Copyright (c) 2006 Stockpickr. All rights reserved. http://www.stockpickr.com/ en-us Enter a portfolio, get recommendations automatically from hedge funds, mutual funds, super investors. http://www.stockpickr.com/images/stockpickr.jpg http://www.stockpickr.com/ 144 17 http://www.stockpickr.com/problog/2139/ By Jonas Elmerraji Posted on March 19, 2010 Last week was a comparatively quiet one for dividend stocks, particularly given the slew of investor payouts that capped off earnings season and Wall Street’s record week for dividend payment boosts earlier this month. But the previous week still saw some big name increases -- including Staples (SPLS) and Applied Materials (AMAT) -- two companies that normally get no shortage of analyst attention. Analysts should be taking a closer look at the entire list of dividend-boosting stocks from last week -- after all, a dividend increase is a significant signal in this economy. Historically, companies that pay higher dividends materially outperform those that don’t, and when the ma... Fri, 19 Mar 2010 13:52:45 CDT http://www.stockpickr.com/problog/2138/ By Roberto Pedone Posted on March 19, 2010 According to Jim Cramer, the stock market could catch a cold from health care reform. In a March 18 RealMoney blog post, he said the possibility of health care reform passing the House this weekend is the most threatening event to the strength of this market. He mentioned that market players could get nervous about owning stocks, especially with the favorable tax treatment going away. Cramer mentioned that if health care reform passes, it could usher in a double-dip recession. He explained that he’s pro what helps stocks go higher, and he’s anti what sends the down. Cramer recommended putting more money in foreign stocks and more in gold. “Like the 10% gold, 30% over... Fri, 19 Mar 2010 10:15:39 CDT http://www.stockpickr.com/problog/2137/ By Jonas Elmerraji Posted on March 18, 2010 Short sellers beware; stocks are seeing a buyer’s market this week. Now that the S&P 500 and the Dow Jones Industrial Average have cleared major resistance levels -- at 1150 and 10,700 respectively -- investors seem to be comfortable being bullish once again, whether or not they should be. Case in point: this week’s big name technical charts. Technical analysis uses a stock’s price movements to determine where shares are headed in the future. Technical charts are used every day by proprietary trading floors, the street's biggest financial firms and individual investors to get an edge on the market. And according to some sources, skilled technical traders can bank... Thu, 18 Mar 2010 13:01:34 CDT http://www.stockpickr.com/problog/2136/ By Roberto Pedone Posted on March 18, 2010 According to CNBC’s “Fast Money” traders, the easy money trades are still the way to play this market after the Federal Reserve announced it will keep interest rates at record lows. On Tuesday’s “Fast Money” show, Pete Najarian told viewers that names such as Intel (INTC) and IBM (IBM) led the Dow higher. He said that in this low-interest-rate environment, investors are buying quality growth stocks and companies that could increase dividends. Najarian thinks this is where market players can expect to find performance going forward. Joe Terranova thinks the S&P 500 is going to push towards 1200. He agreed with Najarian that quality names su... Thu, 18 Mar 2010 08:10:52 CDT http://www.stockpickr.com/problog/2135/ Posted on March 17, 2010 Regardless of why a stock is in the news, it never hurts to hear what a professional investor has to say about it. The key is to gather as much information as you can in order to make the most informed investment decisions you can. As Jim Cramer (read an excerpt from his new book here) often reminds, investors must do their homework. So what has Cramer had to say lately about today's headline-makers? At Stockpickr, we've combed through his recent RealMoney blog posts, "Mad Money" TV show recaps and "Stop Trading!" segments to find out what he thinks about some of today's newsworthy stocks. Google (GOOG): FBR increased its 2010 estimates for Google due to advertising-market strength ... Wed, 17 Mar 2010 12:15:44 CDT http://www.stockpickr.com/problog/2134/ By Jonas Elmerraji Posted on March 17, 2010 Investors have always had a love/hate relationship with so-called “sin stocks” -- companies that operate businesses that some consider morally dubious -- but whichever side of the fence you’re on, this week’s short-squeeze opportunities could present significant gain potential. But before we get into those, let’s cover the basics. Sin stocks include industries such as tobacco, gambling and alcohol -- even defense contractors fall into this category. Socially conscious investing has become increasingly popular in the last few years, as new mutual funds with specially vetted investments popped up on the scene. These funds, which include the Ave Maria C... Wed, 17 Mar 2010 08:09:17 CDT http://www.stockpickr.com/problog/2133/ By Jonas Elmerraji Posted on March 16, 2010 This week could prove to be an interesting one for market participants as the S&P 500 index struggles to push up against 52-week resistance at 1150. If stocks are able to make a sustained move above that level, the implications could be huge for long-side investors, because the potential for another sizable rally in 2010 will be in full force. But instead of being a slave to the broad market indices, it’s time to look at promising technical setups. Technical analysis is a way for investors to quantify qualitative factors such as investor psychology based on a stock’s chart patterns and trends. Once the domain of cloistered trading teams on Wall Street, technicals can he... Tue, 16 Mar 2010 11:55:58 CDT http://www.stockpickr.com/problog/2132/ By Roberto Pedone Posted on March 15, 2010 Large-Cap Quality Players: Barron’s talks with Steven Gorham and Nevin Chitkara, portfolio managers of the 14-year-old MFS Value Fund (MEIAX). Gorham and Chitkara focus on large-cap quality companies with strong balance sheets, and plenty of cash flow that can be returned to shareholders. Among the stocks in their portfolio are Johnson & Johnson (JNJ), Bank of New York Mellon (BK) and Lockheed Martin (LMT). Bullish and Bearish: Each week, Barron’s publishes bullish and bearish stories on a variety of stocks. We present summaries of those stories in this portfolio. This week, there are bullish stories on Lowe’s Companies (LOW), Dr Pepper Snapple Group (DPS) and... Mon, 15 Mar 2010 12:08:50 CDT http://www.stockpickr.com/problog/2131/ By Jonas Elmerraji Posted on March 15, 2010, at 8 a.m. EDT Financial reform should be this week’s biggest buzzword as details of Capitol Hill’s latest plans start to come to light. With reports that Sen. Dodd’s soon-to-be unveiled reform bill will grant the Fed new oversight powers, Wall Street’s reception of the proposed legislation could strongly weigh into how stocks start their week. But new bills aren’t the Fed’s only appearance this week. The central bank will also be unveiling its latest interest rate decision amid a bevy of economic data that’s set to be released in before this coming Friday. With the markets enjoying unstable gains on hopes of economic recove... Mon, 15 Mar 2010 08:02:07 CDT http://www.stockpickr.com/problog/2130/ By Jonas Elmerraji Posted on March 12, 2010 Dividend-paying companies took a mini-break from hiking their payouts to shareholders last week. Only 14 companies announced increased dividends, down from a record 35 the week before. That sort of decrease is normal as earnings season winds down and companies start saving up for next quarter’s distributions. But just because fewer stocks hiked their yields doesn’t mean that last week was any less significant. After all, some of the biggest stocks on Wall Street raised dividends last week. And just as important, dozens of fixed-income funds did as well. While funds aren’t normally part of our weekly look at dividend-raisers, it’s certainly worth noting when b... Fri, 12 Mar 2010 14:15:14 CST http://www.stockpickr.com/problog/2129/ By Roberto Pedone Posted on March 12, 2010 According to Jim Cramer, the stock market is trading higher for some very good reasons! In a March 11 RealMoney.com blog post, he said that a year ago we used to talk about “green shoots,” but now we don’t even say that because we have trees shooting up everywhere. He cited some examples, such as the Baltic Freight staying strong, rail-car loadings up double digits, big increases in the price of steel and the rapid increase of rents at shopping malls. Cramer also pointed out the increase in production at Boeing (BA), and the resurrection of Ford Motor (F) and even of Citigroup (C). And now Cramer sees two new trees sprouting up. The first is Caterpillar (CAT) talking... Fri, 12 Mar 2010 08:40:12 CST http://www.stockpickr.com/problog/2128/ By Jonas Elmerraji Posted on March 11, 2010 The S&P 500 refuses to back down from its rally after posting gains in eight of the last 10 trading days. That’s a colossal run, particularly given the bearish sentiment that some traders were feeling following the enormous selloff in the first month of 2010. But with the market edging precariously close to a significant resistance level at 1150, can stocks stand a chance going into next week? To find out, let’s look once again at how some of Wall Street’s biggest names are trading using technical analysis. Technical analysis uses a stock’s price movements to determine where shares are headed in the future. Technical charts are used every day by propri... Thu, 11 Mar 2010 10:37:31 CST http://www.stockpickr.com/problog/2127/ By Roberto Pedone Posted on March 11, 2010 According to CNBC’s “Fast Money” traders, M&A activity is what will likely be