Analyst upgrades:

• Pali Capital upgraded Lazard (LAZ) to buy from neutral, citing a healthy restructuring environment, improving M&A and strength in the asset management segment. The firm has a $46 target on shares.
• Baird upgraded Scansource (SCSC) to outperform from neutral, citing strength in the channel business and growth drivers from improved telephony and security. The firm has a $30 target on shares.
• Citigroup upgraded Liberty Interactive (LINTA) to buy from hold, citing the company's QVC unit's return to growth. The firm raised its target on shares to $13.25 from $12.
• Hess Corp (HES) was upgraded to overweight from equal weight at Morgan Stanley.
• Vulcan Materials (VMC) was upgraded to buy from neutral at UBS.
• Dillard's (DDS) was upgraded to buy from hold at Deutsche Bank.

Analyst upgrades:

• Deutsche Bank upgraded Freeport McMoRan (NYSE: FCX) to Buy from Hold to reflect the company's better than expected Q3 results and improved volume outlook. Deutsche raised its target on shares to $100 from $72.
• Thomas Weisel upgraded Motorola (NYSE: MOT) to Overweight from Market Weight and raised its target to $11 from $7 and said they expect Motorola to benefit from several upcoming catalysts that include new Android-based smartphone products and they believe the handset division could break even by year end of 2010.
• Janney Montgomery upgraded Regal Entertainment (NYSE: RGC) and Cinemark (NYSE: CNK) to Buy from Neutral on expectations both companies will benefit from a strong box office in Q4. The firm has a $14 price target on Regal shares and a $13.50 target on Cinemark shares.
• Marshall & llsley (NYSE: MI) was upgraded to Neutral from Underweight at JPMorgan.
• F5 Networks (NASDAQ: FFIV) was upgraded to Neutral from Sell at UBS.
• William Blair upgraded Lindsay Corporation (NYSE: LNN) to Outperform from Market Perform.

Analyst upgrades:

• Keefe Bruyette upgraded Intercontinental Exchange (NYSE: ICE) to Outperform from Market Perform on expectations that derivatives trading will increase in the coming quarters.
• NutriSystem (NASDAQ: NTRI) was upgraded to Buy from Neutral by Janney Montgomery, which believes that the company's earnings have hit bottom, while the company could report better-than-expected Q1 results.
• Harley-Davidson (NYSE: HOG) was upgraded to Outperform from Sector Perform at RBC Capital. The firm thinks the company is an early-cycle story that has significant upside potential.
• UBS upgraded Walgreen (NYSE: WAG) to Buy from Neutral citing cost cutting efforts and slowing store growth.
• Google (NASDAQ: GOOG) was upgraded to Buy from Hold at Benchmark Co.
• Safeway (NYSE: SWY) was upgraded to Buy from Hold by BB&T.
• Needham upgraded Targacept (NASDAQ: TRGT) to Buy from Hold.
• Sierra Wireless (NASDAQ: SWIR) was raised to Buy from Hold at Jesup & Lamont.

Analyst upgrades:

• Credit Suisse upgraded Stancorp (NYSE: SFG) to Outperform from Neutral citing relative valuation and EPS visibility.
• Jefferies upgraded Cypress Semiconductor (NYSE: CY) to Hold from Underperform after its channel checks indicated the company's capacitive touch screen solution has design traction. The firm raised its target on shares to $10 from $7.50.
• FBR Capital upgraded Pacific Sunwear (NASDAQ: PSUN) to Outperform from Market Perform to reflect improving store channel checks, the company's brand focus and controlled inventory, as well as the firm's belief that guidance could be conservative. FBR raised its target on shares to $9 from $6.
• Advanced Micro (NYSE: AMD) was upgraded to Market Perform from Underperform at JMP Securities.
• Lam Research (NASDAQ: LRCX) was upgraded to Overweight from Equal Weight at Barclays.
• Philips Electronics (NYSE: PHG) was upgraded to Buy from Hold at RBS.

Analyst upgrades:

• Citigroup upgraded Capital One (NYSE: COF) to Buy from Hold as it believes the credit cycle is starting to recover for U.S. credit cards and an improving economy will support bank credit stabilization. The firm raised its target on shares to $44 from $28.
• JPMorgan upgraded Morgan Stanley (NYSE: MS) to Overweight from Neutral on valuation and believes the stock market recovery will serve as a catalyst.
• Deutsche Bank upgraded F5 Networks (NASDAQ: FFIV) to Buy from Hold after its channel checks indicated a sooner-than-expected order ramp and stabilizing pricing trends. The firm raised its target on shares to $46 from $39.
• COTT Corp. (NYSE: COT) was upgraded to Buy from Neutral at UBS.
• Blackstone Group (NYSE: BX) was upgraded to Equal Weight from Underweight at Barclays.
• Illinois Tool Works (NYSE: ITW) was upgraded to Conviction Buy from Neutral at Goldman.

