Analyst Upgrades

• Alcatel-Lucent (ALU) to buy from neutral at Goldman.
• Nvidia (NVDA) to outperform from market perform at JMP Securities.
• Verizon (VZ), AT&T (T), Leap Wireless (LEAP) and MetroPCS (PCS) to outperform from neutral at RW Baird.
• Illumina (ILMN) to buy from hold at Auriga.
• Sun Bancorp (SNBC) to neutral from sell at Janney Capital.
• American Tower (AMT), SBA Communications (SBAC) and Freeport McMoRan (FCX) to overweight from equal weight at Morgan Stanley.

Analyst Upgrades

• Disney (DIS) to buy from hold at Wunderlich.
• Pike Electric (PIKE) to outperform from market perform at FBR Capital.
• Kindred Healthcare (KND) to overweight from equal weight at Barclays.
• UBS (UBS) to hold from sell at Canaccord.
• Avery Dennison (AVY) and Take-Two (TTWO) to buy from neutral at BofA/Merrill.
• Mercer (MERC) to outperform from market perform at Raymond James.

Analyst Upgrades

• Micron (MU) to buy from neutral at UBS.
• Baker Hughes (BHI) to outperform from market perform at BMO Capital.
• PDL BioPharma (PDLI) to outperform from sector perform at RBC Capital.
• Fluor (FLR) and Rush Enterprises (RUSHA) to buy from neutral at BofA/Merrill.
• Camden Property (CPT) to outperform from neutral at Macquarie.
• Pinnacle Financial (PNFP) to buy from hold at Wunderlich.
• Linear Technology (LLTC) to neutral from reduce at Nomura.
• Hologic (HOLX) and Illumina (ILMN) to buy from hold at Citigroup.
• F5 Networks (FFIV) to buy from neutral at Gleacher.

Analyst Upgrades

• Dominion (D) to buy from hold at Deutsche Bank.
• Corinthian Colleges (COCO) to outperform from underperform at RBC Capital.
• Canadian National (CNI) to sector outperformer from sector performer at CIBC.
• DragonWave (DRWI) to buy from hold at Jefferies.
• Infosys (INFY) to overweight from equal weight at Morgan Stanley.
• SL Green Realty (SLG), Lexington Realty (LXP) and Taubman Centers (TCO) to overweight from neutral at JPMorgan.
• Sunstone Hotel (SHO) to buy from neutral and Extra Space Storage (EXR) to buy from hold at KeyBanc.

Analyst Upgrades

• BMO Capital upgraded Procter & Gamble (PG) to outperform from market perform as it views P&G's valuation as attractive and expects growth to pick up in the March quarter. The firm has a $74 price target for shares.
• Goldman upgraded Tupperware (TUP) to buy from neutral and raised its target for shares to $60 from $48.
• Stifel Nicolaus upgraded Scansource (SCSC) to buy from hold. The firm believes that the company's growth is poised to accelerate, allowing the stock's multiple to expand or even rise slightly. The firm has a $43 target for shares.
• CA Technologies (CA) was upgraded to outperform from sector perform at RBC Capital.
• Brady (BRC) was upgraded to market perform from underperform at BMO Capital.
• Lukoil (LUKOY) was upgraded to overweight from neutral at JPMorgan.

"Two of our long-standing buy recommendations are involved in selling products and services for the genetic research market: Affymetrix (AFFX) and Illumina (ILMN)," notes biotech and growth stock specialist Nate Pile.

The editor of Nate's Notes explains, "In a nutshell, both of these companies have developed technologies that allow researchers to do what is known as 'high-throughput genetic screening'.

"And, while the two companies are direct competitors in many of the markets in which they compete, we believe that both stocks should be bought at the current time.

Maybe it was the dollar rising earlier, maybe it was poor housing data from a drop in new home sales. Maybe they wanted more than a marginally positive durable goods reading. Maybe it was that oil inventory is back up. And then there is the notion that stocks have just gotten too far ahead of themselves and there were reports of a large strategist cutting GDP targets. But investors sold religiously today ahead of tomorrow's GDP figure.

Here were today's closing bell levels:

Dow 9,762.69 -119.48 (-1.21%)
S&P 500 1,042.63 -20.78 (-1.95%)
Nasdaq 2,059.61 -56.48 (-2.67%)

Top 10 Analyst Calls
Top Day Trader Alerts

Do you think we're going to see more or less genomics research in coming years? End of discussion.

Illumina (NASDAQ: ILMN) is the leading provider of equipment for genomics researchers and its lead is growing. Buy and hold may be almost dead, but it certainly applies to ILMN. The stock has been trashed along with the market, but it's simply the best at what it does - and getting better.

Your best strategy for life-changing profits?

This is a stock to buy for the long term to use as a base for selling calls. Or, even better, you can write some credit spreads, as the calls have terrific premiums.

Don't miss the complete list of biotech stocks to buy now.

And for more ways to profit, check out:

• The Best Cheap Stocks to Buy Now
• 5 Ways Twitter Can Make You a Better Trader

"Illumina (NASDAQ: ILMN) makes the Genome Analyzer, which is the workhorse of the genetic medicine revolution," says growth expert Mike Cintolo in The Cabot Top Ten Report.

"The Illumina Genome Analyzer is used by genomic research centers, academic institutions, agriculture and livestock companies, pharmaceutical companies, clinical research organizations and biotechnology companies all over the world.

"In the fourth quarter of 2008, for example, the company launched the In? nium HD HumanCytoSNP-12 BeadChip, a 12 sample BeadChip priced as low as $125 per sample that enables researchers to analyze nearly 300,000 genetic markers per sample.

