Investor's Business Daily articles from September 2005

Investor's Business Daily archives from September 2005

Gulf Energy Industry Just Can't Shake Off 2 Hurricanes' Blow; Few Oil, Gas Rigs Back Up; Even tougher to absorb is the 15% capacity dent in the tight refining sector.(A)
September 30, 2005... Byline: LAURA MANDARO After back-to-back hurricanes rampaged through the Gulf of Mexico, the region is pumping hardly any oil or natural gas while many refineries remain down. As of Thursday afternoon, 98.59% of all oil and 79.97% of...

Senate Clears Roberts As Chief Justice With 44 Democrats Evenly Split, 22-22; Most Dems eyeing a run for White House vote no; wait until 2nd nominee ...(A)
September 30, 2005... Byline: BRIAN MITCHELL John Glover Roberts Jr. was sworn in by President Bush as the 17th chief justice of the Supreme Court on Thursday, just hours after the Senate voted 78-22 to confirm him. Roberts spoke briefly at the White...

IBD'S TOP 10.(A)
September 30, 2005... Indexes Close At Session Highs 1Stocks started lower before reversing to rally the rest of the session. The Nasdaq surged 1.2%, led by software makers. The small-cap S&P 600 also gained 1.2%, closing above its 50-day average for the...

AFTER THE CLOSE.(TO THE POINT)
September 30, 2005... CALLAWAY GOLF will consolidate operations and trim jobs to cut expenses $70 mil. The golf club maker will take a $12-mil charge, half of it in Q3. It expects Q3 earnings of a 1-cent profit to a 5-cent loss, vs. 46 cents lost a year ago. ...

BUSINESS BRIEFS.(TO THE POINT)
September 30, 2005... MARKETS Aug. stock fund flow weakened Investors pulled $1.92 bil from U.S. stock funds as the market corrected. It was the first month of outflow since $1.12 bil in Aug. '04. The tide turned from an inflow of $5.32 bil in July....

BUSINESS BRIEFS.(TO THE POINT)
September 30, 2005... ENERGY Chevron rolls past storm damage The energy giant rose 1% to 65.77, a new high, as investors looked right past an estimated $350 mil in refinery damage costs by Hurricane Katrina. Chevron's Pascagoula, Miss., refinery has been...

BUSINESS BRIEFS.(TO THE POINT)
September 30, 2005... MEDICAL SEC opens formal inquiry of HCA Regulators issued a formal order of investigation in the trading of shares of the country's biggest hospital operator. At issue is the sale of stock by Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist, whose...

BUSINESS BRIEFS.(TO THE POINT)
September 30, 2005... FINANCE Lender buys into credit card biz CompuCredit, a subprime lender, has purchased CardWorks, the parent of Merrick Bank, and Cardholder Management Services. Merrick is a large issuer of Visa and MasterCard credit cards, and...

THE ECONOMY.(TO THE POINT)
September 30, 2005... Auto dealers report tough Sept. U.S. auto dealers told Market News that employee discount and other promotions lost their allure and trade-in values on big SUVs fizzled amid spiking gasoline prices. They also cited a big shift from huge...

IN BRIEF.(TO THE POINT)
September 30, 2005... Brightpoint won a contract to sell Samsung wireless devices in the U.S. Shares rose 4.5% to 19.51. American Greetings's Q2 profit fell 50% to 5 cents a share as sales declined 1% to $387.6 mil. The profit beat views of a 3 cents-a-share...

NATION.(TO THE POINT)
September 30, 2005... Texas conditions harsh after Rita Many areas reported that hurricane victims still had no electricity and little water or food after the storm. The Federal Emergency Management Agency delivered aid to residents, but some officials slammed...

WORLD.(TO THE POINT)
September 30, 2005... Grenade kills 7 at Kashmir mall The latest violence in insurgency-hit Indian Kashmir left 20 people injured after a grenade exploded outside Srinagar's Kashmir Haat mall. Meanwhile, 4 militants were killed when police raided their...