the big driver going forward for the stock market. On Tuesday’s “Fast Money” show, Pete Najarian said he’s keeping an ear open for M&A rumors. He said options activity suggests M&A will continue to drive this market. Joe Terranova said the S&P 500 wants to go above 1150. He thinks it’s just a matter of finding a catalyst, and that catalyst could easily be M&A. Terranova mentioned that there’s speculation that British bank Barclays (BCS) is looking to make a big acquisition, and if it’s true, it could power the marke... Thu, 11 Mar 2010 08:29:06 CST http://www.stockpickr.com/problog/2126/ By Jonas Elmerraji Posted on March 10, 2010, at 10:44 a.m. If there’s one industry that traders like to target, it’s the pharmaceutical indsutry. After all, pharma plays can make huge intraday profits on fast-moving FDA news, rumors and even speculation. And pharmaceutical companies have largely been immune to the health care reform uproar on both sides of the aisle on Capitol Hill -- because no matter how we pay for the next breakthrough drugs, the companies that develop them will continue to collect significant revenues. But some of the biggest pharma gains are in the short squeezes. A short squeeze is the buying frenzy that ensues when a heavily shorted stock starts to look attractive again to investors, causi... Wed, 10 Mar 2010 10:45:41 CST http://www.stockpickr.com/problog/2125/ By Jonas Elmerraji Posted on March 9, 2010 Stock futures look set to take a pause on Tuesday, following a sizable rally that pushed the S&P 500 from just above 1100 all the way to yesterday’s close at 1138.50. That reprieve from gains comes just in time. With a significant resistance level at 1150, the odds of pushing an overbought market even higher look slim. Now that the market appears to be taking a day to regroup, the odds of actually breaking new ground look significantly stronger. But we’re not all that concerned with broad market moves today. Instead, it’s time once again to take a technical look at the stocks that are best inclined for a breakout this week. Technical analysis is a way for inv... Tue, 09 Mar 2010 13:06:10 CST http://www.stockpickr.com/problog/2124/ Posted on March 9, 2010 Regardless of why a stock is in the news, it never hurts to hear what a professional investor has to say about it. The key is to gather as much information as you can in order to make the most informed investment decisions you can. As Jim Cramer (read an excerpt from his new book here) often reminds, investors must do their homework. So what has Cramer had to say lately about today's headline-makers? At Stockpickr, we've combed through his recent RealMoney blog posts, "Mad Money" TV show recaps and "Stop Trading!" segments to find out what he thinks about some of today's newsworthy stocks. Cisco (CSCO): Cisco revealed its next-generation CRS-3 routerTuesday. In a blog post yesterday,... Tue, 09 Mar 2010 12:04:41 CST http://www.stockpickr.com/problog/2123/ By Roberto Pedone Posted on March 8, 2010 Top Natural-Resource Plays: Barron’s talks with MacKenzie Davis and Ken Settles, co-managers of the RS Global Natural Resource Fund (RSNRX). Davis and Settles believe that with some commodity stocks, you’re not just buying natural-resource producers, you’re buying great companies. Among the stocks in their portfolio are Goldcorp (GG) Agnico-Eagle Mines (AEM) and Compass Minerals International (CMP). Bullish and Bearish: Each week, Barron’s publishes bullish and bearish stories on a variety of stocks. We present summaries of those stories in this portfolio. This week, there are bullish stories on C.H. Robinson Worldwide (CHRW) and Mobile TeleSystems (MBT), p... Mon, 08 Mar 2010 14:19:37 CST http://www.stockpickr.com/problog/2122/ By Jonas Elmerraji Posted on March 8, 8:26 a.m. EST Despite clouds forming over the markets ahead of March’s first trading day last Monday, U.S. stocks managed to battle through one of their strongest weeks in recent memory -- and the S&P 500 index jumped 3.1% as investors absorbed decent jobs numbers on Friday. But as strong as the S&P’s performance was last week, our Rocket Stocks managed to fare better once again. Rocket Stocks, our weekly list of beaten-down stocks with near-term growth catalysts and long-term growth potential, seek to separate the cream from the investing crop. In the last five trading days, our five Rocket Stock picks have delivered 3.42% gains, bringing our performance over the S&... Mon, 08 Mar 2010 08:26:10 CST http://www.stockpickr.com/problog/2121/ By Jonas Elmerraji Posted at 12:41 p.m. EST on March 5, 2010 This past week has been a strong one for stocks -- finally. The market has seen moderate positive action for the last five consecutive trading days, pushing the S&P 500 index up 1.7% for the first week of March. But there’s even more bullish sentiment to be found in the world of dividend stocks. Last week marked a record for dividend increase announcements: 35 stocks increased their payouts to shareholders last week, besting the first week of February’s 29-stock ramp up. That uptick in dividend activity bodes well for the market; after all, it takes a company with strong financial health to part with liquidity right now. But dividend increases... Fri, 05 Mar 2010 12:42:25 CST http://www.stockpickr.com/problog/2120/ By Roberto Pedone Posted at 8:17 a.m. EST on Mach 5, 2010 According to Jim Cramer, America is the worst place to invest -- except for the rest of the world. On Wednesday’s “Mad Money” TV show, Cramer told viewers to stop thinking so narrowly about investing in the U.S., because the U.S. may be bad, but it’s not nearly the worst. Cramer pointed out that China has problems because investors are worried their economy is slowing down and that soon their asset bubble will burst. Even famed short-seller James Chanos is calling the country one of the greatest shorts on earth. Japan, Cramer said, is a no-growth economy that will stay no-growth. Australia has been strong, but it depends on China for exports,... Fri, 05 Mar 2010 08:18:33 CST http://www.stockpickr.com/problog/2119/ By Jonas Elmerraji Posted at 11:48 a.m. EST on March 4, 2010 The Federal Reserve Board released its semi-quarterly Beige Book yesterday, a report that outlines the nation’s current economic conditions. While the numbers indicated another period of moderate growth, investors reacted by slamming their collective brakes and shoving the market down to a flat close for the day. But it doesn’t matter which way the broad market ends the week; we’re going to take a look at how the big-name stocks are trading technically and see whether or not it’s time to make a profitable play. Technical analysis uses a stock’s price movements to determine where shares are headed in the future. Technical charts ar... Thu, 04 Mar 2010 11:49:20 CST http://www.stockpickr.com/problog/2118/ Analyst David MacDougall is hosting a live chat in the Stockpickr Forums on March 4, starting at 10 a.m. EST. By Roberto Pedone Posted at 8:21 a.m. EST on March 4, 2010 The traders of CNBC’s “Fast Money” think that commodities are starting to make a comeback. On Wednesday’s “Halftime Report” report segment, Steve Cortes told viewers that if crude oil can close above $80 a barrel, it would generally be bullish for commodities. He said the action in oil makes him want to get long soybeans because they tend to trade correlated to trends in crude oil. Joe Terranova said the trade right now is all about commodities and natural resources. He pointed out that commodities have hung in th... Thu, 04 Mar 2010 08:21:58 CST http://www.stockpickr.com/problog/2117/ Posted at 3:23 p.m. EST on March 2, 2010 Regardless of why a stock is in the news, it never hurts to hear what a professional investor has to say about it. The key is to gather as much information as you can in order to make the most informed investment decisions you can. As Jim Cramer (read an excerpt from his new book here) often reminds, investors must do their homework. So what has Cramer had to say lately about today's headline-makers? At Stockpickr, we've combed through his recent RealMoney blog posts, "Mad Money" TV show recaps and "Stop Trading!" segments to find out what he thinks about some of today's newsworthy stocks. Kohl's (KSS): Kohl's announced that it opened nine new stores, with plans to open... Wed, 03 Mar 2010 15:23:58 CST http://www.stockpickr.com/problog/2116/ By Jonas Elmerraji Posted at 11: 41 a.m. EST on March 3, 2010 There’s no question that the global recession put the squeeze on travel stocks. After all, as consumers cut back discretionary spending, lush vacations were one of the first things to get the axe -- and in the corporate world, with budgets shrinking and communications technology moving at breakneck speed, travel stocks have been getting an even smaller portion of the business travel pie. Now that we’re well into 2010, with the airlines, hotels and travel agents starting to see decent cash flow once again amid a recent hike in consumer spending, is it time to go long travel stocks? Economic fundamentals continue to remain shaky right now, so instead of b... Wed, 03 Mar 2010 11:42:51 CST http://www.stockpickr.com/problog/2115/ Analyst Jake Lynch is hosting a live chat in the Stockpickr Forums today, from 1 p.m. to 2 p.m. Log in or sign up at Stockpickr and submit your questions now! By Jonas Elmerraji Posted on March 2, 2010 Could March be the start of a rally in 2010? Following two months of fickle stock market performance, futures are pointing to a second consecutive bullish day on Tuesday as the S&P 500 index pushes toward a breakout over a key resistance level. That upward move could spell gains for many long-only investors, who’ve been suffering from market malaise in recent weeks. But we’re not waiting to see