Investor's Business Daily articles from October 2003

Investor's Business Daily archives from October 2003

Compelling Signs Of Resurgence; Dramatic Acceleration In Q3; Consumers and business both pitch in to generate better-than-expected gain.(A)
October 31, 2003... Byline: JED GRAHAM The U.S. economy grew at its fastest pace in nearly 20 years last quarter as tax cuts and low interest rates helped fuel gains in consumer spending and housing construction. But the expansion was broad-based, with...

Best Growth Since Reagan Boosts Bush; But Will Job Gains Follow?(A)
October 31, 2003... Byline: Brian Mitchell and Joseph Guinto Thursday's good news on the economy could not have come too soon for President Bush, and it may have come just in time. To make a difference in November 2004, the current boom must yield more...

Will MCI's Ch. 11 Exit Seed New Price War?; Telecom Execs Worry.(A)
October 31, 2003... Byline: REINHARDT KRAUSE Jim Crowe compares the re-emergence of phone companies from bankruptcy to the cult movie classic "Night of the Living Dead." Equating post-bankruptcy carriers to killer zombies might be a stretch, but...

IBD'S TOP 10.(A)
October 31, 2003... GDP Surged At 7.2% Rate In Q3 1That was the best rise since late '84. Economists had seen a 6% annualized gain. Consumer spending rose at a 6.6% clip, the fastest since a matching gain six years ago. Nonresidential fixed investment leapt...

AFTER THE CLOSE.(TO THE POINT)
October 31, 2003... BRIGHTPOINT earned 27 cents ex items, 50% over Q3 views, vs. a 42-cent loss last year. Sales for the cell phone seller rose 58% to $533.7 mil, blowing out views. GEN-PROBE earned 18 cents, up 64% and 4 cents over Q3 views. Sales rose 22%...

BUSINESS BRIEFS.(TO THE POINT)
October 31, 2003... TECHNOLOGY EU widens Microsoft investigation The European Commission's probe of the software giant's alleged anti-competitive practices is broadening into software licenses. The EU is seeking details of computer hardware makers'...

BUSINESS BRIEFS.(TO THE POINT)
October 31, 2003... FINANCE Spitzer eyeing charges vs. Strong New York Attorney General Eliot Spitzer plans to bring criminal charges and may press a civil case against the mutual fund firm and its founder, Richard Strong, one of Forbes' 400 richest...

BUSINESS BRIEFS.(TO THE POINT)
October 31, 2003... MEDICAL Coventry tops Q3, ups Q4 outlook Earnings for the HMO rose 68% to $1.11 a share, 5% over views, as premium hikes outpaced medical costs. Sales rose 29% to $1.15 bil. Membership rose 25% to 2.35 mil. It sees $1.11-$1.13 for...

BUSINESS BRIEFS.(TO THE POINT)
October 31, 2003... INTERNET United Online marketing costs up Shares of the discount Net access provider fell 10% on higher customer acquisition costs and the prospect of AOL's expected no-frills offering. United Online's Q3 profit rose 60% to 24 cents...

THE ECONOMY.(TO THE POINT)
October 31, 2003... Finland, U.S. most competitive Finland is the world's most competitive economy followed by the U.S., Sweden, Denmark and Taiwan, says the World Economic Forum. Britain dropped 4 places to 15th and Canada fell off the top 10 list to 16th,...

IN BRIEF.(TO THE POINT)
October 31, 2003... Taro earned 53 cents a share, 2% over views and 36% over last year. Sales for the Israeli generic drug maker rose 50% to $83.1 mil. Starwood Hotels & Resorts' Q3 net fell 8% to 24 cents, up 4 cents from views. It sees 32 cents in '03 and...

NATION.(TO THE POINT)
October 31, 2003... Bush donors are rebuilding Iraq Some companies awarded $8 bil in reconstruction contracts gave more than $500,000 to the president's 2000 campaign, a report found. Some 70 U.S. firms and individual contractors are among the major donors...

WORLD.(TO THE POINT)
October 31, 2003... Canada issues drug challenge The government told the U.S. to go ahead and block the flow of cheap prescription medicines if it thinks they're a problem. The challenge was made in discussions with the FDA as controversy swirls over the...