TRENDS & INNOVATIONS.(TO THE POINT)
September 30, 2005... Cheap mobiles to fuel market As the developed world's mobile phone market reaches saturation, easy-to-use, cheap handsets will fuel growth in the developing world, says research firm Informa Telecoms and Media. The firm says cheaper,...

TRENDS & INNOVATIONS.(TO THE POINT)
September 30, 2005... ** Oil as an energy source will go the way of the dinosaur, says the Worldwatch Institute in Washington, D.C. New sources like sunlight, wind and the ocean's tides will replace the politically and pollutingly problematic petroleum. **...

This Violinist Fine-Tuned His Focus To Master Music; Follow Your Passion: Isaac Stern's resolve, preparation and drive made him one of the 20th century's finest musicians.(LEADERS & SUCCESS)
September 30, 2005... Byline: CURT SCHLEIER Violinist Isaac Stern was a child prodigy. Then he made his New York City debut at age 17 in 1937 at Town Hall. There, his reception was less than enthusiastic. In fact, the criticism was harsh. As Stern wrote...

BE PERSISTENT AND WORK HARD Become The One To Beat.(LEADERS & SUCCESS)(IBD'S 10 SECRETS TO SUCCESS)
September 30, 2005... Byline: Cord Cooper 5 If you'd like a lesson in determination, look no further than Stampp Corbin, founder and chief executive of RetroBox. His firm helps clients sell, redeploy or charitably donate used high-tech equipment. It's a...

Financier J. Pierpont Morgan; Strategy For Success: His tough but fair approach earned him worldwide respect.(LEADERS & SUCCESS)
September 30, 2005... Byline: SEAN HIGGINS John Pierpont Morgan probably did as much as anyone else to create the stereotype of the American robber baron. He was a hard-driving deal maker who became wildly successful as a banker, but was never exactly known...

A Stitch In Time Saves Net; Network Security Issue; Software patches often released to fix flaws, but how can firms keep up?(INTERNET & TECHNOLOGY)
September 30, 2005... Byline: DONNA HOWELL Every month it's patch, patch, patch. Tech administrators face a swelling tide of flaws found in popular software. To cope with the security risks these flaws bring, companies install software patches and try...

A New Age-Old Problem Prods Big Blue Solution; Baby Boomers Get Old; IBM releasing products to help companies teach aging workers new tricks.(INTERNET & TECHNOLOGY)(Q & A)
September 30, 2005... Byline: DOUG TSURUOKA Companies already have faced lots of challenges in the last decade: the Y2K computer glitch, a rise in computer viruses and spam, and growing medical costs. Now they have another challenge: coping with aging...

E-Trade Purchase Of BrownCo Extends A Consolidation Trend; Few Major Online Brokerages; The $1.6 billion agreement leaves Fidelity, Ameritrade, Scottrade and Schwab.(INTERNET & TECHNOLOGY)
September 30, 2005... Byline: BRIAN DEAGON E-Trade said Thursday it will pay $1.6 billion in cash for BrownCo, an online brokerage service of JPMorgan Chase, adding 200,000 high-value customers to its portfolio. "These customers are very active traders...

Broad Rally Helps Nasdaq Notch New Follow-Through.(YOUR WEEKLY REVIEW)
September 30, 2005... Byline: NANCY GONDO The major indexes rallied Thursday, led by a 1.2% jump in the Nasdaq, its biggest since the Sept. 6 follow-through. Heavier volume gave weight to a strong rally. Some investors may assume tech stocks helped boost...

M-SYSTEMS FLASH DISK PIONEERS LTD. Tel Aviv, Israel; Maker Of Memory And Storage Gear Isn't Just A Flash In The Pan.(THE NEW AMERICA)
September 30, 2005... Byline: DAVE EISENSTADT The onslaught of a billion or more new mobile gadgets a year is a given. But the technology behind these ever-multiplying, ever-sophisticated electronic devices is up for grabs. At the forefront is M-Systems...

Lifestyle Brands Put Their Mark On Homes; Builders Tap John Deere, Orvis; Recognizable names draw buyers to communities that reflect the brands' mystique.(INSIDE REAL ESTATE)
September 30, 2005... Byline: MARILYN ALVA Lawn tractors and fly-fishing don't seem to have much in common. But in the game of real estate, the two are helping some real estate companies build awareness and sell homes in nonurban areas. It's all...

