• US Trade Deficit for August came in at $29.4 billion, over $2 billion less than economists expected, and less than the revised July levels of $31.7 billion. US exports surged $3.22 billion since July, as imports rose only $1 billion since July.

• The Philadelphia Fed Index, a good measure of manufacturing activities in the Federal Reserve District, dropped 3.8% in October, well more that anticipated. The New Orders Index dropped 3.7%, while Manufacturing Inventory rose 8.4%. The 6 Months Outlook Index dropped to 14.0% from September's 24.7%. The Prices Paid Index dropped 20.6%.

• US Jobless Claims dropped to 307,000 for the week ending of October 14th. The 4 Week Moving Average came in at 303,000 - a 1,000 drop, but still above the 300,000 mark. Visit our Federal Reserve Monetary Policy Analysis page to read more on the Federal Reserve FOMC meeting. Also, visit our expanded message boards to discuss this topic or any other business topic by clicking here.

• Lockheed Martin's Chief Operating Officer Louis Hughes is leaving effective October 31 due to personal reasons. Lockheed gained 27 cents. 

• Sun Microsystems gained 6.69% after reporting strong earnings today.

• UAL, the parent of United Airline, reported fiscal Q3 earnings losses of $1.29 a share, well higher than the First Call estimated losses of 54 cents a share, and well off the $2.89 a share profits of fiscal Q3 1999. UAL blamed oil prices, delays and flight cancellations on its woes. UAL expect the same problems and contract costs to lead to more losses in fiscal Q4.

• Drug stocks rallied after reporting strong earnings today.

• UPS, the world's largest delivery company, reported fiscal Q3 earnings of 60 cents a share, 2 cents a share better than First Call estimates. UPS' global package delivery volume rose 6.2% since fiscal Q3 1999. UPS gained 13.07%.

• AOL lost 3.13% as analysts react negatively to its dismal advertisements backlog, despite a strong fiscal Q1 earnings reported yesterday. Investors revisited Yahoo!'s earnings because it spiked up 12.91%. AOL's merger partner Time Warner closed lower in sympathy.

• Crude Oil Prices dropped 57 cents to close at $32.91 a barrel.

• AFTER CLOSE: Commerce One, a B2B enabler, reported fiscal Q3 losses of 9 cents a share, 3 cents a share less losses than First Call estimates. Commerce One gained 7.92% in regular session, and is gaining aggressively in after hours trading.

• AFTER CLOSE: McDonalds, the leading restaurant company, reported fiscal Q3 earnings of 41 cents a share, in line with First Call estimates, but 2 cents higher than previous year. McDonalds blamed the weak Euro for not beating analyst's estimates.

• AFTER CLOSE: Reuters reported that, Honeywell and United Technologies have confirmed that they are in talks in a merger deal that could create a formidable US Industrial Manufacturing Company. Honeywell gained a fraction in regular trading, while United Technologies lost a fraction.

• AFTER CLOSE: Gillette reported fiscal Q3 earnings of 33 cents a share , in line with First Call estimates. The Gillette Board also removed its CEO and Chairman Michael Hawley, because it wants new leadership that will position the company as a global Brand Name that it should be. Gillette President Edward DeGraan will be the acting CEO, while Richard R. Pivirotto will be the acting nonexecutive Chairman.

• AFTER CLOSE: eBay reported fiscal Q3 earnings of 7 cents a share, a whopping 3 cents a share better than First Call estimates, and 6 cents a share better than fiscal Q3 1999 earnings. eBay gained 7.14% in regular trading, and is gaining aggressively in after hours trading.

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• We expect NASDAQ to rally tomorrow again on eBay and Commerce One earnings reports.

• DID SOMEONE SAY BARGAINS!!! The battered Technology, Internet, and Biotechnology stocks ARE looking very attractive now. Non-PC chip makers, software and networking gear companies especially. We are still holding our picks though. Give us your views on this observation  here.

• STOCKS TO WATCH NEXT MARKET DAY: Biotechnology/Biopharmaceuticals, B2B, Technology (Non-PC related stocks), Contract Equipment Manufacturers (CEMs), and Online Brokerage stocks are still our premiere picks.

• Expect the major Internet Portal sites to perform very well.

• Internet holding and capacity (storage) companies will do very well (check out our Quarterly forecasts for other picks).

• US Consumer Price Index (CPI), a good measure of consumer inflation, rose 0.5% in September, slightly above expectation. Core CPI, which excludes volatile Energy and Food sectors, rose 0.3%, also slightly above expectation.

• US Housing Starts for September rose 0.3% to 1.53 million units. The Northeast and West saw rises, while the South & Midwest experienced declines.

• For the week ending of October 13th, the Energy Intelligence Agency (EIA), and the American Petroleum Institute (API) reported that US Crude Inventory dropped 4.5 million & 3.1 million barrels respectively. Reuters' survey of analysts expected a drop of 3.0 million barrels. EIA and API also reported that, Distillates inventory dropped 900,000 and 540,000 respectively - Reuters expected a rise of 750,000 barrels. What does today's data mean? while it looks like inflationary pressure might be building, a conclusion can't be made by just one data set. We need to see more. Besides, it is very unlikely the Federal Reserve will raise rates in a politically charged month like this November. Visit our Federal Reserve Monetary Policy Analysis page to read more on the Federal Reserve FOMC meeting. Also, visit our expanded message boards to discuss this topic or any other business topic by clicking here.

• IPO Today: Ixia, a computer networks performance analyzer, closed 57.69% above its offering price.

• AFTER CLOSE: Extreme Networks, a networking equipment maker, reported fiscal Q1 earnings of 8 cents a share , 2 cents a share better than First Call estimates, but 3 cents less than whisper numbers reported online. Revenues rose 153%. Extreme is losing in after hours trading (probably due to the whisper numbers).

