Friday, January 14, 2011

Barchart of the Day -- Pride International -- PDE


Related Stocks
 PDE - Pride International Inc.

Sym Last Chg Pct
PDE 34.01 +0.23 +0.68%
The "Chart of the Day" is Pride International (PDE), which showed up on Wednesday's Barchart "NYSE 12-month High" list. TrendSpotter on Wednesday issued a new Buy signal for Pride and then the stock on Thursday rallied by 0.68% to post a new 1-year high. Citigroup on Wednesday said it expects more mergers in the Oil Service industry - Pride International was mentioned in the report although Citi downplayed the takeover opportunity because it feels that Pride is more fully priced than other potential targets like Dresser Rand (DRC), FMC Technologies (FTI), and Superior Energy (SPN). Pride International, with a market cap of $5.7 billion, is a leading international provider of contract drilling and related services, operating both offshore and on land.


pde_700_01
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. We then clicked on the "12-Month # Highs" column heading twice in order to sort the list in ascending order. Stocks with the fewest number of 12-month highs over the past 12 months are stocks that have only recently broken out to a new 12-month high and may have better upside potential then stocks that have already rallied sharply and have posted many new 12-month highs.
Barchart's Opinion trading systems are all a Buy and Barchart's daily TrendSpotter trading system is a "Buy." Please note that the Barchart Opinion indicators are updated live during the session every 10 minutes and can therefore change during the day as the market fluctuates. The indicator numbers shown below therefore may not match what you see live on the Barchart.com web site when you read this report.
  • TrendSpotter: Buy
  • Short-Term Indicators: 100% Buy
  • Medium-Term Indicators: 100% Buy
  • Long-Term Indicators: 100% Buy
  • Overall Average 100% Buy


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



Jim Van Meerten is a professional investor with over 40 year experience in investing in stocks, mutual funds and ETFs.  He shares his knowledge on Barchart in his daily blogs -- Barchart Portfolio Blogs.

Thursday, January 13, 2011

3 Hot Computer Peripheral Equipment stocks

I screened on Barchart to find the sector that had changed the most in the past month and then looked at the Barchart opinion on each stock.  These 3 looked the best.

TACT - Transact Technologies --  designs, develops, manufactures and markets transaction-based printers and related products under the ITHACA and MAGNETEC and TRANSACT.COM brand names. The company focuses on five vertical markets: point-of-sale(POS), gaming and lottery, financial services, kiosk and Internet. The company's printers are trusted world-wide to provide crisp, clean transaction records from receipts, tickets and coupons, register journal and other documents.

  • 100% Barchart technical buy signal
  • 5 new highs and up 4.26% in the last month
  • Relative Strength Index 63.94% and rising
  • Trades currently at 9.97 which is above its 50 day moving average of 9.29
  • Wall Street brokerage buy recommendation based on projections of increase in next years revenue of 8.10%, increase in next years EPS of 25.60% and a 5 year annual EPS increase of 30.00%
  • Positive investor sentiment - Motley Fool CAPS members vote 13 to 1 the stock will beat the market -- All Stars vote 3 to 0 for the same
IGOI - Igo Inc --based in Scottsdale, Arizona, is a developer of universal power adapters for portable computers and mobile electronic devices (e.g., mobile phones, PDAs, digital cameras, etc.) and creator of the patented iGo intelligent tip technology. iGo offers a full line of AC, DC and combination AC/DC power adapters for portable computers and low-power mobile electronic devices. All of these adapters leverage iGo's intelligent tip technology, which enables one power adapter to power/charge hundreds of brands and thousands of models of mobile electronic devices through the use of interchangeable tips.
  • 100% Barchart technical buy signal
  • 12 new highs and up 68.51% in the last month
  • Relative Strength Index 86.68% and rising
  • Trades currently at 5.13 which is above its 50 day moving average of 3.32
  • Positive investor sentiment - Motley Fool CAPS members vote 44 to 1 that the stock will beat the market and the All Stars agree 8 to 1
ZBRA - Zebra Technologies -- and its wholly-owned subsidiaries design, manufacture and support a broad range of direct thermal and thermal transfer bar code label printers, receipt printers, instant-issuanceplastic card printers and secure identification printing systems, related accessories, and support software. The company markets its products worldwide principally to manufacturing and service organizations for use in automatic identification, data collection, and personal identification systems.
  • 80% Barchart technical buy signal
  • 3 new highs and up 3.26% in the last 5 days
  • Relative Strength Index 60.30% and rising
  • Trades currently at 38.79 which is above its 50 day moving average of 37.92
  • Wall Street brokerages have published 2 buy and 6 hold recommendations based on projections of a 7.30% increase in sales next year, 13.40% increase in EPS next year and an annual EPS increase of 12.50% for the next 5 years
Jim Van Meerten is a professional investor with over 40 year experience in investing in stocks, mutual funds and ETFs.  He shares his knowledge on Barchart in his daily blogs -- Barchart Portfolio Blogs.

