In September, the Producer Price Index rose by 0.3%. While this is an acceleration from the 0.6% decline in September, it is well below consensus expectations of a 0.5% increase. All of the price pressures were coming from food and energy. If they are stripped out to get the Core Producer Price Index, prices fell by 0.6% for the month -- a much faster decline than the 0.1% decline last month, and even farther below the consensus expectations of a 0.1% increase for the month. Both food and energy rose by 1.6% at the finished level in September. For energy, though, it was just a partial reversal of the 2.4% decline in September. In September, finished food prices fell only 0.1%. On a year-over-year basis, the total Producer Price Index is down 1.9%. However, last month the year-over-year decline was 4.8%. Thus on a year-over-year basis, the ...

International Business Machines (IBM) has agreed to sell off its sales and client support operations to Dassault Systèmes, a leading provider of 3D software and Product Lifecycle Management (PLM) solutions. The acquisition will fetch approximately $600 million.   Under the agreement, Dassault will acquire IBM’s PLM software application portfolio as well as customer contracts and related assets. The transaction is expected to be completed by the first half of 2010.   With this strategic partnership, IBM will significantly expand its 25-year relationship with Dassault. Moreover, the integration of IBM’s PLM sales operations into Dassault’s business will encourage growth, improve customer service and expand channel efficiency.   Through this integration, IBM plans to focus on its PLM infrastructure leveraging IBM's middleware offerings with Websphere (SOA), Information Management (DB2), Tivoli, Rational, Lotus Domino and Sametime.   IBM also plans to establish DS as an IBM Global Alliance Partner and expand ...

The telecommunications and network equipment company Ciena Corporation (CIEN) has received the Court’s approval to begin bidding for Nortel Network Corp.'s (NT) optical and Ethernet division. The judges also said that Nov. 9 will be the deadline for bids and scheduled the auction for Nov. 13. Ciena plans to acquire substantially all of the optical networking and carrier Ethernet assets of its rival Nortel Networks’ Metro Ethernet Networks (MEN) division, for a total of $521 million ($390 million in cash and 10 million in shares worth $142 million based on the Oct. 15 market price). The company expects to incur integration-related costs of approximately $180 million, the majority of which will be paid in 2010, and expects the transaction to be significantly accretive in fiscal 2011. The deal is subject to a competitive bidding process under the United States Bankruptcy Code and the Canadian Companies' ...

For Immediate Release

Chicago, IL – October 9, 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: Ciena Corporation (CIEN), Nortel Networks (NRTLQ), Ericsson (ERIC), Nokia (NOK) and Siemens (SI).

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:

Ciena Takes Over Nortel Unit

Yesterday, telecommunications and network equipment company Ciena Corporation (CIEN) announced the acquisition of substantially all of the optical networking and carrier Ethernet assets of its rival Nortel Networks’ (NRTLQ) Metro Ethernet Networks (MEN) division, for a total of $521 million ($390 million in

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Yesterday, telecommunications and network equipment company Ciena Corporation (CIEN) announced the acquisition of substantially all of the optical networking and carrier Ethernet assets of its rival Nortel Networks’ (NT) Metro Ethernet Networks (MEN) division, for a total of $521 million ($390 million in cash and 10 million in shares worth $131 million based on the Oct. 6 market price). Ciena will take over Nortel’s long-haul optical transport portfolio, metro optical Ethernet switching and transport solutions, Ethernet transport, aggregation and switching technology, multiservice SONET/SDH product families and network management software products. Moreover, Ciena expects to incur integration-related costs of approximately $180 million, the majority of which will be paid in 2010 and expects the transaction to be significantly accretive in fiscal 2011. Nortel had filed for bankruptcy protection back in January in Canada, and has since then planned to sell off its assets. Nortel had ...

