Companies featured in the current edition of the newsletter:  ACTC, ENZ, IMUC, IWEB, MCLN, NXOI, OMCM, PHC, PSID, SRCO, XSNX

March picked up where February left off…with stocks surging higher. The Dow rose to 10,566, bulking up 241 points, or 2.3%.  It is now up 1.3% for the year. The Nasdaq also made some large gains, adding 3.9% to close at 2,326, 88 points higher than the week before and up 2.3% for the year. The S&P 500 closed the week out at 1,139, up 34 points, 3.1%, from the week prior and up 2.1% on the year. The Russell 2000 finished out the week strong, adding 37 points or 5.9% to close at 666, up an impressive 6.5% year-to-date. 

In economic news, the Fed reported that economic conditions are improving slowly so far in 2010, although progress in several areas of the East Coast faltered as a result of the blizzards. Winter storms, with help from the Toyota crisis, were also behind February auto sales falling short of predictions. The industry did, however, increase sales 13% to 10.4 million, propelled largely by fleet sales.  The ISM index had a weaker showing than expected, as it dropped to 56.5%, one percent less than an expected drop to 57.5%. Pending home sales for January fell 7.6% to 90.4 from 97.8 in December.  Unemployment held steady at 9.7 percent, narrowly beating an expected rate of 9.8.  Employers cut 36,000 jobs last month, below economists’ forecasts for 50,000 cuts. 

This will be another quiet week where earnings are concerned, as there are few companies issuing results that are likely to move the markets.  Economic data reports begin late in the week with announcement of Wholesale inventories at 10:00am Wednesday morning, followed by weekly crude inventories at 10:30am.  Initial and Continuing Unemployment Claims will be released at 8:30am Thursday morning, as well the Trade Balance for December.  On Friday, January Retail Sales numbers are scheduled to be announced at 8:30am, followed by the University of Michigan Consumer Sentiment Report at 9:55am and December Business Inventories at 10:00am. 

The week’s conference schedule starts with the Brean Murray, Carret & Co. Global Resources & Infrastructure Conference in New York. On Monday, as well as the three-day Credit Suisse Global Media and Communications Conference in Palm Beach, FL, the 4^th Annual Jefferies and Co. Global Technology Conference in New York and the Stifel Nicolas Consumer Conference in New York.  The Cowen and Company Healthcare Conference will be held in Boston from March 8^th – 11^th and the Raymond James Institutional Investors Conference runs from March 7^th – 10^th in Orlando, FL. Tuesday sees the start of the Canaccord Adams Musculoskeletal Conference in New Orleans,  the Wedbush Morgan Securities New York Management Access Conference and the 3^rd Annual Goldman Sachs Consumer/Retail Leveraged Finance Conference, also in New York.  The two-day JPMorgan Aviation, Transportation & Defense Conference in New York and the UBS Technology Conference in London will also begin Tuesday.  On Wednesday, the Citi Financial Services Conference and the Bank of America-Merrill Lynch Consumer Conference both begin in New York.  Gartner, Inc. (NYSE: IT) and Visa, Inc. (NYSE: V) will both hold their Investor Day on March 11^th, in New York and San Francisco, respectively.  Thursday also marks the beginning of the Morgan Stanley Utilities Conference in New York. 

Shares of Enzo Biochem, Inc., (NYSE: ENZ) jumped 14.5% to $5.99, highlighted more than five times average volume on Monday, after the company said that the Board of Patent Appeals and Interferences of the United States Patent and Trademark Office has entered a judgment in favor of Enzo and against Bayer HealthCare LLC in a patent interference proceeding relating to Enzo Life Science’s application for nucleic acid signal amplification and Bayer’s U.S. Patent No. 5,124,246.  Subject to any requests for rehearing or appeals that Bayer might file, the effect of this judgment is that Enzo will be the senior party in any litigation, which is a significant advantage in proving infringement.  The company also announced the appointment of Robert Boorstein, MD, PhD, as the new Medical Director of Enzo Clinical Labs, a full service clinical reference laboratory serving the metropolitan New York City medical community.  Dr. Boorstein is an Associate Professor of Pathology at the NYU School of Medicine.  Shares of ENZ were up $0.76 for the week. 

