History: Appetite for stocks rises after Turkey…

NEW YORK — Turkey Day has a way of increasing investors' appetite for U.S. stocks.

In fact, investors tend to gobble up stocks and push prices higher from the end of Thanksgiving week through year's end, according to data compiled by Bespoke Investment Group.

Going back to 1945, the broad Standard & Poor's 500-stock index has posted has average gains of 1.8%, with positive returns 71% of the time in the period from Thanksgiving to year's end, Bespoke says.

And the bullish action is even better when the market is up more than 10% at Thanksgiving (which it is this year): The index is up 1.9% when the market is up big heading into Turkey Day. And since the bull market began in 2009, the S&P 500's post-Thanksgiving rally has been even bigger, with gains of 4.4% and gains 100% of the time.

"The last time the S&P 500 traded down from the end of Thanksgiving through year-end was 2005," says Bespoke co-founder Paul Hickey.

If a year-end rally materializes, it will cap off a huge year for U.S. stocks. Heading into Wednesday's trading, the S&P 500 was up more than 26%.

Top 5 Penny Companies To Own For 2014

The gains have been driven by the Federal Reserve's easy-money policies, a recovering U.S. economy, strong price momentum and a belief that stocks are the best asset class for returns when compared with other investments, such as low-yielding bonds and cash, which is yielding zero percent interest.

So what can investors expect on the day before Thanksgiving? In years like this one with the market up big, the broad index has gained 0.3% on average and has been up 72.4% of the time.

And performance on Friday, the day after the holiday? The index has posted average gains of 0.8%.

The Secret to Unlocking Huge Auto-Tech Profits – Today

As a tech investor, I pay a lot of attention to the key trends reshaping our world and setting us up for massive gains.

I've also found that sometimes you can boil down great investment opportunities into a number. In this case its 11.4...the average age of a car on U.S. roads today.

Compared with the new connected car, that's like driving something out of the Flintstones.

See, the connected car is both web and Bluetooth enabled. It's also loaded with complex sensors, sophisticated software, and advanced semiconductors.

This embedded tech ecosystem is one of the big reasons why the industry sold some 15.6 million vehicles last year, in no small part because drivers want their smartphones and cars to stay connected to each other.

Here's the thing. As much as I believe in the connected car, there are many, diverse tech-related ways to cash in on the millions of new vehicles rolling off the assembly lines this year.

The secret to finding the best auto-tech plays is to understand foremost their positioning in this booming sector.

Some companies have arisen on the back of auto-technology, but lack the fundamentals to last...

Others have names as old as the industry itself, yet their technology outpaces much newer, and ostensibly higher-tech, companies...

And then there are some right in-between.

Today, I'll show you three very diverse companies...

Yet for their different niches, they fit our one criterion: Perfectly positioned in the auto-tech sector to deliver market-crushing results...

Driving the Web for Record Sales

From a high-tech standpoint, AutoNation Inc. (NYSE: AN) ranks as an intriguing hybrid play.

To be sure, it is heavily rooted in the physical world. After all, the company operates some 267 auto dealerships around the United States, making it the industry's largest new-car retailer.

But its savvy use of the Web presents the company to potential new clients as more of an Internet buying service than a standard auto dealer.

For instance, when I recently logged onto the company's website, it knew automatically that I am located in Oakland, Calif. Much like you'd find at an independent broker, AutoNation's website prompts you to search for a vehicle by type, make, and model.

The home page also tells visitors it provides "hassle-free" dealing and offers to appraise their vehicles and give them a guaranteed trade-in value.

In this regard, the first impression you get is that of a company using the web to make car shopping much easier, rather than promoting any existing dealer or nameplate.

Its sophisticated use of the web is one of the reasons why the company continues to register huge sales gains. Both last November and December, the company had the highest sales for each of those months since 2001.

For last year's third period, AutoNation reported its fourth consecutive record earnings per share from continuing operations, a 14% increase from the previous year to $0.75. Total sales also increased 14% in the quarter to $4.5 billion.

With a market cap of $5.9 billion, the stock trades at $48 a share with a forward PE of 14.5. It's priced at only .35 times sales and has a PEG ratio of just .65, well below the "fair price" ratio of 1.