TRENDS & INNOVATIONS.(TO THE POINT)
October 31, 2003... Taiwan worried over SARS return The country, which expects the flu-like virus to return in the next two months, is worried it'll be tough to detect SARS among its estimated 3 mil influenza patients. Last year, SARS first showed up in...

TRENDS & INNOVATIONS.(TO THE POINT)
October 31, 2003... ** Polar bears' habitats and native people's livelihood are threatened by longer Arctic summers and sea ice, which has lost up to 40% thickness the past 50 years, Nature said. ** Teens are more curious to find out about sexual...

Cervantes At A Glance.(LEADERS & SUCCESS)
October 31, 2003... Cervantes At A Glance Born: 1547 in Alcala de Henares, Spain. Died: 1616 in Madrid, Spain. Achievements: ** Considered one of the classic writers of all time, on par with Homer, Shakespeare and Dante. ** Wrote...

BE PERSISTENT AND WORK HARD Chuck Old-Style Reviews.(LEADERS & SUCCESS)(IBD'S 10 SECRETS TO SUCCESS)
October 31, 2003... Byline: Cord Cooper 5 Memo to managers: When planning your annual reviews, forget filling in blank lines and checking off boxes. Old-style reviews leave managers dazed and employees confused. Managers aren't sure they've communicated...

Writing Toward A Golden Age; His Pen Was Mighty: Cervantes committed bold dreams for humanity to paper.(LEADERS & SUCCESS)
October 31, 2003... Byline: CURT SCHLEIER If there was one thing Miguel de Cervantes refused to do, it was give up. Long before publication of his seminal novel, "Don Quixote," Cervantes (1547-1616) showed a willingness to fight against all odds. ...

United Online's Subscribers, Profit, Sales Rise -- And Stock Falls.(INTERNET & TECHNOLOGY)
October 31, 2003... Byline: PETE BARLAS United Online Inc. is winning lots of new customers with its cheap Internet services. It's having a tougher time wooing Wall Street. Even after beating analyst expectations Thursday and reporting its seventh...

Comcast Widens Its Lead In Providing High-Speed Net Access; Broadband Up 35% Vs. Q2; Digital subscribers also up as cable firms now fighting satellite-phone tandems.(INTERNET & TECHNOLOGY)
October 31, 2003... Byline: REINHARDT KRAUSE Comcast Corp. added 473,000 Internet customers in the third quarter, up 35% from the previous quarter, as the nation's biggest cable firm widened its broadband lead. Philadelphia-based Comcast has more than...

Unlike Most, MCI's Embracing Web Hosting; Bids For All Of Digex.(INTERNET & TECHNOLOGY)
October 31, 2003... Byline: REINHARDT KRAUSE As MCI emerges from bankruptcy, it looks to tighten ties with its Web hosting unit Digex Inc. The long-distance company, formerly WorldCom Inc., plans to make publicly traded Digex a wholly owned subsidiary....

7-ELEVEN INC. Dallas, Texas; Time To Move Beyond Jerky And Big Gulps?(THE NEW AMERICA)
October 31, 2003... Byline: KIRK SHINKLE You can make only so much money selling beef jerky and soft drinks. 7-Eleven Inc. is proof of that. The famed convenience-store chain has turned a steady profit the past decade. But earnings have gone up and...

ATI TECHNOLOGIES INC. Thornhill, Ontario; Silicon Chipmaker Eyes New Growth Avenues.(THE NEW AMERICA)
October 31, 2003... Byline: MARILYN MUCH After carving out a niche in personal computer graphics, ATI Technologies Inc. is gaining momentum in new markets. The company makes silicon chips that help create sharper graphics images on PC monitors, TV sets...

ICI Proposes Strict Fund Trading Rules; Admits Inconvenience; Firm 4 p.m. deadline could delay some buys; some see overreaction.(MUTUAL FUNDS)(FUND INDUSTRY TRENDS)
October 31, 2003... Byline: Murray Coleman and Paul Katzeff The mutual fund industry's main trade group Thursday called for major changes to trading rules and share purchase deadlines. The Investment Company Institute, which represents 385 mutual fund...