Keegan Resources -- KGN -- Sell Signal

This morning I deleted Keegan Resources (KGN) from the Barchart Van Meerten Speculative portfolio for negative price trends:

  • 60% Bartchart short term sell signal
  • 50% Barchart mid term sell signal
  • Trend Spotter (tm) sell signal
  • Trading below its 20 and 50 day moving average
  • 9.36% off its recent high
  • Relative strength Index 38.78% and falling
Jim Van Meerten is a professional investor with over 40 year experience in investing in stocks, mutual funds and ETFs.  He shares his knowledge on Barchart in his daily blogs -- Barchart Portfolio Blogs.

All Peru Capped Index ETF -- EPU - deleted

This morning I deleted the All Peru Capped Index ETF (EPU) from the Barchart Van Meerten New High portfolio for negative price trends:

  • 60% Barchart short term sell signal
  • Trend Spotter (tm) sell signal
  • Trading below its 20 and 50 day moving averages
  • 7.79% off its recent high
  • Relative Strength Index is 35.82% and falling
Jim Van Meerten is a professional investor with over 40 year experience in investing in stocks, mutual funds and ETFs.  He shares his knowledge on Barchart in his daily blogs -- Barchart Portfolio Blogs.

Morning Call -- 1/11

Overnight Developments
  • Global stocks are trading mixed with the European Euro Stoxx 50 index up +0.10% and March S&Ps down -0.30 of a point. As expected, the BOE kept its benchmark interest rate unchanged at 0.50% and its asset purchase target at 200 billion pounds. Treasuries are little changed and the dollar index fell to a 1-week low after strong demand was seen at a Spanish auction of 5-year bonds today. Investors bid for 2.1 times the 3 billion euros ($3.9 billion) of Spanish 5-year bonds today, more than the previous auction of 5-year bonds on Nov 4 when investors bid for only 1.6 times the amount offered. Spanish banks rallied after the auction with Banco Santander SA and Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria SA, Spain's largest banks, up over 4%. Weakness in retailers undercut European stock prices as Tesco Plc fell 1.6% after Britain's biggest retailer reported holiday sales growth that missed estimates as snowstorms kept Britons from visiting out-of-town supermarkets. Dixons Retail Plc slumped 7.3% after Britain's largest consumer-electronics retailer said earnings for fiscal 2011 are now likely to be "around the bottom end" of analysts' estimates.
  • The Asian stock markets today closed mixed with Japan up +0.73%, Hong Kong +0.47%, China -0.03%, Taiwan +0.12%, Australia +1.50%, Singapore +0.34%, South Korea -0.24%, India -1.80%. Strength in commodity producers pushed Japan's Nikkei 225 Stock Index up to an 8-month high and Asian shipbuilders advanced on speculation orders will increase. Nov Japan machine orders unexpectedly fell -3.0% m/m, weaker than expectations of a +2.0% m/m gain, which signals companies are reluctant to increase spending on factories and equipment because of concern about the strong yen's effect. South Korea's Kospi Stock Index closed lower and the won rose after the BOK raised the 7-day repurchase rate by 25 bp to 2.75%. BOK Governor Kim Choong Soo said inflationary pressures will likely gather pace and the South Korean economy will probably post "sold growth." The rate increase adds to a combined half a percentage-point rise in July and Nov from a record low as South Korea attempts to tackle price pressures spurred by economic growth and foreign capital inflows.
Overnight U.S. Stock News
  • March S&Ps this morning are trading down -0,30 of a point. The US stock market yesterday shot higher and finished at its best level in over 2 years: Dow +0.72%, S&P 500 +0.90%, Nasdaq Composite +0.75%. The Nasdaq rose to a 9-3/4 year high and the Dow and the S&P 500 posted 2-1/3 year highs. Bullish factors for stocks included (1) carry-over support from a rally in European stocks as sovereign-debt concerns eased after Portugal successfully auctioned 10-year debt at lower yields than a previous auction along with speculation that European leaders will increase their efforts to stem the debt crisis after European Union Economic and Monetary Affairs Commissioner Rehn called for a "comprehensive" plan to contain the sovereign debt crisis, (2) strength in bank stocks after Wells Fargo raised its rating on the largest US banks to "overweight" from "market weight," saying dividend payout ratios may double this year, (3) a rally in energy producers after crude oil gained when weekly crude inventories fell more than expected, and (4) the Fed's Beige Book that said holiday-season spending and increased manufacturing drove an economic expansion in Nov and Dec, and that businesses are cautiously optimistic about their 2011 outlooks.
