BLS Bellsouth Cp

MORNING UPDATE: Man Securities Inc. issues alerts for F, BLS, SGP, MER, and FCS CHICAGO, Jan. 25 /PRNewswire/ -- Man Securities issues the following Morning Update at 8:30 AM EST with new PriceWatch Alerts for key stocks. (Logo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20020214/MANSECLOGO ) Before the open... PriceWatch Alerts for F, BLS, SGP, MER, and FCS, Market Overview, Today's Economic Calendar, and the Quote Of The Day. QUOTE OF THE DAY "I am comfortable with our gradual monetary policy adjustments -- at least for now." -- Jack Guynn, President, Atlanta Federal Reserve Bank. New PriceWatch Alerts for F, BLS, SGP, MER, and FCS... PRICEWATCH ALERTS - HIGH RETURN COVERED CALL OPTIONS ----------- -- Ford Motor Co. (NYSE:F) Last Price 13.07 - JUN 12.50 CALL OPTION@ $1.25 -> 5.8 % Return assigned* -- BellSouth Corp. (NYSE:BLS) Last Price 26.56 - JUL 27.50 CALL OPTION@ $0.90 -> 7.2 % Return assigned* -- Schering-Plough Corp. (NYSE:SGP) Last Price 20.03 - MAR 20.00 CALL OPTION@ $0.90 -> 4.5 % Return assigned* -- Merrill Lynch & Co. Inc. (NYSE:MER) Last Price 56.80 - JUL 55.00 CALL OPTION@ $4.30 -> 4.8 % Return assigned* -- Fairchild Semiconductor International Inc. (NYSE:FCS) Last Price 12.98 - MAR 12.50 CALL OPTION@ $1.15 -> 5.7 % Return assigned* * To learn more about how to use these alerts and for our FREE report, "The 18 Warning Signs That Tell You When To Dump A Stock ", go to: http://www.investorsobserver.com/mu18 (Note: You may need to copy the link above into your browser then press the [ENTER] key) ** For the FREE report, "Is Your Investment Portfolio Disaster Proof? - Insights, Stocks, And Strategies." go to: http://www.investorsobserver.com/FREEDP NOTE: All stocks and options shown are examples only. These are not recommendations to buy or sell any security. NEWS LEADERS AND LAGGARDS So far today, AirTran Holdings, Inc., Schlumberger Ltd., and EMC Corp. lead the list of companies with the most news stories while Finisar Corp. and Integrated Silicon Solution Inc. are showing a spike in news. Schlumberger Ltd., The Pepsi Bottling Group Inc., and Health Management Associates Inc. have the highest srtIndex scores to top the list of companies with positive news while Lattice Semiconductor Corp. and Cell Genesys Inc. lead the list of companies with negative news reports. Fairchild Semiconductor Corp. has popped up with a high positive news sraIndex score. For the FREE article titled, "Earnings Season Decoded - An Essential 15 Point Checklist For Finding Winning Stocks." go to: http://www.wallstreetsecretsplus.com/go/freemu/ MARKET OVERVIEW Overseas markets are looking very strong this morning as 13 of the 15 markets that we track are currently higher with the cumulative average return standing at plus 0.368 percent. Strong earnings last night and very oversold conditions are contributing to the bounce. As for today, earnings continue to pour in fast and furious. A few of the major highlights before the bell are Merrill Lynch, Johnson & Johnson and Merck. Then after the bell we have Electronic Arts and Texas Instruments. At 10:00 a.m., there are two major economic reports due out. First, the consumer confidence index in January should come in at 101.3, below last period's 102.3. Then December existing home sales should make it to 6.80 million, below last period's 6.94 million. Be prepared for the investing week ahead with Bernie Schaeffer's FREE Monday Morning Outlook. For more details and to sign up, go to: http://www.investorsobserver.com/freemo DYNAMIC MARKET OPPORTUNITIES With 152 companies due to release fourth quarter earnings reports this week, it's a busy time for Wall Street. But with reports stating that corporate earnings are set to fall slightly, and business spending growth consequently slowing from the third quarter's 13% clip to a more modest 8% during the fourth, as well as the Iraq elections also looming, it's an uncertain market climate for investors. A report from Huron Consulting Group says the Sarbanes-Oxley Act is causing a greater number of companies to revise their earnings reports. In fact, restatements soared 28% in 2004, from 323 to 414. The Sarbanes-Oxley Act basically aims