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Market Update: 110328
4:35 pm : Stocks spent most of the session drifting along with modest gains before some late selling pressure caused the three major equity averages to retreat into the red for modest losses.

There weren't any real catalysts for trade this morning, but participants continued to provide support for stocks. Their bid was primarily underpinned by a fear of missing out on further gains, especially after the stock market showed its resilience with last week's rebound, which came in the wake of volatility earlier this month.

The lack of leadership eventually caught up with stocks in the final few minutes of trade, when waning support fueled selling interest. The effort left nine of the 10 major sectors to log losses after nine of them had sported gains in the early going.

Telecom was the only major sector that held on to its gain. As a group, telecom stocks settled with a 1.4% gain. Global communication handset maker Nokia (NOK 8.74, +0.39) put on a strong performance with help from an upgrade by analysts at Goldman Sachs.

GSI Commerce (GSIC 29.20, +9.82) surged after eBay (EBAY 30.34, -1.36) bid to take over the company for $29.25 per share, a a premium of about 50% over the stock's closing price from this past Friday.

Consumer discretionary plays were collectively the worst performing stocks. They fell 1.1% as Marriott (MAR 35.30, -2.36) dropped to a multi-month low in response to a downgrade by analysts at Goldman Sachs.

Data had little impact on trade today. Personal income for February failed to surprise with a 0.3% increase, which is exactly what had been expected, on average, among economists polled by Briefing.com. Spending increased by 0.7%, which is greater than the 0.5% increase that had been broadly expected.

Pending home sales posted a strong 2.1% increase for February. A 0.3% increase is all that had been expected, on average, among a sample of economists surveyed by Briefing.com.

Not even data could bring in traders from the sidelines. That kept participation at depressed levels, such that overall trade volume on the NYSE failed to break 800 million shares.

Treasuries saw some minor swings this session. Some of the action was driven by the moves of the stock market, but cues were also taken from a $35 billion auction of 2-year Notes. The auction was highlighted by a yield of 0.789%, a bid-to-cover of 3.16 for dollar demand of $110.6 billion, and an indirect bidder participation rate of 33%. Treasuries initially pulled back in response to the results, but were able to regroup.

Advancing Sectors: Telecom (+1.4%)
Unchanged: Consumer Staples, Health Care, Industrial
Declining Sectors: Energy (-0.1%), Utilities (-0.3%), Financial (-0.3%), Materials (-0.5%), Tech (-0.6%), Consumer Discretionary (-1.1%)DJ30 -22.71 NASDAQ -12.38 NQ100 -0.6% R2K -0.3% SP400 -0.4% SP500 -3.61 NASDAQ Adv/Vol/Dec 1089/1.67 bln/1509 NYSE Adv/Vol/Dec 1214/783 mln/1765

3:30 pm : Commodities finished lower across the board today, led by declines in grains (-1.5%), and industrials (-1.3%).

May crude oil sold off 1.4% to close at $103.98 per barrel. Prices dropped close to a point in the last 30 minutes of pit trade to end near session lows. April natural gas ended down 1.1% to $4.36 per MMBtu. After failing to break a trend line, around the $4.54 area with minutes to go in the session, price sold off sharply (around 14 cents) to lows.

April gold ended down 0.4% to $1419.90 per ounce, while May silver gained 0.1% to close at $37.09 per ounce. Both metals spent most of the session bouncing off of their respective lows and were aided by a pullback in the dollar index. DJ30 +23.38 NASDAQ -2.55 SP500 +1.28 NASDAQ Adv/Vol/Dec 1338/1.3 bln/1249 NYSE Adv/Vol/Dec 1511/511.2 mln/1459

3:00 pm : Lackluster trade has left the major equity averages to continue to grind along in a relatively tight trading range. The market's listlessness is owed to a lack of catalysts, whether corporate news, economic data, or geopolitical headlines.

While today's inaction may make for dull theatre, many pundits point out that stocks may not be climbing, but they are also refusing to sell off after staging strong gains last week. Underpinning that theme is the fear among traders of missing out on further gains.DJ30 +24.56 NASDAQ -1.10 SP500 +1.45 NASDAQ Adv/Vol/Dec 1377/1.17 bln/1206 NYSE Adv/Vol/Dec 1559/465 mln/1386

2:30 pm : GSI Commerce (GSIC 28.99, +9.61) is a top performer today, thanks to the decision by eBay (EBAY 30.80, -0.90) to buy the e-commerce and interactive marketing service provider for $29.25 per share. The offer represents a rich premium of about 50% over the sub-$20 price that the stock settled with this past Friday. The offer's total consideration stands at approximately $2.4 billion. eBay announced that the deal is expected to close in the third quarter and that it will be financed with both cash and debt.DJ30 +21.04 NASDAQ +1.36 SP500 +1.57 NASDAQ Adv/Vol/Dec 1335/1.08 bln/1254 NYSE Adv/Vol/Dec 1501/430 mln/1439

2:00 pm : Financial stocks have faltered in recent trade. In turn, the sector now trades with a gain of only 0.1%, which puts it near its session low.

The financial sector's recent slip comes as regional banks come under pressure. Comerica (CMA 36.58, -0.21), PNC Financial (PNC 61.56, -0.21), KeyCorp (KEY 8.70, -0.02), and even Wells Fargo (WFC 31.69, -0.25) are among the poorest performers in the regional lender space. DJ30 +22.55 NASDAQ +1.08 SP500 +1.97 NASDAQ Adv/Vol/Dec 1366/995 mln/1186 NYSE Adv/Vol/Dec 1569/396 mln/1368

1:30 pm : Results from a $35 billion auction of 2-year Notes were posted at 1:00 PM ET. Treasuries turned lower in response to the results.

The auction was highlighted by a yield of 0.789%, a bid-to-cover of 3.16 for dollar demand of $110.6 billion, and an indirect bidder participation rate of 33%. For comparison, the prior auction featured a bid-to-cover ratio of 3.03, dollar demand of $106.1 billion, and an indirect bidder participation rate of 31.2%. An average of the past five auctions results in a bid-to-cover of 3.47, dollar demand of $121.4 billion, and an indirect bidder participation rate of 31.8%.DJ30 +27.55 NASDAQ +2.68 SP500 +2.75 NASDAQ Adv/Vol/Dec 1363/930 mln/1175 NYSE Adv/Vol/Dec 1591/373 mln/1301

1:00 pm : The absence of new trading catalysts has left stocks slog along for most of the session. Still, the tone of trade remains generally positive as most of the major sectors remain in the green.

Telecom has put together the strongest gain of any major sector. As a group telecom plays are up a 1.5%, which is triple the gain of the next best performing sector (energy, +0.5%). Global communication handset maker Nokia (NOK 8.68, +0.33) is an especially strong performer following an upgrade by analysts at Goldman Sachs.

Analysts at Goldman Sachs downgraded Marriott (MAR 35.18, -2.48), which dropped to a multi-month low earlier today. Although it has bounced up from that low, the stock is still down 5%. That weakness has bled into the broader consumer discretionary sector, which is down 0.5% as the only major sector that has failed to put together a gain.

Pressure against consumer discretionary plays comes despite a greater-than-expected 0.7% increase in personal spending during February. Income for the month, up 0.3%, was in line with what had been expected.

In other economic news, pending home sales for February increased by 2.1%, which is better than what many economists had anticipated. DJ30 +22.48 NASDAQ +2.46 SP500 +2.23 NASDAQ Adv/Vol/Dec 1376/845 mln/1153 NYSE Adv/Vol/Dec 1561/340 mln/1332

12:30 pm : Stocks slipped in recent trade, but they have since stabilized. Still, the major equity averages now trade wtih only narrow gains.

Treasuries are now more mixed than they were this morning, when sellers had put pressure on the space. The benchmark 10-year Note is now just above the neutral line so that its yield stands at 3.44%. Meanwhile, the 2-year Note is barrely changed so that its yield is at 0.744%. Results from an auction of 2-year Notes are due at the top of the hour. DJ30 +21.76 NASDAQ +2.12 SP500 +1.88 NASDAQ Adv/Vol/Dec 1389/770 mln/1113 NYSE Adv/Vol/Dec 1531/315 mln/1326

12:00 pm : The Nasdaq recently slipped into negative territory, but it has since worked its way back to positive ground. It is holding on to a fractional gain.

China Integrated Energy (CBEH 2.61, -1.15) has been the hardest hit name in the Nasdaq. The stock's 30% drop today set a new 52-week low.

In contrast, Novogen (NVGN 2.35, +1.29) is the best performer in the Nasdaq. Its shares have pulled back from their morning high, which marked a 52-week best, but they are still sporting a gain of more than 100%. DJ30 +24.52 NASDAQ +2.45 SP500 +1.84 NASDAQ Adv/Vol/Dec 1343/680 mln/1136 NYSE Adv/Vol/Dec 1475/287 mln/1380

11:30 am : Energy stocks had a slow start to the session, but they have since advanced to a 0.4% gain. Exploration and services plays like Schlumberger (SLB 90.58, +3.69), Baker Hughes (BHI 73.70, +2.62), and Halliburton (HAL 47.59, +1.55) are out in front with the strongest gains. Refining plays Valero (VLO 29.53, -0.41) and Sunoco (SUN 45.54, -0.69) are two of the weakest performers in the energy space.

Oil prices continue to trade in the red, but remain above session lows. The energy component was last quoted with a $0.84 loss at $104.56 per barrel. Oil has shown no real reaction to recent headlines that pirates have hijacked a crude oil tanker near Oman.DJ30 +27.81 NASDAQ +5.68 SP500 +3.12 NASDAQ Adv/Vol/Dec 1420/575 mln/1029 NYSE Adv/Vol/Dec 1617/250 mln/1211

11:05 am : Stocks have pulled back in recent trade, but the major equity averages remain in positive territory.

Consumer discretionary issues have come under some of the sharpest pressure. That has taken the sector down to a 0.5% loss. Marriott (MAR 35.18, -2.48) is a primary source of weakness in the sector following news that the stock was downgraded by analysts at Goldman Sachs. Weakness among many of the other consumer discretionary plays comes in the face of news that personal spending actually increased more than expected during February. DJ30 +28.04 NASDAQ +4.25 SP500 +2.74 NASDAQ Adv/Vol/Dec 1481/445 mln/925 NYSE Adv/Vol/Dec 1800/200 mln/990

10:35 am : The dollar index pulled back in recent trade and moved into negative territory, which provided some strength to select commodities. However, most commodities remain lower this morning led by cotton -3.0%, sugar -2.2%, coffee -1.3% and copper -1.2%. Grains, cocoa, aluminum and orange juice are showing modest gains.

May crude oil has been in negative territory all morning. It fell to session lows of $103.60/barrel early on in pit trade and is now 0.1% lower at $104.20/barrel. April natural gas has been choppy this morning and is currently just below the flat line at $4.38/MMBtu.

Precious metals remain in the red this morning, but are only down slightly in current activity. April gold has erased about onr-third of its losses this morning and is at $1418.50/ounce, down 0.5%. May silver hit session lows of $36.44/ounce just ahead of pit trade. It moved back to the flat line, but is currently 0.2% lower at $36.97/ounce.DJ30 +45.10 NASDAQ +7.26 SP500 +5.03 NASDAQ Adv/Vol/Dec 1463/298.0 mln/849 NYSE Adv/Vol/Dec 1883/148.9 mln/857

10:00 am : Pending home sales for February were just posted. They increased by 2.1%, which is better than the 0.3% increase that had been expected, on average, among economists polled by Briefing.com. The stock market has had a muted response to the numbers. As such, stocks continue to sport modest gains in the early going.

Advancing Sectors: Telecom (+1.0%), Consumer Staples (+0.5%), Materials (+0.5%), Industrial (+0.5%), Energy (+0.4%), Utilities (+0.4%), Financials (+0.2%), Tech (+0.1), Health Care (+0.1%)
Declining Sectors: Consumer Discretionary (-0.1%)DJ30 +40.87 NASDAQ +6.86 SP500 +4.85 NASDAQ Adv/Vol/Dec 1263/150 mln/903 NYSE Adv/Vol/Dec 1707/85 mln/928

09:45 am : The major equity averages are up modestly this morning. The underlying bid remains broad based as many of the market's major sectors stage gains.

Telecom is in the strongest shape of any major sector. It currently sports a 0.9% gain, which has been led by integrated plays Verizon (VZ 37.59, +0.30) and AT&T (T 29.17, +0.32).

Energy stocks are having some difficulty pushing up from the neutral line into positive territory, though. The sector's relative weakness comes as oil prices slide 1.5% to $103.80 per barrel.

Coming up at the top of the hour is the latest in pending home sales. DJ30 +34.43 NASDAQ +4.65 SP500 +3.56

09:15 am : S&P futures vs fair value: +1.80. Nasdaq futures vs fair value: +7.10. Stock futures point to a slightly higher start as buyers cautiously return to action after bidding stocks higher last week. There haven't been any major catalysts or headlines to drive trade this morning. Action overseas has been mixed, so it has also offered little direction to permarket participants. As for data, there were no major surprises to personal income and spending for February. The latest pending home sales report is due at 10:00 AM ET. Results from an auction of 2-year Treasuries are scheduled for 1:00 PM ET. Comments from a couple of regional Fed speakers are also likely to make their way across newswires during today; Philadelphia Fed President Plosser caused a stir this past Friday with hawkish comments.