  • Bearish factors included (1) the Fed's Beige Book that stated housing markets were "weak and sluggish" across a majority of regions, which may limit growth in the economy, and (2) the prediction from well-known bank analyst Meredith Whitney that she expects more than 1 million job losses among state and local governments as they increase their austerity measures in an attempt to trim their budget deficits.
  • Deere & Co. (DE) climbed 1.2% in European trading after JPMorgan Chase raised its recommendation for the company to "overweight" from "neutral."
Today's Market Focus
  • March 10-year T-notes this morning are down -2 ticks. T-note prices yesterday settled nearly flat after strong demand for the Treasury's 10-year T-note auction helped the market overcome early losses: TYH11 +0.5, FVH11 unchanged, EDM11 +2.5. Bullish factors included (1) comments from St. Louis Fed President Bullard who said its "too soon" to reduce the Fed's QE2 asset-purchase program, (2) strong demand for the Treasury's $21 billion auction of 10-year T-notes that had a bid-to-cover ratio of 3.30, higher than the 10-auction average of 3.14 and the strongest in 9 months. Bearish factors included (1) reduced safe-haven demand for Treasuries after the stock market rallied and on speculation that European leaders will increase their efforts to stem the debt crisis after European Union Economic and Monetary Affairs Commissioner Rehn called for a "comprehensive" plan to contain the sovereign debt crisis, (2) an upbeat Fed Beige Book that said the economy strengthened the last 2 months of last year and that businesses are cautiously optimistic about their 2011 outlooks, and (3) supply pressures ahead of the Treasury's $13 billion auction of 30-year T-bonds on Thu.
  • The dollar index this morning is weaker and at a 1-week low with the dollar/yen -0.01 yen and the euro/dollar +0.41 cents. The dollar index yesterday settled sharply lower: Dollar Index -0.815, USDJPY -0.245, EURUSD +0.01587. Bearish factors included (1) strength in the euro after Portugal's borrowing costs fell from a month ago after a successful auction of 10-year notes, which temporarily eases sovereign-debt concerns, (2) speculation that European leaders will increase their efforts to stem the debt crisis after European Union Economic and Monetary Affairs Commissioner Rehn said that Europe's bailout fund "should be reinforced and the scope of its activity widened," (3) the stronger-than-expected Nov Euro-Zone industrial production, which is euro positive, and (4) euro supportive comments from PBOC Deputy Governor Yi Gang who said that China is a long-term investor in European financial markets and will continue that policy. Bullish factors included (1) apprehension ahead of Spain's and Italy's debt auctions on Thursday, which may see increased safe-haven demand for the dollar as the indebted European nations struggle to fund their deficits, and (2) the warning from Nobel Prize-winning economist Pissarides that the European Union doesn't have the resources to rescue Spain from a full-blown fiscal crisis, which could lead to the end of the euro.
  • February crude oil prices this morning are trading down -16 cents a barrel and February gasoline is +0.49 of a cent per gallon. Crude oil and gasoline prices yesterday finished mixed: CLG11 +0.75, RBG11 -1.53. Feb crude climbed to a 1-week high. Bullish factors included (1) the weaker dollar, which boosts investment demand in commodities, (2) the larger-than-expected decline in weekly crude inventories which dropped to their lowest level in 11 months (-2.15 million bbl to 333.1 million bbl versus expectations of -1.4 million bbl), and (3) the rally in the S&P 500 Index to a 2-1/3 year high, which boosts confidence in the economic outlook and energy demand. Bearish factors included (1) the restarting of the Trans Alaska pipeline, after it was closed for several days to repair a leak, (2) the larger-than-expected increases in weekly gasoline and distillate inventories (gasoline +5.08 million bbl versus expectations of +2.12 million bbl and distillate inventories +2.65 million bbl versus expectations of +1.0 million bbl), and (3) reduced US gasoline demand after the 4-week average slipped -1.5% to 9.07 million barrels a day.
Today's U.S. Earnings Reports Earnings reports (confirmed releases, sorted by mkt cap) INTC-Intel (BEST earnings consensus $0.53), MSCI-MSCI Inc. (0.36), CBSH-Commerce Bancshares (0.66), SHFL-Shuffle Master (0.13).