if the S&P will make it over its resistance levels or if this week will bring more up days -- instead, we’r... Tue, 02 Mar 2010 11:36:50 CST http://www.stockpickr.com/problog/2114/ Analyst Jake Lynch is hosting a live chat in the Stockpickr Forums on March 2, from 1 p.m. to 2 p.m. Log in or sign up at Stockpickr and submit your questions now! By Roberto Pedone Smarter Grid Plays: This Barron’s article says a number of companies stand to cash in on the modernization of the power grid. Among the stocks mentioned are Google (GOOG), Cisco Systems (CSCO), Itron (ITRI) and EnerNOC (ENOC). Hedge Fund Picks: Barron’s talks with Bradley Purcell and Randall Heck, general partners of hedge-fund firm Goodnow Investment Group. Purcell and Heck look for companies with great business models run by smart people, along with strong and predictable cash flow. Among the stocks in their portfolio are Baxter Intern... Mon, 01 Mar 2010 10:26:31 CST http://www.stockpickr.com/problog/2113/ Analyst Jake Lynch is hosting a live chat in the Stockpickr Forums on March 2, from 1 p.m. to 2 p.m. Log in or sign up at Stockpickr and submit your questions now! By Jonas Elmerraji Posted on March 1, 2010 March is off to a difficult start as economic fundamentals -- such as job numbers, home sales and concerns about Greece’s sovereign debt -- weigh on investors coming into this week. Still, with February’s jobs report slated for Friday, there’s an opportunity afoot for the market to impress us, particularly given the diminished expectations of late. To make the most of the market, whichever way it’s headed, we’re turning once again to the Rocket Stocks. Rocket Stocks, our weekly list of b... Mon, 01 Mar 2010 07:53:50 CST http://www.stockpickr.com/problog/2112/ By Jonas Elmerraji Posted on Feb. 26, 2010 Last week brought another strong turnout for dividend stocks despite economic headwinds threatening to push stocks lower to end the first quarter of 2010. All told, 23 companies increased their payouts to shareholders last week, a high number that suggests companies are feeling confident about their abilities to profit in this economy -- confident enough to part with balance sheet liquidity in favor of shareholder value. But dividend increases are more significant than that. Historically, companies that pay higher dividends materially outperform those that don’t, and when the market turns bearish, dividends could be the only semblance of return that investors see for a while... Fri, 26 Feb 2010 15:12:05 CST http://www.stockpickr.com/problog/2111/ By Roberto Pedone Posted on Feb. 26, 2010 According to Jim Cramer, the market weaknesses is nothing more than a profit-taking event, which is being accelerated by the infighting in Washington over everything from health care to recovery efforts. On Thursday’s “Mad Money” TV show, Cramer told viewers that while Wall Street focuses on Greece’s debt problems, the latest jobless-claims report, the strong dollar and a struggling consumer, he can’t help but notice a number of positive earnings reports. Cramer pointed out that retailer Kohl’s (KSS) reported a sharp spike in first-quarter sales today. Also, auto-parts-maker TRW (TRW) reported a strong upside surprise on solid sales. He also sh... Fri, 26 Feb 2010 08:12:03 CST http://www.stockpickr.com/problog/2110/ By Jonas Elmerraji Posted on Feb. 25, 2010 When the biggest financial names move, investors follow. But to get a shot at the biggest gains from the biggest stocks, following is rarely enough -- you need to anticipate where stocks are going to move before they actually do. That’s where technical analysis comes in. Technical analysis uses a stock’s price movements to determine where shares are headed in the future. Technical charts are used every day by proprietary trading floors, the street's biggest financial firms and individual investors to get an edge on the market. And according to some sources, skilled technical traders can bank gains as much as 90% of the time. Every week, Stockpickr analyzes the technicals f... Thu, 25 Feb 2010 12:40:19 CST http://www.stockpickr.com/problog/2109/ By Roberto Pedone Posted on Feb. 25, 2010 The traders of CNBC’s “Fast Money” see some big opportunity in playing the banking sector after Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke told congress that he plans to keep interest rates ultra-low for several months. On Wednesday’s “Halftime Report” segment, Gary Kaminsky told viewers that the U.S. banks look good now because they are conservatively run, have a government backstop and have the yield curve working in their favor. Brian Kelly agreed, saying that he is bullish on names such as Citigroup (C) and JPMorgan Chase (JPM). He said these are good banks with good core businesses. However, Kelly advised viewers to stay away from Goldman Sachs Group (GS) ... Thu, 25 Feb 2010 08:08:26 CST http://www.stockpickr.com/problog/2108/ By Jonas Elmerraji Posted on Feb. 24, 2010 Sometimes it pays to be contrarian. Contrarian investors bet against the herd, the justification being that by the time an investment idea becomes conventional wisdom, it’s probably already run its course. That’s why while most people were investing in tech stocks in 1999 and real estate companies in 2006 and 2007, contrarian investors were betting in the other direction. One of the best ways to make a contrarian bet is by gunning for a short squeeze, which is the buying frenzy that ensues when a heavily shorted stock starts to look attractive again to investors, causing share price to skyrocket. One of the best indicators of just how high a short-squeezed stock could go ... Wed, 24 Feb 2010 11:44:33 CST http://www.stockpickr.com/problog/2107/ Posted on Feb. 23, 2010 Regardless of why a stock is in the news, it never hurts to hear what a professional investor has to say about it. The key is to gather as much information as you can in order to make the most informed investment decisions you can. As Jim Cramer (read an excerpt from his new book here) often reminds, investors must do their homework. So what has Cramer had to say lately about today's headline-makers? At Stockpickr, we've combed through his recent RealMoney blog posts, "Mad Money" TV show recaps and "Stop Trading!" segments to find out what he thinks about some of today's newsworthy stocks. Home Depot (HD): Home Depot increased its quarterly dividend and reported a $342 million profit, ... Tue, 23 Feb 2010 11:31:44 CST http://www.stockpickr.com/problog/2106/ By Jonas Elmerraji Posted on Feb. 23, 2010 With Monday gains reigned in by resistance, stocks are following the technicals to open this week. That’s a fact that has traders excited for this final full week of February -- after all, when the broad market’s being obedient to key technicals, the probability for entering profitable trades jumps dramatically. That’s why once again we’re after stocks that are on the verge of a technical breakout this week. Technical analysis is a way for investors to quantify qualitative factors such as investor psychology based on a stock’s chart patterns and trends. Once the domain of cloistered trading teams on Wall Street, technicals can help top traders make... Tue, 23 Feb 2010 08:05:31 CST http://www.stockpickr.com/problog/2105/ By Jonas Elmerraji Posted on Feb. 22, 2010 The market is fundamentally primed to go higher in the coming week, with euro zone debt fears quelled -- at least temporarily -- by Greek Prime Minister George Papandreou’s announcement that the country’s financial obligations are met through mid-March, with increased M&A activity on Wall Street, and with Fed Chairman Bernanke’s semi-annual testimony to congress on monetary policy slated for Wednesday. Still, the future for stocks is far from set in stone. A technical resistance level just under 1110 for the S&P 500 could prove to be a challenging if the fundamental levels don’t live up to investors’ expectations. Regardless of the b... Mon, 22 Feb 2010 09:34:10 CST http://www.stockpickr.com/problog/2104/ By Roberto Pedone Posted on Feb. 22, 2010 Smart Money Favorites: This Barron’s article highlights a number of stocks that notable investment managers are buying or selling as detailed in recent quarterly 13F filings. Among the stocks mentioned are AngloGold-Ashanti (AU), Wells Fargo (WFC), Citigroup (C) and Monsanto (MON). Value Manager: Barron’s talks with Roger Vogel, head of the equity value team at Silvercrest Asset Management Group. Vogel looks to buy high-performing companies that have above-average returns on invested capital, good free cash flow and sound balance sheets, at a discounted valuation. Among the stocks in his portfolio are Chart Industries (GTLS), Altra Holdings (AIMC) and Casey’s Gener... Mon, 22 Feb 2010 00:52:37 CST http://www.stockpickr.com/problog/2103/ By Jonas Elmerraji Posted on Feb. 19, 2010 A hawkish Fed move yesterday has the markets pointed toward lower opens this morning as investors try to make sense of the change. A half-hour after Thursday’s close, the Federal Reserve raised the rate it charges banks by a quarter of a percentage point to 0.75%. And although the Fed stressed the fact that the change shouldn’t have any palpable impact on monetary policy, the timing of the increase is what has investors flustered. With economic sentiment numbers sliding following a lackluster start for stocks in 2010 and economic fundamentals that fail to meet analyst expectations, many were taken aback by the thought that the Fed was ready to start increasing rates again. ... Fri, 19 Feb 2010 12:35:53 CST http://www.stockpickr.com/problog/2102/ By Roberto Pedone Posted on Feb. 19, 2010 According to Jim Cramer, there are signs in the market that point towards another boom! In a recent RealMoney.com blog post, Cramer pointed out that industrial