Stocks Close Mixed

Stocks were mixed Thursday,
with the averages hugging the flat line much of the day.

Prices were pushed up in August, with the CPI
coming in at a 0.5% increase. The core inflation rate rose 0.1%. Jobless claims
last week rose 71,000 to 398,000; the figure does not include the effects of
Katrina. The Empire State Manufacturing index fell in September, to 17.0 from
23.0 in August.

After the close, Adobe
(
ADBE |
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beat by
0.02. Tektronics
(
TEK |
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beat by 0.02 but guided lower.

Google
(
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said it will expand into China and buy faster computers to support new services.
Yesterday, the company raised  $4.18 billion in a stock sale.

Imclone
(
IMCL |
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and Bristol Myers
(
BMY |
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said that Health Canada’s Biologics and Genetic Therapies Directorate
approved Erbitux as a metastatic colorectal cancer treatment.

Bear Stearns
(
BSC |
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beat by 0.31. (full
story
)



Strong Sectors
were:  Gold 
(
XAU |
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+1.69%    Biotech
 

(
BTK |
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+1.04%
  



Weak sectors
were:
 
 Airlines
 
(
XAL |
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-1.60%     Semis 

(
SOX |
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-1.01%    


Dow

+13.85
10,558.75


Nasdaq

-3.18 2146.15


S&P 500

+0.55
1227.71

Stocks in the news:

Bear Stearns upgraded SBC
(
SBC |
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and AT&T
(
T |
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to outperform

Amgen
(
AMGN |
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was upgraded to a Buy at Deutsche Bank, with a $102
price target.

Newell Rubbermaid
(
NWL |
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will cut more than 5000 jobs in a broad
corporate restructuring. The company plans to reduce costs by $120 million and
is targeting one-third of its manufacturing facilities for closing.

California Micro Devices
(
CAMD |
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raised Q3 guidance after the close Wednesday.

Pier One Imports

(
PIR |
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beat by a penny, with a 0.12 loss.

The New York Post
reports Time Warner
(
TWX |
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is in talks to sell a stake in America
Online to Microsoft.

Brice Wightman