Financial Tides -- A Stock Market Investing Newsletter by Jim Van Meerten: 2016-02-14

Saturday, February 20, 2016

My 5 Favorite Small Caps

This morning I used Barchart to sort the stocks that Value Line Investment Survey Small & Mid Cap ranked 1&2 first for the highest technical buy signals, then I used the Flipchart feature to review the charts. Today's featured stocks are:

Hooker Furniture (HOFT), Orbcomm (ORBC), CUI Global (CUI), Alpha & Omega Semiconductor (AOSL) and Jones Soda (JSDA)

Hooker Furniture (HOFT)

Barchart technical indicators:

100% technical buy signals
Trend Spotter buy signal
Above its 20, 50 and 100 day moving averages
9 new highs and up 6.89% in the last month
Relative Strength Index 63.74%
Technical support level at 28.59
Recently traded at 29.65 with a 50 day moving average of 27.34

Orbcomm (ORBC)

Barchart technical indicators:

100% Technical buy signals
Trend Spotter buy signal
Above its 20, 50 and 100 day moving averages
9 new highs and up 18.19% in the last month
Relative Strength Index 75.29%
Technical support level at 8.12
Recently traded at 8.51 with a 50 day moving average of 7.27

CUI Global (CUI)

Barchart technical indicators:

100% Barchart technical buy signals
Trend Spotter buy signal
Above its 20, 50 and 100 day moving averages'
9 new highs and up 32.52% in the last month
Relative Strength Index 65.47%
Technical support level at 7.84
Recently traded at 8.64 with a 50 day moving average of 7.17

Alpha & Omega Semiconductor (AOSL)

Barchart technical indicators:

96% technical buy signals
Trend Spotter buy signal
Above its 20, 50 and 100 day moving averages
12 new highs and up 39.48% in the last month
Relative Strength Index 77.27%
Technical support level at 11.02
Recently traded at 11.87 with a 50 day moving average of 9.56

Jones Soda (JSDA)

Barchart technical indicators:

96% technical buy signals
Trend Spotter buy signal
Above its 20, 50 and 100 day moving averages'
15 Ne highs and up 46.25% in the last month
Relative Strength Index 81.44%
Technical support level at .5417
Recently traded at .5850 with a 50 day moving average of .4331

Friday, February 19, 2016

Henry Schein - Chart of the Day

Henry Schein (HSIC is the Barchart Chart of the Day. The medical equipment company has a Trend Spotter buy signal, a Weighted Alpha of 21.50+ and gained 18.02% in the last year,

The Chart of the Day belongs to Henry Schein (HSIC). I found the medical equipment stock by using Barchart to sort today's All Time High list first for the highest technical buy signals then I used the Flipchart feature to review the charts. Since the Trend Spotter signaled a buy in 2/10 the stock gained 6.05%,

Henry Schein, Inc. is the largest distributor of healthcare products and services to office-based healthcare practitioners in the combined North American and European markets. The company conducts its business principally through two segments; healthcare distribution and technology. These segments, which are operated as individual business units, offer different products and services, albeit to the same customer base. The healthcare distribution segment consists of the company's dental, medical, veterinary and international groups.

The status of Barchart's Opinion trading systems are listed below. 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.

Barchart technical indicators:

100% Technical buy signals
Trend Spotter buy signal
Above its 20, 50 and 100 day moving averages
12 new highs and up 12.06% in the last month
Relative Strength Index 71.03%
Technical support level at 161.13
Recently traded at 166.24 with a 50 day moving average of 152.99

Fundamental factors:

Market Cap $13.79 billion
P/E 27.52
Revenue expected to grow 6.70% this year and another 5.20% next year
Earnings estimated to increase 11.10% this year, an additional 10.60% next year and continue to increase at an annual rate of 10.71% for the next 5 years
Wall Street analysts issued 4 strong buy, 2 buy and 9 holds on the stock

The 50-100 Day MACD Oscillator has been a reliable technical trading strategy for this stock.

Morning Call 2/19

Morning Call

Friday, February 19th, 2016View Older Reports

Everything you need to know about the markets in one free daily newsletter.

You will also receive a free subscription to the Barchart family of newsletters.

OVERNIGHT MARKETS AND NEWS

March E-mini S&Ps (ESH16 -0.46%) are down -0.47% and European stocks are down -1.33% as they track crude oil prices lower. Mar WTI crude oil is down -1.92% on concern that oversupply of crude will persist after EIA data yesterday showed U.S. crude stockpiles expanded to 504 million bbl, the highest since weekly data began in 1982 and in monthly data going back to 1930. Weakness in European insurance companies are leading European stocks lower, led by a -1.5% decline in Allianz SE, after it reported weaker-than-expected quarterly profits. Asian stocks settled mostly lower: Japan -1.42%, Hong Kong-0.40%, China -0.10%, Taiwan +0.12%, Australia -0.79%, Singapore -0.03%, South Korea +0.23%, India +0.25%.

The dollar index (DXY00 -0.13%) is down -0.06%. EUR/USD (^EURUSD) is up +0.05%. USD/JPY (^USDJPY) is down -0.37%.

Mar T-note prices (ZNH16 +0.26%) are up +10 ticks.

San Francisco Fed President John Williams said late yesterday that "the economy is actually done fine" and he sees a gradual U.S. rate hike path as the "best course." He added that while the Fed has tools to deal with an economic downturn including negative interest rates, he doesn't expect that it will have to use them.

U.S. STOCK PREVIEW

Key U.S. news today includes: (1) Cleveland Fed President Loretta Mester's speech at a breakfast meeting on the economic outlook at the Global Interdependence Center in Sarasota, FL, and (2) Jan CPI (expected -0.1% m/m and +1.3% y/y, Dec -0.1% m/m and +0.7% y/y) and Jan CPI ex food & energy (expected +0.2% m/m and +2.1% y/y, Dec +0.1% m/m and +2.1% y/y).

There are 6 of the S&P 500 companies that report earnings today: Deere (consensus $0.71), Cabot Oil (-0.04), Pinnacle West Capital (0.26), Ameren (0.15), VF Corp (1.01), PSEG (0.50).

U.S. IPO's scheduled to price today: none.