Analyst upgrades:

• Baird upgraded Adtran (NASDAQ: ADTN) to Outperform from Neutral based on valuation, new product cycles, and confidence in 2H08 results.
  
• Morgan Stanley upgraded shares of Repsol (NYSE: REP) to Overweight from Equal Weight as they believe the potential sale to Sacyr Vallehermoso SA could lead to a restructuring.
  
• Stanford lifted National Oilwell Varco (NYSE: NOV) to Buy from Hold citing valuation. In addition, the firm, which set a target of $70, thinks most of the drop in commodity prices is now over.
• Ryanair (NASDAQ: RYAAY) was raised to Hold from Sell at Societe Generale.
  
• Ann Taylor (NYSE: ANN) was upgraded at Piper to Neutral from Sell.
  
• Goldman added Illinois Tool Works (NYSE: ITW) to the Conviction Buy List.

Analyst downgrades:

• Argus downgraded shares of Constellation Energy (NYSE: CEG) to Hold from Buy post-close given the volatility in the stock as they can no longer recommend CEG until concerns over its capital and liquidity are resolved. Shares were also downgraded to Hold from Buy at Citigroup.
  
• Collins Stewart downgraded Lloyds TSB Group (NYSE: LYG) to Hold from Buy following the acquisition of HBOS (OTC: HBOOY) as they expect short-term weakness in the stock.

No matter what any CEO, analyst, "guru", "market expert", strategist, fund manager, trader or message board poster says (few show all their trades and investments like me, nor are they up 60% in 2008, see details here), never try to catch a falling knife. Before I list all the current ones, I really have to pound it into your heads that buying these things in hugely uncertain -- and possibly disastrous -- times like these is not only dangerous, it's just plain irresponsible.

Here are some current falling knives:

• General Electric Co. (NYSE: GE)
• General Motors Corp (NYSE: GM)
• Citigroup Inc (NYSE: C)
• Merrill Lynch & Co Inc (NYSE: MER)
• Washington Mutual Inc (NYSE: WM)
• Bank of America (NYSE: BAC)
• American International Group Inc (NYSE: AIG)

Now, I don't want to hear those "I'm a long-term investor in blue-chip stocks" and "these are quality companies trading at discount prices"-type comments. While it's possible these stocks will bounce, the risk-reward ratio is downright awful here, just as its been for the past several months (as I've been warning in posts like this and this).

Google (NASDAQ: GOOG) this, Apple Inc (NASDAQ: AAPL) that, will Lehman Brothers Holdings (NYSE: LEH) follow Bear Stearns (NYSE: BSC) -- bleh, all hotly debated, all random market noise! Noise that you must learn to ignore.

The financial media -- envious of the fat profits generated by such entertainment-based businesses as World Wrestling Entertainment Inc (NYSE: WWE), Las Vegas Sands Corp. (NYSE: LVS) and Wynn Resorts (NASDAQ: WYNN) -- has brainwashed you into believing that in order to make money in the stock market, you must keep up to date with every single headline and development in the business world. Hogwash!

I have no problem with financial entertainment, but I do take issue with all these media outlets making their content out to be useful to investors. I've repeatedly echoed this theme in articles like this and I don't expect this industry to change anytime soon, but I am going to keep preaching so you will better understand how low your chances of success are if you bet on the most popular -- hence the most efficient -- topics du jour. Unless you are George Soros or Warren Buffett or a few other wealthy elderly men, there is always somebody better informed and more intelligent than you are. Hence, you are always at a disadvantage.

Standard Pacific (NYSE: SPF) is up 22% on better-than-expected earnings.

Illumina (NASDAQ: ILMN) is trading higher by 8% on improved guidance.

SiRF Technology (NASDAQ: SIRF) is off 42% on disappointing earnings.

VCA Antech (NASDAQ: WOOF) is down 22% on a weak earnings forecast.

Stocks may trade differently in the pre-market than they do in the regular session.

Douglas A. McIntyre is an editor at 247wallst.com.

MOST NOTEWORTHY: Home Depot, Seaspan and Pharmasset were today's noteworthy initiations:

• Morgan Keegan initiated Home Depot (NYSE: HD) with a Market Perform rating, citing valuation and the possibility that housing continues to deteriorate in 2008.
  
• Oppenheimer believes Seaspan (NASDAQ: SSW) is well positioned within the containership sector given its modern fleet profile and entrenched liner relationships. The firm assumed coverage with an Outperform rating and $32 target.
  
• JMP Securities initiated shares of Pharmasset (NASDAQ: VRUS) with a Market Outperform rating and $35 target and believes R7128 is evolving to be the premier product in hepatitis C. The firm expects a phase 2b trial evaluating R7128 in combination with standard of care to be initiated in 2H08 by partner Roche (OTC: RHHBY).

OTHER INITIATIONS:

• UBS started BioMarin (NASDAQ: BMRN) with a Neutral rating and $38 target.
  
• First Analysis initiated Ecolab (NYSE: ECL) with an Equal Weight rating.
  
• Illumina (NASDAQ: ILMN) was initiated with an Overweight rating at JP Morgan.

Illumina (NASDAQ: ILMN): Settles patent lawsuit with major rival Affymetrix (NASDAQ: AFFX). Shares trade up to $75.20 against 52-week low of $28.11.

Kinross Gold (NYSE: KGC): Price of gold and gold producers just keeps rising. Stock moves up to $22.86 from 52-week low of $9.87.

Yamana Gold (NYSE: AUY): Gold again. Rises to $16.30 from 52-week low of $8.40.

PepsiCo (NYSE: PEP): Soft-drinks sales aren't hurt by recessions, as far as anyone knows. Trades up to $79.79 from 52-week low of $61.89.

Douglas A. McIntyre is an editor at 247wallst.com.