Saturday, April 2, 2011

Exact Sciences -- Added

This weekend I was screening for a stock to add to the Barchart Van Meerten Speculative portfolio.  This is a portfolio of stocks trading under $10 that are hitting frequent new highs.  I can across  Exact Sciences (EXAS).


Exact Sciences (EXAS) uses applied genomics to develop effective, patient-friendly screening technologies for use in the detection of cancer. Certain of its technologies have been licensed to Laboratory Corporation of America Holdings for a stool-based DNA screening assay for colorectal cancer in the average-risk population. Colorectal cancer, which is the most deadly cancer among non-smokers, is generally curable if detected early. Despite the availability of colorectal cancer screening and diagnostic tests for more than twenty years, the rate of early detection of colorectal cancer remains low, and deaths from colorectal cancer remain high. The company believes its genomics-based technologies would help to enable detection of colorectal cancer so that more people can be effectively treated.

Technical Factors:
  • 88% Barchart technical buy signals
  • Trend Spotter buy signals
  • 16 new highs and up 37.74% in the last month
  • Relative Strength Index 81.71% and rising
  • Trades around 7.30 with a 50 day moving average of 5.80
Add this one to your watch lists.

AudioVox -- sell signals

This weekend I detected sell signals in Audiovox (VOXX) and deleted it from the Barchart Van Meerten Speculative portfolio based on poor price momentum.

Technical Factors:
  • 80% Barchart short term technical sell signal
  • Trend Spotter sell signal
  • Trading below its 20 and 50 day moving averages
  • 19.71% off its previous high
  • Relative Strength Index is 44.15% and falling 

Wednesday, March 30, 2011

5 OTCBB charts you need to see

Today I was screening on Barchart for OTCBB stocks hitting the3 most frequent new highs in the last month and came up with these 5.

Wellstone Filter Sciences (WFSN) -- 19 new highs and up 30.23% in the last month


Solar Power (SOPW) -- 17 new highs and up 20.00% in the last month


New Cardio (NWCI) -- 14 new highs and up 23.35% in the last month


Sanuwave Health (SNWV) -- 14 new highs and up 32.03% in the last month


Turk Power (TRKP) -- 13 new highs and up 47.62% in the last month







Medical not military kinetics -- KCI

This morning while using Barchart to screen for highly recommended stocks that are having current positive momentum I ran across Kinetic Concepts (KCI). This is a company that is one of the leader in Vacuum Assisted Closure (VAC) for helping wounds or surgeries heal.  It's a concept to regularly remove fluids from a wound or surgical area to suppress infection and create a better controlled environment to induce quicker healing.  The stock is getting noticed and has been having very positive momentum.


According to Yahoo Finance Kinetic Concepts (KCI) a medical technology company, engages in the discovery, development, manufacture, marketing, rental, and sale of therapies and products for the wound care, tissue regeneration, and therapeutic support system markets in the United States and internationally. It operates in three segments: Active Healing Solutions, Regenerative Medicine, and Therapeutic Support Systems. The Active Healing Solutions segment offers advanced wound healing and tissue repair systems incorporating its proprietary Negative Pressure Technology Platform to meet the needs of specific care settings and wound or patient requirements. The Regenerative Medicine segment’s product portfolio includes biological soft tissue repair products made from human and animal tissue for use in reconstructive, orthopedic, and urogynecologic surgical procedures to repair or reinforce soft tissue defects or weaknesses. Its products include human-based AlloDerm and porcine-based Strattice in various configurations designed to meet the needs of patients and caregivers. The Therapeutic Support Systems segment offers a portfolio of beds, mattress replacement systems, overlays, and other products for critical care, wound care, and bariatric care settings.

There are many reason to follow this stock.

