Friday, April 8, 2011

Barchart Morning Call 4/8

Barchart Morning Call
Overnight Developments
  • Global stocks are higher with the European Euro Stoxx 50 index up +0.40% and June S&Ps up +5.50 points. The dollar index slumped to a 16-month low, which has sent commodities soaring, with crude oil at a 2-1/2 year high and gold at a record. Limited damage to Japan from yesterday's 7.1-magnitude temblor along with strength in German exports is lifting stock prices across the globe. The euro climbed to a 14-3/4 month high against the dollar after Feb German exports rose +2.7% m/m, stronger than expectations of +2.0% m/m. The strong economic data along with a rally in equities has pushed the 10-year German bund yield up to a 1-1/2 year high of 3.477%. The British pound surged to a 14-1/2 month high against the dollar after Mar UK PPI output prices rose a larger-than-expected +5.4% y/y, their fastest pace in 29 months.
  • The Asian stock markets today closed mostly higher with Japan up +1.85%, Hong Kong +0.47%, China +0.87%, Taiwan -0.08%, Australia +0.66%, Singapore +0.49%, South Korea +0.21%, India -0.71%. Japanese stocks rose after minimal damage was caused from yesterday?s 7.1 magnitude temblor. Toyota closed 1.4% higher after it said it will resume output at its factories in Japan on Apr 18, while shipbuilders and engineering companies rallied on speculation that they may benefit from Japan's rebuilding efforts. China's Shanghai Stock Index rose to a 4-3/4 month high led by gains in mining companies and energy producers, while China's airline stocks rose after China National Radio reported that the airlines will raise fuel surcharges after the government increased the price of jet fuel. According to data from EPFR Global, developing-nation equity funds saw a $5.7 billion inflow in the week ended Apr 6, the biggest increase in nearly 6 months.
Overnight U.S. Stock News
  • June S&Ps this morning are trading up +5.50 points. The US stock market yesterday fluctuated on both sides of unchanged and finished with small losses after another earthquake hit Japan and offset the bullishness of a larger-than-expected drop in weekly jobless claims: Dow Jones -0.14%, S&P 500 -0.15%, Nasdaq Composite -0.13%. The Nasdaq slipped to a 1-week low. Bearish factors for stocks included (1) a magnitude 7.1 earthquake to strike Japan, which fuels concern that the global economy may slow as Japan's recovery from last month's earthquake is delayed, (2) concern that the continued stalemate over the federal budget will lead to a shutdown of the US government if Congress fails to extend the government?s spending authority by Friday, and (3) concern the European sovereign-debt crisis will worsen after Portugal became the third Euro-Zone country to ask for a bailout.
  • Bullish factors included (1) the larger-than-expected decline in weekly initial unemployment claims (-10,000 to 382,000 versus expectations of -3,000 to 385,000), (2) strength in retailers after Retail Metrics reported that US retailers industry wide posted an unexpected 2.2% increase in March, stronger than expectations of a -0.5% decline, and (3) the larger-than-expected increase in Feb US consumer credit which posted its largest monthly gain in 2-1/2 years (+$7.617 billion versus expectations of +$4.600 billion).
  • Expedia (EXPE) surged 13% in European trading after the company said it will split into two, giving investors a chance to own shares in its TripAdvisor unit.
Today's Market Focus
  • June 10-year T-notes this morning are trading down -13.5 ticks at a 1-month low. T-note prices yesterday rebounded from a 1-month low and closed higher after a 7.1 magnitude earthquake struck Japan along with dovish comments from ECB President Trichet: TYM11 +3, FVM11 +6.2, EDU11 +3.0. The 10-year T-note yield rose to a 1-month high of 3.572%. Bullish factors included (1) increased safe-haven demand for Treasuries after a 7.1 magnitude earthquake struck Japan, which fuels concern that the global economy may slow as Japan's recovery from last month's earthquake is delayed, (2) dovish comments from ECB President Trichet who said after raising interest rates Thursday that the increase wasn?t the "first of a series" of rate hikes, which eased concern that the ECB will continue to raise interest rates, and (3) the Fed's purchase of $6.58 billion of Treasuries as part of its asset-purchase program. Bearish factors included (1) the larger-than-expected decline in weekly initial unemployment claims (-10,000 to 382,000 versus expectations of -3,000 to 385,000), and (2) an early slump in prices on carry-over weakness from an increase in the 10-year bund yield to a 1-1/2 year high after the ECB raised interest rates by 25 bp.
  • The dollar index this morning is weaker and slumped to a 16-month low with the dollar/yen +0.39 yen and the euro/dollar +1.06 cents t a 14-3/4 month high. The dollar index yesterday moved higher on comments from ECB President Trichet along with a larger-than-expected drop in weekly initial unemployment claims: Dollar Index +0.011, USDJPY -0.578, EURUSD -0.00237. Bullish factors included (1) comments from ECB President Trichet who said after raising interest rates Thursday by 25 bp that the increase wasn?t the "first of a series" of rate hikes, which dampened speculation that the ECB will be overly aggressive in tightening monetary policy, (2) the larger-than-expected decline in weekly jobless claims, which signals economic strength and is dollar supportive, and (3) the ongoing European sovereign-debt crisis after Portugal became the third Euro-Zone country to ask for a bailout. Bearish factors included (1) improved interest rate differentials for the euro after the ECB hiked interest rates 25 bp, and (2) the stronger-than-expected Feb German industrial production which is euro supportive.
  • May crude oil prices this morning are trading +$1.54 a barrel and May gasoline is +3.90 cents per gallon, both at fresh 2-1/2 year highs. Crude oil and gasoline prices yesterday settled mixed as a strong dollar and an ECB rate hike undercut gasoline but strong economic data along with an oil field fire in Libya lifted crude: CLK11 +$1.47, RBK11 -0.64. May crude posted a 2-1/2 year high. Bullish factors included (1) a fire at the al-Sarir oil field in Libya caused by Qadaffi's forces, and (2) stronger than expected economic data on weekly US jobless claims and Feb German industrial production, which signals economic strength that may boost energy demand. Bearish factors include (1) the stronger dollar, which reduces investment demand in commodities, and (2) the action by the ECB to raise interest rates, which bolsters concern that economic growth and energy demand will slow.
Today's U.S. Earnings Reports Earnings reports (confirmed releases, sorted by mkt cap) MSCI-MSCI Inc. (BEST earnings consensus $0.38), ABH-AbitibiBowater (-0.85), GY-Gencorp (-0.05), BTH-Blyth (2.13).
Global Financial Calendar
Friday 4/8/11
United States
0800 ET Atlanta Fed President Dennis Lockhart speaks on the U.S. economic outlook to the University of Tennessee?s Knoxville Economics Forum.
1000 ET Feb wholesale inventories expected +1.0%, Jan +1.1%.
1015 ET Dallas Fed President Richard Fisher speaks on monetary and fiscal policy at the 2011 Society of American Business Editors and Writers Annual Conference.
Japan
0030 ET Mar Japan bankruptcies, Feb ?9.4% y/y.
0100 ET Mar Japan eco watchers survey current, Feb 48.4. Mar eco watchers survey outlook, Feb 47.2.
Germany
0200 ET Feb German trade balance expected +13.0 billion euros, Jan +10.1 billion euros. Feb exports expected +2.0%, Jan ?1.0%. Feb imports expected +1.0%, Jan +2.3%.
Euro-Zone
0200 ET ECB Executive Board members Gertrude Tumpel-Gugerell and Jose Manuel Gonzalez-Paramo speak on a panel in Berlin on the future of European economic and currency union.
0630 ET EU finance ministers and central bankers meet in Budapest. Press conference to follow.
France
0230 ET Mar Bank of France business sentiment, Feb unchanged at 110.
United Kingdom
0430 ET Mar UK PPI input prices expected +2.1% m/m and +12.5% y/y, Feb +1.1% m/m and +14.6% y/y.
0430 ET Mar UK PPI output prices expected +0.6% m/m and +5.1% y/y, Feb +0.5% m/m and +5.3% y/y.
0430 ET Mar UK PPI output core prices expected +0.3% m/m and +2.9% y/y, Feb +0.1% m/m and +3.1% y/y.
Canada
0700 ET Mar Canada employment change expected +30,000, Feb +15,100. Mar employment rate expected ?0.1 to 7.7%, Feb unchanged at 7.8%.
0815 ET Mar Canada housing starts expected +184,500, Feb +181,900.