Jim Van Meerten is a professional investor with over 40 year experience in investing in stocks, mutual funds and ETFs.  He shares his knowledge on Barchart in his daily blogs -- Barchart Portfolio Blogs.

Teledyne Technologies - TDY Barchart chart of the day

Barchart.coms Chart of the Day - Teledyne Technologies (TDY)
Related Stocks
 TDY - Teledyne Technologies Incorporat
Sym Last Chg Pct
TDY 45.34 +1.41 +3.21%
The "Chart of the Day" is Teledyne Technologies (TDY), which showed up on Wednesday's Barchart "NYSE 12-month High" list and also on the "Gap Up" list. Teledyne on Wednesday rallied by 3.21% and posted a new 2-year high. TrendSpotter has been long Teledyne since Dec 7 at 42.95. In recent news on the stock, KeyBanc on Wednesday initiated coverage on Teledyne with a Buy and a target of $54. Teledyne, with a market cap of $1.6 billion, is a leading provider of sophisticated electronic and communication products, systems engineering solutions, and aerospace engines and components.

tdy_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. We then clicked on the "12-Month # Highs" column heading twice in order to sort the list in ascending order. Stocks with the fewest number of 12-month highs over the past 12 months are stocks that have only recently broken out to a new 12-month high and may have better upside potential then stocks that have already rallied sharply and have posted many new 12-month highs.
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: 100% Buy
  • Medium-Term Indicators: 75% 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

Jim Van Meerten is a professional investor with over 40 year experience in investing in stocks, mutual funds and ETFs.  He shares his knowledge on Barchart in his daily blogs -- Barchart Portfolio Blogs.

Wednesday, January 12, 2011

3 Hot Network Communications Software stocks

One of the hottest sectors this month is in Communications Network Software.  This morning I screened on Barchart for the hottest stocks in the hottest sectors and came up with these 3 gems.

VG - Vonage - a leading provider of digital phone services with over two million subscriber lines. Their award-winning technology enables anyone to make and receive phone calls with a touch tone telephone almost anywhere a broadband Internet connection is available. They offer feature-rich and cost-effective communication services that offer users an experience similar to traditional telephone services.The Residential Premium Unlimited and Small Business Unlimited calling plans offer consumers unlimited local and long distance calling, and popular features like call waiting, call forwarding and voicemail - for one low, flat monthly rate. Vonage's service is sold on the web and through national retailers including Best Buy, Circuit City, Wal-Mart Stores Inc. and Target and is available to customers in the U.S., Canada and the United Kingdom.