09:05 am : S&P futures vs fair value: +2.00. Nasdaq futures vs fair value: +8.10. Futures for the S&P 500 continue to point toward a fractionally higher start to the week. The relatively tepid tone among morning participants comes amid mixed action in Europe. Nokia (NOK) shares have attracted support, though; their shares were upgraded by analysts at Goldman Sachs. Porsche shares have been clipped following news that the automaker announced a large capital raise. Germany's DAX is currently flat. France's CAC is currently up fractionally as Alcatel-Lucent (ALU) shows strength following an upgrade by Goldman Sachs. Britain's FTSE is up by just 0.1% at the moment. Radiation remains a top concern in Japan, where the Nikkei closed with a 0.6% loss. Tokyo Electric was a primary source of weakness as its shares dove to new multi-year lows. Mainland China's Shanghai Composite mustered a 0.2% gain, but Hong Kong's Hang Seng shed 0.4%. CNOOC (CEO) showed strength following its quarterly report late last week. China Petroleum (SNP) reported early this morning its latest results, which featured a 42% year-over-year surge in revenue.

08:35 am : S&P futures vs fair value: +1.90. Nasdaq futures vs fair value: +7.90. Stock futures have shown no real reaction to personal income and spending data for February. Personal income increased by 0.3%, has had been broadly expected. Income for the prior month was revised upward to reflect an increase of 1.2%. Spending increased by 0.7%, which is greater than the 0.5% increase that had been expected, on average, among economists polled by Briefing.com. Prior month spending was revised slightly higher to reflect a 0.3% increase. The PCE Deflator for February increased by 0.2%, as had been expected.

08:05 am : S&P futures vs fair value: +1.80. Nasdaq futures vs fair value: +8.40. Broad market stock futures are currently flat. The tepid tone comes amid mixed action among the major averages abroad and an absence of any consequential headlines, although concerns related to radiation in Japan continue. Amid the dearth of corporate news, Verigy (VRGY) agreed to be acquired by Advantest (ATY) for $15 per share, which makes for a premium of more than 60% over the stock's closing price late last week. Today's ecomomic calendar features the latest monthly personal spending and income numbers (8:30 AM ET) and then pending home sales (10:00 AM ET). Results from an auction of 2-year Notes will be posted this afternoon (1:00 PM ET).

06:45 am : [BRIEFING.COM] S&P futures vs fair value: +0.80. Nasdaq futures vs fair value: +9.10.

06:45 am : Nikkei...9478.53...-57.60...-0.60%. Hang Seng...23068.19...-90.50...-0.40%.

06:45 am : FTSE...5902.78...+2.60...+0.10%. DAX...6923.51...-22.70...-0.30%.
http://finance.yahoo.com/marketupdate/update

6:56PM RealNetworks CEO resigns (RNWK) 3.94 +0.03 : Co announced that CEO Robert Kimball has resigned as president and CEO. The co also announced that its board of directors has appointed Mike Lunsford interim CEO while a CEO search is underway. Kimball has been in the CEO role at Real since January 2010.

6:30PM Bacterin International reports Q4 ($0.15) vs. ($0.06) in last year's quarter; revs rose 141% at $5.3 mln (BONE) 3.75 +0.07 :

6:27PM RigNet misses by $0.04 (RNET) 18.64 +0.04 : Reports Q4 (Dec) earnings of $0.02 per share, $0.04 worse than the Thomson Reuters consensus of $0.06; revenues fell 11.3% year/year to $24.3 mln vs the $24.1 mln consensus.

6:22PM Technology Research up 39.1% on light volume at $7.15 after hours following M&A news (see 16:07 comment) (TRCI) 5.14 +0.02 :

6:01PM CEMEX to supply cement for construction of largest hydroelectric plant in Central America (CX) 8.85 +0.04 : CEMEX, S.A.B. de C.V. (CX), announced that it has been named the primary cement supplier for the first phase of Reventazon hydroelectric plant project in Costa Rica. The US$ 1.2 billion plant will be the largest of its kind in Central America when the 311 megawatt facility reaches completion in 2016. As the primary supplier, CEMEX will provide 50,000 tons of cement for the first phase of this project.

6:01PM CreXus Investment announces pricing of common stock offering at $11.50 (CXS) 12.15 +0.19 : Co announced that it has priced an underwritten public offering of 50 mln shares of common stock at $11.50 per share for estimated gross proceeds of ~$575 mln. Co has also granted the underwriters a 30-day option to purchase up to an additional 7.5 mln shares of common stock to cover over-allotments. Co expects to raise net proceeds of ~$539 mln in the public offering, after deducting the underwriting discount, estimated offering expenses and estimated unpaid expenses incurred in connection with CreXus' recently announced acquisition of a portfolio of commercial real estate assets. Concurrent with this offering, Annaly Capital Management, Inc., the parent corp of CreXus' external manager, Fixed Income Discount Advisory Co, will acquire 5 mln shares of cos' common stock in a private placement at the same price per share as the price per share of the public offering. No underwriting discount is payable in connection with the sale of shares to Annaly. These offerings are both expected to close on or about April 1, 2011. All of the shares in these offerings are being offered by CreXus. Credit Suisse, Barclays Capital, BofA Merrill Lynch and Deutsche Bank Securities are acting as joint book-running managers for the offering.

5:42PM Agnico-Eagle Mines reported on Mar 10, 2011 that the kitchen and associated facilities at its Meadowbank mine were destroyed in a fire; co substantially reduces workforce, raises total co cash costs (AEM) 66.20 -1.49 : Co reported on March 10, 2011 that the kitchen and associated facilities at its Meadowbank mine were destroyed in a fire. The following is an update on current operations at the mine with estimates of the impact of Meadowbank on full year gold production for the co. Since the fire, the mine has been operating with a substantially reduced workforce at a reduced production rate. Over most of this period, the plant has been processing lower grade ore from stockpiles due to the reduction in workforce. The co expects to return Meadowbank to normal staffing levels of ~450 people by the end of April. Temporary kitchen facilities have been delivered to site and are currently being prepared for use. The co expects a permanent replacement kitchen to be installed during Q4 of 2011. Co now expects full year gold production at Meadowbank to be ~310,000 ounces, at total cash costs of ~$700 per ounce with ~60% of this production coming in the second half of the year. This compares to co's previously announced full-year guidance for Meadowbank of ~360,000 ounces at cash costs of ~$600 per ounce. Incorporating the recent events at Meadowbank, co now expects co-wide gold production in Q1 to be ~245,000 ounces. Full year 2011 gold production is now expected to be between 1.08-1.15 mln ounces, split ~45% and 55% between the first and second halves of the year, respectively. This compares to co's previously announced (Dec 15, 2010) full year production guidance of between 1.13-1.23 mln ounces. Full year, co-wide, total cash costs are expected to be negatively impacted by ~$25 per ounce, resulting in a new range of $445-$495 per ounce. This compares to co's previously announced guidance of $420-$470 per ounce.

5:38PM Home Depot rallies ~2.3% to $37.50 after hours after HD announced a $1 bln accelerated share repurchase program (see 17:26 comment) (HD) 36.65 -0.77 :

5:26PM The Home Depot announces $1 bln accelerated share repurchase program and $2 bln senior note issuance (HD) 36.65 -0.77 : Co announced the pricing of a $2 bln senior note issuance. Net proceeds from the financing will be used to refinance $1 bln of senior notes that came due in March 2011 and to repurchase $1 bln of outstanding shares through an accelerated share repurchase program with Barclays Capital. The accelerated share repurchase is in addition to the Company's previously announced intention to repurchase ~$2.5 bln of outstanding shares throughout 2011 using excess cash generated by the business.

5:20PM ANADIGICS reaffirms Q1 revs of $42-44 mln vs. $43.1 mln Thomson Reuters consensus; CEO resigns (ANAD) 4.65 +0.12 : Co announced the resignation of President and Chief Executive Officer Mario Rivas and Senior Vice President Greg White. The Co also reaffirms Q1 revenue guidance of $42 - $44 million vs. $43.1 mln consensus. Ron Michels, who was the SVP, Chief Technology and Strategy Officer, will assume the responsibilities of the CEO, Tom Shields, who currently serves as EVP & CFO, will assume the additional post of COO and John Van Saders, who was the VP Advanced Technology, will serve as SVP RF Products.

5:17PM Catalyst Health Solutions and Walgreen (WAG) announced that the Federal Trade Commission has granted early termination of the waiting period under the Hart-Scott-Rodino Antitrust Improvements Act (CHSI) 54.53 +1.20 :

5:15PM CVB Financial Corp. Announces Sale of Notes (CVBF) 8.10 -0.04 : Co announced the sale of six of seven notes previously held in connection with its former largest borrowing relationship. The sale was made to an unrelated third party and closed on March 25, 2011. The six notes, with a bank carrying value of $42.9 million (and a legal principal balance of $78.1 million), were sold for $41 million.

5:07PM Fronteer Gold reports FY10 EPS of ($0.16) vs. Thomson Reuters consensus of ($0.11). Note: It was announced on Feb. 3 that FRG will be acquired by Newmont (NEM) (FRG) 14.88 +0.03 :

5:04PM Fannie Mae sells $538 mln multifamily DUS mega securities under its GeMS program (FNMA) 0.42 +0.02 : Co sold four separate Multifamily Mega securities totaling $538 mln under its Fannie Mae Guaranteed Multifamily Structures (Fannie Mae GeMS) program on Thursday, March 24, 2011.

5:01PM CIT renews $1 bln vendor finance funding facility (CIT) 42.40 +0.58 : Co announced that it has renewed its $1 billion committed U.S. Vendor Finance conduit facility, significantly reducing costs, increasing the advance rate and lengthening the term. The private facility supports CIT's lending to small business and middle market companies and will allow CIT Vendor Finance to fund both existing assets and new originations.

4:53PM Coleman Cable to buy Technology Research Corp (TRCI) for $7.20/share (CCIX) 8.50 +0.09 : CCIX and TRCI announced a definitive merger agreement. Under the terms of the agreement, Coleman will acquire all of the outstanding shares of TRC for $7.20 per share in cash, in a transaction valued at ~$51.5 million on a fully diluted basis. The cash consideration represents a premium of ~84.6% to TRCI's closing share price on January 14, 2011, the last trading day before TRC announced its receipt of Coleman's indication of interest. The transaction will be funded with Coleman's cash on hand and existing borrowing facilities, and is not subject to any financing condition. The agreement has been unanimously approved by the Boards of Directors of both companies.

4:47PM Mercer International announces commencement of exchange offer for its 9.5% senior notes due 2017 for registered notes (MERC) 13.35 -0.53 : Co announced that it has commenced a registered exchange offer to exchange up to $300 million aggregate principal amount of its 9.5% Senior Notes due 2017 for any and all of its outstanding 9.5% Senior Notes due 2017 which were issued in a private placement.

4:42PM Halliburton reiterated it expects Q1 earnings to be impacted by seasonal declines due to the effect of year-end product sales and typical weather-related issues; co may cut EPS by $0.03-0.04 (HAL) 47.90 +1.86 : The co estimates that the impact of these items will be at the high end of the historical range of $0.05-0.08/share due to adverse weather conditions in North America and Australia. Additionally, the co has experienced disruptions due to geopolitical issues in certain locations in the Middle East and North Africa that will severely affect first quarter results in the range of $0.03-0.04/share. The co may incur additional charges such as asset impairments or allowances as a consequence of the events in the Middle East and North Africa, particularly due to the sanctions imposed on Libya. The co will provide an update during the company's first quarter earnings call scheduled on April 18, 2011 at 8 a.m. Central Time (9 a.m. Eastern Time). The co also announced that it expects to increase activity in its Manifa project based on discussions with its customer in Saudi Arabia. The co was awarded the offshore portion of the Manifa project in 2008 to provide directional drilling, logging-while-drilling, cementing, logging and perforating, coiled tubing and stimulation services for 93 wells offshore Northeast Saudi Arabia.

4:35PM Progress Software reports EPS in-line, revs in-line; guides Q2 EPS in-line, revs in-line; guides FY11 EPS in-line, revs in-line (PRGS) 29.15 -0.37 : Reports Q1 (Feb) earnings of $0.42 per share, excluding non-recurring items, in-line with the Thomson Reuters consensus of $0.42; revenues rose 5.3% year/year to $134.2 mln vs the $134.2 mln consensus. Co issues in-line guidance for Q2, sees EPS of $0.41-0.43, excluding non-recurring items, vs. $0.43 Thomson Reuters consensus; sees Q2 revs of $136-139 mln vs. $136.76 mln Thomson Reuters consensus. Co reaffirms in-line guidance for FY11, sees EPS of $1.74-1.80, excluding non-recurring items, vs. $1.78 Thomson Reuters consensus; reaffirms FY11 revs of $560-570 mln vs. $564.49 mln Thomson Reuters consensus.

4:32PM Duoyuan Printing received a notice from the NYSE indicating that it has determined that the common stock of the Company should be suspended prior to the opening on April 4, 2011 (DYP) 1.60 -0.03 : Trading of the Company's stock will continue on the Over-the-Counter market following suspension. The decision was reached in view of the fact that the Company is a late filer and was under review by NYSE Regulation in light of the delay in filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission of its June 30, 2010 Form 10-K and certain of its fiscal 2011 Form 10-Q filings. The Company plans to request a review of this determination by a Committee of the Board of Directors of NYSE Regulation. Co plans to appeal the decision.