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

Ingersoll-Rand -- IR -- Barchart Chart of the Day

Barchart.com's Chart of the Day - Ingersoll-Rand (IR)
Related Stocks
 IR - Ingersoll-Rand Plc [Ireland]
Sym Last Chg Pct
IR 48.46 +0.04 +0.08%
The "Chart of the Day" is Ingersoll-Rand (IR), which showed up on Thursday's Barchart "NYSE 12-month High" list. Ingersoll-Rand on Thursday posted a new 3-1/4 year high but then faded to close only 1.25% higher. The stock may need to correct a bit lower to fill Thursday's gap, but a rally to a new high could be considered a bullish trigger. TrendSpotter has been Long Ingersoll-Rand since March 24 at $48.00. Yesterday's rally was sparked by the company's announcement of an increase in the quarterly dividend by 71% to 12 cents per share and by the board's authorization of a $2 billion share repurchase program. Ingersoll-Rand, with a market cap of $15.8 billion, is one of the leading providers of security and safety, climate control, industrial productivity and infrastructure products.

ir_700
How we found the Chart of the Day:
We found the "Chart of the Day" by scanning the Barchart "New Highs/Lows" page. Then we clicked on the entry for NYSE 12-month highs. A new 12-month high is a popular sign of upside momentum. Then we applied a "Custom View" heading with the Barchart Opinion ranking as one of the columns. we then sorted the list by the Barchart Opinion ranking in order to find the stocks with the highest Opinion.
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: 60% Buy
  • Medium-Term Indicators: 100% Buy
  • Long-Term Indicators: 100% Buy
  • Overall Average 88% Buy


Barchart links for further information:

Quotes and Charts
Quote
Detailed Quote
Chart

Technical Analysis
Technicals Summary
Trader's Cheat Sheet™

Barchart Opinions
Barchart Opinion
Barchart Snapshot
Trading Strategies

Company Info
Company Profile
Key Statistics
Ratios
Income Statement-Quarterly
Income Statement-Annual
Balance Sheet-Current
Balance Sheet-Annual


Chart of the Day Archive
View Past Chart of the Day Reports

Thursday, April 7, 2011

5 Great Stocks

What makes a great stock?  How about what stocks have most consistently hit new highs over the last 6 months.  At the market close today I used Barchart to find the 5 stocks that have hit the most frequent new highs in the last 6 months.  Look at this list and compare it to where you've had your money invested for the last 6 months.

PDS - Precision Drilling - an innovative, performance oriented, integrated oilfield drilling and energy service company. They are committed to providing technologically advanced equipment, and expertise, a safe operating environment, and quality service to the oil and gas and industrial businesses.


  • 96% Barchart technical buy signal
  • Trend Spotter buy signal
  • 55 new highs and up 103.23% in the last 6 month
  • Relative Strength Index 76.86% and still rising
  • Trades around 14.47 with a 50 day moving average of 11.88
ADP = Automatic Data Processing - one of the largest providers of computerized transaction processing, data communication, and information services in the world. ADP Employer Services offers a comprehensive range of payroll, human resources, benefits administration, time and attendance, tax filing and reporting, professional employer organization, compliance management and retirement plan services to employers in the United States, Canada, Europe and Latin America.


  • 100% Barchart technical buy signal
  • Trend spotter buy signal
  • 50 new highs and up 27.36% in the last 6 months
  • Relative Strength Index 74.32% and still rising
  • Trades around 52.93 with a 50 day moving average of 49.25
KCI - Kinetic Concepts - a global medical technology company with leadership positions in advanced wound care and therapeutic surfaces.


  • 96% Barchart technical buy signal
  • Trend Spotter buy signal
  • 49 new highs and up 48.20% in the last 6 months
  • Relative Strength Index 73.62% and still rising
  • Trades around 55.37 with a 50 day moving average of 49.94
ERIE - Erie Indemnity - principal business activity consists of management of the affairs for Erie Insurance Exchange. The company alsoparticipates in the property/casualty insurance business through its three wholly owned subsidiaries, Erie Insurance Company, Erie Insurance Company of New York, and Erie Insurance Property and Casualty Company and through its management of the Flagship City Insurance Company, a subsidiary of Erie Insurance Exchange.


