Stocks Appear Set To Open Flat To Lower

Stocks appear set
to open flat to lower Wednesday.

Teva Pharmaceuticals
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priced a $300 million offering of Convertible Senior Debentures.

Research In Motion
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and
America Online Time Warner
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displayed an expansion to the AOL Mobile
Communicator. The communicator is a two-way messaging unit which is manufactured
by RIMM.

Taiwan-based VIA Technologies, said it
will begin shipments of a chipset to be used in conjunction with Intel’s
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processors, regardless of proposed legal action by Intel.

Drug maker Novo Nordisj
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announced that the company bought shares of TransTech Pharmaceuticals, a
privately held company.

The U.S. dollar fell to a five-month
low against the Euro, shattering European investors’ hopes that dwindling
profits were near an end.

Applied Materials
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reported
Q3 net income fell more than 90%, however the company beat its target. The
company posted earnings of 3 cents a share in line with analysts’ expectations,
according to a survey conducted by Thomson Financial/First Call.

BEA Systems
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posted Q2
earnings of 10 cents a share, beating analysts’ forecasts by a penny. The
company also lowered guidance for the remaining part of the year.

Enron’s
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President and CEO
Jeffrey Skilling resigned. The company announced that Kenneth Lay will assume
those posts.

Retailer, Abercrombie and Fitch
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posted earnings of 24 cents a share for Q2, beating analysts’ estimates by a
penny.

Berkshire Hathaway
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has
purchased 2.25 million shares in Honeywell
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, according to a SEC filing.

Banc of America downgraded Check Point
Software
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from Buy to Market Perform, citing spending concerns in the
industry.

Radware Limited
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  was
downgraded to Market Perform from a Buy.

Bear Stearns upgraded Abercrombie and
Fitch
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to Attractive from Neutral.

Salomon Smith Barney cut Advance Micro
Devices
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FY01 estimates to 30.8 million from 31.5 million and FY01 EPS
to 40 cents from 46 cents a share.

Deere & Co
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was upgraded by
Bear Stearns to Attractive from Neutral.

Alltel [AT|AT}  has made an
unsolicited bid for Centurytel
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totaling $9 billion, including debt for
$43 a share.