U.S. Stock Funds Post Outflow For Aug.; First Since August 2004; Overall flow was positive as world equity funds remained in the black.(MUTUAL FUNDS)(INVESTMENT TRENDS)
September 30, 2005... Byline: MURRAY COLEMAN As the stock market slid in August, investors trimmed their contributions to stock mutual funds. New money coming in minus redemptions netted $6.31 billion flowing into stock funds last month. That was...

In Praise Of Pelosi.(ISSUES & INSIGHTS)(EDITORIALS)(Editorial)
September 30, 2005... Budget: Give Nancy Pelosi credit for offering to give up $70 million in pork in her district to offset Katrina relief costs. If every member of Congress did the same, Washington would save $37.5 billion. It's healthy to give up the other...

Un-Married With Children.(ISSUES & INSIGHTS)(EDITORIALS)(Editorial)
September 30, 2005... Poverty: Post-Katrina critics constantly remind us that those who remained in New Orleans were largely black and poor. What they don't tell us is that they were largely women and children. Never mind that had Katrina roared through...

The Next Deadly Flu.(ISSUES & INSIGHTS)(EDITORIALS)(Editorial)
September 30, 2005... Health: Amid fears of war, hurricanes and other calamities, we continue to ignore a mundane threat that could perhaps do the most damage of all: influenza. And our neglect may someday return to haunt us. That's right: the flu. If you...

THE REAL MOST ACTIVE HMOs Decline As Oil Services Make Big Gains.(MAKING MONEY)
September 30, 2005... Byline: KATHARINE STALTER The Dow industrials climbed 0.8%, the S&P 500 0.9% Thursday as volume was higher. As November crude closed 44 cents higher at $66.79 per barrel, oil companies once again were among gainers. Companies...

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

Cemex Prices 27 Mil ADRs At 49.50 Apiece.(B)(NYSE STOCKS IN THE NEWS)
September 30, 2005... Byline: Katharine Stalter Cemex cleared the 42.62 buy point of a three-month base on June 29. It pulled back to its 10-week moving average in late August, found support, then climbed to an intraday high of 53.85 on Sept. 6. It's since...

THE REAL MOST ACTIVE Late Surge Boosts Nasdaq To Follow-Through.(B)
September 30, 2005... Byline: JONAH KERI The Nasdaq staged a follow-through session Thursday, rallying late to close at its highs for the day. The Nasdaq composite gained 1.2%, the Nasdaq 100 1.4%. Nasdaq volume ended higher. LKQ Corp. surged 1.52 to...

Relative Strength Line Should Hit New High Just Before A Breakout.(B)(INVESTOR'S CORNER)
September 30, 2005... Byline: KATHARINE STALTER If you're an investor, you already know that some breakouts work better than others. In some cases, a stock seems to have formed a proper base and cleared its buy point, but the breakout fizzles. All the...

LKQ Crosses 10-Week After Stock Offering.(B)(NASDAQ STOCKS IN THE NEWS)
September 30, 2005... Byline: Jonah Keri LKQ Corp. went public at $13 in October 2003. The stock struggled against resistance around 20-21 before shooting above that level in May of this year. LKQ then cleared a flat base in late July, only to again run into...

IN BRIEF.(FUTURES & BONDS)
September 30, 2005... Byline: Compiled from Reuters Treasury To Sell $32 Bil In Bills The department said it will sell $17 billion of three-month bills and $15 billion of six-month bills Monday. The bills will be issued Thursday. Proceeds from the...

Tom Delay Is Indicted, Forced To End Role As House Majority Leader; Decries Political "Witch-hunt'; He says he didn't break campaign finance laws; Roy Blunt is interim leader.(A)
September 29, 2005... Byline: BRIAN MITCHELL House Majority Leader Tom DeLay, R-Texas, said he would "step aside" for now from his leadership post after a Texas grand jury on Wednesday indicted him and two associates for conspiracy to evade state campaign...