  • 100% Barchart short term technical buy signal
  • 9 new highs and up 41.15% in the last month
  • Relative Strength Index 81.37% and rising
  • Trades around 3.21 well above its 50 day moving average of 2.45
  • Wall Street brokerages have 1 buy and 1 hold and project 260.00% EPS increase next year
NSR - Neustar --  a provider of essential clearinghouse services to the North American communications industry and Internet service providers around the world.
  • 100% Barchart short term technical buy signal
  • 10 new highs and up 3.99% in the last month
  • Relative Strength Index 66.06% and rising
  • Trades near 27.42 well above 50 day moving average of 26.46
  • CAPS members on Motley Fool vote 271 to 12 to beat the market
  • All Stars on Motley Foll vote 119 to 5 to beat the market
  • Wall Street Brokerages have 3 buy and 7 hold recommendations based on projection of 11.00% increase in sale next year, 14.50% increase in EPS year, EPS annual growth of 12.80 for next 5 years
AVNW - Aviant Networks --  previously known as Harris Stratex Networks, Inc., is a global supplier of wireless network solutions and network management software, backed by a suite of professional services and support. The Company offers advanced wireless IP network migration, preparing the way to the 4G/LTE future. It also offers transformational wireless solutions, including LTE-ready microwave backhaul, WiMAX access and a complete portfolio of essential service options that enable wireless public and private telecommunications operators to deliver advanced data, voice, video and mobility services around the world. In addition, Aviat offers professional services, including installation and commissioning and training. It serves mobile and fixed telephone service providers, private network operators, government agencies, transportation and utility companies, public safety agencies, and broadcast system operators. Aviat Networks, Inc. is headquartered in Morrisville, North Carolina.
  • 100% Barchart short term technical buy signal
  • 5 new highs and up 5.90% in the last month
  • Relative Strength Index 71.08% and rising
  • Trades near 5.55 which is above its 50 day moving average of 4.75
  • CAPS members on Motley Fool vote 61 to 12 to beat the market
  • All Stars vote 27 to 4 to beat the market
  • Wall Street Brokerage have 6 buy and 4 hold recommendations based on projections of 13.50% increase in sales next year -- 185.30% increase in EPS next year and 13.50% annual EPS growth for next 5 years 

Jim Van Meerten is a professional investor with over 40 year experience in investing in stocks, mutual funds and ETFs.  He shares his knowledge on Barchart in his daily blogs -- Barchart Portfolio Blogs.



MDS Inc -- NDZ- deleted

This morning I deleted MDS Inc (NDZ) from the Barchart Van Meerten Speculative portfolio for very negative price trends:

  • The stock is 14.25% of its recent high
  • Trading below its 20, 50 and 100 day moving averages
  • Relative Strength Index is 27.73% and tanking
Jim Van Meerten is a professional investor with over 40 year experience in investing in stocks, mutual funds and ETFs.  He shares his knowledge on Barchart in his daily blogs -- Barchart Portfolio Blogs.