The Sweet Sound of Profits

To say that I've followed the development of one of the nation's leading car audio firms for more than 30 years is no exaggeration.

Fact is, the first stereo I bought out of college was made by Harman Kardin. I loved that stereo so much it got me kicked out of a couple of apartments.

And as a long-time audio enthusiast, I've tracked the company through its many changes over the years. Expanding through a combination of organic growth and mergers, the company's nameplates also include JBL and Infinity, two highly respected global brands.

With all that momentum behind it, Harman now sells sophisticated audio components and systems to most of the world's major car makers, including BMW, GM, Subaru, Toyota, and Volvo.

More to the point, Harman International Industries Inc. (NYSE: HAR) has moved beyond its audio roots and now ranks as a bona fide tech powerhouse.

In fact, over the last several years, Harman has ramped up its offerings of high-tech auto infotainment systems that provide navigation, multi-media, and audio control from the dashboard.

Top Tech Companies To Buy For 2015

These are not only an integral part of the connected car; they are becoming big business for Harman. In its Fiscal 2013, Harman received new infotainment awards totaling $1.8 billion, compared with $1.2 billion for car audio.

It's a powerful one-two punch. Harman says that some 25 million vehicles on the road today feature its audio-infotainment systems that also integrate GPS and navigation.

Actually, Harman gives investors exposure beyond the new-car boom. The company has expanded into accessories that support the mobile revolution and also ranks as a leader in the professional audio-video market.

With a market cap of $6 billion, the stock trades at roughly $89 a share with a forward PE of about 17, in line with the overall market. In its first fiscal quarter 2014 ended Sept. 30 sales rose 17% to nearly $1.2 billion as non-GAAP earnings per share climbed 21% to $0.95.

Tweaking Materials and Fuel Economy

This sure ain't your granddad's Ford Motor Co. (NYSE: F).

Indeed, the firm is making huge sales gains because it has embraced a wide range of tech systems.

Ford has unveiled a breakthrough hybrid car and made steady advances in safety. With its EcoBoost engines, the firm is ahead of the curve on fuel economy.

And it's even tweaking materials science to produce a novel truck...

Ford recently unveiled a new version of its popular pickup, the F-150. To boost fuel economy while maintaining power, Ford decided to make the body and load bed almost completely of aluminum, marking the first high-volume vehicle to do so.

That's just the beginning...

Earlier this week, the Detroit-area automaker announced a new partnership with MIT and Stanford to develop a fully autonomous car by 2025. That effort builds on Ford's status as a leader in tech integration.

Its SYNC in-dash infotainment system is among the most advanced of any mass-market auto firm. Internal research shows it factors in the decision for 70% of buyers who go with Ford over a competing brand.

And Ford's C-MAX Hybrid is no slouch. With its sleek design, the model has become the darling of mass-market electrics. Ford quadrupled its slice of the U.S. electric-vehicle market nationally in the past year to a 16% share.

All of which translates into great sales figures. For 2013, Ford sold 2.5 million vehicles in the U.S, a 14% increase from the year before. The company also reported a 14% sales increase in Europe, and a stunning 49% increase in China.

With a market cap of $64 billion, the stock trades at around $16.40 a share with a forward PE of just 11. The company has a 28% return on equity and a PEG ratio of .89, with anything below 1 considered a discount.

The one thing that makes all three of these stocks great investments in the auto boom is that the firms involved fully grasp that cars are today as much about high tech as they are transportation. And they understand perfectly how to position themselves.

And in the next few years, this trend will only accelerate, giving each of these three even more chances to rack up new sales and profits for investors...

Top 10 Blue Chip Companies To Buy Right Now

LONDON --�Shares in asset-management specialist�Schroders (LSE: SDR  ) �have strode consistently higher since last summer, gaining almost 29% in the year to date and striking recent all-time highs of 2,212 pence in the process.

In my opinion, Schroders offers great value for investors seeking robust earnings growth and an increasingly remunerative dividend policy, which I believe should drive the shares still higher in the near future.

Managed assets strike record in 2012
Schroders announced last month that net revenues slipped 3% to 1 billion pounds during 2012, exacerbated by a 17% drop in turnover at the firm's Private Banking division. This shortfall helped push pre-tax profits 12% lower to 360 million pounds.

