Monday Watch

Weekend Headlines
Bloomberg:
- Australia warned its nationals that there was a “very high” threat of terrorist attacks in Indonesia, including on the popular tourist resort island of Bali, and that attacks could be “imminent.”
- KBR Inc.(KBR) won a $2.85 billion contract to build Algeria’s largest liquefied natural gas plant, according to Sonatrach, the state oil company of the North African state.
- Roger Federer beat Rafael Nadal to become the first player since Bjorn Borg in 1980 to win five straight Wimbledon tennis titles.
- China’s yuan is rising at the fastest pace since the nation’s central bank abandoned its link to the dollar in 2005, and US lawmakers still aren’t satisfied.
- Boeing Co.(BA) today unveils its 787 Dreamliner at an event hosted by former television news anchor Tom Brokaw before 15,000 people and broadcast live by satellite in nine languages.
- There are an estimated 25 billion barrels of oil in the Kurdish-controlled region of Iraq and 10 billion more around the city Kirkuk.
- Japan’s machinery orders, a key indicator of corporate spending plans, rose for a second month in May, supporting the central bank’s case that interest rates need to increase.
- The yen fell to a record low against the euro and a 16-year low against the Australian dollar as signs of stronger global growth gave investors more confidence to buy higher-yielding assets with money borrowed in Japan.
- French President Nicolas Sarkozy has a message for European finance ministers and central bankers criticizing his plans to revive France’s economy: Back off.

Wall Street Journal:
- Washington state drivers now pay 36 cents in taxes for each gallon of gasoline after an increase of about 6% in the tax, the most of any in the nation, citing a survey.
- John Riccitiello, who became CEO of Electronic Arts(ERTS) in April, said video-game makers need to draw an audience beyond hard-core players.
- Intercontinental Exchange(ICE) won’t raise its bid to acquire the Chicago Board of Trade(BOT).
- Clearinghouse Faulted On Short-Selling Abuse; Finding the Naked Truth.
- As negotiations with News Corp.(NWS/A) continue, Dow Jones(DJ) is making one last push to find other possible buyers for itself, according to people familiar with the matter.

NY Times:
- Representative John Dingell, chairman of the US House Energy and Commerce Committee, said he plans to introduce a bill proposing a “carbon tax” to spur change in the use of fossil fuels.
- Sears(SHLD) Responds to Its Critics With a Call for Patience.
- Snack-food makers including PepsiCo’s(PEP) Frito-Lay and Campbell Soup’s(CPB) Pepperidge Farm are rolling out smaller, more profitable packages of chips, cookies and crackers as their popularity balloons.
- Residents on the Massachusetts island of Nantucket are seeking approval to spend at least $25 million of their own money to replenish the beach and help save 300-year-old homes from erosion.

iLounge:
- All Things iPhone: Add-Ons and Third-Party Software.

Washington Post:
- US Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid has assured Democrats who oppose the Iraq war that they will have a chance to vote on anti-war amendments when the Senate debates Defense Department spending legislation next week.
- The Federal Reserve will “probably” cut interest rates by the end of the year as the housing slump weighs on the economy, according to Bill Gross, manager of the world’s biggest bond fund.

MarketWatch.com:
- Gilead Sciences(GILD) is one of those rare companies that appears to be in a position to do some good for the world, while at the same time keep investors happy with high earnings and a strong stock performance.
- Betting on ‘bio-refineries’ to harvest new fuels. Worried that corn can’t fill up gas tanks? Make way for cellulosic ethanol.

Chicago Tribune:
- The vacancy rate for suburban office space around Chicago fell to 18.5% at the end of June from 19.6% six months ago, citing an analyst report.

Crain’s Chicago Business:
- Madison Dearborn Partners LLC CEO John Canning wants to raise $10.5 billion to create the private-equity firm’s largest fund.

Financial Times:
- AT&T(T), the largest US phone company, will offer its first municipal wireless Internet service in Riverside, California.
- Institutional Investor’s list of the top 20 rising hedge fund stars.
- The New York Mercantile Exchange(NMX) on Monday will call for it main rival in energy derivatives trading, the Intercontinental Exchange(ICE), to be brought under the full jurisdiction of federal regulators amid growing concern over light regulation in the rapidly growing over-the-counter markets.
- A Chinese city where residents recently held mass protests against a planned chemicals plant is preparing to tighten controls on the internet and force users to use their real names when posting messages on local websites.
- Hedge funds and private equity have one big thing in common. Both charge whopping fees – typically 2% of assets under management and 20% of investment profits. Otherwise, the differences are huge.
- The UK government will not soften its stance on Iran’s nuclear ambitions and may take steps to toughen sanctions on the country, according to British Foreign Secretary David Miliband.
- News Corp.(NWS/A) has set up a video-gaming league that will debut tomorrow on DIRECTV satellite television in the US, citing Eric Shanks, executive vp of DIRECTV Entertainment.

Financial Mail of Sunday:
- Virgin Media Inc.(VMED), a UK pay-television operator, was offered for sale by bankers to Comcast Corp.(CMCSA), the world’s largest cable television provider, and DirecTV Group(DTV), the largest US satellite-tv provider.

Sunday Telegraph:
- The UK will face a threat from terrorists for as long as 15 years, Admiral Sir Alan West, the minister for security, said in an interview.

Sunday Times:
- Ford Motor(F) set July 19 as a deadline for indicative bids for its Jaguar and Land Rover units in the UK.

AFP:
- The Great Wall of China and India’s Taj Mahal were named as two of the seven new wonders of the world by nearly 100 million voters taking part in a poll.

Focus:
- Volkswagen AG is considering building a US factory, citing an interview with CEO Winterkorn.

National Business Daily:
- Research In Motion(RIMM) received orders for 5,000 Blackberry e-mail phones from foreign companies based in China.

People’s Daily:
- China’s consumer price index may reach 3% in the first six months of 2007 from a year ago.

Shanghai Daily:
- China needs “decisive” measures to rein in excessive demand and control inflation pressures as its M2 growth has understated the speed of monetary expansion, according to the latest report by Goldman Sachs(GS).

Weekend Recommendations
Barron's:
- Made positive comments on (GILD) and (ITW).
- Made negative comments on (SONO).

Citigroup:
- Reiterated Buy on (MU), (SNDK) and (CELG).

Night Trading
Asian indices are +.50% to +1.0% on average.
S&P 500 indicated +.05%.
NASDAQ 100 indicated unch.

Morning Preview
US AM Market Call
NASDAQ 100 Pre-Market Indicator/Heat Map
Pre-market Commentary
Pre-market Stock Quote/Chart
Before the Bell CNBC Video(bottom right)
Global Commentary
WSJ Intl Markets Performance
Commodity Movers
Top 25 Stories
Top 20 Business Stories
Today in IBD
In Play
Bond Ticker
Economic Preview/Calendar
Daily Stock Events
Macro Calls
Upgrades/Downgrades
Rasmussen Business/Economy Polling
CNBC Guest Schedule

Earnings of Note
Company/Estimate
- (AGIL)/.03
- (AA)/.80
- (SCHN)/1.07
- (WDFC)/.46

Upcoming Splits
- (FTK) 2-for-1
- (TPL) 5-for-1

Economic Releases
3:00 pm EST
- Consumer Credit for May is estimated to rise to $7.0 billion from $2.6 billion in April.

Other Potential Market Movers
- The (TTWO) conference call could also impact trading on Monday.

BOTTOM LINE: Asian indices are higher, boosted by technology and energy shares in the region. I expect US stocks to open mixed and to rally into the afternoon, finishing modestly higher. The Portfolio is 100% net long heading into the week.