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Strategies & Market Trends : The Epic American Credit and Bond Bubble Laboratory -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: TobagoJack who wrote (59303)	4/24/2006 12:05:53 PM
From: shades	Respond to of 110194

Comex Copper Eases On Liquidation Despite Supply Issues (The polish/jewish slaves at auschwitz that were mining coal asked we not forget eh) . By Allen Sykora Of DOW JONES NEWSWIRES Copper futures are lower on long liquidation so far Monday morning, even though the news flow remains supportive for the metal and allowed copper to initially rise overnight, traders and analysts said. Most-active May copper is down 3.55 cents to $3.1050 a pound on the Comex Division of the New York Mercantile Exchange. "We've had such a gigantic run that the market to a large extent, I think, is overbought," said Stephen Platt, president of Global Commodity Futures. "It needs to consolidate some of these gains." After rising 17.85 cents on Friday, May copper continued its ascent to a fresh contract high of $3.1825 overnight. This marked the 17th trading day out of the last 18 that a contract high was hit. Prices drew some support overnight from news that about 400 workers went on strike over the weekend at another Grupo Mexico (GMEXICO.MX) mine in the southern state of Guerrero. The strike is at the Taxco mine, which is said to produce relatively small amounts of lead and zinc, with some gold and silver. The more important strike to the copper market has been a walkout against La Caridad that began one month ago. Yet another potential labor disruption is the Lomas Bayas mine in Chile. Workers there are expected to vote around mid-week on whether to accept a contract offer from Falconbridge or strike instead. These mine issues are supportive for copper, said a trader. Nevertheless, he said, record-high copper prices on Comex and the London Metal Exchange lately "may have gotten out of hand and you are seeing a little bit of liquidating." Still another trader said the softer tone in energy prices so far Monday morning may be contributing to some liquidation in copper. June crude is down $1.17 a barrel to $74.00 on Nymex. The recent high prices -- Comex copper has increased roughly five times from its late 2001 levels -- may start encouraging some "rationing" of copper supplies, said Platt. "There may be some need to go higher, and there is no real sign this market is over," he said. "But it certainly could be entitled to some kind of pullback." Despite "constructive fundamentals," prices of copper and other base metals are "well above where similar historical measures place them," said a research note from Edward Meir, analyst at Man Financial. However, he added, "the difference this time around is that the traditional yardsticks are simply being overwhelmed by the massive fund flows" that have been pushing the market higher lately. Thus, Meir suggested, it could be risky to try to pick a top and short the market. -By Allen Sykora, Dow Jones Newswires; 541-318-8765; allen.sykora@dowjones.com (END) Dow Jones Newswires April 24, 2006 10:51 ET (14:51 GMT) Copyright (c) 2006 Dow Jones & Company, Inc.- - 10 51 AM EDT 04-24-06

To: TobagoJack who wrote (59303)	4/24/2006 12:07:52 PM
From: shades	Respond to of 110194

UK Industry, Mfg Bodies Say UK Energy Spending "Woeful" . LONDON (Dow Jones)--Two of the U.K.'s most influential industrial bodies have criticized the lack of U.K. government investment in the energy sector. Employers" organization the Confederation of British Industry, or CBI, and manufacturing organization the Engineering Employers' Federation, or EEF, were responding to an ongoing government energy review. "Given that we are the fourth largest economy in the world, our level of investment in energy research is woeful," EEF Director General Martin Temple said Monday. Digby Jones, director general of the CBI, said: "We urgently need new investment in a whole range of low carbon energy sources." The EEF noted U.K. government investment in energy research and development constitutes just 0.02% of gross domestic product, a tenth of comparative U.S. spending and less than that spent by all but one of the 15 European Union members. The EEF called for the government to improve incentives for research and development into energy efficient products and processes by increasing the rate of credit associated with the sector. "It should also increase access to enhance capital allowances for investment in energy efficiency and new energy sources such as clean coal," EEF said. The CBI said the government must clarify longer-term carbon plans so low-emission energy generation can compete with existing generation. "Companies would seriously consider investing in a new nuclear build program, without the need for government subsidy, if the right long-term framework was put in place to support low carbon energy sources," the CBI said. Investment of up to GBP50 billion in new low-emission generating plants is currently being held back by a lack of clarity of mechanisms and policies for pricing carbon after 2012, the CBI added, specifically over whether the E.U. Emissions Trading Scheme will remain the core pricing measure. The outcomes of the Energy Review are set for publication by the U.K. Department of Trade & Industry in midsummer. Web site: cbi.org.uk eef.org.uk -By Elizabeth Cowley, Dow Jones Newswires; +44 (0)20 7842 9353; elizabeth.cowley@dowjones.com

To: TobagoJack who wrote (59303)	4/24/2006 12:08:31 PM
From: shades	Respond to of 110194

Electrolux CFO Sees Raw Material Prices Rising In 2006 -2 . Chief Executive Hans Straaberg told analysts that raw material prices in the first quarter had been "relatively flat." Electrolux's top two executives said the loss in volume resulting from the strike this year at its dishwasher and laundry machine factory in Nuremberg, scheduled for closure by the end of next year, reduced operating profit by someSEK200 million. That's in addition to the SEK145 million in increased severance pay resulting from the strike, accounted for as a restructuring charge in the results. An 'accelerated' closure of the plant will offset these charges by around SEK100 million, CFO Rystedt said. He also said the relocation of its U.S. refrigerator factory in Greenville to Mexico hurt the operating result by SEK150 million in the first quarter. Another SEK50 million will be accounted for in the second quarter, Rystedt said. Also the Nuremberg strike will continue to weigh on the results in the second and third quarters, but this won't be of the same magnitude as the charge taken in the first quarter. Company Web site: electrolux.com -By Johan Carlstrom, Dow Jones Newswires; +46 8 545 130 99; johan.carlstrom@dowjones.com (END) Dow Jones Newswires April 24, 2006 10:45 ET (14:45 GMT) Copyright (c) 2006 Dow Jones & Company, Inc.- - 10 45 AM EDT 04-24-06

To: TobagoJack who wrote (59303)	4/24/2006 12:09:00 PM
From: shades	Respond to of 110194

Fed Buys Treasurys Outright In 'Coupon Pass' . NEW YORK (Dow Jones)--The Federal Reserve Bank of New York confirmed Monday that it is buying outright U.S. Treasury securities maturing Feb. 15, 2008 through Nov. 15, 2008. The Fed said it's seeking dealer responses by 11 a.m. EST. The securities will be for delivery Tuesday. The Fed is excluding all callable notes as well as three other coupons, the Treasury 4.625% Feb. 29, 2008, 4.625% March 31, 2008 and 4.375% Nov. 15, 2008 issues. The Fed often buys outright Treasury notes and bonds - commonly known in the market as a "coupon pass" - to permanently add reserves to the banking system. -Michael Mackenzie; Dow Jones Newswires; 201-938-5451; michael.mackenzie@dowjones.com (END) Dow Jones Newswires April 24, 2006 10:45 ET (14:45 GMT) Copyright (c) 2006 Dow Jones & Company, Inc.- - 10 45 AM EDT 04-24-06

To: TobagoJack who wrote (59303)	4/24/2006 12:09:24 PM
From: shades	Respond to of 110194