However, the blue chip continued to witness surging activity last year, helped by its diversification across a multitude of asset classes and products. In fact, Schroders saw new net business inflows leap to 9.4 billion pounds last year, rocketing up from 3.2 billion pounds in 2011. And this pushed assets under management to record levels, at 212 billion pounds, up more than 13% on the previous year.

Top 10 Blue Chip Companies To Buy Right Now: Philip Morris International Inc(PM)

Philip Morris International Inc., through its subsidiaries, engages in the manufacture and sale of cigarettes and other tobacco products in markets outside of the United States. Its international product brand line comprises Marlboro, Merit, Parliament, Virginia Slims, L&M, Chesterfield, Bond Street, Lark, Muratti, Next, Philip Morris, and Red & White. The company also offers its products under the A Mild, Dji Sam Soe, and A Hijau in Indonesia; Diana in Italy; Optima and Apollo-Soyuz in the Russian Federation; Morven Gold in Pakistan; Boston in Colombia; Belmont, Canadian Classics, and Number 7 in Canada; Best and Classic in Serbia; f6 in Germany; Delicados in Mexico; Assos in Greece; and Petra in the Czech Republic and Slovakia. It operates primarily in the European Union, Eastern Europe, the Middle East, Africa, Asia, Canada, and Latin America. The company is based in New York, New York.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Efficient Alpha]

  Philip Morris International (PM) is a favorite of mine, not only for its 4% dividend but also for its protection against global inflationary pressures. The company can pass through higher commodity prices and smokers will keep coming back for more. The company has 16% of the international market and is making strong progress in China. Asia accounts for 36% of sales, followed by the EMEA region (27%), the EU (26%) and Latin America/Canada (11%). Shares have posted an annual return of 15% since its spinoff in 2008.

• [By Maxx Chatsko]

  However, you would be hard-pressed to find any connection between falling smoking prevalence and share performance at Reynolds American (NYSE: RAI  ) , Lorriland (NYSE: LO  ) , Phillip Morris (NYSE: PM  ) , and Altria (NYSE: MO  ) . These companies are some of the best performers in the past decade. In fact, Altria is the best-performing stock of the last half-century!

• [By GuruFocus]

  The decade low yield of tobacco stocks can be clearly seen from our new interactive charts, which are embedded below. The chart shows the dividend yield of three tobacco stocks: Reynolds American (RAI), Philip Morris International (PM) and British American Tobacco (BTI).

• [By abirk]

  Philip Morris International (PM) is reaching new heights in 2013. With its products being sold in 180 countries it is the proud owner of about 15 cigarette brands- Marlboro, Merit, Parliament, Virginia Slims, L&M, and Chesterfield being some of them. FY2013 looks bright for this tobacco giant. Reasons Why 2013 Is Looking Bright

Top 10 Blue Chip Companies To Buy Right Now: International Business Machines Corporation(IBM)

International Business Machines Corporation (IBM) provides information technology (IT) products and services worldwide. Its Global Technology Services segment provides IT infrastructure and business process services, including strategic outsourcing, process, integrated technology, and maintenance services, as well as technology-based support services. The company?s Global Business Services segment offers consulting and systems integration, and application management services. Its Software segment offers middleware and operating systems software, such as WebSphere software to integrate and manage business processes; information management software for database and enterprise content management, information integration, data warehousing, business analytics and intelligence, performance management, and predictive analytics; Tivoli software for identity management, data security, storage management, and datacenter automation; Lotus software for collaboration, messaging, and so cial networking; rational software to support software development for IT and embedded systems; business intelligence software, which provides querying and forecasting tools; SPSS predictive analytics software to predict outcomes and act on that insight; and operating systems software. Its Systems and Technology segment provides computing and storage solutions, including servers, disk and tape storage systems and software, point-of-sale retail systems, and microelectronics. The company?s Global Financing segment provides lease and loan financing to end users and internal clients; commercial financing to dealers and remarketers of IT products; and remanufacturing and remarketing services. It serves financial services, public, industrial, distribution, communications, and general business sectors. The company was formerly known as Computing-Tabulating-Recording Co. and changed its name to International Business Machines Corporation in 1924. IBM was founded in 1910 and is based in Armonk, New York.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Jeremy Bowman]

  Four Dow stocks reported earnings today with Verizon (NYSE: VZ  ) and UnitedHealth (NYSE: UNH  ) releasing in the morning, and Microsoft (NASDAQ: MSFT  ) and IBM (NYSE: IBM  ) coming in after hours.

