For Immediate Release

Chicago, IL – October 23, 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: Wal-Mart (WMT), Capital One (COF), Merck (MRK), GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) and Schering Plough (SGP).

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Here are highlights from Thursday’s AnalystBlog:

New Jobless Claims Up

This long-term unemployment is an insidious problem for the economy. People who are out of work for just a few weeks really don't have to cut back on their consumption that much, especially if they feel confident that they will have a new job in a short time.

People

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Merck’s (MRK) earnings for the third quarter came in at 90 cents per share, which was ahead of the Zacks Consensus Estimate of 82 cents, driven by continued growth of its key products and strict cost management. The company reported revenues of $6 billion, up 2% from the same period in 2008. Revenue would have higher, but for the unfavorable foreign exchange movement, which affected global sales by 3%. Weaker-than-expected sales of Gardasil were offset by significantly stronger-than-anticipated Singulair revenues. Although the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) asked for additional precautions regarding the risks associated with the use of Merck’s lead product Singulair (as well as other leukotriene inhibitors), including suicide and depression, the drug recorded an increase of 5% compared to the third quarter of 2008. Gardasil, Merck’s cervical cancer vaccine, recorded yet another quarter of lower sales. The company recorded $311 million in ...

For Immediate Release

Chicago, IL – September 18, 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: Merck (MRK), Bristol-Myers Squibb (BMY), Gilead Sciences (GILD), GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) and Abbott Labs (ABT).

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 Thursday’s Analyst Blog:

Approval for Merck's Isentress

The European Union (EU) recently expanded the approval of Merck’s (MRK) Isentress (raltegravir) for the first line treatment of HIV patients. Earlier, it was approved for patients who had not responded to other treatment options. In the US, following a recent Food and Drug Administration

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