US Earnings Set Strong Tone, But Investors Focus On Risks . By Mohammed Hadi and Anjali Cordeiro Of DOW JONES NEWSWIRES NEW YORK (Dow Jones)--The first quarter's earnings season thus far would be enough to bring Wall Street to its feet - if investors weren't so worried about getting knocked back down by inflation or oil. Of the 165 members of the Standard & Poor's 500 Index that reported their first-quarter results as last Friday, all but 20 have reported results that met analysts' expectations or beat them. In fact, a good number of these companies - 68 - have beat expectations by more than a penny, said David Dropsey, equity research analyst at Thomson Financial. The positive tone to the season thus far contrasts sharply with the grim forecast for earnings early in the previous quarter. And while only a small fraction of the companies that typically would have weighed in at this point with their outlook for the future have done so, those that already have expect good results. Yet the good news has done little to move stocks broadly higher. In the two weeks since earnings season began, the Standard & Poor's 500 Index has gained just over 1%. Investors are already looking past the first-quarter's arguably outstanding results, and what they are seeing is a little worrying. "It's almost as if every time the earnings come in very strong, the market says, 'That's it, this is the peak,'" said Brian Gendreau, investment strategist at ING Investment Management. Then again, the Dow Jones Industrial Average rose by more than 200 points last week. At a minimum, strong corporate results appear to be heading off the steep declines that might be expected to result from $75 oil and interest rates above 5%. And companies don't appear worried yet. "Of the guidance that we've seen so far, it's very positive," Dropsey said. The strength starts at the economy's base. Higher commodity prices and increased corporate spending on infrastructure have boosted the results of companies selling basic materials. "The earnings we've seen so far for the metals and energy companies have been better than expected," said Joe Battipaglia, chief investment officer at Ryan Beck & Co. Companies like Freeport-McMoRan Copper & Gold Inc. (FCX) have trounced expectations. The New Orleans company posted earnings of $1.23 a share, compared with Wall Street's expectation of 88 cents. Analysts believe the outlook for the raw material and industrial sectors remains strong. But unlike in past quarters, earnings in one particular sector aren't dominating. Results are strong in technology, as well. For example, the emergence of third-generation cellular technology in the U.S., better known as 3G, "is driving a big replacement cycle," and giving cellular companies a source of growth, said Greg McCall, managing partner of Rock Crest Capital, a technology-focused hedge fund in Darien, Conn. And even some of the apparent disappointments seem not to be read as the result of widespread economic problems. Earlier this month, Intel Corp. (INTC), reported a 38% drop in first-quarter profit and predicted continued weak demand for its computer chips in the current period. Those earnings were viewed as the result of problems unique to Intel, said Edward Hemmelgarn, president of Cleveland-based Shaker Investments. "I certainly think that it's a good environment out there, and where companies have missed, it's primarily been because of company-specific problems," he said. Yet it's a Wall Street truism that investors focus on the future not the past, and the hesitation by stocks to celebrate better-than-expected earnings likely reflects uncertainty about how things are going to turn out for the rest of this year. The very factors cited for strong growth in the quarter - consumer spending, corporate capital expenditures, and confidence in the economy - are all threatened by the triple threat of rising short-term interest rates, a slowing housing market, and record energy and commodity costs. The stock market is facing a tug-of-war on this front, said Quincy Krosby, chief investment officer at The Hartford Financial Services Group. "Capital spending has picked up, and global growth is actually quite strong," she said. But, "you can't have commodity prices escalate this way and not expect it to hurt margins." Plus, though expectations are growing that the Federal Reserve is near an end to interest rates hikes, the Federal Reserve has been misunderstood in the past. "The Fed is trying to engineer a soft landing, but its track record isn't that good," Krosby said. Corporate America, though, has yet to broadcast any strong signs of concern over these issues, and some market watchers are confident that they can be overcome. Standard & Poor's analysts, for example, expect that though earnings growth will dip from about 11% in the first quarter to about 7% in the second quarter, things should pick up in the second half of the year, said Alec Young, equity market strategist at S&P Equity Research. He expects full-year earnings growth to come in around 11%, not far from the 13% recorded in 2005. But much depends on the headwinds, and there's no way to know what the impact of all these various factors is until companies report their results later this year. If the economy does start to slow down and corporate America starts to feel the pinch, companies may start telling investors about it around the end of the summer. "I think that by the pre-announcement season of the third quarter, we will probably start to hear it," Krosby said. -By Mohammed Hadi, Dow Jones Newswires; 201-938-4049; mohammed.hadi@dowjones.com -By Anjali Cordeiro, Dow Jones Newswires; 201-938-2408; anjali.cordeiro@dowjones.com (END) Dow Jones Newswires April 24, 2006 10:37 ET (14:37 GMT)

To: TobagoJack who wrote (59303)	4/24/2006 12:10:01 PM
From: shades	Respond to of 110194

NATO Commander: Drug Gangs Cause Much Of Afghan Violence CASTEAU, Belgium (AP)--The commander of NATO's operations insisted Monday that an increase in violence in southern Afghanistan didn't indicate a resurgence of the Taliban, blaming much of the violence on drug gangs resisting efforts to cut opium production in the region. "It's tempting to label everything as Taliban, but I'm persuaded that is not the case," said U.S. Gen. James L. Jones. Recent months have seen an increase in attacks on international and Afghan troops as NATO prepares to expand its peacekeeping force from the relatively stable north and west into the south, which includes former Taliban strongholds and major opium producing areas. About 6,000 mainly U.K., Canadian and Dutch soldiers have started deploying in the remote tribal-dominated southern region. The NATO force is expanding from around 8,000 to a total of over 20,000 as its peacekeepers fan out across the whole country. Four Canadian soldiers were killed in a roadside bombing and unidentified militants also fired four rockets into the U.S.-led coalition base in Kandahar over the weekend. Although Taliban extremists were widely blamed for the bombing, Jones said such roadside bombs were also used by other forces. "It's not a religious weapon anymore," Jones told reporters at NATO's military headquarters in southern Belgium. He downplayed any threat from the ousted regime and said the expanded NATO force would be able to handle it. "We are confident that the upcoming expansion of NATO will more than answer the military requirements," Jones said. "The number of (Taliban) fighters that we're talking about in the southern provinces is still really low in terms of mounting massed attacks." The increase in violence was "predictable and anticipated" given the spring thaw and increased efforts by Afghan authorities to tackle the opium trade. NATO is due take control of the southern region on July 31, taking over from U.S.-led forces there. Jones expressed confidence they would be able to "stabilize the situation rather quickly." He hoped U.S. troops in the east of the country would be brought under NATO command soon after that, giving the alliance responsibility for peacekeeping across the whole of the country. A separate U.S.-led force will remain to continue counterinsurgency operations and the hunt for Osama bin Laden and his allies. (END) Dow Jones Newswires April 24, 2006 10:33 ET (14:33 GMT) Copyright (c) 2006 Dow Jones & Company, Inc.- - 10 33 AM EDT 04-24-06

To: TobagoJack who wrote (59303)	4/24/2006 12:11:47 PM
From: shades	Respond to of 110194