The New Math.(ISSUES & INSIGHTS)(EDITORIALS)(Editorial)
October 31, 2003... Growth: The sizzling 7.2% gain in third-quarter GDP and the prospect of 4% growth or better through the next year has some thinking we'd better start cranking up interest rates. But they're forgetting something. You don't hear the term...

Check The Record.(ISSUES & INSIGHTS)(EDITORIALS)(Editorial)
October 31, 2003... Honesty: The media are in full press over what they see as President Bush's Iraqi deception. But look closer and then decide who's actually playing with the truth. Maybe it's just a case of zealous reporting that's causing the press to...

Memo To Fed: Let The Market Do The Talking.(ISSUES & INSIGHTS)(VIEWPOINT)
October 31, 2003... Byline: LAWRENCE KUDLOW At this week's Federal Reserve meeting, the benchmark policy rate was held at its lowest level since 1958, and according to the Fed's policy statement it will remain there for "a considerable period." The...

Energy-Rationing By Another Name Still Spells "Kyoto'.(ISSUES & INSIGHTS)(PERSPECTIVE)
October 31, 2003... Byline: S. FRED SINGER In Washington, bad ideas never seem to go away. Even after they are rebuffed, some of our nation's leaders simply find more creative ways to revive them. The Senate Thursday featured a perfect example of this...

THE REAL MOST ACTIVE Stocks Mixed Despite Jump In GDP Growth.(MAKING MONEY)
October 31, 2003... Byline: CRAIG SHAW Stocks finished mixed Thursday despite third-quarter GDP growth that marked a 19-year high. The Dow industrials added 0.1% for their fourth straight up day, but the benchmark S&P 500 and small-cap S&P 600 each edged...

Analyze, Profit From IBD's Market Charts.(GENERAL MARKET & SECTORS)
October 31, 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...

Contact Lens Maker Basing After Gap-Up.(B)(NYSE STOCKS IN THE NEWS)
October 31, 2003... Byline: Craig Shaw Cooper Cos. is building an eight-week base. The stock gapped up 16% Sept. 4 on the year's heaviest trade after topping third-quarter profit views by 4 cents. Since then volume has quieted down as shares corrected 12%,...

THE REAL MOST ACTIVE Nasdaq Starts Up, Reverses In Higher Volume.(B)
October 31, 2003... Byline: JONAH KERI Nasdaq stocks started higher Thursday before reversing in higher volume. The composite index fell 0.2%, as did the Nasdaq 100. Talx plunged 5.63, or 20%, to 22.37 on nearly four times its normal trade. The provider...

Jos. A. Bank Fights Back After Reversal.(B)(NASDAQ STOCKS IN THE NEWS)
October 31, 2003... Byline: Jonah Keri Jos. A. Bank Clothiers tried to break out of a short consolidation in early October. But the stock quickly reversed, falling all the way below its 50-day moving average. Wait and see if the stock rights itself and...

Demand Builds Steam, But Business Still Wary To Add Jobs, Supplies; All Industries Report Gains; NABE's survey predicts rise in capital spending, including high-tech gear.(A)
October 30, 2003... Byline: CHRISTINA WISE Demand ramped up in the third quarter, but not employment or inventories, says an industry survey out Wednesday that may offer clues about today's GDP report. The survey of 110 members of the National...

Flames In Calif. Fan New Life Into A Bill That Would Allow Logging On U.S. Land; Democrats blocked vote on Bush's "Healthy Forest' legislation only last week.(A)
October 30, 2003... Byline: Brian Mitchell and Sean Higgins California is burning, and Congress is feeling the heat -- and moving quickly to pass a controversial forestry bill to allow more logging on federal land. The bill looked dead last week, when...

IBD'S TOP 10.(A)
October 30, 2003... NABE: Industry Demand Surging 1The National Association for Business Economics' quarterly survey found a net 42% of members said industry demand is rising, the best growth since late '99, with all sectors growing. Profit margins and...

