Stock On The Move - March 24

Stocks Rise on Heavy Volumn:

• Lucent Technologies Inc. (LU): stock of the Murray Hill, NJ based communication service provider was trading in record volumn of 532 million shares on merger talk with Alcatel(ALA) for $34 billion. Shares of Lucent jumped 8.51% or 24 cents to $3.06 per share as the stock was the heaviest traded among all the US stock exchanges today.
• Hecla Mining Co.(HL): shares of Coeur Dalene, Idoho based silver, gold, lead and zinc mining company surged 8.35% or 47 cents to new 52 weeks high of $6.1 per share as gold future rose almost $10 to $560.5 an ounce on the New York Mercantile Exchange on soften US dollar. The stock was the seventh percentage gainer on NYSE behind Lucent Technologies with 5.8 million shares traded, more than twice as many as average volumn.

Stocks Drop on Heavy Volumn:

• Antigenics Inc. (AGEN): shares of New York based cancer drug maker dove 41.88% or $2.14 to new 52 weeks low of $2.97 after the company stoped the late-stage trial for its cancer drug Oncophage after disqualified patients were found by independent panel. The stock was the biggest decliner on Nasdaq today with 8 million shares traded, about 15 times average volumn.
• Idenix Pharmaceuticals Inc. (IDIX): shares of Cambridge, MA based human viral drug maker company plunged 28.05% or $5.68 to new 52 weeks low of $14.57 per share on analysts downgrade after the company lowered dosages of its hepatitis C treatment due to side effects. The stock was the second leading decliner on Nasdaq today with 8.5 million shares traded, about 17 times average volumn.