Stocks Finish Mixed

  • October 3, 2005
  • Brice Wightman

Stocks closed mixed on Monday,
the first day of the quarter.

Lennar
(
LEN |
Quote |
Chart |
News |
PowerRating)
will replace Gillette in the S&P 500. Rumors were that Google would be chosen.
LEN rose $1.94 to 61.70.

Yahoo
(
YHOO |
Quote |
Chart |
News |
PowerRating), along with educational
and business partners, will scan books in an online database, similar to what
Google has done.

Guidant (GDT)
said its Vitality HE implantable defibrillator received FDA approval.

The ISM Index was 59.4 in September
(beating the consensus) vs. 53.6 in August. Construction spending was
+0.4, in-line, and at new seasonally adjusted record high of $1.11 trillion.

Ford’s
(
F |
Quote |
Chart |
News |
PowerRating) sales fell 19% in August; SUV
sales were cut in half. GM posted a 24% decline in sales.

The Brokers
(
XBD |
Quote |
Chart |
News |
PowerRating) made a record high,
as did the natural gas index
(
XNG |
Quote |
Chart |
News |
PowerRating).

The Semiconductor Industry Association
said chip sales rose in August, also saying chip sales are on track for 6%
growth in 2006.



Strong Sectors were:    Biotech  
(
BTKI |
Quote |
Chart |
News |
PowerRating)
+2.43%        Natural Gas
(
XNG |
Quote |
Chart |
News |
PowerRating)
+1.17%      Computer Hardware
(
HWI |
Quote |
Chart |
News |
PowerRating) +1.13%     



Weak sectors were:    
Insurance  
(
IUX |
Quote |
Chart |
News |
PowerRating) -0.80%         
Oil
(
OIX |
Quote |
Chart |
News |
PowerRating) -0.66%         
Gold 
(
XAU |
Quote |
Chart |
News |
PowerRating) -0.50%


Dow

-33.22
10,535.48


Nasdaq

 +3.74 2155.43


S&P 500

-2.11
1226.70

Stocks in the news:

Dollar General
(
DG |
Quote |
Chart |
News |
PowerRating) will repurchase up to 10 million shares in a buyback authorization that
expires 09/30/06.

Computer Sciences
(CSC)
said it signed federal contracts worth $650 million. There may be resistance at
that swing high near the beginning of August.

Orthofix (OFIX)
said it settled–for $75 million (in its favor)–a patent suit between its
subsidiary, Novamedix, and Kinetic Concepts, Inc. (KCI).

Brice Wightman

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