  • 96% Barchart technical buy signal
  • Trend Spotter buy signal
  • 48 new highs and up 30.96% in the last 6 months
  • Relative Strength Index 62.81% and still rising
  • Trades around 71.80 with a 50 day moving average of 69.04
AON - Aon Corp - a holding company whose operating subsidiaries carry onbusiness in three distinct segments: insurance brokerage and other services; consulting; and insurance underwriting. The Insurance Brokerage and Other Services segment consists of its retail and reinsurance brokerage operations. The Consulting segment provides consulting services including employee benefits, human resources, and change management. Its Insurance Underwriting segment sells life and accident and health insurance, extended warranty, specialty and other insurance products.


  • 100% Barchart technical buy signal
  • Trend Spotter buy signal
  • 45 new highs and up 38.54% in the last 6 months
  • Relative Strength Index 68.35% and still rising
  • Trades around 54.17 with a 50 day moving average of 51.05
How much more steam do the have??  I have no idea, but eveyone of then still has a rising Relative Strength Index

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.









Yum Brands sell signals

Today I detected Barchart technical sell signals on Yum Brands (YUM).

Technical sell signals:
  • 60% Barchart short term technical sell signal
  • Trend Spotter sell signal
  • Trading below its 20, 50 and 100 day moving averages
  • 7.16% off its recent high
  • Relative Strength Index 36.69% and falling
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.

Medallion Financial -- TAXI

This morning while using Barchart to screen for smaller stocks hitting the most frequent new highs I came across the chart of Medallion Financial (TAXI).  I never heard of this company but the business plan is unique.  As the economy recovers travelers will be using taxis, trying to find financing to open new businesses and the general consumer will be buying more toys -- RVs, boats, motorcycles.  If that happens this is a company that will benefit.


Medallion Financial Corp (TAXI), through its subsidiaries, operates as a specialty finance company in the United States. The company engages in originating, acquiring, and servicing loans that finance taxicab medallions and various commercial businesses. It also originates consumer loans for the purchase of recreational vehicles, boats, motorcycles, and trailers, as well as provides other debt, mezzanine, and equity investment capital to companies in various industries. In addition, the company originates commercial loans that finance the purchase of the equipment and related assets necessary to open a new business or the purchase or improvement of an existing business; and loans to small businesses for the purpose of financing inventory and receivables. Further, it raises deposits and conducts other banking activities. Medallion Financial Corp. was founded in 1995 and is headquartered in New York, New York.

Technical Factors:
  • 80% Barchart technical buy signal
  • Trend spotter buy signal
  • 15 new highs and up 15.99% in the last month
  • Relative Strength Index 74.50% and rising
  • Trades around 8.95 with a 50 day moving average of 8.13
Fundamental Factors:
  • Wall Street is barley following this one
  • Sales projection not great but earnings are expected to increase by 35.30% this year, 6.20% next year and continue by 10.00% annually for the next 5 years
General Investor Sentiment:
  • Wall Street may not be following this stock but 141 investors on Motley Fool are
  • CAPS members vote 96 to 6 that the stock will beat the market
  • The All Stars vote 38 to 1 for he same result
If you think the economy is on the mend and looking for a niche finance institution this might be one to put 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.


Furniture turnaround -- FBN

How about a company that you may not know but you know their products.  Technically, Furniture Brands International (FBN) has everything going for it on Barchart but fundamentally its a speculative pick. Management has put in place a turn around strategy. The stock will rise or tank on the success of that strategy's implementation.

Recent price momentum is what draws me to this stock. Slow and steady.


Furniture Brands International, Inc. (FBN) is one of the largest manufacturers of residential furniture in the United States. They market products through three operating subsidiaries: Broyhill Furniture Industries, Inc., Lane Furniture Industries, Inc., and Thomasville Furniture Industries, Inc.

First let's look at the technical momentum factors:
  • 100% Barchart short term
  • Trend Spotter buy signal
  • 12 new highs and up 23.70% in the last month
  • Relative Strength Index 71.86% and climbing
  • Trades around 5.16 with a 50 day moving average of 4.35
Fundamental Factors:
  • Management has 2 major problems to solve --  store costs and manufacturing costs
  • Shuttered stores are now being subleased
  • Manufacturing is being moved from high cost areas to Mexico and Indonesia
  • Consumers who are employed may not be able to move but they are upgrading the furniture in their homes
  • Wall Street brokerage analysts have published 1 strong buy and 3 hold recommendations
  • Sales are expected to increase by only .20% this year and 5.60% next year
  • Earnings are the story with a projection of an increase of 43.40% this year and 93.00% next year
General Investor Sentiment:
  • As measured on Motley Fool investor sentiment is very split -- but isn't that where you make the best plays?  Getting in before the herd is always best.
  • CAPS members are split 94 to 89 that the stock will out perform the market
  • The more experienced All Stars seem equally split 41 to 36

My advice is to recognize that this is a speculative issue not a core position.  It's price is rising so if you buy, place a stop loss.  Be along for the ride while it lasts.


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.