• AFTER CLOSE: Microsoft reported fiscal Q1 earnings of 46 cents a share, 5 cents a share better than First Call estimates, and 18% higher than fiscal Q1 1999. Microsoft is gaining in after hours trading.

• AFTER CLOSE: Ariba, a B2B enabler, reported a break even in its fiscal Q4 earnings, well better than the 3 cents a share loss last year. Losing in after hours.

• AFTER CLOSE: Time Warner reported fiscal Q3 earnings of 7 cents a share, 3 cents a share better than First Call estimates, and the same amount as fiscal Q3 1999. Net income for the quarter came in at 6 cents a share, a whopping 21 cents a share less than a year ago.

• AFTER CLOSE: AOL reported fiscal Q1 1999 earnings, and 1 cents a share better than First Call estimates. e-Commerce revenues rose 80% to $649 million, in line with analysts expectations.  

• AFTER CLOSE: Broadcom,  a chip maker, reported fiscal Q3 earnings of 30 cents a share, 6 cents a share better than First Call estimates, and more than double fiscal Q3 1999 earnings. Broadcom credited the surging demand for broadband for the spectacular increases. Broadcom, which closed lower in regular trading even after the Wall Street Journal reported that it is paying $275.8 million to acquire privately held Allayer Communications, a chip maker for high speed networks, is rising in after hours trading.

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• We expect the spectacular performance of Microsoft, AOL, Broadcom, etc. - key technology and Internet stocks, and bargain hunting, to help both the Dow and the NASDAQ to rebound tomorrow.

• We don't think the losses for Technology and Internet stocks is over yet, but we expect a breather at least once this week. The Dow could rally at least 2 more times for the week. We do see some very good values though:

• DID SOMEONE SAY BARGAINS!!! The battered Technology, Internet, and Biotechnology stocks ARE looking very attractive now. Non-PC chip makers, software and networking gear companies especially. We are still holding our picks though. Give us your views on this observation  here.

• STOCKS TO WATCH NEXT MARKET DAY: Biotechnology/Biopharmaceuticals, B2B, Technology (Non-PC related stocks), Contract Equipment Manufacturers (CEMs), and Online Brokerage stocks are still our premiere picks.

• Expect the major Internet Portal sites to perform very well.

• Internet holding and capacity (storage) companies will do very well (check out our Quarterly forecasts for other picks).

• The National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) reported that its Housing Market Index rose 63 in October. Traffic of potential buyers rose to 46.

• US Industrial Production for September rose to 0.2%, well higher than the forecasted losses. Auto Production rose a strong 3.9%, but non-auto manufacturing had the highest overall increases. Visit our Federal Reserve Monetary Policy Analysis page to read more on the Federal Reserve FOMC meeting. Also, visit our expanded message boards to discuss this topic or any other business topic by clicking here.

• Computer Task Group rose 26.53% after Janney Montogemery Scott upgraded it to an "accumulate" recommendation.

• Alcan Aluminum rose 4.42% after Dresdner Kleinwort Benson upgraded it to a "add" recommendation.

• Tobacco stocks posted spectacular fiscal Q3 earnings today.

• AOL, Yahoo!, and other Internet Portals, online advertising and media companies sustained heavy losses as advertisement revenues worries resurface.

• Yahoo! lost 11.43% after Lehman Brothers Internet analyst Holly Becker made known that she expects Internet companies to advertise less on Yahoo!

• AFTER CLOSE: Intel reported fiscal Q3 earnings of 41 cents a share, 52% higher than last year. Intel is still rising in after hours trading.

• AFTER CLOSE: IBM reported fiscal Q3 earnings of $1.08 a share, in line with First Call estimates, and an 18% increase from last year. Sales rose only 3% for the period. IBM is losing in after hours trading.

• AFTER CLOSE: Citigroup reported fiscal Q3 earnings of 67 cents a share, 2 cents better than First Call estimates, and 27% higher than last year. Citigroup lost 1 7/16 in regular trading.

• AFTER CLOSE: Avis Group reported fiscal Q3 earnings of $1.36 a share, 4 cents a share better than First call estimates, and 26 cents higher than last year.

• TRY THIS NEW SERVICES OUT: Checkout our HOT U.S. Cities and Counties Procurement Bids & Small Business Funding Resources page. If you are new, we now have a WEEKEND NEWS update to keep you properly informed for the next market day.

• JOIN THE DISCUSSIONS: Due to the immense popularity this column has received recently, and the willingness of our guests to communicate with each other, we have expanded our message boards so as to serve you better. Please check out (and post on) our NEW expanded message boards here.

• We don't think the losses for Technology and Internet stocks is over yet, but we expect a breather at least once this week. The Dow could rally at least 2 more times for the week. We do see some very good values though:

• DID SOMEONE SAY BARGAINS!!! The battered Technology, Internet, and Biotechnology stocks ARE looking very attractive now. Non-PC chip makers, software and networking gear companies especially. We are still holding our picks though. Give us your views on this observation  here.

• STOCKS TO WATCH NEXT MARKET DAY: Biotechnology/Biopharmaceuticals, B2B, Technology (Non-PC related stocks), Contract Equipment Manufacturers (CEMs), and Online Brokerage stocks are still our premiere picks.

• Expect the major Internet Portal sites to perform very well.

• Internet holding and capacity (storage) companies will do very well (check out our Quarterly forecasts for other picks).

• US Business inventories rose 0.7% in August, well above forecasts. July inventories figures were revised upward to 0.4%. Inventory to sales ratio rose to 1.34. Visit our Federal Reserve Monetary Policy Analysis page to read more on the Federal Reserve FOMC meeting. Also, visit our expanded message boards to discuss this topic or any other business topic by clicking here.