Record Credit Card Delinquencies In Q2 As Gas Prices Squeeze Poorer Shoppers; Number of late accounts climb, late balances slide; energy costs higher in Q3.(A)
September 29, 2005... Byline: LAURA MANDARO The number of delinquent credit card accounts rose to a record high in the second quarter as higher gas prices took a bigger chunk out of consumers' wallets, said a bank trade group Wednesday. A survey of...

IBD'S TOP 10.(A)
September 29, 2005... House GOP Chief DeLay Indicted 1Republicans picked Rep. Roy Blunt of Mo. to fill in as majority leader while Tom DeLay fights grand jury charges that he and two political associates conspired to violate Texas campaign finance laws. DeLay...

AFTER THE CLOSE.(TO THE POINT)
September 29, 2005... RED HAT was red hot after it reported 9 cents a share in Q2 vs. 6 cents a year ago, beating views by 2 cents. Sales rose 42% to $65.7 mil. It raised Q3 guidance. Shares jumped 10%. FOREST LABS and Cypress Bioscience said a late-stage...

BUSINESS BRIEFS.(TO THE POINT)
September 29, 2005... METALS Steel Technologies lowers views Citing higher raw material costs, lower selling prices and weaker-than-expected shipments, the steel processor forecast 6 cents a share in Q4, 95% below the year-ago profit and 2 cents over...

BUSINESS BRIEFS.(TO THE POINT)
September 29, 2005... TECHNOLOGY Google plans huge headquarters The Internet search giant plans to develop a 1 mil-square foot corporate campus containing offices, houses and roads at the NASA Ames Research Center in Mountain View, Calif. The new facility...

BUSINESS BRIEFS.(TO THE POINT)
September 29, 2005... MEDICAL U.S. rejects Genentech patent The U.S. Patent Office rejected a patent that would have covered methods of making certain antibodies or antibody fragments, saying it was similar to a Genentech patent that expires in '06. S&P...

BUSINESS BRIEFS.(TO THE POINT)
September 29, 2005... BUILDING Meritage raises '05 guidance The home builder boosted its '05 outlook on continued demand for new homes and its recent acquisition of Greater Homes in Orlando, Fla. Meritage Homes now expects to make $8.94-$9.19 a share ex...

THE ECONOMY.(TO THE POINT)
September 29, 2005... Calif. housing at "tipping point' UCLA researchers said the state's housing market is overvalued by 45% and is set to cool. Still, they predict a soft landing though the state's economy will slow. A housing slowdown will hurt jobs in...

IN BRIEF.(TO THE POINT)
September 29, 2005... DaimlerChrysler will slash 8,500 jobs in Germany at its Mercedes Car Group in the next 12 months. The cuts will be voluntary, using buyouts, and will cost the company $1.11 bil. Shares rose 4% to 54.83. Ruth's Chris Steak House's Q3 sales...

NATION.(TO THE POINT)
September 29, 2005... Study: Illegal immigration rising The Pew Hispanic Center reported that overall immigration has increased, mainly due to the strong U.S. economy. Total immigration rose to 1.2 mil in 2004, up from 1.1 mil in 2003. The number of illegal...

WORLD.(TO THE POINT)
September 29, 2005... Israel expands 5-day plan in Gaza Widening its push against Palestinian militants, Israel for the first time fired artillery shells into the Gaza Strip and shut down 15 West Bank offices suspected of distributing money to families of...

TRENDS & INNOVATIONS.(TO THE POINT)
September 29, 2005... RFID tracks hurricane's victims Morgue workers in Mississippi are using embedded radio-frequency ID (RFID) chips to keep track of unidentified remains. The chips are implanted under the corpses' skin or placed inside body bags; workers...

TRENDS & INNOVATIONS.(TO THE POINT)
September 29, 2005... ** Steamy talk in an Internet chat-room comprises sufficient grounds for divorce, a Belgian legal magazine concluded after examining a Brussels Appeals Court ruling that said chats constitute proof of "grossly insulting behavior," which is...

Baldwin IV At A Glance.(LEADERS & SUCCESS)
September 29, 2005... Baldwin IV At A Glance Born: 1161 in Jerusalem. Died: 1185 in Jerusalem. Education: Tutored and self-taught. Achievements: ** Revitalized the Crusader state of Jerusalem with his leadership. ** Scored some of...

