CL Colgate Palmolive Co

MORNING UPDATE: Man Securities Issues Alerts for HPQ, MRK, SYMC, CL, and LEXR CHICAGO, Sept. 28 /PRNewswire/ -- Man Securities issues the following Morning Update at 8:30 AM EDT with new PriceWatch Alerts for key stocks. (Logo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20020214/MANSECLOGO ) Before the open... PriceWatch Alerts for HPQ, MRK, SYMC, CL, and LEXR, Market Overview, Today's Economic Calendar, and the Quote Of The Day. QUOTE OF THE DAY "People have been really focused on oil, and the closer we get to $50 a barrel the more it is going to put a damper on the market." -- Todd Leone, head of listed trading, SG Cowen. New PriceWatch Alerts for HPQ, MRK, SYMC, CL, and LEXR... PRICEWATCH ALERTS - HIGH RETURN COVERED CALL OPTIONS -- Hewlett-Packard (NYSE:HPQ) Last Price 18.4 - JAN 17.50 CALL OPTION@ $1.65 -> 4.5 % Return assigned* -- Merck & Company Inc. (NYSE:MRK) Last Price 44.46 - JAN 45.0 CALL OPTION@ $1.55 -> 4.9 % Return assigned* -- Symantec Corp. (NASDAQ:SYMC) Last Price 52.7 - JAN 50.0 CALL OPTION@ $5.5 -> 5.9 % Return assigned* -- Colgate-Palmolive Co. (NYSE:CL) Last Price 45.23 - JAN 45.0 CALL OPTION@ $2.1 -> 4.3 % Return assigned* -- Lexar Media Inc. (NASDAQ:LEXR) Last Price 8.24 - NOV 7.50 CALL OPTION@ $1.20 -> 6.5 % Return assigned* * To learn more about how to use these alerts and for our FREE report, "The 18 Warning Signs That Tell You When To Dump A Stock", go to: http://www.investorsobserver.com/mu18 (Note: You may need to copy the link above into your browser then press the [ENTER] key) ** For the FREE report, "Is Your Investment Portfolio Disaster Proof? - Insights, Stocks, And Strategies." go to: http://www.investorsobserver.com/FREEDP NOTE: All stocks and options shown are examples only. These are not recommendations to buy or sell any security. MARKET OVERVIEW Overseas markets are performing surprisingly well as ten of the 15 markets that we track are currently in positive territory. The cumulative average return on the group stands as a plus 0.119 percent. The impact of oil has been felt most harshly in Japan as the Nikkei posted its eighth consecutive losing session overnight. We don't often talk about Italy, but it presented an opportunity to talk about something positive. Italy's seasonally adjusted unemployment rate fell to 8.1 percent in the second quarter from 8.2 percent in the first quarter. That is the lowest figure since Istat started releasing the data in 1992. Additionally, the number of unemployed fell below two million for the first time. The pair of weekly reports on the health of the retail sector will be released early this morning. The ICSC-UBS Store Sales Index for the week ending September 18 declined by 1.1 percent, while Redbook Retail Sales for the same period added 0.9 percent. At 10:00 a.m., the Conference Board Consumer Confidence Index for September will be released. Analysts are looking for the mood of the U.S. consumer to have improved to a reading of 99.0 from the 98.2 booked in August. Mind you than any rise in the September index would simply be an attempted recovery from August's sharp decline off the 105.7 booked in July. If you don't think that the softening employment data is weighing on the minds of the American consumer, then the following statistic out of last month's Consumer Confidence report may help sway your opinion. The "jobs plentiful" index fell 1.6 points to 18.1, the lowest level since May. Expectations for more jobs over the next six months also slipped, falling to 16.2 in August, the lowest reading since March, from 19.5 in July. Be prepared for the investing week ahead with Bernie Schaeffer's FREE Monday Morning Outlook. For more details and to sign up, go to: http://www.investorsobserver.com/freemo DYNAMIC MARKET OPPORTUNITIES Desperately trying to navigate its way out of bankruptcy and into something approaching profitability, US Airways took one small step on Sunday. The airline agreed on a deal with Transport Workers Union Local 547. The union is one of the airline's smallest, representing just 65 employees. Although this doesn't