41.   Minnesota stocks, led by Minnesota Educational Computing Corp. and United HealthCare Corp., rose for the sixth straight day on investor optimism about corporate profits.

42.   Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corp. shares continued to rise on investor optimism over a plan to break it up into three separate companies controlled by a holding company.

43.   NTT shares posted its fourth day of gains on investor optimism over a plan to break it up into two regional and one long distance telephone companies.

44.   Peruvian stocks gained amid investor optimism that the corporate profits are poised to rise.

45.   Petrobras shares were bolstered by investor optimism over the prospects for a law allowing the company to concede the drilling rights to less profitable sites to competing oil companies.

46.   Profit reports for the first three months of the year are fueling investor optimism.

47.   Qatari stocks rose in the week ended Wednesday amid investor optimism about rising company earnings, brokers said.

48.   Premenos shares rocketed in value when they were initially sold in late September, when investor optimism about demand for Internet products was at a peak.

49.   Reports of higher-than-expected earnings from companies such as Citicorp helped boost investor optimism that stocks will keep rising.

50.   Reports on manufacturing, jobless claims and trade failed to dislodge investor optimism.