PositiveID Corporation (NASDAQ: PSID) received favorable coverage from Forbes on last week, recommending PSID as an investment candidate.  Forbes highlighted the significance of a glucose-sensing implantable microchip that PSID is developing that can monitor glucose constantly without the need for finger pricking, as well as the company’s focus on rapid testing solutions for viruses, specifically influenza.  The article also mentioned PSID’s recent acquisition of Easy Check Medical Diagnostics.  Shares of PSID closed at $1.60, up $0.20, or 14.3%. 

PHC, Inc., (AMEX: PHC), a leading provider of inpatient and outpatient behavioral health services, announced that it has opened a ten-bed adolescent unit at its Seven Hills Behavioral Institute (SHBI) in Henderson, Nevada.  The Hospital provides psychiatric, alcohol and drug addiction treatment for adolescents and adults.  The new Unit is expected to generate $2 million in annual revenue and make SHBI profitable.  Based upon margins for other profitable facilities operated by the company, the unit could generate as much as 4 cents per share in EPS. Since PHC earned 3 cents per share for the first six months of its fiscal year, the new unit could represent a significant increase in earnings. Shares of PHC closed at $1.38, up $0.14, or 11.3%.

Volume Alert:  Advanced Cell Technology, Inc. (OTCBB: ACTC) surged on more than three times average volume last week on news that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) had granted orphan drug designation for the company’s MA09-hRPE cells for use in the treatment of Stargardt’s Macular Dystrophy (SMD).  As a result, the company is eligible to receive a number of benefits, including tax credits, access to grant funding for clinical trials, accelerated FDA approval and allowance for marketing exclusivity after drug approval for a period of as long as seven years.  The company’s recent research involving therapeutic cell types obtained from induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells was also featured last week in the prestigious scientific journal SCIENCE as strong interest in its science continues.  The research was recently covered in Scientific America, USA Today and Newsweek, among others. shares on Shares of ACTC closed at $0.1015, down $0.0085, or 7.7%.

XsunX, Inc. (OTCBB: XSNX), the developer of advanced, thin-film photovoltaic (TFPV) solar cell technologies and manufacturing processes, said that the company was invited to participate in the International Workshop on CIGS Solar Cell Technology in Berlin, Germany from April 20 – 22, 2010.  Chief Technology Officer Robert Wendt is scheduled to present the company's unique cross-industry CIGS (copper indium gallium di selenide) thin-film manufacturing technology to an audience of distinguished scientists and executives from the solar industry.  Shares of XSNX closed at $0.125, up $0.005, or 3.8%.

ImmunoCellular Therapeutics, Ltd. (OTCBB: IMUC), a biotechnology company that is developing immune-based therapies for the treatment of various forms of cancer, announced it had received a Notice of Allowance on monoclonal antibody ICT-69 which targets multiple myeloma and ovarian cancers.  The antibody has demonstrated high specificity to these cancers by targeting a novel cell surface antigen.  Shares of IMUC closed at $0.90, down $0.04, or 4.3%.

OmniComm Systems, Inc. (OTCBB: OMCM), a global provider of eClinical solutions, announced the release of TrialOne, a fully integrated, MS .NET, web-based solution designed to automate the Phase I Clinical Trial Process.  TrialOne provides all necessary web-based tools used to recruit study volunteers, schedule screening appointments, collect screening data, directly capture real-time data, track sample transfers and address the unique requirements of early phase studies.  The company also announced that it was selected by a leading pharmaceutical company to provide OmniComm's flagship electronic data capture (EDC) Solution, TrialMaster, for a Phase III study of a drug to test a central nervous system disorder.  OMCM was also selected by an east coast biotechnology company as "vendor of choice" to perform EDC for an upcoming Phase II clinical study focusing on a central nervous system disorder.  OMCM believes that the client plans to run additional studies on the TrialMaster™ platform throughout 2010.  Shares of OMCM closed at $0.20, up $0.02, or 11.1%.

Volume Alert: MedClean Technologies, Inc. (OTCBB: MCLN) announced record earnings last week.  The company increased full-year revenue 21.4% to $2.5 million from $2.1 million last year, and increased gross margin to 50.3% from 18.6% for FY 2008.  Net loss for the year decreased over 30% to $(5.4) million, or $(0.01) per share versus a loss of $(7.8) million, or $(0.03) per share last year.  Shares of MCLN closed at $0.024, up $0.004, or 20%.