Arbitrage Spreads On Pending Mergers & Acquisitions -2- . Blackstone Group, MeriStar Hospitality Corp. (MHX) Current discount: $0.07 or 0.7% Acquirer: Blackstone Target: MHX Offer per share: $10.45 cash Value of outstanding common equity: $914,375,000 Target share price: $10.38 Expected closing: Second quarter 5/15/2006 Annualized gain: 11.7% Note: The Blackstone Group said the total transaction is valued at $2.6 billion. Capital One Financial Corp. (COF), North Fork Bancorp Inc. (NFB) Current discount: $0.15 or 0.5% Acquirer: COF Target: NFB Offer per share: 0.2216 share and $11.25 per share Value of offer per share: $30.11 Value of outstanding common equity securities: $14,322,451,712 Acquirer share price: $85.10 Target share price: $29.96 Expected closing: Fourth quarter 11/15/2006 Annualized gain: 0.9% Danaher Corp. (DHR), Sybron Dental Specialties Inc. (SYD) Current premium: $0.38 or 0.8% Acquirer: DHR Target: SYD Offer per share: $47 cash Value of outstanding common equity: $1,903,500,000 Target share price: $47.38 Expected closing: Second quarter 5/15/2006 Acquirer share price: $64.76 Annualized gain: -13.9% Note: The transaction is to be structured as a cash tender offer that will be followed by a second-step cash-out merger at the offer price. Emerson (EMR), Artesyn Technologies (ATSN) Current discount: $0.03 or 0.3% Acquirer: EMR Target: ATSN Offer per share: $11 cash Value of outstanding common equity: $438,900,000 Target share price: $10.97 Acquirer share price: $86.14 Expected closing: Second quarter 5/15/2006 Annualized gain: 4.8% EnergySolutions (Private), Duratek Inc. (DRTK) Current premium: $0.01 or 0.05% Acquirer: Private Target: DRTK Offer per share: $22 cash Value of outstanding common equity: $327,800,000 Target share price: $22.01 Expected closing: Second quarter 5/15/2006 Annualized gain: -0.8% Exelon Corp. (EXC), Public Service Enterprise Group Inc. (PEG) Current discount: $2.01 or 3.1% Acquirer: EXC Target: PEG Shares offered per share: 1.225 shares Value of offer per share: $64.96 Value of outstanding common equity: $15,441,407,975 Acquirer share price: $53.03 Target share price: $62.95 Expected closing: Third quarter 7/15/2006 Annualized gain: 14.2% Note: Exelon also will assume about $14.1 billion in debt. FPL Group Inc. (FPL), Constellation Energy (CEG) Current discount: $2.29 or 4.1% Acquirer: FPL Target: CEG Shares offered per share: 1.444 shares Value of offer per share: $56.24 Value of outstanding common equity: $10,039,518,300 Acquirer share price: $38.95 Target share price: $53.95 Expected closing: Second quarter 5/15/2006 Annualized gain: 73.9% General Dynamics (GD), Anteon International Corp. (ANT) Current discount: $0.91 or 1.6% Acquirer: GD Target: ANT Offer per share: $55.50 cash Value of outstanding common equity: $2,064,600,000 Target share price: $54.59 Acquirer share price: $68.39 Expected closing: Late second quarter 6/30/2006 Annualized gain: N/A General Electric Co.'s (GE) NBC Universal, iVillage Inc. (IVIL) Current discount: $0.05 or 0.6% Acquirer: GE Target: IVIL Offer per share: $8.50 cash Value of outstanding common equity: $616,250,000 Target share price: $8.45 Expected closing: Second quarter 5/15/2006 Acquirer share price: $33.91 Annualized gain: 10.3% (MORE TO FOLLOW) Dow Jones Newswires April 24, 2006 10:22 ET (14:22 GMT) Copyright (c) 2006 Dow Jones & Company, Inc.- - 10 22 AM EDT 04-24-06 Arbitrage Spreads On Pending Mergers & Acquisitions -3- . General Electric Real Estate (GE), Arden Realty Group Inc. (ARI) Current premium: $0.06 or 0.1% Acquirer: GE Target: ARI Offer per share: $45.25 cash Value of outstanding common equity: $3,031,750,000 Target share price: $45.31 Acquirer share price: $33.91 Expected closing: Shareholder meeting 4/28/06 Annualized gain: N/A Helix Energy Solutions (HELX), Remington Oil & Gas Corp. (REM) Current discount: $0.24 or 0.55% Acquirer: HELX Target: REM Offer per share: 0.436 share and $27 per share Value of offer per share: $44.44 Value of outstanding common equity securities: $1,275,553,132 Acquirer share price: $40.01 Target share price: $44.20 Expected closing: Second quarter 5/15/2006 Annualized gain: 9.6% Hudson City Bancorp Inc. (HCBK), Sound Federal Bancorp Inc. (SFFS) Current discount: $0.13 or 0.6% Acquirer: HCBK Target: SFFS Offer per share: $20.75 cash Value of outstanding common equity: $255,225,000 Target share price: $20.62 Acquirer share price: $13.30 Expected closing: Early Summer 6/21/2006 Annualized gain: 4% Intelsat Ltd., PanAmSat Holding Corp. (PA) Current discount: none Acquirer: Intelsat Target: PA Offer per share: $25 cash Value of outstanding common equity: $3,065,000,000 Target share price: $25 Expected closing: May 5/15/2006 Annualized gain: none KLA-Tencor Corp. (KLAC), ADE Corp. (ADEX) Current discount: $0.28 or 0.9% Acquirer: KLAC Target: ADEX Shares offered per share: 0.64 share Value of offer per share: $30.77 Value of outstanding common equity: $443,105,280 Acquirer share price: $48.08 Target share price: $30.49 Expected closing: Third quarter 8/15/2006 Annualized gain: 3% LBA Realty LLC (Private), Bedford Property Investors Inc. (BED) Current discount: $0.29 or 1.1% Acquirer: Private Target: BED Offer per share: $27.21 cash Value of outstanding common equity: $435,360,000 Target share price: $26.92 Expected closing: Late second quarter 6/30/2006 Annualized gain: 5.9% Leonard Green & Partners L.P., The Sports Authority Inc. (TSA) Current discount: $0.24 or 0.6% Acquirer: Leonard Green Target: TSA Offer per share: $37.25 cash Value of outstanding common equity: $983,400,000 Target share price: $37.01 Expected closing: Second quarter 5/15/2006 Annualized gain: 11.3% (MORE TO FOLLOW) Dow Jones Newswires April 24, 2006 10:23 ET (14:23 GMT) Copyright (c) 2006 Dow Jones & Company, Inc.- - 10 23 AM EDT 04-24-06 Arbitrage Spreads On Pending Mergers & Acquisitions -4- . McClatchy Co. (MNI), Knight-Ridder Inc. (KRI) Current discount: $1.51 or 2.4% Acquirer: MNI Target: KRI Offer per share: 0.5118 share and $40 per share Value of offer per share: $62.57 Value of outstanding common equity securities: $4,204,385,606 Acquirer share price: $44.09 Target share price: $61.06 Expected closing: Late June 6/30/2006 Annualized gain: 13.4% Micron Technology Inc. (MU), Lexar Media Inc. (LEXR) Current premium: $0.37 or 4% Acquirer: MU Target: LEXR Shares offered per share: 0.5625 share Value of offer per share: $9.11 Value of outstanding common equity: $743,580,000 Acquirer share price: $16.20 Target share price: $9.48 Expected closing: Late third quarter 9/30/2006 Annualized gain: -8.9% National Grid (NGG), KeySpan Corp. (KSE) Current discount: $1.60 or 3.8% Acquirer: NGG Target: KSE Offer per share: $42 cash Value of outstanding common equity: $7,324,800,000 Target share price: $40.40 Expected closing: Early 2007 1/1/2007 Annualized gain: 5.7% Petrohawk Energy Corp. (HAWK), KCS Energy Inc. (KCS) Current discount: $0.39 or 1.3% Acquirer: HAWK Target: KCS Offer per share: 1.65 shares and $9 per share Value of offer per share: $29.96 Value of outstanding common equity securities: $1,512,727,500 Acquirer share price: $12.70 Target share price: $29.57 Expected closing: Third quarter 8/15/2006 Annualized gain: 4.2% Pinnacle Entertainment Inc. (PNK), Aztar Corp. (AZR) Current premium: $1.22 or 2.7% Acquirer: PNK Target: AZR Offer per share: $45 cash Value of outstanding common equity: $1,615,500,000 Target share price: $46.22 Expected closing: Late 2006 12/31/2006 Acquirer share price: $29.84 Annualized gain: -3.8% Note: On April 21, AmeriStar Casinos made a revised offer to acquire Aztar for $45 a share. On April 13, Columbia Entertainment made an unsolicited proposal to acquire Aztar for $47 per share in cash, while Colony Capital LLC offered to buy Aztar for $41 a share on March 30. Plains Exploration & Production Co. (PXP), Stone Energy Corp. (SGY) Current premium: $0.37 or 0.7% Acquirer: PXP Target: SGY Shares offered per share: 1.25 shares Value of offer per share: $49.95 Value of outstanding common equity: $1,358,640,000 Acquirer share price: $39.96 Target share price: $50.32 Expected closing: Third quarter 9/15/2006 Annualized gain: -1.9% Providence Equity Partners, Education Management Corp. (EDMC) Current discount: $1.25 or 2.9% Acquirer: Providence Equity Target: EDMC Offer per share: $43 cash Value of outstanding common equity: $3,246,500,000 Target share price: $41.75 Expected closing: Summer 8/6/2006 Annualized gain: 10.5% Public Storage Inc. (PSA), Shurgard Storage Centers Inc. (SHU) Current discount: $0.22 or 0.4% Acquirer: PSA Target: SHU Shares offered per share: 0.82 share Value of offer per share: $63.25 Value of outstanding common equity: $3,156,414,520 Acquirer share price: $77.14 Target share price: $63.03 Expected closing: Late second quarter 6/30/2006 Annualized gain: 1.9% Note: Public Storage said the total transaction is valued at about $5 billion. (MORE TO FOLLOW) Dow Jones Newswires April 24, 2006 10:23 ET (14:23 GMT) Copyright (c) 2006 Dow Jones & Company, Inc.- - 10 23 AM EDT 04-24-06 Arbitrage Spreads On Pending Mergers & Acquisitions -5- . Seagate Technology (STX), Maxtor Corp. (MXO) Current discount: $0.15 or 1.7% Acquirer: STX Target: MXO Shares offered per share: 0.37 share Value of offer per share: $9.19 Value of outstanding common equity: $2,335,403,000 Acquirer share price: $24.85 Target share price: $9.04 Expected closing: May 5/15/2006 Annualized gain: 29.7% Service Corp. International (SCI), Alderwoods Group Inc. (AWGI) Current discount: $0.97 or 4.85% Acquirer: SCI Target: AWGI Offer per share: $20 cash Value of outstanding common equity: $810,000,000 Acquirer share price: $8.12 Target share price: $19.03 Expected closing: Late 2006 12/31/2006 Annualized gain: 7.4% Sprint Nextel Corp. (S), UbiquiTel Inc. (UPCS) Current discount: $0.06 or 0.6% Acquirer: S Target: UPCS Offer per share: $10.35 cash Value of outstanding common equity: $974,970,000 Target share price: $10.29 Expected closing: Second quarter 5/15/2006 Acquirer share price: $25.23 Annualized gain: 10.1% Note: Sprint Nextel scquisition includes assumption of about $300M in UbiquiTel Inc. debt. SuperValu Inc. (SVU) consortium, Albertson's Inc. (ABS) Current discount: $0.33 or 1.3% Acquirer: SVU Target: ABS Offer per share: 0.182 share and $20.35 per share Value of offer per share: $25.62 Value of outstanding common equity securities: $9,452,030,940 Acquirer share price: $28.93 Target share price: $25.29 Expected closing: Mid-2006 6/30/2006 Annualized gain: 7% Note: Albertson's said the deal is worth about $17.4 billion in cash, stock and debt assumption. Talbots Inc. (TLB), J. Jill Group Inc. (JILL) Current discount: $0.09 or 0.4% Acquirer: TLB Target: JILL Offer per share: $24.05 cash Value of outstanding common equity: $488,215,000 Target share price: $23.96 Acquirer share price: $23.49 Expected closing: Second quarter 5/15/2006 Annualized gain: 6.5% Umpqua Holdings Corp. (UMPQ), Western Sierra Bancorp (WSBA) Current discount: $0.16 or 0.4% Acquirer: UMPQ Target: WSBA Shares offered per share: 1.61 shares Value of offer per share: $41.17 Value of outstanding common equity: $316,991,290 Acquirer share price: $25.57 Target share price: $41.01 Expected closing: Second quarter 5/15/2006 Annualized gain: 6.7% Walt Disney Co. (DIS), Pixar (PIXR) Current discount: $0.10 or 0.2% Acquirer: DIS Target: PIXR Shares offered per share: 2.3 shares Value of offer per share: $62.03 Value of outstanding common equity: $7,375,485,900 Acquirer share price: $26.97 Target share price: $61.93 Expected closing: Early Summer 6/21/2006 Annualized gain: 1% Washington Mutual Inc. (WM), Commercial Capital Bancorp Inc. (CCBI) Current discount: $0.30 or 1.9% Acquirer: WM Target: CCBI Offer per share: $16 cash Value of outstanding common equity: $912,000,000 Target share price: $15.70 Expected closing: Third quarter 9/15/2006 Acquirer share price: $44.65 Annualized gain: 4.8% Watson Pharmaceuticals Inc. (WPI), AndRx Corp. (ADRX) Current discount: $1.31 or 5.2% Acquirer: WPI Target: ADRX Offer per share: $25 cash Value of outstanding common equity: $1,835,000,000 Target share price: $23.69 Expected closing: September 9/15/2006 Acquirer share price: $28.30 Annualized gain: 14% (END) Dow Jones Newswires April 24, 2006 10:24 ET (14:24 GMT) Copyright (c) 2006 Dow Jones & Company, Inc.- - 10 24 AM EDT 04-24-06

