Word of the Day

Commodity

Even if you don't think you do, you already know plenty about commodities. Want us to prove it? No problem.

What makes oil produced in Saudi Arabia different from oil exported from Nigeria? It's the same thing that makes the corn you ate at last summer¿s barbecue different from the corn used to produce ethanol. Stumped? Well, don't feel bad, it's a trick question. The answer? Absolutely nothing. Corn is corn no matter where it comes from -- just as wheat is wheat and natural gas is -- right! -- natural gas. (Though the quality may differ, the make-up is uniform.)

So, in less elaborate terms, corn and oil (and all other commodities) are homogenous goods that can be processed, resold and more often than not, used as an input to the production of other goods or services. These goods are traded on a commodity exchange, thus setting the price-per-barrel (or other metric unit) used to value them.

Now pay attention, here's a question that indeed does have an answer: What is the difference between a commodity and a stock? While a stock can tank and become worthless, a commodity cannot have its value be wiped to zero. One other difference: Most commodities are traded in futures, meaning traders buy and sell where they think the price of a product will be at a certain point in the future. Stocks trade based on the value of the underlying company at that point in time.

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Monday, October 06, 2008

AtriCure Announces Web Cast and Conference Call of Third Quarter 2008 Financial Results

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Comtex

WEST CHESTER, Ohio, Oct 06, 2008 /PRNewswire-FirstCall via COMTEX/ ----AtriCure, Inc. (Nasdaq: ATRC), a medical device company and a leader in cardiac surgical ablation products, will release its financial results for the third quarter ended September 30, 2008 on Tuesday, November 4, 2008.

AtriCure will host a conference call at 10:00 a.m. Eastern Time on Tuesday, November 4, 2008 to discuss its third quarter 2008 financial results. A live web cast of the conference call will be available online from the investor relations page of AtriCure's corporate web site at www.atricure.com.

Pre-registration is available for this call at the following URL:

https://www.theconferencingservice.com/prereg/key.process?key=PY349QM78

Pre-registering is recommended and only takes a few moments. You may pre-register at any time, including up to and after the call start time. Alternatively, if you prefer being placed into the call by an operator, please call 888-680-0894 for domestic callers and 617-213-4860 for international callers at least 15 minutes prior to the call start time and use reservation number 56371665.

The web cast will remain available on AtriCure's web site through December 4, 2008. A telephonic replay of the call will also be available until December 4, 2008. The replay dial-in numbers are 888-286-8010 for domestic callers and 617-801-6888 for international callers. Please use reservation code 31507701.

About AtriCure, Inc.

AtriCure, Inc. is a medical device company and a leader in developing, manufacturing and selling innovative cardiac surgical ablation systems designed to create precise lesions, or scars, in cardiac, or heart, tissue. Medical journals have described the adoption by leading cardiothoracic surgeons of the AtriCure Isolator(R) bipolar ablation system as a treatment alternative during open-heart surgical procedures to create lesions in cardiac tissue to block the abnormal electrical impulses that cause atrial fibrillation, or AF, a rapid, irregular quivering of the upper chambers of the heart. Additionally, medical journals and leading cardiothoracic surgeons have described the AtriCure Isolator(R) system as a promising treatment alternative for patients who may be candidates for sole-therapy minimally invasive procedures. AF affects more than 5.5 million people worldwide and predisposes them to a five-fold increased risk of stroke.

The FDA has cleared the AtriCure Isolator(R) system, including its Isolator Synergy(TM) ablation clamps, and AtriCure's multifunctional pen and Coolrail(TM) linear ablation device, for the ablation, or destruction, of cardiac tissue during surgical procedures. Additionally, the FDA has cleared AtriCure's multifunctional pen for temporary pacing, sensing, stimulating and recording during the evaluation of cardiac arrhythmias. To date, the FDA has not cleared or approved AtriCure's products for the treatment of AF. AtriCure's left atrial appendage clip system has not been approved for commercial use.

 Contact: AtriCure, Inc. Julie A. Piton Vice President and Chief Financial Officer (513) 755-4561
   jpiton@atricure.com

SOURCE AtriCure, Inc.

http://www.atricure.com

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