Wednesday Watch

Late-Night Headlines
Bloomberg:
- OPEC, founded five decades ago to unify oil producers, risks dividing members as the group plans to cut output and raise prices just as developed nations face their worst recession since 1983. Iran's energy minister, Gholamhossein Nozari, said yesterday OPEC may slash output quotas by 2.5 million barrels a day, or 8.7 percent, an amount about equal to what's pumped from Kuwait. The debate in the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries pits Saudi Arabia, the group's biggest producer and a U.S. ally, against Venezuela and Iran, two nations that oppose U.S. foreign policy and advocate higher oil costs. Saudi Arabia needs oil prices of less than $30 a barrel to balance its government budget, according to Merrill Lynch & Co. estimates. Oil options trading shows the probability that crude will fall below $50 a barrel by June has more than doubled in 10 days, Deutsche Bank AG said in an Oct. 17 report. Oil demand may fall for the first time in 15 years this year as the worst financial crisis in decades tips economies into recession, according to the Centre for Global Energy Studies, a London-based consulting company. U.K. Prime Minister Gordon Brown said last week that it was ``absolutely scandalous'' that OPEC is considering cuts as the global economy risks falling into a recession.

- Apple Inc.AAPL) posted a 26 percent rise in profit as iPhone sales topped estimates and Chief Executive Officer Steve Jobs reassured investors the computer maker will pull through an economic slump. The shares jumped 15 percent in after-hours trading.

- VMware Inc.(VMW), the biggest maker of programs that let computers run multiple operating systems, posted profit and sales that topped analysts' estimates as orders overseas surged. The stock climbed as much as 26 percent after VMware said third-quarter profit, excluding costs such as stock-based compensation, amounted to 24 cents a share.

- Broadcom Corp.(BRCM), the maker of chips for Apple Inc.'s iPhone and Nintendo Co.'s Wii game console, said third-quarter profit increased almost sixfold on sales of wireless products and a technology royalty payment. The stock jumped 8.7% in extended trading.

- Yahoo! Inc.(YHOO), the Internet company that rejected a takeover offer from Microsoft Corp., reported a 64 percent drop in profit and announced plans to cut at least 10 percent of its staff after advertising spending slowed. The stock rose 5.2% in extended trading.

- Financing costs in Asia may extend the past week's declines as money market rates fell yesterday in Europe and the U.S. Federal Reserve agreed to provide as much as $540 billion in loans to relieve pressure on money-market funds.

- Samsung Electronics Co., the world's second-largest chipmaker, scrapped its $5.85 billion unsolicited bid to buy SanDisk Corp. after negotiations stalled and the value of the U.S. company declined.

- Passport Management LLC, the $4.5 billion hedge-fund firm run by John Burbank III, lost as much as 27% before fees this month as investments in commodity stocks slumped. The decline through Oct. 15 left the $2.9 billion Global Strategy fund, which invests in global stock markets, with an annual loss of about 34% before fees, according to an investor letter.

- BHP Billiton Ltd., Australia’s biggest oil and gas producer, said crude-oil and condensates output surged 43%, buoyed by the start-up of new projects in the Gulf of Mexico and Australia. Output of oil and condensates, a type of light oil produced in association with natural gas, jumped to 16.18 million barrels in the three months ended Sept. 30, up from 11.3 million a year earlier, BHP said.

- Crude oil fell for a second day after the U.S. dollar climbed to 20-month high against the euro, reducing the appeal of commodities as a hedge.

- Copper tumbled below $2 a pound for the first time since December 2005 amid speculation that the world economy is headed for a recession that will reduce demand for metals. Copper is heading for its biggest annual slide on record.

BusinessWeek:

- Pressures are building for Boeing (BA) and the International Association of Machinists & Aerospace Workers (IAM) to end a 45-day-old work stoppage. The aerospace giant is expected to release its weakest quarterly earnings report in years on Oct. 22, and there are hints that Washington is getting nervous about the economic impact of the machinists' strike.

Financial Times:
- Oil trading in Singapore almost halved in September as the financial crisis and slowing regional demand combined to keep speculators away from the world's third largest energy trading hub. The sudden drop in September's trading came amid slowing economic growth in Asia, the world's engine of commodities demand, as exported-oriented nations, including China, suffered from a reduction in overseas orders. The credit crisis has hit the private, bilateral over-the-counter derivatives market that is the cornerstone of Asia's oil and commodities trading. The region, in contrast to New York and London, does not have a prominent commodities exchange or clearing house, exacerbating counterparty risk. Market participants fear that the other side of their deals could default on obligations.

La Tribune:

- France will boost arms exports as it seeks to raise its share of the world market to 13%, citing an interview with Defense Minister Herve Morin. The French arms industry aims to export up to $9.2 billion of arms by 2010 to raise market share to 13% from 6% currently, Morin said.

Stuff.co.nz:

- Canadian oil explorer Trans-Orient Petroleum Ltd says it believes it has found at least 12.6 billion barrels of oil on New Zealand's East Coast. The company said in Vancouver today that AJM Petroleum Consultants had made an assessment of the company's fractured oil-shale in its 100 percent-owned 890,000 hectare prospect in the East Coast Basin. It estimated the oil available from just 10 percent of the area was 12.6 billion barrels.

Late Buy/Sell Recommendations
Citigroup:
- Reiterated Buy on (COH), target $33

- Reiterated Buy on (BRCM), target $27.

- Reiterated Buy on (WU), target $21.50.

- Reiterated Buy on (MAN), target $50.

Night Trading
Asian Indices are -1.75% to -1.0% on average.
S&P 500 futures +.24%.
NASDAQ 100 futures +1.74%.

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
Upgrades/Downgrades
Rasmussen Business/Economy Polling

Earnings of Note
Company/EPS Estimate
- (KMB)/1.00

- (MCD)/.98

- (GD)/1.51

- (R)/1.27

- (GENZ)/1.00

- (FCL)/.00

- (APD)/1.26

- (NOC)/1.41

- (MRK)/.79

- (BHI)/1.36

- (WB)/-.02

- (TRV)/.61

- (EMC)/.20

- (WLP)/1.48

- (PFCB)/.25

- (PM)/.89

- (WYE)/.90

- (BA)/1.01

- (T)/.71

- (COP)/3.19

- (RHI)/.42

- (CVD)/.80

- (CMG)/.59

- (ALL)/.71

- (AMZN)/.25

- (PHM)/-.53

- (NUVA)/.01

- (RYL)/-1.11

- (AMGN)/1.08

- (ADS)/1.16

- (TEX)/1.33

- (NE)/1.34

- (ATI)/1.40

- (LRCX)/.24

Economic Releases
10:35 am EST

- Bloomberg consensus estimates call for a weekly crude oil inventory build of +2,650,000 barrels versus a +5,611,000 barrel increase the prior week. Gasoline supplies are expected to rise by +2,700,000 barrels versus a +6,973,000 barrel increase the prior week. Distillate inventories are estimated to rise by +300,000 barrels versus a -453,000 barrel decline the prior week. Finally, Refinery Utilization is expected to rise by +1.0% versus a +1.31% increase the prior week.

Upcoming Splits
- None of note

Other Potential Market Movers
- The weekly MBA mortgage applications report and (UTEK) analyst day could also impact trading today.

BOTTOM LINE: Asian indices are lower, weighed down by commodity and automaker stocks in the region. I expect US equities to open mixed and to rally into the afternoon, finishing modestly higher. The Portfolio is 75% net long heading into the day.