His Method Was A Testament To The Can-Do Spirit Manufacturing Made Easy: Whitney's innovative approach to business helped make the American system the gold standard.(LEADERS & SUCCESS)(BEST OF LEADERS & SUCCESS)
September 29, 2005... Byline: TOM DWORETZKY It was a make-or-break moment for Eli Whitney and the nation. Whitney was meeting with President Jefferson and his advisers in 1801 to get their continued support for his radical approach to making muskets. ...

NEVER STOP LEARNING Quash Work-Space Chaos.(LEADERS & SUCCESS)(IBD'S 10 SECRETS TO SUCCESS)
September 29, 2005... Byline: Adelia Cellini Linecker 4 If you suffer from chronic messy desk syndrome, you know how challenging it can be to locate that scrap envelope with an important client's new cell phone number on it. Sometimes you get lucky and find...

King Baldwin IV Of Jerusalem; True Grit: Courage, determination helped him triumph over enemies and illness.(LEADERS & SUCCESS)
September 29, 2005... Byline: DOUG TSURUOKA The greatest of the Christian kings to rule Jerusalem during the Crusades began life as a hapless boy, who to all appearances, should never have ruled at all. He was Baldwin IV, the so-called Leper King of...

Instant Messaging Springs New Task Onto Security Staff; Employers Fear Thefts, Viruses; IM grows as business tool -- and as unsecured entry to firms' networks, secrets.(INTERNET & TECHNOLOGY)
September 29, 2005... Byline: DONNA HOWELL More than two of every five Americans online send instant messages. And plenty of them do it at work. Typically they use public IM networks, such as Time Warner's AOL Instant Messenger, Microsoft's MSN Messenger...

Katrina Packed A Powerful Punch: Too Much For Any Phone System; BellSouth Took Big Hit; Network is recoverable, says the carrier's chief, a veteran of 53 hurricanes.(INTERNET & TECHNOLOGY)(Q & A)
September 29, 2005... Byline: REINHARDT KRAUSE Hurricanes, even a Katrina, eventually blow over. BellSouth has a lot of work to do to recover from Katrina. The Atlanta-based phone company also faces long-term challenges that are here to stay. One is the...

Motorola Spinoff Freescale Aims To Climb Brand-Awareness Scale.(INTERNET & TECHNOLOGY)
September 29, 2005... Byline: JAMES DETAR Freescale Semiconductor. Know the name? Many people in the chip industry -- including Free-scale executives -- say most people would answer no. That's so even though Freescale is the No. 3 U.S. chipmaker in sales...

NETEASE.COM INC. Beijing, China; Chinese Internet Services Firm Presses On After Death Of Ex-CEO.(THE NEW AMERICA)
September 29, 2005... Byline: ALAN R. ELLIOTT When Ted Sun died on Sept. 18, reportedly after battling a long-term illness, he left behind a very different company than the one he was hired to revive. A former investment banker, Sun signed on as the...

Janus Fund Goes Against The Grain; Manager Limits Losses; Janus Contrarian Fund defies Wall Street gurus to score long-term wins.(MUTUAL FUNDS)(MUTUAL FUND PROFILE)
September 29, 2005... Byline: MURRAY COLEMAN David Decker courts controversy. He manages $2.8 billion Janus Contrarian Fund. And like the name implies, Decker prefers to go against Wall Street's grain. Some brand his style of investing as reckless....

Missing In Action.(ISSUES & INSIGHTS)(EDITORIALS)(Editorial)
September 29, 2005... Leaders: As ex-FEMA chief Mike Brown calls Louisiana "dysfunctional," the New Orleans police superintendent resigns with 250 officers under investigation for going AWOL. Was the Big Easy a disaster waiting to happen? It's easy to dismiss...

Without DeLay.(ISSUES & INSIGHTS)(EDITORIALS)(Editorial)
September 29, 2005... Politics: Sometimes even very bad news obscures a major opportunity. That might be the case for Republicans, who find both their top congressional leaders under fire on ethics charges. With House Majority Leader Tom DeLay indicted...