represent a major breakthrough, US Airways is likely thankful for any shred of good news at the moment. Last Friday, it filed a motion in US Bankruptcy Court to receive some flexibility in its collective bargaining agreements with the Airline Pilots Association, Association of Flight Attendants, Communications Workers of America and several other unions. This could allow the airline to save 34,000 jobs and adhere to its plan to save US$38 million per month in payroll. US Airways serves as a snapshot of the upheaval for the airline sector in general. Last Thursday, Merrill Lynch downgraded Continental, Delta and AirTran to "neutral," as east coast competition continues to squeeze profit margins. This is understandable in Continental and Delta's cases, with both struggling to compete with their low-fare competitors and Delta on the edge of bankruptcy. And AirTran, although offering similar fares to JetBlue and Southwest, garners about half its revenue from lucrative east coast routes. The Florida hurricanes have hit the airline hard forcing cancellation of almost 600 flights. It is now due to report a third quarter loss of 2 cents per share, compared with a 24-cents per share profit in Q3 2003. Receive incisive economic/market commentary, profitable advice and access to a network of leading investment exports. Simply follow this link: http://www.investorsobserver.com/agora2 TODAY'S ECONOMIC CALENDAR 7:45 a.m.: ICSC-UBS Store Sales Index for the week ending September 25 (last minus 1.1 percent). 8:55 a.m.: Redbook Retail Sales for the week ending September 25 (last plus 0.9 percent). 10:00 a.m.: September Conference Board Consumer Confidence Index (last 98.2). 6:30 p.m.: ABC/Money Magazine Consumer Confidence Index for the week ending September 25 (last minus 9). 6:30 p.m.: Fed Governor Bies speaks on challenges facing the accounting profession in Cincinnati, Ohio. Man Securities is one of the world's leading option order execution firms. Man's in-house broker team offers a level of personal service and experience unavailable from no-frills discount brokers. To improve your understanding of option pricing get Man's FREE "Margin/Option Wizard software at: http://www.investorsobserver.com/mancd . Member CBOE/NASD/SPIC. This Morning Update was prepared with data and information provided by: InvestorsObserver.com -- Better Strategies for Making Money -> For Investors With a Sense of Humor. Only $1 for your first month plus seven free bonuses worth over $420, see: http://www.investorsobserver.com/must 247profits.com: You'll get exclusive financial commentary, access to a global network of experts and undiscovered stock alerts. Register NOW for the FREE 247profits e-Dispatch. Go to: http://www.investorsobserver.com/agora Schaeffer's Investment Research -- Sign up for your FREE e-weekly, Monday Morning Outlook, Bernie Schaeffer's look ahead at the markets. Sign Up Now http://www.investorsobserver.com/freemo PowerOptionsPlus -- The Best Way To Find, Compare, Analyze, and Make Money On Options Investments. For a 14-Day FREE trial and 5 FREE bonuses go to: http://www.poweroptionsplus.com/ All stocks and options shown are examples only. These are not recommendations to buy or sell any security and they do not represent in any way a positive or negative outlook for any security. Potential returns do not take into account your trade size, brokerage commissions or taxes which will affect actual investment returns. Stocks and options involve risk and are not suitable for all investors and investing in options carries substantial risk. Prior to buying or selling options, a person must receive a copy of Characteristics and Risks of Standardized Options available from Sharon at 800-837-6212 or at http://www.cboe.com/Resources/Intro.asp . Privacy policy available upon request. http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20020214/MANSECLOGO http://photoarchive.ap.org/ DATASOURCE: Man Securities CONTACT: Michael Lavelle of Man Securities, +1-800-837-6212 Web site: http://www.mansecurities.com/mu.html

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