4:27PM Pinnacle Entertainment names Carlos Ruisanchez Chief Financial Officer (PNK) 13.14 0.76 : Co announced that Carlos Ruisanchez, 40, currently the Company's Executive Vice President of Strategic Planning and Development, has been named to the additional role of Chief Financial Officer. The appointment is effective April 1, 2011, subject to the satisfaction of regulatory approvals, and follows the previously announced March 31, 2011 departure of current Pinnacle Chief Financial Officer, Stephen H. Capp. Mr. Ruisanchez reports to Pinnacle Entertainment's President and Chief Executive Officer, Anthony Sanfilippo.

4:24PM Berkshire Hills Bancorp and Rome Bancorp (ROME) announced the preliminary results of elections made by Rome Bancorp stockholders (BHLB) 20.91 -0.58 : Of the approximately 6,777,551 shares of Rome Bancorp common stock outstanding as of March 18, 2011: holders of approximately 5,043,184 shares, or 74.4%, elected to receive Berkshire Hills Bancorp common stock; holders of approximately 710,243 shares, or 10.5%, elected to receive cash; and holders of approximately 1,024,124 shares, or 15.1%, submitted elections expressing no preference as to the form of merger consideration or did not make a valid election.

4:22PM ICF International has won a multiple-award ID/IQ contract from the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) (ICFI) 20.88 -0.08 : Co has won a multiple-award ID/IQ contract from the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT), Research and Innovative Technology Administration, Volpe National Transportation Systems Center to provide environmental architectural and engineering services support. ICF will support the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (NEPA) compliance area. The contract has a potential capacity of $40 million over a term of five years.

4:21PM Techtarget to acquire the websites, product offerings, and events associated with Computer Weekly (TTGT) 8.02 +0.15 : The transaction is expected to close by the end of April, subject to the conclusion of the Transfer of Undertakings Protection of Employees (TUPE) consultation process.

4:20PM Cameron will record a first quarter charge of ~$0.15 per share associated with delays on a subsea systems project in Nigeria (CAM) 58.59 -0.49 : Co also noted that the Company will record a charge of $0.02 per share to reserve for accounts receivable, related to work previously performed in Libya, that are not likely to be collected due to U.S. government sanctions.

4:19PM Alliance Holdings announced the commencement of a secondary underwritten public offering of 2,750,000 common units (AHGP) 56.60 -0.20 : Barclays Capital, Citi, Goldman, Sachs & Co. and J.P. Morgan are acting as joint book-running managers for the offering.

4:18PM Kent Financial unit acquired, through a subsidiary, the land and improvements located at 4211 Cedar Springs Road in Dallas, Texas for $4,325,000 in cash (KENT) 1.23 :

4:18PM A123 Systems announced concurrent offerings of 18 mln shares of common stock and $125 mln of convertible subordinated notes (AONE) 7.81 +0.05 : Deutsche Bank Securities and Goldman Sachs are acting as joint bookrunning managers.

4:18PM Widepoint reports Q4 (WYY) 1.25 -0.06 : Reports Q4 (Dec) revenues rose 17.5% year/year to $13.4 mln vs the $13.4 mln Thomson Reuters dual-analyst est. Net income was ~$6.4 million, which included a $5.6 million income tax benefit as compared to net income of ~$515,000, in the year-ago period. For 2011, management expects to: increase consolidated revenues by 15-25%, Expand gross margins and operating margins. Management has targeted gross margins in the range of 26- 30% and operating margins in the range of 8-12%

4:14PM Dover Saddlery amended its revolving line of credit (DOVR) 4.25 -0.01 : Co announced that it amended its revolving line of credit and placed a $5,500,000 term loan with its bank, RBS Citizens, N.A. On March 28, 2011, Dover Saddlery borrowed, as a 7-year, term note, $5.5 million from the bank to refinance its $5.0 million senior subordinated notes plus deferred interest. Additionally, Dover amended its revolving line of credit so that the Company can borrow for two years up to $13.0 million and increase this amount up to $20.0 million with the bank's approval. This expandable credit facility provides the Company with ample capital to fund its retail store expansion in the near term. The credit facility and term note bear interest at favorable rates. Principal payments on the term note commence in March 2013 and extend through March 2018.

4:13PM Energy Transfer commences a public offering of 11,750,000 common units representing limited partner interest (ETP) 51.87 -1.26 : Net proceeds from the offering will be used by ETP to repay amounts outstanding under its revolving credit facility, to fund capital expenditures related to pipeline construction projects and for general partnership purposes. Morgan Stanley, BofA Merrill Lynch, Citi, Barclays Capital, Credit Suisse, Wells Fargo Securities and J.P. Morgan are acting as joint book-running managers, and RBC Capital Markets, UBS Investment Bank, Madison Williams and Company, Morgan Keegan & Company, Inc. and Oppenheimer & Co. are acting as co-managers.

4:13PM Pacific Ethanol reports Q4 EPS of ($0.14) vs ($4.30) in last year's quarter; revs rose 52.7% to $134.2 mln (PEIX) 0.68 -0.01 : Total volume of ethanol gallons sold increased 50% for the fourth quarter of 2010 and increased 57% for all of 2010, compared to the same periods in 2009.

4:13PM FelCor Lodging announces a 24 mln share common stock offering (FCH) 6.46 -0.19 : BofA Merrill Lynch and J.P. Morgan will act as joint book-running managers for the offering. FelCor intends to use the net proceeds from the Offering for a pending acquisition. Pending application of the net proceeds, FelCor may use the net proceeds for general corporate purposes and may also invest such net proceeds in short-term, interest bearing investments or to repay borrowings under its line of credit.

4:12PM Inter Parfums signs exclusive agreement for Lane Bryant, brand of Charming Shoppes (CHRS) (IPAR) 18.02 -0.16 : Co announced that it has entered into an exclusive agreement with a unit of Charming Shoppes (CHRS) for its flagship brand, Lane Bryant. Under the agreement, Inter Parfums will design and manufacture personal care products for the Lane Bryant brand, while Lane Bryant is responsible for marketing, promoting and selling these products. The initial term of the contract, which may be extended by mutual consent, runs through December 31, 2015.

4:12PM Phillips-Van Heusen beats by $0.11, beats on revs; guides Q1 EPS above consensus, revs above consensus; guides FY12 EPS in-line, revs above consensus (PVH) 59.67 -0.73 : Reports Q4 (Jan) earnings of $0.93 per share, $0.11 better than the Thomson Reuters consensus of $0.82. Co issues upside guidance for Q1, sees EPS of $1.14-1.16 vs. $1.13 Thomson Reuters consensus; sees Q1 revs of $1.32-1.35 bln vs. $1.28 bln Thomson Reuters consensus. Co issues guidance for FY12, sees EPS of $4.70-4.95 vs. $4.75 Thomson Reuters consensus; sees FY12 revs of $5.58-5.66 bln vs. $5.35 bln Thomson Reuters consensus.

4:12PM Inphi announces offering of 3.9 mln shares of common stock, including 3.8 mln shares by stockholders (IPHI) 20.50 -1.01 : Inphi intends to use the proceeds from this offering for general corporate purposes. Inphi will not receive any proceeds from the sale of the shares by the selling stockholders in the offering. Morgan Stanley & Co. Incorporated and Deutsche Bank Securities Inc. are acting as book-running managers for the offering. RBC Capital Markets, LLC, Stifel Nicolaus & Company, Incorporated, Needham & Company, LLC and Oppenheimer & Co. are acting as co-managers for the offering.

4:12PM Interdigital Comm announces a $150 mln sr convertible notes offering (IDCC) 43.35 +0.03 : In connection with the offering of the notes, InterDigital expects to enter into a privately negotiated convertible note hedge transaction with an affiliate of the initial purchaser of the notes. InterDigital expects to use a portion of the net proceeds from the offering of the notes and the proceeds from the sale of the warrants to fund the cost of the convertible note hedge transactions. The remaining net proceeds from the offering of the notes will be used for general corporate purposes, which may include, among other things: acquisitions of intellectual property-related assets or businesses or securities in such businesses; capital expenditures; and working capital.

4:09PM Amazon.com confirms that customers who subscribe to The New York Times (NYT) for Kindle will be receiving access to The New York Times Web site at no additional charge (AMZN) 169.35 -1.63 :

4:09PM Red Hat announced that Sohaib Abbasi, chairman and chief executive officer of Informatica Corporation (INFA) will join its Board of Directors (RHT) 46.09 -0.25 :

4:07PM lululemon athletica board of Directors approves a two-for-one stock split (LULU) 85.24 +.63 : Co announces its Board of Directors has approved, subject to stockholder approval, a two-for-one stock split of the common stock and an increase in the authorized common stock from 200 mln shares to 400 mln shares. In connection with the stock split, the Board also approved, subject to stockholder approval, a two-for-one split of the Company's Special Voting Stock and an increase in the authorized Special Voting Stock from 30 mln to 60 mln.

4:07PM Technology Research to be acquired by Coleman Cable (CCIX) for $7.20/share in cash; valued at ~$51.5 mln on a fully diluted basis (TRCI) 5.14 +0.02 : Coleman Cable (CCIX) and TRCI announced a definitive merger agreement. Under the terms of the agreement, CCIX will acquire all of the outstanding shares of TRCI for $7.20 per share in cash, in a transaction valued at ~$51.5 million on a fully diluted basis. As contemplated by the merger agreement, TRCI, with the assistance of its independent advisors, will solicit superior proposals from third parties during the next 45 days. TRC does not anticipate disclosing any developments regarding this process unless and until its Board of Directors makes a decision with respect to a potential superior proposal. (Stock is halted)

4:06PM Silicon Labs announces CFO succession plan announces the succession plan for co's CFO, Bill Bock, who is stepping down this year; Paul Walsh, co's current chief accounting officer and vice president of finance, will become co's CFO on July 3, 2011 (SLAB) 42.95 -0.14 : Bock is expected to re-join the company's board of directors at that time and will remain on the management team as senior vice president through the end of the year to support a smooth transition.

4:03PM Visteon announces proposed offering of $500 mln of senior unsecured notes (VC) 62.07 -0.48 : Co announced it intends to commence an offering through a private placement of $500 million aggregate principal amount of senior unsecured notes due 2019. VC intends to use the net proceeds of the offering, together with cash on hand, to retire its $500 million senior secured term loan due 2017 and pay related fees and expenses in connection therewith.

4:02PM Tal International announces a 5 mln share common stock offering; 2.5 mln shares are being offered by the co and 2.5 mln shares are being offered by selling shareholders (TAL) 36.31 +0.25 : The Company intends to use the proceeds from the sale of its shares for general corporate purposes, including, but not limited to, purchasing containers and making other capital expenditures and for general working capital purposes. BofA Merrill Lynch, J.P. Morgan and Wells Fargo Securities are acting as joint book-running managers for the offering

4:02PM First Potomac Realty acquires 840 first street, ne, in off-market transaction for $90 million (FPO) 15.18 -0.13 : Co acquired the property from the Stephen A. Goldberg Company for $90 million, with up to $10 million of additional consideration payable depending on the terms of any lease renewal by the existing tenant or re-tenanting of the Property. The Company financed the purchase through the assumption of a $57.2 million mortgage with an interest rate of 5.2% and a remaining term of 2.5 years, the issuance of approximately 1.4 million operating partnership units and a draw on its line of credit. The company expects the property to generate an initial unleveraged return of 8.6% on a cash basis.

4:01PM Hot Topic announces 2011 changes including ShockHound closure; sees $0.21/share charge in Q1 (HOTT) 5.95 +0.05 : Co announced the discontinuation of the ShockHound.com business operations, the write down of unproductive inventory and write down of fixed assets that are no longer critical to the strategic direction of the company. Co estimates that implementing these changes, along with the severance costs related to recent changes in management, will result in a total pre-tax charge of ~$15 mln ($0.21 per diluted share) primarily in Q1 2011. Co issued Q1 guidance of a loss in the range of $0.01 to $0.04 per share, excluding the costs associated with the above changes (vs loss of $0.03 Thomson Reuters consensus). This guidance is based upon a low-single-digit decline in comparable store sales. The company also announced full year (52 weeks ending January 28, 2012) guidance of earnings per diluted share of $0.05 to $0.15 based upon a comp performance that is in the range of flat to down low-single-digits, excluding the costs associated with the above changes. The company now estimates that capital expenditures for 2011 will be ~$25 mln. Co announced that Amy Kocourek, the Chief Merchandising Officer of the Hot Topic division, has left the company effective March 28, 2011. Following the departure of Ms. Kocourek, Lisa Harper, Chief Executive Officer, will assume direct oversight for Hot Topic merchandising. The company also announced the discontinuation of monthly sales reporting, effective in the third quarter of fiscal 2011. Co will continue to report monthly sales results through the end of the second quarter of fiscal 2011.

4:01PM Hudson City Banc completes a restructuring of its balance sheet that significantly reduced higher-cost structured borrowings and will allow for increased future net interest income (HCBK) 9.86 -0.01 : Co announces that it has completed a restructuring of its balance sheet that significantly reduced higher-cost structured borrowings and will allow for increased future net interest income. As a result, the Bank expects to be better able to grow and compete in the current and foreseeable residential mortgage marketplace. In a series of transactions executed this month, co paid off $12.50 billion in structured quarterly putable borrowings, funded by the sale of $8.66 billion of securities, and $5.00 billion of new shorter-term fixed maturity borrowings with an average cost of 0.66%. These transactions will negatively impact first quarter 2011 after-tax earnings by ~$644 million or $1.30 per share. For the full year 2011, the loss from the restructuring will be reduced by four quarters of earnings, absent the restructuring charge.

