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A survey of fund managers is cautiously optimistic that the market and the US economy will rebound. However, more than 40% rate a new recession the greatest risk, with war in Iraq second at 18%.

C-quential's IPO is priced fairly at $14, although some analysts wish that the firm had spun off farther away from parent Arthur D. Little. Few new IPOs were announced, exceptiosn being Reliant Resources, Ironside Technologies, Immunex, and American Home Products.

The share prices of middle-market lender CIT Group are projected to rise by at least 15% by 2011. Share prices could rise further if chief executive John Thain decides to sell the company.

Raytheon's shares have fallen from 60 to the mid-40s due to fears about military spending cuts but the shares' prospects are better than others in the same industry. The company also has a backlog of $36 billion in orders from a broad base of programs.

The shares of Computer Sciences look appealing as they get over 50 percent of their revenues from government entities worldwide that are reliable sources of growth. The shares could rise nearly 30 percent as business improves.

The shares of Goldman Sachs are down more than 65 percent in the year leading to December 2008 and one analyst cut her estimates for the shares to $7 a share for fiscal 2008 from $11.58 but another analyst believes that the fundamentals remain sound over the long range.

Some of the drag on the performance of American Water Works is going away and political and financial currents are changing in its direction. The shares of the company are cheap at around 20 since it is weighed down by a poor IPO market and a confining rate agreement between its European owners and U.S. regulators.

The shares of First Horizon National Corp. look cheap at $17.25 and some analysts' target price for the shares of the company stands at $26. A company that is interested in getting a foothold in Tennessee would be drawn to First Horizon if the company continues its losses.

With the average US stock fund losing money for three of the past four quarters, bond funds continue to attract investors.

The managers of Hotchkis & Wiley Large Cap Value Fund have found success in contratrian buying this year, and they remain long on Tyco, Kodak, Sear, Prudential Financial, and Altria Group.

American Power Conversion has used cost controls, target marketing, and downsizing to keep earnings high despite the slump in IT investment. At $15, its shares seem undervalued by the market.

Despite higher earnings that beat the S&P average by a net 43%, energy company share prices are starting to give back their gains of 2000-2001. Some exceptions may be refiners, Royal Dutch, and Marathon.

The decline of the stock market is due in part to the declining market value and weak financial conditions of dot-com companies. An analysis of the financial positions of 90 dot-coms predicts how much cash they have left before they experience financial problems.

The share prices of television manufacturer Corning could rise with the arrival of new products and a more stable televisi on market. Share prices could rise from $19 to $24.

Ameriprise Financial has transformed from an insurer to a money manager. Its shares trade at just 10 times 2011 consensus earnings but some see its shares rising to about 66 from 52. Enthusiasm for Ameriprise's shares stem from its acquisition of three money management firms during the financial crises.

The shares of credit card company MasterCard may benefit from proposed financial reform legislation, with prices rising to as much as $270 a share. The company may be given a chance by the US Federal Reserve to gain ground on its main competitor Visa.

The shares of Lowe's Companies could benefit from the company's stronger competitive position. Share prices for the home-improvement chain could rise from $24.50 to $32.

Citigroup Inc. had $60 billion in markdowns, chargeoffs, and credit adjustments since 2007 and has also seen their shares drop 93 percent. The company will be divided into two parts; two-thirds core bank, and one-third saleable assets. The shares are priced at $3.50 but one investor believes the shares could be worth $15 if they avoid another writedown.

Philippe Brugere-Trelat, portfolio manager for the Franklin Mutual European Fund, is focusing on shares of non-financial companies. His stock picks include British American Tobacco, Imperial Tobacco, Nestle, RWE, and E.ON.

Fiserv's shares have been dragged down by about 20 percent which presents an appealing entry point since the shares could rise by 30 percent or more by 2009. The company enables banks to post and open new checks and keep track of loans which are not discretionary processes of banks.

Wynn Resorts hopes to fund the Las Vegas Le Reve 'supercasino' and a variety of other projects worldwide with its $3 billion issue. Lead underwriters are Deutsche Bank, Bear Stearns, and Banc of America.

Graham Packaging postponed IPO pricing for the second time this year, as the erratic market has halted new issues. The market is also blamed for PricewaterhouseCoopers Consulting eschewing its IPO and accepting a bargain offer of $3 billion from IBM.

