Silicon Investor (SI) -- The First Internet Community

STOCKTALK

We've detected that you're using an ad content blocking browser plug-in or feature. Ads provide a critical source of revenue to the continued operation of Silicon Investor. We ask that you disable ad blocking while on Silicon Investor in the best interests of our community. If you are not using an ad blocker but are still receiving this message, make sure your browser's tracking protection is set to the 'standard' level.

Technology Stocks : Compaq -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: rupert1 who wrote (61252)	5/13/1999 9:21:00 AM
From: rupert1	Respond to of 97611

Stocks Are Expected to Jump As Inflation Fears Dissipate An INTERACTIVE JOURNAL News Roundup U.S. stocks are expected to post gains Thursday, as economic data show that recent fears about inflation may have been unwarranted. The Commerce Department said retail sales rose 0.1% to a seasonally adjusted $239.3 billion as consumers moderated a spending spree that has been spurred by soaring U.S. stock prices. The retail-sales increase was smaller than the rise of 0.4% that was expected and suggested the U.S. economy may be cooling slightly in its ninth year of expansion. Meanwhile, the Labor Department said that the total cost of goods at the producer level in the U.S. rose 0.5% in April, as the price of gasoline jumped significantly in the early spring. But the producer-price index reading met expectations, and wasn't seen as a troubling inflation signal. The core measure of inflation at the manufacturing level -- excluding the volatile food and energy components -- rose a modest 0.1%. In a separate report, the Labor Department said first-time claims for unemployment benefits held steady at a moderate 303,000 last week. A more reliable four-week moving average of jobless claims dropped by 4,000 to 304,250. In electronic trading of futures on the Standard & Poor's 500-stock index, typically seen as an indication of the early direction of the Dow Jones Industrial Average, stocks looked set to open higher. Wednesday, the Dow Jones Industrial Average shed 25.78 to 11000.37. The Nasdaq Composite settled at 2606.54, adding 39.86 points, or 1.5%. World markets were mixed. Trading was quiet in Europe because of a holiday that closed many markets. Markets that remained open posted moderate gains. In Asia, Hong Kong's Hang Seng rose 0.3%, while Tokyo's Nikkei average fell 0.6% and Seoul's Kospi shed 4%. Among stocks to watch Thursday: International Business Machines' Chief Executive Louis V. Gerstner Jr. told analysts the Internet will play an increasingly large role in the company's future. Mr. Gerstner said that a quarter of IBM's revenue -- or about $20 billion -- is related to "e-business," including sales over the Internet, computer consulting and installation and software products that manage data and transactions. Wednesday, IBM climbed 4 1/2 to 225 1/2. i2 Technologies, which develops "supply-chain" software, said it has agreed to buy Smart Technologies in a stock deal valued at around $68 million. Irving, Texas, i2 expects the purchase to hurt 1999 results but boost results next year. Shares of I2 Technologies rose 2 3/8 to 34 on Wednesday.