Barchart Morning Call - 1/12

Barchart Morning Call
Overnight Developments
  • Global stocks are trading higher with the European Euro Stoxx 50 index up +1.29% and March S&Ps up +7.40 points at a new contract high. The dollar and Treasuries weakened as European debt risks temporarily subside on speculation European officials are stepping up efforts to solve the debt crisis. European Union Economic and Monetary Affairs Commissioner Rehn said that Europe's bailout fund "should be reinforced and the scope of its activity widened." European bank stocks are leading the market's advances with Banco Santander SA, Spain's biggest lender, up 6.4% and UniCredit SpA, Italy's largest bank, up 5.3%. The euro received a boost today after Portugal raised 599 million euros ($778 million) in the sale of 10-year bonds at an average yield of 6.72%, down from a yield of 6.81% on Nov 10. Also benefiting European stocks and the euro was the larger-than-expected increase in Nov Euro-Zone industrial production which climbed +1.2% m/m, stronger than expectations of a +0.5% m/m increase.
  • The Asian stock markets today closed higher with Japan up +0.02%, Hong Kong +1.54%, China +0.56%, Taiwan +0.38%, Australia +0.29%, Singapore +0.11%, South Korea +0.39%, India +1.76%. According to 2 Japanese officials familiar with the matter, Japan may extend purchases of bonds sold by a European financial aid fund in coming months beyond what Finance Minister Noda said Japan would purchase later this month. China and Japan, with the two largest foreign-exchange reserves in the world, are working to prevent the European sovereign-debt crisis from spreading. Japanese banks closed higher on speculation that BOJ Governor Shirakawa, who was appointed vice chairman of the Bank for International Settlements, will seek to prevent regulations that could hurt the profits of Japanese banks. Asian chip stocks also advanced led by a 3.7% gain in Hynix Semiconductor after the second-largest maker of computer-memory chips said it expects a Q4 operating profit and it will repay 700 billion won ($626 million) of debt this year.
Overnight U.S. Stock News
  • March S&Ps this morning are trading up +7.40 points at a fresh contract high. The US stock market yesterday traded sideways in positive territory the entire day and finished with modest gains: Dow +0.30%, S&P 500 +0.37%, Nasdaq Composite +0.33%. The Nasdaq rose to a 3-year high. Bullish factors for stocks included (1) carry-over support from a rally in European stocks after Japan pledged to buy European bonds, (2) strength in energy producers after crude oil rallied and gasoline climbed to a 27-month high, and (3) expectations for positive Q4 company earnings results after companies in the S&P 500 posted higher-than-expected results in all three quarters so far for 2010.
  • Bearish factors included (1) the unexpected decline in Nov wholesale inventories (-0.2% versus expectations of +1.0%), which signals inventories will provide less of a boost to economic growth, (2) data from the BLS that showed the US job openings rate, or the number of job openings as a percent of total employment plus job openings, fell to 2.4% in Nov from 2.5% in Oct, and (3) comments from ECB Council member and Bundesbank President Weber who said optimism on containing the European sovereign-debt crisis is "premature."
  • Lululemon Athletica (LULU) jumped 6.7% in pre-market trading after the company raised its forecst for Q4 profit to 55 cents a share, topping analysts' estimates of 50 cents.
Today's Market Focus
  • March 10-year T-notes this morning are down -8 ticks. T-note prices yesterday moved lower on supply pressures and stock market strength: TYH11 -10.5, FVH11 -5.2, EDM11 +0.5. Bearish factors included (1) reduced safe-haven demand for Treasuries after the stock market rallied, (2) comments from Philadelphia Fed President Plosser who said the Fed's $600 billion QE2 asset-purchase program "may soon backfire on us" and spur inflation if "we don't begin to gradually reverse course," which indicates he is not in favor of completing the entire asset-purchase program, and (3) supply pressures ahead of the Treasury's $21 billion auction of 10-year T-notes on Wed. Bullish factors included (1) the Fed's action to purchase $7.802 billion of Treasuries as part of its QE2 asset-purchase program, (2) comments from Minneapolis Fed President Kocherlakota who said "this is not the time to start" the Fed's exit strategy due to high unemployment and disinflation, and (3) data from the BLS that showed the US job openings rate, or the number of job openings as a percent of total employment plus job openings, fell to 2.4% in Nov from 2.5% in Oct.
  • The dollar index this morning is lower with the dollar/yen +0.13 yen and the euro/dollar +0.03 cents. The dollar index yesterday closed little changed: Dollar Index -0.035, USDJPY +0.536, EURUSD +0.00225. Bearish factors included (1) strength in the euro after Japanese Finance Minister Noda said his country plans to buy more than 20% of bonds to be issued later this month by the European Financial Stability Facility as Japan joins China in promising to purchase Euro-Zone debt in an attempt to stem the European debt crisis, (2) comments from Portuguese Prime Minister Socrates who said that Portugal doesn't need a bailout from the European Union and its 2010 budget deficit will be lower than forecast, and (3) strength in the yuan after China's foreign-exchange reserves climbed to a record and China's bank lending exceeded the government's annual target. Bullish factors included (1) apprehension ahead of Portugal's, Spain's and Italy's debt auctions later this week, which may see increased safe-haven demand for the dollar as the indebted European nations struggle to fund their deficits, (2) comments from ECB Council member Weber who said optimism on containing the European sovereign-debt crisis is "premature," and (3) comments from Philadelphia Fed President Plosser who said the Fed's $600 billion QE2 asset-purchase program "may soon backfire on us" and spur inflation if "we don't begin to gradually reverse course," which indicates he is not in favor of completing the entire asset-purchase program.
  • February crude oil prices this morning are trading unchanged and February gasoline is down -1.82 cents per gallon. Crude oil and gasoline prices yesterday closed higher for a second day: CLG11 +1.86, RBG11 +2.41. Feb gasoline posted a 27-month high. Bullish factors included (1) the continued shutdown of the Trans Alaska Pipeline System, which carries 15% of US crude output, after an oil leak in the pipeline prompted its closure over the weekend, (2) the report from the National Commission on the BP Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill that recommended that exploration in US deep waters be overseen by an independent agency in the Interior Department, which raises concern that it will become more difficult to drill for new crude supplies, (3) comments from the Kuwaiti Oil Minister who said that OPEC will not hold an emergency meeting if crude prices hit $100 a barrel, and (4) the action by the US Energy Department to increase its 2011 crude oil price forecast to average $93.42 a barrel, up from a Dec forecast of $86.08 and to hike its global crude consumption estimate for 2011 to 89.65 million barrels a day from 87.78 million estimated last month. Expectations for Wednesday's weekly inventory report from the DOE are for crude oil stockpiles to fall -1.2 million bbl, gasoline supplies to increase +2.13 million bbl, distillate inventories to rise +1.0 million bbl and the refinery capacity rate to remain unchanged at 88.0%.
Today's U.S. Earnings Reports Earnings reports (confirmed releases, sorted by mkt cap) CLC-Clarcor (BEST earnings consensus $0.56).


