Schaeffer's Daily Market Blog Features: Monster Worldwide, Dell, Microsoft, Texas Instruments, and Sun Microsystems.

CINCINNATI -- Among the stocks featured in the July 14 edition of Schaeffer's Market Blog are Monster Worldwide (NASDAQ:MNST), Dell (NASDAQ:DELL), Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT), Texas Instruments (NYSE:TXN), and Sun Microsystems (NASDAQ:SUNW). Schaeffer's Market Blog 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. The Market Blog is written throughout every trading day by Schaeffer's financial analysts and traders. They are quick insights to the day's most notable market activity from an options perspective. 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=PROB12M&PAGE=1 .

Schaeffer's Market Blog for Friday, July 14, 2006:

Below are just a few of today's Market Blog entries. Click here to read all of today's Market Blog. http://www.schaeffersresearch.com/redirect.aspx?CODE=PROB1C&PAGE=1 .

11:41 AM Free Financial Podcasts

Don't forget that many of our observations are available as audio presentations that you can hear on your computer or download from Apple's iTunes Music Store to play on a portable device such as an iPod. To see the full menu of observations, please visit http://www.schaeffersresearch.com/commentary/podcasts/.

I just posted a new edition of our Trader's View podcast, an interview with Jon Lewis and Chris Johnson.

11:57 AM Stock Upgrades

Despite the broad-market falls, some stocks received brokerage upgrades this morning. Among them I found Monster Worldwide (NASDAQ: MNST), which was upgraded to "buy" from "hold" by Citigroup. Also, Merrill Lynch upped Wright Express to "buy" (WXS), Jefferies raised Forest Laboratories (FRX) and CenterPoint Energy (CNP) to "buy," Pacific Growth also raised FRX to "buy," and Credicorp (BAP) was upgraded to "overweight" from "neutral" by JP Morgan.

12:33 PM Tech Seems to be Holding Firm

The market is deep in the red, but it's interesting to note that some tech stocks are holding their own. Dell (NASDAQ:DELL), Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT), Texas Instruments (NYSE:TXN), Sun Microsystems (NASDAQ:SUNW), Intel (INTC), and National Semiconductor (NSM) are all adding a dash of green to the screen. The AMEX Broadband HOLDRS Trust (BDH) showed a net gain of 0.07 percent at last check, and the Semiconductor HOLDRS Trust (SMH) and AMEX Telecommunications HOLDRS Trust (TTH) were at breakeven point, not bad performance considering the alternatives.

1:08 PM Semiconductors Gain in the Face of Weak Market

The Semiconductor sector, as represented by the Semiconductor HOLDRs Trust (SMH), is actually in positive territory today, up nearly one-half percent. This is surprising given the weakness in the broader market as the Dow is down triple digits for the third straight day. The SMH has been under a lot of pressure recently, and perhaps has reached an oversold condition. Whether or not the sector will be able to sustain any kind of meaningful rally remains to be seen. We have seen optimistic investors jumping into call options on the ETF, as SMH call volume is outpacing respective put volume by a ratio of more than three to one. Such a quick shift in sentiment may be a sign that the rally could be short-lived.

2:11 PM Dow 10,700

10,700 looks like it could be an especially important level for the Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJIA) over the near-term future. Stocks bounced off that level earlier today, and 10,700 was also support when the market bottomed back in mid-June. In addition, the Dow ended 2005 very close to the 10,700 level, right before it took off on its way to 11,670 in early May. The 10,700 level also offered resistance for the Dow back in early 2004 and mid-2005. Let's watch and see what happens...

For more information on these stocks or any stock in your portfolio, feel free to visit our Schaeffer's Equity Scorecard feature. Click here to read all of today's Market Blog: http://www.schaeffersresearch.com/redirect.aspx?CODE=PROB1C&PAGE=1 .

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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 .