Stocks face a mixed opening this morning, with techs looking up a little and the rest of the market facing a slight downward open. Continued anthrax scares over the weekend are hurting the market.

Earnings news will also capture plenty of attention. Lexmark has reported increased profits, but also plans to cut 1,600 jobs based on a weak outlook. SBC Communications Inc. saw its profits slide 30%, and says it
plans to slash thousands of jobs. Conoco has seen its net income drop 48%, and 3M dropped 21% in the third quarter.

On the economic front, retailers enjoyed a 0.3% sales increase in August, offsetting the0.3% decline reported in July. Retail sales have held relatively steady since April. Sales by auto dealers, furniture stores and clothing stores have softened in recent months, which may indicate consumers cutting back on
discretionary purchases, says Statistics Canada. However, retail sales for the first eight months of 2001 were 5.0% higher than in the same period of 2000.

The U.S. Federal Reserve will release its latest rate decision tomorrow.

In Europe, stocks are generally up. Oil companies are leading the way on speculation that OPEC will cut production to boost prices. Also, Goldman, Sachs and UBS Warburg upped their estimates on Nokia Oyj. The FTSE is up 38 points to 5056. The CAC 40 has added 12 points to 4277. The DAX has added 12 points too, to 4525.

Overnight in Asia, stocks were mixed. The Nikkei gained 27 points to 10565. The Hang Seng dropped 28 points to 9798.

In other business news, Air Canada today announced the completion of $540 million in aircraft-related financing, providing for approximately $170 million of new funding.