To: TobagoJack who wrote (59303)	4/24/2006 12:12:17 PM
From: shades	Respond to of 110194

Exide Tech To Close Shreveport, La., Facility >XIDE Dow Jones Newswires Exide Technologies (XIDE) said Monday it will close its Shreveport, La., lead-acid battery plant June 22. The Alpharetta, Ga., company said the closure affects more than 200 employees. The plant makes automotive batteries for Ford Motor Co., and other aftermarket customers. Shares of Exide were up 3 cents at $3.43 in Monday morning trading. -Thomas Middleton; 415-439-6456; AskNewswires@dowjones.com (END) Dow Jones Newswires April 24, 2006 10:14 ET (14:14 GMT)

To: TobagoJack who wrote (59303)	4/24/2006 12:12:44 PM
From: shades	Respond to of 110194

Brazil Fin Min Asks US To End Ethanol Tariff -Report (HAHA - what does el mat think of this one?) RIO DE JANEIRO (Dow Jones)--Brazil's Finance Minister Guido Mantega asked the U.S. government to reconsider a tariff on imports of ethanol from Brazil, the Valor newspaper said Monday. Mantega made his plea during talks with Faryar Shirzad, deputy National Security Adviser on international economic issues for the U.S. government. The Brazilian finance minister was traveling to Washington for the spring meeting of the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank. The U.S. currently slaps a tariff of $0.54 per gallon on Brazilian ethanol, mainly to protect domestic producers of the alternative fuel, who produce it far more expensively than Brazilians. But U.S. farmers are having difficulties keeping up with rising demand as refiners are substituting the gasoline additive MTBE with ethanol. The tariff "is worse for the U.S. itself, as it makes the ethanol the country needs more expensive," Mantega is quoted as saying. In a presentation, Mantega said that Brazilian ethanol currently had a cost of about $20 a barrel and that the fuel is an important piece in the search for cleaner energy sources. In Brazil, ethanol in 2005 accounted for 13.5% of the energy matrix, and is expected to increase to 14.3% by 2010 due to a rapid rise in the use of flex-fuel cars that run on any mixture of ethanol or regular gasoline. Currently, more than 70% of new cars sold in Brazil are flex-fuel models. Brazil is the world's biggest exporter of ethanol, exporting 2.58 billion liters last year. -By Bernd Radowitz, Dow Jones Newswires; +55-21-3288 5004; bernd.radowitz@dowjones.com (END) Dow Jones Newswires April 24, 2006 10:13 ET (14:13 GMT) Copyright (c) 2006 Dow Jones & Company, Inc.- - 10 13 AM EDT 04-24-06

To: TobagoJack who wrote (59303)	4/24/2006 12:13:05 PM
From: shades	Respond to of 110194