• Cryolife gained 15.75% after announcing that European regulators have certified its Heart-Valve device.

• November Crude Oil futures lost $2.07 to close $32.92/barrel as analysis eye the peace summit in the Middle East. The peace summit however, has a rough going as of 9.00 PM Eastern US Time. The renewed violence in Palestinian territories has those involved in the summit worried.

• As we reported over the weekend, Chevron announced today that it is paying about $35 billion in stock to acquire Texaco. Texaco gained 7.03%, while Chevron lost 2.67%.

• PC Chipmakers Intel and AMD lost 11.61% and 6.86% respectively after Salomon Smith Barney analyst Jonathan Joseph and CS First Boston Analyst Charlie Glavin raised concern about the reduction in chip prices, due to price wars between AMD and Intel.

• Xerox lost another 25.75% on investor jitters (and the company's refused to comment further) about its cash crunch problems.

• Bank of America Corp., parent of the US' largest bank, reported fiscal Q3 earnings of $1.10/share, 13 cents a share less than fiscal Q3 1999.  ING Barings downgraded the stock to a "hold" recommendation. Bank of America lost 2.95%.

• USB Piper Jaffray initiated coverage of Ariba with a "buy" recommendation. Ariba gained 7.96%.

• B2B stocks were up today as analysts expect them to post spectacular fiscal Q3 results.

• Schlumberger, the consolidated oil concern, is buying a major stakes in Convergent Group, a Colorado company which sells software and services to utilities and local goverments, and whose major customer is the Indiana/Ohio utility company Cinergy,  for $276 million. Convergent gained 65.56%, while Schlumberger lost.

• French Industrial concern Pechiney is paying $45 million for plastic packaging and labels maker JPS Packaging Co.  JPS closed up 28.13%.

• United Technologies is paying $600 million for Specialty Equipment Companies. Specialty gained 24.55%, while United Technology gained 3.41%.

• AFTER CLOSE: Novellus, a chip equipment maker that closed down 13.89% in regular trading, reported fiscal Q3 earnings of 62 cents a share, in line with First Call estimates, and almost 4 times its fiscal Q3 1999 earnings revenues rose over 100% from $154.9million in fiscal Q3 1999 to $359.1 million.

• AFTER CLOSE: Altera, a chip maker, reported fiscal Q3 earnings of 28 cents a share, in line with First Call estimates, and a whopping 15 cents a share higher than fiscal Q3 1999. Fiscal Q3 sales rose 51%. Altera closed lower in regular trading, and still losing in after hours trading.

• TRY THIS NEW SERVICES OUT: Checkout our HOT U.S. Cities and Counties Procurement Bids & Small Business Funding Resources page. If you are new, we now have a WEEKEND NEWS update to keep you properly informed for the next market day.

• JOIN THE DISCUSSIONS: Due to the immense popularity this column has received recently, and the willingness of our guests to communicate with each other, we have expanded our message boards so as to serve you better. Please check out (and post on) our NEW expanded message boards here.

• We don't think the losses for Technology and Internet stocks is over yet, but we expect a breather at least once this week. The Dow could rally at least 2 more times for the week. We do see some very good values though:

• DID SOMEONE SAY BARGAINS!!! The battered Technology, Internet, and Biotechnology stocks ARE looking very attractive now. Non-PC chip makers, software and networking gear companies especially. We are still holding our picks though. Give us your views on this observation  here.

• STOCKS TO WATCH NEXT MARKET DAY: Biotechnology/Biopharmaceuticals, B2B, Technology (Non-PC related stocks), Contract Equipment Manufacturers (CEMs), and Online Brokerage stocks are still our premiere picks.

• Expect the major Internet Portal sites to perform very well.

• Internet holding and capacity (storage) companies will do very well (check out our Quarterly forecasts for other picks).

• WEEKEND NEWS: Reuters reported Saturday that the boards of Chevron and Texaco are to vote Sunday afternoon on the merger of the two oil companies. The merger talks value Texaco, the 7 th. largest oil company in the world, at $35 billion. The merger of Chevron, the 5th. largest in the world, with Texaco will create a formidable challenge to the big Four: ExxonMobil, Royal Dutch/Shell, BP Amoco, and TotalFina Elf.

• WEEKEND NEWS: After Friday's blast at the British Embassy in Yemen, a Saudi Arabian airliner bound for London was hijacked and hostages later released in Baghdad, Iraq. The US government is reported to have closed its foreign missions in the Middle East, Seven Islamic African countries south of the Sahara, and Pakistan, for fear of terrorist acts. The terrorists who bombed the US warship are still at large. We expect oil prices to spike next day of trading on these developments.

• US Producer Price Index (PPI), a good measure of producer inflation, grew 0.9% in September, almost 2 times the forecasted growth rate. The Core PPI, which excludes volatile energy and food prices, grew 0.3% for the period, 3 times more than expected, but only 1.2% above the levels seen this time last year.

• US Retail Sales rose 0.9% in September, 0.3% higher than was expected. The August and July levels were revised downward to 0.1% and 0.8% respectively. Both Non-durable goods and Durable goods sales rose 0.9% in September (durable goods dropped 0.2% in August). This data shows that the potential for inflation breaking out is still much alive and could have been real if the stock market hasn't reduced consumers' "wealth effect". Since the economy is still strong and oil prices still high, inflationary pressures are still much alive. Visit our Federal Reserve Monetary Policy Analysis page to read more on the Federal Reserve FOMC meeting. Also, visit our expanded message boards to discuss this topic or any other business topic by clicking here.