Sparta Commercial Services, Inc. (OTCBB: SRCO) announced last week that it forecasts a twenty-percent rate of growth in its Municipal Lease Product during 2010, based on the growth experienced and figures achieved in 2009.  Since expanding the asset classes that qualify for the Municipal Lease Product in September 2009, Sparta has received a noticeable increase in inquiries from manufacturers, vendors, dealers, and municipalities in various parts of the country and is pursuing those opportunities.  As a result of the growth in interest parties, the Company is intensifying its marketing efforts in support of its Municipal Lease Product.  With the recent addition of more cities and towns to Sparta's roster of municipalities under contract for the leasing of vehicles and other equipment, and the rapidly growing number of inquiries from other agencies around the country, the Company believes that refocusing additional resources to its marketing activity is essential.  Shares of SRCO closed at $0.025, up $0.005, or 16.7%.

Next One Interactive, Inc. (OTCBB: NXOI) announced that their Board of Directors has agreed to make available the necessary capital required to allow management to aggressively expand the Resort and Residence Linear Network, as well as its planned Interactive and Video on Demand solutions.  The company also celebrated the launch of its Resort and Residence Television Network, which focuses on two passion categories, travel and home/real estate.  The network is in the process of refining its initial programming line-up and is employing give-away contests in an effort to reach out to its viewers.  Shares of NXOI closed at $0.655, down $0.095, or 12.7%.

IceWEB, Inc. (OTCBB: IWEB), a leading provider of purpose built appliances and building blocks for cloud storage networks, said last week that new research released suggested that while enterprises are showing a cautious face to the world of cloud computing, companies that have already implemented cloud computing are planning to increase spending in that area.  Perhaps for that reason, the company was awarded a NASA sub-contract under the agency’s Solutions for Enterprise-wide Procurement (SEWP) IV Government-Wide Acquisition Contract, and received orders for a 96TB Geospatial Platform and an 18TB Storage Platform.  The company is preparing to release a solution which will provide direct connectivity for iPhone and iPod touch devices to the Company's Iplicity Consolidated Storage Environment.  The solution will be utilized to store, manage and index massive Geospatial data-sets.  Shares of IWEB closed at $0.17, up $0.03, or 21.4%.

A profile, description, or other mention of a company in the newsletter is neither an offer nor solicitation to buy or sell any securities mentioned. While we believe all sources of information to be factual and reliable, in no way do we represent or guarantee the accuracy thereof, nor the statements made herein.  THE READER SHOULD VERIFY ALL CLAIMS AND DO ITS OWN DUE DILIGENCE BEFORE INVESTING IN ANY SECURITIES MENTIONED.  This publication accepts compensation from companies that it features.  This newsletter should not be regarded as an independent publication.  Our editors may, from time to time, acquire positions in the companies that they cover.  This could represent a conflict of interest.  The CEOcast newsletter shall be under no obligation to inform readers about its trading activities.  CEOcast's editors reserve the right to buy or sell shares in these companies at any time.  The following companies, featured in this newsletter, have compensated CEOcast:  Advanced Cell Technology, seven thousand five hundred dollars per month, plus warrants to purchase up to fifteen million shares of stock; iceWEB, seven thousand five hundred dollars per month in cash, plus seven thousand five hundred dollars in stock per month for a six-month agreement; PHC, seven thousand five hundred dollars per month; Hythiam, ten thousand dollars per month and two hundred fifty thousand shares for a one-year agreement; ImmunoCellular Therapeutics, twelve thousand five hundred dollars per month; OmniComm, thirteen thousand six hundred and fifty dollars per month, payable in cash and common stock for a one year agreement; Next One Interactive, fifteen thousand dollars per month, payable in cash and common stock for a one year agreement; Sparta Commercial, twelve thousand five hundred dollars per month through a combination of cash and stock; XsunX, Thirteen thousand seven hundred fifty dollars per month through a combination of cash and stock; MedClean Technologies, seven thousand five hundred dollars per month and six million shares for a one-year agreement; Enzo Biochem, seventeen thousand dollars per month.