Massive deployment of high-speed wireless networks throughout the world has opened up a new market for telecom outsourcing and managed services for several telecom equipment manufacturing firms. The next-generation (3G/4G) wireless networks are aiming to cope with substantial demand for high-speed wireless data services and mobile video.  Telecom service providers are now typically looking at providing the converged IP-based network, offering bundled solutions for triple play voice, video and data. This requires the implementation of complex network architecture.  The telecom outsourcing market generally includes network implementation & maintenance, system integration & managed services, and consulting. In order to minimize their costs, carriers try to concentrate on developing new services, implement a service-oriented business model and marketing.  The market for basic network operation is increasingly seeing the entry of infrastructure suppliers. This generates a huge opportunity for telecom equipment manufacturers to encash.  According to various industry ...

67 WALL STREET, New York – September 22, 2009 – The Wall Street Transcript has just published its Alternative Energy/Clean Energy/Power Generation/Utilities Report report offering a timely review of the sector to serious investors and industry executives. This 83 page feature contains expert industry commentary through in-depth interviews with public company CEOs, Equity Analysts and Money Managers. The full issue is available by calling (212) 952-7433 or via The Wall Street Transcript Online.

Topics covered: Long Term Perspective on Alternative Energy Industry — Leading Indicators for Alternative Energy Components Companies — Mergers and Acquisitions in the Alternative Energy Industry — Break Even Business Fundamentals for Carbon Free Energy Providers — Development of Carbon Free Energy Production Infrastructure — NAT GAS Act — New Players in the Alternative Energy Industry — Solar Power Cell Manufacturers Market Strategy — Demand Response for Raw Materials for Solar Cell Production — Alternative

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Siemens Corporate Research spin-off and Speedus Corp. subsidiary, Zargis Medical Corp., announced Friday that it has received U.S. Food and Drug Administration clearance to market the new Signal X6(TM) device. The company also announced that seven Signal X6 devices have been delivered to the U.S. Army for deployment in six Department of Defense medical facilities.

Signal X6 technology records heart and lung sounds from six adhesive sensors. The recordings can be evaluated locally or, when a cardiac specialist is not immediately available, transmitted through the Internet for remote evaluation. This feature makes the noninvasive technology easy to use. The configuration of the Signal X6 provides a unique telemedicine resource in situations where evaluations could benefit from high fidelity multi-channel synchronous recordings.

Prototypes for Signal X6 were first developed with funding from the Telemedicine and Advanced Technology Research Center (TATRC), of the USAMRMC, through the AAMTI program. The AAMTI program provides funding to

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Apparently no agreement was made on when gas supplies to Russia will resume at Medvedev's meeting with Turkmen counterpart Gurbanguly Berdymukhammedov.  Following Iranian complaints of exclusion from the Aktau meeting, Medvedev has acknowledged that all countries involved in Caspian issues should be invited to participate.  The Guardian reports that Russia is planning on entering the British nuclear market:  Atomenergoprom is apparently in talks with Siemens on supplying reactors to Britain.  The Times looks at Greenland's untapped energy reserves.  Russian oil companies may form a consortium to enhance their development in Iraq.  EON has suspended one coal project in Russia and ruled out further projects due the economic slowdown.  Venezuela and a group of Russian companies will invest $20 billion in the Junin 6 block in the Orinoco Belt.  President Hugo Chavez has said that the ...

Imaging3, Inc.

(Public, OTC:IMGG)

A new and radical medical device from Imaging3 Inc. (OTC:IMGG) is ready to set the standard, and revolutionize the way we look at X-ray, MRI and CT scans. Imaging 3 is currently awaiting FDA approval on their DViS (Dominion Volumetric Imaging Scanner). Currently, medical imaging is met with challenges of long waits, lack of space, lack of mobility, and limited uses. However, for the first time ever, health-care workers will be able to instantly view 3D, high-resolution images of virtually any part of the human body. Thus, Imaging 3 looks to change all that. Saving time, saving lives and reducing costs. This technology will “set the standard for the next 10 years.” The following article was composed by StocksHaven Investments alongside Professor Philip Runfeldt, a Behavioral Analyst who has worked with Fortune 500 companies and major Universities throughout

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