• Contract Equipment Manufacturers (CEMs) had a good day. Visit our Quarterly forecasts page to read our take on this sector. 

• Exult, a web-based services provider, gained 35.48% after Bank of America announced tht it has outsourced some of its Human Resources work to Exult in other to eliminate 10,000 jobs as part of its restructuring efforts. Bank of America gained 4.49%.

• Ericsson, a Cellular phone and networking company,  is paying $100 million for Microwave Power Devices, a power amplifier systems maker. Ericsson gained 9.63%, while Microwave Power gained 42.71%.

• Crude Oil prices closed slightly lower as Saudi Arabia made it known that it will not stop the supply of oil as an attempt to punish Israel for attacking Palestinian cities with Gunships yesterday.

• The European Union (EU) today approved the merger of Vivendi, Canal Plus, and Seagram. Vivendi gained 3.06%.

• Xerox lost 7.22% today after rumors started spreading that its financial difficulties were worst than the company is claiming. Xerox called the rumors false.

• Ford Motor Co. gained 8.56% despite a nationwide Class Action lawsuit initiated by Kenneth B. Moll & Associates on behalf of the 23 million owners of Ford cars and trucks equipped with the defective ignition system.

• Online advertisement giant DoubleClick lost 31.38% as worries about the future of online advertising refuses to subside. Other online advertising and media houses that took heavy losses included 24/7 Media, Engage Technologies, MyPoints.Com, and RealNetworks, which lost 10.71%.

• Gateway Computer gained 21.73% today after reporting strong earnings yesterday. Gateway also boosted the sagging PC stocks as Apple gained 10.31%, Compaq gained 11.85%, Dell gained 17.79%, and Hewlett Packard gained 8.29%. CS First Boston also initiated coverage of Dell and Compaq with a "hold" and "strong buy" recommendations respectively.

• TRY THIS NEW SERVICES OUT: Checkout our HOT U.S. Cities and Counties Procurement Bids & Small Business Funding Resources page. If you are new, we now have a WEEKEND NEWS update to keep you properly informed for the next market day.

• JOIN THE DISCUSSIONS: Due to the immense popularity this column has received recently, and the willingness of our guests to communicate with each other, we have expanded our message boards so as to serve you better. Please check out (and post on) our NEW expanded message boards here.

• We think today's rally sparked by bargain hunters will continue briefly next week. Then again, this market is always full of surprises. We do see some very good values though:

• DID SOMEONE SAY BARGAINS!!! The battered Technology, Internet, and Biotechnology stocks ARE looking very attractive now. Non-PC chip makers, software and networking gear companies especially. We are still holding our picks though. Give us your views on this observation  here.

• STOCKS TO WATCH NEXT MARKET DAY: Biotechnology/Biopharmaceuticals, B2B, Technology (Non-PC related stocks), Contract Equipment Manufacturers (CEMs), and Online Brokerage stocks are still our premiere picks.

• Expect the major Internet Portal sites to perform very well.

• Internet holding and capacity (storage) companies will do very well (check out our Quarterly forecasts for other picks).

• US jobless claims for week ending October 7th rose slightly to 306,000 - 5000 more than previous week. The 4 week moving average dropped to 302,000.

• US Import Prices rose a sharp 1.5% in September, due primarily to oil imports. US Export Prices gained 0.5% in the same period, led by Agricultural products.

• The Energy Information Agency (EIA) and the American Petroleum Institute (API) reported that for week ending October 6th., US Crude Oil inventories dropped 1 million and 3.9 million barrels respectively. Reuters' survey of market analysts expected a drop of 1.1 million barrels. The EIA and API reported that distillates dropped 500,000 and 3.3 million respectively - Reuters survey expected an increase of 500,000 barrels. Visit our Federal Reserve Monetary Policy Analysis page to read more on the Federal Reserve FOMC meeting. Also, visit our expanded message boards to discuss this topic or any other business topic by clicking here.

• Oil prices gained $2.81 a barrel to $36.06 a barrel as tension in the Middle East escalates. Israeli helicopters fired an Palestinian strongholds, as the whole region begins to show signs of instability. A US warship was rammed with explosives in a Yemeni port en route to the region. Gold was up too. 

• Engle Homes gained 19.44% after announcing that it will be bought by Technical Olympic, a subsidiary of European Construction Firm Technical Olympia S.A. for $215 million, or $19.10/share. Engle Homes closed at $18 13/16.

• Microsoft announced that it will license NetIQ's Management Software and invest in the company. This is an effort for Windows 2000 to be made easier to use on servers in data centers and web sites. NetIQ gained 39.50%, while Microsoft lost 2.47%.

• CerProbe gained 56.50% after announcing that it has agreed to be bought by Kulicke & Soffa for $225 million, or $20/share, in cash. Kulicke lost 2.40%, while CerProbe closed up at $19.56/share.

• Home Depot lost 28.74% after issuing an earnings warning for fiscal Q3. Wachovia Securities and Raymond James both downgraded Home Depot.

• Boca Resorts, which owns the Florida Panthers Hockey team, gained 8.56% after Microsoft Co-Founder Bill Gates' private investment company, Cascade Investments LLC, was identified as holding a 5.06% stake in the company.

• Three Five Systems, a computer monitor maker, closed 25.37% higher after reporting fiscal Q3 earnings of 19 cents a share, 4 cents a share better than First Call estimates.

• IPO Today: Synplicity, a software developer for the semiconductor industry, closed 42.19% above its offering price.

• AFTER CLOSE: Gateway Computer reported fiscal Q3 earnings of 46 cents a share, in line with First Call estimates, and 9 cents a share better than fiscal Q3 1999. Gateway lost 99 cents in regular trading.