Equity conferences during the remainder of this week include: none.

OVERNIGHT U.S. STOCK MOVERS

Applied Materials (AMAT +0.18%) climbed 4% in pre-market trading after it reported Q1 net revenue of $2.26 billion, higher than consensus of $2.24 billion, and said it sees Q2 adjusted EPS of 30 cents-34 cents, above consensus of 27 cents.
Nordstrom (JWN +0.90%) tumbled over 8% in pre-market trading after it reported Q4 adjusted EPS ex-impairments of $1,17, weaker than consensus of $1.21, and then lowered guidance on fiscal 2017 adjusted EPS to $3.10-$3.35, below consensus of $3.55.
AMN Healthcare Services (AHS +0.20%) jumped over 7% in after-hours trading after it reported Q4 adjusted EPS of 47 cents, higher than consensus of 41 cents.
Flowserve (FLS -0.09%) lost over 3% in after-hours trading after it reported Q4 adjusted EPS of 89 cents, below consensus of 92 cents.
Allscripts Healthcare Solutions (MDRX -1.58%) dropped over 2% in after-hours trading after it reported Q4 adjusted EPS of 13 cents, right on consensus, but lowered guidance on fiscal 2016 revenue to $1.43 billion-$1.46 billion, below consensus of $1.48 billion.
Flour (FLR +0.06%) lost over 1% in after-hours trading after it reported Q4 continuing operations EPS of 68 cents, below consensus of 93 cents, and reported Q4 revenue of $4.12 billion, less than consensus of $4.54 billion.
Arista Networks (ANET -2.86%) gained almost 6% in after-hours trading after it reported Q4 adjusted EPS of 80 cents, higher than consensus of 61 cents.
Trinity Industries (TRN -4.17%) dropped over 13% in after-hours trading after it lowered guidance on fiscal 2016 EPS to $200-$2.40, well below consensus of $3.64.
WageWorks (WAGE -5.01%) rose 7% in after-hours trading after it reported Q4 adjusted EPS of 33 cents, better than consensus of 28 cents.
Equinix (EQIX -0.12%) slid over 4% in after-hours trading after it reported Q4 FFO of $2.14 a share, well below consensus of $3.07.
Ambac Financial Group (AMBC +2.58%) climbed 4% in after-hours trading after it reported a Q4 operating EPS of $10.64, higher than consensus of $1.15.
Century Aluminum (CENX -1.33%) gained over 1% in after-hours trading after it reported a Q4 adjusted EPS loss of -53 cents, narrower than consensus of a -61 cent loss.
TrueCar (TRUE -2.20%) slumped over 15% in after-hours trading after it reported a Q4 adjusted EPS loss of -6 cents, wider than consensus of a -4cent loss.
Nivalis Therapeutics (NVLS unch) jumped 6% in after-hours trading after it received FDA Fast Track designation for its N91115 drug to treat Cystic Fibrosis.

MARKET COMMENTS

Mar E-mini S&Ps (ESH16 -0.46%) this morning are down -9.00 points (-0.47%). Thursday's closes: S&P 500 -0.47%, Dow Jones -0.25%, Nasdaq -1.13%. The S&P 500 on Thursday closed lower on the OECD's cut in its 2016 global GDP forecast to 3.0% from a Nov projection of 3.3% and on weakness in energy producers after crude oil prices fell back from a 2-week high. Stocks received some support from the unexpected -7,000 decline in U.S. weekly initial unemployment claims to a 2-1/2 month low of 262,000, better than expectations of +6,000 to 275,000.

Mar 10-year T-notes (ZNH16 +0.26%) this morning are up +10 ticks. Thursday's closes: TYH6 +15.50, FVH6 +7.50. Mar T-notes on Thursday closed higher on increase safe-haven demand with the sell-off in stocks and on global growth concerns after the OECD cut its 2016 global GDP estimate.

The dollar index (DXY00 -0.13%) this morning is down -0.059 (-0.06%). EUR/USD (^EURUSD) is up +0.0005 (+0.05%). USD/JPY (^USDJPY) is down-0.42 (-0.37%). Thursday's closes: Dollar Index +0.165 (+0.17%), EUR/USD -0.0021 (-0.19%), USD/JPY -0.86 (-0.75%). The dollar index on Thursday closed higher on signs of U.S. labor market strength after weekly initial jobless claims fell to a 2-1/2 month low and on weakness in EUR/USD which fell to a 2-week low on speculation the ECB may boost stimulus measures after the minutes of Jan 21 ECB meeting showed policy makers were concerned about global risks to the economic outlook.

Mar WTI crude (CLH16 -2.34%) this morning is down -59 cents (-1.92%) and Mar gasoline (RBH16 -1.18%) is down -0.0084 (-0.86%). Thursday's closes: CLH6 +0.11 (+0.36%), RBH6 -0.0310 (-3.09%). Mar crude oil and gasoline on Thursday settled mixed. Crude oil prices were undercut by the +2.147 million bbl increase in EIA crude inventories to a record high 504.1 million bbl and by the +36,000 bbl increase in crude supplies at Cushing, OK, delivery point of WTI futures, to a record high 64.7 million bbl. Crude oil prices were supported by the -0.6% decline in U.S. crude production in the week ended Feb 12 to 9.135 million bpd, a 3-1/2 month low, and by the unexpected fall in U.S. weekly jobless claims to a 2-1/2 month low, a sign of labor market strength that benefits economic growth and energy demand.

GLOBAL EVENT CALENDAR02/19/2016

US	0830 ET	Cleveland Fed President Loretta Mester will speak at a breakfast meeting on the economic outlook at the Global Interdependence Center in Sarasota, FL.
	0830 ET	Jan CPI expected -0.1% m/m and +1.3% y/y, Dec -0.1% m/m and +0.7% y/y. Jan CPI ex food & energy expected +0.2% m/m and +2.1% y/y, Dec +0.1% m/m and +2.1% y/y.
	0830 ET	USDA weekly Export Sales.
	1500 ET	USDA Jan Cattle on Feed.
JPN	0030 ET	Japan Jan nationwide department store sales, Dec +2.2% y/y.
GER	0200 ET	German Jan PPI expected -0.3% m/m and -2.0% y/y, Dec -0.5% m/m and -2.3% y/y.
UK	0430 ET	UK Jan retail sales ex auto fuel expected +0.7% m/m and +3.4% y/y, Dec -0.9% m/m and +2.1% y/y.
	0430 ET	UK Jan retail sales including auto fuel expected +0.8% m/m and +3.6% y/y, Dec -1.0% m/m and +2.6% y/y.
	0430 ET	UK Jan public sector net borrowing expected -13.9 billion pounds, Dec 6.9 billion pounds.
EUR	1000 ET	Eurozone Feb consumer confidence expected -0.3 to -6.6, Jan -0.6 to -6.3.