3M -- MMM -- Barchart Chart of the Day 4/7

Barchart.com's Chart of the Day - 3M Company (MMM)
Related Stocks
 MMM - 3M Company
Sym Last Chg Pct
MMM 93.45 -0.37 -0.39%
The "Chart of the Day" is 3M Company (MMM), which showed up on Wednesday's list of stocks that had a new "Buy" signal from the Barchart "TrendSpotter" trading system with Wednesday's +0.46% higher close at $93.82. A rally in 3M above last Friday's all-time high of $94.33 would be a particularly bullish technical development. In recent news on the stock, Barron's carried a favorable article on Feb 28 saying that 3M is a buy due to new products and emerging market growth, which should result in a doubling of long-term organic sales growth rate to 7-8% and a boost in earnings by at least 60% over the next five years. BofA/Merrill on Feb 22 raised its rating on 3M to Neutral from Underperform and raised its target to $106 from $93. 3M, with a market cap of $65.9 billion, is a diversified technology company with leading positions in consumer and office; display and graphics; electronics and telecommunications; health care; industrial; safety, security and protection services; transportation and other businesses.

mmm_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


Barchart links for further information:

Quotes and Charts
Quote
Detailed Quote
Chart

Technical Analysis
Technicals Summary
Trader's Cheat Sheet™

Barchart Opinions
Barchart Opinion
Barchart Snapshot
Trading Strategies

Company Info
Company Profile
Key Statistics
Ratios
Income Statement-Quarterly
Income Statement-Annual
Balance Sheet-Current
Balance Sheet-Annual


Chart of the Day Archive
View Past Chart of the Day Reports

Barchart Morning Call 4/7

Barchart Morning Call
Overnight Developments
  • Global stocks are mixed with the European Euro Stoxx 50 index up +0.57% and June S&Ps up +0.50 of a point. The dollar is higher and Treasuries are weaker while copper rose to a 1-1/2 week high. As expected, the BOE maintained its benchmark interest rate at 0.50% and kept its asset purchase target at 200 billion pounds following the conclusion of its monetary policy meeting. A rally in European bank stocks is leading the market higher after Portugal's government asked for a bailout. According to European officials with knowledge of the situation, Portugal is aiming for a bailout that may be worth as much as 75 billion euros ($107 billion) as record high borrowing costs forced the country to be the third in the Euro-Zone to seek a rescue package. After climbing to a record high of 585 bp on Tuesday, credit-default swaps tied to Portuguese bonds tumbled to 535 bp today. German bunds tumbled on reduced safe-haven demand with the yield on the benchmark 10-year bund climbing to a 1-1/2 year high of 3.46%. Another positive for stocks and a negative for government debt is the strength in German industrial output. Feb German industrial production rose +1.6% m/m and +14.8% y/y, stronger than expectations of +0.5% m/m and +13.2% y/y.
  • The Asian stock markets today closed mixed with Japan up +0.07%, Hong Kong -0.01%, China +0.40%, Taiwan +0.56%, Australia -0.10%, Singapore +0.04%, South Korea -0.32%, India -0.11%. Following the conclusion of its 2-day monetary policy meeting today, the BOJ downgraded their economic assessment of the Japanese economy for the first time since Oct and unveiled a 1 trillion yen ($12 billion) lending facility to help the economy rebuild from last month's earthquake. The BOJ said Japan's economy is under "strong downward pressure" after the earthquake damaged production facilities and weakened financial positions of companies, and pressure will persist "for the time being" before the economy recovers. The Australian dollar climbed to $1.0482, the highest level since being freely floated in 1983, after Australia's unemployment rate fell to a 2-year low of 4.9% in March as employers added 37,800 workers, more than the 24,000 forecast.
Overnight U.S. Stock News
  • June S&Ps this morning are trading up +0.50 of a point. The US stock market yesterday finished with modest gains on carry-over support from a rally in European stocks along with strength in technology companies: Dow Jones +0.27%, S&P 500 +0.22%, Nasdaq Composite +0.31%. The Dow rose to a 2-3/4 year high and the S&P 500 posted a 1-1/2 month high. Bullish factors included (1) carry-over support from gains in European stocks after Feb German factory orders rose nearly 5 times estimates, which signals economic strength that boosts confidence in the global economic outlook, (2) strength in technology stocks after Cisco rallied on speculation it will sell or spin off its consumer business, and (3) comments from Atlanta Fed President Lockhart who said he doesn't expect the Fed to tighten monetary policy by year-end with inflation still low and the economic recovery fragile.
  • Bearish factors for stocks included (1) weakness in commodity producers led by a fall in Monsanto after the world's largest seed producer said agricultural-chemical earnings declined, and (2) the 5 bp rise in the 10-year T-note yield to a 4-week high of 3.546% as inflation expectations increased.
Today's Market Focus
  • June 10-year T-notes this morning are trading down -1.5 ticks. T-note prices yesterday weakened as inflation expectations rose along with carry-over weakness from a jump in the 10-year German bund yield to a 1-1/2 year high: TYM11 -12.5, FVM11 -6.5, EDU11 +0.5. The 10-year T-note yield climbed to a 4-week high of 3.546%. Bearish factors included (1) an increase in inflation expectations after the difference between yields on 5-year T-notes and 5-year TIPS, or the break-even rate, reached 2.41 points, the widest in 2-3/4 years, and (2) carry-over weakness after the 10-year German bund yield surged to a 1-1/2 year high of 3.436%. Bullish factors included (1) dovish comments from Atlanta Fed President Lockhart who said he doesn't expect the Fed to tighten monetary policy by year-end with inflation still low and the economic recovery fragile, and (2) the Fed's action to purchase $1.970 billion of Treasuries as part of its QE2 asset-purchase program.
  • The dollar index this morning is higher with the dollar/yen -0.43 yen and the euro/dollar -0.50 cents. The dollar index yesterday slumped to a 1-1/2 week low as the euro strengthened to a 14-1/2 month high against the dollar on speculation the ECB will raise interest rates even further after they raise them on Thursday: Dollar Index -0.368, USDJPY +0.626, EURUSD +0.01088. The yen tumbled to a 6-1/4 month low against the dollar. Bearish factors included (1) speculation the euro's interest rate differentials will widen further in favor of the euro as the ECB begins to hike interest rates while the Fed maintains its overly easy monetary policy, (2) the larger-than-expected increase in the Feb German factory orders, which is euro supportive, (3) supportive interest rate differentials for the euro after the 3-month Euribor rate increased for the fourteenth consecutive day, +0.7 bp to a 1-3/4 year high of 1.269%, and (4) comments from Atlanta Fed President Lockhart who said he is not "leaning" to Fed policy tightening this year. Bullish factors included (1) the fall in the yen to 6-1/4 low against the dollar on the outlook for further emergency stimulus from the BOJ, and (2) the attempt from Jean-Claude Juncker, head of the Euro-Zone finance ministers, to jawbone the euro down from a 14-1/2 month high against the dollar when he said the euro's exchange rate may be "slightly overstated."
  • May crude oil prices this morning are trading up +9 cents a barrel and May gasoline is -0.41 of a cent per gallon. Crude oil and gasoline prices yesterday rallied to 2-1/2 year highs but finished mixed as gasoline closed lower on the smaller-than-expected drop in weekly inventories and crude settled higher after German factory orders surged: CLK11 +$0.49, RBK11 -0.84. Bullish factors included (1) the slide in the dollar index to a 1-1/2 week low, which boosts investment demand in commodities, and (2) the surge in Feb German factory orders by nearly 5 times estimates, which signals economic strength that may lead to increased energy demand. Bearish factors include (1) weakness in gasoline after weekly DOE gasoline inventories fell less than expected (-357,000 bbl versus expectations of -1.9 million bbl), and (2) comments from the UAE Energy Minister who said that world oil markets are "adequately supplied" and "the surge in prices is a reflection of geopolitics and natural disaster but not the fundamentals."
Today's U.S. Earnings Reports Earnings reports (confirmed releases, sorted by mkt cap) STZ-Constellation Brands (BEST earnings consensus $0.26), RPM-RPM International (-0.05), PIR-Pier 1 Imports (0.47), RAD-Rite Aid Corp. (-0.24), PBY-PEP Boys-Manny Moe & Jack (0.07), GBX-Greenbrier (-0.01), AZZ-AZZ Inc. (0.73).
Global Financial Calendar
Thursday 4/7/11
United States
0345 ET Cleveland Fed President Sandra Pianalto speaks on a panel discussion at the Global Interdependence Center Conference in Rome on ?Capital Markets in the Post-Crisis Environment.?
0820 ET Richmond Fed President Jeffrey Lacker speaks to the 2011 Ferrum College Forum on Critical Thought, Innovation & Leadership on ?Innovation in he New Financial regulatory Environment.?
0830 ET Weekly initial unemployment claims expected ?3,000 to 385,000, previous ?6,000 to 388,000. Weekly continuing claims expected ?14,000 to 3.700 million, previous ?51,000 to 3.714 million.
1030 ET Mar ICSC chain store sales, Feb +4.2% y/y.
1100 ET Treasury announces amounts of 3-year T-notes (previous $32 billion), 10-year T-notes (previous $21 billion) and 30-year T-bonds (previous $13 billion) to be auctioned Apr 12-14.
1500 ET Feb U.S. consumer credit expected +$4.600 billion, Jan +$5.014 billion.
1630 ET Weekly money supply report and Fed balance sheet.
France
0245 ET Feb French trade balance expected ?5.70 billion euros, Jan ?5.89 billion euros.
Germany
0600 ET Feb German industrial production expected +0.5% m/m and +13.2% y/y, Jan +1.8% m/m and +12.5% y/y.
United Kingdom
0700 ET BOE announces interest rate decision and asset purchase target (expected no change to the 0.50% benchmark rate and no change to the 200 billion pound asset purchase target).
Euro-Zone
0600 ET European Commission releases quarterly report on the Euro-Zone.
0745 ET ECB announces interest rate decision (expected +25 bp increase in the 2-week refinancing rate to 1.25%).
0830 ET ECB President Jean-Claude Trichet speaks at monthly press conference.
Canada
0830 ET Feb Canada building permits expected +2.0% m/m, Jan ?5.1% m/m.
Japan
n/a BOJ announces interest rate decision (expected no change to the 0.00% to 0.10% benchmark rate).