• AFTER CLOSE: Juniper Network, an internet routers maker, reported fiscal Q3 earnings of 17 cents a share, 8 cents a share better than First Call estimates, and well better than fiscal Q3 1999 losses of 1 cent a share. Juniper now controls 22% of the market within a 2 year period. Sales rose 78% since fiscal Q2 of this year. Juniper closed the regular trading session down by 3.10%, is up in after hours trading.

• AFTER CLOSE: DoubleClick, an online advertisement company, reported fiscal Q3 earnings of 3 cents a share, in line with First Call estimates. Revenues came in at $135.2 million for the quarter. DoubleClick, which lost 14.45% in regular trading, is losing aggressively in after hours trading.

• AFTER CLOSE: PMC-Sierra, a networking chip maker, reported fiscal Q3 earnings of 31 cents a share, a whopping 21 cents a share above fiscal Q3 1999. Revenue rose from $82.5 million in fiscal Q3 1999 to $198.1 million in Q3 2000. PMC is optimistic about the coming quarter as broadband technology build up continues. PMC, which gained a fraction in regular trading, is gaining aggressively in after hours trading.

• AFTER CLOSE: Veritas Software, a storage management software developer, reported fiscal Q3 earnings of 16 cents a share, 2 cents better than First Call estimates, and 7 cents a share better than fiscal Q3 1999. Veritas closed down 11.91% in regular trading.

• AFTER CLOSE: Lam Research, a chip equipment maker, reported fiscal Q1 earnings of 48 cents a share, 5 cents a share better than First Call estimates, and 29 cents a share better than fiscal Q1 1999. Lam Research closed down a fraction in regular trading. 

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• JOIN THE DISCUSSIONS: Due to the immense popularity this column has received recently, and the willingness of our guests to communicate with each other, we have expanded our message boards so as to serve you better. Please check out (and post on) our NEW expanded message boards here.

• We expect little change from today's slide in tomorrow's market as tensions continue in the Middle East, and more blue chip stocks continue to issue earnings warnings. The 3 bulleted points below explain our stand and views in the next few days:

• We have heard about online advertising being a concern for the past 4 quarters now. Yet, Internet Portals, ISPs, etc. keep reporting earnings that either meet or beat Wall Street estimates, but the stocks get downgraded, and on and on and on......... We are wondering where these same doomsday analysts are when First Call goes out and takes these estimates, and if they participate in the estimates, when have we started punishing stocks that outperform our biggest guesses? Could it be that Internet related stocks are being punished because many investors want these stocks to fit in their narrow valuation of a company's worth based on P/E ratios? If so, these same investors and analysts won't have bought Ford Motor Company, or any other Automobile stocks by the turn of the Century because Horse Buggy makers would have had a better P/E valuation and a better measure of their product's demand, existing infrastructure, etc. Don't follow the herd!

• While Yahoo! did beat estimates and the outlook readjustment from Lucent was generally expected, bargain hunters will more than likely have a hard time helping the markets close higher. Investors will dump stocks at every negative, or presumed negative comment, as can be seen from today. We believe the markets are not done dropping yet, at least for this next 7 business days. After everything is said and done, these next few days will provide an unparallel opportunity for bargain hunters in Technology (Non-PC related), Biotechnology, and leading Internet (excluding online retailers) stocks.

• DID SOMEONE SAY BARGAINS!!! The battered Technology, Internet, and Biotechnology stocks ARE looking very attractive now. Non-PC chip makers, software and networking gear companies especially. We are still holding our picks though. Give us your views on this observation  here.

• STOCKS TO WATCH NEXT MARKET DAY: Biotechnology/Biopharmaceuticals, B2B, Technology (Non-PC related stocks), Contract Equipment Manufacturers (CEMs), and Online Brokerage stocks are still our premiere picks.

• Expect the major Internet Portal sites to perform very well.

• Internet holding and capacity (storage) companies will do very well (check out our Quarterly forecasts for other picks).

• US Wholesale Trade for August rose 0.3%, slightly below expectations, but higher than the decline recorded in July. Inventory grew 0.6%, higher than the previous month, while Inventory to Sales ratio held steady at 1.30. Visit our Federal Reserve Monetary Policy Analysis page to read more on the Federal Reserve FOMC meeting. Also, visit our expanded message boards to discuss this topic or any other business topic by clicking here.

• Yahoo! lost 20.94% today. Although posting earnings higher than expected yesterday, Yahoo! was downgraded by First Union Securities, SG Cowen, Dain Rauscher Wessels, and Janney Montgomery Scott. Most Analysts stated that they are not interested in the reported figures, but now looking forward to how Yahoo! will do in Q4. Prudential Securities, however, upgraded Yahoo! to a "strong buy" recommendation.

• Palm, the handheld computing device maker, and Delphi Automotive, are creating a new company called MobileAria that will sell their jointly produced Handsfree Communications Systems. Delphi gained a fraction, while Palm gained 11.59%.

• Online advertisers DoubleClick lost 14.18%, 24/7 Media lost 14.58%, due to online advertisement fears for next quarter (Q4).

• Best Buy announced that it will start selling AT&T's Broadband Internet Service at their stores. Both stocks lost.

• Microsoft gained 2.18% after announcing a European online music deal with Sony Corporation.

• Motorola was downgraded by Morgan Stanley Dean Witter, ABN Amro, Banc of America Securities, DB Alex Brown, and First Union Securities. Motorola lost 18.33%.

• Lucent Technologies was downgraded by CE Unterberg Towbin, ING Barings, Josephthal & Co., Morgan Stanley Dean Witter, and Wachovia Securities. Lucent lost 32.27%.