U.S. STOCK CALENDAR02/19/2016

Company	Ticker	Time	Event Description	Period	Estimate
Cabot Oil & Gas Corp	COG US	Bef-mkt	Q4 2015 Earnings Release	Q4 2015	-0.039
Deere & Co	DE US	Bef-mkt	Q1 2016 Earnings Release	Q1 2016	0.708
Pinnacle West Capital Corp	PNW US	Bef-mkt	Q4 2015 Earnings Release	Q4 2015	0.256
Ameren Corp	AEE US	Bef-mkt	Q4 2015 Earnings Release	Q4 2015	0.154
VF Corp	VFC US	6:55	Q4 2015 Earnings Release	Q4 2015	1.009
Public Service Enterprise Group Inc	PEG US	7:30	Q4 2015 Earnings Release	Q4 2015	0.498
VF Corp	VFC US	8:30	Q4 2015 Earnings Call	Q4 2015
Cabot Oil & Gas Corp	COG US	9:30	Q4 2015 Earnings Call	Q4 2015
Deere & Co	DE US	10:00	Q1 2016 Earnings Call	Q1 2016
Ameren Corp	AEE US	10:00	Q4 2015 Earnings Call	Q4 2015
Pinnacle West Capital Corp	PNW US	11:00	Q4 2015 Earnings Call	Q4 2015
Public Service Enterprise Group Inc	PEG US	11:00	Q4 2015 Earnings Call	Q4 2015
KLA-Tencor Corp	KLAC US	11:00	Extraordinary Shareholders Meeting - M&A Vote	Y 2016
Flowserve Corp	FLS US	11:00	Q4 2015 Earnings Call	Q4 2015
Lam Research Corp	LRCX US	11:00	Extraordinary Shareholders Meeting - M&A Vote

Thursday, February 18, 2016

PS Business Parks - Chart of the Day

PS Business Parks (PSB) is the Barchart Chart of the Day. The REIT has a Trend Spotter buy signal, a Weighted Alpha of 20.10+ and gained 12.57% in the last year.

The Chart of the Day belongs to PS Business Parks (PSB). I found the REIT by using Barchart to sort the All Time High list first for the highest technical support level then I used the Flipchart feature to review the charts. Since the Trend Spotter signaled a buy on 2/3 the stock gained 6.11%.

PS Business Parks is a self-advised and self-managed equity real estate investment trust specializing in the ownership, management and acquisition of business parks containing office flex space. The company has interests in a number of commercial properties located in the United States, primarily California, Texas, Oregon and Virginia.

100% technical buy signals
Trend Spotter buy signal
Above its 20, 50 and 100 day moving averages
12 new highs and up 9.16% in the last month
Relative Strength index 72.17%
Technical support level at 91.13
Recently traded at 92.85 with 50 day moving average of 86.92

Fundamental factors:

Market Cap $2.51 billion
P/E 18.44
Dividend yield 2.69%
Revenue expected to grow 3.00% this year and another 3.10% next year
Earnings estimated to increase 10.30% this year, an additional 5.50% next year and continue to increase at an annual rate of 5.00% for the next 5 years
Wall Street analysts issued 4 hold recommendations on the stock

My 5 Favorite Large Caps

Today I used Barchart to screen the stocks Value Line Survey ranked 1 & 2 to see which had the highest technical buy signals then I used the Flipchart feature to review the charts. Today's list of My Favorite Large Caps include:

Cray Inc (CRAY), ITC Holdings (ITC), Edwards Lifesciences (EW), Campbell Soup (CPB) and Waste Connections (WCN)

Cary Inc (CRAY)

Barchart technical indicators:

96% technical buy signals
Trend Spotter buy signal
Above its 20, 50 and 100 day moving averages
7 new highs and up 26.86% in the last month
Relative Strength Index 68.65%
Technical support level at 37.05
Recently traded at 41.94 with a 50 day moving average of 34.21

ITC Holdings (ITC)

Barchart technical indicators:

96% technical buy signals
Trend Spotter buy signal
Above its 20, 50 and 100 day moving averages
7 new highs and up 4.73% in the last month
Relative Strength Index 60.79%
Technical support level at 38.81
Recently traded at 40.56 with a 50 day moving average of 38.99

Edwards Lifesciences (EW)

Barchart technical indicators:

100% technical buy signals
Trend Spotter buy signal
Above its 20, 50 and 100 day moving averages
10 new highs and up 15.45% in the last month
Relative Strength Index 63.02%
Technical support level at 83.66
Recently traded at 86.25 with a 50 day moving average of 79.30

Campbell Soup (CPB)

Barchart technical indicators:

100% technical buy signals
Trend Spotter buy signal
Above its 20, 50 and 100 day moving averages
13 new highs and up 15.06% in the last month
Relative Strength Index 77.64%
Technical support level at 58.87
Recently traded at 60.95 with a 50 day moving average of 54.45

Waste Connections (WCN)

Barchart technical indicators:

100% technical buy signals
Trend Spotter buy signal
Above its 2, 50 and 100 day moving averages
8 new highs and up 22.77% in the last month
Relative Strength Index 68.42%
Technical support level at 60.48
Recently traded at 62.61 with a 50 day moving average of 56.62

Morning Call 2/18

Morning Call

Thursday, February 18th, 2016View Older Reports

Everything you need to know about the markets in one free daily newsletter.

You will also receive a free subscription to the Barchart family of newsletters.

