MORNING UPDATE: Man Securities Issues Alerts for AMAT, RAI, G, IRF, and PHS CHICAGO, Aug. 2 /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 AMAT, RAI, G, IRF, and PHS, Market Overview, Today's Economic Calendar, and the Quote Of The Day. QUOTE OF THE DAY "The threat alert is bringing more confusion and uncertainty into the market." -- John Brady, ABN AMRO. New PriceWatch Alerts for AMAT, RAI, G, IRF, and PHS... PRICEWATCH ALERTS - HIGH RETURN COVERED CALL OPTIONS -- Applied Materials Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT) Last Price 16.97 - SEP 17.00 CALL OPTION@ $0.95 -> 6.1 % Return assigned* -- Reynolds American Inc. (NYSE:RAI) Last Price 71.95 - NOV 70.00 CALL OPTION@ $4.90 -> 4.4 % Return assigned* -- Gillette Co. (NYSE:G) Last Price 38.98 - DEC 40.00 CALL OPTION@ $1.40 -> 6.4 % Return assigned* -- International Rectifier Corp. (NYSE:IRF) Last Price 39.20 - DEC 35.00 CALL OPTION@ $6.60 -> 7.4 % Return assigned* -- PacifiCare Health Systems (NYSE:PHS) Last Price 30.57 - AUG 30.00 CALL OPTION@ $1.75 -> 4.1 % 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/mu18n (Note: You may need to copy the link above into your browser then press the [ENTER] key) ** For the FREE report, "The Secrets of Smart Election Year Investing - Insights, Stocks, And Strategies." go to: http://www.investorsobserver.com/FREEelection 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 pretty pathetically, as just two of the 15 markets that we track are positive. For what it's worth, the currently trading bourses have moved away from early session lows to bring the cumulative average return on the group a bit higher to a minus 0.598 percent. In advance of the U.S. PMI numbers, the July PMI reading out of Germany was reported at 56.6 versus 55.9 in June. This reading indicated that the German manufacturing sector grew for an 11th consecutive month and at its fastest pace since August 2000. Analysts had expected a reading of 56.1. The Euro-Zone as a whole showed manufacturing improvement with the July PMI index coming in at 54.7 versus the 54.4 posted in June. There are no early economic data releases this morning, so we have to wait until the 10:00 a.m. hour for the July Institute for Supply Management (ISM) Manufacturing Index which is seen improving a bit to 61.6 from June's 61.1. This sentiment-based index offers up a broad view of the manufacturing sector and could impact the market on several fronts ranging from employment indications to a pipeline of fresh orders. Sharing that spotlight will be June Construction Spending, which is expected to hold at unchanged versus the prior month's 0.3 percent rise. This week's earnings calendar still contains over 300 scheduled reports. 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 With August here, the Red Zone investment group's Ian Cooper is again issuing a buy on a back-to-school favorite. In five previous plays, Cooper has recorded gains of 77%, 23%, 77%, 40% and 27% on Varsity Group. It won't be long before the school buses are running again and 70 million students will refill U.S. classrooms. In a few weeks, those students will be faced with the prospect of spending a fortune for books and supplies. In August 2003, the amount of money spent in college bookstores hit $2.2 billion. But you're not likely to see higher levels of consumer spending this year with oil prices at 21-year highs. To combat this, consumers are heading to discount stores and shopping online. Varsity Group is an online retailer of textbooks and educational materials and through its eduPartners division, it offering students a convenient and cheaper alternative. The Red Zone team has a proven strategy, since Varsity makes most of its money in January and August. There are plenty of catalysts to score another quick and easy profit. Education continues to be a booming business despite higher tuition bills. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, there are about 15.9 million undergraduate and graduate students enrolled at over 4,000 colleges and universities in the U.S. The Council on American Private Education says secondary school enrollment is expected to rise 8% between now and 2006. For Q1 2004, Varsity posted revenues of $1.8 million, compared to $1.2 million in Q1 2003 -- a 49% increase thanks to continued growth in the number of schools it is reaching with its eduPartners program. Varsity could be set for another round of healthy gains. The Red Zone's Christian DeHaemer has written a comprehensive free report highlighting the remarkable scientific advances that are creating a lucrative new industry. To read the free report, follow this link: http://www.investorsobserver.com/agora6 TODAY'S ECONOMIC CALENDAR 10:00 a.m.: July Institute for Supply Management (ISM) Manufacturing Index (seen at 61.6, last 61.1). 10:00 a.m.: June Construction Spending (seen unchanged, last plus 0.3 percent). 3:00 p.m.: Third quarter Treasury Borrowing Needs. 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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