2:30PM NY, U.S. Market Movers

Abatix Environmental Corp. (ABIX: chart) shares climbed 26.29% after the company posted a first-quarter net profit of $358,638, or 21 cents per share, up from $219,597, or 13 cents per share, in the year-ago period. Revenue climbed to $17.3 million from $16.6 million in the comparable period last year.

Helen of Troy Ltd. (HELE: chart) reported fourth-quarter profits ahead of market views as sales of personal-care appliances as well as brush and hair-care accessories in some of its major markets boosted results. The company said it reported net income of $9.7 million, or 30 cents per share, compared with $6.6 million, or 21 cents per share, a year ago. Net sales rose 7% to $143.9 million. As a result, shares of the company climbed 16.7%.

U.S. Auto Parts Network Inc. (PRTS: chart), online auto parts retailer, rose after the company''s first-quarter earnings beat Wall Street estimates despite a sharp decline. The company said its profit fell 91% from the year-ago quarter, to $235,000, or a penny per share. Sales more than doubled to $43.7 million. Shares climbed 11.7%.

Aviza Technology Inc. (AVZA: chart), which manufactures semiconductor production equipment, shares fell 20.3% after the company said that it achieved to a second-quarter net profit of $1.36 million, or 7 cents per share, compared with a net loss of $5.31 million, or 52 cents per share, in the year-ago period. Revenue increased 70% to $61.6 million. The company reduced its 2007 earnings forecast and said that it expected less than $500,000 for the year.

Distributed Energy Systems Corp. (DESC: chart) shares plunged 46.4% after the company reported a first-quarter net loss of $14.6 million, or 37 cents per share, against a net loss of $7.35 million, or 20 cents per share, in the year-ago period. Revenue climbed to $8.42 million versus $7.64 million in the same period a year earlier.

Opteum Inc. (OPX: chart), real estate investment trust, shares fell 17.8% after the company posted a first-quarter net loss of $78.1 million, or $3.14 per Class A share, compared with a net loss of $8 million, or 34 cents per Class A share, in the year-ago period. Opteum said its results were impacted by operations at its Opteum Financial Services LLC subsidiary, with $37.4 million of its net loss attributable to a valuation allowance on OFS''s deferred tax assets.

Pope & Talbot (POP: chart), a maker of lumber products, said that its first-quarter loss more than doubled as lumber prices fell sharply in response to the U.S. housing slump. The company posted a loss of $18.6 million, or $1.15 per share, versus a loss of $8 million, or 49 cents per share, in the year-ago period. Revenue fell to $200.5 million from $223 million last year. Lumber prices dropped 21% to $320 per thousand board feet, sending revenue from wood products down 23%. As a result shares fell 9.3%.

World Fuel Services Corp. (INT: chart) shares fell 14.6% after the specialty fuels distributor said weak jet fuel prices drove first-quarter profit below Wall Street''s expectations. World Fuel Services said its quarterly profit fell 1% to $14.8 million, or 51 cents per share, despite revenue rising 7% to $2.7 billion from $2.53 billion a year earlier.

1:00PM NY, 5:00 PM Frankfurt European stocks advanced on deal-related gains.
European stock markets posted gains on Friday, boosted by merger activity, involving German utility RWE and French bank Societe Generale. He deal-related gains managed to offset negative sentiment, generated by weak earnings from banking group Fortis and steelmaker ThyssenKrupp. In France, Societe Generale rose 4.7% on speculations that the bank is a target for eight different groups. Deal hopes also boosted utility shares, with RWE rising 6% on reports that France''s EdF plans to buy RWE.

Among other notable gainers, French-U.S. telecom-equipment maker Alcatel-Lucent gained on upgrade by Credit Suisse and an upbeat sales outlook. Truck maker Volvo jumped 11% after it reported a 5.7% slip in profit, but predicted that demand will grow to normal levels by 2008. On the side of the losers, Belgian-Dutch bank and insurer Fortis fell 1.9% after it reported a 12% quarterly profit decline. The German DAX 30 closed up 0.9% at 7,479.34, the French CAC-40 added 0.6% at 6,050.63, and the U.K.''s FTSE 100 rose 0.6% at 6,565.70.


11:30AM Retreating inflation concerns supported market averages.
The U.S. market indexes rebounded on Friday on the back of upbeat key economic data. Tame core inflation and an unexpected drop in retail sales generated optimism about the outlook for interest rates. The Labor Department reported its producer price index rose to 0.7% in April in line with expectations. The core PPI, which excludes food and energy, remained unchanged for the second month in a row. Another report showed that retail sales unexpectedly fell 0.2% in April, indicating weakness in the economy at the start of the second quarter.

The networking sector moved notably higher, helped by 3.8% rise for Alcatel-Lucent (ALU: chart) which reported a Q1 loss but released a positive forecast about the second half of the year. Resource stocks also gained amid an increase in commodities prices. Housing stocks also moved to the upside. Home builder KB Home (KBH: chart) advanced 3.8% after it said it received a takeover bid for its controlling stake of a French builder, Kaufman & Broad, valued at 582 million euros ($788 million).

In late morning trading, the Dow Jones industrial average rose 104.34, or 0.70%, to 13,319.47. The Standard & Poor''s 500 index was up 8.31, or 0.56%, at 1,499.78, and the Nasdaq composite index rose 13.20, or 0.52%, to 2,546.94. Bonds rose, with the yield on the benchmark 10-year Treasury note falling to 4.62% from 4.64% late Thursday.


9:45AM U.S. markets opened higher on hopes of interest rate cuts.
Wall Street opened in the positive on Friday, boosted by upbeat news on wholesale inflation and weak retail sales. Rate-sensitive financial services stocks were among the leading gainers. Goldman Sachs Group (GS: chart) added 1.4%, while and Merrill Lynch (MER: chart) rose 1.7%. Significant gains were also posted by energy stocks, benefiting from rising oil futures. Shares of Exxon Mobil (XOM: chart) were the top-weighted gainer on the S&P, rising 1.6%. Rival ConocoPhillips (COP: chart) added nearly 2%, Tesoro Corp. (TSO: chart) gained 2.5%, and Valero energy (VLO: chart) rose 2.03%.

The Dow was pushed higher by Honeywell International (HON: chart), up 1.4%, AT&T (T: chart), up 1.2%, and DuPont (DD: chart), up 1%. Amgen (AMGN: chart) weighed on the Nasdaq after it dropped 4.1% following downgrades by both J.P. Morgan and Citigroup on the back of a decision from the FDA. Tech stocks were supported by 2.4% rise for chip equipment maker Applied Materials (AMAT: chart) which was upgraded by UBS.

In corporate news, Chicago Mercantile Exchange Holdings (CME: chart) rallied 4.5% after it lifted its takeover bid for CBOT Holdings (BOT: chart), sending its shares up 1.5%. The Dow Jones industrial average was up 44.86 points, or 0.34%, at 13,259.99. The S&P''s 500 was up 5.23 points, or 0.35%, at 1,496.70. The Nasdaq Composite Index was up 6.61 points, or 0.26%, at 2,540.35.