Stronger Opening

With IBM
(
IBM |
Quote |
Chart |
News |
PowerRating)
reporting earnings
after the bell yesterday and beating estimates by a penny, the broader markets are
slated to open higher Wednesday.

Heads up. Greenspan is speaking later
today.

Drug giant Pfizer
(
PFE |
Quote |
Chart |
News |
PowerRating)
posted Q3
earning of 34 cents a share, beating analysts’ consensus by 1 cent and outpacing
the same quarter one year ago by 7 cents. The company also reaffirmed its
outlook for 2001 and 2002.

Citigroup
(
C |
Quote |
Chart |
News |
PowerRating)
reported Q3 earnings
of 63 cents a share, in line with analysts’ estimates surveyed by Thomson
Financial/First Call.

Merrill Lynch downgraded RF Micro
Devices
(
RFMD |
Quote |
Chart |
News |
PowerRating)
to Near-Term Accumulate from Buy.

Intel
(
INTC |
Quote |
Chart |
News |
PowerRating)
was upgraded by Mark
Edelstone, an analyst for Morgan Stanley, to Outperform from Neutral and put a
price target of $40 a share on the chip maker.

Endocare
(
ENDO |
Quote |
Chart |
News |
PowerRating)
received the
green light from the FDA to market the company’s Visica Treatment System, which
is used for the treatment of benign tumors of the breast.

Morgan Stanley downgraded Transmeta
(
TMTA |
Quote |
Chart |
News |
PowerRating)

from Outperform to Neutral on the news that the company has replaced its CEO
Mark Allen.

Mark Edelstone of Morgan Stanley also
downgraded Rambus
(
RMBS |
Quote |
Chart |
News |
PowerRating)
from Outperform to Neutral.

SmartForce
(
SMTF |
Quote |
Chart |
News |
PowerRating)
reported Q3
earnings of 8 cents a share, in line with analysts’ expectations.

Merrill Lynch upgraded Johnson &
Johnson
(
JNJ |
Quote |
Chart |
News |
PowerRating)
from Accumulate to Near Term Buy and put the company on its
Focus 1 list.

Intel
(
INTC |
Quote |
Chart |
News |
PowerRating)
was upgraded by
Merrill Lynch’s Joe Osha from Neutral to Accumulate.

Internet Security Systems
(
ISSX |
Quote |
Chart |
News |
PowerRating)

posted a Q3 net of 2 cents a share, beating analysts’ estimates by 2 cents.
Revenues for the company rose 2% to $52.7 million, beating estimates of $51.6
million.

Dana Corp
(
DCN |
Quote |
Chart |
News |
PowerRating)
reported a loss
for Q3 of 5 cents a share, weaker than analysts’ estimates by a penny.

Allegheny Technologies
(
ATI |
Quote |
Chart |
News |
PowerRating)
, the
specialty metals company, posted Q3 profits of 10 cents a share, in line with
analysts’ estimates according to analysts polled by Thomson Financial/First Call.

Massachusetts-based EMC
(
EMC |
Quote |
Chart |
News |
PowerRating)

posted a Q3 net loss of $945.2 million, or 43 cents worse than analysts expected. According to a survey taken by research firm Thomson Financial/First
Call, analysts were expecting a loss to fall in between 11 cents to a penny
profit with a mean consensus of a 5 cent loss.

Greg