production and housing starts are better than the market expected. He said he isn’t worried about the foreclosures or shadow inventory numbers, because if those were truly problems, housing starts wouldn’t be trending up. Cramer said the big move up in lumber prices confirms that real demand is there, and that makes him love lumber play Weyerhaeuser (WY). Cramer thinks investors should look at the groups that matter: tech, steel, auto, housing, retail, industrial, aerospace, oil, copper, natural gas. He said all these s... Fri, 19 Feb 2010 08:53:06 CST http://www.stockpickr.com/problog/2101/ By Jonas Elmerraji Posted on Feb. 18, 2010 Investors’ focus continues to be on earnings this week as another slew of companies reports its quarterly results to Wall Street. Along with those earnings numbers typically come dividends, the all-important payouts to shareholders that can be catalysts for a price movement themselves. That’s because historically, companies that pay higher dividends materially outperform those that don’t, and when the market turns bearish, dividends could be the only semblance of return that investors see for a while. And while dividend payouts are great, dividend increases are even better, particularly in this economy, which forces management to choose between prioritizing ... Thu, 18 Feb 2010 12:10:12 CST http://www.stockpickr.com/problog/2100/ By Roberto Pedone Posted on Feb. 17, 2010 Some of the traders of CNBC’s “Fast Money” think the stock market correction could be over now that the EU is taken new steps to control the financial crisis in Greece. On Tuesday’s "Fast Money" TV show, Joe Terranova told viewers that the correction will be shallow. He said that over the next few says days he expects to see the market rally more. Steve Grasso pointed out that the current correction reached 9%. He thinks investors might have decided that was close enough to 10% and that they started buying up stocks again. Tim Seymour reminded viewers that China is on vacation, plus we have options expiration on Friday. He said he’s suspiciou... Wed, 17 Feb 2010 23:12:25 CST http://www.stockpickr.com/problog/2099/ By Jonas Elmerraji Posted on Feb. 17, 2010 A string of better-than-expected earnings numbers -- including a couple of this week’s Rocket Stock plays -- managed to push stocks higher yesterday, a much-needed boost that’s sure to give more than a few distraught investors hope that things can still turn around in 2010. But we’re not waiting for an upswing in stocks to make a move; we’ve got the technicals on our side. Technical analysis is a way for investors to quantify qualitative factors such as investor psychology based on a stock’s chart patterns and trends. Once the domain of cloistered trading teams on Wall Street, technicals can help top traders make consistently profitable trades and can ... Wed, 17 Feb 2010 00:30:58 CST http://www.stockpickr.com/problog/2098/ By Jonas Elmerraji Posted on Feb. 16, 2010 Anxiety over Greece’s sovereign debt continues to weigh on investors coming into this week, a situation that threatens to hold the market down even further into February. Year-to-date, the S&P 500 index has stumbled 3.6%, giving 2010 anything but an auspicious start. As usual, that’s kept us turning to our weekly list of Rocket Stocks to find gains in this market. Rocket Stocks, our weekly list of beaten-down stocks with near-term growth catalysts and long-term growth potential, seek to separate the cream from the investing crop. And during earnings season, we typically turn to pre-earnings plays for a shot at speculative gains. Playing the Rocket Stocks would have yie... Tue, 16 Feb 2010 08:02:22 CST http://www.stockpickr.com/problog/2097/ By Roberto Pedone Posted on Feb. 15, 2010 Most Respected Firms: This Barron’s article ranks the top 100 most respected companies in the world by major investors. Among the stocks mentioned are Apple (AAPL), Google (GOOG), IBM (IBM) and General Electric (GE). Bullish and Bearish: Each week, Barron’s publishes bullish and bearish stories on a variety of stocks. We present summaries of those stories in this portfolio. This week, there are bullish stories on Oracle (ORCL), plus bearish pieces on Blue Nile (BLUE) and NovaGold Resources (NG). ’Speaking of Dividends’: This Barron’s column highlights the latest dividend increases, initiations and cutbacks. This week there’s information on Un... Mon, 15 Feb 2010 21:18:37 CST http://www.stockpickr.com/problog/2096/ By Jonas Elmerraji Posted on Feb. 12, 2010 While the attention these days seems to be focused on stocks’ price movements, don’t forget about dividends. After all, income stocks can outperform the rest of the market when times are tough. Just look at the Dow Jones Industrial Average year to date. Investing in the Dow in 2010 would have resulted in a loss of 2.72% on the year. But the Dow’s dividend stocks beat that loss by 48 basis points -- an 18% advantage for dividends. Last week was a fairly significant one in the dividend world. All told, 29 companies increased their payouts to shareholders, making last week 2010’s biggest week for dividend increases so far. At Stockp... Fri, 12 Feb 2010 17:07:07 CST http://www.stockpickr.com/problog/2095/ By Roberto Pedone Posted on Feb. 12, 2010 According to Jim Cramer, there were any number of reasons why the markets rallied from a 92-point deficit on Wednesday morning. He said the factors that helped to boost stock prices included positive comments from BHP Billiton (BHP) that demand from China is still strong. Those comments were also reaffirmed by ArcelorMittal (MT), which also said demand from China is still healthy. Cramer thinks another reason the markets went higher was President Obama's continued hiatus from attacking Wall Street and bankers. He said as long as we have no news from the White House, it's good news for equities. Another positive for the markets was Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke’s testimony... Fri, 12 Feb 2010 11:20:29 CST http://www.stockpickr.com/problog/2094/ By Jonas Elmerraji Posted on Feb. 11, 2010 No matter which way the broad market’s trending, nothing moves stock prices like earnings season, and this week’s no different. With some of the biggest issues reporting their quarterly earnings this week, including two of today’s plays, the potential for profitable high-volume trades is very real right now. Every Thursday, Stockpickr analyzes the technicals for some of Wall Street’s highest-volume stocks and takes a look at how to trade them using technical analysis, which uses a stock’s price movements to determine where shares are headed in the future. Technical charts are used every day by proprietary trading floors, the street's biggest financ... Thu, 11 Feb 2010 14:14:46 CST http://www.stockpickr.com/problog/2093/ By Roberto Pedone Posted on Feb. 11, 2010 The traders of CNBC’s “Fast Money” think the problems in Greece are influencing the trade in the U.S. On Tuesday’s “Fast Money” TV show, Tim Seymour told viewers that there are a lot of rumors floating around that Germany or the International Monetary Fund will step up to bail out Greece. He said he finds it hard to believe that Germany will do it, but he does believe that Greece will get through this crisis somehow. Guy Adami said it looked as if the markets were going to selloff early until the headlines about Greece came out. He pointed out the action in the financial stocks wasn’t that impressive. Pete Najarian said he also wasn&aci... Thu, 11 Feb 2010 11:13:55 CST http://www.stockpickr.com/problog/2092/ Posted on Feb. 10, 2010 Regardless of why a stock is in the news, it never hurts to hear what a professional investor has to say about it. The key is to gather as much information as you can in order to make the most informed investment decisions you can. As Jim Cramer (read an excerpt from his new book here) often reminds, investors must do their homework. So what has Cramer had to say lately about today's headline-makers? At Stockpickr, we've combed through his recent RealMoney blog posts, "Mad Money" TV show recaps and "Stop Trading!" segments to find out what he thinks about some of today's newsworthy stocks. Google (GOOG): Google announced plans to provide high-speed broadband service that the company say... Wed, 10 Feb 2010 15:07:41 CST http://www.stockpickr.com/problog/2091/ By Jonas Elmerraji Posted on Feb. 10, 2010 Now that 2010 is well under way, it’s time to take a fresh look at large-cap stocks with serious short-squeeze potential. Large-cap stocks fared well in 2009; the S&P 500 and Dow Jones Industrial Average, broad-based indices that track the largest stocks in the market, gained 27.8% and 22.5%, respectively. But with both indices down nearly 4% on the year already, investors are understandably concerned about the chances of seeing big-name stocks move higher this year. Truth be told, much of that anxiety is misplaced; after all, stocks actually took a deeper dive during the first few months of 2009. And with most indices registering as oversold right now, the potential for big perc... Wed, 10 Feb 2010 13:23:47 CST http://www.stockpickr.com/problog/2090/ By Jonas Elmerraji Posted on Feb. 9, 2010 With stocks continuing to underwhelm in yesterday’s trading session, the attention is turning toward trading. After all, technical cues can give investors a glimpse of what type of movement to expect from stocks, regardless of which way the market’s moving. This skill is becoming increasingly valuable as a slew of economic fundamentals weighs in on already anxious investors. Technical analysis is a way for investors to quantify qualitative factors such as investor psychology based on a stock’s chart patterns and trends. Once the domain of cloistered trading teams on Wall Street, technicals