Schaeffer's S&P 500 Index Hot Stocks Features Ford Motor, Goodyear Tire & Rubber, SanDisk, H&R Block, and Cummins.

CINCINNATI -- Among the stocks featured in the August 25 edition of Schaeffer's S&P 500 Index Hot Stocks are Ford Motor (NYSE:F), Goodyear Tire & Rubber (NYSE:GT), SanDisk (NASDAQ:SNDK), H&R Block (NYSE:HRB), and Cummins (NYSE:CMI). Schaeffer's S&P 500 Index Hot Stocks is just one of the many free market commentaries written every day 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=PRSHS13M&PAGE=1 .

Schaeffer's S&P 500 Index Hot Stocks for Friday, August 25, 2006:

A daily feature available on SchaeffersResearch.com is the "SPX 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 - 1,295.95) as well as the bottom-20 names. Featured along with this table will be news that is moving some of the securities, including a look at Ford.

NOTE: Stocks trading under $5 per share have been eliminated from this listing of the top-20 and bottom-20 performing stocks.

The SPX has slipped slightly as we head into the final trading hours of the week. If the day finishes the way it is headed, the SPX will lose 0.5 percent on the day. Confusion reigns supreme, as investors have evidence that the housing market is slowing down, but they may be putting too much weight on what this data means for the economy. Crude futures have done little to help out the market, adding 49 cents to trade at $72.85 per barrel, as weather experts have suggested that the tropical depression over the Atlantic Ocean could strengthen to a hurricane. What's more, the weather gurus suggested that the tropical depression, if it strengthens, could disrupt crude production. Currently, 45 percent of the SPX is in positive territory.

There really isn't much in the way of news for the stocks at the top of the SPX, I had to dig down to the third spot, where we find Ford Motor (NYSE:F). Earlier this morning, Citigroup (C) senior executive Robert Rubin resigned his seat on the F board of directors. Some investors speculate that this move could signal big changes ahead for the automaker, which could include the potential for a major asset sale. Rubin stated that staying on the board could have raised "a question whether my relationship with Ford and Citigroup creates an appearance of conflict." As speculation on F's next move ran rampant upon the Street, the shares shot nearly 3.5 percent higher.

Yesterday, Goodyear Tire & Rubber (NYSE:GT) introduced a new line of fuel-efficient tires for long-haul trucks. The tires feature the company's new Fuel Max Technology, and will have new steer, drive and trailer tires, and retreads for what the company calls a "cradle-to-grave" tire system for trucking fleets and owner-operators. GT stated that an 18-wheeler with the new tires could achieve up to four-percent improved fuel economy. GT is nearly three percent higher this afternoon.

Finally, we turn to SanDisk (NASDAQ:SNDK). The company is nearly three percent higher this afternoon after Caris & Co. upgraded it to "buy" from "above average." This increase is nice, but the stock is battling resistance at the 55 level.

Turning to the bottom of the SPX, we find tax specialist H&R Block (NYSE:HRB). The company announced that it expects to record an after-tax provision for losses of $61.3 million, or 19 cents per share. HRB stated that the loss provision reflects an increase to the estimated recourse liability recorded by the company's subsidiary Option One Mortgage Corp for loan repurchases and premium recapture reserves. Currently HRB is more than eight percent lower on the day.

While Cummins (NYSE:CMI) has not lost near as much as HRB, it has slipped more than three percent to find the second-to-last spot on the SPX. CMI has dropped after UBS cut the engine manufacturer to "reduce."

Click the following link to see a Chart of the SPX 500 Index's Top-20 Percentage Gainers: http://www.schaeffersresearch.com/wire?ID=17220 .

Click the following link to see a Chart of the SPX 500 Index's Top-20 Percentage Losers: http://www.schaeffersresearch.com/wire?ID=17220 .

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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 .