3:42PM New session lows for S&P -0.3 and Nasdaq Comp -6.5, Dow +7 slips under midday range low (SPY) :

3:31PM Underperforming Nasdaq Comp -3 sets minor new session low, S&P +1.1 just above low, Dow +20 trading at mid-point of afternoon range (SPY) :

3:30PM CreXus Investment: Starwood Property Trust (STWD) confirms offer for CreXus will terminate if CreXus prices dilutive stock offering (CXS) 11.89 -0.07 : In response to inquiries, Starwood confirmed its earlier statements that its unconditional offer to purchase all of the shares of CreXus would be withdrawn if CreXus prices its dilutive public offering scheduled for today March 28, 2011.

3:29PM CBOT Agriculture and Ethanol and ICE Exchange Sugar Closing Prices (COMDX) : May corn finished 18.5 cents higher (or -2.7%) to $6.71. May wheat lost 8 cents to close at $7.2525, May soybeans fell 9.75 cents to close at $13.485, April ethanol closed lower by 0.027 cents at $2.477, while May world sugar futures closed down 0.81 cents to 27.05 cents.

3:25PM CreXus Investment Board of Directors votes to reject offer of Starwood Property Trust (STWD) and proceed with equity offerings (CXS) 12.30 +0.41 : Co announced today that after evaluating the unsolicited offer from Starwood Property Trust to acquire the outstanding shares of CreXus, it voted to reject the offer. As previously announced, CreXus is proceeding with its common stock offerings, the proceeds of which will be used primarily to fund the acquisition of a portfolio of ~$586 million of commercial real estate assets from Barclays Capital Real Estate Finance.

3:18PM China Integrated Energy denies all allegations against it and announces an independent third party investigation (CBEH) 3.00 -0.76 : Co denies the allegations published in the article written by an author calling himself "Alfred Little." Co's Audit Committee will ask investigators to consider the Alfred Little allegations. The Company intends to pursue all of its rights against the authors of these reports.

2:56PM Stock indices stall at afternoon range highs, back hovering near afternoon range lows -- Dow +19, S&P +1.1, Nasdaq -1.5 (SPY) : Afternoon range lows are at 12232, 1314 and 2741, respectively (also session lows for S&P/Nasdaq).

2:51PM IVAX Diagnostics halted, news pending (IVD) 1.67 +0.33 :

2:51PM Midway Gold announces the results of an initial evaluation of its Gold Rock project (MDW) 1.66 -0.09 : Co announces the results of an initial evaluation of its Gold Rock project located in White Pine County, Nevada. Gustavson's evaluation confirms that Gold Rock contains a gold system that warrants additional confirmation, validation, exploration and evaluation. The mineralizing system is strong, with a known strike length of over 8,000 feet. The lithology, alteration, and mineralization are similar to other sediment hosted Carlin-type systems such as Alligator Ridge, Bald Mountain, Rain, and Midway's Pan Project, 8 miles to the northwest. Only a portion of the system has been explored and mined, and drilling outside of the Easy Junior pit area is widely spaced and shallow. The Gold Rock system has structural controls; these feeder structures have not been explored, and previous exploration has not closed off mineralization in any direction.

2:50PM NYMEX Energy Closing Prices (COMDX) : May crude oil settled lower by $1.42 to $103.98, April natural gas shed 4.4 cents to close at $4.359, April heating oil finished down 3.31 cents to $3.0217, while April RBOB gasoline ended lower by 2.14 cents to $3.0231.

2:43PM Stock indices edge off afternoon lows after retesting morning troughs -- Dow +33, S&P +2.8, Nasdaq Comp +3.6 (SPY) : Afternoon range highs are at 12255, 1317 and 2748.

2:36PM Sprint Nextel opposes proposed AT&T (T) acquisition of T-Mobile USA (S) 4.74 +0.06 : Co confirms its opposition to AT&T's proposed $39 bln takeover of Deutsche Telekom's (DTEGY) T-Mobile USA. "The transaction, which requires the approval of the DoJ and the FCC, and will likely spark a host of hearings in the U.S. Congress, would reverse nearly three decades of actions by the U.S. government and the courts that modernized and opened U.S. communications markets to competition... AT&T and Verizon (VZ) are already by far the largest wireless providers. If approved, the proposed acquisition would create a combined company that would be almost three times the size of Sprint in terms of wireless revenue and would entrench AT&T's and Verizon's duopoly control over the wireless market.... Sprint urges the United States government to block this anti-competitive acquisition... Sprint stands ready to compete in a truly dynamic marketplace. So on behalf of our customers, our industry and our country, Sprint will fight this attempt by AT&T to undo the progress of the past 25 years and create a new Ma Bell duopoly."

2:30PM Medtronic announces FDA approval of Protecta implantable defibrillators that reduce inappropriate shocks (MDT) 38.93 +0.56 : Co announced FDA approval of the Protecta portfolio of implantable cardioverter-defibrillators (ICDs) and cardiac resynchronization therapy-defibrillators (CRT-Ds).

2:24PM Natural gas drops quickly toward lows heading into close of pit trade; now off 2 cents to $4.383 (COMDX) :

2:12PM Crude pulling back with a little over 15 min to go in pit trade; now off $1.14 to $104.26 (COMDX) :

2:08PM Rexahn Pharmaceuticals resumes trading (RNN) 1.15 -0.25 :

2:01PM Interval Leisure Group unit has extended its affiliation with Four Seasons Residence Clubs (IILG) 16.02 +0.11 :

1:59PM Rexahn Pharmaceuticals to raise $10 mln in a registered direct offering (RNN) 1.45 +0.05 : Co has received commitments from certain institutional investors to purchase an aggregate of $10 mln of Rexahn's securities in a registered direct offering. Rexahn expects to receive net proceeds of ~$9.45 mln after deducting placement agent fees and other offering expenses. Rexahn has entered into a securities purchase agreement with these investors pursuant to which Rexahn has agreed to sell an aggregate of ~8.33 mln shares of its common stock and warrants exercisable for up to ~3.33 mln additional shares of its common stock. Each unit, consisting of one share of common stock and a warrant to purchase 0.4 of a share of common stock, will be sold for a purchase price of $1.20. The warrants to purchase additional shares will be exercisable at a price of $1.50 per share beginning six months following issuance and will expire five years from the date on which the warrants are initially exercisable. Rodman & Renshaw acted as the exclusive placement agent for this transaction. (stock halted)

1:50PM Rexahn Pharmaceuticals halted, news pending (RNN) 1.46 +0.05 :

1:31PM COMEX Metals Closing Prices (COMDX) : April gold ended lower by $6.60 to $1419.80, May silver gained 3.1 cents to finish at $37.08. while May copper closed off 6.45 cents to $4.3545.

1:29PM Target continues to slide, approaching its March trough at 49.45 -- session low 49.50 (TGT) 49.50 -0.45 :

1:12PM Halliburton notches a new session high of 48.35, near its 52-wk close high from Feb at 48.43 (HAL) 48.34 +2.30 : Its 52-wk intraday high from Feb is at 48.84.

1:06PM Altria announces jury decided in favor of Philip Morris USA and RJ Reynolds (RAI) in the first Engle case to go to trial in Clay County (Oliva v. RJ Reynolds and Philip Morris USA) (MO) 26.13 +0.31 : "We believe that, once again, the jury appropriately decided the company was not responsible for the plaintiff's decision about whether to smoke or when to quit... Although Philip Morris USA won this trial, we continue to believe that the trial courts are violating Florida law and due process by allowing the plaintiffs to rely on general findings from a previous jury with no connection to the specific circumstances of these cases."

1:04PM CreXus Investment and Starwood Property Trust (STWD) resume trading (CXS) 13.50 +1.44 :

12:57PM CreXus Investment releases statement with regard to the offer of Starwood Property Trust (STWD) (CXS) 11.85 -0.11 : On Monday March 28, the Board of Directors of CreXus Investment received an unsolicited offer from Starwood Property Trust to acquire the outstanding shares of CreXus. CreXus made the following statement with regard to the offer: "CreXus currently is in the process of making an equity offering for the purpose of completing the previously announced acquisition of approximately $586 mln of real estate assets from Barclays Capital Real Estate Finance. The Starwood proposal is contingent upon our suspending that equity offering, which would prevent CreXus from fulfilling one of the conditions to the Barclays transaction. We have not suspended our equity offering... The CreXus Board is evaluating the Starwood offer, both with regard to whether there would be any interest in pursuing a transaction with Starwood, and in light of the issues the Starwood proposal would pose with regard to the Barclays transaction." (stock halted)

12:44PM RRSAT Global's Station711 signed contract for provision of Inmarsat FleetBroadband services to Swire Pacific Offshore (RRST) 7.20 -0.12 : The agreement, for a minimum of three years, comprises a smart@sea communication gateway, SAILOR FB500 terminals, a tailored fleet-wide pricing package from Inmarsat, and ongoing maintenance and support services from SMTS and Station711.

12:31PM NIV IntelliMedia Tech Grp reports former auditor's non-reliance letter and starts independent investigation (NIV) 2.21 +0.02 : Co responded to allegations by former independent auditor, MaloneBailey, regarding the accuracy of financial statements, as previously disclosed on March 25, 2011. After consultation with legal counsel and the members of the audit committee, the Board of Directors has established a special independent committee comprised of audit committee chair, Charles Mo, and independent director, Robert Wasielewski, to investigate the allegations. The Special Committee subsequently engaged the law firm of Sidley Austin to serve as its independent counsel in connection with the investigation. Sidley intends to engage an accounting firm to serve as an independent forensic accountant in this regard. In light of the investigation, co is delaying the filing of its Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2010. Co does not intend to provide further comment regarding the allegations until after the conclusion of the Special Committee's investigation. Co also announced that the Audit Committee has authorized the appointment of BDO China Li Xin Da Hua CPAs as the new independent auditors, to conduct an audit of the fiscal years ended December 31, 2010 and 2009. (remains halted)

12:31PM NXP Semi announces certain shareholders intend to offer in secondary offering of ~25 mln shares of its common stock (NXPI) 27.60 -0.28 : Co will not receive any proceeds from the proposed offering. Credit Suisse Securities, Goldman Sachs & Co., Morgan Stanley & Co. Incorporated, Bank of America and Barclays Capital were appointed as book runners for this offering.

12:23PM CreXus Investment recieves unconditional offer from Starwood Property Trust (STWD) to acquire co for $14/share (CXS) 11.85 -0.11 : Starwood Property Trust (STWD) today announced that it has made an unconditional offer to acquire all of the outstanding shares of common stock of CreXus Investment Corp. (CXS) for $14.00 per share. The proposal was formally made today in a letter to the CreXus Board of Directors. Terms of the proposed transaction call for Starwood Property Trust to exchange 0.61 shares of its common stock for each share of CreXus common stock outstanding. The offer represents a 20% premium over CreXus' trading price on the New York Stock Exchange of $11.68 at 11am on Monday, March 28, 2011. STWD stated "CreXus stockholders would receive stock in a significantly more liquid entity without facing the substantial book value dilution of CreXus' pending equity offering. In addition, the combination of the platforms will be accretive to STWD's earnings, provide the potential for higher dividends for STWD and CreXus shareholders and allow shareholders of both companies to share in the cost savings and accretion created by the combination." (stock halted)

12:04PM TASER received an order for TASER X26 ECDs and related accessories from Aardvark Tactical (TASR) 4.19 +0.08 : Co announced an order was received for TASER X26 electronic control devices (ECDs) and related accessories from Aardvark Tactical, TASER International's distributor to the U.S. Government for use by an unnamed U.S. federal government agency. The order received provided for 2,418 TASER X26 ECDs with 23,463 TASER cartridges. Further customer information is not being released at this time. It is anticipated that this order will ship in Q1 of 2011.

12:01PM Cruise Liners take on some water -- CCL -1.2%, RCL -1.9% (TECHX) : RCL has slipped to a new low of 40.76, last week's low is at 40.70 with the Dec/March lows just below at 40.55/40.50. CCL has dipped as low at 38.12 this morning to probe its March/five month low at 38.08 before attempting to stabilize.

12:01PM Airgas signs strategic supply agreement with Johnson Controls (JCI) for ARG to supply JCI refrigerant gas, bulk and packaged industrial gas, welding hardgoods and related products, and personal protection equipment (ARG) 66.66 +0.19 :

11:41AM Nasdaq Comp +1.7 slips to minor new session low (QQQ) : The Nasdaq Comp lagged on the recovery attempt this morning as it failed to confirm the break above Friday's high and has recently dropped to a minor new session low of 2743 (Click for 5 min chart).

11:35AM Best Buy ConnectSM launches 4G mobile broadband service via Clearwire (CLWR) (BBY) 29.44 +0.22 :

11:31AM ManTech awarded information technology support services (ITSS-4) contract to provide support services to DOJ (MANT) 42.78 -0.04 : Co announced the company was awarded a prime contract with the U.S. Department of Justice to provide information technology support services to the Department of Justice (DOJ) and all DOJ offices, boards, divisions and bureaus. The multiple-award, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity (IDIQ) contract has a base period of March 9, 2011 through September 30, 2011 and six option years, with a total ceiling value of $1.1 billion for all awardees.