Analyst upgrades:

• Morgan Keegan upgraded Motorola (NYSE: MOT) to Outperform from Market Perform due to the increased visibility of Android-based launches, as well as the stock's valuation.
• OfficeMax (NYSE: OMX) was upgraded to Buy from Hold by Citigroup, which cited the company's stabilizing sales trend, accelerating share gains, and valuation.
• Kaufman Bros. upgraded iRobot (NASDAQ: IRBT) to Buy from Hold on valuation.
• Cancaccord upgraded Rio Tinto (NYSE: RTP) to Buy from Hold citing the turnaround in the aluminum business and its exposure to copper.
• Wells Fargo upgraded Smith & Nephew (NYSE: SNN) to Market Perform from Underperform.
• BT Group (NYSE: BT) was upgraded to Neutral from Reduce by Nomura.
• Societe Generale raised L'Oreal (OTC: LRLCY) to Buy from Sell.
• Franklin Resources (NYSE: BEN) was upgraded to Buy from Hold by Sandler O'Neill.

Analyst upgrades:

• Citigroup upgraded Robert Half (NYSE: RHI) to Hold from Sell following the company's Q2 results, believing the worst may be behind the company. Citi raised its target on shares to $24 from $18.
• Goldman upgraded AnnTaylor (NYSE: ANN) to Buy from Neutral and raised its target to $13 from $6.50, citing improved merchandising and inventories.
• Baird upgraded TrueBlue (NYSE: TBI) to Outperform from Underperform and raised its target to $12 from $9, citing the better-than-expected Q2 report and guidance, strong balance sheet, and valuation.
• F5 Networks (NASDAQ: FFIV) was upgraded to Neutral from Underperform at BofA/Merrill.
• Credit Suisse (NYSE: CS) was upgraded to Buy from Hold at Deutsche Bank.
• Sanmina (NASDAQ: SANM) was upgraded to Neutral from Underperform at Credit Suisse.

Analyst upgrades:

• Jefferies upgraded Brocade (NASDAQ: BRCD) to Buy from Hold on expectations expanding OEM partnerships, new products and entry into new markets will drive long-term growth. The firm's channel checks indicate the first phase of an IBM (NYSE: IBM) deal for ethernet products will be announced next week. Jefferies raised its target price on the stock to $6 from $3.50.
  
• JMP Securities upgraded Broadcom (NASDAQ: BRCM) to Market Perform from Underperform citing the potential settlement with Qualcomm (NASDAQ: QCOM). The firm said Broadcom has far more to gain than Qualcomm has to lose.
  
• Citigroup upgraded Air Products (NYSE: APD) and Praxair (NYSE: PX) to Buy from Hold on expectations that an improvement in customer operating rates will benefit gas companies. The firm raised its target price on Air Products to $70 from $55 and on Praxair to $79 from $63.
  
• Royal Bank of Scotland upgraded BP Plc (NYSE: BP) to Buy from Hold to reflect its dividend yield at current levels.
• Apple (NASDAQ: AAPL) was raised to Outperform from Underperform at RBC Capital.
  
• T. Rowe Price (NYSE: TROW) was upgraded at Sandler O'Neill to Hold from Sell.
  
• Morgan Stanley (NYSE: MS) was lifted to Neutral from Underperform at Banc of America/Merrill.

Analyst upgrades:

• Morgan Stanley upgraded CNOOC Ltd (NYSE: CEO) to Equal Weight from Underweight to reflect higher crude oil price estimates.
  
• Goldman upgraded VMware (NYSE: VMW) to Conviction Buy from Neutral and raised its target to $29 from $27 following positive checks that indicate strong business actively. The analyst expects VMW's revenue growth to be up 9% in 2009 vs. expectations for overall IT spending to be down.
  
• UBS upgraded ON Semiconductor (NASDAQ: ONNN) to Buy from Neutral and raised its target to $5 from $3.80 based on positive Asia checks that indicate an improving demand outlook and that the company could beat near-term expectations.
• Vodafone (NYSE: VOD) was lifted to Buy from Neutral at Goldman and to Overweight from Equal Weight at Morgan Stanley.
  
• Ashland (NYSE: ASH) was raised to Overweight from Neutral at JP Morgan.

This post was written by Minyanville contributor Sean Udall.