OVERNIGHT MARKETS AND NEWS

March E-mini S&Ps (ESH16 +0.42%) are up +0.36% at a 2-week high and European stocks are up +1.06% at a 1-1/2 week high as crude oil moved higher and after St. Louis Fed President Bullard said the Fed should delay interest rate hikes. U.S. stock index futures fell back from their best levels as Wal-Mart slid 3% in pre-market trading after it lowered its sales forecast for the year. Mar crude is up +2.45% at a 2-week high after API data late Wednesday showed U.S. crude inventories fell -3.26 million bbl and St. Louis Fed President Bullard said that recent turmoil that has contributed to a decline in inflation expectations gives the Fed scope to delay further interest rate increases. Asian stocks settled mostly higher: Japan +2.28%, Hong Kong +2.32%, China-0.16%, Taiwan +1.22%, Australia +2.25%, Singapore +1.67%, South Korea +1.21%, India +1.14%. China's Shanghai Composite retreated from a 3-week high and closed lower after government data showed inflation picked up in January on rising food prices.

The dollar index (DXY00 +0.12%) is up +0.10%. EUR/USD (^EURUSD) is down -0.28%. USD/JPY (^USDJPY) is down -0.23%.

Mar T-note prices (ZNH16 -0.02%) are down -1 tick.

St. Louis Fed President Bullard suggested Wednesday evening that he favors delaying further interest rate hikes when he said "I regard it as unwise to continue a normalization strategy in an environment of declining market-based inflation expectations."

The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) cut its 2016 global GDP forecast to 3.0%, down from a 3.3% projection in Nov, citing a slowdown in Germany and the U.S. along with exchange-rate volatility that may hurt emerging markets.

The China Jan CPI rose +1.8% y/y, weaker than expectations of +1.9% y/y, but still the fastest pace of increase in 5 months. Jan PPI fell -5.3% y/y, a smaller decline than expectations of -5.4% y/y.

U.S. STOCK PREVIEW

Key U.S. news today includes: (1) weekly initial unemployment claims (expected +6,000 to 275,000, previous -16,000 to 269,000) and continuing claims (expected +11,000 to 2.250 million, previous -21,000 to 2.239 million), (2) Feb Philadelphia Fed business outlook index (expected +0.5 to -3.0, Jan +6.7 to-3.5), (3) Jan leading indicators (expected -0.2%, Dec -0.2%), (4) the Treasury's auction of $7 billion of 30-year TIPS, (5) San Francisco Fed President John Williams' speech on the economic outlook at an event in Los Angeles, and (6) EIA Weekly Petroleum Status Report.

There are 20 of the S&P 500 companies that report earnings today with notable reports including: Wal-Mart (consensus $1.46), PG&E (0.44), Waste Management (0.8), Duke Energy (0.91), Nordstrom (1.21), Applied Materials (0.26), Fluor (0.93).

U.S. IPO's scheduled to price today: none.

Equity conferences during the remainder of this week include: none.

OVERNIGHT U.S. STOCK MOVERS

NVIDIA (NVDA +2.48%) jumped nearly 8% in pre-market trading after it reported Q4 adjusted EPS of 52 cents, higher than consensus of 43 cents.

Wal-Mart (WMT +0.32%) slid 3% in pre-market tradng after it reported Q4 revenue of $129.7 billion, below consensus of $130.6 billion, and cut its yearly sales forecast to "relatively flat" from a previous view of up 3%-4%.

Brocade Communications Systems (BRCD +3.02%) rallied over 5% in after-hours trading after it reported Q1 adjusted EPS of 29 cents, above consensus of 24 cents.

Williams Cos. (WMB +4.53%) lost over 2% in after-hours trading after it reported Q4 adjusted EPS continuing operations of 1 cent, weaker than consensus of 27 cents.

Intercept Pharmaceuticals (ICPT +5.42%) rose over 5% in after-hours trading after departing CFO Barbara Duncan said she will delay her departure date of June 30 if no successor is in office by that time.

CF Industries (CF +1.80%) fell over 4% in after-hours trading after it reported Q4 adjusted EPS of 76 cents, below consensus of 82 cents.

Synopsys (SNPS +1.51%) climbed 6% in after-hours trading after it reported Q1 adjusted EPS of 68 cents, above consensus of 62 cents and then raised guidance on Q2 adjusted EPS to 78 cents-81 cents, above consensus of 70 cents.

Marriott International (MAR +2.49%) dropped over 2% in after-hours trading after it lowered guidance on Q1 EPS to 81 cents-85 cents, weaker than consensus of 89 cents.

Capital One Financial (COF +1.51%) gained over 1% in after-hours trading after it said its board authorized an additional $300 million to its stock buyback plan.

ARRIS International PLC (ARRS +2.11%) dropped 5% in after-hours trading after it said it sees Q1 adjusted EPS of 37 cents-42 cents, below consensus of 53 cents.

Tyler Technologies (TYL +3.47%) slip nearly 8% in after-hours trading after it reported Q4 adjusted EPS of 59 cents, below consensus of 66 cents, and then lowered guidance on fiscal 2016 adjusted EPS to $3.33-$3.45, below consensus of $3.55.

Jack in the Box (JACK +2.68%) tumbled 20% in pre-market trading after it reported Q1 adjusted EPS of 93 cents, below consensus of $1.03.

Lattice Semiconductor (LSCC unch) slid over 2% in after-hours trading after it reported Q4 revenue of $101.3 million, below consensus of $110.3 million.

Aerie Pharmaceuticals (AERI +6.46%) jumped 15% in after-hours trading after it reported successful 12-month safety results in its Phase 3 trial for its Rhopressa once-daily eye drop for its ability to lower intraocular pressure in patients with glaucoma or ocular hypertension.

Ingram Micro (IM +0.78%) surged over 20% in after-hours trading after Tianjin Tianhai bought the company for $6 billion or $38.90 a share.

MARKET COMMENTS

Mar E-mini S&Ps (ESH16 +0.42%) this morning are up +7.00 points (+0.36%) at a 2-week high. Wednesday's closes: S&P 500 +1.65%, Dow Jones +1.59%, Nasdaq +2.31%. The S&P 500 on Wednesday climbed to a 2-week high and closed higher on a rally in bank stocks and retailers that had been beaten down to start the year, the +0.5% increase in U.S. Jan manufacturing production (stronger than expectations of +0.2% and the largest increase in 6 months), and the +5% jump in crude oil, which sparked a rally in energy producer stocks.

