IBD'S TOP 10.(A)

President, Congressman

Agree On Patients' Rights

1President Bush announced agreement with a pivotal Republican lawmaker on a patients' bill of rights that the House would pass and he could sign. Rep. Charles Norwood, R-Ga., said, "It does protect the patients of this country." The two sides had been debating where lawsuits against HMOs could be filed. There was no immediate comment from Democrats with whom Norwood had been aligned in the long effort to push patients' rights through Congress, including Rep. John Dingell, D-Mich., and Sen. Edward M. Kennedy, D-Mass.

Chips Spark Nasdaq Rally,

But Broad Market Fades

2The Nasdaq walked away with a strong gain, up 2% as trading increased. But the Dow industrials couldn't hang on to their early increase. The blue chip index slipped 0.1%, and the broader S&P 500 added 0.4%. Chip stocks saw some of their heaviest action after Merrill Lynch declared the worst over for the beaten-down sector. But a number of NYSE-listed medical stocks ran into problems amid profit worries sparked by health insurer Cigna, which fell nearly 14%. More on A18

GE Sent Down The River;