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

Wednesday, April 6, 2011

3 ETF's on the move - 4/6

When the market closed today I want on Barchart to see which ones have made the most frequent highs this month and found these 3.

TUR - MSCI Turkey ETF

The iShares MSCI Turkey Investable Market Index Fund (TUR) seeks investment results that correspond generally to the price and yield performance, before fees and expenses, of the MSCI Turkey Investable Market Index (the "Underlying Index"). The Underlying Index is a free float- adjusted market capitalization index designed to measure broad-based equity market performance in Turkey. The Underlying Index consists of stocks traded primarily on the Istanbul Stock Exchange (ISE). The Fund will at all times invest at least 90% of its assets in the securities of the Underlying Index or in depositary receipts representing securities in its Underlying Index.
  • 100% Barchart short term technical buy signal
  • Trend Spotter buy signal
  • 15 new highs and up 18.61% in the last month
  • Relative Strength Index 73.46% ands rising
  • Trades around 69.08 with a 50 day moving average of 61.66


The PowerShares Dynamic Small Cap Growth Portfolio (PWT) seeks investment results that correspond generally to the price and yield (before the Fund's fees and expenses) of an equity index called the Dynamic Small Cap Growth Intellidex Index (the "Underlying Intellidex"). The Underlying Intellidex is comprised of 100 U.S. small cap growth stocks selected principally on the basis of their capital appreciation potential as identified by NYSE Arca pursuant to a proprietary Intellidex methodology. The Underlying Intellidex methodology is designed to objectively identify those stocks within a particular market segment that have the greatest potential for capital appreciation. The methodology evaluates companies quarterly, based on a variety of criteria, including fundamental growth, stock valuation, investment timeliness and risk factors, and then ranks and sorts them based on their cumulative scores. Component stocks for the Underlying Intellidex are selected from among the companies with the highest-ranking cumulative score within their respective sub-groups. The Fund will normally invest at least 80% of its total assets in common stocks of small capitalization companies.
  • 80% Barchart short term technical buy signal
  • Trend Spotter buy signal
  • 14 new highs and up 9.14% in the last month
  • Relative Strength Index 75.29% and rising
  • Trades around 18.75 with a 50 day moving average of 17.09


WisdomTree Emerging Markets Local Debt Fund (ELD)  seeks a high level of total returns consisting of both income and capital appreciation. The fund attempts to achieve its investment objective through investment in local debt denominated in the currencies of emerging market countries. Constituent countries: Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Mexico, Peru, Poland, Turkey, South Africa, Russia, Malaysia, Indonesia, Philippines, Thailand, and South Korea.
  • 100% Barchart short term technical buy signal
  • Trend Spotter buy signal
  • 13 new highs and up 2.93% in the last month
  • Relative Strength Index 79.59% and rising
  • Trades around 52.72 with a 50 day moving average of 51.10






Discount Wars - WMT vs.TGT vs TJX

In my area of the country there are 3 stores that seem to go head to head when it comes to the competition in discount retailing.  Each is highly competitive and my paper and mailbox are stuffed with fliers from each.  To have a diversified and balanced portfolio you have to include a discount retailer and it's hard to ignore these 3.  Let's make a head to head comparison in no particular order and pick a winner.  See if you agree with me.

