Schaeffer's S&P 500 Index Hot Stocks Features Ecolab, Intuit, Biogen Idec, National Semiconductor, and Pulte Homes.CINCINNATI -- Among the stocks featured in the March 9 edition of Schaeffer's S&P 500 Index Hot Stocks are Ecolab (NYSE NYSE See: New York Stock Exchange :ECL (Emitter-Coupled Logic) A digital circuit composed of bipolar transistors in which the emitter ends are wired together. ECL gates switch faster than TTL gates, but consume more power. See TTL, I2L and bipolar. 1. ), Intuit in·tu·it tr.v. in·tu·it·ed, in·tu·it·ing, in·tu·its Usage Problem To know intuitively. [Back-formation from intuition. (NASDAQ NASDAQ in full National Association of Securities Dealers Automated Quotations U.S. market for over-the-counter securities. Established in 1971 by the National Association of Securities Dealers (NASD), NASDAQ is an automated quotation system that reports on :INTU INTU Intuit, Inc. (stock abbreviation, AMEX) ), Biogen Idec Biogen Idec, Inc. (NASDAQ: BIIB) is a biotechnology company specializing in drugs for neurological disorders, autoimmune disorders and cancer. The company was formed in 2003 by the merger of Cambridge, Massachusetts-based Biogen and San Diego, California-based Idec (NASDAQ:BIIB BIIB Basic Imagery Interpretation Brief ), National Semiconductor (NYSE:NSM (Network and System Management) Running and controlling the networks and computer systems in an enterprise. See network management. ), and Pulte Homes Pulte Homes, Inc (NYSE: PHM) is a Bloomfield Hills, MI based company founded by Bill Pulte. Pulte is the third largest (by units) builder of homes and residential community developers in the United States according to Builder Magazine's"Builder 100", and is the nation's (NYSE:PHM). Schaeffer's S&P 500 Index Hot Stocks is just one of the many free market commentaries written everyday at www.SchaeffersResearch.com - the home of Bernie Schaeffer and Schaeffer's Investment Research. For additional information about this report or to have it delivered to you free via email every day click on the following link. http://www.schaeffersresearch.com/redirect.aspx?CODE=PRSHS12M&PAGE=1 . Schaeffer's S&P 500 Index Hot Stocks for Thursday, March 9, 2006: A daily feature available on SchaeffersResearch.com is the "SPX (Sequenced Packet EXchange) The transport layer protocol in the NetWare operating system. Similar to the TCP layer in TCP/IP, it ensures that the entire message arrives intact. SPX uses NetWare's IPX as its delivery mechanism. Hot Stocks" column. Each afternoon, we will provide a list of the day's top-20 performing stocks in the S&P 500 Index (SPX - 1,276.98) as well as the bottom-20 names. Featured along with this table will be news that is moving some of the securities. NOTE: Stocks trading under $5 per share have been eliminated from this listing of the top-20 and bottom-20 performing stocks. This morning, the Commerce Department reported that the nation's trade deficit expanded in January by 5.3 percent to a new monthly record of $68.5 billion. Analysts had expected the deficit to increase to $66.4 billion. This news weighed on the market this afternoon, as well as news that initial applications for unemployment benefits unexpectedly increased by 8,000 to 303,000 last week. Currently, 51 percent of the components in the SPX are in negative territory. Trying to lead the SPX higher is Ecolab (NYSE:ECL). This morning, Morgan Stanley  To comply with Wikipedia's , the introduction of this article needs a complete rewrite. upgraded the sanitation company to "overweight' from "equal weight." This news sent the shares rocketing more than seven percent on the day and into the top spot on our hot-stocks list. Moving down the upside, we find Intuit (NASDAQ:INTU). This morning, the company raised its third-quarter earnings forecast to a range of $1.56 to $1.60 per share. Originally the forecast was for earnings between $1.54 and $1.58 per share. Excluding items, INTU believes that it will earn between $1.64 and $1.68 per share, an increase of six to nine percent over the prior year. INTU also upped its revenue forecast to $900 million from $800 million. The firm cited strong sales of its TurboTax products as the reason for the elevated forecast. INTU has tacked on more than six percent today. Next we turn our attention to Biogen Idec (NASDAQ:BIIB). Yesterday, an advisory panel from the Federal Drug Administration (FDA FDA abbr. Food and Drug Administration FDA, n.pr See Food and Drug Administration. FDA, n.pr the abbreviation for the Food and Drug Administration. ) voted to unanimously recommend that BIIB's joint venture, Tysabri, be put back on the market. The FDA is not obligated ob·li·gate tr.v. ob·li·gat·ed, ob·li·gat·ing, ob·li·gates 1. To bind, compel, or constrain by a social, legal, or moral tie. See Synonyms at force. 2. To cause to be grateful or indebted; oblige. to follow this recommendation, but they do more often than not. BIIB is up more than four percent this afternoon. My colleague, Ed Stenson, masterfully crafted a technical analysis of BIIB today in Street Chatter. Looking to the downside of the hot-stocks list, we find National Semiconductor (NYSE:NSM) and its loss of more than two percent. NSM has fallen after reporting third-quarter earnings and revenue that beat the Street's expectations. Digging a little deeper into the news, it looks like NSM forecast fourth-quarter earnings and revenue to come in "slightly higher" than the consensus estimate. Finally today, we turn to Pulte Homes (NYSE:PHM). The company continues to reel today, dropping more than two percent, following yesterday's comments from Susquehanna Financial Group concerning the home sector. The brokerage cut its earnings forecast for the group, noting that orders have dropped and other negative housing fundamentals that the heavy spring selling season can't save. PHM had its 2006 earnings projection cut to $5.72 from $6.02 per share. Click the following link to see a Chart of the SPX 500 Index's Top-20 Percentage Gainers: http://www.schaeffersresearch.com/wire?ID=15493 . Click the following link to see a Chart of the SPX 500 Index's Top-20 Percentage Losers: http://www.schaeffersresearch.com/wire?ID=15493 . Take advantage of the timely Schaeffer commentaries by signing up for their free e-newsletters -- Opening View, Market Recap and Monday Morning Outlook. Click here to have the Schaeffer's commentaries delivered to you free via email every day. http://www.schaeffersresearch.com/redirect.aspx?CODE=PRSHS12M&PAGE=1 . About Schaeffer's Investment Research (www.SchaeffersResearch.com) Schaeffer's Investment Research, founded by Bernie Schaeffer in 1981, is a financial information and trading resources company. It publishes Bernie Schaeffer's Option Advisor, the nation's leading options subscription newsletter. The firm's contrarian approach focuses on stocks with technical and fundamental trends that run counter to investor expectations. The firm's website, http://www.SchaeffersResearch.com , is recognized as one of the leading information sources for stock and options traders and was cited as the top options website by both Forbes and Barron's. Click here for more details about Schaeffer's trading methodology: http://www.SchaeffersResearch.com/method . |
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