Schaeffer's S&P 500 Index Hot Stocks Features Gilead Sciences, Public Storage, Allergan, Louisiana-Pacific, and Avaya.

CINCINNATI -- Among the stocks featured in the March 8 edition of Schaeffer's S&P 500 Index Hot Stocks are Gilead Sciences (NASDAQ:GILD), Public Storage (NYSE:PSA), Allergan (NYSE:AGN), Louisiana-Pacific (NYSE:LPX), and Avaya (NYSE:AV). 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 Wednesday, March 8, 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 - 1,279.76) 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.

Oil has dropped below the $60 level following this morning's crude inventory reports and word that the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries decided to leave its output quota at 28 million barrels per day "for the time being." Right now, the SPX is wrestling with the breakeven point, looking to fight its way into positive territory during the final hour of trading. Currently, 55 percent of the names in the SPX are in positive territory.

News for the companies resting atop the hot-stocks list is rather sparse this afternoon, but a bit of a digging expedition turned up some news. Gilead Sciences (NASDAQ:GILD) has gained more than three percent today after the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) granted approval for once-daily antiretroviral Viread. The FDA also approved Gilead's fixed-dose antiretroviral combination, Truvada. The FDA previously granted accelerated approval for Viread and Truvada in October 2001 and August 2004, respectively.

Further down the list, we have Public Storage (NYSE:PSA). Yesterday morning, PSA confirmed that it will acquire its rival, Shurgard Storage Centers for $5 billion, creating what the companies call the largest operator of self-storage facilities. This morning, Deutsche Bank upgraded PSA to "buy" from "hold," while Banc of America resumed coverage of the company with a "buy." In addition, both brokerages upped the company's target price. PSA is nearly three percent higher today.

The final stock on the uptick making news is Allergan (NYSE:AGN). This morning the company announced that it received approval from the Federal Trade Commission for its proposed acquisition of Inamed (IMDC). AGN, a specialty pharmaceutical company, is more than two percent higher on the news.

Leading the stocks on the wrong side of hot stocks is Louisiana-Pacific (NYSE:LPX). The world's largest producer of siding received a downgrade to "sell" from "hold" by Citigroup. The brokerage noted that well into the 2006 pre-building season inventory, prices for oriented-strand board (LPX's primary product) "are already below both our first quarter and full year 2006 expectations." Adding further pressure to LPX is the fact that more new capacity is expected to occur in 2006 and 2007. LPX has lost nearly seven percent in today's trading action.

The final stock on our hot-stocks plate today is phone systems developer Avaya (NYSE:AV). The company announced earlier today that supply issues with its contract manufacturers are still plaguing the company. AV noted that it is working to reduce or minimize any related impact, according to a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. AV's chief financial officer noted that the company is "working closely with its customers and channel partners to either substitute and/or adjust requirements."

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 .

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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 .