TJX Companies (TJX) is slightly different than the other 2 in that they offer discount name brand clothing and housewares but not food items.


TJX Companies, Inc. (TJX) is an off-price retailer of apparel and home fashions in the U.S. and worldwide. The company operates T.J. Maxx stores, Marshalls stores, and Winners Apparel Ltd. stores, a Canadian off-price family apparel and home fashions chain. It also operates HomeGoods, a U.S. off-price home fashions chains, and T.K. Maxx, an off-price family apparel and home fashions chain in the United Kingdom, the Republic of Ireland and the Netherlands. In addition, it operates A.J. Wright, a new U.S. chain of off-price family apparel and home fashions stores.

Technical Factors:
  • 100% Barchart technical buy signal
  • Trend Spotter buy signal
  • 3 new highs and up.91% in the last month
  • Relative Strength Index 61.84% and rising
  • Trades around 51.00 with a 50 day moving average of 49.46
Fundamental Factors:
  • Wall Street brokerage analysts have published 7 strong buy, 4 buy and 9 hold recommendations
  • Sales are projected to increase by 5.00% this year and 6.30% next year
  • Earnings are estimated to increase by 10.60% this year, 11.90% next year and 13.70% annually for the next 5 years
General Investor Sentiment
  • On Motley Fool this is the least followed of the 3 but there are 683 readers voting in
  • CAPS members vote 449 to 62 that the stock will beat the market
  • The more experienced All Stars vote 157 to 15 in agreement

Wal-Mart (WMT) seems to have the best prices although recently a local newspaper went to both Wal-Mart and Target Super Stores and proclaimed target the winner on food items.  I personally find the Target stores in my area cleaner and better laid out than the Wal-Mart stores.


Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. (WMT)  is the world's largest retailer. They are engaged in the operation of mass merchandising stores, which serve their customers primarily through the operation of three segments, which are the Wal-Mart Stores segment, the SAM'S Club segment and the International segment.

Technical Factors:
  • 16% Barchart technical sell signal
  • Trend Spotter sell signal
  • 4 new highs and up 2.46% in the last month
  • Relative Strength Index 56.84%
  • Trades around 52.95 with a 50 day moving average of 53.35
Fundamental Factors:
  • Wall Street brokerage analysts have published 13 strong buy, 4 buy and 12 hold recommendations
  • Sales are projected to increase by 4.30% this year and 5.00% next year
  • Earnings are estimated to increase by 9.10% this year, 9.90% next year and 10.30% annually for the next 5 years
General Investor Sentiment:
  • On Motley Fool this is one of the most widely followed stocks with 8330 readers making a opinion
  • CAPS members vote 6099 to 758 that the stock will out perform the market
  • The more experienced All Stars agree by a vote of 1367 to 106
Target (TGT) is actually my favorite from a shopping stand point.  The stores are cleaner, the merchandise suits my tastes and they are in shopping centers with other stores.

Target Corporation (TGT) operates large-format general merchandise and food discount stores in the United States, which include Target and SuperTarget stores. They offer both everyday essentials and fashionable, differentiated merchandise at exceptional prices. Their ability to deliver a shopping experience that is preferred by their guests is supported by their strong supply chain and technology infrastructure. They operate as a single business segment. Their credit card operations represent an integral component of their core retail business. They also operate a fully integrated online business, Target.com. Although Target.com is small relative to their overall size, its sales are growing at a much more rapid pace than their in-store sales, and it provides important benefits to their stores and credit card operations.

Technical Factors:
  • 16% Barchart technical sell signal
  • Trend Spotter sell signal
  • 1 new high but down 1.65- for the last month
  • Relative Strength Index 48.82%
  • Trades at 50.88 which is below its 50 day moving average of 52.06
Fundamental Factors:
  • Wall Street brokerage analysts have published 10 strong buy, 9 buy and 7 hold recommendations
  • Sales are projected to increase by 4.10% this year and 4.80% next year
  • Earnings are estimated to increase by 9.80% this year, 9.90% next year and 12.19% annually for the next 5 years
General Investor Sentiment:
  • This stock has more than half the following on Motley Fool as Wal-Mart but 3 times the following of TJX with 3043 readers having an opinion
  • CAPS members vote 2202 to 218 that the stock will beat the market
  • The more experienced All Stars agree 578 to 45 


Well, I like to shop at Target but shopping doesn't make any money.  And I'll let the tape call the winner.  The winner of the tape for the last 6 months is:


TJX by a long shot -- TJX up 15.02%, WMT down 1.60%, and TGT down 4.97%

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, April 5, 2011

5 NASDAQ stock for your watch lists 4/5

When the market closed today I used Barchart to screen for the NASDAQ stocks hitting the most frequent new highs and noticed these 5.

TACT -- Transact Technologies


  • 96% Barchart technical buy signals
  • Trend Spotter buy signal
  • 16 new highs and up 22.49% in the last month
  • Relative Strength Index 80.90% and rising
  • Trades around 12.00 with a 50 day moving average of 10.21



  • 96% Barchart technical buy signal
  • Trend Spotter buy signal
  • 15 new highs and up 33.15% in the last month
  • Relative Strength Index 80.50% and rising
  • Trades around 22.21 with a 50 day moving average of 17.53


  • 96% Barchart technical buy signal
  • Trend Spotter buy signal
  • 15 new highs and up 16.97% in the last month
  • Relative Strength Index 73.12% and rising
  • Trades around 4.57 with a 50 day moving average of 4.06


  • 96% Barchart technical buy signal
  • Trend Spotter buy signal
  • 15 new highs and up 32.23% in the last month
  • Relative Strength Index 84.15% and rising
  • Trades around 47.01 with a 50 day moving average of 37.41


  • 100% Barchart technical buy signal
  • Trend Spotter Buy signal
  • 15 new highs and up 21.40% in the last month
  • Relative Strength Index 90.62
  • Trades around 17.93 with a 50 day moving average of 58.67








Cancer is big business in US, Europe and Japan

There seems to be no bigger concern in the US, Europe and Japan than cancer.  Araid Pharmaceuticals (ARIA) seems to be uniquely positioned to profit from that concern.  The company came under my view while screening on Barchart for companies under $10 a share that have been hitting the most frequent new highs.  The price momentum alone is reason to watch this one.