Cut The Strings.(ISSUES & INSIGHTS)(EDITORIALS)(Editorial)
September 29, 2005... State Finances: Louisiana politicians are asking Washington for $250 billion in storm relief. Inside-the-Beltway lawmakers will play along even as piles of taxpayers' money flows into capitals around the country. Congress, which will...

Higher And Drier.(ISSUES & INSIGHTS)(EDITORIALS)(Editorial)
September 29, 2005... Rebuilding: If New Orleans is to be restored at the nation's expense, then taxpayers should have a say in the process, starting with a question: Does this city make sense? The answer, we suggest, is that parts of it do and parts of it...

THE REAL MOST ACTIVE Concern About Supply Pushes Oil, Gas Higher.(MAKING MONEY)
September 29, 2005... Byline: KATHARINE STALTER The Dow industrials finished Wednesday's session with a 0.2% gain; the S&P 500 was up 0.1%. Turnover rose. Oil and gas stocks rallied as investors grew concerned about supply after post-hurricane shutdowns...

Analyze, Profit From IBD's Market Charts.(GENERAL MARKET & SECTORS)
September 29, 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...

Market Can Take Off Even When Economy Appears In Dire Shape.(B)(INVESTOR'S CORNER)
September 29, 2005... Byline: JONAH KERI One of the hallmarks of IBD's stock market coverage is the refusal to make predictions. The rationale behind this policy is simple: You need to know what the market is doing know, not where it might go in the...

Commercial Business Gives Harris A Boost.(B)(NYSE STOCKS IN THE NEWS)
September 29, 2005... Byline: Katharine Stalter Harris bolted out of a base-on-base pattern in a breakaway gap on July 28. It rallied 25% from its handle's buy point of 33.47, reaching an intraday high of 41.82 on Sept. 8. It then pulled back in...

THE REAL MOST ACTIVE Nasdaq Starts Higher, Gives Back Early Gains.(B)
September 29, 2005... Byline: JONAH KERI Nasdaq stocks frittered away early gains, as a positive durable goods report failed to inspire investors Wednesday. The Nasdaq composite closed down less than 0.1%, while the Nasdaq 100 ended roughly even. Volume edged...

IPOs Inergy, Beacon Digesting Their Gains.(B)(NASDAQ STOCKS IN THE NEWS)
September 29, 2005... Byline: Jonah Keri Inergy Holdings went public at $23 a share on June 21. The stock notched a steady climb over the next few weeks, peaking at 35 earlier this month. It's since pulled back in light volume, finding support at its 10-week...

IBD'S 20 RULES FOR INVESTMENT SUCCESS.(THE SMART INVESTOR)
September 29, 2005... A vital point is these rules are not based on our personal opinion, our beliefs or those of Wall Street's analysts and experts. Investor's Business Daily built models of the most successful stocks and investors of the last half-century. We...

Pinpoint Leaders With Screen Of The Day.(THE SMART INVESTOR)(INVESTORS.COM CORNER)
September 29, 2005... Byline: KEN SHREVE Target stocks with good qualities, not bad ones. It may seem obvious, but many investors have a tough time doing it. Instead of focusing on stocks with strong earnings and sales growth, leading price performance...

Home Sales Retreat As Rising Inventory May Pressure Prices; Supply Gauge At 5-Yr High; Housing activity remains robust, but for-sale signs might stem rise in prices.(A)
September 28, 2005... Byline: LAURA MANDARO Sales of new homes in August fell sharply from a July peak to a level that suggests still-hearty demand from buyers. But in a worrying sign for future price gains, for-sale signs continued to sprout. August...

Consumer Confidence Posts Huge Drop, But May Not Foreshadow Spending Fall; It doesn't take a genius to realize that gas prices are pinching Americans.(A)
September 28, 2005... Byline: DONALD H. GOLD The Consumer Confidence Index took its biggest one-month hit in 15 years as some Americans struggled with the aftermath of killer storms, and drivers faced higher gasoline prices. But many economists said the...

