Schaeffer's S&P 500 Index Hot Stocks Features Nike, Fiserv, United Technologies, Pfizer and Leggett & Platt.

CINCINNATI -- Among the stocks featured in the December 17 edition of Schaeffer's S&P 500 Index Hot Stocks are Nike (NYSE:NKE), Fiserv (NASDAQ:FISV), United Technologies (NYSE:UTX), Pfizer (NYSE:PFE), and Leggett & Platt (NYSE:LEG). 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=PRSHS1M&PAGE=1

Schaeffer's S&P 500 Index Hot Stocks for Friday, December 17, 2004:

A daily feature available on SchaeffersResearch.com is the "SPX Hot Stocks" column. Each afternoon immediately prior to the close, we will provide a list of the day's top-20 performing stocks in the S&P 500 Index (SPX - 1,198.29) as well as the bottom-20 names. Featured along with this table will be news that is moving some of the shares.

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

Nike (NYSE: NKE) has pole-vaulted ahead of all the other stocks to find itself at the top of the hot stocks list today. Late yesterday, NKE announced beefy second-quarter gains thanks to increased demand from developing markets, a stronger euro, and domestic sales. For the quarter, NKE saw its profits leap 46 percent to 97 cents per share, compared to last year's profit of 66 cents per share. The Street expected earnings of 86 cents per share for the footwear and apparel giant. In an article on CBS MarketWatch, NKE CEO Phil Knight credited "businesses in the United States and emerging markets such as China, Russia and Turkey, combined with favorable European exchange rates" as the driving force behind the healthy earnings. An analyst at Susquehanna Financial Group cautioned that NKE's dependence on its expanding global presence could "be a potential liability" for the company. NKE has added nearly seven percent in trading today thanks to this favorable news.

Next on tap in our discussion is Fiserv (NASDAQ: FISV) . In a report on NYTimes.com, a unit of Fidelity Investments, National Financial, agreed to buy FISV's securities-clearing operation, BHC Investments, for a reported $365 million. This move is being made to allow Fidelity to increase its institutional-client number by more than 50 percent. It is believed that the deal will be completed by the first quarter of 2005. National Financial is attempting to increase its place through acquisitions in industry consolidation. This action has cut the number of firms like BHC Investments by 23 percent since 1993. FISV has added more than 4.5 percent in trading action today.

Staying with NYTimes.com, another report on the site states that United Technologies (NYSE: UTX) agreed yesterday to buy British fire-safety concern Kidde, ending months of negotiations between the two companies. UTX will dish out $2.8 billion for the company. UTX will pay the equivalent of $3.18 per share for the company, plus a dividend of two pence per share. Kidde supplies fire extinguishers and alarms to homes, commercial buildings, and various industries. UTX has jumped ahead nearly two percent in trading today.

After this morning's news about its arthritis and cancer treatment, Celebrex, it is not a huge surprise to find Pfizer (NYSE: PFE) wallowing at the bottom of the hot stocks list today. PFE announced that a study examining Celebrex for use in treating cancer showed that there is an increased cardiovascular risk associated with the medication. PFE did announce that it will not recall the drug from the market right now. First Albany Capital cut its rating on PFE from "strong buy" to "neutral" along with lowering its earnings forecast for PFE from $2.33 to $2.20. Goldman Sachs jumped on the bandwagon, theorizing that the withdrawal of Celebrex could cut into PFE's earnings by 41 cents per share for 2005 and could reduce PFE's stock price by $5.25. Another downgrade could be on the way as Raymond James Associates analyst, Michael Krensavage announced that he was evaluating the impact that the large-cap pharmaceutical company's report would have on earnings. PFE has lost more than 13 percent in trading today.

The last stock in our discussion today is Leggett & Platt (NYSE: LEG). LEG announced that it expects its earnings to come in near the low end of its previous forecast of earnings between 31 and 36 cents per share. The company blames the lackluster prediction on higher costs and a weaker dollar. LEG followed this news by reporting that it expects earnings for 2005 to come in between $1.50 and $1.70 per share for 2005, marking growth of six to 10 percent. LEG has fallen more than seven percent thanks to this news.

Click the following link to see a Chart of the SPX 500 Index's Top 20 Percentage Gainers: http://www.schaeffersresearch.com/wire?ID=12045

Click the following link to see a Chart of the SPX 500 Index's Top 20 Percentage Losers: http://www.schaeffersresearch.com/wire?ID=12045

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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.