Ariad Pharmaceuticals (ARIA) is engaged in the discovery and development of novel pharmaceuticals based on intracellular signaling technology. The Company has established highly integrated capabilities in functional genomics, molecular cell biology, structure based drug design, combinatorial chemistry and pharmacology. The company is developing small-molecule drugs that block signal transduction pathways in cells responsible for osteoporosis, and immune and inflammatory diseases.

The factors you need to know before considering this stock are:

Technical Factors:
  • 96% Barchart technical buy signals
  • Trend Spotter buy signal
  • 13 new highs and up 39.66% in the last month
  • Relative Strength Index 82.42% and rising
  • Trades around 8.27 with a 50 day moving average of 6.40
Fundamental Factors:
  • The company is in a turn-around after some poor current numbers
  • Wall Street brokerage analysts have 6 strong buy, 2 buy and 1 hold recommendations published
  • Sales are expected to increase by 84.80% next year
  • Earnings are expected to increase by 34.00% next year and 10.00% annually for the next 5 years
General Investor Sentiment:
  • On Motley Fool there is a positive opinion of this company
  • CAPS members vote 273 to 36 that the stock will out perform the market
  • The more experienced All Stars agree 72 to 16
If you're looking to balance your portfolio with a smaller pharma stock this might be a good one to consider.

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.

Western Refinery does it all

Western Refinery (WNR) is a company that does it all from refining and distribution to wholesale and retail  selling of everything from asphalt and gas to beer, bottled water and snacks.  Investors and the press are really tanking notice and the price is really moving.


Western Refining, Inc. (WNR) is an independent crude oil refiner and marketer of refined products headquartered in El Paso, Texas, and operates primarily in the Southwestern region of the United States, including Arizona, New Mexico, and West Texas. They have invested a significant amount of capital in refinery initiatives that will allow them to improve our crude oil processing flexibility, expand refinery capacity, increase production of higher-value refined products and satisfy certain regulatory requirements.

The Retail group operates service stations, which include convenience stores or kiosks that sell gasoline, diesel fuel, general merchandise, and beverage and food products. As of March 5, 2010, it owned and operated 150 service stations with convenience stores or kiosks in Arizona, New Mexico, and Colorado, which include 115 stores under Giant, 1 unit under Western, 2 units under Western Express, 20 units under Mustang, 10 units under Sundial, and 2 units under Thriftway brand names.

There are a lot of reasons to follow this stock.

Technical Factors:
  • 100% Barchart technical buy signal
  • Trend Spotter buy signal
  • 7 new highs and up 10.21% in the last month
  • Relative Strength Index 67.08% and rising
  • Trades around 18.49 with a 50 day moving average of 15.61
Fundamental Factors:
  • After coming off several years of deficits the numbers look promising
  • Wall Street brokerage analysts have published 1 strong buy, 3 buy and 4 hold reports for their clients
  • Sales are projected to increase by 11.50% next year
  • Earnings are coming off a deficit and are expected to increase by 1800.00% this year, 1.10% next year and continue at a 100.00% annual rate for the next 5 years.
General Investor Sentiment:
  • Over on Motley Fool a surprising number of investors are following this stock with over 1560 opinions registered
  • The CAPS members vote 1096 to 50 that the stock will beat the market
  • The More experienced All Stars agree with a vote of 402 to 12
I hope its not to late to get on board this one.  When a company comes off a deficit the numbers can be fooling.

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.

Opnext -- OPXT tanked

Opnext (OPXT) tanked before I knew what hit me.  I deleted it from the Barchart Van Meerten Speculative portfolio at the open.

Everyone of my normal sell signals has been triggered:
  • 80% Barchart short term technical sell signal
  • Trend Spotter sell signal
  • Trading below its 20 and 50 day moving averages
  • Lost 48.31% from its recent high
  • Relative Strength  Index is 39.58% and falling
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 4/5