Technical Factors:
  • 100 % Barchart technical buy signal
  • Trend Spotter buy signal
  • 11 new highs and up 7.84% in the last month
  • Relative Strength Index is 74.18% and rising
  • Trades around 53.81 with a 50 day moving average of 48.83
Fundamental Factors:
  • Wall Street brokerage analysts including recently Collins Stewart are high on this stock
  • 3 strong buy, 3 buy and 6 hold recommendations are presently published
  • Sales growth consensus is 3.00% for this year and 3.88% for next year
  • Earnings are estimated to increase by 7.90% this year, 8.40% next year and 7.57% annually for the next 5 years
  • The difference between sales and earnings growth has to do mainly with acquisition costs/savings.
General Investor Sentiment
  • On Motley Fool the general investors are showing a very positive opinion of this stock
  • CAPS members vote 691 to 24 that the stock will beat the market
  • The more experienced All Stars are even more positive with a 312 to 1 vote for the same result
  • Fool notes that all 9 of the last articles published about the company have been positive.
If your portfolio is in need of an S&P 400 stock that is a leader in medical services technology this is a stock with very positive and current price momentum.  Put it on your watch lists

Jim Van Meerten is an analyst for  Marketocracy Capital Management.  He shares his knowledge and experience from over 40 years of investing in stocks, mutual funds and ETFs on Barchart.com  in his daily blog -- Barchart Portfolio Blogs.

Tuesday, March 29, 2011

5 Great NASDAQ stocks for today 3/29

Here are 5 stocks I found while screening on Barchart for NASDAQ stocks hitting new monthly highs.

Psychemedics (PMD)
  • 100% Barchart technical buy signal
  • Trend Spotter buy signal
  • 14 new highs and up 12.81% in the last month
  • Relative Strength Index 74.92%


  • 96% Barchart technical buy signal
  • Trend Spotter 
  • 13 new highs and up 18.45% in the last month
  • Relative Strength Index 69.17% and rising


  • 88% Barchart technical buy signal
  • Trend Spotter buy signal
  • 13 new highs and up 29.68%  in the last month
  • Relative Strength Index 83.70% and rising


  • 100% Barhchart technical buy signal
  • Trend Spotter buy signal
  • 12 new highs and up 17.79% in the last month
  • Relative Strength Index 82.21% and rising


  • 96% Barchart technical buy signal
  • Trend Spotter buy signal
  • 12 new highs and up 8.59% in the last month
  • Relative Strength Index 68.65% and rising

Jim Van Meerten is an analyst for  Marketocracy Capital Management.  He shares his knowledge and experience from over 40 years of investing in stocks, mutual funds and ETFs on Barchart.com  in his daily blog -- Barchart Portfolio Blogs.






Estee Lauder -- EL -- Barchart Chart of the Day

Barchart.coms Chart of the Day - Estee Lauder (EL)
Related Stocks
 EL - Estee Lauder Companies
Sym Last Chg Pct
EL 95.97 +1.50 +1.59%
The "Chart of the Day" is Estee Lauder Companies (EL), which showed up on Monday's list of stocks that had a new "Buy" signal from the Barchart "TrendSpotter" trading system and also showed up on Barchart's "All Time High" list. Estee Lauder on Monday rallied by 1.59% and posted a new all-time high. In recent news on the stock, EL on Feb 3 reported fiscal Q2 EPS of $1.77 versus the consensus of $1.45. NY Times reported on March 28 that Estee Lauder stock has risen by 180% since 2009 when it hired a new CEO. Estee Lauder, with a market cap of $18 billion, is one of the world's leading manufacturers and marketers of skin care, makeup, fragrance and hair care products.

el_700
How we found the Chart of the Day:
We found the "Chart of the Day" by scanning the Barchart "Trading Signals" page. That page provides a summary of changes in the Barchart signals. We then clicked on the TrendSpotter "Buy" category to obtain a list of all the stocks for which the Barchart TrendSpotter trading system has just turned to a buy. We then clicked on the "Today's Opinion" column header in order to sort the list with the strongest stocks on top. Further information is available at Barchart Signals Guide help page and at TrendSpotter help page.
Barchart's Opinion trading systems are all a Buy and Barchart's daily TrendSpotter trading system is a "Buy." Please note that the Barchart Opinion indicators are updated live during the session every 10 minutes and can therefore change during the day as the market fluctuates. The indicator numbers shown below therefore may not match what you see live on the Barchart.com web site when you read this report.
  • TrendSpotter: Buy
  • Short-Term Indicators: 100% Buy
  • Medium-Term Indicators: 100% Buy
  • Long-Term Indicators: 100% Buy
  • Overall Average 100% Buy