• AFTER CLOSE: AMD, the major rival to Intel, reported fiscal Q3 earnings of 64 cents a share, 2 cents a share better than First Call estimates. Over the year sales rose 82% to $1.21 billion in fiscal Q3 2000. AMD attributed the spectacular performance to its Athlon and Duron high end processors, which sold 3.6 million units for the quarter alone. AMD projects that it will have a 20% worldwide market share by year's end. AMD closed up a fraction in regular trading, and gaining in After hours trading.

• AFTER CLOSE :Advanced Micro Circuits, which lost 6.13% in regular trading, reported fiscal Q2 earnings of 26 cents a share, 18 cents a share better than fiscal Q2 1999. Revenue grew 31% since fiscal Q2 1999. Advanced Micro Circuits is gaining aggressively in after hours.

• AFTER CLOSE: TransWitch, a semiconductor company, which closed 3.09% down in regular trading, reported that fiscal Q3 earnings rose 18%, while revenue rose 124% for the period. TransWitch is gaining aggressively in after hours.

• AFTER CLOSE: A California (Alameda County Superior Court) Judge ordered Ford Motor Co. to recall 2 million cars sold in that state with defective electronics systems. the Judge stated that Ford misled consumer. Ford lost 3.95% in regular trading. 

• TRY THIS NEW SERVICE OUT: Checkout our HOT U.S. Cities and Counties Procurement Bids & Small Business Funding Resources page.

• JOIN THE DISCUSSIONS: Due to the immense popularity this column has received recently, and the willingness of our guests to communicate with each other, we have expanded our message boards so as to serve you better. Please check out (and post on) our NEW expanded message boards here.

• The 3 bulleted points below explain our stand and views in the next few days:

• We have heard about online advertising being a concern for the past 4 quarters now. Nevertheless, Internet Portals, ISPs, etc. beat Wall Street estimates, but the stocks get downgraded, and on and on and on......... We are wondering where these same doomsday analysts are when First Call goes out and takes these estimates, and if they participate in the estimates, when have we started punishing stocks that outperform our biggest guesses? Could it be that Internet related stocks are being punished because many investors want these stocks to fit in their narrow valuation of a company's worth based on P/E ratios? If so, these same investors and analysts won't have bought Ford Motor Company, or any other Automobile stocks by the turn of the Century because Horse Buggy makers would have had a better P/E valuation and a better measure of their product's demand, existing infrastructure, etc. Don't follow the herd!

• While Yahoo! did beat estimates and the outlook readjustment from Lucent was generally expected, bargain hunters will more than likely have a hard time helping the markets close higher. Investors will dump stocks at every negative, or presumed negative comment, as can be seen from today. We believe the markets are not done dropping yet, at least for this next 7 business days. After everything is said and done, these next few days will provide an unparallel opportunity for bargain hunters in Technology (Non-PC related), Biotechnology, and leading Internet (excluding online retailers) stocks.

• DID SOMEONE SAY BARGAINS!!! The battered Technology, Internet, and Biotechnology stocks ARE looking very attractive now. Non-PC chip makers, software and networking gear companies especially. We are still holding our picks though. Give us your views on this observation  here.

• STOCKS TO WATCH NEXT MARKET DAY: Biotechnology/Biopharmaceuticals, B2B, Technology (Non-PC related stocks), Contract Equipment Manufacturers (CEMs), and Online Brokerage stocks are still our premiere picks.

• Expect the major Internet Portal sites to perform very well.

• Internet holding and capacity (storage) companies will do very well (check out our Quarterly forecasts for other picks).

• The Richmond Federal reserve Manufacturing Survey, a measure of Manufacturing activity in the district, reported that its September Shipment Index dropped more than half to 9. The New Orders Index rose 3 times higher than the previous levels to 12, and the highest in 3 months. Backlog of Orders Index dropped by 3 points. The 6-month Shipment Outlook Index was 28, the lowest level in months. Wages paid by Manufacturers eased a little as the labor market held steady due to low growth in employment. Visit our Federal Reserve Monetary Policy Analysis page to read more on the Federal Reserve FOMC meeting. Also, visit our expanded message boards to discuss this topic or any other business topic by clicking here.

• Ericsson, a leading wireless phones and networking company, is buying about $500 million to $1 billion worth of Compaq servers in the next 4 years so as to improve its operations. Both Ericsson and Compaq closed lower.

• November Crude Oil futures rose $1.30 on the NYME to close at $33.18 a barrel as violence in the Middle East escalate and seem destined to spread. Oil futures are still gaining in after hours trading on ACCESS Trade.

• Motorola reported fiscal Q3 earnings of 26 cents a share, in line with First Call estimates, and 66% above fiscal Q3 1999 earnings. Motorola reported that its Cellular Phone operating profit margin rose 6% for the period. Motorola closed up 2.78%.

• Apache Corp., an Oil and Gas explorer and producing company, was upgraded to a "strong buy" recommendation by Frost Securities and Robert W. Baird. Dain Rauscher Wessels upgraded it a "strong buy aggressively" recommendation. Apache gained 14.29%.

• Deutsche Bank AG, Europe's largest banking group, is offering $49/share for the remaining 84% of National Discount Brokers Group (NDB) it doesn't own. NDB, an online brokerage company, is also the parent of up and coming market maker (share dealer), NDB Capital Markets. The market maker unit is rumored to be the most prized of the whole company and many analysts think this could lead to a bidding war. NDB gained 88.86% to close at 47 11/16. Visit our Quarterly forecasts page to read our take on the Online Brokerage Sector.

• Robinson Humphrey initiated coverage of King Pharmaceuticals with an "outperform" recommendation. King Pharmaceuticals gained 9.92%.

• Morgan Stanley Dean Witter (MSDW) lost 10.51% on rumors that the company has lost about $1 billion trading high-yield (Junk) Bonds. Most Major Brokerage banks closed lower today as fear of Junk Bonds exposure swept across Wall Street.

