For Immediate Release

Chicago, IL – September 2, 2009 – Zacks.com announces the list of stocks featured in the Analyst Blog. Every day the Zacks Equity Research analysts discuss the latest news and events impacting stocks and the financial markets. Stocks recently featured in the blog include: PetroChina Company Ltd. (PTR), Sinopec (SNP), Total SA (TOT), CNOOC Ltd. (CEO) and Vodafone (VOD).

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Here are highlights from Tuesday’s Analyst Blog:

PetroChina Sings 'O Canada'

Yesterday, PetroChina Company Ltd. (PTR), the largest integrated oil company in China, agreed to pay C$1.9 billion ($1.7 billion) to acquire a majority stake in two oil sands projects in western Canada.

As per the terms of the agreement with Athabasca Oil Sands Corp.

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Vodafone (VOD) reportedly upgraded its 3G mobile broadband network to offer maximum theoretical download speed of 14.4 megabits per second (Mbps). However, users will get a practical download speed of up to 10.8 Mbps. The upgraded service will be initially available to the customers across London, Birmingham and Liverpool and extended to the rest of UK in due course.

The world’s largest revenue-generating wireless carrier launched its 3G services in 13 countries in fiscal 2008. Vodafone’s 3G wireless broadband technology is based on High-Speed Downlink Packet Access (HSDPA) and provides peak data rates of up to 7.2 Mbps. It spent over £14 billion ($28 billion) to obtain 3G wireless licenses in various countries, devoting nearly 40% of capital expenditure to expand its 3G network.

Vodafone continues to outpace major rivals such as Deutsche Telekom’s (DT) T-Mobile, France Telecom’s (FTE) Orange and Telefonica’s (TEF) O2 in

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China Mobile (CHL), the largest wireless operator in the world by customer, has announced its updated 3G subscriber target. The company expects to amass roughly 80 million 3G customers within 2 years of the first phase of commercial service rollouts. This will enable the wireless giant to capture approximately one-third of the Chinese 3G market. However, the new subscriber target represents a decline from the original guidance of 100 million, largely due to intense competition.    China Mobile remains the leading player in the Chinese wireless market with 70% market share, leapfrogging the second placed China Unicom (CHU). However, the overhaul of the Chinese telecom industry in late 2008 has intensified the competitive scenario in the domestic wireless market with the addition of a new market entrant China Telecom (CHA).   The Chinese government issued three 3G wireless licenses in early 2009 with China ...

China, the world's biggest nation by population, also harbors the largest number of wireless users in the world. China Mobile (CHL) remains the incumbent Chinese wireless carrier with a 70% market share, well ahead of the second-place China Unicom (CHU). However, the recently concluded restructuring of the Chinese telecom industry has intensified domestic competition by allowing an additional market entrant.As per the restructuring mandate, China Unicom merged with China Netcom (a leading fixed-line service provider) and sold its CDMA wireless business to the largest fixed-line operator, China Telecom (CHA), for RMB 110 billion (US$16 billion), creating two entities offering wireless and fixed-line services in China.Following the overhaul of the Chinese telecom industry, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology of China issued three 3G wireless licenses in early 2009. China Mobile was awarded the license for ...