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Barchart Morning Call 3/29

Barchart Morning Call
Overnight Developments
  • Global stocks are mixed with the European Euro Stoxx 50 index down -0.53%, while June S&Ps are up +1.80 points. Treasuries and commodities are lower and the dollar is little changed. Crude oil fell over -$1.00 a barrel as the advance of Libyan rebels against Qaddafi's troops spurs hope the conflict in Africa's third-largest oil producer may end soon. A decline in European bank stocks is dragging the overall market lower on concern European banks need more capital. Treasuries are lower after St. Louis Fed President Bullard, speaking at a forum in Prague, said the Fed might need to tighten monetary policy before the outlook for the global economy clears up later this year. Limiting losses in European stocks was the stronger than expected Feb French consumer spending, which climbed +0.9% m/m and +5.5% y/y, stronger than expectations of +0.5% m/m and +4.8% y/y. German consumer confidence fell less than expected after the Apr German GfK consumer confidence survey fell -0.1 to 5.9, better than expectations of -0.2 to 5.8.
  • The Asian stock markets today closed mixed with Japan down -0.21%, Hong Kong -0.03%, China -0.99%, Taiwan +0.51%, Australia +0.47%, Singapore -0.01%, South Korea +0.77%, India +0.94%. Japanese stocks declined on concern over whether the country can contain its nuclear crisis and after Goldman Sachs predicted Japan's economy would contract next quarter as it cut its GDP forecast for Japan for the fiscal year starting Apr 1 to 0.7% from 1.3%. Concerns are rising that the increased radioactive pollution found at the crippled Fukushima Dai-Ichi power plant could delay Japan's reconstruction recovery. Limiting declines in Japanese exporters was the decline in the yen to a 1-week low against the dollar, which may help boost exporters' profits.
Overnight U.S. Stock News
  • June S&Ps this morning are trading up +1.80 points. The US stock market yesterday traded higher until late in the session when it sank into the close and settled on its low: Dow Jones -0.19%, S&P 500 -0.27%, Nasdaq Composite -0.45%. The S&P 500 and Nasdaq posted 2-week highs while the Dow climbed to a 3-week high, but they all shed their gains and finished lower. Bearish factors included (1) concern that Japan is failing to contain its nuclear crisis after the Deputy Director General of the IAEA said the discovery of plutonium particles outside the crippled Fukushima Dai-Ichi power plant means there has been degradation of the nuclear fuel in at least one of its reactors, (2) weakness in hotel stocks after Marriott International, the largest US hotel chain, plunged after it said growth in revenue per available room in Q1 will be at the low end of its forecast because of weak North American demand, and (3) the rise in the 10-yer T-note yield to a 2-1/2 week high of 3.482%.
  • Bullish factors for stocks included (1) the stronger-than-expected Feb personal spending which climbed for the eighth straight month and the unexpected upward revision to Jan (Feb +0.7% versus expectations of +0.6% and Dec revised up to +0.3% from the originally reported +0.2%), (2) the stronger-than-expected Feb pending home sales (+2.1% m/m versus expectations of +0.9% m/m), (3) a rally in solar stocks after Chancellor Merkel's party said that most of Germany's oldest atomic reactors will probably close following safety checks, which boosted alternative energy companies on a possible shift in Germany's energy policy after the anti-nuclear Green party gained widespread support in state elections on Sunday, and (4) strong M&A activity as takeovers have risen to $257 billion this quarter, the most since the collapse of Lehman Brothers in Q3 2008.
  • Halliburton (HAL) fell 1.3% in European trading after the oil services provider said that disruptions in North Africa and the Middle East will "severely" cut Q1 results by 3 cents to 4 cents a share.
Today's Market Focus
  • June 10-year T-notes this morning are trading unchanged. T-note prices yesterday fell to a 2-1/2 week low and closed lower after hawkish Fed comments and slack demand for the Treasury's 2-year T-note auction: TYM11 -3.5, FVM11 -3.7, EDU11 -1.0. Bearish factors included (1) the stronger-than-expected Feb personal spending and the unexpected upward revision to Jan (Feb +0.7% versus expectations of +0.6% and Dec revised up to +0.3% from the originally reported +0.2%), (2) the stronger-than-expected Feb pending home sales (+2.1% m/m versus expectations of +0.9% m/m), (3) hawkish comments from St. Louis Fed President Bullard who said that policy makers should review halting the $600 billion QE2 asset-purchase program before its June completion because the economy may not require that much stimulus, (4) weak demand for the Treasury's $35 billion 2-year T-note auction that had a bid-to-cover ratio of 3.16, below the 12-auction average of 3.33, and (5) supply pressures ahead of the Treasury's $35 billion auction of 5-year T-notes on Tue. Bullish factors included (1) increased safe-haven demand for Treasuries on concern the European sovereign-debt crisis may worsen after the yield on Portugal's 10-year bond climbed to a euro-era record of 7.94%, and (2) the Fed's action to purchase $6.753 billion of Treasuries as part of its QE2 asset-purchase program.