AFTER THE CLOSE.(TO THE POINT)
October 30, 2003... APPLEBEE'S beat Q3 views by 2 cents with 45 cents a share, 22% over last year. Sales for the casual dining chain rose 21%, with same-store sales up 4.8%. It raised views on the rollout of its takeout food program. CHIRON made 60 cents ex...

IN BRIEF.(TO THE POINT)
October 30, 2003... Mass. should fire Putnam from running any of the state's pension fund, says Treasurer Tim Cahill. Putnam runs $1.7 bil of Mass.' $29 bil plan. On Tuesday, the state and SEC charged the Marsh & McLennan unit with securities fraud. Connecticut...

BUSINESS BRIEFS.(TO THE POINT)
October 30, 2003... MARKETS Reed to push for NYSE board split The change is part of a reform package interim Chairman John Reed will present to directors next week. Under the plan, the board would be split in two. The first half will comprise 6-12...

BUSINESS BRIEFS.(TO THE POINT)
October 30, 2003... TELECOM Garmin profit jumped 34% in Q3 The navigation devices maker earned 38 cents a share, beating views by 3 cents. Sales rose 26% to $135.6 mil. Garmin expects 43-45 cents in Q4 on $155 mil-$160 mil in revenue vs. views for 43...

BUSINESS BRIEFS.(TO THE POINT)
October 30, 2003... SCHOOLS Corinthian Q1 earnings rose 37% The for-profit college operator beat analyst views by 4 cents with a profit of 41 cents a share. Revenue soared 46% to $169.2 mil. Student enrollment grew 46% to 57,580. Same-school enrollment...

THE ECONOMY.(TO THE POINT)
October 30, 2003... Home loan demand falls in week The Mortgage Bankers Association of America's gauge of applications for new home loans last week fell 5.7%. But the MBAA's index of overall mortgage demand eased just 0.5%, as the gauge of mortgage...

TRENDS.(TO THE POINT)
October 30, 2003... Most U.S. kids using computers About 90% of kids ages 5-17 use computers and 59% of them use the Net, the Education Dept. says, and 1 of 4 kindergartners get online. Now 99% of public schools have Web access vs. 35% 8 years ago. Nearly...

NATION.(TO THE POINT)
October 30, 2003... Bush fights energy bill gridlock The president sent Vice President Dick Cheney to Capitol Hill to try and settle a feud between House and Senate Republicans. A sweeping energy bill that is a top priority for the White House faces collapse...

WORLD.(TO THE POINT)
October 30, 2003... Colombia will attack drug flights The country's new air force commander vowed not to hesitate in having suspected flights shot down if they are tracked by U.S. and Colombian authorities and ignore warnings to land. Gen. Edgar Lesmez said...

Conventional Isn't Wise.(LEADERS & SUCCESS)(IBD'S 10 SECRETS TO SUCCESS)
October 30, 2003... Byline: Robin Grugal 4 When it comes to learning, we usually think in conventional terms. Problem is, conventional forms of learning are less about learning than about accepting conventional wisdom, says leadership guru Warren...

Jack McKeon's Old Style Wins; Champ Manager: At 72, he has the Florida Marlins atop baseball's world.(LEADERS & SUCCESS)
October 30, 2003... Byline: MICHAEL MINK During his 54 years in professional baseball, Jack McKeon has rarely played by the book. "You need guts in this business. You gotta take risks," McKeon wrote years ago in "Jack of all Trades." That was never...

Finding The Most Profitable Advice Can Be A Click Away; WEB SITES; The Internet displays pages of information to help you plan a strategy.(SERIES: INVESTMENT TOOLS)(IBD SPECIAL REPORT)
October 30, 2003... Byline: BRIAN DEAGON When it comes to providing company information to individual investors, Jakob Nielsen thinks the best approach is the KISS method: keep it simple, stupid. "Individual investors are feeling utterly overwhelmed by...

New Rules Help Open The Books; SARBANES-OXLEY ACT; Investors can take advantage by following fine print and Webcasts.(SERIES: INVESTMENT TOOLS)(IBD SPECIAL REPORT)
October 30, 2003... Byline: DONNA HOWELL Accounting scandals, reform and regulatory change shook the corporate world. Amid all of it came a push for transparency into the way businesses are run. But has anything really changed for the investor? ...

