AMLN Amylin Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (MM)

MORNING UPDATE: Man Securities Inc. Issues Alerts for SYMC, AMLN, NXTP, APOL, and KOSP CHICAGO, May 4 /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 SYMC, AMLN, NXTP, APOL, and KOSP, Market Overview, Today's Economic Calendar, and the Quote Of The Day. QUOTE OF THE DAY "It's clear the economy is slowing, but investors want to know how much and how far." -- Hugh Johnson, chief investment officer, Johnson Illington Advisors. New PriceWatch Alerts for SYMC, AMLN, NXTP, APOL, and KOSP... PRICEWATCH ALERTS - HIGH RETURN COVERED CALL OPTIONS -- Symantec Corp. (NASDAQ:SYMC) Last Price 19.43 - JUN 20.00 CALL OPTION@ $0.90 -> 7.9 % Return assigned* -- Amylin Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMLN) Last Price 15.98 - JUN 15.00 CALL OPTION@ $1.75 -> 5.4 % Return assigned* -- Nextel Partners, Inc. (NASDAQ:NXTP) Last Price 22.49 - AUG 22.50 CALL OPTION@ $1.05 -> 4.9 % Return assigned* -- Apollo Group Inc. (NASDAQ:APOL) Last Price 72.20 - AUG 70.00 CALL OPTION@ $6.40 -> 6.4 % Return assigned* -- Kos Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ:KOSP) Last Price 54.29 - AUG 50.00 CALL OPTION@ $7.50 -> 6.9 % 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. NEWS LEADERS AND LAGGARDS So far today, American Tower Corp., CIGNA Corp., and Time Warner Inc. lead the list of companies with the most news stories while Spectrum Brands Inc. and Unit Corp. are showing a spike in news. American Pharmaceutical Partners Inc., Legg Mason Inc., and Dean Foods Co. have the highest srtIndex scores to top the list of companies with positive news while Electronic Arts Inc. and Amylin Pharmaceuticals Inc. lead the list of companies with negative news reports. Hewitt Associates Inc. has popped up with a high positive news sraIndex score. For the FREE article titled, "Earnings Season Decoded - An Essential 15 Point Checklist For Finding Winning Stocks." go to: http://www.wallstreetsecretsplus.com/go/freemu/ MARKET OVERVIEW Overseas markets are struggling once again, as only six of the 15 indices that we track are currently in positive territory. European markets are in retreat today as oil prices rose in overseas trading. Also pressuring the group lower is the European Central Bank's interest-rate meeting, which just so happens to take place the day after the U.S. FOMC meeting, where the Fed raised rates by a quarter-percentage point. Despite the change in the FOMC wording to include that inflation is "contained," U.S. futures are continuing to trend lower this morning. Even solid earnings from Time Warner could not inspire traders in the early going. The company said that first-quarter net income rose to $963 million, or 20 cents per share, falling flat with last year's results, but besting the consensus estimate by three cents per share. Revenue for the quarter rose to $10.48 billion from the prior year's $10.18 billion. 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 At the start of the first quarter, the growth figure was projected at 7.6%. On April 15, the growth figure was estimated at 8.6%. Last week, the number had changed again -- this time to 12.1% growth. And as it currently stands, the growth figure is 13.6%. Some fluctuating numbers, for sure. But given the fact that corporate America's first quarter earnings season is only just beginning to wind down, the changes aren't surprising. The figures above refer to Thomson Financial's gauge of earnings growth for the S&P500 companies. A total of 381 firms have released their first quarter results so far, with 57 more companies due to report by the end of this week, and the remainder to follow throughout this month. Of those 381 companies, over two-thirds reported earnings that exceeded forecasts. That's 8% higher than the normal average. Even better ... they're doing so by an average margin of 5.1%, versus the 4.2% during the fourth quarter. That's 2% higher than the normal average. So while the overall economy might be slowing, and inflation is rising, corporate America is faring well. Nevertheless, the numbers from powerhouse companies such as General Motors and IBM were deeply unimpressive. Whenever that happens, it's usually enough to send the market into negative territory. Additionally, first quarter economic growth came in 0.5% less than estimates -- 3.1% versus 3.6%. That was also significantly slower than the fourth quarter rate of 3.8%. Inflationary pressures also injected fear into the market, with consumer prices rising 2.2% during the first quarter, compared with 1.7% in Q4 2004. While it's probably too early to mention "stagflation" (slowing economic growth, coupled with rising inflation), it could become more pertinent if the current trend persists. With inflation increasing more forcefully, it's no surprise that the Fed decided to raise interest rates by 0.25% (to 3%) for the eighth straight month on Tuesday. Still, with the economy growing weaker, many are hoping the Fed won't hike rates any further this year. The fear is that it could hurt growth if they do. They're likely to be disappointed, however. With the expectation of more, the end-of-year consensus appears to be that the rate will reach 4%. Read more analysis from the 247Profits Group every trading day with the FREE 247Profits e-Dispatch, featuring insightful economic commentary, profitable investment recommendations, and full access to a leading team of financial experts. Register for free here: http://www.247profits.com/enter.html TODAY'S ECONOMIC CALENDAR 7:00 A.M. Apr 30 MBA Refinancing Index 10:00 A.M. April ISM Non-Mfg Index Man Securities Inc. 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. CRD# 6731 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 Quote.com QCharts - Real time quotes and streaming technical charts to keep you up with the market. Analyze, predict, and stay ahead. For a Free 30 day trial go to: http://www.investorsobserver.com/MUQuote2 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.247profits.com/enter.html 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.investorsobserver.com/poweropt 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 Inc. CONTACT: John Gannon of Man Securities Inc., +1-800-837-6212 Web site: http://www.mansecurities.com/mu.html

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