  • The dollar index this morning is little changed with the dollar/yen +0.43 yen and the euro/dollar -0.10 cents. The dollar index yesterday rallied to a 1-week high but shed its gains and closed slightly lower after hawkish comments from ECB President Trichet boosted the euro: Dollar Index -0.025, USDJPY +0.035, EURUSD -0.00016. Bearish factors included (1) euro supportive comments from ECB President Trichet who said "inflation rates are durably above the price stability target," which nearly cements an April interest rate hike from the ECB, and (2) hawkish comments from ECB Council member Quaden who said a "moderate" increase in interest rates won't stifle the economic recovery. Bullish factors included (1) comments from St. Louis Fed President Bullard who said that policy makers should review halting the $600 billion QE2 asset-purchase program before its June completion because the economy may not require that much stimulus, and (2) stronger-than-expected US economic data on Feb personal spending and Feb pending home sales, which signals economic strength and is dollar supportive.
  • May crude oil prices this morning are trading down -$1.15 a barrel and May gasoline is -1.79 cents per gallon. Crude oil and gasoline prices yesterday closed lower on speculation that recent victories by Libyan rebels may speed up a resolution to the country's armed conflict and put Libyan oil back on the market: CLK11 -$1.42, RBK11 -2.19. Bearish factors included (1) the action by Qatar to agree to market crude from east Libyan oil fields that are now controlled by rebel forces, which eases concern that Libyan oil exports will be disrupted for an extended period, and (2) concern that a recovery in Japan will be delayed after Japan's chief government spokesman said a partial meltdown of fuel rods in the No. 2 reactor probably caused a jump in radioactive readings that will further complicate containment of Japan's nuclear crisis. Bullish factors include (1) the reversal in the dollar after the dollar index fell back from a 1-week high and closed lower, which boosts investment demand for commodities, (2) comments from Algeria's Oil Minister that the oil market is "well supplied" and there is no need to compensate for a decline in Libya's output, and (3) the stronger-than-expected Feb US personal spending, which shows strength in the economy that may bolster fuel demand.
Today's U.S. Earnings Reports Earnings reports (confirmed releases, sorted by mkt cap) VIP-VimpelCom Ltd. (BEST earnings consensus $0.39), MKC-McCormick (0.54), APOL-Apollo Group (0.69), TIBX-TIBCO Software (0.15), LEN-Lennar (-0.05).
Global Financial Calendar
Tuesday 3/29/11
United States
0600 ET St. Louis Fed President James Bullard speaks at the 2011 European Banking & Financial Forum in Prague.
0745 ET ICSC (Int?l Council of Shopping Centers) weekly retailer sales.
0855 ET Redbook weekly retailer sales.
0900 ET Jan S&P/CaseShiller composite-20 home prices index expected ?0.5% m/m and ?3.2% y/y, Dec ?0.4% m/m and ?2.4% y/y.
1000 ET Mar U.S. consumer confidence expected ?5.4 to 65.0, Feb +5.6 to 70.4.
1130 ET Weekly 4-week T-bill auction.
1300 ET Treasury auctions $35 billion 5-year T-notes.
Germany
0200 ET Apr German GfK consumer confidence survey expected ?0.2 to 5.8, Mar +0.2 to 6.0.
n/a Mar German CPI (EU harmonized) expected +0.4% m/m and +2.1% y/y, Feb +0.6% m/m and +2.2% y/y.
France
0245 ET Feb French consumer spending expected +0.5% m/m and +4.8% y/y, Jan ?0.5% m/m and +2.4% y/y.
United Kingdom
0430 ET Revised Q4 UK total business investment, previous ?2.5% q/q and +10.0% y/y.
0430 ET Revised Q4 UK GDP expected no change at ?0.6% q/q and +1.5% y/y.
0430 ET Feb UK net consumer credit expected ?0.1 billion pounds, Jan ?0.3 billion pounds.
0430 ET Feb UK mortgage approvals expected 46,300, Jan 45,700.
0430 ET Feb UK M4 money supply, Jan +0.8% m/m and ?1.7% y/y.
Euro-Zone
1000 ET ECB Council member Yves Mersch speaks at a conference in Luxembourg.
Japan
1950 ET Preliminary Feb Japan industrial production expected -0.1% m/m and +4.0% y/y, Jan +1.3% m/m and +3.5% y/y.