Investors Managing To Stay Connected; ON THE GO; Money keeps flowing, no matter where the buy, sell orders begin.(SERIES: INVESTMENT TOOLS)(IBD SPECIAL REPORT)
October 30, 2003... Byline: KEN HOOVER Ian Link was at a Bank of America technology conference in San Francisco when he learned Christopher Galvin had resigned as Motorola's chairman and CEO. It arrived via e-mail from his office on his Blackberry. ...

Market Ripe For Devices And Services.(SERIES: INVESTMENT TOOLS)(IBD SPECIAL REPORT)
October 30, 2003... Byline: KEN SPENCER BROWN Maybe technology stocks aren't always a good bet. But new investor-centered gadgets, software and online services make technology a good investment for stock-market nerds. Whether it's getting the latest...

Building Defense To Thwart ID Theft.(SERIES: INVESTMENT TOOLS)(IBD SPECIAL REPORT)
October 30, 2003... Byline: DONNA HOWELL Is investing safe? Sure it takes risk tolerance to move into holdings more adventurous than T-bills. But is there danger in using your computer to trade online? Yes, there is, as recent hacking incidents and...

Gadgets, Software Coming Back; STOCKS; They bottomed last year and are giving investors a ringing wake-up call.(SERIES: INVESTMENT TOOLS)(IBD SPECIAL REPORT)
October 30, 2003... Byline: CRAIG SHAW What a difference a year makes. Twelve months ago this time, stocks of investment tool companies were planted firmly in the market's basement. Many languished 80%, 90% or more off their all-time highs. Handheld...

Application Service Providers Get Less Buzz, But More Results; Software As A Service Gains.(INTERNET & TECHNOLOGY)
October 30, 2003... Byline: J. BONASIA After years of fits and starts, the hosted software market finally seems to be hitting its stride. A number of hosting firms -- also known as application service providers, or ASPs -- have announced profits in...

Fiber Still Binding Gear Makers; Bells Delay Big Rollouts; Telecom carriers' plans might yet bring riches to fiber-optic suppliers.(INTERNET & TECHNOLOGY)
October 30, 2003... Byline: MIKE ANGELL Contrary to earlier hopes, makers of fiber-optic networking gear no longer expect any quick payoff on what still could, at some point, be huge fiber-to-the-home contracts. The three biggest U.S. local phone...

As Cost Of Travel Rises, Expedia Touts Its Online Deals.(INTERNET & TECHNOLOGY)(Q & A)
October 30, 2003... Byline: DOUG TSURUOKA With the economic recovery gaining force, corporate travel is rising. So, too, are travel costs. Those two trends are good news for Matt Hulett, who oversees online travel firm Expedia.com's corporate...

ANALOG DEVICES INC. Norwood, Massachusetts; High-Tech Electronics Give This Firm A Buzz.(THE NEW AMERICA)
October 30, 2003... Byline: MARILYN ALVA Like a lot of people, Jerald Fishman sounds excited about all the snazzy consumer electronics products coming on the market: digital cameras, portable DVD players, plasma TVs, high-end audio systems. Fishman's...

PETSMART INC. Phoenix, Arizona; Why Dogs Don't Worry About A Soft Economy.(THE NEW AMERICA)
October 30, 2003... Byline: ADELIA CELLINI LINECKER Twelve-year-old Bilbo Baggins, a mixed golden retriever and Labrador, is one lucky dog. His owner, Peggy Stanwood of Acton, Calif., routinely showers him with affection -- and gourmet treats. She...

Nudging Up Market Cap Helps Fund; Expands Its Choices; First American Small Cap Growth rebounds, beating benchmark.(MUTUAL FUNDS)(MUTUAL FUND PROFILE)
October 30, 2003... Byline: STEVE WATKINS Joe Frohna shifted the First American Small Cap Growth Opportunities Fund into a higher gear early this year. Frohna, the fund's portfolio manager, was hamstrung last year, when the fund was limited to buying...