Goldman Sachs is bringing three major IPOs to market this week: St. Paul Cos.; Hewitt Associates; and Medco-Health Solutions, after a string of disappointing issues in the past month.

Petco was taken private by Lenard Green Associates in 2002, and its $276 million IPO will be used to pay down debt. The 560-store chain is well positioned for growth, benefiting from industry consolidation, but it has lost a total of more than $47 million in the past two years, on sales of $1.74 billion.

Pending offerings of Synaptics, and Plumtree Software, will reveal if investors are ready to trust tech start-ups once again. An overview of the sector is provided.

Smaller IPOs (valued $50-$100 million) and health care industry IPOs had the best appreciation records in 2001. However no issue is a sure bet; the $60 million pending Alliance Medical offer is viewed skeptically by several industry observers.

Sunoco hopes that Lehman Brothers' success with master limited partnerships will continue with its Sunoco Logistics Partners $115 million offering, which will also reduce the parent company's debt load to only 32%.

Health care IPOs are continuing to be subscribes despite a generally stagnating or retreating initial public offering calendar. Offerings by Anthem, Fisher & Paykel, and DJ Orthopedics are analyzed.

The Max Re Capital $249 million IPO, filed in better market times last May, has a better chance of success than Mykrolis $112 million offering, because of the underlying strength of major Max Re investor Moore Capital.

The $109-million, 7.3-million share Khanty Mansiysk Oil offering is clouded by Russian government restrictions of 30% maximum exports of domestic production, and partner Nikolai Bogatchev's previous business failures.

Merrill Lynch has led its IPOs to an industry-leading 29% return so far this year. Small issues such as Surebeam and FMC Technologies lead the trend.

All signs point to a very slow early 2001 for IPOs, following a nearly dormant December. Little hope is held for speculative new issues such as Cidra Corp., in light of the subscription difficulties recently experienced by solid firms such as Cellomics, and Gemplus International.

Few high-tech/computer/electronic IPOs in 2000 have sustained their share values; 166 have averaged 74% gains upon issue, but year-to-date they average minus 54% off those highs. Transmeta, Luminent, and Parthus Technologies IPOs are also analyzed.

The chip-making sector has seen a general decline in its stock prices with some companies struggling to restructure to stay competitive. Featured is a financial analysis of Transmeta, a chip maker based Santa Clara, California, whose revenues have been steadily diminishing.

Spear Leads & Kellogg is a leading stock market-maker, now being rewarded for their prescient diversification since the 1980's. It is the largest transactions processor on both New York and American Stock Exchanges. Secondary issues by Immunex and Gillette are also analyzed.

Specialty dealer LaBranche & Co. has enjoyed a share price tripling since Dec '99. Unless New York Stock Exchange volume declines, it may have even more room to grow.

Analysis of the markets are provided with advice for investors on choosing stocks. Technology and semiconductor industry stocks continue to show impressive returns with companies such as ChipPAC leading the way for good bets.

The stock market slump has sent nearly three-quarters of the first quarter initial public offerings below their issue price levels. Even issues thought to be strong, such as AT&T Wireless, are barely floating.

The oversupply of IPOs, combined with the general market downturn, continues to clobber small firms who go public. Several well-regarded issues either retreated from listing levels or barely subscribed.

One way to spot risky stocks is a U.S. Clearing Corp. list of shares for which brokers require more collateral on margin accounts. Interface Systems and Laser-Pacific Media now require 100% coverage. Short sellers are also required to cover 100% after early-April market volatility and shorting waves.

3Com plans to make an initial public offering of its money-making Palm division in Mar 2000. The shares will be priced at $15 each, but only 23 million of the 570 million that will be offered will be available to the public. Investors are expected to buy the stock because of the expectations of its wireless technology and the fact that the company is already making money.

The move planned by Goldman Sachs in offering eight million shares in the public market could prove to be beneficial to charities. This secondary offering follows a successful initial public offering which sold in total nearly $3.6 billion worth of shares. The charities which will benefit from this are noted.

FreeMarkets Inc. goes public during the week of December 6, 1999. Alaska Communications' initial public offering failed to garner much excitement.

The volatility of the stock market in Aug 1999 caused the prices of several initial public offerings to fall quickly or for deals to be withdrawn. Many of the issues were in technology issues. Analysts expect the demand for IPOs to increase in Sep1999.