Mar 10-year T-notes (ZNH16 -0.02%) this morning are down -1 tick. Wednesday's closes: TYH6 -15.00, FVH6 -7.50. Mar T-notes on Wednesday dropped to a 1-week low and closed lower on reduced safe-haven demand with the rally in the S&P 500 to a 2-week high, the larger-than-expected increase in U.S. Jan PPI, and the stronger-than-expected U.S. Jan manufacturing and industrial production reports.

The dollar index (DXY00 +0.12%) this morning is up +0.099 (+0.10%). EUR/USD (^EURUSD) is down -0.0031 (-0.28%). USD/JPY (^USDJPY) is down-0.26 (-0.23%). Wednesday's closes: Dollar Index +0.082 (-0.08%), EUR/USD -0.0016 (-0.14%), USD/JPY +0.03 (+0.03%). The dollar index on Wednesday closed lower on the rally in crude oil that benefited the oil-exporting currencies of Russia and Canada as the Russian ruble rallied to a 2-week high and the Canadian dollar climbed to a 1-week high against the U.S. dollar. The dollar was also undercut by the minutes of the Jan 26-27 FOMC meeting that stated policy makers saw increased downside risks, which may keep the Fed from additional rate hikes.

Mar WTI crude (CLH16 +3.03%) this morning is up +75 cents (+2.45%) and Mar gasoline (RBH16 +1.24%) is up +0.0092 (+0.92%). Wednesday's closes: CLH6 +1.62 (+5.58%), RBH6 +0.0325 (+3.35%). Mar crude and gasoline on Wednesday closed higher on comments from Iran's Oil Minister Bijan Zanganeh who said that Iran supports cooperation between OPEC and non-OPEC countries and supports an accord by Saudi Arabia and Russia to cap their crude output at Jan levels. Mar crude oil was also boosted by signs of strength in the U.S. economy that is positive for energy demand after U.S. Jan manufacturing production rose +0.5%, the most in 6 months.

GLOBAL EVENT CALENDAR02/18/2016

US	0830 ET	Weekly initial unemployment claims expected +6,000 to 275,000, previous -16,000 to 269,000. Weekly continuing claims expected +11,000 to 2.250 million, previous -21,000 to 2.239 million.
	0830 ET	Feb Philadelphia Fed business outlook survey expected +0.5 to -3.0, Jan +6.7 to -3.5.
	1000 ET	Jan leading indicators expected -0.2%, Dec -0.2%.
	1100 ET	EIA Weekly Petroleum Status Report.
	1100 ET	Treasury announces amount of 2-year T-notes (previous $26 billion, 2-year floating-rate notes (previous $15 billion), 5-year T-notes (previous $35 billion) and 7-year T-notes (previous $29 billion) to be auctioned Feb 23-25.
	1300 ET	Treasury auctions $7 billion 30-year TIPS.
	1530 ET	San Francisco Fed President John Williams delivers a speech on the economic outlook at an event in Los Angeles, CA.
EUR	0400 ET	Eurozone Dec current account balance, Nov +29.8 billion euros (nsa).
JPN	2330 ET	Japan Dec all-industry activity index expected -0.3% m/m, Nov -1.0% m/m.

U.S. STOCK CALENDAR02/18/2016

Company	Ticker	Time	Event Description	Period	Estimate
Entergy Corp	ETR US	Bef-mkt	Q4 2015 Earnings Release	Q4 2015	1.448
Laboratory Corp of America Holdings	LH US	Bef-mkt	Q4 2015 Earnings Release	Q4 2015	1.989
NiSource Inc	NI US	Bef-mkt	Q4 2015 Earnings Release	Q4 2015	0.3
PG&E Corp	PCG US	Bef-mkt	Q4 2015 Earnings Release	Q4 2015	0.44
SCANA Corp	SCG US	Bef-mkt	Q4 2015 Earnings Release	Q4 2015	0.746
Wal-Mart Stores Inc	WMT US	Bef-mkt	Q4 2016 Earnings Release	Q4 2016	1.46
Welltower Inc	HCN US	Bef-mkt	Q4 2015 Earnings Release	Q4 2015	1.121
Waste Management Inc	WM US	Bef-mkt	Q4 2015 Earnings Release	Q4 2015	0.677
Columbia Pipeline Group Inc	CPGX US	Bef-mkt	Q4 2015 Earnings Release	Q4 2015	0.18
Perrigo Co PLC	PRGO US	6:00	Q4 2015 Earnings Release	Q4 2015	1.927
Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide Inc	HOT US	6:30	Q4 2015 Earnings Release	Q4 2015	0.789
Duke Energy Corp	DUK US	7:00	Q4 2015 Earnings Release	Q4 2015	0.909
Wal-Mart Stores Inc	WMT US	7:00	Q4 2016 Earnings Call	Q4 2016
Discovery Communications Inc	DISCA US	7:00	Q4 2015 Earnings Release	Q4 2015	0.443
Perrigo Co PLC	PRGO US	8:00	Q4 2015 Earnings Call	Q4 2015
Discovery Communications Inc	DISCA US	8:30	Q4 2015 Earnings Call	Q4 2015
Laboratory Corp of America Holdings	LH US	9:00	Q4 2015 Earnings Call	Q4 2015
NiSource Inc	NI US	9:00	Q4 2015 Earnings Call	Q4 2015
Marathon Oil Corp	MRO US	9:00	Q4 2015 Earnings Call	Q4 2015
CF Industries Holdings Inc	CF US	9:00	Q4 2015 Earnings Call	Q4 2015
Columbia Pipeline Group Inc	CPGX US	9:00	Q4 2015 Earnings Call	Q4 2015
Newmont Mining Corp	NEM US	9:30	Q4 2015 Earnings Call	Q4 2015
Williams Cos Inc/The	WMB US	9:30	Q4 2015 Earnings Call	Q4 2015
Duke Energy Corp	DUK US	10:00	Q4 2015 Earnings Call	Q4 2015
Welltower Inc	HCN US	10:00	Q4 2015 Earnings Call	Q4 2015
Waste Management Inc	WM US	10:00	Q4 2015 Earnings Call	Q4 2015
Marriott International Inc/MD	MAR US	10:00	Q4 2015 Earnings Call	Q4 2015
Entergy Corp	ETR US	11:00	Q4 2015 Earnings Call	Q4 2015
PG&E Corp	PCG US	12:00	Q4 2015 Earnings Call	Q4 2015
Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide Inc	HOT US	13:00	Q4 2015 Earnings Call	Q4 2015
SCANA Corp	SCG US	15:00	Q4 2015 Earnings Call	Q4 2015
Applied Materials Inc	AMAT US	16:30	Q1 2016 Earnings Call	Q1 2016
Nordstrom Inc	JWN US	16:45	Q4 2016 Earnings Call	Q4 2016
Consolidated Edison Inc	ED US	Aft-mkt	Q4 2015 Earnings Release	Q4 2015	0.538
Nordstrom Inc	JWN US	Aft-mkt	Q4 2016 Earnings Release	Q4 2016	1.213
Applied Materials Inc	AMAT US	Aft-mkt	Q1 2016 Earnings Release	Q1 2016	0.256
Flowserve Corp	FLS US	Aft-mkt	Q4 2015 Earnings Release	Q4 2015	0.916
Fluor Corp	FLR US	Aft-mkt	Q4 2015 Earnings Release	Q4 2015	0.931
Equinix Inc	EQIX US	Aft-mkt	Q4 2015 Earnings Release	Q4 2015	3.071
Fluor Corp	FLR US	17:30	Q4 2015 Earnings Call	Q4 2015
Equinix Inc	EQIX US	17:30	Q4 2015 Earnings Call	Q4 2015
Quanta Services Inc	PWR US		Q4 2015 Earnings Release	Q4 2015	0.284