Loggers Wanted.(ISSUES & INSIGHTS)(EDITORIALS)(Editorial)
October 30, 2003... Fires: As Southern California burns, lawmakers may learn something about forests and safety. Perhaps harvesting a few trees isn't such a bad idea after all. It's too bad it takes 600,000 charred acres (at last count), at least 16 lost...

Beware Damascus.(ISSUES & INSIGHTS)(EDITORIALS)(Editorial)
October 30, 2003... Middle East: It was the deadliest day in Iraq in two months as homicide bombers left dozens dead. The U.S. military says the culprit is Syria. Brig. Gen. Mark Hertling said that unlike Sunday's attack on the Al-Rashid Hotel in Baghdad,...

FACT BOX.(ISSUES & INSIGHTS)
October 30, 2003... ON THIS DAY In 1919, federal troops took over control of Gary, Ind., after rioting by striking steelworkers. In 1932, a fourth day of rioting rocked the streets of London as more than 15,000 unemployed youths smashed windows,...

Media Gave Clinton A Pass, But Bush's Policy Is A "Mess'.(ISSUES & INSIGHTS)(VIEWPOINT)
October 30, 2003... Byline: L. BRENT BOZELL III The cover of Newsweek screams from the mailbox and the magazine rack: "BUSH'S $87 BILLION MESS." In case that rhetorical punch isn't strong enough, it adds the promise of uncovering "Waste, Chaos and...

THE REAL MOST ACTIVE Stocks Edge Up As Win Streak Hits Three Days.(MAKING MONEY)
October 30, 2003... Byline: CRAIG SHAW Stocks marked their third straight day of gains Wednesday as firms continued to post encouraging profit results. The Dow rose 0.3%, the S&P 500 0.1%. The small-cap S&P 600 added 0.9%. Volume declined from Tuesday, but...

Analyze, Profit From IBD's Market Charts.(GENERAL MARKET & SECTORS)
October 30, 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...

Auto Lender Launches Flat Pattern Breakout.(B)(NYSE STOCKS IN THE NEWS)
October 30, 2003... Byline: Craig Shaw Westcorp broke out of a six-week flat base Wednesday on the heaviest trade since July. The stock's correction was 8.8%, well within the 15% maximum for a flat pattern. Its Relative Strength line notched new high ground...

THE REAL MOST ACTIVE Nasdaq Edges Higher As Volume Regains Weight.(B)
October 30, 2003... Byline: JONAH KERI Volume surged to near 2 billion shares again as the Nasdaq recorded modest gains. The composite index ticked up 0.2% while the Nasdaq 100 finished flat. Volume closed slightly below Tuesday's level, but still well...

Fred's Extending Its Reach, Forming Base.(B)(NASDAQ STOCKS IN THE NEWS)
October 30, 2003... Byline: Jonah Keri Fred's has surged more than twofold in the last seven months. The stock has consistently found support at its 50-day moving average along the way. It's etched an eight-week base and sits 1% off its high. With...

Check Beneath The Hood Of Stock Checkup.(THE SMART INVESTOR)(INVESTORS.COM CORNER)
October 30, 2003... Byline: KEN SHREVE Nearly 500 stocks in the IBD database sport Overall Ratings from IBD Stock Checkup of 90 or higher. That means they've outperformed 90% of all other stocks based on a combination of fundamental and technical factors....

Fed Holds Rates Steady Amid Signs Economy Is Starting To Pick Up; Orders, Confidence Both Up; Policy-makers say era of low interest rates can last for "considerable period'.(A)
October 29, 2003... Byline: CHRISTINA WISE The Federal Reserve Board kept the benchmark Fed Funds rate at a 45-year low of 1% Tuesday, amid a slew of new government data suggesting the economy's recovery is for real. But even as the economy shows signs...

As Congress Readies To Recess, GOP Agenda's Stuck In Neutral; Democratic filibusters, Republican infighting can cause the gridlock.(A)
October 29, 2003... Byline: SEAN HIGGINS It's not just Red Sox and Cubs fans who are shouting, "Wait till next year!" So are Republicans in Congress. With adjournment set for Nov. 7, most of the GOP's legislative agenda is stalled or otherwise in limbo....