11:19AM SPDR Retail extended reversal after morning stall at Friday's high of 50.42 -- session high 50.41 (XRT) 49.80 -0.13 : HD -1.3%, LOW -1.2%, TGT -0.3%, JCP -1.8%, ANF -1.2%, ARO -1.1%, ANN -1.5%

11:18AM Sonde Resources appoints Kerry Brittain as Chairman of the Board, replacing Marvin Chronister who resigned the position on March 24, 2011 (SOQ) 3.34 -0.05 :

11:03AM Nordion reports prelim analysis shows treatment is well-tolerated and consistently delivered to patients with metastatic liver cancer (NDZ) 11.74 +0.36 : Co shared results from the first multi-site, Phase II clinical trial to evaluate TheraSphere for treatment of metastatic liver cancer. The trial evaluated a variety of factors, including safety and tumour response, in patients with liver metastases--cancerous tumours that spread to the liver from other sites in the body. The overall tumour response, including stable disease, was 90% in metastatic neuroendocrine tumours and 69.2% in all treatment groups. Initial analysis of the trial data led the researchers to suggest that TheraSphere is a safe, well-tolerated treatment for patients with liver metastases. The study yielded remarkably consistent results across all the centres.

11:02AM AutoZone's ALLDATA enters into an agreement with Boyd Group; the 97 collision repair facilities operated under Boyd will use ALLDATA Collision S3500 as their sole provider of OE collision repair information (AZO) 35.60 +0.30 :

11:01AM Archer-Daniels will expand three grain facilities in northeast Missouri and western Illinois (ADM) 35.63 +0.33 : Co announced that it will expand three grain facilities in northeast Missouri and western Illinois. ADM elevators in Novelty and Center, Mo., will triple their storage capacity, while a barge loading terminal in Quincy, Ill., will add grain storage and improve receiving efficiencies. These projects will accommodate regional farmers' increased production by expanding the combined storage capacity of the facilities by nearly 1.7 million bushels, enhancing corn drying capabilities and reducing truck unloading times. Construction at these facilities will begin this spring once permitting is in place, and should be completed in time for the 2011 fall harvest.

11:00AM Richmont Mines Inc. confirms and amends its shareholder rights plan (RIC) 6.72 +0.12 : Co announces that its Board of Directors unanimously confirmed and amended the Company's Shareholder Rights Plan, set to expire in the coming months, so that it was in conformity with the current shareholder protection rights plan practices of Canadian companies. The objective of the Amended and Restated Rights Plan is to provide adequate time for the Board of Directors and shareholders to properly consider and evaluate any unsolicited takeover bid and, if thought advisable, to explore and develop alternatives for maximizing shareholder value. The Amended and Restated Rights Plan is also designed to provide for the equal treatment of all shareholders of the Company in the event of a change of control of the Company.

10:55AM Stock indices rotating lower intraday -- Dow +30 is 20 points off its high, S&P +3.1, Nasdaq Comp +4 has been a lagged thus far today (SPY) :

10:54AM Homebuilders drops to new low with Retail XRT weakening as well and these are weighing on Discretionary XLY (XHB) :

10:40AM Semiconductor Hldrs ETF probing Friday's high and its 50 day sma at 34.93/34.90 -- session high 34.91 (SMH) 34.89 +0.32 : INTC +1.4%, ADI +1%, ALTR +1%, AMKR +1.5%, KLAC +1.7%, LLTC +1.1%, LSI +1.5%, MU +2.1%, NVLS +1.2%, SNDK +1.7%.

10:35AM IMRIS announced the sale of IMRISNV to University of Utah Hospital in Salt Lake City, Utah (IMRS) 7.40 0.00 : Today's announcement marks the second IMRIS system for University of Utah Health Care.

10:30AM Mechel Steel announced the launch of the reconstructed coking battery #6 at Mechel Mining OAO's subsidiary, Mechel-Coke OOO (MTL) 31.05 -0.25 :

10:28AM Dow +48 joined by S&P +5.4 in move slightly above Friday's peaks but Nasdaq Comp +7 has not confirmed as it is still 12 points below Friday's high (SPY) :

10:24AM Research In Motion notches new session low of 56.71, Friday's four month low is at 56.66 (RIMM) 56.73 -0.16 : Note that its 200 sma comes into play modestly below at 56.43.

10:07AM Seeing some intraday relative weakness in recent trade in Casino/Gaming (BJK) : PNK -1.7%, BYI -1.6%, LVS -1.3%, MGM -1.3%, SHFL -1.1%, WMS -1.1%, WYNN -0.9%, IGT -0.7%, BYD -0.6%, PENN -0.4%.

10:05AM GSI Commerce: EBAY to purchase GSIC for $29.25 a share, approx $2.4 bln (GSIC) 19.98 +0.60 : Co announced that it has agreed to acquire GSI Commerce (GSIC), a provider of ecommerce and interactive marketing services, for $29.25 a share, or total consideration of approximately $2.4 billion. The acquisition, which will be financed with cash and debt, is expected to close in the third quarter of 2011. The merger consideration represents a 51 percent premium over GSI's March 25, 2011, closing price and a 47 percent premium over the average closing price of GSI Commerce common stock over the 30 trading days prior to March 28, 2011. eBay expects the transaction to result in synergies of approximately $60 million by 2013; the company expects the transaction to be EPS neutral in 2011 and accretive in 2012. As part of the divestiture, eBay will loan the holding company $467 million and retain a 30 percent stake in Rue La La and ShopRunner. In addition, Michael Rubin will invest additional cash of $31 million in the holding company. Under the terms of the merger agreement, GSI Commerce may solicit acquisition proposals from third parties for a 40-day "go-shop" period continuing through May 6, 2011. It is not anticipated that any developments will be disclosed with regard to this process unless GSI Commerce's Board of Directors makes a decision with respect to a potential superior proposal. The merger agreement provides eBay with a customary right to match a superior proposal. There is no guarantee that this process will result in a superior proposal.

10:03AM Comtech Telecom unit received $1.7 mln of orders from contractor to develop and manufacture next generation, solid-state, high-power radio signal jamming amplifiers and switches (CMTL) 26.71 +0.23 :

10:02AM Stock indices see limited/slightly positive reaction to strong home data -- Dow +43, S&P +4.6, Nasdaq Comp +6.7 (SPY) :

10:00AM TheStreet.com and Journal Register Company enter strategic content-distribution agreement (TST) 3.21 -0.05 : Co and the Journal Register Company announced that they have entered into a strategic content-distribution agreement whereby the companies will integrate and cross-promote certain content and services. TheStreet's national business, financial markets and personal finance editorial will power the coverage of these topics in the Journal Register's various print and online properties and TheStreet will integrate select Journal Register local business coverage into its network of sites. Terms of the agreement were not disclosed.

9:55AM After lagging off the open, Energy - XLE, OIH - has rebounded back above Friday's highs (XLE) : XLE +0.6% is just under the early March 52-wk high of 79.22 (session high 79.13); OIH +1.3% has broken above last week's range top at 160.96 (session high 161.50).

9:51AM Opening Point Gainers/Losers (TECHX) : Point Gainers: SPEC (+5.69), NFLX (+5.74), WAB (+5.41), FSLR (+5.03), RURL (+4.58), LULU (+4.16), MA (+3.10), WLT (+2.87), SLB (+2.11), DECK (+1.87), IDSA (+1.84), OIH (+1.65), SINA (+1.86)

Point Losers: AGQ (-6.05), AMRS (-2.66), UCO (-1.63), CF (-1.51), GLD (-1.30), CRM (-1.17), CISG (-1.26), MAR (-1.09), VMW (-0.99), TBL (-0.97)

9:50AM Dow +36 has inched slightly above Friday's high, S&P +4 is just below, Nasdaq Comp +4 has lagged with it 6 points under the opening high (SPY) : Underperforming sectors in recent action include: Disk Drive, Semi (SOXX, SMH, XSD), Internet FDN, Software IGV.

9:47AM iShares DJ Telecom strong after upgrade (IYZ) 23.31 +0.18 : VZ has flirted with its previous 52-wk high from Jan at 37.70 (session high 37.73); T (+1.1%) has set a new two plus month high; PCS +2.2%, S +2.1%, WIN +0.8%. The Telecom ETF (IYZ) is approaching its March peak at 23.34 (session high 23.32).

9:46AM Marriott expects Q1 worldwide systemwide RevPAR to increase ~7%, at the low end of its 7-9% guidance; reaffirms Q1 EPS guidance (MAR) 36.72 -0.94 : Co says although overall North American RevPAR growth remains strong year-over-year, North American RevPAR growth has been modestly lower than expected, especially in large group hotels in markets such as New York, Atlanta, Orlando and Washington, D.C... Co expects North American systemwide RevPAR growth of 5 to 6 percent for the first quarter of 2011. Mr. Berquist will reiterate the company's diluted earnings per share guidance for the first quarter of $0.24 to $0.28 per share (vs $0.28 consensus).

9:40AM Guggenheim Solar ETF displays relative strength -- SOL, CSIQ, JKS, JASO, YGE, FSLR, STP, LDK, SPWRA, TSL (TAN) :

9:38AM Energy early laggard (XLE) : Relative weakness in in trade in Energy (XLE, OIH, XES, IEO, XOP, USO, KOL).

9:38AM EMS Tech: MMI Investments announces that it has filed a definitive proxy statement with the SEC and issued a letter to shareholders of co in connection with co's 2011 annual meeting of shareholders scheduled for May 12, 2011 (ELMG) 20.43 +0.34 : "MMI Investments, L.P., a long-only investment fund and owner of 7.8% of the outstanding shares of EMS Technologies, Inc. is seeking your support for change at EMS, beginning with the election of four highly qualified, independent and experienced director candidates for election to EMS' ten-member board at the 2011 annual meeting of shareholders scheduled to be held on May 12, 2011. The MMI Nominees are Samme L. Thompson, Theodore E. Martin, Carroll R. Wetzel, Jr. and Jerome J. Lande. We are soliciting proxies on the GOLD proxy card to elect not only the four MMI Nominees, but also the candidates who have been nominated by EMS other than John B. Mowell, Norman E. Thagard, Bradford W. Parkinson and Hermann Buerger..."

9:38AM CACI Intl awarded prime position on $1.1 billion, multiple-award contract to support information technology systems at DOJ (CACI) 61.71 +0.86 : Co announced that it has been awarded one of 20 prime contracts to support the Information Technology Support Services 4 contract for the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ). The indefinite delivery/indefinite quantity award has a ceiling value of $1.1 billion and a period of performance that consists of a seven-month base period and six option years.

9:33AM Ramco-Gershenson signed three new mid-box leases encompassing 126,253 square feet (RPT) 12.72 +0.08 : Co is also in final lease negotiations for three additional new mid-box anchor tenants encompassing approximately 105,000 square feet. One of the new leases will replace a current mid-box vacancy in approximately 23,000 square feet, plus additional small shop space. The remaining two leases replace dark and paying anchor tenants. All of the leases are with creditworthy, national retailers. Details regarding these transactions will be outlined in subsequent press releases.

9:31AM Alterra Capital receives approval from the State of Florida to qualify as an "Eligible Reinsurer," which allows lower collateral requirements on non-domestic reinsurers that are highly rated and financially secure (ALTE) 21.90 :

9:26AM On The Wires (WIRES) :

* ePromos Promotional Products announced that it has formed a strategic partnership with Constant Contact, Inc. (CTCT). This partnership will allow ePromos and Constant Contact to offer customers easy-to-use event marketing tools as well as promotional products, both designed to help businesses acquire new customers and deepen existing relationships.
* U.S. Coast Guard has awarded Lockheed Martin (LMT) a five-year indefinite delivery/indefinite quantity training and technical support services contract. The contract, which includes a $90,000 initial task order, has a $57 million ceiling value.

9:22AM EnteroMedics receives CE Mark certification for the Maestro RC System, allowing Australian regulatory application to move forward (ETRM) 2.73 : Co announced that it has received CE Mark approval of its second generation Maestro RC System for the treatment of obesity using VBLOC vagal blocking therapy. The Maestro RC System, a pacemaker-like device, offers a patient-oriented obesity therapy that affects the physiology of hunger and fullness without forcing punitive, mechanical limits to lifestyle and diet, or requiring surgical alteration of the anatomy. As announced in August 2010, the Company plans to commercialize the Maestro RC System in Australia through an application for approval and listing with the Australian Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA), a process for which CE Mark approval is a prerequisite. CE Mark is a conformance mark granted by the European Commission and recognized by many nations, including Australia. With CE Mark approval achieved, the Company plans to move forward with its application for TGA approval and once approval is granted, the Company expects first commercial sales of the Maestro System in the second half of 2011.

9:12AM TranSwitch confirms launch of high-definition video interconnect receiver integrating HDMI and DisplayPort technologies (TXCC) 3.25 : Co announced that it is rolling out a new family of integrated circuits (ICs) that supports HDMI (High-Definition Multimedia Interface) and DisplayPort standards at the highest speed and image resolution of any product on the market.