Breton:Structural Reform Only Answer To Global Imbalances . By Steven C. Johnson Of DOW JONES NEWSWIRES NEW YORK (Dow Jones)--The task of addressing and resolving global imbalances can't be left to the international institutions alone, said French Finance Minister Thierry Breton Monday. "In the case of structural reform, we can't depend on international institutions, we have to depend on ourselves," Breton told a conference on global financial imbalances in New York organized by the Chatham House Foundation with the Foreign Policy Association. "It's difficult, it's painful, but we cannot ask anyone else to do the job we have to do," Breton said in response to a question on what international institutions can do to help address global imbalances and speed up structural reform. At the International Monetary Fund/World Bank meetings at the weekend, finance ministers on the IMF's financial steering committee endorsed a proposal to allow the IMF to conduct formal "multilateral surveillance" for countries whose policies have important spillover effects on others. The change seeks to address limitations the IMF has encountered in dealing with issues such as the U.S. trade deficit or China's exchange-rate policy. Breton reiterated that the current large imbalances are an issue between the U.S. and Asia, while Europe has been better at addressing deficits. Indeed, Breton urged the U.S. to hold a national debate on the twin deficits - the U.S.'s current account deficit is around 7% of gross domestic product and its budget deficit is expected to rise to $423 billion next year from this year's forecast $371 billion - similar to what has happened in France. The U.S. "won't be able to continue the way (it is) going today," he added. Breton said France has taken some of the hard decisions needed to address structural reform, particularly on tax and pension reforms, and noted that as such, it is at the vanguard of reforms in Europe. Referring to the labor market reform bill that prompted widespread demonstrations and was retracted, Breton noted that the bill "was only the last of the last of the last reforms" - and its rejection was not because France doesn't want change, but because France has had so much change. -By Steven C. Johnson, Dow Jones Newswires, 201 938 2018; steven.johnson@dowjones.com (END) Dow Jones Newswires

To: TobagoJack who wrote (59303)	4/24/2006 12:13:25 PM
From: shades	Respond to of 110194

HERB GREENBERG: Things That Make You Go 'Hmmm' . By Herb Greenberg A Dow Jones Column Every now and then - actually, more now than then - I come across things that render me unable to utter anything except: "Hmmm." Take Cree Inc. (CREE), a big maker of light-emitting diodes used in cellphones and the like. Last week, the company announced earnings that pretty much were in line with expectations. But the company lowered guidance for the next quarter, in part blaming a lack of capacity. A lack of capacity? You betcha, but wait - let me get this straight: Sales were pretty much in line with prior guidance, inventory was up, cap spending has been huge, yet prices have been falling? All I can say is, "Hmmm." (The "hmmm" in this case is because usually if you are capacity-constrained, you should be able to command higher prices.) Could it be that the lowered guidance really reflects increased competition, which the company has conceded exists? Hmmm. Then there's United Online Inc. (UNTD), no stranger to this column. On March 30, the owner of such Internet access portals as Juno and NetZero amended the bonus plan for its top execs. The new plan includes an "acquisition bonus" that rewards the top guys for diversifying the company's business beyond Internet access. Then, a mere two weeks later, the company said it acquired Mypoints.com from UAL Corp.'s (UAUA) United Airlines. When I think of the timing of the disclosure of the acquisition-related bonus plan and the acquisition, there's only one thing that comes to mind: Hmmm. Finally, Flir Systems Inc. (FLIR): A few months ago, I pointed out how Flir's chief executive received 100% of his bonus last year after earnings per share for the year, the key metric for determining his bonus, hit a certain predetermined target. As it turns out, during the fourth quarter, receivables rose considerably faster than sales thanks in large part, the company said, to strong sales in the last half of the quarter. That combo is often a red flag because it suggests customers might have been encouraged to take more product than they reasonably could sell. Enter last week: Flir warned its first quarter would fall short estimates. Hmmm. Follow-up on last week's piece about companies that rely heavily on business from one big customer: Toss up a chart of PortalPlayer Inc. (PLAY), which gets the lion's share of its revenues from Apple Computer Inc. (AAPL). Or, I should say, got the lion's share of its sale from Apple. Apple decided not to use its latest chip in the iPod. The chart speaks louder than words. (Hmmm.) Finally, last week I wrote the following: "I'm still puzzled about the preflight instructions on the Canadair regional jet requiring window shades to be in the open position during takeoff and landing." Puzzle solved, thanks to multiple letters from pilots, including this from a 36-year veteran of flying who now pilots a 747 for one of the big carriers. The air shades are required to be open for takeoff and landing in smaller planes for a simple reason, he says: "Those two times are the highest percentage likelihood of an accident during the flight, and in the (to quote the flight-attendant monologue) 'unlikely event' that something unpleasant happened during that phase of the flight, if the event led to an emergency evacuation of the aircraft, the crew has to be able to assess which of the available exits are safe to utilize for the 'egress' (i.e., get the hell out) and direct the mass exit accordingly. During the very anxious seconds in a situation like that, it could be the difference between living and dying in an incident that was survivable up to the point that the aircraft came to a stop. Hence, windows open before the fact (it's also an FAA regulation) as after the fact is often too late." Thanks, and -- hmmm. (Herb Greenberg is senior columnist for MarketWatch, based in San Diego. He doesn't own stocks - except for shares of his employer - and he doesn't sell stocks short or invest in hedge funds.) -Herb Greenberg; 415-439-6456; AskNewswires@dowjones.com (END) Dow Jones Newswires April 24, 2006 09:59 ET (13:59 GMT) Copyright (c) 2006 Dow Jones & Company, Inc.- - 09 59 AM EDT 04-24-06

To: TobagoJack who wrote (59303)	4/24/2006 12:13:45 PM
From: shades	Respond to of 110194

Brazil Tsy Secy: '06 Budget Spending Being Accelerated . NEW YORK (Dow Jones)--Brazil government spending for 2006 has been accelerated at the beginning of the year because there will be restrictions on spending later this year due to the October national elections, Brazil Treasury Secretary Carlos Kawall said Monday. The government will meet, however, its 4.25% of gross domestic product as the primary surplus target this year, he said. Some people have taken the fact that, for the last couple of months, the primary surplus has been below 2005 levels "as a sign that fiscal commitment was falling. We don't think so," he said. In an electoral year, spending is "front-loaded" as there will be restrictions on spending later in the year. Therefore, the pattern is different from 2003 and 2005, when the government's emphasis was to save at the beginning of the year and spend later on, Kawall said. This year's fiscal performance should be better than the previous election years of 2002 and 2004, he added. -By Matthew Cowley, Dow Jones Newswires; 201-938-5692; matthew.cowley@dowjones.com (END) Dow Jones Newswires April 24, 2006 09:53 ET (13:53 GMT) Copyright (c) 2006 Dow Jones & Company, Inc.- - 09 53 AM EDT 04-24-06

To: TobagoJack who wrote (59303)	4/24/2006 12:14:05 PM
From: shades	Respond to of 110194

Iran Pres: Israel "Fake Regime" Cannot Continue To Exist TEHRAN (AP)--Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said Monday that Israel was an artificial state that couldn't continue to exist. "Some 60 years has passed since the end of World War II, why should the people of Germany and Palestine pay now for a war in which the current generation was not involved," Ahmadinejad told a press conference. "We say that this fake regime (Israel) cannot not logically continue to live," he said. (END) Dow Jones Newswires April 24, 2006 09:41 ET (13:41 GMT) Copyright (c) 2006 Dow Jones & Company, Inc.- - 09 41 AM EDT 04-24-06

To: TobagoJack who wrote (59303)	4/24/2006 12:14:23 PM
From: shades	Respond to of 110194

TD Ameritrade CEO, Other Execs To Sell Some Stock In Co. . By Gaston F. Ceron Of DOW JONES NEWSWIRES NEW YORK (Dow Jones)--TD Ameritrade Holding Corp.'s (AMTD) chief executive and other company officials will sell some of their stock holdings in the online-brokerage firm, said CEO Joe Moglia. Moglia, who spoke during an earnings conference call Monday, said the motivation behind the share sales is estate planning. Altogether, the group will sell about five million to six million Ameritrade shares over the next couple of weeks, Moglia said. Omaha, Neb.-based Ameritrade typically averages about 5.8 million shares a day in trading volume in its stock. On Friday, the shares fell 32 cents, or 1.5%, to $21.50. Moglia said about 90% of his family's net worth is tied up in Ameritrade stock. To restructure his estate planning, "we need greater diversification" and "we will be selling in an effort to do that." After the planned share sales, Moglia said his family still will have about 60% of its net worth in Ameritrade, not counting the equity Moglia is getting as part of his new contract. Earlier Monday, Ameritrade said Moglia's new contract - which is for an initial three-year term plus an automatic two-year extension - includes an annual base salary of $1 million and a yearly $9 million "performance-based" bonus, of which $3 million is in cash and $6 million in an equity award. The pact also includes an upfront $10 million "performance-based" equity award, to "cliff vest" in three years. Ameritrade, which in January acquired TD Waterhouse, earned $172.8 million for the second fiscal quarter that ended in March, or 30 cents a share, up from $77.4 million, or 19 cents a share, in the year-earlier quarter. By Gaston F. Ceron, Dow Jones Newswires; 201-938-5234; gaston.ceron@dowjones.com (END) Dow Jones Newswires April 24, 2006 09:29 ET (13:29 GMT)