can help top traders make consistently profitable trades and can aid fundamental... Tue, 09 Feb 2010 12:06:43 CST http://www.stockpickr.com/problog/2089/ By Roberto Pedone Posted on Feb. 8, 2010 Good Buys For Bad Times: This Barron’s article says with the U.S. economy expected to grow by only 3% in 2010, investors should look for companies that are recession-resistant. Among the stocks mentioned are PetSmart (PETM), Fiserv (FISV) and Western Union (WU). Dividend Player: Barron’s talks with Don Kilbridge, portfolio manager of the $2.8 billion Vanguard Dividend Growth Fund (VDIGX). Kilbridge gravitates towards companies where he sees approximately 10% average annual payout boosts over a five-year horizon. Among the stocks in his portfolio are Johnson & Johnson (JNJ), Marsh & McLennan (MMC) and Automatic Data Processing (ADP). Bullish and Bearish: Each week, Ba... Mon, 08 Feb 2010 16:28:00 CST http://www.stockpickr.com/problog/2088/ Posted on Feb. 8, 2010 Finance Professor Scott Rothbort will be answering questions on Stockpickr Answers on Monday, Feb. 8. Ask away! Regardless of why a stock is in the news, it never hurts to hear what a professional investor has to say about it. The key is to gather as much information as you can in order to make the most informed investment decisions you can. As Jim Cramer (read an excerpt from his new book here) often reminds, investors must do their homework. So what has Cramer had to say lately about today's headline-makers? At Stockpickr, we've combed through his recent RealMoney blog posts, "Mad Money" TV show recaps and "Stop Trading!" segments to find out what he thinks about some of today's newswor... Mon, 08 Feb 2010 14:45:12 CST http://www.stockpickr.com/problog/2087/ By Jonas Elmerraji Posted on Feb. 8, 2010 Finance Professor Scott Rothbort will be answering questions on Stockpickr Answers on Monday, Feb. 8. Ask away! Investor anxiety over the Eurozone budget crisis weighed in hard on markets last week, giving the broad-based S&P 500 index a 4.39% loss year-to-date. Finance ministers and central bankers from G7 countries met in Canada on Friday and Saturday in an attempt to hash out solutions to Greece’s growing debt problems. But in truth, the situation in Europe was only half the story; domestically, poor job numbers added lead to the market as the selloff intensified. With this week’s investor sentiment still far from certain ahead of Monday’s open, it’s... Mon, 08 Feb 2010 08:39:56 CST http://www.stockpickr.com/problog/2086/ By Jonas Elmerraji Posted on Feb. 5, 2010 David Peltier will be on Stockpickr Answers on Feb. 5 to answer your questions. Ask away! Trading days like yesterday are a good reminder of why investors turn to income when stocks are struggling. After all, a stock with a strong dividend yield can end up putting money in your pocket even when the market’s crashing. And with the S&P 500 index falling 3.11% in Thursday’s trading session -- the biggest single-day drop since last April -- dividend stocks looked even more significant. At Stockpickr, we pay special attention to each week’s dividend hikes, and for good reason: Historically, companies that pay higher dividends materially outperform those that don&... Fri, 05 Feb 2010 14:33:19 CST http://www.stockpickr.com/problog/2085/ By Roberto Pedone Posted on Feb. 5, 2010 David Peltier will be on Stockpickr Answers on Feb. 5 to answer your questions. Ask away! According to Jim Cramer, dividend-paying stocks are getting cheaper. In a recent RealMoney.com blog post, he mentioned that nobody cares that Bemis (BMS), just raised its dividend, or that Kimberly Clark (KMB) is back to yielding 4% and Altria (MO) is back to 7%. Cramer explained that on downs days like Thursday, market players don’t want to think about dividends. Instead, they focus on capital perseveration as the market trades lower. Cramer believes this can be a foolish strategy because the market is always one step from falling apart. He pointed out that if you buy a stock on its way to b... Fri, 05 Feb 2010 07:55:38 CST http://www.stockpickr.com/problog/2084/ By Jonas Elmerraji Posted on Feb. 4, 2010 A rise in jobless claims threatens to hold the market down in this morning’s early trading -- yet another stumbling block for stocks as they try to shore up their footing following last week’s correction. But while the markets teeter, technical opportunities abound in a handful of Wall Street’s biggest stocks. Every Thursday, Stockpickr analyzes the technicals for some of Wall Street’s highest-volume stocks and takes a look at how to trade them using technical analysis, which uses a stock’s price movements to determine where shares are headed in the future. Technical charts are used every day by proprietary trading floors, the street's biggest finan... Thu, 04 Feb 2010 13:53:47 CST http://www.stockpickr.com/problog/2083/ By Roberto Pedone Posted on Feb. 3, 2010 The traders of CNBC’s "Fast Money" fear the market is starting to show signs that a major correction is back on the table. On Wednesday’s "Halftime Report" segment, Joe Terranvoa told viewers that he’s watching the action in copper. He pointed out that the metal traded below the psychologically important $3 level. Terranova is worried that the heavy selling pressure hitting the commodity complex could spill over into the rest of the market. Brian Kelly of Kanundrem said the ISM number makes him want to sell coal stocks. He explained that the weak ISM means that inventories are too high, which could be a sign that the economy is slowing since people ... Wed, 03 Feb 2010 23:35:29 CST http://www.stockpickr.com/problog/2082/ By Jonas Elmerraji Posted on Feb. 3, 2010 It’s no wonder that financial stocks have been some of the most interesting plays of the last several years. In 2008, as overleveraged firms found it harder to operate, the financial sector fell the hardest at the hands of scorned investors who were caught off guard. And in 2009, when financial stocks finally looked cheap, they rallied hard, rewarding those who were willing to stick it out with what was deemed a risky sector. This week, Stockpickr is focusing its weekly look at short-squeeze opportunities on the leftover financial stocks -- the plays that still have strong bearish sentiment despite a convalescing economy. After all, those stocks reveal some of the best short-squeeze p... Wed, 03 Feb 2010 11:48:30 CST http://www.stockpickr.com/problog/2081/ By Jonas Elmerraji Posted on Feb. 2, 2010 The trick for traders this week is searching out diamonds in the rough. From a technical analysis perspective right now, the vast majority of stocks are mirroring the market, and after the rally leading up to 2010, a pullback is leaving us devoid of any actionable trading patterns. But while that’s true for most stocks at the moment, it’s certainly not true for all. With the quantitative metrics that technical analysis provides, we can separate the stocks set to make a strong move from the rest of the herd. Technical analysis is a way for investors to quantify qualitative factors such as investor psychology based on a stock’s chart patterns and trends. Once the do... Tue, 02 Feb 2010 10:42:57 CST http://www.stockpickr.com/problog/2080/ By Jonas Elmerraji Posted on Feb. 1, 2010 What a month January was…. With the worst month for stocks in close to a year now behind us, the big question that remains is whether February will bring a turning of the financial tides for investors. To be fair, a couple of factors came into play in January’s descent. Technically, the broad market was overbought coming into 2010, a factor that left traders with their collective fingers on the “sell” trigger. Likewise, poor performance in a few key earnings numbers earlier this month set the tone for the bears. But things are looking up. Last week, data showed that we’d just experienced the best quarter of economic growth in the last six ... Mon, 01 Feb 2010 09:59:04 CST http://www.stockpickr.com/problog/2079/ By Roberto Pedone Posted on Feb. 1, 2010 Final Roundtable Plays For 2010: This Barron’s article highlights the last of the top stock picks from roundtable panel members Bill Gross, Meryl Witmer, Archie MacAllaster and Fred Hickey. Among the stocks mentioned are Newmont Mining (NEM), Principal Financial (PFG) and Wells Fargo (WFC). Best Managers Bets For 2010: This Barron’s article highlights the top picks among the top fund managers in each of five categories. They include U.S. equity funds; world equity funds, mixed equity funds; taxable bond funds and tax-exempt funds. Among the stocks mentioned are MasterCard (MA), Petroleo Brasileiro (PBR) and Exxon Mobil (XOM). Dividend Neglectors: This Barronâ€... Mon, 01 Feb 2010 09:58:39 CST http://www.stockpickr.com/problog/2078/ By Jonas Elmerraji Posted on Jan. 29, 2010 The dividend rolls keep getting bigger and bigger. With 10 companies increasing their dividends the week before last and 25 dividend increasers last week, companies seem to be feeling better about increasing the amount of income they pass through to shareholders. 