IBD'S TOP 10.(A)
October 29, 2003... Stocks Surge On Higher Volume 1 The Nasdaq rallied 2.6%, the biggest gain since July 7, as trade swelled. Chip, chip gear, desktop software and electronics firms led the way. The S&P 500 and the Dow gained 1.5%. Leading stocks acted well,...

AFTER THE CLOSE.(TO THE POINT)
October 29, 2003... GILEAD earned 28 cents a share ex items, 83% over last year but 20% below views. Sales for the HIV drug firm rose 50% to $200 mil. Shares fell after hours. KINDRED COO Paul Diaz will become CEO Jan. 1, replacing Edward Kuntz, who becomes...

BUSINESS BRIEFS/IN BRIEF.(TO THE POINT)
October 29, 2003... COMMUNICATIONS Verizon beats Q3 as locals defect The Baby Bell earned 67 cents a share ex items, 5% over views but 13% below last year. Sales were up a bit to $17.16 bil. Sales for its core local landline service fell 4.1% to $9.9...

BUSINESS BRIEFS.(TO THE POINT)
October 29, 2003... TECHNOLOGY Microsoft settles suits in 5 states The software giant settled class-action antitrust and unfair competition suits filed by customers in Kansas, North Carolina, North Dakota, South Dakota, Tennessee and the District of...

BUSINESS BRIEFS.(TO THE POINT)
October 29, 2003... ENERGY FERC OKs California grid design The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission OK'd the California Independent System Operator's proposed redesign of the state's wholesale electricity market, which aims for day-ahead electricity...

BUSINESS BRIEFS.(TO THE POINT)
October 29, 2003... MEDICAL Down members, Oxford falls 9% The health insurer's membership is waning as job losses shrink the pool of insured workers. It lifted full-year guidance to $4.03-$4.08, but that's 4% under views. It sees '04 at $4.30-$4.50, 7%...

THE ECONOMY.(TO THE POINT)
October 29, 2003... Chain-store sales lower in week Same-store sales at major discount and department chains last week fell 0.9% from the prior week amid unusually warm weather and a combination of fires and labor strikes in Southern California, Bank of...

BUSINESS BRIEFS.(TO THE POINT)
October 29, 2003... TRENDS TV habits, reading trouble linked Kids up to 6 years old who live in homes where the TV is on most of the time may have more trouble learning to read than their peers, Kaiser Family Foundation and Children's Digital Media...

NATION.(TO THE POINT)
October 29, 2003... Bush vows to sign abortion bill He said the U.S. is not ready for a total ban on abortions. But the president said he would sign a ban just approved by Congress on what opponents call partial birth abortion. The House and Senate have both...

WORLD.(TO THE POINT)
October 29, 2003... China challenged on trade laws U.S. Commerce Secretary Don Evans pressed Premier Wen Jiabao to move faster to meet commitments to open its markets. Evans said Washington will "vigorously enforce" its trade laws if progress isn't made. He...

TAKE ACTION Grinding Out New Ideas.(LEADERS & SUCCESS)(IBD'S 10 SECRETS TO SUCCESS)
October 29, 2003... Byline: Cord Cooper 3 Solving problems and unleashing workers' creativity can be the ticket to long-term success. It worked for William Mc-Knight. McKnight joined 3M as an assistant bookkeeper in 1907. But his ingenuity helped him...

Bill Shoemaker's Winning Ride; Saddle Up: His relentlessly positive attitude carried him to horse racing's heights.(LEADERS & SUCCESS)
October 29, 2003... Byline: MARILYN ALVA It was 1986, and Bill Shoemaker was vying for his fourth Kentucky Derby victory. Racing pundits didn't believe Shoemaker had a chance, figuring his best jockeying days were behind. At 54, he was the oldest jockey...

Sun Micro Says Java's The Glue For Server Software Applications; Eases Programming; Comeback-minded firm using its ace in the hole: cutting-edge technology.(INTERNET & TECHNOLOGY)(Q & A)
October 29, 2003... Byline: MURRAY COLEMAN Sun Microsystems Inc. is going through tough times. Sales are down, and its stock hasn't recovered from the tech wreck. But it hasn't lost its strong suit, analysts say: technology. Sun remains the leader in...