Barchart.com provides Financial Quotes, Charts and Technical Analysis for Stock and Commodity Traders.

Monday, March 28, 2011

TravelZoo is on the loose

After the market closed today I screened for stocks hitting the most frequent new highs on Barchart.  A company I never heard of Travelzoo ( TZOO) was right at the top of the list.  Travelzoo Inc publishes Travelzoo and Weekend.com. Reaching several million users per month, Travelzoo lists sales and specials from more than 200 advertisers, including Alamo Rent-a-Car, American Airlines, American Express Travel, Avis Rent A Car, Best Western International, British Airways, Carnival Cruise Lines, Delta Air Lines, Fairmont Hotels & Resorts, Funjet Vacations, Gate 1 Travel, Ian Schrager Hotels, JetBlue Airways, Kimpton Hotel & Restaurant Group, Marriott Hotels, Omni Hotels, Pleasant Holidays, Royal Caribbean Cruises, Six Continents Hotels, Starwood Hotels & Resorts, Vail Resorts, Virgin Atlantic Airways, and Wyndham Hotels & Resorts.


This is one you should consider.

Technical Factors:
  • 100% Barchart technical buy signal
  • Trend Spotter buy signal
  • 14 new highs and up 64.13% in the last month
  • Relative Strength Index 79.35% and rising
  • Trades around 64.75 with a 50 day moving average of 46.06
Fundamental Factors:
  • New Wall Street darling with 2 strong buy and 1 buy recommendation released
  • Sales are expected to increase by 19.10% this year and 17.10% next year
  • Earnings are projected to increase by 41.20% this year, 32.70% next year and continue at a 25.00% rate for the next 5 years
  • Even Jim Cramer made positive comments on 2/25
General Investor Sentiment:
  • Individual investors are reversing
  • CAPS members on Motley Fool vote 211 to 172 that the stock will beat the market
  • The All Stars are still negative at 65 to 68
This a stock that is garnering more and more support.  Put Travelzoo (TZOO) on your watch list

Jim Van Meerten is an analyst for  Marketocracy Capital Management.  He shares his knowledge and experience from over 40 years of investing in stocks, mutual funds and ETFs on Barchart.com  in his daily blog -- Barchart Portfolio Blogs.



Give FICO some credit

A lot has happened in the last few years and one of the biggest changes for a lot of people has been their credit scores.  People who previously never were refused a credit card are finding their cards cancelled and the limits on the ones they've been able to keep current having the limits lowered.  Even households that have never missed a payment are finding the new and tightened underwriting standards means a much larger down payment on houses and autos.

Credit mismanagement and credit fraud are at a all time high and businesses need very current information on any new customer that isn't a COD transaction.  As the economy recovers businesses will need to know which of their new customers is a safe account.  That's where Fair Isaac (FICO) comes in.  We even now have FICO scores a term in almost all of our vocabularies,

Your FICO score may not be increasing but the price of their stock sure is:


Fair Isaac Corporation (FICO) makes decisions smarter. The company's solutions and technologies for Enterprise Decision Management give businesses the power to automate more processes, and apply more intelligence to every customer interaction. Through increasing the precision, consistency and agility of their decisions, Fair Isaac clients worldwide increase sales, build customer value, cut fraud losses, manage credit risk, reduce operational costs, meet changing compliance demands and enter new markets more profitably. Fair Isaac powers hundreds of billions of decisions each year in financial services, insurance, telecommunications, retail, consumer branded goods, health care and the public sector.