to tighten corporate financial reporting following scandals like Enron and WorldCom and other accounting discrepancies. And the increased number of restatements seems to suggest it's working. January 28 will see the Commerce Department release its preliminary estimate of fourth quarter GDP growth - a figure that could show a healthy 3.6% expansion. If so, it would make 2004 the best year for economic growth since 1999. But since this news is probably already priced into the market, it won't have much effect on stocks. This leaves the market inching along in trepidation of this weekend's Iraq elections - particularly given al-Qaeda operative Abu Musab al-Zarqawi's ominous warning of fresh attacks on coalition forces. It's also no surprise to see oil prices taking their toll on consumers. Crude prices climbed to US$49 per barrel Monday, just as the latest Lundberg Survey said gasoline prices rose 5 cents per gallon over the past two weeks. The average national price per gallon now sits at US$1.85 - not particularly cheap, but not really panic-worthy either. The rise was the first in about three months, following a 25-cent decline from levels over US$2 since mid October. Receive incisive economic/market commentary, profitable advice and access to a network of leading investment exports. Simply follow this link: http://www.investorsobserver.com/agora2 TODAY'S ECONOMIC CALENDAR 7:45 a.m.: ICSC-UBS Store Sales Index for week ended January 22 (last minus 0.9 percent) 8:55 a.m.: Redbook Retail Sales Index for week ended January 22 (last plus 1.2 percent) 10:00 a.m.: January Richmond Fed Mfg Index 10:00 a.m.: January Conference Board Consumer Confidence Index (last 102.3) 10:00 a.m.: December Existing Home Sales (last plus 2.7 percent) 12:30 p.m.: Kansas City Fed Pres Hoenig speaks on monetary policy and the economy before the Oklahoma City Chamber of Commerce 6:30 p.m.: ABC/Washington Post Consumer Confidence Index for week ended January 22 (last minus 11) Man Securities Inc. is one of the world's leading option order execution firms. Man's in-house broker team offers a level of personal service and experience unavailable from no-frills discount brokers. To improve your understanding of option pricing get Man's FREE "Margin/Option Wizard software at: http://www.investorsobserver.com/mancd. Member CBOE/NASD/SPIC. This Morning Update was prepared with data and information provided by: InvestorsObserver.com - Better Strategies for Making Money -> For Investors With a Sense of Humor. Only $1 for your first month plus seven free bonuses worth over $420, see: http://www.investorsobserver.com/must 247profits.com: You'll get exclusive financial commentary, access to a global network of experts and undiscovered stock alerts. Register NOW for the FREE 247profits e-Dispatch. Go to: http://www.investorsobserver.com/agora Schaeffer's Investment Research - Sign up for your FREE e-weekly, Monday Morning Outlook, Bernie Schaeffer's look ahead at the markets. Sign Up Now http://www.investorsobserver.com/freemo PowerOptionsPlus - The Best Way To Find, Compare, Analyze, and Make Money On Options Investments. For a 14-Day FREE trial and 5 FREE bonuses go to: http://www.poweroptionsplus.com/ All stocks and options shown are examples only. These are not recommendations to buy or sell any security and they do not represent in any way a positive or negative outlook for any security. Potential returns do not take into account your trade size, brokerage commissions or taxes which will affect actual investment returns. Stocks and options involve risk and are not suitable for all investors and investing in options carries substantial risk. Prior to buying or selling options, a person must receive a copy of Characteristics and Risks of Standardized Options available from Sharon at 800-837-6212 or at http://www.cboe.com/Resources/Intro.asp. Privacy policy available upon request. http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20020214/MANSECLOGO http://photoarchive.ap.org/ DATASOURCE: Man Securities CONTACT: John Gannon of Man Securities Inc., +1-800-837-6212 Web site: http://www.mansecurities.com/mu.html

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