• SpeechWorks International, a voice recognition software developer, gained 7.16% after it was made known that Yahoo! will use its software to power its new initiative that will allow Yahoo! e-mail members to access their mail via telephone.

• Altera and Xilinx, both programmable chip makers, lost 27.06% and 21.09% respectively due to a Lehman Brothers and Salomon Smith Barney downgrades. Lehman Brothers downgraded Altera and Xilinx to "neutral" recommendations, while Salomon Smith Barney downgraded them to an "outperform" recommendations. These downgrades caused chip stocks to plummet as the Philadelphia Semiconductor Index lost to close at its lowest point in over 7 months.

• AFTER CLOSE: Yahoo! reported its fiscal Q3 earnings of 13 cents a share, 1 cent a share better than First Call estimates, and 117% above fiscal Q3 1999. Yahoo's revenues rose to $295.6 million, almost double the fiscal Q3 1999 revenues. Net income quadrupled to $47.7 million, or 8 cents a share. Yahoo! lost 3.57% in regular trading.

• AFTER CLOSE: Seagate Technologies, a disk drive and storage company, reported fiscal Q1 earnings of 26 cents a share, 5 cents a share better than First Call estimates, and a whopping 19 cents a share better than fiscal Q1 1999 earnings. Sales rose 4% to 1.748 billion. Seagate, which announced March 29th. that it was taking itself private, closed down 1.56% in regular trading.

• AFTER CLOSE: Lucent Technologies, a telecommunications equipment maker, cut its Q4 growth outlook due to the poor performance of its optical and telephone circuit switching units. This is the 3rd. quarter that Lucent will cut its outlook. Lucent lost a fraction in regular trading.

• TRY THIS NEW SERVICE OUT: Checkout our HOT U.S. Cities and Counties Procurement Bids & Small Business Funding Resources page.

• JOIN THE DISCUSSIONS: Due to the immense popularity this column has received recently, and the willingness of our guests to communicate with each other, we have expanded our message boards so as to serve you better. Please check out (and post on) our NEW expanded message boards here.

• While Yahoo! did beat estimates and the outlook readjustment from Lucent was generally expected, bargain hunters will more than likely have a hard time helping the markets close higher. Investors will dump stocks at every negative, or presumed negative comment, as can be seen from today. We believe the markets are not done dropping yet, at least for this next 7 business days. After everything is said and done, these next few days will provide an unparallel opportunity for bargain hunters in Technology (Non-PC related), Biotechnology, and leading Internet (excluding online retailers) stocks.

• The battered technology stocks are beginning to look very attractive. Non-PC chip makers, software and networking gear companies especially. We are still holding our picks though. Give us your views on this observation  here.

• STOCKS TO WATCH NEXT MARKET DAY: Biotechnology/Biopharmaceuticals, B2B, Technology (Non-PC related stocks), Contract Equipment Manufacturers (CEMs), and Online Brokerage stocks are still our premiere picks.

• Expect the major Internet Portal sites to perform very well.

• Internet holding and capacity (storage) companies will do very well (check out our Quarterly forecasts for other picks).

• Visit our Federal Reserve Monetary Policy Analysis page to read more on the Federal Reserve FOMC meeting. Also, visit our expanded message boards to discuss this topic or any other business topic by clicking here.

• Williams-Sonoma, the Home Goods retailer, reported that its fiscal Q3 will at least be 66% less than Wall Street forecast. Williams Sonoma lost 29.30%.

• Broadvision, an e-commerce software developer, is teaming up with B2B powerhouse, i2 Technologies, to efficiently market products and services on the web. Broadvision gained 20.2%, while i2 Technologies gained 7.37%.

• Vodafone Group is reportedly in talks with Ireland's telecommunications company EirCom Plc., in hopes of acquiring a majority stake in EirCell, its wireless unit, the New York Times online reported, Vodafone gained a fraction, while EirCom Plc. gained 14.71%.

• Sycamore Networks gained 11.18% after announcing that it will team up with fiber optics maker Corning to develop and market fiber optics switches. Corning gained 2.83%.

• Yahoo! today made Visa its  preferred card on its web sites today. Yahoo! gained 5.54%.

• AT&T is considering billing e-commerce retailers for customers they get through its high speed cable and phone networks. AT&T closed down 2.52%.

• Amazon's CEO Jeff Bezos today defended his company's expansion and pledged further expansion to areas Amazon view profitable and promising. Last Week, an influential Wall Street analyst mentioned that Amazon's continued extension will come at the expense of profitability. Amazon lost 4.75%.

• Crude Oil prices rose 3% today as the tension in the Middle East mount.

• Akamai Technologies, an Internet content technology company, and Novell Corporation, a networking software developer, are to team up in a strategic alliance that will link their web and software services. Akamai was also upgraded to a "strong buy" recommendation by Thomas Weisel. Novell gained a fraction, while Akamai gained 21.42%.

• AFTER CLOSE: Storage Technology said its fiscal Q3 will be affected by lack of equipment, but profits will still be seen for the quarter.

• AFTER CLOSE: Apple Computer, still stung from its earnings warning, reported that its Senior Vice President of Sales Worldwide, Mitch Mandich, is retiring at the end of the year. Tim Cook, Senior Vice President of Operations, will assume his place. Apple lost 1.97% in regular trading.

• AFTER CLOSE: Xerox, which closed down 8.9%, announced that it will cut back its 20 cents a share dividend to 5 cents a share, a 75% reduction.

• AFTER CLOSE: A European Union (EU) source made known that the EU will approve the AOL/Time Warner's $135 billion merger deal with limited restrictions. Both AOL and Time Warner closed lower.

