Schaeffer's S&P 500 Index Hot Stocks Features Jabil Circuit, Family Dollar, FedEx, Synovus, and Biomet.

CINCINNATI -- Among the stocks featured in the December 21 edition of Schaeffer's S&P 500 Index Hot Stocks are Jabil Circuit (NYSE:JBL), Family Dollar (NYSE:FDO), FedEx (NYSE:FDX), Synovus (NYSE:SNV), and Biomet (NASDAQ:BMET). 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, December 21, 2005:

Stocks have backed off of their intraday highs at 2:15 p.m. Eastern time, but are clinging to positive territory. The SPX has increased 0.4 percent on the strength of 64 percent of its components enjoying time in the black. As the afternoon rolls in, some investors are wondering if we will see a repeat of the pattern from earlier this week, closing with a thud. In my research for this article, I found this quote from Philip Dow (from RBC Dain Rauscher) on MarketWatch: "Everyone has been lulled into thinking that since we haven't yet had a Christmas rally, there won't be one. But there are a few days left this week, and I still think there could be a surprise rally." Let's see if this hope will continue to push the shares higher this afternoon and the rest of this week.

Late yesterday, Jabil Circuit (NYSE:JBL) announced a first-quarter profit of 37 cents per share thanks to sales that jumped by nearly one third. The company's "core" earnings, in other words, earnings before items, came in at 44 cents per share. The consensus estimate stood at 42 cents per shares. Revenue also increased to $2.4 billion, slightly topping the Street's expectations. JBL also forecast second-quarter "core" earnings between 34 and 38 cents per share. Analysts expect earnings of 37 cents per share. JBL has lurched nearly six percent higher in trading thus far today.

Family Dollar (NYSE:FDO) is next on the hot-stocks list, after the company posted a first-quarter profit of 32 cents per share this morning. FDO's earnings remained flat despite a decline in net income thanks to the existence of fewer outstanding shares. Analysts were expecting a profit of 31 cents per share from the discount retailer. FDO then forecast second-quarter earnings between 45 and 50 cents per share as well as full-year earnings of $1.30 to $1.39 per share. The consensus expects 49 cents per share and $1.34 per share, respectively. FDO has gained more than five percent today, and is helping prop up the retail sector.

We will round out our list of gainers with yet another five-plus percent gainer, FedEx (NYSE:FDX). Yet again, it is a positive earnings report that has sent the shares forward. The company posted second-quarter earnings of $471 million, or $1.53 per share. FDX attributed the better-than-expected results to a sharp improvement in its operating margins, strong customer demand, and a disciplined pricing approach. On average, analysts expected FDX to deliver earnings of $1.40 per share.

Turning to the bottom of the chart, the losers were led by Synovus (NYSE:SNV) today. The company owns an 81-percent stake in Total System Services (TSS). Okay, so why does this hurt SNV? Glad you asked, TSS is losing a good portion of its Bank of America (BAC) transaction business thanks to BAC's merger with MBNA (KRB). SNV stated in a filing that the change is going to result in a 8.3-percent loss of its projected revenue in 2005.

Our final stock today is Biomet (NASDAQ:BMET). The company posted second-quarter earnings of 41 cents per share, which fell just short of the Street's expected earnings of 43 cents per share. BMET's sales increased by eight percent in the quarter, coming in at $494.7 million. Unfortunately for the company, the Street expected sales of $503.5 million. BMET attributed the worse-than-expected earnings to the hurricane activity in the Gulf Coast and Florida, which cost it roughly $4.5 million.

Click the following link to see a Chart of the SPX 500 Index's Top-20 Percentage Gainers: http://www.schaeffersresearch.com/wire?ID=14841 .

Click the following link to see a Chart of the SPX 500 Index's Top-20 Percentage Losers: http://www.schaeffersresearch.com/wire?ID=14841 .

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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 .