• [By WALLSTCHEATSHEET.COM]

  IBM is a global technology company that provides widely-adopted �products and services to companies and consumers. Recently, the company issued a positive earnings report for the last quarter. The stock has not made much progress this year, but is now seeing a post-earnings pop. Over the last four quarters, earnings have been decreasing, while revenue figures have been increasing, which has produced mixed feelings among investors. Relative to its peers and sector, IBM has been a weak year-to-date performer. WAIT AND SEE what IBM does in coming weeks.

Best Stocks To Invest In: McDonald's Corporation(MCD)

McDonald?s Corporation, together with its subsidiaries, operates as a worldwide foodservice retailer. It franchises and operates McDonald?s restaurants that offer various food items, soft drinks, coffee, and other beverages. As of December 31, 2009, the company operated 32,478 restaurants in 117 countries, of which 26,216 were operated by franchisees; and 6,262 were operated by the company. McDonald?s Corporation was founded in 1948 and is based in Oak Brook, Illinois.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Paul Ausick]

  A fourth DJIA component, McDonald’s Corp. (NYSE: MCD) weighed on the DJIA today, trading down on a weak same-store sales report for November. Even Mickey D’s stock experienced lighter volume today, trading only about 80% of its daily average of 5.1 million shares. The stock closed at $95.70 on Monday, down 1.14% in a 52-week range of $86.81 to $103.70.

• [By Dan Caplinger]

  What the minimum wage means for investors
  The minimum-wage debate often leads investors to focus on McDonald's (NYSE: MCD  ) and its fast-food peers, Wal-Mart (NYSE: WMT  ) and similar retailers, and other businesses where relatively low wages are an integral part of the viability of their business models. Yet many workers at those businesses earn more than the minimum wage, making increases largely moot. Moreover, the fact that McDonald's, Wal-Mart, and similar businesses maintain profitable operations in Washington, Oregon, and other higher minimum-wage-rate states suggests that companies can make adjustments to remain successful -- albeit perhaps at some cost to investor profits.

Top 10 Blue Chip Companies To Buy Right Now: Visa Inc.(V)

Visa Inc., a payments technology company, engages in the operation of retail electronic payments network worldwide. It facilitates commerce through the transfer of value and information among financial institutions, merchants, consumers, businesses, and government entities. The company owns and operates VisaNet, a global processing platform that provides transaction processing services. It also offers a range of payments platforms, which enable credit, charge, deferred debit, debit, and prepaid payments, as well as cash access for consumers, businesses, and government entities. The company provides its payment platforms under the Visa, Visa Electron, PLUS, and Interlink brand names. In addition, it offers value-added services, including risk management, issuer processing, loyalty, dispute management, value-added information, and CyberSource-branded services. The company is headquartered in San Francisco, California.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Steve Heller]

  It seems that once you've grown large enough to disrupt business as usual for MasterCard (NYSE: MA  ) and Visa (NYSE: V  ) , you run the risk of getting muscled. MasterCard recently announced plans to raise prices on intermediated payment processors (read: digital wallets) that chose to withhold valuable transaction details from MasterCard. In other words, this measure takes direct aim at eBay's (NASDAQ: EBAY  ) PayPal and other digital wallets such as Google Wallet that do not share transaction details with the payment processor.

• [By Diane Alter]

  Athletic gear maker Nike Inc. (NYSE: NKE) steps into the place of Alcoa, a Dow component for 54 years. Payments company Visa Inc. (NYSE: V) will unseat HP, which joined the blue-chip benchmark in 1997. And Goldman Sachs Group Inc. (NYSE: GS) replaces BofA, which joined the index five years ago.