• TRY THIS NEW SERVICE OUT: Checkout our HOT U.S. Cities and Counties Procurement Bids & Small Business Funding Resources page.

• JOIN THE DISCUSSIONS: Due to the immense popularity this column has received recently, and the willingness of our guests to communicate with each other, we have expanded our message boards so as to serve you better. Please check out (and post on) our NEW expanded message boards here.

• We think the momentum that built around Internet and Technology stocks today due to bargain hunting, Yahoo! earnings optimism will likely continue and be broader tomorrow.

• The battered technology stocks are beginning to look very attractive. Non-PC chip makers, software and networking gear companies especially. We are still holding our picks though. Give us your views on this observation  here.

• STOCKS TO WATCH NEXT MARKET DAY: Biotechnology/Biopharmaceuticals, B2B, Technology (Non-PC related stocks), Contract Equipment Manufacturers (CEMs), and Online Brokerage stocks are still our premiere picks.

• Expect the major Internet Portal sites to perform very well.

• Internet holding and capacity (storage) companies will do very well (check out our Quarterly forecasts for other picks).

• WEEKEND NEWS: The Middle East fighting has now spread to the Lebanese-Israeli border. Three Israeli soldiers are being held captive by the Hizbollah. The United Nations (UN) Security Council passed a resolution condemning the violence (US abstained). Israeli Prime Minister has issued a 48 hours ultimatum to the Palestinians to end the violence or Israel will use any means necessary to stop it. All this has the makings of a broader Middle East conflict that could threaten Oil flow.

• WEEKEND NEWS: The Washington Post reported Saturday that Time Warner is charging smaller Internet Service Providers (ISPs) up to 75% of their revenue and the requirement that the ISPs relinquish content control before they can have access to its cable networks. Most of the ISPs involved are from Texas. The Federal Trade Commission is reportedly looking into the contracts. Time Warner-AOL merger approval is directly tied to how they handle their cable access and the control of content on it.

• WEEKEND NEWS: General Motors' (GM) European subsidiary Saab is recalling 130,000 cars due to defective electronics, a Saab spokesperson announced Saturday.  

• The Economic Cycle Research Institute (ECRI) reported that its September Future Inflation Gauge (ECRI FIG Index) Index dropped by 0.9% to 120.2, the lowest level in 4 months.

• The US economy created 252,000 new jobs in September, thus pushing the US Unemployment rate down to 3.9%, the lowest level in decades. Average hourly earnings rose a modest 0.2%.

• US Consumer Credit rose to $13.4 billion in August, significantly higher than forecasted. Revolving credit almost doubled July levels.  Visit our Federal Reserve Monetary Policy Analysis page to read more on the Federal Reserve FOMC meeting. Also, visit our expanded message boards to discuss this topic or any other business topic by clicking here.

• IPO today: Asia Global Crossing, a unit of telecommunications giant Global Crossing, closed 5.36% above offering price.

• Janney Montgomery Scott downgraded Amazon to a "sell" recommendation. Amazon lost 5.96%.

• Salomon Smith Barney downgraded AT&T to an "outperform" recommendation. AT&T lost 5.63%.

• CMGI, the power startup incubator, made known that it has enough money on hand to last for another 2 years. CMGI lost 3.20%.

• Delta Air Lines gained 5.39% after a Business Week article states that the 3rd. largest US airline will be acquired by a buyout group for about $7.5 billion, or $61/share. Delta closed at 47 11/16.

•  The US Navy announced that it has awarded EDS a data service contract valued at over $10 billion. EDS lost 3.42%.

• Lamson & Sessions announced that it is still comfortable with Wall Street's fiscal Q3 estimates. Lamson lost 10.75%.

• About.Com announced that its fiscal Q3 revenues will be 30% higher than fiscal Q2, the company announced as it launched new services in Australia, Ireland and India. About.Com closed lower.

• AFTER CLOSE: HomeSeekers.Com reported that its fiscal Q4 revenues stood at $11.1 million, a 224% increase from fiscal Q4 1999. HomeSeekers included the disturbing comment that, their independent auditors are not sure the company can continue as a viable business (in other words, the company is in financial trouble and might be shut down). HomeSeekers lost 5.39% in regular trading.

• TRY THIS NEW SERVICE OUT: Checkout our HOT U.S. Cities and Counties Procurement Bids & Small Business Funding Resources page.

• JOIN THE DISCUSSIONS: Due to the immense popularity this column has received recently, and the willingness of our guests to communicate with each other, we have expanded our message boards so as to serve you better. Please check out (and post on) our NEW expanded message boards here.

• Folks, brace yourselves because we are not over with the slide yet! Next week might be even a worst nightmare, if we keep getting these earnings warnings. The market is in a panic, and investors are not analyzing technology stocks on their true merits. Don't follow the herd, but pick some bargains as listed below.

• The current situation of Technology and Internet stocks is a becoming a major concern to us. With the shopping season right around the corner, we are concerned that many online sales companies will be hard pressed to raise more funds in the markets when they need it most. Should technology stocks keep being depressed for the next coming weeks, this can snowball from online marketing stocks to major Internet portals. 

• The battered technology stocks are beginning to look very attractive. Non-PC chip makers, software and networking gear companies especially. We are still holding our picks though. Give us your views on this observation  here.

• STOCKS TO WATCH NEXT MARKET DAY: Biotechnology/Biopharmaceuticals, B2B, Technology (Non-PC related stocks), Contract Equipment Manufacturers (CEMs), and Online Brokerage stocks are still our premiere picks.

• Expect the major Internet Portal sites to perform very well.

• Internet holding and capacity (storage) companies will do very well (check out our Quarterly forecasts for other picks).

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