9:10AM On The Wires (WIRES) :

* Tetra Tech (TTEK) announced that it has been awarded a $16.2 million, 3.5-year program with the U.S. Agency for International Development to help the government of Indonesia meet its energy security and greenhouse gas emissions reduction goals.
* Terreno Realty Corporation (TRNO) acquired an industrial property located in Jessup, MD on March 25, 2011 for a purchase price of approximately $5.8 million. The Company utilized cash on hand to fund the acquisition.
* Pacific Office Properties Trust (PCE) engaged Eastdil Secured, LLC, a subsidiary of Wells Fargo & Company, to assist in the potential recapitalization of a 1.6 million square foot portfolio of class A office buildings located in Honolulu, Hawaii. Pacific Office Properties is a San Diego-based REIT and is the largest office-building owner in Honolulu.
* Hallmark Financial Services (HALL) announced that its subsidiary, American Hallmark Insurance Company of Texas, has executed a purchase agreement to acquire all of the outstanding capital stock of TBIC Holding Corporation, including its wholly owned subsidiaries Texas Builders Insurance Company and TBIC Risk Management for an estimated initial base purchase price of $1.7 million, net of ~$0.4 million holdback payable four calendar quarters following closing, and up to $3.0 million contingent consideration payable four years after closing. The transaction will be funded from existing working capital.
* Duoyuan Global Water (DGW) announced that Frank H. Miu was appointed to the Company's Board of Directors. Mr. Miu was also appointed as an addition to the Audit Committee and the Nominating & Corporate Governance Committee of the Board of Directors.
* Raytheon Technical Services, a subsidiary of Raytheon (RTN), has won a U.S. Army Forces Command contract to provide an expedited process in satisfying the needs of operational customers throughout the U.S. Army and the Department of Defense. This indefinite-delivery, indefinite-quantity, multiple-award task order contract has a ceiling value of $2.5 bln.
* CareFusion (CFN) announced the launch of the 11-gauge vertebral balloon for use in the spinal fracture treatment market.
* NEI (NEI) announced that the co has been awarded a US Patent for a technology that creates a new type of "digital fingerprint" that accurately validates software updates for physical and virtual servers and cloud-based application platforms. \
* TransAlta (TAC) announced it will be expanding its wind portfolio in Quebec by moving ahead with construction of the 66MW New Richmond wind project located on the Gaspe Peninsula. The cost of the project is estimated at ~$205 mln.
* Swisher Hygiene (SWSH) announced that it has acquired the hygiene and chemical business of Goldman Management Associates, its San Jose and Modesto, California franchisee, and certain assets related to the warewashing and laundry business of En-Viro Solutions Hawaii, LLC ("En-Viro"), a chemical service provider in Hawaii.

9:09AM Spectrum Control: API Technologies to acquire Spectrum Control for $20/share (SPEC) 14.01 : API Technologies (Bulletin Board: ATNY) and Spectrum have entered into a definitive merger agreement providing for the cash acquisition of Spectrum by API. Pursuant to the terms of the definitive agreement, API will acquire 100% of the issued and outstanding equity of Spectrum for $20.00 per share for a total purchase price of ~$270 million. Spectrum's Board of Directors has unanimously approved the merger and recommends that Spectrum's shareholders vote in favor of the transaction. In connection with the transaction, API has been provided with firm commitments for debt financing in a principal amount of $215 million. Under the terms of the merger agreement, Spectrum may solicit acquisition proposals from third parties for a period of 40 calendar days continuing through May 7, 2011. It is not anticipated that any developments will be disclosed with regard to this process unless Spectrum's Board of Directors makes a decision with respect to a potential superior proposal. There are no guarantees that this process will result in a superior proposal.

9:08AM Goodyear Tire announces offering of mandatory convertible preferred stock (GT) 15.45 : Co announced that it has commenced a public offering of $435 million of mandatory convertible preferred stock, subject to market and other customary conditions. The offering consists of 8.7 million shares with an offering price of $50 per share. The company intends to grant the underwriters of the offering a 30-day option to purchase up to an additional 1.3 million shares of mandatory convertible preferred stock.

9:07AM Nevsun Resources increases mineable reserves at Bisha by 40% using updated metal prices (NSU) 5.87 : Co announces the revised reserve estimate for its Bisha mine in Eritrea. The revised estimate has increased the total proven and probable reserves to 28.3 million tonnes from the previously reported 20.1 million tonnes. The net impact of higher throughputs and lower cut-off grade has resulted in an extended mine life of 13 years, while increasing previously reported robust cash flow. Highlights include: 40% increase in reserves, using $1,015/oz gold, $15.85/oz silver, $2.40/lb copper, $0.92/lb zinc... 20% increase in ore throughput starting in 2013... Bisha 13 year undiscounted cash flow now totals $2,162,000,000.

9:02AM Blue Phoenix awarded a contract valued $840,000 from a leading financial company in Europe (BPHX) 1.83 :

8:52AM On The Wires (WIRES) :

* Noble (NE) announced that the co has exercised two of its four options with Sembcorp Marine's subsidiary Jurong Shipyard for the construction of additional high-specification heavy duty, harsh environment JU3000N jackup drilling rigs. Total delivered costs are estimated at ~$235 mln per rig.
* NOVA Chemicals Corporation announced that it signed a long-term agreement with a subsidiary of Williams (WMB) for a feedstock supply of an ethane/ethylene mix to be extracted from off-gas produced at oil sands upgrading facilities located at Fort McMurray and Redwater, Alberta.
* Macatawa Bank Corporation (MCBC) announced that its shareholders voted to approve increasing the number of authorized shares of common stock from 40 mln shares to 200 mln shares. At a special meeting of shareholders held on March 25, 2011, 13,246,702 shares, or 84% of the shares voted on the proposal, voted for the increase in number of authorized shares of common stock. 89% of the outstanding shares entitled to vote voted on the proposal.

8:51AM Koppers Holdings amended its existing credit agreement (KOP) 41.99 : Co has amended its existing credit agreement with a syndicate of banks led by Pittsburgh-based PNC and co-led by RBS Citizens Bank and Bank of America as joint book runners (the "Amendment"). The previous agreement that was due to expire October 31, 2013 has been amended to extend the expiration to March 22, 2015. The agreement continues to provide for a revolving credit facility of $300 million at an initial interest rate of LIBOR plus 225 basis points and is subject to certain covenants including maximum leverage and minimum fixed charges coverage. Additionally, the Amendment allows for a higher level of foreign investment.

8:51AM A-Power Energy has postponed its year 2010 earnings conference call previously scheduled for March 29 to a later day in 2011 to be determined (APWR) 5.19 : The postponement was not due to any accounting irregularities and will allow the Company and its independent auditors to complete their work on the financial statements and audit. The Company regrets any inconvenience that the postponement may have created.

8:49AM Transglobe Energy to acquire a 100% working interest in the West Bakr Concession agreement in the Arab Republic of Egypt for $60 mln in cash; transaction to be Immediately accretive (TGA) 13.89 : Co announces the signing of a Sale and Purchase Agreement to acquire a 100% working interest in the West Bakr Concession agreement in the Arab Republic of Egypt from The Egyptian Petroleum Development Co. Highlights include million all-cash deal, effective July 1, 2010, with operatorship of three fields with 28 producing wells; funded through working capital and existing credit facility; Transaction expected to be immediately accretive to funds flow from operations and net income.

8:35AM On The Wires (WIRES) :

* FLY Leasing (FLY) confirmed that on March 8, 2011 it repurchased 1,035,438 shares of its stock for $11.925 per share in a privately negotiated transaction.
* Foster Wheeler AG (FWLT) announced that a subsidiary of its Global Engineering and Construction Group has been awarded a contract by JSC Novo-Ufimsky Refinery, a subsidiary of Russian oil company Bashneft, for the engineering and material supply of a new Terrace WallTM steam reformer heater and air preheating system for the Ufa refinery in the Republic of Bashkortostan, Russia.
* NetScout Systems (NTCT) announced the signing of a definitive agreement to acquire privately held Psytechnics, Inc., a leading provider of performance management technology that enables organizations to proactively assure the user experience for Unified Communications services.
* KBR (KBR) announced that it received a $15.5 million award fee related to its LogCAP III work in Iraq for the six month period of performance beginning March 2010 and ending in August 2010.
* EDAP TMS (EDAP) announced that it has signed a distribution agreement with Medical Measurement Systems B.V. to distribute MMS' urodynamic diagnostic products in Japan.
* Integral Systems (ISYS) announced that its services organization, Integral Systems Service Solutions, has significantly increased its SATCOM NetOps service coverage by activating two additional satellite interference monitoring, detection and geolocation sites in the Republic of Cyprus and Republic of South Korea

8:34AM Celera: Quest Diagnostics (DGX) commences tender offer for acquisition of Celera (CRA) for for $8.00 per share in cash (CRA) 8.27 : Quest (DGX) announces it has commenced a tender offer through its wholly owned subsidiary, Spark Acquisition, for all of the outstanding shares of common stock of Celera (CRA) for $8.00 per share in cash, without interest and less any required withholding taxes. The tender offer will expire on April 25, 2011, at 5:00 p.m. New York City time.

8:33AM Quaterra announces that Copper Ridge Explorations Inc. has terminated its option on the Duke Island project in southeast Alaska (QMM) 1.68 : Copper Ridge had an option to acquire 65% of the Duke Island project subject to certain spending commitments. The project will now revert entirely to Quaterra and the Company will examine various options for the future course of action for the property.

8:33AM Kinross Gold provided an update on exploration activity at Tasiast in Mauritania and development plans (KGC) 16.07 : Highlights include: Kinross' aggressive drilling campaign at Tasiast continues, with 26 rigs currently active and 70,000 metres drilled since the beginning of the year; Results from drilling at Tasiast continue to meet or exceed expectations; Reconnaissance drilling has yielded encouraging gold results at two different targets along the Tasiast trend outside of the main Tasiast deposit; The Tasiast expansion feasibility study is 36% complete and remains on schedule; Procurement of the mining fleet for the Tasiast expansion project has commenced; and Recent step-out holes beneath the pits at Chirano have encountered positive results.

8:32AM Full House Resorts terminates Nevada State bank credit facility (FLL) 3.78 : Co announced today that, in conjunction with its previously announced pending acquisition of the Grand Victoria Casino and Resort in Rising Sun, Indiana, the Company has terminated its existing Nevada State Bank credit facility. The Company had no borrowing on the remaining $7.6 million facility and expects to replace the facility with the previously announced $38 million credit facility being used to complete the Grand Victoria Casino acquisition. The Company plans to complete the acquisition in early April.

8:32AM Williams Cos has signed a long-term agreement to produce up to 17,000 barrels per day of ethane and ethylene for NOVA Chemicals (WMB) 31.14 :

8:31AM EDAP TMS SA signed a distribution agreement with Medical Measurement Systems B.V. to distribute MMS' urodynamic diagnostic products in Japan (EDAP) 4.30 : Under the agreement with MMS, EDAP will be the exclusive distributor in Japan for the MMS urology product portfolio, one of the largest global markets for urology. MMS' products complement the lithotripsy portfolio being distributed by EDAP in Japan. The agreement provides EDAP's sales force in Japan with an expanded product portfolio focused on urology that will allow it to leverage its expertise and expand their market presence across the country.

8:26AM Wabtec issues Q1 EPS guidance above consensus; raises FY11 guidance above consensus (WAB) 58.90 : Co said it expects 2011 first quarter earnings per diluted share to be between $0.77-0.82, vs consensus of $0.68 and the company increased its FY11 EPS guidance to between $3.15-3.25, vs consensus of $2.94 based on full-year revenue growth of about 15% (calculates to $1.73 bln vs the $1.69 bln consensus). Previously, the company's full-year guidance was for earnings per diluted share of about $2.90 and revenue growth of about 10%. "Our financial performance in the first quarter and for the year will exceed our initial expectations due to several factors: The strength of the U.S. freight rail market, especially demand for new freight cars; recent contract bookings for significant projects and others we expect to announce soon; ongoing progress in implementing our growth strategies; and the benefits of continuous improvement initiatives through the Wabtec Performance System." Recently, the company booked a $165 mln contract to implement a train control project in Brazil and a $27 mln contract to provide train control equipment in the U.S. The company expects its multi-year backlog to be at record levels at the end of the first quarter.

8:25AM Cellcom Israel announces filing of supplemental shelf offering report in Israel (CEL) 32.34 : Co announces that, following the Company's previously announced possible debt raising in Israel, the Company has filed today a supplemental shelf offering report, or Offering Report, with the Israeli Securities Authority and the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange, or TASE. Pursuant to the Offering Report the Company is offering, in Israel only, additional series D debentures in an aggregate principal amount of up to NIS 353,711,000, and additional series E debentures in an aggregate principal amount of up to NIS 778,471,000.

