For Immediate Release

Chicago, IL – March 18, 2010 – 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: Nucor Corporation (NUE), United States Steel Corporation (X), ArcelorMittal (MT), Commercial Metals Company (CMC) and FactSet Research (FDS).

Get the most recent insight from Zacks Equity Research with the free Profit from the Pros newsletter: http://at.zacks.com/?id=5513

Here are highlights from Wednesday’s Analyst Blog:

Nucor Guides Up, Our Rec Follows

Nucor Corporation (NUE) provided its first quarter 2010 earnings update, indicating it expected earnings per share to be in the range of a loss of 5 cents to earnings of 5 cents per share. The Zacks Consensus Estimate is pegged at net earnings of 2

...

Nucor Corporation (NUE) provided its first quarter 2010 earnings update, indicating it expected earnings per share to be in the range of a loss of 5 cents to earnings of 5 cents per share. The Zacks Consensus Estimate is pegged at net earnings of 2 cents in the first quarter. Nucor had reported a loss of 60 cents in the first quarter of 2008.   Nucor’s guidance is driven by higher expected operating rates at its beam and bar mills. The company is anticipating operating rates of 55% and 63% at its beam and bar mills, respectively, in the first quarter, up from 11% and 10% in the previous quarter. Nucor also foresees 85% and 90% utilization at its sheet and plate mills, up 22% each from prior quarter levels.   With improved utilization rates, Nucor expects production to climb 51% in the first quarter. Shipments are expected ...

Commercial Metals Co.’s (CMC) MACD indicator has moved into bearish territory with a reading of -0.1371. The Zacks #5 Rank (“Strong Sell") stock fell slightly to $15.86 in morning trade. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for the year ending Aug 2010 is currently pegged at a loss of 8 cents per share, which has reduced by 85 cents over the past month."CMC" Free Stock Analysis: Buy? Sell? Hold?Zacks Investment Research

Commercial Metals Co. (CMC) has slipped more than 8% on low volume of 933,000 shares, against the average of 1.5 million.

The Zacks #4 Rank ("Sell") company lost 11 cents per share in its fiscal second quarter, while the consensus called for a profit of 4 cents. Commercial Metals missed analysts' expectations 3 times in the past 4 quarters and topped once.

Analysts see earnings for the fiscal year ending August 2009 at 25 cents per share.

"CMC" Free Stock Analysis: Buy? Sell? Hold?Zacks Investment Research

Options Transactions Signaling Steel Resurgence

Joe Kunkle, Investment U Research Team

Late last year, steel stocks saw some of the sharpest sell-offs in the market.

The Steel Market Vectors Fund (NYSE: SLX) fell from $114 to $20, and most steel producing companies hit five-year lows.

The interesting thing is that we’re seeing signals in steel stocks that are strikingly similar to what we saw in coal stocks and the Market Vectors Coal (NYSE: KOL) in late April.

At that time, investors saw a 43% jump in about 10 days.

Just prior to that jump, coal stocks were seeing bullish positioning and large institutional traders buying far out-of-the-money call options. A handful of investors and traders profited handsomely.

If this pattern holds true, and steel stocks behave is a similar fashion, investors who jump back in could see sizeable returns. And

...