To: TobagoJack who wrote (59303)	4/24/2006 12:14:39 PM
From: shades	Respond to of 110194

TD Ameritrade CEO Gets 5-Year Contract Worth Up To $60M Dow Jones Newswires TD Ameritrade (AMTD) Chief Executive Joe Moglia agreed to a five-year pay package worth up to $60 million, the company said. Moglia will receive $1 million in salary, up to $9 million a year in performance-based pay, plus an up-front $10 million performance-based equity award, which will cliff vest in three years. Since March 2001, Ameritrade stock has outperformed the S&P 500 by more than 250%, the company said. -Steve Gelsi; 415-439-6456; AskNewswires@dowjones.com (END) Dow Jones Newswires April 24, 2006 09:25 ET (13:25 GMT)

To: TobagoJack who wrote (59303)	4/24/2006 12:22:12 PM
From: shades	Respond to of 110194

Putin Ackowledges Growing Unrest In Kyrgyzstan MOSCOW (AP)--President Vladimir Putin noted growing unrest in Kyrgyzstan Monday as he met with the visiting Kyrgyz president, in Moscow on his first state visit since being elected almost a year ago in the ex-Soviet nation. Kurmanbek Bakiyev met for one-on-one talks with Putin at the Kremlin, and was scheduled to hold talks with other Russian officials later. Since Bakiyev's election last July, many Kyrgyz have grown impatient with Bakiyev's administration - a fact Putin pointed out to the Kyrgyz leader. "It's well-known to us that the situation in your country is still rather difficult," Putin said in televised comments. "There are many complicated problems in the social, as well as the economic, sphere." Bakiyev was swept into power in March 2005 amid mass protests that ousted President Askar Akayev, and later won the presidential election. In the 10 months following Bakiyev's election, however, the poor, largely agricultural nation has been marred by a string of high-profile slayings - including of three lawmakers - prison riots and battles for control of lucrative businesses. He has also backtracked on sweeping political reforms and opposition parties and civic organization have vowed to rally thousands in the Kyrgyz capital Bishkek this week to press Bakiyev to carry out the reforms. The Central Asian nation is the focus of competing attentions from Washington and Moscow. Since December 2001, Kyrgyzstan has hosted about 1,000 U.S. troops on a base outside Bishkek, and Bakiyev has been trying to balance U.S. and Russian interests. Moscow gave tacit approval to the base but in recent months, the Russia- and China-dominated Shanghai Cooperation Organization - of which Kyrgyzstan is a member - have pushed for an end to the U.S. military presence in the region. Bakiyev last week threatened to expel the U.S. troops if Washington doesn't agree by June to pay more for use of the base. Kyrgyzstan also hosts a Russian air base, east of Bishkek. Putin, after meeting with Bakiyev, repeated Russia's intentions to bolster its forces there. "The reinforcement of the military base in Kant is a priority of our cooperation," Putin said. "We are interested in building up its resources." The chief of Russia's air force in February announced that Russia intended to double the size of its forces at Kant, which opened October 2003 and was Russia's first new military base on foreign soil since the Soviet collapse. The base currently has about 500 officers and servicemen, 20 Sukhoi jet fighters and fighter bombers, transport aircraft, Czech-made training fighters and other materiel, according to news reports. Moscow watched the March 2005 uprising in Kyrgyzstan with alarm, fearing the country would become markedly more pro-Western, as other former Soviet republics have become following similar protests. A Kremlin official said anti-terror cooperation and regional security were among the subjects topping the agenda for Bakiyev's visit. The talks between the Russian and Kyrgyz presidents "are expected to promote an active Russian-Kyrgyz dialogue, which aims to deepen and enhance political, economic, military, military-technical and humanitarian cooperation based on the principles of allied relations and strategic partnership," the official said. (END) Dow Jones Newswires April 24, 2006 09:20 ET (13:20 GMT) Copyright (c) 2006 Dow Jones & Company, Inc.- - 09 20 AM EDT 04-24-06

To: TobagoJack who wrote (59303)	4/24/2006 12:23:19 PM
From: shades	Respond to of 110194