2010 looks like it’s going to be a good year for income investors. Standard and Poor’s estimates that investors will see a 6.1% dividend increase for stocks in its S&P 500 index -- significant, considering the estimated 21.4% decline in dividend payouts last year. At Stockpickr, we pay special attention to each week’s dividend hikes, and for good reason: Historically, companies that pay high... Fri, 29 Jan 2010 15:04:07 CST http://www.stockpickr.com/problog/2077/ By Roberto Pedone Posted on Jan. 29, 2010 According to Jim Cramer, investors need to adopt a new methodology for picking stocks. On Monday’s “Mad Money” TV Show, he told viewers that under normal market conditions, stocks are valued by taking a company’s future earnings times its multiple and getting its share price. However, due to political risk from Obama, and the fact that Wall Street has become the president’s public enemy number one, the markets are now paying less for stocks that are in his crosshairs and giving a premium to those that aren’t. Cramer pointed out that the markets are so scared of Obama, that even a hint at what he might do will send market players to the sideline... Fri, 29 Jan 2010 11:45:16 CST http://www.stockpickr.com/problog/2076/ By Jonas Elmerraji Posted on Jan. 28, 2010 With stocks teetering on the brink of a key support level right now, there’s been plenty of activity going on this week to keep the traders satiated. Earnings are still going full tilt, a weekly FOMC meeting decision yesterday, and President Obama’s State of the Union address last night suggest that the biggest stocks on the market are bound to see interesting action today. Every Thursday, Stockpickr analyzes the technicals for some of Wall Street’s highest-volume stocks and takes a look at how to trade them using technical analysis, which uses a stock’s price movements to determine where shares are headed in the future. Technical charts are used every da... Thu, 28 Jan 2010 12:55:16 CST http://www.stockpickr.com/problog/2075/ By Roberto Pedone Posted on Jan. 28, 2010 The traders of CNBC’s “Fast Money” are starting to notice some cracks in the market. On Tuesday’s “Halftime Report” segment, Katie Stockton of MKM Partners pointed out patterns in the charts show that sentiment in the market has become uncomfortably bullish. She told viewers that the spread between bulls and bears has reached highs that we haven’t seen since May 2008. Stockton believes this is a contrarian signal for market players. She mentioned that the markets could see a pullback in February, and it wouldn’t surprise her to see the S&P 500 trade down to its 200-day moving average, which right now is around 1010. She advi... Thu, 28 Jan 2010 10:55:46 CST http://www.stockpickr.com/problog/2074/ By Jonas Elmerraji Posted on Jan. 27, 2010 Last week’s bearish market was a wake-up call for investors who’ve been operating under the misapprehension that stocks can only move higher in 2010. But now, with broad-based indexes markedly lower and many fund managers calling the market oversold, the field is set to squeeze the shorts. Why is now a compelling time to short for short-squeeze plays? After a bearish run like we saw last week, scores of investors piled into the short side of stocks, thinking that an even bigger breakdown was in store. But as the market begins to consolidate, the potential for a bullish turn in the next week or two should put additional pressure on the shorts. Stocks with well-know... Wed, 27 Jan 2010 10:10:58 CST http://www.stockpickr.com/problog/2073/ By Jonas Elmerraji Posted on Jan. 26, 2010 Last week proved a fact that most technical analysts are loath to admit: Even the best technical setups can be scuttled by unfavorable fundamentals. Indeed, that’s exactly what we experienced in the last few trading days as poor bank performance yielded a colossal selloff in stocks that actually broke down through support at the S&P 500’s 50-day moving average. All told, none of last week’s potential long-side setups actually triggered, as the patterns that looked most promising missed their marks thanks to three consecutive losing days in the S&P. With strictly defined trade triggers in place, though, we’ll live to trade -- and profit -- another ... Tue, 26 Jan 2010 12:32:08 CST http://www.stockpickr.com/problog/2072/ By Roberto Pedone Posted on Jan. 25, 2010 Contrarian Hedge Fund Players: Barron’s talks with Richard Mashaal and Brian Gonick, managers of the $200 million long-short Senvest Israel Partners hedge fund. Senvest’s New York-based seven-person team tries to find growing small and mid-cap companies that are undervalued, underfollowed or misunderstood. Among the stocks in their portfolio are Radware (RDWR), Genworth Financial (GNW) and Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS). Bullish and Bearish: Each week, Barron’s publishes bullish and bearish stories on a variety of stocks. We present summaries of those stories in this portfolio. This week, there are bullish stories on Goldman Sachs Group (GS), Intel (INTC) and Forest Labo... Mon, 25 Jan 2010 17:58:26 CST http://www.stockpickr.com/problog/2071/ By Jonas Elmerraji Posted on Jan. 25, 2010 Stocks got hit hard on Friday as the market broke down in the early afternoon, with the S&P 500 falling 2.21% by its 4:00 p.m. close. That slide pushed the week’s performance for the broad-based index of 500 stocks down to negative 3.89% for the week, lead by poor earnings in the financial stocks. But this week, with the market slightly above key support levels and significant economic and earnings data set to be released, the potential for an upward move looks good right now. With that, it’s time to turn back to the Rocket Stocks, Stockpickr’s weekly list of beaten-down stocks with near-term growth catalysts and long-term growth potential. January has been a ... Mon, 25 Jan 2010 09:17:28 CST http://www.stockpickr.com/problog/2070/ Posted on Jan. 22, 2010 Regardless of why a stock is in the news, it never hurts to hear what a professional investor has to say about it. The key is to gather as much information as you can in order to make the most informed investment decisions you can. As Jim Cramer (read an excerpt from his new book here) often reminds, investors must do their homework. So what has Cramer had to say lately about today's headline-makers? At Stockpickr, we've combed through his recent RealMoney blog posts, "Mad Money" TV show recaps and "Stop Trading!" segments to find out what he thinks about some of today's newsworthy stocks. Schlumberger (SLB): Schlumberger's earnings fell 31% in the fourth quarter on declining oil prices... Fri, 22 Jan 2010 13:04:05 CST http://www.stockpickr.com/problog/2069/ By Roberto Pedone Posted on Jan. 22, 2010 According to Jim Cramer, Obama’s newest attack on banks is a lot of hot air. After talking to Rep. Barney Frank (D., Mass.), the man in charge of banking regulation in the House, Cramer said he is not going to let the president’s plan destroy the banking recovery. Even if the plans to ban internal hedge funds and private equity funds at banks were to come to fruition, Frank said he would delay it for a three-to-five-year period. Cramer mentioned that the fact Frank wasn’t aware of the plan until yesterday tells him that it is nothing but a bunch of rhetoric. Cramer thinks investors should take a longer-term view and buy the big banks that are selling off on the news, ... Fri, 22 Jan 2010 11:57:27 CST http://www.stockpickr.com/problog/2068/ By Jonas Elmerraji Posted on Jan. 22, 2010 It’s earnings season, and all eyes are on the fundamental numbers. After all, a good showing in a company’s quarterly results can set its shares rocketing as eager investors decide to pick up shares. But while fundamentals drive share prices during earnings season, technical analysis gives investors a chance to make short-term trades without the speculation of buying ahead of earnings. In fact, with the increased trading volume earnings season brings, traders can often make disciplined, repeatable short-term trades for substantial gains, whether a company is reporting or not. That’s exactly what we’re shooting for again this week. Every week, Stockpickr ana... Fri, 22 Jan 2010 09:44:11 CST http://www.stockpickr.com/problog/2067/ Posted on Jan. 21, 2010 Regardless of why a stock is in the news, it never hurts to hear what a professional investor has to say about it. The key is to gather as much information as you can in order to make the most informed investment decisions you can. As Jim Cramer (read an excerpt from his new book here) often reminds, investors must do their homework. So what has Cramer had to say lately about today's headline-makers? At Stockpickr, we've combed through his recent RealMoney blog posts, "Mad Money" TV show recaps and "Stop Trading!" segments to find out what he thinks about some of today's newsworthy stocks. eBay (EBAY): eBay posted an earnings beat Tuesday of $1.36 billion, or $1.02 a share, compared ... Thu, 21 Jan 2010 12:32:54 CST http://www.stockpickr.com/problog/2066/ By Jonas Elmerraji Posted on Jan. 21, 2010 Ten companies announced dividend increases last week, a big jump from last week’s numbers as firms capitalize on news-heavy earnings season to announce bigger shareholder payouts. One of the biggest showings for last week’s dividend hikes came from the energy sector. Energy stocks have seen share prices ebb and flow as commodities swung wildly in 2008 and 2009, and now that prices of major commodities have started to stabilize, many management teams are feeling good about doling out more cash to the investors who stuck it out with them. That trend should also have new investors taking a look at these companies’ shares; after all, a recent dividend i... Thu, 21 Jan 2010 08:59:37 CST http://www.stockpickr.com/problog/2065/ By Roberto Pedone Posted on Jan. 20, 2010 The traders of CNBC’s “Fast Money” see problems with future economic growth after China announced it had instructed some big banks to curb their lending practices. The crew is also concerned about the debt problems in Greece after the euro fell to a five-month low against the U.S. dollar. On Wednesday’s “Halftime Report” segment, Tim Seymour told viewers that the S&P 500 is sitting on the 20-day moving average at 1128. He said this is a key level, but it will probably hold. Strategic investor Dennis Gartman said the dollar is acting bullish and that as a result, commodities prices will continue to be pressured. With this in mind, he thinks t... Wed, 