Reasons this stock should be on your watch lists:

Technical Factors:

  • 100% Barchart technical buy signal
  • Trend Spotter buy signal
  • 7 new highs and up 10.91% in the last month
  • Relative Strength Index is 71.88% and rising
  • Trades around 31.05 with a 50 day moving average of 26.85
Fundamental Factors:
  • For a company that touches the lives of almost every consumer in the US the stock is very under followed on Wall Street.
  • Wall Street brokerage analysts only have 1 buy and 5 hold recommendations published
  • Sales are expected to increase 3.10% this year and 3.40% next year -- almost in line with economic forecasts
  • Earnings are projected to increase by 24.10% this year, 8.90% next year and 7.27 annually for the next 5 years
  • Northland Securities has recently been high on this stock
General Investor Sentiment:
  • Just like the professional analysts this is not a widely followed stock by the general investing public
  • The CAPS members on Motley Fool vote 73 to 25 that the stock will beat the market -- That's 3 to 1 but not a large following
  • The more experienced All Stars agree 28 to 12.
If you're looking for an S&P 400 stock trading around 300K shares a day Fair Isaac (FICO) is one that has a product that is essential to the  consumer credit market and is the standard for the industry.  Add it to your watch lists.

Jim Van Meerten is an analyst for  Marketocracy Capital Management.  He shares his knowledge and experience from over 40 years of investing in stocks, mutual funds and ETFs on Barchart.com  in his daily blog -- Barchart Portfolio Blogs.