Through my career I've generally stayed apolitical with regard to investment and trading decisions, but there have been times when some higher percentage trades have presented themselves due to political circumstances. Examples include: the tech push in Clinton's second term, the defense sector after Bush's 2000 victory, as well as the oil patch. Based on that, here are some overriding thoughts, in no particular order.

The market has moved to the phase where many if not most participants want and expect a pullback. Since the market confounds the greatest number of players most of the time, is a big pullback a lower probability event now? Moreover, does the selling panic of much of October turn into a buying panic in the coming weeks and months? I'm letting the charts lead me here but aware that this bullish case could possibly trump terrible economic conditions.

I still think the alt energy patch (solar, wind, battery tech, clean coal) will produce some of the best winners, but a lot of easy money has been made in just days. Quality and fundamentals will likely count much more now than over the past few months. Also, extended runs may become vulnerable quickly if policy decisions do not show quick tangible follow-through. Companies with the best balance sheets and funding sources will benefit the most and have the least downside on sharp technical pullbacks.

Minyanville contributor Sean Udall dares to share the kind of keen insight and actionable information you won't find in any prospectus. For more original thought, visit www.minyanville.com.

• I've taken a leg in the Ultra QQQ ProShares (AMEX: QLD). The market has popped 2% off lows, the question is will it pop the full 7%?
  
  
• I'm seeing a few positive divergences and the percentage of stocks below the 50 day moving average is well below the 2002 levels. I haven't looked at the percentage of stocks below the 200 day, but I'm sure the reading should be equally distressed.
  
  
• I know people are pricing in earnings per share Armageddon in tech land -- so the question is, what happens to many of these stocks if it's really just sort of "punk" and not a total cataclysmic drop in revenue guidance.
  

Analyst upgrades:

• Keefe Bruyette upgraded shares of ING Group (NYSE: ING) to Outperform from Market Perform after upgrading the European insurance sector to Overweight from Neutral due to improved risk management.
  
• Keefe Bruyette also upgraded Wells Fargo (NYSE: WFC) to Market Perform from Underperform to reflect the company's national footprint if the Wachovia (NYSE: WB) deal goes through.
  
• JP Morgan upgraded Dollar Tree (NASDAQ: DLTR) to Overweight from Neutral citing top line performance, growth profile and valuation, among other reasons.
• Jabil Circuit (NYSE: JBL) was upgraded to Outperform from Neutral at Credit Suisse.
  
• Amylin Pharma (NASDAQ: AMLN) was raised to Hold from Sell at Citigroup.
  
• Louisiana Pacific (NYSE: LPX) was upgraded at RBC Capital to Sector Perform from Underperform.

Analyst downgrades:

• Jefferies downgraded shares of Ecolab (NYSE: ECL) to Hold from Buy and lowered its target to $50 from $55 to reflect risks to the company's earnings outlook from the weakening economy.
  
• Coca-Cola (NYSE: KO) was cut to Hold from Buy at Deutsche Bank as they believe the economic slowdown will bring slower volumes. Coca-Cola's target was lowered to $56 from $64.

Analyst upgrades:

• Banc of America upgraded shares of Pepsi Bottling (NYSE: PBG) to Buy from Neutral on valuation as they expect better leverage in FY09 and believe an overly bearish outlook is priced in. The company's target was raised to $37 from $35.
  
• Goldman upgraded Washington Mutual (NYSE: WM) to Neutral from Sell and said Q3 results were worse than expected but not as bad as the decline in shares suggests. The analyst said WaMu's capital and reserves appear stable and that the company might be able to avoid another capital raise. WaMu's target was raised to $4 from $5.
  
• Greenhill & Co (NYSE: GHL) was raised to Outperform from Market Perform at Wachovia.
  
• F5 Networks (NASDAQ: FFIV) was upgraded at JP Morgan to Overweight from Underweight.
  
• Baird upgraded Gilead Sciences (NASDAQ: GILD) to Outperform from Neutral.

Analyst downgrades:

• Jefferies downgraded PharmaNet Development (NASDAQ: PDGI) to Underperform from Buy following the lowered guidance as they believe the company's execution and cost control problems have not been solved. The company's target was lowered to $15 from $27.
  
• JP Morgan downgraded shares of Ericsson (NASDAQ: ERIC) to Underweight from Neutral to reflect their weak outlook for the company's Sony Ericsson (NYSE: SNE) handset unit.
  
• Deutsche Bank downgraded shares of Danaher (NYSE: DHR) to Hold from Buy on valuation and concerns about the company's FX exposure.
  