Barchart Morning Call
Overnight Developments
  • Global stocks are weaker with the European Euro Stoxx 50 index down -0.08% and June S&Ps down -4.30 points. The dollar is stronger after Fed Chairman Bernanke said at an Atlanta Fed conference last night that inflation must be watched "extremely closely," which fueled speculation that the Fed may tighten monetary policy sooner than previously expected. Stock prices were pressured after China raised its interest rates and after Moody's Investors Service cut Portugal's long-term government bond rating to Baa1 from A3, its second downgrade in the last 3 weeks, saying another downgrade may follow and the winner of Portugal's elections in June will probably tap Europe's bailout fund with "urgency." Credit-default swaps on Portuguese government debt jumped 9 bp to a record 589 bp and the extra yield that investors demand to hold Portuguese bonds instead of benchmark German bunds rose to 531 bp, the most since Bloomberg began tabulating the data in 1997. The euro remained lower after Feb Euro-Zone retail sales unexpectedly declined -0.1% m/m as high energy costs curbed spending, while ECB Council member Bonello said that risks to the ECB's economic growth projections "are on the downside." On the positive side, the Mar Euro-Zone PMI composite index was revised up +0.1 to 57.6.
  • The Asian stock markets today closed mixed with Japan down -1.06%, Hong Kong, China and Taiwan closed for holiday, Australia +0.27%, Singapore +0.20%, South Korea +0.72%, India -0.08%. China raised interest rates for the fourth time since the global financial crisis in an attempt to restrain inflation and limit the risk of asset bubbles. The PBOC hiked the 1-year lending rate by 25 bp to 6.31% from 6.06%, effective tomorrow, and boosted the 1-year deposit rate to 3.25% from 3.00%. A fall in chipmakers led technology stocks lower in Asia after the Semiconductor Industry Association said the 3-month average for global chip sales fell -1.1% m/m in Feb. Toyota closed down over 3% after it said it may temporarily shutter factories in North America as component supplies are running low after production in Japan was halted in the aftermath of the earthquake, while Sony fell 1.1% after it said it may delay the release of its new Playstation Portable game machine as the earthquake disrupted production. Tokyo Electric Power (Tepco) plunged the daily limit, or 18%, to its lowest price since the company was listed in 1951 as it continues to dump radioactive water into the ocean. Tepco has now lost 83% of its value since the Mar 11 earthquake crippled its Fukushima Dai-Ichi power plant.
Overnight U.S. Stock News
  • June S&Ps this morning are trading down -4.30 points. The US stock market yesterday finished mixed as increased M&A activity offset a slump in technology stocks: Dow Jones +0.19%, S&P 500 +0.03%, Nasdaq Composite -0.01%. Bullish factors included (1) strength in M&A activity that has boosted the overall equity market with total takeover deals this year as of Apr 4 at $635.2 billion, up 25% from $506.5 billion during the same period last year, and (2) strength in raw material and energy producers after silver jumped to a 31-year high and crude oil climbed to a 2-1/2 year high.
  • Bearish factors for stocks included (1) weakness in technology stocks led by a slump in chipmakers after the Semiconductor Industry Association said global chip sales in Feb fell -1.1% m/m to $25.5 billion, and (2) the action by Goldman Sachs to cut its Q1 US GDP estimate to 2.5% from an earlier forecast of 3.5%, citing poor weather and higher energy costs during the quarter.
  • Apple (AAPL) slid 3.1% in pre-market trading after the Nasdaq OMX said it will reduce Apple's weighting in the Nasdaq-100 Index to 12.33% from the current 20.49% to better reflect market capitalizations.
Today's Market Focus
  • June 10-year T-notes this morning are trading up +1.5 ticks. T-note prices yesterday erased early losses and finished higher after Atlanta Fed President Lockhart said the US economic recovery faces headwinds: TYM11 =8, FVM11 +8.5, EDU11 +4.0. Bullish factors included (1) comments from Atlanta Fed President Lockhart who said the US economic recovery faces headwinds, which reduced speculation the Fed may end its QE2 asset-purchase program before its scheduled completion in June, and (2) the action by the Fed to purchase $8.03 billion of Treasuries as part of its QE2 asset-purchase program. Bearish factors included (1) reduced safe-haven demand for Treasuries as global stock markets rallied, and (2) carry-over weakness from a decline in bund prices after Feb Euro-Zone PPI climbed to a 2-1/2 year high.
  • The dollar index this morning is higher with the dollar/yen +0.29 yen and the euro/dollar -0.43 cents. The dollar index yesterday finished slightly higher as the euro retreated from a 5-month high against the dollar on weaker than expected Euro-Zone investor confidence: Dollar Index +0.079, USDJPY -0.001, EURUSD -0.00141. Bullish factors included (1) weakness in the euro which fell back from a 5-month high against the dollar on concern a likely interest-rate increase by the ECB on Thursday will hurt the economies of the most indebted nations in the Euro-Zone, which could further exacerbate the European sovereign-debt crisis, and (2) the Apr Euro-Zone Sentix investor confidence fell which fell more than expected to a 3-month low and is euro negative. Bearish factors included (1) comments from Atlanta Fed President Lockhart who said the US economic recovery faces headwinds, which bolstered speculation the Fed will keep its overly easy monetary policy in place and keep the dollar's interest rate differentials weak, and (2) the increase in the Feb Euro-Zone PPI to a 2-1/2 year high of +6.6% y/y, which boosted the euro on speculation the ECB will remain hawkish even after an expected 25 bp rate hike in the 2-week refinancing rate this Thursday.
  • May crude oil prices this morning are trading down -58 cents a barrel and May gasoline is -1.59 cents per gallon. Crude oil and gasoline prices yesterday climbed to 2-1/2 year highs and settled higher on concern that global oil supplies will be hindered as the civil war in Libya is prolonged: CLK11 +$0.53, RBK11 +2.10. Bullish factors included (1) increased fighting between rebels and troops loyal to Mummar Qaddafi in Libya, which fuels speculation that a protracted conflict in Libya will curtail global oil supplies, and (2) the rally in global stock markets which bolsters confidence in the economic outlook and energy demand. Bearish factors include (1) the stronger dollar, which reduces investment demand in commodities, (2) comments from IEA Director Tanaka that the "burden" that crude at more than $100 a barrel puts on the world economy is "worrisome" and may be as bad as in 2008, and (3) the prediction from the US Climate Prediction Center for above-average temperatures for much of the US from Apr 9 to Apr 13, which could reduce demand for heating fuels.
Today's U.S. Earnings Reports Earnings reports (confirmed releases, sorted by mkt cap) ISCA-International Speedway (BEST earnings consensus $0.47), VRNT-Verint Systems (0.51), KBH-KB Home (-0.25), EXAM-ExamWorks Group (-0.01), LAYN-Layne Christensen (0.36).
Global Financial Calendar
Tuesday 4/5/11
United States
0745 ET ICSC (Int?l Council of Shopping Centers) weekly retailer sales.
0855 ET Redbook weekly retailer sales.
1000 ET Mar ISM non-manufacturing index expected -0.2 to 59.5, Feb +0.3 to 59.7.
1000 ET Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner testifies to Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on the U.S. budget.
1130 ET Weekly 4-week and monthly 1-year T-bill auctions.
1245 ET Atlanta Fed President Dennis Lockhart gives welcoming remarks at the Atlanta Fed?s 2011 Financial Markets Conference.
1300 ET Philadelphia Fed President Charles Plosser moderates a panel discussion at the Atlanta Fed?s 2011 Financial Markets Conference.
1400 ET Minutes of the Mar 15 FOMC meeting.
France
0350 ET Revised Mar French PMI services expected no change at 60.7.
Germany
0355 ET Revised Mar German PMI services expected no change at 60.1.
Euro-Zone
0400 ET Revised Mar Euro-Zone PMI composite expected no change at 57.5.
0500 ET Feb Euro-Zone retail sales expected +0.1% m/m and +0.6% y/y, Jan +0.1% m/m and +0.2% y/y.

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