Barchart Morning Call 3/28

Barchart Morning Call
Overnight Developments
  • Global stocks are mixed with the European Euro Stoxx 50 index up +0.32% and June S&Ps up +2.40 points. Stocks fluctuated on concern over what Japan's nuclear crisis will do to global economic growth. The dollar index climbed to a 1-week high and Treasury prices weakened after St. Louis Fed President Bullard said over the weekend that policy makers should review halting the $600 billion QE2 asset-purchase program before its June completion because the economy may not require that much stimulus. The euro slid to a 1-week low against the dollar after the yield on Portugal's 10-year bond rose to 7.894%, the highest since 1997 when Bloomberg began collecting the data. Also undercutting the euro was the defeat of German Chancellor Merkel's coalition in Sunday's state elections. Merkel's CDU party won 39% of the votes in Baden-Württemberg, its worst result since 1952, while its Free Democratic Party allies won only 5.2%, leaving the 2 parties short of a majority rule and marks the end of the CDU's 58-year rule in the state. The British pound tumbled to a 1-3/4 month low against the dollar after the Feb UK Lloyds business barometer, a gauge of sentiment which aims to predict economic developments in the UK four months in advance, fell -2 points to 1, its lowest level in 2 years.
  • The Asian stock markets today closed mostly lower with Japan down -0.60%, Hong Kong -0.39%, China -0.12%, Taiwan -0.67%, Australia -0.19%, Singapore -0.44%, Soth Korea +0.17%, India +0.68%. Japanese stocks closed lower on concern that it may take months to end production halts and electricity shortages from the quake crisis. Tokyo Electric Power, the operator of the crippled Fukushima Dai-Ichi nuclear plant, tumbled 15% to its lowest since 1977 after radiation levels that can prove fatal were detected outside reactor buildings for the first time. Japan's chief government spokesman said a partial meltdown of fuel rods in the No. 2 reactor probably caused a jump in the radioactive readings, which further complicates efforts to contain the worst nuclear disaster since Chernobyl in 1986. Copper prices and Japanese automakers fell on concern Japanese carmakers may have to suspend production at pants in China, potentially curbing copper demand and undercutting automakers' profits. Declines in Japanese exporters were limited after the yen fell to a 1-week low against the dollar.
Overnight U.S. Stock News
  • June S&Ps this morning are trading up +2.40 points. The US stock market last Friday moved higher after Q4 US economic growth was revised higher and technology bellwether Oracle reported strong earning: Dow Jones +0.41%, S&P 500 +0.32%, Nasdaq Composite +0.24%. The S&P 500 and Nasdaq posted 2-week highs while the Dow climbed to a 3-week high. Bullish factors for stocks included (1) the larger-than-expected upward revision to US Q4 GDP (+3.1% annualized versus expectations of +3.0% annualized, (3) strength in technology stocks after bellwether Oracle, the world's top supplier of database software, forecast profit that beat analysts' estimates, and (3) reduced inflation concerns after the unexpected downward revision to the Q4 PCE deflator which shows the smallest increase since data began in 1959 (+0.4% q/q versus the previously reported +0.5% q/q).
  • Bearish factors included (1) the recent surge in fuel prices which prompted a larger-than-expected drop in Mar U.S. University of Michigan consumer confidence to its lowest level in 16 months (-0.7 to 67.5 versus expectations of -0.2 to 68.0), (2) concern that Japan's nuclear crisis may not be contained after Japan's Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency said one reactor core at the quake-damaged Fukushima Dai-Ichi power plant might be cracked and leaking radiation, and (3) concern that the European debt crisis may worsen after S&P downgraded Portugal's debt.
  • Eastman Kodak (EK) soared 22% in pre-market trading after it won the latest round in a patent dispute against Apple and Research in Motion. Kodak's CEO said the victory may add more than $1 billion in revenue from royalty payments.
Today's Market Focus
  • June 10-year T-notes this morning are trading down -10 ticks. T-note prices last Friday slid to a 2-week low and closed lower after US Q4 GDP was reported stronger than expected and Fed members urged an end to monetary stimulus: TYM11 -10, FVM11 -9.7, EDU11 -2.5. Bearish factors included (1) the larger-than-expected upward revision to US Q4 GDP (+3.1% annualized versus expectations of +3.0% annualized), (2) comments from Philadelphia Fed President Plosser who said the improving economy means the Fed should set a pace for selling its mortgage and Treasury holdings in conjunction with raising interest rates, and (3) comments from Dallas Fed President Fisher who said the Fed was at risk of "doing too much" and should end its quantitative easing program. Bullish factors included (1) the unexpected downward revision to the Q4 PCE deflator which shows the smallest increase since data began in 1959 (+0.4% q/q versus the previously reported +0.5% q/q), and (2) the larger-than-expected drop in Mar U.S. University of Michigan consumer confidence to its lowest level in 16 months (-0.7 to 67.5 versus expectations of -0.2 to 68.0).
  • The dollar index this morning is higher and at a 1-week high with the dollar/yen +0.34 yen and the euro/dollar -0.34 cents. The dollar index last Friday settled higher on concern about European government efforts to end the region's debt crisis: Dollar Index +0.561, USDJPY +0.362, EURUSD -0.00891. Bullish factors included (1) weakness in the euro on concern European leaders lack the resolve to quell the region's debt crisis after EU leaders caved in to German demands to cut the amount of startup capital for a program for future emergency aid, and (2) dollar supportive comments from Philadelphia Fed President Plosser who said the improving economy means the Fed should set a pace for selling its mortgage and Treasury holdings in conjunction with raising interest rates. Bearish factors included (1) the smaller-than-expected decline in Mar IFO business confidence, which is euro positive, (2) supportive interest rate differentials for the euro with the 3-month Euribor rate rising to a 1-3/4 year high of 1.203%, and (3) the plunge in Mar U.S. University of Michigan consumer confidence to a 16-month low, which is dollar negative.
  • May crude oil prices this morning are trading down -58 cents a barrel and May gasoline is -1.90 cents per gallon. Crude oil and gasoline prices last Friday settled slightly lower as European debt concerns offset a stronger US economy: CLK11 -$0.20, RBK11 -0.13. May gasoline posted a 2-week high but shed its gains and closed lower. Bearish factors included (1) strength in the dollar, which discourages investment demand for commodities, (2) concern that Japan's rebuilding process may be delayed after a spokesman for Japan's Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency said one reactor core at the quake-damaged Fukushima Dai-Ichi power plant might be cracked and leaking radiation, (3) concern that the European debt crisis will worsen and slow the economy and energy demand, and (4) the larger-than-expected drop in Mar U.S. University of Michigan consumer confidence which tumbled to a 16-month low and may lead to decreased consumer spending and fuel demand. Bullish factors include (1) the larger-than-expected upward revision to US Q4 GDP, which indicates stronger-than-expected fuel consumption, and (2) the ongoing civil unrest in North Africa and the Middle East that threatens to spread to major oil-producers in the region.
Today's U.S. Earnings Reports Earnings reports (confirmed releases, sorted by mkt cap) PVH-Phillips-Van Heusen (BEST earnings consensus $0.82), PRGS-Progress Software (0.42), CALM-Cal-Maine Foods (1.02), GSIG-GSI Group (0.04), NVAX-Novavax (-0.10), RNET-RigNet (0.06).
Global Financial Calendar
Monday 3/28/11
United States
0830 ET Feb personal spending expected +0.6%, Jan +0.2%. Feb personal income expected +0.4%, Jan +1.0%. Feb PCE deflator expected +1.6% y/y, Jan +1.2% y/y. Feb PCE core deflator expected +0.2% m/m and +0.9% y/y, Jan +0.1% m/m and +0.8% y/y.
1000 ET Feb pending home sales expected +0.9% m/m, Jan –2.8% m/m and –4.4% y/y.
1130 ET Weekly 3-mo and 6-mo T-bill auctions.
1240 ET Atlanta Fed President Dennis Lockhart speaks on the U.S. economic outlook to the Rotary Club of Atlanta.
1300 ET Treasury auctions $35 billion 2-year T-notes.
1540 ET Chicago Fed President Charles Evans delivers a speech titled “A Perspective on the Current Economy” at the University of South Carolina’s Darla Moore School of Business.
1800 ET Boston Fed President Eric Rosengren speaks on a panel discussion titled “Recession and Recovery: A Forum on Smart Policies for Sustainable Growth.”
Japan
1930 ET Feb Japan jobless rate expected unchanged at 4.9%, Jan unchanged at 4.9%. Feb job-to-applicant ratio expected 0.62, Jan 0.61.
1950 ET Feb Japan overall household spending expected unchanged y/y, Jan –1.0% y/y.
1950 ET Feb Japan retail trade expected +0.5% m/m and –0.5% y/y, Jan +4.1% m/m and +0.1% y/y.
Germany
n/a Feb German retail sales (can be released any day between Mar 28-Apr 1) expected +0.3% m/m and +1.5% y/y, Jan +0.4% m/m and +2.6% y/y.