20 Jan 2010 17:53:16 CST http://www.stockpickr.com/problog/2064/ Posted on Jan. 20, 2010 Regardless of why a stock is in the news, it never hurts to hear what a professional investor has to say about it. The key is to gather as much information as you can in order to make the most informed investment decisions you can. As Jim Cramer often reminds, investors must do their homework. So what has Cramer had to say lately about today's headline-makers? At Stockpickr, we've combed through his recent RealMoney blog posts, "Mad Money" TV show recaps and "Stop Trading!" segments to find out what he thinks about some of today's newsworthy stocks. Wells Fargo (WFC): Wells Fargo posted a surprise profit of 8 cents a share in the fourth quarter, compared with an 80-cent loss a year ago.... Wed, 20 Jan 2010 10:45:40 CST http://www.stockpickr.com/problog/2063/ By Jonas Elmerraji Posted on Jan. 20, 2010 2010 is a year with banner potential -- or at least so say the sentiment numbers. Nearly every major indicator of investor sentiment is showing a bullish push since Jan. 1. And why not? With major broad-based indexes such as the S&P 500 outperforming last year’s January slide by a decent clip (6.33% so far in the case of the S&P) and with futures predicting higher market levels yet this week, there’s reason enough to go in search of the stocks that are best-set to move higher. Once again, that means we’re taking a look at the week’s technical setups. Technical analysis is a way for investors to quantify qualitative factors such as investor psycholog... Wed, 20 Jan 2010 09:39:06 CST http://www.stockpickr.com/problog/2062/ By Roberto Pedone Posted on Jan. 19, 2010 Roundtable Plays For 2010: This Barron’s article highlights the top stock picks from roundtable panel members Felix Zulauf and Mario Gabelli. Among the stocks mentioned are National Fuel Gas (NFG), Legg Mason (LM), Oil Services Holdrs Trust (OIH) and Millicom International Cellular (MICC). Small Cap Growth Managers: Barron’s talks with Karl Brewer and Mike Balkin, portfolio managers of the $800 million William Blair Small Cap Growth Fund (WBSNX). The pair stayed the course with their losing positions from 2008 and saw some big profits in 2009 and beyond. Among the stocks in their portfolio are IMAX (IMAX), Vistaprint (VPRT) and Lionbridge Technologies (LIOX). Bullish and Be... Tue, 19 Jan 2010 13:00:47 CST http://www.stockpickr.com/problog/2061/ By Jonas Elmerraji Posted on Jan. 19, 2010 Earnings season kicked into full swing last week when Alcoa (AA) unveiled its results to Wall Street. The company beat estimates before one-time charges but still managed to tumble as overly optimistic investors found themselves unimpressed by the metal miner’s numbers. Alcoa’s slide proved to be a disappointment for us; the stock was one of the five that made last week’s Rocket Stocks list. Rocket stocks, our weekly list of beaten-down stocks with near-term growth catalysts and long-term growth potential, have had a slow start in 2010 after a phenomenal year in 2009. In the trailing 26 weeks, our picks managed to rake in 61.09% gains, outperforming the S&P 500 in... Tue, 19 Jan 2010 08:05:30 CST http://www.stockpickr.com/problog/2060/ By Roberto Pedone Posted on Jan. 14, 2010 According to Jim Cramer, the headlines on Wall Street are still bearish, but market players don’t seem to care. On Thursday’s “Mad Money” TV show, Cramer told viewers the market rally is for real, and in the long term, the markets never lie. He said that business is not great, but it is a heck of a lot better than what the data suggests or how the bears are trying to spin it. Cramer mentioned that stocks could be wrong in the short term, but the bull run in stocks has been happening for far too long for it to be a false move. He believes that this means the rally will continue and the bears will be proven wrong. Cramer pointed out that the bears have been f... Fri, 15 Jan 2010 10:30:23 CST http://www.stockpickr.com/problog/2059/ By Roberto Pedone Posted on Jan. 14, 2010 The traders of CNBC’s “Fast Money” think the dip in tech stocks to start off 2010 is a buying opportunity. On Tuesday’s “Fast Money” TV show, Tim Seymour told viewers that Intel (INTC) has held up well even though tech as a whole has suffered in the early part of 2010. He recommended buying Intel ahead of its earnings report, and if you are already long the stock, he said don’t take any money of the table. Pete Najarian said that despite Intel’s weakness, the stock will spike when the company reports earnings. He also said he would be a buyer of Applied Materials (AMAT). Karen Finerman mentioned that she doesn’t see any ... Thu, 14 Jan 2010 10:27:51 CST http://www.stockpickr.com/problog/2058/ Dividend Stocks for the Week – January 13, 2009 By Jonas Elmerraji The first dividend declarations of 2010 began rolling in last week -- and for the most part, they were pretty moderate. Four companies increased payouts to shareholders in the last five trading days that marked the first full week of trading for 2010. And while that number pales in comparison to the dividend glut that normally takes place once earnings season is well under way (this week, for instance), it’s par for the course for the first week of the new year. We pay special attention to each week’s dividend hikes, and for good reason -- historically, companies that pay higher dividends materially outperform those that don’t, and wh... Wed, 13 Jan 2010 10:40:09 CST http://www.stockpickr.com/problog/2057/ By Roberto Pedone Posted on Jan. 12, 2009 Best ETF Bets For 2010: This Barron’s article highlights the best ETF ideas for the year ahead from three top financial advisors. Among the ETFs mentioned are iShares MSCI Emerging Markets Index Fund (EEM), iShares Nasdaq Biotechnology Index (IBB) and Elements/Rogers International Commodity Agriculture ETN (RJA). Reasonably Priced Growth Stocks: Barron’s talks with Eddie Brown, founder and president of Brown Capital Management, the second-oldest African-American money management firm. Brown believes there are still some attractive opportunities to invest in growth stocks at a reasonable price. Among the stocks in his portfolio are Google (GOOG), Abaxis (ABAX) and Celgene (CELG... Tue, 12 Jan 2010 15:33:47 CST http://www.stockpickr.com/problog/2056/ By Jonas Elmerraji Posted on Jan. 12, 2010 A data error that showed the S&P 500 down 97 points in the last two minutes of trading on Monday had traders nervous as some wondered if the high-percentage move was for real. The bad tick showed up on most data sources, including most brokerage sites and trading platforms, and the source of the problem has yet to be named as of this writing, much to the chagrin of a few Twittering traders. Most brokerage sites had the tick error fixed shortly after the market close, though Google Finance still showed the error as of 8 p.m. Wednesday evening. In reality, the S&P gained modestly for its sixth straight session, which means that 2010 marks the longest streak of gaining days for the ... Tue, 12 Jan 2010 10:49:12 CST http://www.stockpickr.com/problog/2055/ Posted on Jan. 11, 2010 Regardless of why a stock is in the news, it never hurts to hear what a professional investor has to say about it. The key is to gather as much information as you can in order to make the most informed investment decisions you can. As Jim Cramer often reminds, investors must do their homework. So what has Cramer had to say lately about today's headline-makers? At Stockpickr, we've combed through his recent RealMoney blog posts, "Mad Money" TV show recaps and "Stop Trading!" segments to find out what he thinks about some of today's newsworthy stocks. Ford (F): At the Detroit Auto Show on Monday, Ford will roll out its next-generation Ford Focus, a global car to replace the original Focus... Mon, 11 Jan 2010 14:36:49 CST http://www.stockpickr.com/problog/2054/ By Jonas Elmerraji Posted on Jan. 11, 2010 Earnings season is the name of the game this week. Alcoa’s release on Monday unofficially kicks off the first string of corporate earnings for 2010, an event that will ultimately have a big impact on which way shares start off the year. So far, the January effect has been in full force, with the S&P 500 index pushing up 2.68% in the course of the last five trading days. That’s one of the biggest intraweek gains in months that broad-based indexes such as the S&P 500 have seen, and it’s proof that investors are content to keep pushing stocks higher in the new year. As always, some will benefit more than others; our Rocket Stocks list looks to uncover which are... Mon, 11 Jan 2010 08:24:55 CST http://www.stockpickr.com/problog/2053/ By Roberto Pedone Posted on Jan. 8, 2009 According to Jim Cramer, it’s time investors put an end to passive investing. On Monday’s “Mad Money” TV show, Cramer told viewers that it’s time to take control of your future. He said that despite his advice, investors are still dumping their stock positions in favor of safer bond funds. Cramer thinks this strategy is just plain wrong. He remained viewers that the stock market crash has already occurred and the economic recovery is fully under way. “Stocks didn’t hurt you,” Cramer said. “The passive, ‘buy and hold’ philosophy of investing did.” Cramer declared that 2010 will be the year of ... Fri, 08 Jan 2010 09:52:13 CST http://www.stockpickr.com/problog/2052/ By Jonas Elmerraji Posted on Jan. 7, 2009 High-volume plays may get a lot of attention from individual investors and institutions alike, but short-term moves on little or no news can be hard to read -- and even harder to trade successfully. So with stocks across the board staying flat yesterday following less-than-wonderful jobs data, it’s time once again to get technical with the big names. Every