8:17AM On The Wires (WIRES) :

* Today FedEx Express, a subsidiary of FedEx Corp. (FDX), announced the launch of a new dedicated 777F route connecting FedEx World Hub in Memphis, Tennessee to South Korea with four nonstop flights a week.
* Alnylam Pharmaceuticals (ALNY) announced that it has earned a $10 million technology transfer payment from Takeda Pharmaceutical Company Limited as part of the strategic alliance the companies formed in May 2008. This payment is related to the achievement of certain pre-defined objectives in the transfer of Alnylam's platform technology, including documents, materials, and know-how, to Takeda for the development of RNAi therapeutics.
* U.S. Forces Command, through the Army Contracting Command, has awarded Northrop Grumman Corporation (NOC) a contract to provide operations, planning, training and resource support services (OPTARSS II) for the U.S. Army.
* Rotorsim, the consortium owned equally by CAE (CAE) and AgustaWestland, announced that it is expanding with the purchase from CAE's Military business of a CAE 3000 Series full-flight simulator replicating the AW139 aircraft. The new AW139 FFS, to be delivered in 2012, will be jointly developed by CAE and AgustaWestland. The simulator will be qualified to Level D, the highest qualification for flight simulators.
* Saba (SABA) announced Saba Social Learning, a new Saba People Cloud offering that combines formal learning with collaboration and sales 2.0 technologies to accelerate learning to drive behavior and performance.
* SunPower (SPWRA) announced that Tucson Electric Power has awarded SunPower a contract to provide 11 megawatts of solar power systems technology for the utility's TEP Bright Roofs program.
* Bionovo (BNVI) announced that enrollment has started for the Phase 1 clinical trial testing the safety of two doses of Menerba in postmenopausal women for the treatment of menopausal hot flushes (study # MF101-008).
* Visa (V) announced that the co had decided to deposit $400 mln into the litigation escrow account previously established under the co's retrospective responsibility plan. The deposit will be conducted in accordance with the Company's certificate of incorporation currently in effect.
* Gilat Satellite Networks (GILT) announced that its wholly owned subsidiary, Gilat to Home Peru S.A., has been awarded a new $14.5 mln contract by Peru's Agency for Promotion of Private Investment to provide Internet access and telephony services throughout the country's rural regions.
* SunPower Corp. (SPWRA; SPWRB) announced that Tucson Electric Power has awarded SunPower a contract to provide 11 megawatts of solar power systems technology for the utility's TEP Bright Roofs program.
* ATK (ATK) has received a $65.8 mln Engineering and Manufacturing Development contract from the U.S. Army's Program Executive Office Soldier for its XM25, Individual Semi-Automatic Airburst System. The 30-month contract calls for the continuing design, integration, production, and testing of full-up systems to ensure the weapon's final design meets performance requirements and is production-ready prior to fielding.
* DISH Network (DISH) announced that RFD-TV's high-definition channel, RFD HD, is now available at no additional cost to all DISH Network customers who subscribe to the America's Top 200 programming package or above.

8:16AM Diametrics Medical subcontractor commenced the mass production of its Spring Universal Infusion Sets (DMED) 3.20 : Co announced that its subcontractor, UPG (Suzhou) EPZ, a subsidiary of United Plastics Group, Inc., has commenced the mass production of its Spring Universal Infusion Sets in Suzhou, China. UPG's production and supply of the consumable components of D. Medical's Spring Adi durable insulin pump and, when available, its Spring Hybrid Patch Pump, is expected to be launched under the aforementioned agreement later this year.

8:11AM Rural/Metro to be acquired by Warburg Pincus for $17.25 per share in cash (RURL) 12.53 : Co announces it has entered into a definitive agreement for the acquisition of it by the private equity firm Warburg Pincus in an all-cash transaction. Under terms of the agreement, Rural/Metro shareholders will receive $17.25 per share of common stock in cash. The Company's Board of Directors, acting on the recommendation of a Special Committee consisting of independent directors, unanimously approved the terms of the agreement and recommended that Rural/Metro shareholders approve the transaction. In addition to shareholder approval, the transaction is subject to the satisfaction of customary closing conditions and regulatory approvals. It is currently anticipated the transaction will be completed by the end of June 2011. (Stock is halted)

8:09AM Central European Media agrees to acquire Bontonfilm a.s., a content rights distribution company in the Czech Republic and Slovak Republic (CETV) 21.14 : In 2010 Bontonfilm generated revenues of ~US$37 million. The purchase price is on a debt-free basis and consists of initial cash consideration of US$11 million to be paid at closing, subject to a minimum cash balance of CZK36 million (~US$2 million) remaining in Bontonfilm. Additional cash consideration currently estimated at a maximum of US$1.5 million may be payable to the sellers in December 2011, depending on the OIBDA achieved by Bontonfilm for 2010, the amount of cash and working capital in the business at closing and the satisfaction of certain other indemnification obligations.

8:05AM Mentor Graphics affirms commitment to strategic plan; concludes that the $17 per share proposal made by Carl Icahn undervalues the company and its future prospects (MENT) 15.12 : Co announces that its Board of Directors has determined that the continued execution of the company's strategic plan offers the greatest value to Mentor Graphics shareholders. In reaching its unanimous decision, the Board concluded that the $17 per share proposal made by Carl Icahn and certain of his affiliated entities ("Icahn Entities") undervalues the company and its future prospects. The Board also determined that Icahn's proposal that Mentor put itself up for sale to a strategic buyer entails significant commercial and regulatory risk and is therefore not in the best interest of the company and Mentor's shareholders. The Board confirmed that it remains open to any opportunity to enhance shareholder value. The Board noted, however, that when Cadence Design Systems (CDNS) made an unsolicited proposal to acquire the Company in 2008, the Company undertook an analysis of the regulatory risks inherent to any combination with Cadence or Synopsys (SNPS), the two companies that could be logical strategic buyers. That analysis demonstrated serious regulatory risks associated with a combination with either Cadence or Synopsys. The company has updated its analysis in connection with Mr. Icahn's proposal that the company be put up for sale. The updated analysis shows that serious regulatory risks persist. The Board also noted that any discussions concerning a combination with Cadence or Synopsys entail risks to the growth and stability of the company's customer base and the company's relationship with its employees. This could result in serious adverse effects if discussions are commenced but a transaction is not completed. Accordingly, while the Board remains open to proposals from third parties that enhance shareholder value, it has determined that this is not the time to put the company up for sale.

8:05AM Optical Cable to Trade Under Nasdaq Ticker Symbol OCC at the start of trading on March 31, 2011. (OCCF) 4.61 :

8:05AM Novavax beats by $0.03, misses on revs (NVAX) 2.51 : Reports Q4 (Dec) loss of $0.06 per share, $0.03 better than the Thomson Reuters consensus of ($0.09); revenues fell 37.5% year/year to $0.1 mln vs the $0.1 mln consensus. At December 31, 2010, Novavax had cash, cash equivalents and short-term investments of $31.7 million compared to $43.0 million at December 31, 2009. Co noted it anticipates the following events to occur in 2011: Launch Phase II trial of seasonal influenza vaccine; Report top-line clinical data from Phase I RSV trial; Develop manufacturing plan to produce finished VLP-based influenza vaccine in 12 weeks and 50 million doses within six months of pandemic influenza declaration; Initiate a Phase I trial in pandemic influenza.

8:04AM Suntech Power: David W. King to Succeed Amy Zhang as Chief Financial Officer of Suntech (STP) 8.91 : Co announced that Mr. David W. King will succeed Ms. Amy Zhang as Suntech's Chief Financial Officer. Mr. King will join the Company in April 2011 and will overlap with Ms. Zhang in early April for transitional purposes. Post the transition, Ms. Zhang will leave Suntech and resign her position on the Board of Directors to pursue other opportunities.

8:04AM Contango Oil & Gas has drilled a successful exploratory well at its Swimmy prospect located Offshore Gulf of Mexico on Vermilion block 170 (MCF) 59.29 : Co announces that it has drilled a successful exploratory well at its Swimmy prospect located Offshore Gulf of Mexico on Vermilion block 170. The co's independent third party engineer estimates this well to have 8/8ths proved reserves of 48 bln cubic feet of natural gas and 1.2 mln barrels of condensate, ~55 bln cubic feet equivalent, or 37.5 Bcfe net to co's 68% net revenue interest. Production is expected to begin this fall at an estimated rate of 15 mln cubic feet equivalent per day, net to co. Estimated net costs to co, to acquire, drill, complete, and bring this well to full production status are ~$26.5 mln.

8:01AM National Fuel Gas subsidiary, Seneca Resoruces Co, announces its preliminary production and capital expenditure guidance for fiscal year: preliminary production forecast range for the entire 2012 fiscal year of 83 to 100 billion cubic feet equivalent (NFG) 72.97 : Seneca Resources, a wholly owned subsidiary of co announces its preliminary production and capital expenditure guidance for fiscal year 2012. The co is providing a preliminary production forecast range for the entire 2012 fiscal year of 83-100 Bcfe which includes 58-71 Bcfe from the Marcellus Shale. In addition, the co's capital expenditures in the Exploration and Production segment for fiscal 2012 will be in the range of $685-800 mln, including the planned drilling of 115-140 gross horizontal wells in the Marcellus, of which 80-95 wells will be operated by Seneca. The remainder will be operated by EOG Resources under the existing Seneca-EOG JV.

8:01AM Crude oil drops to its lowest levels of the morning; now down $1.10 to $104.30 (COMDX) :

7:49AM Verigy signs definitive agreement to be acquired by Advantest (ATE) (VRGY) 14.18 : Co announces definitive agreement under which Advantest will acquire all outstanding VRGY ordinary shares for $15.00 per share in cash. The total acquisition price will be ~$1.1 bln (~JPY 90.9 bln). ATE's $15.00 per share cash offer represents a premium of ~64% to VRGY's closing stock price on December 3, 2010, the day prior to Verigy's announcement that it had received an offer from ATE.

7:46AM On The Wires (WIRES) :

* ARIAD Pharmaceuticals (ARIA) and MolecularMD Corporation announced an exclusive collaboration agreement in which MolecularMD will develop and commercialize a companion diagnostic test to identify the T315I mutation of the BCR-ABL gene in patients with chronic myeloid leukemia and Philadelphia positive acute lymphoblastic leukemia.
* Hewlett-Packard (HPQ) Mexico, S. de R.L. de C.V., announced Coca-Cola (KO) FEMSA, S.A.B. de C.V. signed a five-year technology outsourcing services contract to build and manage an HP Converged Infrastructure. The agreement adds more than $100 million to HP's existing Coca-Cola FEMSA relationship, which began in 2000.

7:34AM On The Wires (WIRES) :

* Rockwell Medical (RMTI) announced that it has executed a multi-year supply agreement with DaVita Inc. through 2013.
* China New Borun Corporation (BORN) announces that the Company has purchased and stored adequate corn supplies at locked-in prices to be used for production in the coming non-harvest season.
* Dril-Quip (DRQ) announced that it has been awarded a contract by Chevron (CVX) U.S.A. to supply drilling equipment for the Big Foot Tension Leg Platform to be installed in the Big Foot field located in the Walker Ridge area of the Gulf of Mexico.
* Flotek Industries (FTK) announced it received notice from the New York Stock Exchange that the company has regained compliance with the NYSE's quantitative continued listing standards. As of March 25, Flotek's common stock closed at $8.28 per share, providing a market capitalization of over $356 million.
* China Information Technology (CNIT) announced contract wins worth US$3.3 million to provide its core DPST and GIS solutions.
* NPS Pharmaceuticals (NPSP) reported that Nycomed, a global pharmaceutical company, headquartered in Switzerland, has submitted a Marketing Authorization Application to the European Medicines Agency for clearance to market teduglutide (Revestive) as a once-daily subcutaneous treatment for short bowel syndrome. The submission triggers a mid-seven digit milestone payment to co.

7:32AM Nu Skin says District Court upheld previous assessments by Japan Customs of approximately $33 mln in customs duties on the co's products from 2002 to 2005 (NUS) 29.44 : Co announces that the Tokyo District Court issued its ruling on a dispute between the company and Japan Customs. The District Court upheld previous assessments by Japan Customs of approximately $33 million in customs duties on the company's products from 2002 to 2005. "As of today, we believe that the first-quarter negative impact on our Japan revenue will be approximately $3 to $5 million and $0.01 to $0.02 to earnings per share. We believe this first-quarter impact will largely be offset by strength from our other markets and favorable foreign currency moves. We will continue to provide transparency by issuing a high-level update on the company's first-quarter results by April 6."

7:30AM Fuqi Intl updates status of audit (FUQI) 3.36 : Co announces that it has received a letter from its independent registered public accounting firm, Marcum relating to certain cash transfer transactions involving the co. The completion of the audit of the co's 2009 financial statement has been delayed due to the internal investigation into the cash transfer transactions. Based on the preliminary findings of the Audit Committee investigation, the cash transfer transactions commenced in September 2009 and ended in November 2010. Based on review of bank statements obtained from the co, all of the outgoing cash transfers made by the co were repaid in full by the recipient companies on a short-term basis, with no loss resulting from the transfers. No outgoing cash transfer was outstanding as of any month-end date, except in two instances, and no amount was outstanding as of any quarter-end date. The transfers were made from non-interest bearing accounts and did not earn any interest.

7:30AM Kennedy Wilson to offer $200 mln of senior notes due 2019 (KW) 10.79 : Co intends to use the net proceeds from the offering to repay in full outstanding borrowings under its unsecured revolving credit facility and certain unsecured loans and mortgage loans. The remaining proceeds will be used by Kennedy Wilson for general corporate purposes, including future acquisitions and co-investments.

7:17AM On The Wires (WIRES) :

* Ampal-American Israel Corporation (AMPL) announced that it was advised by East Mediterranean Gas Co. in which Ampal has a 12.5% interest, that this morning an explosive device was placed at a GASCO location along GASCO's upstream gas pipeline leading to EMG's pipeline as well as pipelines leading to Jordan, Lebanon, Syria and major Egyptian cement industry and power generating gas consumers in the Sinai Peninsula.
* Seadrill (SDRL) has been awarded two new contracts by BHP Billiton Petroleum (BHP) for Offshore Vigilant in Trinidad and Offshore Resolute in Vietnam. The three well drilling assignment for Offshore Vigilant is expected to take 150 days, and the contract value is ~$20 mln. The two well assignment for Offshore Resolute is expected to take 90 days, and the contract value is ~$11 mln.