Top Five Dividend Yielding Stocks in Major Industries . Top Five Dividend Yielding Stocks in Automobile & Parts Sector Annual Weekly Weekly Name Symbol Yield Dividend Price StkChg PctChg FordMotor F 5.46 0.40 7.32 -0.03 -0.41 GenMotor GM 4.59 1.00 21.79 1.39 6.81 Lear LEA 4.52 1.00 22.10 4.00 22.10 AmerAxle AXL 3.39 0.60 17.69 0.00 0.00 CooperT&R CTB 3.37 0.42 12.46 0.00 0.00 Top Five Dividend Yielding Stocks in Banks Sector Annual Weekly Weekly Name Symbol Yield Dividend Price StkChg PctChg NY CmntyBcp NYB 6.06 1.00 16.51 -0.24 -1.43 FNB Cp FNB 5.66 0.94 16.60 0.04 0.24 TrCoBkNY TRST 5.57 0.64 11.50 -0.17 -1.46 FstMerit FMER 4.68 1.12 23.92 0.00 0.00 WashMut WM 4.53 2.04 45.01 0.00 0.00 Top Five Dividend Yielding Stocks in Basic Resources Sector Annual Weekly Weekly Name Symbol Yield Dividend Price StkChg PctChg Olin OLN 3.55 0.80 22.51 1.05 4.89 WorthgtnInd WOR 3.28 0.68 20.76 0.00 0.00 Bowater BOW 2.77 0.80 28.83 0.00 0.00 IntPaper IP 2.69 1.00 37.18 0.00 0.00 Weyerhsr WY 2.67 2.00 75.04 2.54 3.50 Top Five Dividend Yielding Stocks in Chemicals Sector Annual Weekly Weekly Name Symbol Yield Dividend Price StkChg PctChg Lyondell LYO 4.05 0.90 22.20 1.09 5.16 DowChem DOW 3.65 1.50 41.11 1.10 2.75 DuPont DD 3.32 1.48 44.61 0.00 0.00 RPM RPM 3.31 0.64 19.31 0.00 0.00 EmanChm EMN 3.24 1.76 54.30 3.23 6.32 Top Five Dividend Yielding Stocks in Construction & Materials Sector Annual Weekly Weekly Name Symbol Yield Dividend Price StkChg PctChg Masco MAS 2.69 0.88 32.75 0.00 0.00 LA Pac LPX 2.23 0.60 26.91 0.00 0.00 MDU Res MDU 2.09 0.76 36.40 0.00 0.00 SherwinWil SHW 1.90 1.00 52.67 0.00 0.00 FortBrnds FO 1.83 1.44 78.88 0.00 0.00 Top Five Dividend Yielding Stocks in Financial Services Sector Annual Weekly Weekly Name Symbol Yield Dividend Price StkChg PctChg NovstrFnl NFI 16.51 5.60 33.91 0.00 0.00 NewCentFnl NEW 14.18 7.00 49.37 0.00 0.00 AmHmMrtg AHM 10.97 3.64 33.18 0.00 0.00 ThornbrgMtg TMA 9.91 2.72 27.46 0.00 0.00 AmFnlRlty AFR 9.39 1.08 11.50 0.00 0.00 Top Five Dividend Yielding Stocks in Food & Beverage Sector Annual Weekly Weekly Name Symbol Yield Dividend Price StkChg PctChg SaraLee SLE 4.42 0.79 17.87 0.35 2.00 ConAgraFoods CAG 3.30 0.72 21.82 0.63 2.97 Heinz HNZ 3.01 1.20 39.84 2.17 5.76 CocaCola KO 2.96 1.24 41.85 0.59 1.43 KftFoods KFT 2.96 0.92 31.05 0.00 0.00 Top Five Dividend Yielding Stocks in HEALTH CARE Sector Annual Weekly Weekly Name Symbol Yield Dividend Price StkChg PctChg BrisMyrsSqb BMY 4.52 1.12 24.80 0.00 0.00 Merck MRK 4.38 1.52 34.74 0.00 0.00 Pfizer PFE 3.86 0.96 24.87 0.00 0.00 EliLilly LLY 3.02 1.60 52.93 0.00 0.00 AbbottLab ABT 2.81 1.18 42.00 0.00 0.00 Top Five Dividend Yielding Stocks in Industrial Goods/Svc Sector Annual Weekly Weekly Name Symbol Yield Dividend Price StkChg PctChg ChespkeCp CSK 6.55 0.88 13.43 0.00 0.00 DeluxeCp DLX 6.18 1.60 25.90 0.00 0.00 PackCpAm PKG 4.35 1.00 22.97 0.00 0.00 Donnelly RRD 3.16 1.04 32.93 0.00 0.00 MeadWVaco MWV 3.05 0.92 30.20 0.00 0.00 Top Five Dividend Yielding Stocks in Insurance Sector Annual Weekly Weekly Name Symbol Yield Dividend Price StkChg PctChg Gallagr AJG 4.51 1.20 26.61 -0.89 -3.24 Unitrin UTR 3.61 1.76 48.77 0.55 1.14 MercuryGen MCY 3.50 1.92 54.82 0.94 1.74 CommrcGpInc CGI 3.30 1.80 54.55 0.00 0.00 CinnFnl CINF 3.17 1.34 42.24 0.00 0.00 Top Five Dividend Yielding Stocks in Media Sector Annual Weekly Weekly Name Symbol Yield Dividend Price StkChg PctChg SnclrBdcst A SBGI 5.15 0.40 7.76 0.00 0.00 WestwdOne WON 4.17 0.40 9.59 0.00 0.00 NYTimes A NYT 2.86 0.70 24.48 0.00 0.00 DowJones DJ 2.81 1.00 35.64 0.00 0.00 ReadersDig RDA 2.78 0.40 14.40 0.00 0.00 Top Five Dividend Yielding Stocks in OIL & GAS Sector Annual Weekly Weekly Name Symbol Yield Dividend Price StkChg PctChg OGE Engy OGE 4.55 1.33 29.24 0.00 0.00 KindrMorgan KMI 3.83 3.50 91.47 0.00 0.00 Chevron CVX 2.93 1.80 61.48 0.00 0.00 Todco THE 2.02 1.00 49.51 0.00 0.00 ConocoPhil COP 1.99 1.44 72.50 0.00 0.00 Top Five Dividend Yielding Stocks in Personal & Household Goods Sector Annual Weekly Weekly Name Symbol Yield Dividend Price StkChg PctChg UST Inc UST 5.26 2.28 43.31 0.00 0.00 ReynoldsAmer RAI 4.67 5.00 107.07 0.00 0.00 UnvlCp UVV 4.61 1.72 37.32 0.00 0.00 AltriaGp MO 4.54 3.20 70.54 0.00 0.00 Tupperwr TUP 3.92 0.88 22.44 0.00 0.00 Top Five Dividend Yielding Stocks in Retail Sector Annual Weekly Weekly Name Symbol Yield Dividend Price StkChg PctChg SvcMastr SVM 3.54 0.44 12.43 0.00 0.00 Pier 1 PIR 3.23 0.40 12.40 0.00 0.00 Albertsons ABS 3.00 0.76 25.32 0.00 0.00 LimitedBrnds LTD 2.42 0.60 24.80 0.00 0.00 CatoCp A CTR 2.36 0.52 22.02 0.00 0.00 Top Five Dividend Yielding Stocks in TECHNOLOGY Sector Annual Weekly Weekly Name Symbol Yield Dividend Price StkChg PctChg UtdOnline UNTD 6.13 0.80 13.05 0.00 0.00 PitneyBws PBI 3.02 1.28 42.45 0.00 0.00 Intel INTC 2.10 0.40 19.06 0.00 0.00 Diebold DBD 2.07 0.86 41.51 0.00 0.00 MicrochpTch MCHP 2.06 0.76 36.87 0.00 0.00 Top Five Dividend Yielding Stocks in TELECOMMUNICATIONS Sector Annual Weekly Weekly Name Symbol Yield Dividend Price StkChg PctChg CtznComm CZN 7.36 1.00 13.58 0.35 2.65 AT&T T 5.25 1.33 25.35 0.00 0.00 Verizon VZ 4.98 1.62 32.52 -0.29 -0.88 BellSouth BLS 3.56 1.16 32.61 0.00 0.00 Alltel AT 2.41 1.54 63.90 0.00 0.00 Top Five Dividend Yielding Stocks in Travel & Leisure Sector Annual Weekly Weekly Name Symbol Yield Dividend Price StkChg PctChg LoneStarStk STAR 3.07 0.82 26.70 0.00 0.00 Cendant CD 2.61 0.44 16.85 0.00 0.00 (MORE TO FOLLOW) Dow Jones Newswires April 24, 2006 09:17 ET (13:17 GMT) Copyright (c) 2006 Dow Jones & Company, Inc.- - 09 17 AM EDT 04-24-06

To: TobagoJack who wrote (59303)	4/24/2006 12:23:51 PM
From: shades	Respond to of 110194

Gen. William Lyon Extends Tender Offer To April 28 >WLS Dow Jones Newswires William Lyon Homes Inc. (WLS) Chief Investment Officer General William Lyon in a statement Monday said he is extending his offer for all of the home builder's outstanding shares he doesn't already own to midnight, April 28. Lyon said he will waive the condition to the offer that the shares tendered in the offer, together with shares owned by Lyon and trusts affiliated with him, represent at least 90% of the company's outstanding shares. The stock closed Friday up 3 cents to $100. -John Spence; 415-439-6456; AskNewswires@dowjones.com (END) Dow Jones Newswires April 24, 2006 09:15 ET (13:15 GMT) Copyright (c) 2006 Dow Jones & Company, Inc.- - 09 15 AM EDT 04-24-06

To: TobagoJack who wrote (59303)	4/24/2006 12:24:17 PM
From: shades	Respond to of 110194

Labor Deal Seen Costing Seimens At Least EUR300M/Yr . MUNICH (Dow Jones)--A deal between industry leaders and German labor union IG Metall and could cost technology company Siemens AG's (SI) at least EUR300 million a year, analysts said Monday. Under the deal, which was reached Saturday for North Rhine-Westphalia's approximately 300,000 workers in the metal and electronics industry, the two sides agreed to a 3% raise covering the 10 months starting June 1, plus some one-time payments. "Every percentage point of income increase leads to extra costs of around EUR100 million," said one analyst who requested anonymity. Then there are also the additional one-time payments which vary with the operating performance of the single segments, he added. Employees at the Siemens Medical division are likely to receive higher payments than Siemens Business Services' staff, the analyst said. A Siemens spokesman declined to comment on the figures, before the labor agreement in Bavaria is finalized. The spokesman also said that only 80% out of the about 165,000 Siemens employees in Germany are subject to the state labour agreements. Merck Finck analyst Theo Kitz said he expects Siemens has already incorporated higher wages into its budget. "All in all, the rise seems moderate, so it shouldn't have a long-term impact on the share price," he said. Company Web site: siemens.com -By Marc Langendorf, Dow Jones Newswires; +49 69 29 725 500, marc.langendorf@dowjones.com (END) Dow Jones Newswires April 24, 2006 09:03 ET (13:03 GMT) Copyright (c) 2006 Dow Jones & Company, Inc.- - 09 03 AM EDT 04-24-06