Hormel Foods - Where's the Beef

Summary

Article compares Hormel Foods (HRL), Tyson Foods (TSN), Pilgrims Pride (PPC) and Sanderson Farms (SAFM)

Wall Street analysts project positive revenue and earnings trends.

Financial strength A-.

Positive and consistent price momentum

Article Link:http://seekingalpha.com/article/3903916-hormel-foods-beef

Wednesday, February 17, 2016

Edwards Lifesciences - Chart of the day

Edwards Lifesciences (EW) is the Barchart Chart of the Day. The medical instruments company has a Trend Spotter buy signal, a Weighted Alpha of 32.80+ and gained 30.22% in the last year.

The Chart of the Day belongs to Edwards Lifesciences (EW). I found the medical instruments stock by using Barchart to sort the All Time High list first by technical buy signals, hen I used the Flipchart feature to review the charts. Since the Trend Spotter signaled a buy on 2/3 the stock gained 3.91%.

Edwards Lifesciences Corporation provides products and technologies to treat late-stage cardiovascular disease. The Company's products include tissue replacement heart valves, heart valve repair products, hemodynamic monitoring devices, angioscopy equipment, oxygenators, and pharmaceuticals. Edwards Lifesciences Corporation is headquartered in Irvine, California.

100% technical buy signal
Trend Spotter buy signal
Above its 20, 50 and 100 day moving averages
9 new highs and up 15.93% in the last month
Relative Strength index 63.98%
Technical support level at 80.01
Recently traded at 86.62 with a 50 day moving average of 79.20

Fundamental factors:

Market Cap $ 18.68 billion
P/E 35.39
Revenue expected to grow 1060% this year and another 10.80% next year
Earnings estimated to increase 15.30% this year, an additional 15.20% next year and continue to compound at an annual rate of 15.03% for the next 5 years
Wall Street analysts issued 6 strong buy, 12 buy, 6 hold and a sell recommendation on the stock

The usual technical trading strategies haven't been that reliable on this stock so I would use a trailing stop loss to preserve your gains.

The 2 Best NASDAQ 100 Stocks Today

Usually I highlight the best 5 stocks in an index but they have to make the hurdle of at least 80% technical buy signals and be trading above their 20, 50 and 100 daily moving averages. This morning only 2 stocks in the NASDAQ 100 achieved that.

They are Fastenal (FAST) and Henry Schein (HSIC).

Fastenal (FAST)

Barchart technical indicators:

96% technical buy signals
Trend Spotter buy signal
Above its 20, 50 and 100 day moving averages
6 new highs and up 15.95% in the last month
Relative Strength Index 63.79%
Technical support level at 42.75
Recently traded at 43.68 with a 50 day moving average of 40.07

Henry Schein (HSIC)

Barchart technical indicators:

88% technical buy signals
Trend Spotter buy signal
Above its 20, 50 and 100 day moving averages
2 new highs and up 10.32% in the last month
Relative Strength Index 67.03%
Technical support level at 158.19
Recently traded at 161.86 with a 50 day moving average of 152.60

MORNING CALL 2/17

MORNING CALL

Wednesday, February 17th, 2016View Older Reports

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OVERNIGHT MARKETS AND NEWS

March E-mini S&Ps (ESH16 +0.70%) are up +0.73% and European stocks are up +1.89%, both at 1-week highs, as a rally in crude oil lifts energy producers. Bank stocks are also higher, led by a 11% jump in Credit Agricole, after it said it will sell back stakes in regional banks to shore up capital. Asian stocks settled mixed: Japan -1.36%, Hong Kong -1.03%, China +1.08%, Taiwan +0.03%, Australia -0.57%, Singapore -1.16%, South Korea +0.18%, India +0.82%. China's Shanghai Composite pushed up to a 3-week high on signs the government will increase stimulus after people familiar with the matter said that China's chief planning agency is making more money available to local governments to fund new infrastructure projects.

The dollar index (DXY00 -0.02%) is down -0.02% and fell back from a 1-week high after dovish comments from Boston Fed President Rosengren who said that weak inflation should slow the pace of Fed interest rate hikes. EUR/USD (^EURUSD) is up +0.04%. USD/JPY (^USDJPY) is down -0.04%.

Mar T-note prices (ZNH16 -0.14%) are down -4.5 ticks.