7:06AM On The Wires (WIRES) :

* Bruker Corp's (BRKR) Bruker Energy & Supercon Technologies announced a new order for three superconducting crystal growth magnets for semiconductor applications from a European crystal manufacturing company. BEST also announced that it has passed the Factory Acceptance Test on its SC-CGM system ordered in 2010 by the Korean electronic materials company LG Siltron.
* GlobalSCAPE (GSB) announced that the company has increased its engineering support as a subcontractor on the McLane Advanced Technologies industry team that won the $52.3 million re-compete contract for the US Army Standard Army Maintenance System in September 2010. GlobalSCAPE has provided more than a dozen engineers to work onsite at MAT facilities in Temple, Texas, and is now under contract to deliver more than $1 million of professional services support to the SAMS-E program during the government fiscal year 2011.
* Tech (FTEK) announced receipt of a commercial FUEL CHEM order from a domestic electric utility. Fuel Tech's proprietary TIFI Targeted In-Furnace Injection technology will be installed on a large coal-fired boiler to reduce problems caused by the formation of sulfur trioxide.
* Callidus Software (CALD) announced it has acquired substantially all of the assets of leading sales assessment provider Salesforce Assessments Ltd. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed.
* Northrop Grumman Corporation (NOC) submitted its final proposal last week for the NATO Alliance Ground Surveillance core capability. world. A contract award is anticipated in July 2011.
* Spectrum Pharmaceuticals (SPPI) announced that the independent Data Monitoring Committee, per protocol, has performed a safety and futility analysis and has recommended that the pivotal, registrational study for belinostat in relapsed or refractory Peripheral T-Cell Lymphoma, the "BELIEF" Study, continue according to protocol until 100 evaluable patients are enrolled.
* NF Energy Saving (NFEC) announced that it has signed a contract with China State Shipbuilding for the supply of flow control systems. The contract value is RMB 2.48 mln (~$377,900).
* Ritchie Bros. Auctioneers (RBA) conducted a record-breaking $58 mln two-day unreserved public auction in Las Vegas, NV last week. The auction was the largest the site has ever conducted in terms of gross auction proceeds, the previous record of $48 mln. The Las Vegas auction also set new site records for number of lots sold and number of online bidders.

6:57AM On The Wires (WIRES) :

* AVEO Pharmaceuticals (AVEO) announced that preclinical data on tivozanib, AVEO's lead product candidate designed to optimally block the VEGF pathway by inhibiting all three VEGF receptors, and the company's monoclonal antibody pipeline will be presented during poster sessions at the American Association for Cancer Research 102nd Annual Meeting 2011 being held April 2-6, 2011 in Orlando, Fla.
* Dr. Reddy's Laboratories (RDY) has launched Levocetirizine tablets (5mg), a bioequivalent generic version of Xyzal tablets in the US market. Levocetirizine had total U.S. sales of ~$238 mln for the twelve months ending September 30, 2010. Dr. Reddy's Levocetirizine tablets are available in 90 count bottles.

6:48AM Northern Oil & Gas provides operations update and increases drilling and production guidance (NOG) 27.30 : During the first quarter of 2011 through March 28, 2011, Northern Oil has acquired leasehold interests of approximately 11,100 net mineral acres for an average of $1,540 per net acre in its core Bakken and Three Forks prospect areas of North Dakota and Montana. All acreage acquisitions year-to-date were consistent with Northern Oil's strategic non-operated business model. Due to accelerating drilling activity and key acreage acquisitions, Northern Oil has spud approximately 9.8 net wells in the first quarter of 2011 year-to-date and now expects to spud approximately 40 net wells during 2011, which represents an increase from previous guidance of 36 net wells.

6:28AM Liz Claiborne intends to offer $200.0 million aggregate principal amount of senior secured notes due 2019 (LIZ) 5.46 : Co plans to use the net proceeds from the offering primarily to fund the previously announced tender offer for up to euro 155.0 million of its 5.0% euro notes due July 2013. of which approximately euro 350.0 million principal amount are currently outstanding, and to pay related fees, expenses and commissions, along with accrued and unpaid interest on the tendered Euro Notes. Any remaining proceeds will be used for general corporate purposes.

6:20AM On The Wires (WIRES) :

* Acacia Research (ACTG) announced that its AdjustaCam subsidiary has entered into a license agreement with Phoebe Micro. The agreement resolves litigation that was pending in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Texas.
* Adeona Pharmaceuticals (AEN) announced that the ongoing clinical trial of its Trimesta drug candidate has received an additional $409,426 in grant funding from the National Multiple Sclerosis Society.
* Citi (C) has launched CitiFX Pro, its online foreign exchange trading platform for experienced individual and small institutional traders, in the United Kingdom.

6:05AM L&L Energy acquires DaPing Mine; facility to add 150,000 tons of met coal production (LLEN) 6.92 : Co announces it has entered into a contract to acquire a majority controlling interest (60%) of the DaPing coal mine. The mine currently produces ~150,000 tons of high-quality, low-sulfur metallurgical coal per year and is expanding to 300,000 tons of production capacity, which is expected to be completed in 2012. The Mine is expected to generate an estimated $36 mln in annual revenue and is expected to contribute an estimated $11 mln in net income attributable for FY12. Co and the current owner of DaPing will form a U.S. joint venture company in China. Co will contribute ~$18 mln in exchange for management control and 60% equity of the new JV on a net equity basis. An additional $3 mln in capital expenditures is planned to be injected by co for the improvement of safety and operational efficiency of the mine.

6:03AM Walter Investment Mgmt signs definitive agreement to purchase Green Tree Credit Solutions in a transaction valued at $1.065 bln (WAC) 19.28 : Co announces announced it has entered into a definitive agreement to purchase GTCS Holdings in a transaction valued at $1.065 bln. Co will issue ~1.8 mln shares of common stock to the seller, assume ~$20 mln of existing Green Tree debt, and issue $765 mln of new debt which will be used to acquire the equity of Green Tree, repay existing Green Tree indebtedness and pay fees and expenses of the transaction. As a result of this transaction, co will no longer qualify as a REIT. The transaction is not subject to a financing condition.

5:50AM On The Wires (WIRES) :

* ArcelorMittal (MT), Nunavut Iron Ore Acquisition and Baffinland Iron Mines announced the completion by Baffinland and 1843208 Ontario, a corporation owned as to 70% by MT and as to 30% by Iron Ore Holdings, of the court approved plan of arrangement pursuant to which Acquireco acquired all outstanding securities of Baffinland not already owned by it.
* A computer system outage that disrupted Alaska Airlines (ALK) and Horizon Air flights has been resolved. The majority of Alaska and Horizon flights are operating on time although the airlines have delayed about a dozen flights due to crew scheduling issues.
* ExxonMobil (XOM) Iraq, together with the South Oil of Iraq and co-venturers Shell West Qurna B.V. and Oil Exploration of Iraq, announced a major production milestone in the redevelopment of the West Qurna I oil field in Southern Iraq. Initial field production of 244,000 barrels per day has now increased to 285,000 barrels per day, which exceeds the 10% improved production target established under the technical services contract.
* The United Kingdom Ministry of Justice has awarded Accenture (ACN) and Savvis (SVVS) part of a five-year, GBP22 mln contract to implement a new world-class shared services solution to support the management of its human resources, payroll, finance and procurement operations.
* NXP Semiconductors (NXPI) and Dover (DOV) provided an update on the timing of the closing of the Sound Solutions transaction. Cos currently expect the transaction to close around the middle of the second quarter of 2011 vs end of Q1.
* VASCO Data Security (VDSI) announced a build out of the co's multi-tier channel strategy in the EMEA region.
* Lattice Semiconductor (LSCC) and Helion Technology announced a portfolio of Compression and Encryption IP cores for the LatticeECP3 FPGA family.
* TIBCO Software (TIBX) launched its new extreme-low-latency messaging solution, TIBCO FTL. With TIBCO FTL, trading firms can access services like market data and distribute information internally up to 40% faster, resulting in a significant competitive advantage.
* Elbit Systems (ESLT) announced that its wholly-owned U.S. subsidiary, Elbit Systems of America, was awarded a $9.6 mln contract by the US Marine Corps System Command at Quantico Marine Base, Virginia to build the Joint Terminal Attack Controller Laser Target Designator.
* NetSuite (N) announced the NetSuite UK SP100, a new channel sales programme targeting UK channel partners.

4:03AM Ameron Int'l issues letter to stockholders urging them to re-elect Directors James Marlen and David Davenport, opposing Barrington's recommendation (AMN) 78.00 : Co issues a public letter to stockholders highlighting the co's accomplishments, performance and strong stewardship of co. "The Independent Directors urge stockholders to re-elect Directors James Marlen and David Davenport as the best stewards of stockholder interests and not to let Barington compromise co's future performance. The Independent Directors recommend that stockholders vote the GOLD proxy as a rejection of Barington Capital Group's nominee, James Mitarotonda."

3:04AM Anadarko Petro discovers high quality oil and natural gas Offshore Ghana (APC) 82.88 : Co announces a deepwater discovery at the Teak-2 prospect, located in the West Cape Three Points Block offshore Ghana. The Teak-2 exploration well encountered ~90 net feet of high-quality oil, condensate and natural gas pay in stacked Campanian-and Turonian-age reservoirs. Co has finalized plans for its previously announced 2011 drilling campaign in the Liberian Basin. To carry out this program, co intends to mobilize the Discoverer Spirit drillship from the Gulf of Mexico to West Africa after it finishes completion activities on the third Caesar/Tonga well. Discoverer Spirit is expected to begin drilling in West Africa during the third quarter.

2:03AM Helix BioPharma receives subscriptions for priviate placement of 1,652,719 units of the co at $2.39 per unit; proceeds expected to be ~$3.9 mln (HBP) 3.10 : CO announces that it has received subscriptions for the purchase, by way of private placement, of 1,652,719 units of the co at $2.39 per unit. Each unit consists of one common share and one common share purchase warrant, with each common share purchase warrant entitling the holder to purchase, one common share of the co at a price of $3.35 for up to five years after the closing date of the private placement. Net proceeds after expenses are expected to be ~$3.9 mln and will be used for working capital, primarily to support the co's drug development programs.

1:48AM NetScout Systems intends to acquire privately held Psytechnics; expected to be slightly accretive for the full fiscal year 2012 on a non-GAAP basis (NTCT) 26.10 : Co announces the signing of a definitive agreement to acquire privately held Psytechnics based in Ipswich, United Kingdom, and Portsmouth, New Hampshire. Psytechnics' technology will strengthen co's Unified Service Delivery Management strategy by providing more comprehensive management of the quality of IP voice, video and Telepresence service delivery along with all other application and data services. The acquisition is expected to be slightly accretive for the full fiscal year 2012 on a non-GAAP basis. It is anticipated to be dilutive for the fiscal year 2012 on a GAAP basis.

1:44AM LTX-Credence terminates merger agreement with Verigy (VRGY) (LTXC) 8.64 : Co announces that on March 25, 2011, it notified Verigy (VRGY) of the termination of the merger agreement between the cos, effective immediately, due to the occurrence of a Triggering Event with respect to VRGY. On March 25, 2011, VRGY paid LTXC the $15 mln termination fee payable under the merger agreement.

1:33AM Wintrust Fin acquires The Bank of Commerce in FDIC-assisted transaction; expected to be accretive to net income and earnings per share (WTFC) 35.00 : Co announces that its wholly-owned subsidiary bank, Advantage National Bank Group, has acquired certain assets and liabilities and the banking operations of The Bank of Commerce in an FDIC-assisted transaction. TBOC operates one location in Wood Dale, Illinois and had ~$163 mln in total assets and $161 mln in total deposits as of December 31, 2010. expect this transaction will be accretive to net income and earnings per share.

1:26AM Bristol-Myers FDA approves YERVOY for the treatment of patients with newly diagnosed or previously-treated unresectable or metastatic melanoma (BMY) 27.29 : Co announces that the FDA approved YERVOY 3 mg/kg for the treatment of patients with unresectable or metastatic melanoma. YERVOY is the first and only therapy for unresectable or metastatic melanoma to demonstrate a significant improvement in overall survival based on results from a pivotal randomized, double-blind Phase 3 study. Median overall survival was 10 months for YERVOY, 6 months for gp100 and 10 months for YERVOY + gp100. The estimated survival rate at 2 years was 24% in the YERVOY arm vs. 14%2 in the gp100 arm. YERVOY, which is a recombinant, human monoclonal antibody, is the first FDA-approved cancer immunotherapy that blocks the cytotoxic T- lymphocyte antigen-4.

1:23AM IntraLinks Holdings files registration statement for proposed follow-on public offering (IL) 28.70 : Co announces that it has filed a registration statement for a proposed follow-on public offering by co and certain selling stockholders of an aggregate of 9 mln shares of common stock. The number of shares to be offered by co and the selling stockholders has not yet been determined.

1:18AM Watson Pharm confirms favorable appeals court ruling on generic SEASONIQUE patent challenge (WPI) 55.63 : Co confirmed that it has received a favorable decision from the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit related to its ongoing patent challenge in connection with co's Abbreviated New Drug Application seeking FDA approval to market a generic version of Teva (TEVA) Women's Health's SEASONIQUE. Based on available information, co believes it may be the "first applicant" for a generic version of SEASONIQUE and, should its product be approved, it may be entitled to 180 days of generic market exclusivity.

1:13AM Canada 41st federal general election will be held on Monday, May 2, 2011 (EWC) 33.13 : Click here for release.

1:12AM U.S.-Saudi Arabian Business Council confirms establishment of a new Ministry of Housing (MES) 22.30 : Click here for the release.
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