• Best Buy (NYSE: BBY) was cut to Neutral from Buy at UBS.
  
• Portugal Telecom (NYSE: PT) was lowered to sell from Neutral at UBS and to Underweight from Neutral at JP Morgan.
  
• Quality Systems (NASDAQ: QSII) and BioScrip (NASDAQ: BIOS) were downgraded to Neutral from Buy at Piper.

Analyst initiations:

• Jefferies initiated Massey Energy (NYSE: MEE) with a Buy rating and $80 target. The firm expects substantial margin improvement, free cash flow, and earnings growth with eastern utility coal inventory levels under pressure and a robust export and met coal market.
  
• William Blair started BioMarin Pharmaceutical (NASDAQ: BMRN) with an Outperform rating. The firm expects strong EPS growth during 2008-2010, thinks the company's pipeline is underappreciated by the Street, and feels expectations have been reset to a reasonable level.
• Friedman Billings initiated the Lodging sector with a Market Weight rating, starting InterContinental Hotels (NYSE: IHG) and Marriott (NYSE: MAR) with outperform ratings and targets of $16 and $34, respectively, and Starwood Hotels (NYSE: HOT) with a Market Perform rating.
• Citigroup initiated Diamond Offshore (NYSE: DO) with a Buy rating and $126 target.

MOST NOTEWORTHY: DPL Inc, IAC/InterActiveCorp, F5 Networks, Community Health and Parametric Technology were today's noteworthy upgrades:

• Baird upgraded DPL Inc (NYSE: DPL) to Outperform from Neutral following better-than-expected guidance.
  
• Citigroup upgraded IAC/InterActiveCorp (NASDAQ: IACI) to Buy from Hold as they believe HSN's turnaround, Lending Tree's stabilization and Ask's profitability ramp should drive EBITDA growth acceleration in 2008. The company was also upgraded to Overweight from Equal Weight at Lehman following IAC's better-than-expected Q3 report.
  
• Citigroup upgraded shares of F5 Networks Inc (NASDAQ: FFIV) to Buy from Hold, as they believe now is the time to buy the stock with sentiment at a low-point heading into an attractive 2008 product cycle.
  
• Stifel raised its rating on Community Health Systems Inc (NYSE: CYH) to Buy from Hold based on improved visibility from detailed 2008 guidance.
  
• Kaufman upgraded Parametric Technology Corporation (NASDAQ: PMTC) to Buy from Hold based on an impressive quarter and favorable industry trends.

OTHER UPGRADES:

• China Life Insurance Company Limited (NYSE: LFC) was upgraded to Peer Perform from Underperform at Bear.
  
• The Pep Boys - Manny, Moe & Jack (NYSE: PBY) was upgraded to Neutral from Sell at Goldman.
  
• JP Morgan added Nalco Holding Company (NYSE: NLC) to its Focus List.
  
• RBC upgraded Newmont Mining Corporation (NYSE: NEM) to Sector Perform from Underperform.

MOST NOTEWORTHY: Rockwell Automation, Barclays, F5 Networks, Foundry Networks, AMR Corp., and Red Hat were today's noteworthy downgrades:

• JP Morgan downgraded Rockwell Automation Inc (NYSE: ROK) to Neutral from Overweight based on valuation, as the firm believes the recent credit market turbulence could make a material recapitalization less likely.
  
• Bear Stearns downgraded shares of Barclays (NYSE: BCS) to Underperform from Peer Perform on valuation and expectations for losses in the company's Capital division.
  
• Nollenberger downgraded shares of F5 Networks Inc (NASDAQ: FFIV) to Neutral from Buy, as they believe the company is transitioning from a "beat and raise" story to a "meet and maintain" story given the recent disruptions in the financial services sector and slowing growth in active web hosts on the net. The firm also downgraded shares of Foundry Networks Inc (NASDAQ: FDRY) to Neutral from Buy on valuation, seeing a well balanced risk/reward profile at current levels.
  
• Soleil downgraded shares of AMR Corporation (NYSE: AMR) to Hold from Buy to reflect the company's deteriorating revenue and non-fuel cost outlook.
  
• Red Hat Inc (NYSE: RHT) was downgraded to Neutral from Outperform at Credit Suisse, citing lack of progress in execution.

OTHER DOWNGRADES:

• LDK Solar (NYSE: LDK) was downgraded at CIBC to Sector Performer from Outperformer.
  
• Friedman Billings downgraded Parker Hannifin Corporation (NYSE: PH) to Market Perform from Outperform.
  
• Morgan Keegan downgraded Cree Inc (NASDAQ: CREE) to Market Perform from Outperform.