Jim Van Meerten is a professional investor with over 40 year experience in investing in stocks, mutual funds and ETFs.  He shares his knowledge on Barchart in his daily blogs -- Barchart Portfolio Blogs.

Barchart of the Day -- Fluor -- FLR

Provided by Barchart.

 Chart of the Day - Fluor Corp (FLR)
Related Stocks
 FLR - Fluor Corporation

Sym Last Chg Pct
FLR 68.34 +2.33 +3.53%
The "Chart of the Day" is Fluor Corp (FLR), which showed up on Tuesday's list of stocks that had a new "Buy" signal from the Barchart "TrendSpotter" trading system and also showed up on Barchart's "Gap Up" list. Fluor on Tuesday rallied by 3.53% and posted a new 2-1/3 year high. On Tuesday, JP Morgan upgraded Fluor to Overweight from Neutral and raised its target to $77 from $58.50 on a more constructive outlook for the infrastructure markets. FBR Capital on Tuesday removed Fluor from its Top Picks list due to valuation but reiterated its outperform and raised its target to $84 from $54. On Monday, Stifel Nicolaus raised reiterated its Buy rating and raised its target to $77 from $64 on earnings and the company's higher backlog. Fluor Corp, with a market cap of $11.7 billion, delivers engineering, procurement, construction, maintenance (EPCM), and project management to governments and clients around the world in industries including Oil and Gas, Industrial and Infrastructure, Government, Global Services and Power.

flr_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

Jim Van Meerten is a professional investor with over 40 year experience in investing in stocks, mutual funds and ETFs.  He shares his knowledge on Barchart in his daily blogs -- Barchart Portfolio Blogs.