MORNING UPDATE: Mankus-Lavelle Group issues alerts for MSFT, UTSI, IDTI, NWS, and CY

CHICAGO, June 17 /PRNewswire/ -- Mankus-Lavelle Group issues the following Morning Update at 8:30 AM EDT with new PriceWatch Alerts for key stocks.

Before the open... PriceWatch Alerts for MSFT, UTSI, IDTI, NWS, and CY, Market Overview, Today's Economic Calendar, and the Quote Of The Day.

QUOTE OF THE DAY

"Insufficient growth, not inflation, is our biggest challenge. We need to grow faster than normal to get the economy back to full employment."

-- Jim Glassman, managing director and senior policy strategist, JP Morgan Securities.

New PriceWatch Alerts for MSFT, UTSI, IDTI, NWS, and CY... PRICEWATCH ALERTS - HIGH RETURN COVERED CALL OPTIONS -- Microsoft Corp. Last Price 25.04 - OCT 25.00 CALL OPTION@ $1.05 -> 4.2 % Return assigned* -- UTStarcom Inc. Last Price 7.80 - JUL 7.50 CALL OPTION@ $0.65 -> 4.9 % Return assigned* -- Integrated Device Technology, Inc. Last Price 11.51 - NOV 10.00 CALL OPTION@ $2.15 -> 6.8 % Return assigned* -- The News Corp. Ltd. Last Price 17.54 - OCT 17.50 CALL OPTION@ $1.10 -> 6.4 % Return assigned* -- Cypress Semiconductor Corp. Last Price 14.59 - SEP 15.00 CALL OPTION@ $0.85 -> 9.2 % 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

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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, Circuit City Stores, The New York Times KB Home, and The St. Paul Travelers Companies lead the list of companies with the most news stories while Autoliv Inc and Nautilus Inc are showing a spike in news. Bank of America, Constellation Brands, and KB Home have the highest srtIndex scores to top the list of companies with positive news while Southern Company and Netflix lead the list of companies with negative news reports. Skyworks Solutions has popped up with a high positive news sraIndex score.

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MARKET OVERVIEW

Overseas trading is marching higher today, determined to close the week out on a positive note. Of the 15 markets that we follow, only one is in negative territory. The cumulative average return on the group stands at a 0.529-percent gain. The Japanese Nikkei added 0.86 percent today and the Hang Seng chugged 0.56 percent higher. In Europe, London's FTSE 100 is leading the way higher with a 0.95-percent gain. The French CAC 40 is close behind with a 0.74-percent gain and the German Dax is up 0.70 percent.

The Street is relatively quiet this morning, as futures continue to creep higher. Bank of America announced that it has agreed to buy a nine-percent stake in China Construction Bank for $3 billion. This purchase would be the largest single foreign investment in the country's banking sector to date. In addition, the company has also committed to invest another $500 million to maintain its ownership level when China Construction Bank sells shares to the public later this year.

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DYNAMIC MARKET OPPORTUNITIES

If there's a difference of opinion about interest rate increases at the US Federal Reserve, European bankers appear to be experiencing similar disagreements. Despite an awful economic period in continental Europe - sluggish GDP growth, five-year high unemployment, weak consumer demand, a high euro (until recently) putting pressure on export markets and the political turmoil over the now dead EU Constitution and public bickering between several leaders - the European Central Bank has done nothing to alleviate the situation for the past two years. Such apathy irritates many within Europe. But with oil prices rising, President Jean-Claude Trichet and his chief economist Otmar Issing have hinted they might cut borrowing rates soon. After saying an interest rate cut was "not an option," the ECB recently dropped that rhetoric and Trichet was decidedly vague when asked if the ECB was debating the possibility. While that doesn't mean anything for sure, one thing is certain: Europe's economy continues to struggle. Another month of poor consumer demand sent Eurozone auto sales down 1.7% in May compared with a year earlier - the fifth straight monthly decline. A truckers' strike in Italy hurt deliveries in Europe's third-biggest auto market. Fiat sales alone plummeted 27%, with overall Italian vehicle sales sinking 28%. In Britain, sales dropped 3.4%, thanks to the downfall of MG-Rover. However, Germany posted a 6.2% sales rise, France recorded 8.4% sales growth, while Spain also fared well with sales up 7.1%. Nevertheless, the overall sales drop means that through the first five months of 2005 European Union auto sales are down 2.4% versus the same period in 2004. Elsewhere in Europe, British leader Tony Blair confirmed today that it would be "sensible" to pause for breath on the (now dead) European Constitution following the recent rejection of the treaty by French and Dutch voters. After talks with other European leaders, Blair revealed that apparently "some reality has now dawned" on those calling for other countries to continue the ratification process. While not dismissing the treaty completely, saying it's a "sensible set of rules," Blair did stress that the region needs to engage in some "serious debate about the right economic and security policies" and "change the mechanism by which it makes its decisions."

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TODAY'S ECONOMIC CALENDAR 8:30 A.M. 1Q Current Account 9:45 A.M. June Preliminary University Of Michigan Consumer Sentiment Index

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