FHCC First Health Grp. (MM)

MORNING UPDATE: Man Securities Issues Alerts for NOK, FHCC, CREE, NFLX, and VSH CHICAGO, Oct. 15 /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 NOK, FHCC, CREE, NFLX, and VSH, Market Overview, Today's Economic Calendar, and the Quote Of The Day. QUOTE OF THE DAY "Right now oil seems to be the major wild card." -- Kenneth Tower, chief market strategist, CyberTrader New PriceWatch Alerts for NOK, FHCC, CREE, NFLX, and VSH... PRICEWATCH ALERTS - HIGH RETURN COVERED CALL OPTIONS -- Nokia Corp. ADR (NYSE:NOK) Last Price 14.20 - JAN 15.00 CALL OPTION@ $0.65 -> 10.7 % Return assigned* -- First Health Group Corp. (NASDAQ:FHCC) Last Price 17.04 - JAN 17.50 CALL OPTION@ $0.55 -> 6.1 % Return assigned* -- Cree, Inc. (NASDAQ:CREE) Last Price 28.34 - NOV 25.00 CALL OPTION@ $4.30 -> 4 % Return assigned* -- Netflix Inc. (NASDAQ:NFLX) Last Price 17.43 - OCT 17.50 CALL OPTION@ $0.85 -> 5.5 % Return assigned* -- Vishay Intertechnology Inc. (NYSE:VSH) Last Price 12.46 - NOV 12.50 CALL OPTION@ $0.70 -> 6.3 % 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/mu18 (Note: You may need to copy the link above into your browser then press the [ENTER] key) ** For the FREE report, "Is Your Investment Portfolio Disaster Proof? - Insights, Stocks, And Strategies." go to: http://www.investorsobserver.com/FREEDP NOTE: All stocks and options shown are examples only. These are not recommendations to buy or sell any security. MARKET OVERVIEW Overseas markets are little improved over this time yesterday. Currently four of the 15 markets that we track are in positive territory and the cumulative average return on the collective stands at minus 0.311 percent. The number of Japanese corporate bankruptcies fell 9.6 percent on year to 1,119 cases in September as many small firms borrowed less or used government guarantees to avoid financial collapse according to a private research agency. The decline marks the 21st straight month that bankruptcies have fallen in number from the previous year, the third-longest run of declines in Japan's postwar history. This trend is not necessarily a sign of improvement in business conditions, as the decline in failures is largely due to small and midsize companies scaling back operations and borrowing less to avoid the credit crunch. Many smaller firms are also making use of government safety net programs to stay afloat, keeping a lid on the number of failures. The Nikkei failed to hold above the 11,000 level as it closed out the week at 10982.90, a 3.23 percent haircut on the week. On a year-to-date basis the index remains positive by 2.87 percent (the DJIA currently sits at a 5.35 percent year-to-date loss). A lot of data is on tap for traders to digest. My only hope here is that the information does not cause a severe case of indigestion. First course is scheduled for 8:30 with a trio of reports served up in tandem. The September Producer Price Index (PPI) offers a clue as to the presence or absence of inflationary pressures at the producer level. Analysts expect a rise of 0.1 percent, offsetting the prior month's 0.1 percent decline. The Core index (less food and energy) is seen at plus 0.2 percent versus the prior month's 0.1 percent contraction. September Retail and Food Sales are seen at plus 0.7 percent versus the prior month's 0.3 percent decline. Take autos out of the equation and sales are expected to have advanced by 0.3 percent, improving on August's 0.2 percent advance. For a truer gauge on consumer discretionary spending you will want to look for the retail sales figure less auto and gasoline purchases. Last month this figure showed a 0.21 percent rise. Earlier this month the S&P Retail Index set an all-time high at 421.54. Yesterday's decline was pretty much inline with the broad market weakness. Finally the October Empire State Manufacturing Index is seen contracting a bit to 25.60 from September's 28.34 reading. This report has gradually taken on an increased level of import as a preview of both the Chicago manufacturing report as well as the Institute of Supply Managers manufacturing report. A bit later, at 9:15 a.m., September Industrial Production seen at plus 0.2 percent, improving on the 0.1 percent rise last month. The companion report, September Capacity Utilization, is expected to have held at 77.3 percent matching the prior month's rate of use. Shortly after the start of regular trade, the October Preliminary University of Michigan Sentiment is expected to have held a 94.2 matching the final reading in September. The prior report surprised to the downside as analysts had been looking for a reading of 95.9. 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 Wall Street endured yet another rough day Thursday as oil prices continued to soar relentlessly and the US trade gap swelled to its second-highest level on record in August -- a massive US$54 billion, and a 7% jump from July. Aside from oil, the trade deficit with China is also to blame for August's poor figures. The Chinese won't budge on adopting a more flexible exchange rate policy and the US deficit with China ballooned to a record US$15.4 billion in August. Though many still fear the Chinese bubble will burst, the Red Zone Profits investment group believes the profit potential is just beginning -- especially after a Gardner Group report says the "Chinese broadband market built up huge momentum during 2003, making it the fastest growing major DSL market. Penetration is still relatively low and the carriers are offering customers some of the cheapest broadband services in the world (US$6 per month)." The Red Zone's investment director Christian DeHaemer writes: "Since 2000, China has accounted for one-third of global economic growth in terms of purchasing power parity -- twice as much as America. China's 2003 GDP rocketed to 9.7%. Some economists believe the real rate was closer to 13%. China's exports also recorded 40% growth last year. Industrial output has jumped 50%. Demand for commodities has surged. In 2003, it devoured 40% of the global cement supply. It also accounted for one-third of the growth in global oil consumption, 90% of the growth in world steel demand, and showed a hearty appetite for copper. But investors are worried that such fantastic growth will end in a hard landing. Li Ruogu, deputy governor of China's central bank, said: "If credit is growing as fast as it has been, we will be concerned about a bubble." To discover more about the highly-successful Red Zone trading group and claim some profits for yourself, check out the group's FREE REPORT here: http://www.investorsobserver.com/agora6 TODAY'S ECONOMIC CALENDAR 8:30 a.m.: September PPI (last minus 0.1 percent) 8:30 a.m.: September PPI, ex-food and energy (last minus 0.1 percent) 8:30 a.m.: September Retail & Food Sales (last minus 0.3 percent) 8:30 a.m.: September Retail & Food Sales, Ex-autos (last plus 0.2 percent) 8:30 a.m.: October Empire State Mfg Index (last 28.34) 9:15 a.m.: September Indus Production (last plus 0.1 percent) 9:15 a.m.: September Capacity Utilization (last 77.3 percent) 9:45 a.m.: October Preliminary Univ of Michigan Sentiment (last 94.2) 10:00 a.m.: August Business Inventories (last plus 0.9 percent) 12:00 p.m.: Fed Chairman Greenspan to speak on oil at National Italian- American Foundation in Washington 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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