Schaeffer's S&P 500 Index Hot Stocks Features Autodesk, PMC-Sierra, Texas Instruments,...

CINCINNATI -- Among the stocks featured in the March 1 edition of Schaeffer's S&P 500 Index Hot Stocks are Autodesk (NASDAQ:ADSK), PMC-Sierra (NASDAQ:PMCS), Texas Instruments (NYSE:TXN), Gilead Sciences (NASDAQ:GILD), and Lennar (NYSE:LEN). Schaeffer's S&P 500 Index Hot Stocks

is just one of the many free market commentaries written everyday at www.SchaeffersResearch.com - the home of Bernie Schaeffer and Schaeffer's Investment Research. For additional information about this report or to have it delivered to you free via email every day click on the following link. http://www.schaeffersresearch.com/redirect.aspx?CODE=PRSHS12M&PAGE=1 .

Schaeffer's S&P 500 Index Hot Stocks for Wednesday, March 1, 2006:

A daily feature available on SchaeffersResearch.com is the "SPX Hot Stocks" column. Each afternoon, we will provide a list of the day's top-20 performing stocks in the S&P 500 Index (SPX - 1,289.22) as well as the bottom-20 names. Featured along with this table will be news that is moving some of the securities.

NOTE: Stocks trading under $5 per share have been eliminated from this listing of the top-20 and bottom-20 performing stocks.

At last check, 69 percent of SPX stocks were showing gains. All three of the major market indices were ahead, and the SPX was up 0.67 percent.

Autodesk (NASDAQ:ADSK) reported that its quarterly profit climbed 26 percent. The stronger-than-expected results stem from sharp demand for the company's design products. ADSK's ex-items earnings came in at 37 cents per share on revenue of $416.8 million. Analysts expected 35 cents on revenue of $414.4 million. The software company also forecast better-than-expected results for the current fiscal year. At last check the stock was up more than 11 percent at $41.88.

PMC-Sierra (NASDAQ:PMCS), which specializes in broadband communications and storage semiconductors, completed the acquisition of the storage semiconductor business from Avago Technologies today. The press release states that the deal is "for $425 million in cash," but added that the "final purchase price is subject to an inventory adjustment." PMCS was last seen up 7.5 percent at $10.99.

Another hot stock in the SPX is Texas Instruments (NYSE:TXN), which was up nearly eight percent at last check, at $32.18. Goldman Sachs said it expects the chip shop to raise its financial outlook during a financial update next Monday. For a deeper technical analysis of TXN, check out Mark Fightmaster's Options Update at http://www.schaeffersresearch.com.

Turning to the downside, very few of the SPX stocks are significantly down. Gilead Sciences (NASDAQ:GILD) was down 1.74 percent when we grabbed our figures, on no particular news that I noticed. The stock is in a clear uptrend and hit an all-time high on Monday, so today's action can be seen as a consolidation. However, GILD is certainly a stock to keep on your radar screen.

Finally, homebuilder Lennar (NYSE:LEN) has awarded Chief Executive Stuart A. Miller a $21.5 million bonus for 2005. This follows a $15.2 million bonus for the year ended November 30, 2004. Now, I bet that's someone who's hoping the housing bubble is a myth! See you tomorrow.

Click the following link to see a Chart of the SPX 500 Index's Top-20 Percentage Gainers: http://www.schaeffersresearch.com/wire?ID=15436 .

Click the following link to see a Chart of the SPX 500 Index's Top-20 Percentage Losers: http://www.schaeffersresearch.com/wire?ID=15436 .

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About Schaeffer's Investment Research (www.SchaeffersResearch.com)

Schaeffer's Investment Research, founded by Bernie Schaeffer in 1981, is a financial information and trading resources company. It publishes Bernie Schaeffer's Option Advisor, the nation's leading options subscription newsletter. The firm's contrarian approach focuses on stocks with technical and fundamental trends that run counter to investor expectations. The firm's website, http://www.SchaeffersResearch.com , is recognized as one of the leading information sources for stock and options traders and was cited as the top options website by both Forbes and Barron's. Click here for more details about Schaeffer's trading methodology: http://www.SchaeffersResearch.com/method .