MORNING UPDATE: Mankus-Lavelle Group Issues Alerts for AMAT, FBR, PLCM

CHICAGO, April 6 /PRNewswire/ -- Mankus-Lavelle Group issues the following Morning Update at 8:30 AM EST with new PriceWatch Alerts for key stocks.

Before the open... PriceWatch Alerts for AMAT, FBR, PLCM, SPLS, and NXTP, Market Overview, Today's Economic Calendar, and the Quote Of The Day.

QUOTE OF THE DAY

"The underlying economic fundamentals are pretty good, but you still have everyone's favorite ghost -- oil -- making things very tentative."

-- Joseph Battipaglia, chief investment officer, Ryan Beck & Co. New PriceWatch Alerts for AMAT, FBR, PLCM, SPLS, and NXTP... PRICEWATCH ALERTS - HIGH RETURN COVERED CALL OPTIONS -- Applied Materials, Inc. Last Price 16.02 - MAY 16.00 CALL OPTION@ $0.70 -> 4.4 % Return assigned* -- Friedman, Billings, Ramsey Group, Inc. Last Price 13.97 - JUN 12.50 CALL OPTION@ $2.00 -> 4.4 % Return assigned* -- Polycom, Inc. Last Price 15.91 - JUL 15.00 CALL OPTION@ $1.80 -> 6.3 % Return assigned* -- Staples, Inc. Last Price 31.65 - SEP 30.00 CALL OPTION@ $3.10 -> 5.1 % Return assigned* -- Nextel Partners, Inc. Last Price 22.60 - AUG 22.50 CALL OPTION@ $1.10 -> 4.7 % Return assigned*

* To learn more about how to use these alerts and for our FREE report, "The 18 Warning Signs That Tell You When To Dump A Stock ", go to: http://www.investorsobserver.com/mu18

(Note: You may need to copy the link above into your browser then press the [ENTER] key)

** For the FREE report, "Is Your Investment Portfolio Disaster Proof? - Insights, Stocks, And Strategies." go to: http://www.investorsobserver.com/FREEDP

NOTE: All stocks and options shown are examples only. These are not recommendations to buy or sell any security.

NEWS LEADERS AND LAGGARDS

So far today, MCI Inc., Qwest Communications International Inc., and Verizon Communications lead the list of companies with the most news stories while Retek Inc. and Research In Motion Ltd. are showing a spike in news. Altera Corp., Maxim Integrated Products Inc., and United Defense Industries Inc. have the highest srtIndex scores to top the list of companies with positive news while International Business Machines Corp. and Qualcomm Inc. lead the list of companies with negative news reports. Biogen Idec has popped up with a high positive news sraIndex score.

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MARKET OVERVIEW

Trading overseas is looking solid this morning, with 11 of the 15 foreign markets that we follow in positive territory. The cumulative average return on the group currently stands at a 0.255-percent gain as of 7:55 a.m. Eastern Time. European stocks crept higher Wednesday as oil prices continued to pull back. However, some health-care stocks are weighing on broader market sentiment. Furthermore, the European Union's Statistics Office said euro-zone retail sales rose 0.3 percent in February from January and were up one percent on a year-over-year basis. Economists had forecast a month-on-month fall of 0.2 percent and a 0.3-percent jump from a year earlier.

The May contract on sweet crude oil slipped 0.97 cents lower during Tuesday's regular trading session, as traders evaluated OPEC comments on a possible output increase and Federal Reserve chief Alan Greenspan's view that current high prices won't last. Keep an eye out for the weekly report on U.S. petroleum supplies later today, as traders are expecting these key updates to show another increase in crude supplies. This morning, crude for May delivery is extending its recent losses, dropping roughly 0.69 percent to $55.85 a barrel in Europe.

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DYNAMIC MARKET OPPORTUNITIES

Just one week ago, the OPEC oil cartel boldly proclaimed that it did not need to raise production again, preferring instead to save what little excess capacity it has for the third quarter. According to Kuwait oil minister and current OPEC president, Sheikh Ahmad al-Fahd-al-Sabah: "We have to be patient during this time and for the second quarter because prices have not increased." But the market then received a hammer blow with Goldman Sachs' assertion that oil prices could be set to endure a "super spike" and hit US$105 per barrel. Already wracked with fear and panic, the market wasted little time in sending prices to record highs above US$58 on Monday, before pulling back slightly on Tuesday. Nevertheless, some of OPEC's proposed third quarter production hike of three million barrels per day is likely to be brought forward about six months. Consultations between the oil ministers have begun, and the outcome of those talks could see the group lift production by 500,000 barrels per day. This would come just a month after it raised production by the same amount. But this is a scenario the cartel prepared for at that meeting. And with oil prices having risen some 30% since the start of 2005 alone (and 70% over the past 12 months), Indonesian oil minister Purnomo Yusgiantoro has already said he will accept the proposal. Apparently, OPEC will sanction the production increase if prices fail to drop below US$55 per barrel. Following a 3.4% spike in global oil consumption in 2004 -- the most since 1976 -- the International Energy Agency forecasts a 2.2% hike in global oil demand this year to 84.3 million barrels per day. Third quarter demand for OPEC-based oil is projected to be 28.5 million barrels per day, rising to 30.3 million barrels per day during the fourth quarter.

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TODAY'S ECONOMIC CALENDAR 7:00 a.m. MBA Refinancing Index (previous: -2%) 10:00 a.m. Fed Chairman Greenspan and Treasury Secy. Snow testify before U.S. Senate Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs Committee about Regulatory Reform of the Government-Sponsored Enterprises 3:00 p.m. March Treasury STRIPS (previous: $1.28B)

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