Boston Fed President Rosengren said Tuesday night that "recent global events may make it less likely that the 2% inflation target will be achieved as quickly as had been projected in recent forecasts. If inflation is slower to return to target, monetary policy normalization should be unhurried."

U.S. STOCK PREVIEW

Key U.S. news today includes: (1) weekly MBA mortgage applications (previous +9.3% with purchase sub-index +0.2% and refi sub-index +15.8%), (2) Jan housing starts (expected +1.8% to 1.170 million, Dec -2.5% to 1.149 million), (3) Jan PPI final demand (expected -0.2% m/m and -0.6% y/y, Dec -0.2% m/m and -1.0% y/y) and Jan PPI ex food & energy (expected +0.1% m/m and +0.4% y/y, Dec +0.1% m/m and +0.3% y/y), (4) Jan industrial production (expected +0.3%, Dec -0.4%), (5) the minutes of the Jan 26-27 FOMC meeting, and (6) St. Louis Fed President James Bullard's speech about the U.S. economic outlook and monetary policy to the CFA Society of St. Louis.

There are 13 of the S&P 500 companies that report earnings today with notable reports including: Marathon Oil (consensus -$0.48), Williams Cos (0.27), Newmont Mining (0.13%), Marriott (0.76), Priceline (11.73), Dr Pepper Snapple (0.98).

U.S. IPO's scheduled to price today: none.

Equity conferences this week include: Consumer Analysts Group of New York Investor Conference on Tue.

OVERNIGHT U.S. STOCK MOVERS

Boeing (BA +3.65%) gained over 1% in pre-market trading after it said it secured a $1.3 billion order for planes from China's Okay Airways.

Kinder Morgan (KMI +4.41%) climbed over 9% in pre-market trading after a regulatory filing showed that Berkshire Hathaway added investment in the company in Q4.

HealthStream (HSTM +1.36%) was upgraded to 'Buy' from 'Hold' at Needham & Co. with a 12-month price target of $26.

Express Scrips (ESRX +1.95%) dropped over 1% in after-hours trading after it reported Q4 revenue of $26.2 billion, below consensus of $26.6 billion.

Fossil Group (FOSL +3.36%) jumped over 11% in after-hours trading after it reported Q4 GAAP EPS of $1.46, well above consensus of $1.30.

Icahn Associates Corp. said that it added almost 12 million shares of Hertz Global Holdings (HTZ +8.54%) and 4 million shares of Cheniere Energy (LNG+2.03%) to its holdings.

Concho Resources (CXO +1.14%) will replace Plum Creek Timber (PCL +5.44%) in the S&P 500 as of the close of trading Friday, Feb 19.

Agilent (A +2.37%) slid over 6% in after-hours trading after it lowered guidance on Q2 adjusted EPS to 37 cents-39 cents, below consensus of 43 cents.

Cerner (CERN +1.02%) fell 6% in after-hours trading after it reported Q4 bookings of $1.35 billion, below estimates of $1.45 billion-$1.55 billion

FMC Technologies (FMC +4.99%) lost almost 1% in after-hours trading after it reported Q4 adjusted EPS of 46 cents, below consensus of 48 cents.

Boyd Gaming (BYD +5.19%) rose over 1% in after-hours trading after it reported Q4 adjusted EPS of 16 cents, higher than consensus of 13 cents.

Terex (TEX -0.49%) jumped over 10% in pre-market trading after Zoomlion Heavy Industry Science and Technology Co. Ltd reiterated its committment to buy the company for $30 in cash.

Cheesecake Factory (CAKE +2.36%) slipped over 3% in after-hours trading after it reported Q4 revenue of $526.8 million, weaker than consensus of $528.8 million.

Kaiser Aluminum (KALU +2.29%) reported Q4 adjusted EPS of 60 cents, well below consensus of $1.09.

MARKET COMMENTS

Mar E-mini S&Ps (ESH16 +0.70%) this morning are up +13.75 points (+0.73%) at a fresh 1-week high. Tuesday's closes: S&P 500 +1.65%, Dow Jones +1.39%, Nasdaq +2.12%. The S&P 500 on Tuesday posted a 1-week high and closed higher on carryover support from a +3.29% jump in the Shanghai Composite to a 3-week high after China Jan new yuan loans surged by a record 2.51 trillion yuan. Stocks were also boosted by reduced interest rate concerns after Philadelphia Fed President Harker said it may be "prudent" to wait for inflation to strengthen before the Fed raises interest rates again. Stocks were undercut by news that the Feb NAHB housing market index unexpectedly fell -3 to a 9-month low of 58, 2 points weaker than expectations for a report of 60.

Mar 10-year T-notes (ZNH16 -0.14%) this morning are down -4.5 ticks. Tuesday's closes: TYH6 -5.00, FVH6 -2.25. Mar T-notes on Tuesday fell to a 1-week low and closed lower on the rally in stocks that curbed the safe-haven demand for T-notes. However, T-notes received a boost from Philadelphia Fed President Harker's comment that "it might prove prudent to wait until the inflation data are stronger before we undertake a second rate hike."

The dollar index (DXY00 -0.02%) this morning is down -0.024 (-0.02%). EUR/USD (^EURUSD) is up +0.0004 (+0.04%). USD/JPY (^USDJPY) is down-0.05 (-0.04%). Tuesday's closes: Dollar Index +0.928 (+0.97%), EUR/USD -0.0012 (-0.11%), USD/JPY -0.53 (-0.46%). The dollar index on Tuesday climbed to a 1-week high and settled higher on weakness in GBP/USD which fell to a 2-week low after UK Jan core CPI rose +1.2% y/y, weaker than expectations of +1.3% y/y, which dampened the prospects of a BOE interest rate increase. The dollar index was also boosted by weakness in EUR/USD after the German Feb ZEW survey expectations of economic growth fell -9.2 to a 16-month low of 1.0.

