Zacks.com Announces That Price Headley Highlights the Following Issues: Dow Jones Health, iShares DJ US Basic Materials, Pfizer, Merck, Dow Chemical, and International Paper.

Business Editors

CHICAGO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Dec. 16, 2003

The economic recovery appears to be in full swing, according to Price Headley, who can help make your holiday season all the more merrier through sectors and exchange-traded funds ready to move higher. Read about Dow Jones Health (AMEX:IYH), iShares Dow Jones US Basic Materials (AMEX:IYM), Pfizer (NYSE:PFE), Merck (NYSE:MRK), Dow Chemical (NYSE:DOW) and International Paper (NYSE:IP). Click here for the full story exclusively on Zacks.com: http://at.zacks.com/?id=84

Here are the highlights from the Featured Expert column:

The Case for a Holiday Pickup, Economic Recovery Gets a Boost from Recent Data from November 26th, 2003

Price Headley has talked a lot about where the pockets of strength appeared to lie in the market, and in word as well as deed, he has hesitated to make too many sector-specific bets in the current market environment. Instead, as the parallel economic and market recoveries have matured, he's taken a view that a broader category and asset class strategy would allow for balanced exposure without the volatility one would expect from too heavy a weighting, say, in technology. Well, not much has changed since then. That's not to say Headley hasn't seen yet more evidence accumulate that the economic recovery is firing on all cylinders. To the contrary, the most recent government data paints a picture (or more accurately, a recent if backwards-looking snapshot) of a full-blown economic recovery.

Portfolio Update: Conservative

Dow Jones Health (AMEX:IYH) Commentary - Health care stocks, including Big Pharma, got a boost earlier this month as it looked increasingly likely that Congress would pass a Medicare prescription drug benefit that generally favors the broader sector, from the big drug companies to HMOs. Top holdings include: Pfizer (NYSE:PFE) and Merck (NYSE:MRK).

iShares Dow Jones US Basic Materials (AMEX:IYM) Commentary - IYM has proven nothing if not stable. A diverse cross-section - 57% in chemical companies, 23% in mining and materials firm and the bulk of the remainder in paper companies - means there is some breadth of exposure to firming commodity prices. While these shares may take a breather as growth stocks grab the spotlight in the near term, there's plenty to suggest that the pickup in demand is just getting started. IYM top holding include: Dow Chemical (NYSE:DOW) and International Paper (NYSE:IP).

Learn about all of the positions in Price Headley's portfolios, and don't forget to read his complete market commentary by clicking: http://at.zacks.com/?id=85

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