week, Stockpickr analyzes the technicals for some of Wall Street’s highest-volume stocks and takes a look at how to trade them using technical analysis, which uses a stock’s price movements to determine where shares are headed in the future. Technical charts are used every day by proprietary trading floors, the Stree... Thu, 07 Jan 2010 14:04:03 CST http://www.stockpickr.com/problog/2051/ By Roberto Pedone Posted on Jan. 7, 2009 Most of the traders on CNBC’s “Fast Money” are optimistic about the rise in the stock market for the start of 2010. On Monday’s “Fast Money” TV show, Tim Seymour told viewers that the rally was supported by strong fundamentals, including strong manufacturing data from China and the U.S. He reminded viewers that he was bullish through the end of the year and said he remains bullish on a broad basis going forward. Guy Adami said he remains cautious on the market. However, he admitted he has been wrong to be bearish, and although he doesn’t like the “rising tide lifts all boats” theory, he still thinks you can trade this mar... Thu, 07 Jan 2010 09:59:14 CST http://www.stockpickr.com/problog/2050/ By Jonas Elmerraji Posted on Jan. 6, 2009 With a new year come new opportunities to profit from over-shorted stocks. In 2009, health care was one of the big sectors that lagged the S&P 500 by a substantial clip as investors skirted health stocks amid pending reform legislation on Capitol Hill. All told, health care plays made a paltry 7.46% bounceback in 2009, compared with 22% gains for the S&P 500 index. That leaves health care -- as a sector -- well below levels seen in early 2008. Now that investors are starting to feel more comfortable investing in health care stocks, however, the potential for some profitable short squeezes is coming to a head. That’s why this week, we're focusing our short-squeeze picks on hea... Wed, 06 Jan 2010 12:37:29 CST http://www.stockpickr.com/problog/2049/ Posted on Jan. 5, 2009 Regardless of why a stock is in the news, it never hurts to hear what a professional investor has to say about it. The key is to gather as much information as you can in order to make the most informed investment decisions you can. As Jim Cramer often reminds, investors must do their homework. So what has Cramer had to say lately about today's headline-makers? At Stockpickr, we've combed through his recent RealMoney blog posts, "Mad Money" TV show recaps and "Stop Trading!" segments to find out what he thinks about some of today's newsworthy stocks. Apple (AAPL): Apple reportedly could ship its tablet, which it's expected to announce later this month, in March. In addition, Advanced Bat... Tue, 05 Jan 2010 14:25:44 CST http://www.stockpickr.com/problog/2048/ By Jonas Elmerraji Posted on Jan. 5, 2009 2009 was a banner year for stocks. The S&P 500 rallied 29.8%, nearly three times the historic annual average. But as the latest iteration of the equity rally pushes on, so does investor anxiety over the potential for a second dip in stock prices. Once again, it’s time to turn to the technicals of the market for stocks that are set up for a breakout. Technical analysis is a way for investors to quantify qualitative factors such as investor psychology based on a stock’s chart patterns and trends. Once the domain of cloistered trading teams on Wall Street, technicals can help top traders make consistently profitable trades and can aid fundamental investors in better planning... Tue, 05 Jan 2010 11:32:41 CST http://www.stockpickr.com/problog/2047/ By Roberto Pedone Posted on Jan. 4, 2010 Cloud Computing Plays: This Barron’s article say cloud computing will be as revolutionary as the Internet itself. Among the potential winners are Salesforce.com (CRM), Google (GOOG), Apple (AAPL) and Riverbed (RVBD). Bullish and Bearish: Each week, Barron’s publishes bullish and bearish stories on a variety of stocks. We present summaries of those stories in this portfolio. This week, there are bullish stories on Chevron (CVX), Lender Processing (LPS) and Amgen (AMGN). Top Insider Purchases of the Week: Insider purchases are a lot more predictive than insider selling. Barron's lists companies where managers are buying stock, and we build a portfolio with those companies&a... Mon, 04 Jan 2010 09:35:06 CST http://www.stockpickr.com/problog/2046/ By Jonas Elmerraji Posted on Jan. 4, 2010 With 2009 now behind us, investors will be hoping to profit from the January Effect in a big way this month. According to the January Effect phenomenon, stocks typically increase in value during the month of January. And this month, strong investor sentiment toward the New Year and significant data releases could amplify any upward moves. What better time to think about Rocket Stocks – our weekly list of beaten-down stocks with near-term growth catalysts and long-term growth potential? Last week, our Rocket Stocks strongly outperformed the S&P 500, bringing in 1.66% average gains vs. a loss of 1.01% from the index of 500 large-cap stocks. That brings our performance t... Mon, 04 Jan 2010 09:18:57 CST http://www.stockpickr.com/problog/2045/ By Jonas Elmerraji Posted on Dec. 31, 2009 In 2009, we took a weekly look at hundreds of companies that increased their dividend payouts to shareholders, signaling that the economy was rebounding. After all, companies are loath to part with cash when their economic futures are uncertain. Now, in the final week of the year, most companies have had their chance to make dividend changes already, but that didn't stop four stocks from announcing theirs last week. Why are we making such a big deal about dividends? Dividend increases are significant for any company and an even bigger deal in this economy, where management has to decide whether to prioritize balance sheet liquidity or sharing profits with shareholders. And that’s... Thu, 31 Dec 2009 12:58:56 CST http://www.stockpickr.com/problog/2044/ By Jonas Elmerraji Posted on Dec. 30, 2009 The second consecutive shortened trading week in a row this week means two things for smart traders: increased volatility and the potential to make bigger technical moves. But with only a couple of trading days left this week, are there big enough moves to be made right now? Absolutely. Despite the fact that more-regular trading resumes on Jan. 4, as Wall Streeters return from extended vacations this week, they’ll be taking cues from the market’s positioning for next week’s trades. That means any key technicals in place by Thursday’s close will carry over to bigger momentum moves on Monday. Every week, Stockpickr analyzes the technicals for Wall Stree... Wed, 30 Dec 2009 10:43:02 CST http://www.stockpickr.com/problog/2043/ By Roberto Pedone Posted on Dec. 29, 2009 Buffett-esque Stock Plays: This Barron’s article highlights two dozen companies that fit Warren Buffett’s investment criteria. Among the stocks mentioned are Varian Medical Systems (VAR), Bucyrus International (BUCY), PetMed Express (PETS) and Buckle (BKE). Hedge Fund Bears: Barron’s talks with Kevin Duffy and Bill Laggner, principals of the Dallas-based hedge fund Bearing Asset Management. Bearing has around $60 million under management, and they hold a very against-the-grain view on what’s ahead for the U.S. stock market. Among the stocks in their portfolio are Goldman Sachs Group (GS), Wal-Mart Stores (WMT) and the Gabelli Healthcare & Wellness Trust (GR... Tue, 29 Dec 2009 10:11:42 CST http://www.stockpickr.com/problog/2042/ By Jonas Elmerraji Posted on Dec. 29, 2009 Another day of upward moving stocks has investors excited as we edge closer to the start of 2010. And with a shortened trading week between the Christmas and New Year trading breaks, vacations and volume decreases could lead to increased volatility for a number of stocks despite the shorter holding time this week. To make the most of our trading time, it’s time to look to the Rocket Stock once again. Our weekly list, which takes a look at beaten-down stocks with near-term growth catalysts and long-term growth potential, took some knocks last week vs. its benchmark as the S&P 500 rallied 2.18% between last Monday and Friday. Still, with 43.16% outperformance over the S&P o... Tue, 29 Dec 2009 07:37:32 CST http://www.stockpickr.com/problog/2041/ By Roberto Pedone Posted on Dec. 25, 2009 According to Jim Cramer, investors who stayed negative on the markets in 2009 have paid a high price. He pointed to the amazing rise in stocks this year, and he said those who remained bearish were left in the dust. Cramer mentioned there were three times this year when being too negative cost you money. He said the first inflection point was when the markets hit their lows in March. Cramer explained that his bottom-up analysis of the Dow brought him to the conclusion that the downside was just too limited. The second inflection point came in May, when the market was hit with a flood of secondary offerings from the banks that drove the financial sector lower. Cramer said investors were sc... Fri, 25 Dec 2009 12:37:42 CST http://www.stockpickr.com/problog/2040/ By Jonas Elmerraji Posted on Dec. 24, 2009 As companies vie for investor attention this week and next, one of the biggest attention-grabbing tools is cash. I’m talking, of course, about dividends. With the 2009 calendar year (and tax year) about to draw to a close, companies who want to squeeze in a payout to shareholders on this year’s return are rushing to do so right now. But as compelling as any dividend payout may be, the stocks to watch are the ones that actually increased their dividends this quarter. Dividend increases are a big deal for any company and an even bigger deal in this economy, where management has to decide whether to prioritize balance sheet liquidity or sharing profits with shareh... Thu, 24 Dec 2009 12:59:15 CST