Mar WTI crude (CLH16 +1.76%) this morning is up +72 cents (+2.48%) and Mar gasoline (RBH16 -0.13%) is down -0.0009 ((-0.09%). Tuesday's closes: CLH6 -0.40 (-1.36%), RBH6 -0.0682 (-6.54%). Mar crude and gasoline on Tuesday closed lower as Mar crude fell back from a 1-week high and Mar gasoline retreated from a 2-week high. Crude oil prices were undercut by the rally in the dollar index to a 1-week high and by concern that an agreement by Saudi Arabia and Russia to freeze crude output at current levels won't be enough to alleviate the global crude supply glut. Crude prices initially opened higher on the agreement between Saudi Arabia and Russia, the world's two largest oil producers, to freeze their crude production at current levels if other major oil producers would also freeze production.

GLOBAL EVENT CALENDAR02/17/2016

US	0700 ET	Weekly MBA mortgage applications, previous +9.3% with purchase sub-index +0.2% and refi sub-index +15.8%.
	0830 ET	Jan housing starts expected +1.8% to 1.170 million, Dec -2.5% to 1.149 million. Jan building permits expected 0.3% to 1.200 million, Dec-6.1% to 1.204 million.
	0830 ET	Jan PPI final demand expected -0.2% m/m and -0.6% y/y, Dec -0.2% m/m and -1.0% y/y. Jan PPI ex food & energy expected +0.1% m/m and +0.4% y/y, Dec +0.1% m/m and +0.3% y/y.
	0915 ET	Jan industrial production expected +0.3%, Dec -0.4%. Jan capacity utilization expected +0.2 to 76.7%, Dec -0.4 to 76.5%. Jan manufacturing production expected +0.2%, Dec -0.1%.
	1400 ET	Minutes of the Jan 26-27 FOMC meeting.
	1800 ET	St. Louis Fed President James Bullard speaks about the U.S. economic outlook and monetary policy to the CFA Society of St. Louis.
UK	0430 ET	UK Jan jobless claims change expected -3,000, Dec -4,300. Jan claimant count rate expected unch at 2.3%.
	0430 ET	UK Dec average weekly earnings expected +1.9% 3-mon avg y/y, Nov +2.0% 3-mon avg y/y. Dec avg weekly earnings ex-bonus expected +1.8% 3-mon avg y/y, Nov +1.9% 3-mon avg y/y.
	0430 ET	UK Dec ILO unemployment rate expected -0.1 to 5.0% 3-months though Dec, previous +5.1% 3-months through Nov.
EUR	0500 ET	Eurozone Dec construction output, Nov +0.8% m/m and +2.1% y/y.
JPN	1850 ET	Japan Jan trade balance expected -658.5 billion yen, Dec +140.3 billion yen. Jan exports expected -10.9% y/y, Dec -8.0% y/y. Jan imports expected -15.8% y/y, Dec -18.0% y/y.
CHI	2030 ET	China Jan CPI expected +1.9% y/y, Dec +1.6% y/y. Jan PPI expected -5.4% y/y, Dec -5.9% y/y.

U.S. STOCK CALENDAR02/17/2016

Company	Ticker	Time	Event Description	Period	Estimate
Host Hotels & Resorts Inc	HST US	Bef-mkt	Q4 2015 Earnings Release	Q4 2015	0.349
Noble Energy Inc	NBL US	Bef-mkt	Q4 2015 Earnings Release	Q4 2015	-0.022
Garmin Ltd	GRMN US	Bef-mkt	Q4 2015 Earnings Release	Q4 2015	0.476
Dr Pepper Snapple Group Inc	DPS US	Bef-mkt	Q4 2015 Earnings Release	Q4 2015	0.981
Priceline Group Inc/The	PCLN US	7:00	Q4 2015 Earnings Release	Q4 2015	11.734
Priceline Group Inc/The	PCLN US	7:30	Q4 2015 Earnings Call	Q4 2015
Analog Devices Inc	ADI US	8:00	Q1 2016 Earnings Release	Q1 2016	0.542
Express Scripts Holding Co	ESRX US	8:30	Q4 2015 Earnings Call	Q4 2015
FMC Technologies Inc	FTI US	9:00	Q4 2015 Earnings Call	Q4 2015
Analog Devices Inc	ADI US	10:00	Q1 2016 Earnings Call	Q1 2016
Host Hotels & Resorts Inc	HST US	10:00	Q4 2015 Earnings Call	Q4 2015
Noble Energy Inc	NBL US	10:00	Q4 2015 Earnings Call	Q4 2015
Vornado Realty Trust	VNO US	10:00	Q4 2015 Earnings Call	Q4 2015
FirstEnergy Corp	FE US	10:00	Q4 2015 Earnings Call	Q4 2015
Garmin Ltd	GRMN US	10:30	Q4 2015 Earnings Call	Q4 2015
Devon Energy Corp	DVN US	11:00	Q4 2015 Earnings Call	Q4 2015
Cimarex Energy Co	XEC US	11:00	Q4 2015 Earnings Call	Q4 2015
Dr Pepper Snapple Group Inc	DPS US	11:00	Q4 2015 Earnings Call	Q4 2015
Franklin Resources Inc	BEN US	12:30	Annual General Meeting	Y 2016
Public Storage	PSA US	14:00	Q4 2015 Earnings Call	Q4 2015
NVIDIA Corp	NVDA US	16:20	Q4 2016 Earnings Release	Q4 2016	0.434
NetApp Inc	NTAP US	17:00	Q3 2016 Earnings Call	Q3 2016
NVIDIA Corp	NVDA US	17:00	Q4 2016 Earnings Call	Q4 2016
Marriott International Inc/MD	MAR US	17:00	Q4 2015 Earnings Release	Q4 2015	0.76
Newmont Mining Corp	NEM US	Aft-mkt	Q4 2015 Earnings Release	Q4 2015	0.131
Marathon Oil Corp	MRO US	Aft-mkt	Q4 2015 Earnings Release	Q4 2015	-0.475
Williams Cos Inc/The	WMB US	Aft-mkt	Q4 2015 Earnings Release	Q4 2015	0.267
NetApp Inc	NTAP US	Aft-mkt	Q3 2016 Earnings Release	Q3 2016	0.682
CF Industries Holdings Inc	CF US	Aft-mkt	Q4 2015 Earnings Release	Q4 2015	0.819
Progressive Corp/The	PGR US		January 2016 Sales and Revenue Release	2016