To: TobagoJack who wrote (59303)	4/24/2006 12:24:34 PM
From: shades	Respond to of 110194

Freddie Mac Retained Portfolio Up Annual 17.2% In March . NEW YORK (Dow Jones)--Freddie Mac (FRE) said Monday that it added to its holdings of mortgage bonds again in March for the second month in a row. The housing agency's retained, or investment, portfolio rose $10.09 billion to $715.4 billion, for an annualized rate of growth of 17.2%. That brought growth for the first three months of the year to 3.0%. (MORE TO FOLLOW) Dow Jones Newswires April 24, 2006 08:56 ET (12:56 GMT) Copyright (c) 2006 Dow Jones & Company, Inc.- - 08 56 AM EDT 04-24-06

To: TobagoJack who wrote (59303)	4/24/2006 7:32:37 PM
From: shades	Respond to of 110194

Netflix To Outline Download Timetable By End Of Year (how will your asian friends like this instead of buying shiny disks dear General? - I guess the mailing costs got too great) Dow Jones Newswires Netflix Inc. (NFLX) Chief Executive Reed Hastings told analysts late Monday that the online DVD rental pioneer expects to outline a timetable for its launch of movie downloading capability by the end of 2006. Last October, the company had indefinitely postponed plans for a download service, saying that the costs of licensing content would be prohibitive. Hastings also said that all movie studios should offer DVDs in both high-definition formats - Microsoft's HD-DVD and Sony's (SNE) Blu-ray - so that consumers won't delay their adoption of high-def and weaken the industry's upbeat sales outlook for the format. -David B. Wilkerson; 415-439-6456; AskNewswires@dowjones.com (END) Dow Jones Newswires April 24, 2006 18:10 ET (22:10 GMT)

To: TobagoJack who wrote (59303)	4/24/2006 7:40:30 PM
From: shades	Respond to of 110194

Ex-Trinidad PM Jailed For 2 Yrs For Not Declaring Bk Acct (General, when they come for you gold - hand it over - don't worry about eating - I will give you some oranges - just stay alive and stay free my man! You can come stay with me in nice sunny fla) PORT-OF-SPAIN, Trinidad (AP)--Former Prime Minister Basdeo Panday was sentenced Monday to two years in jail and fined $10,000 on two counts of failing to declare a British bank account while leading Trinidad and Tobago. Panday, who led the Caribbean twin-island nation from 1995 to 2001, was found guilty of not disclosing a Natwest bank account he held jointly with his wife Oma between the years 1997 and 1999. In addition to the fine, the court ruled Panday must pay the state $284,350 - the total sum that was reported in the undisclosed London bank account at the end of 1997, 1998 and 1999. Panday showed little emotion as Chief Magistrate Sherman McNicolls read the verdict. McNicolls ruled that Panday can serve his two sentences - two years on each count, the maximum allowed by the law - concurrently. A political analyst said the sentence would likely restore some confidence in the judicial system's ability to root out corruption in the Caribbean nation. "This is the first time a sitting or former prime minister has been convicted of a crime like this," said John La Guerre, a politics professor at the University of the West Indies in Trinidad. Lawyers for Panday, who was still an active member of Trinidad's parliament and the chairman of the opposition United National Congress party, said they will file an appeal immediately. Panday, 72, was charged in September 2002 with three counts of knowingly making false statements to Trinidad's Integrity Commission by not declaring the account. He has said he didn't know about its existence, and that the money was a college fund for his daughters. In a separate case, the embattled former prime minister has been charged with accepting a $45,600 bribe in an airport corruption scandal in Trinidad and Tobago. Panday, who was the Caribbean nation's first prime minister of East Indian descent, has said the allegations against him are a politically motivated attack by Prime Minister Patrick Manning's ruling People's National Movement party. (END) Dow Jones Newswires April 24, 2006 19:18 ET (23:18 GMT) Copyright (c) 2006 Dow Jones & Company, Inc.- - 07 18 PM EDT 04-24-06

To: TobagoJack who wrote (59303)	4/25/2006 1:48:02 AM
From: shades	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 110194

GERMAN PRESS: Austrian Post Office Set For IPO (first japan - now austria - when does the USA privatize the postal system - I know goldman sachs itching to make fees on that deal - what was it buffet said about selling off the farm?) DOW JONES NEWSWIRES The Austrian post office, Oesterreichische Postsparkasse (OPS.YY), is close to a stock issue, with the government holding company OIAG set to sell a 49% share, according to Boersen-Zeitung. Post general director Anton Wais says the time is right for an initial public offering because the company has demonstrated that it can restructure itself and make money. Newspaper Web site: boersen-zeitung.de -Dow Jones Newswires; dennis.baker@dowjones.com (END) Dow Jones Newswires April 25, 2006 01:19 ET (05:19 GMT) Copyright (c) 2006 Dow Jones & Company, Inc.- - 01 19 AM EDT 04-25-06

To: TobagoJack who wrote (59303)	4/25/2006 10:05:00 AM
From: shades	Respond to of 110194

ExxonMobil Evacuates Some Staff From Nigeria HQ-Official . LAGOS (Dow Jones)--ExxonMobil Corp. (XOM) has evacuated some but not all of its staff from its administrative headquarters in Nigeria following threats, an official confirmed Tuesday. The official told Dow Jones Newswires that the partial evacuation of its office in Eket in the eastern part of the troubled oil-rich Niger Delta followed threats against the company by ethnic rebels. The official said they evacuated some of their staff "as a precautionary measure." He wouldn't confirm how may staff have been moved. (MORE TO FOLLOW) Dow Jones Newswires April 25, 2006 09:13 ET (13:13 GMT) Copyright (c) 2006 Dow Jones & Company, Inc.- - 09 13 AM EDT 04-25-06 ExxonMobil Evacuates Staff From Nigeria HQ -Official -2- Militants seeking regional control of oil resources have continued their threats to resume a series of attacks that have cut off about a fifth of Nigeria's crude production. The leading producer in Nigeria, Shell Petroleum Development Company of Nigeria, a joint venture between Royal Dutch Shell PLC (RDSB.LN) and the Nigerian National Petroleum Corp. (NNP.YY), has also been the greatest victim of the attacks, with 455,000 barrels a day of production shut in since February. Shell has said it isn't in a hurry to resume production in the affected areas, until security concerns there are settled. At Mobil Producing Nigeria Unlimited, a subsidiary of ExxonMobil, an official told Dow Jones Newswires late Friday that "everything is okay." Mobil, the second largest producer in Nigeria, said last week production at its Yoho field was returning to normal after what the company called "operational event" that occurred the previous weekend. Output from Yoho is currently put at about 150,000 b/d, with projected peak production of 165,000 b/d. Before Yoho came on stream, Mobil's output was put at about 600,000 b/d. "For the errant oil companies that still choose to remain and operate in our lands and waters, we shall come like a thief in the night," the militants warned in an e-mail late Thursday. -By Vincent Nwanma, Dow Jones Newswires; +234-1-585-0849; vinwanma@beta.linkserve.com (END) Dow Jones Newswires April 25, 2006 09:20 ET (13:20 GMT) Copyright (c) 2006 Dow Jones & Company, Inc.- - 09 20 AM EDT 04-25-06

To: TobagoJack who wrote (59303)	4/25/2006 10:06:10 AM
From: shades	Respond to of 110194

*DJ Scottrade 1Q Customer Assets Grew To Over $51B (Now we know where some helicopter money is going right?) (MORE TO FOLLOW) Dow Jones Newswires April 25, 2006 09:08 ET (13:08 GMT) Copyright (c) 2006 Dow Jones & Company, Inc.- - 09 08 AM EDT 04-25-06