IBD'S TOP 10.(A)
September 28, 2005... New-Home Sales Tumble 9.9% 1Aug.'s annualized sales of 1.237 mil were much less than expected and the lowest since Nov. July sales were revised down. New-home prices rose for the first time in 4 months to $220,300, but up just 1% vs. a...

AFTER THE CLOSE.(TO THE POINT)
September 28, 2005... PAYCHEX, a payrolls processor, earned 30 cents a share in its fiscal Q1, up 30% from last year and 2 cents over views. Sales rose 17% to $403.7 mil, also topping views. Shares rose 7%. BAXTER INTERNATIONAL will repatriate about $2 bil of...

BUSINESS BRIEFS/IN BRIEF.(TO THE POINT)
September 28, 2005... TELECOM Handheld phone sales picking up Global handset sales are strengthening, with new subscriptions surging in Russia, India and China, said Bank of America. It now sees '05 sales of 813 mil, up from its previous estimate of 795...

BUSINESS BRIEFS.(TO THE POINT)
September 28, 2005... TECHNOLOGY Chipmakers fall on downgrade Semiconductors were hard hit after JPMorgan cut its sector outlook from bullish to neutral, contending several leading indicators such as utilization rates, gross margins and year-over-year...

BUSINESS BRIEFS.(TO THE POINT)
September 28, 2005... MEDICAL Pfizer's Lipitor wins new FDA OK The blockbuster cholesterol-lowering drug can now be used to help cut the risk of cardiovascular problems in diabetics or patients with multiple heart-disease risk factors. Studies of the...

BUSINESS BRIEFS.(TO THE POINT)
September 28, 2005... ENERGY Oil seen falling, but not as much JPMorgan Chase adjusted its recommendations on the world's largest oil companies after predicting benchmark crude oil prices will fall to $40 in '08, above a previous forecast of $28 but a...

THE ECONOMY.(TO THE POINT)
September 28, 2005... Weekly chain store sales up a bit The Int'l Council of Shopping Centers said sales rose 0.1% despite high gas prices in the week ended Sept. 24. It was the first gain in eight weeks following a 2.1% dip in the prior week. Year over year,...

TRENDS/INNOVATIONS.(TO THE POINT)
September 28, 2005... Bone loss adds to facial wrinkles You can blame the bones in the face, not just gravity, for those wrinkles and the general drooping appearance that comes with age, research by a California plastic surgeon shows. The study was based on...

NATION.(TO THE POINT)
September 28, 2005... Lawmaker backs pension changes A senior House Republican said Congress will this year overhaul the nation's pensions system. Rep. John Boehner, R-Ohio, chairman of the House Education and the Workforce Committee, also suggested that...

WORLD.(TO THE POINT)
September 28, 2005... Mubarak begins fifth 6-year term A close U.S. ally, Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak, was sworn in to his fifth term, which runs to 2011, calling on "the majority and the opposition" to work for a modern democracy. In a speech to...

Michael Jordan's Discipline Made Him A Champion; Aim To Be The Best: He combined desire and supreme effort to become one of the greatest basketball players in history.(LEADERS & SUCCESS)(BEST OF LEADERS & SUCCESS)
September 28, 2005... Byline: MICHAEL MINK If you want to be like Mike, you have to think like Mike. That's because Michael Jordan's greatest gift isn't his physical ability -- it's his mental discipline. He was determined from the start to fully maximize...

TAKE ACTION Expanding The Repertoire.(LEADERS & SUCCESS)(IBD'S 10 SECRETS TO SUCCESS)
September 28, 2005... Byline: Cord Cooper 3 When software maker Blackbaud Inc. launched in 1981, it operated out of a one-room office above a storefront. It had three employees, six customers and first-year revenue of $86,000. Today it's an industry...

Surgery Pioneer John Hunter; Innovate: His curiosity and dedication changed the practice of modern medicine.(LEADERS & SUCCESS)
September 28, 2005... Byline: CURT SCHLEIER For a surgeon, John Hunter held a number of unsurgeonlike views. For one thing, he didn't believe that cutting a patient open should be the first option. "No operation should be carried out unless absolutely...