MORNING UPDATE: Mankus-Lavelle Group issues alerts for MOT, JNPR, MO, MEL, and FRX

CHICAGO, July 20 /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 MOT, JNPR, MO, MEL, and FRX, Market Overview, Today's Economic Calendar, and the Quote Of The Day.

QUOTE OF THE DAY

"High oil prices certainly have been a problem for Americans. They are a burden on family budgets. They raise costs of production and reduce profits for firms."

-- Ben Bernanke, Chairman, White House Council of Economic Advisers New PriceWatch Alerts for MOT, JNPR, MO, MEL, and FRX... PRICEWATCH ALERTS - HIGH RETURN COVERED CALL OPTIONS ----------- -- Motorola Inc. Last Price 19.85 - AUG 20.00 CALL OPTION@ $0.75 -> 4.7 % Return assigned* -- Juniper Networks Inc. Last Price 26.53 - OCT 25.00 CALL OPTION@ $2.70 -> 4.9 % Return assigned* -- Altria Group Last Price 65.26 - DEC 65.00 CALL OPTION@ $4.40 -> 6.8 % Return assigned* -- Mellon Financial Corp. Last Price 30.23 - JAN 30.00 CALL OPTION@ $1.60 -> 4.8 % Return assigned* -- Forest Labs Last Price 40.69 - SEP 40.00 CALL OPTION@ $2.45 -> 4.6 % 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, CIT Group, Pfizer, and Intel lead the list of companies with the most news stories while Host Marriott Corp and New York Community Bancorp are showing a spike in news. Bank of New York, Altria, and Boeing have the highest srtIndex scores to top the list of companies with positive news while Yahoo! and Eastman Kodak lead the list of companies with negative news reports. Motorola has popped up with a high positive news sraIndex score.

For the FREE article titled, "Earnings Season Decoded - An Essential 15 Point Checklist For Finding Winning Stocks." go to: http://www.wallstreetsecretsplus.com/go/freemu/

MARKET OVERVIEW

Overseas markets are weak this morning as only 7 out of 15 markets that we track show strength. Asian markets closed with solid gains, but European trading is subdued, with the FTSE and the Dax ahead, and the French CAC 40 in negative territory.

The August contract on sweet crude oil inched 14 cents higher yesterday. Traders are still waiting to see what impact Hurricane Dennis had on oil stockpiles, as reports arrive that Hurricane Emily's impact on oil was nil. The Energy Department is expected to reveal a third-straight week of declines in the nation's crude inventories later today. Analysts at IFR are expecting a decline of three to four million barrels, while Fimat USA believes the loss will come in at 2.9 million. In early trading, crude for August delivery had added 44 cents to $57.90.

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DYNAMIC MARKET OPPORTUNITIES

General Motors continues to strike out. Through the first half of 2005, the Detroit automaker said it sold 308,722 vehicles in China, the world's third-largest auto market - a 19% increase over the same period in 2004. That sent its Chinese market share to almost 11%. In an effort to further boost its standing there, GM will pump over US$3 billion into investment. The goal is that by 2007, it will double its annual auto output to 1.3 million. But just two days later, credit rating agency Moody's announced that it might cut GM's debt rating amid more profit-eroding sales incentives, the latest of which features the "employee discounts to everyone" and a shift in demand to foreign automakers and more fuel-efficient vehicles. Elsewhere, the US real estate boom continues to make investors rich. Mutual funds that invest specifically in real estate companies recorded a 13% return during the second quarter - one of the best-performing sectors in the market. But it wasn't the only sector to post healthy gains. On the back of a similar sector-wide boom, energy and utilities funds also fared well. Healthcare and biotech, as well as the telecom sector also proved to be profitable investment destinations. Naturally, fuel-dependent industries such as airlines, suffered as oil prices climbed to an all-time high of more than US$60 a barrel. This week also sees second quarter earnings season get underway with a vengeance, as 137 S&P 500 companies are due to release their latest results. Since Wall Street appears to have already priced in greater-than-expected earnings, investors will be hoping the negative reports can be kept to a minimum.

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TODAY'S ECONOMIC CALENDAR 7:00 a.m. MBA Refinancing Index 10:00 a.m. Fed Chairman Greenspan presents the semiannual report on monetary policy to the U.S. House Financial Services Committee in Washington 10:30 a.m. U.S. Energy Dept Crude Oil Stocks

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All stocks and options shown are examples only. These are not recommendations to buy or sell any security and they do not represent in any way a positive or negative outlook for any security. Potential returns do not take into account your trade size, brokerage commissions or taxes which will affect actual investment returns. Stocks and options involve risk and are not suitable for all investors and investing in options carries substantial risk. Prior to buying or selling options, a person must receive a copy of Characteristics and Risks of Standardized Options available from Michael at 800-230-5570 or at http://www.cboe.com/Resources/Intro.asp. Privacy policy available upon request.