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Verizon -- VZ -- Barchart Chart of the Day 3/28

Barchart.com's Chart of the Day - Verizon Communications (VZ)
Related Stocks
 VZ - Verizon Communications Inc.
Sym Last Chg Pct
VZ 37.29 +0.11 +0.30%
The "Chart of the Day" is Verizon Communications (VZ), which showed up on Friday's list of stocks that had a new "Buy" signal from the Barchart "TrendSpotter" trading system. Verizon on Friday closed +0.30% higher and edged to a new 3-1/4 year high. In recent news on the stock, the NY Times on March 23 carried a story citing analysts as saying that the AT&T/T-Mobile deal, even if approved, will not hurt Verizon in the short-term. Goldman says the deal could help Verizon due to the uncertainty. Bernstein on March 10 reiterated its Underperform on Verizon due to expectations for 2012 margin pressure and rich valuation, but nevertheless raised its target by 20% to $30 from $25 due to the incorporation of a CDMA version into its iPhone. Verizon, with a market cap of $103 billion, is the largest wireless phone company in the United States, and is also the world's largest provider of print and on-line directory information.

vz_700
How we found the Chart of the Day:
We found the "Chart of the Day" by scanning the Barchart "Trading Signals" page. That page provides a summary of changes in the Barchart signals. We then clicked on the TrendSpotter "Buy" category to obtain a list of all the stocks for which the Barchart TrendSpotter trading system has just turned to a buy. We then clicked on the "Today's Opinion" column header in order to sort the list with the strongest stocks on top. Further information is available at Barchart Signals Guide help page and at TrendSpotter help page.
Barchart's Opinion trading systems are mostly a Buy and Barchart's daily TrendSpotter trading system is a "Buy." Please note that the Barchart Opinion indicators are updated live during the session every 10 minutes and can therefore change during the day as the market fluctuates. The indicator numbers shown below therefore may not match what you see live on the Barchart.com web site when you read this report.
  • TrendSpotter: Buy
  • Short-Term Indicators: 80% Buy
  • Medium-Term Indicators: 100% Buy
  • Long-Term Indicators: 100% Buy
  • Overall Average 96% Buy


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