's theories, which still form the...

Spinoffs Of Orbitz And Expedia Should Help Investors Focus; Travel Web Sites Going Solo; Online travel appears to be slowing, but the new stocks should help clarify picture.(INTERNET & TECHNOLOGY)
November 3, 2005... Byline: DOUG TSURUOKA As online travel agencies fly solo again -- spinning off from their jumbo-sized parent companies -- investors could get a sharper view of the industry. Cendant announced last week that it would spin off travel Web...

As Crime Fighters Study Data, SPSS Steps In; Spotting Crime Trends; Firm's analytics software spreads, helping lift its stock to a five-year high.(INTERNET & TECHNOLOGY)
November 3, 2005... Byline: J. BONASIA Companies have long used predictive analytics software to anticipate the needs of customers. Now many law enforcement agencies are using similar techniques to ferret out criminals. That's great news for Chicago-based...