• [By Jane Edmondson]

  Green Dot (GDOT), a Pasadena, CA-based company, is a leading provider of prepaid MasterCard (MA) and Visa (V) debit cards. Green Dot products are sold in more than 60,000 retail locations including drug stores, grocery stores, convenience stores, and discount department stores. The company also has a discounted offering available exclusively through Wal-Mart (WMT).

• [By Matt Koppenheffer and David Hanson]

  Both Visa (NYSE: V  ) and MasterCard (NYSE: MA  ) have consistently outperformed for investors, based on what many see as a rock-solid simple investing thesis: that these companies have nowhere to go but up as the world switches from cash transactions to credit. But is that thesis just a little too simple to be safe? And can the growth ahead really justify these very pricey multiples? In this video, Fool financial analysts Matt Koppenheffer and David Hanson discuss which of these two hot financial stocks is a more attractive buy today.

Top 10 Blue Chip Companies To Buy Right Now: Colgate-Palmolive Company(CL)

Colgate-Palmolive Company, together with its subsidiaries, manufactures and markets consumer products worldwide. It offers oral care products, including toothpaste, toothbrushes, and mouth rinses, as well as dental floss and pharmaceutical products for dentists and other oral health professionals; personal care products, such as liquid hand soap, shower gels, bar soaps, deodorants, antiperspirants, shampoos, and conditioners; and home care products comprising laundry and dishwashing detergents, fabric conditioners, household cleaners, bleaches, dishwashing liquids, and oil soaps. The company offers its oral, personal, and home care products under the Colgate Total, Colgate Max Fresh, Colgate 360 Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Dan Caplinger]

  Moreover, it's starting to appear that Clorox has weathered a tough part of its business cycle. Throughout the industry, Procter & Gamble (NYSE: PG  ) , Colgate-Palmolive (NYSE: CL  ) , and Clorox all had to deal with rising costs for the inputs they needed to make their respective products. The companies responded by implementing price-cutting measures and passing on part of their higher costs to their customers. For its part, Clorox was able to expand its gross margins by a full percentage point, with a worse-than-normal flu season contributing to sales. Now that input-cost inflation is easing, P&G and Clorox expect to see better profitability, with growth starting to approach the faster rates that Colgate has enjoyed.

• [By Dan Caplinger]

  Procter & Gamble (NYSE: PG  ) will release its quarterly report on Friday, and investors have watched the stock hit new all-time record highs in November before falling back in the past two months. Despite the optimism, Procter & Gamble earnings face pressure from international giant Unilever (NYSE: UL  ) as well as domestic rivals Colgate-Palmolive (NYSE: CL  ) and Kimberly-Clark (NYSE: KMB  ) . The question facing investors is whether P&G can sustain its longtime competitive advantages against its rivals and bolster its growth.

• [By Travis Hoium]

  Colgate-Palmolive
  Toothpaste and toothbrushes may not be exciting business, but it's consistent and consumers tend to develop habits they rarely break. Once they find a toothpaste brand they like, it could be years before they try another one. That leads to another incredibly consistent business for Colgate-Palmolive (NYSE: CL  ) , one that has paid back investors with a dividend since 1895. �

• [By Dan Caplinger]

  Investors have always been interested in stocks that pay dividends, but lately, low interest rates on bonds and other fixed-income investments have made solid dividend payers even more valuable. Among the most promising dividend stocks in the market is Colgate-Palmolive (NYSE: CL  ) , and one big reason is that it is one of the few exclusive companies to make the list of Dividend Aristocrats. In order to become a member of this elite group, a company must have raised its dividend payouts to shareholders every single year for at least a quarter-century. Only a few dozen stocks manage to make the cut, and those that do tend to stay there for a long time.

Top 10 Blue Chip Companies To Buy Right Now: Apple Inc.(AAPL)

Apple Inc., together with subsidiaries, designs, manufactures, and markets personal computers, mobile communication and media devices, and portable digital music players, as well as sells related software, services, peripherals, networking solutions, and third-party digital content and applications worldwide. The company sells its products worldwide through its online stores, retail stores, direct sales force, third-party wholesalers, resellers, and value-added resellers. In addition, it sells third-party Mac, iPhone, iPad, and iPod compatible products, including application software, printers, storage devices, speakers, headphones, and other accessories and peripherals through its online and retail stores; and digital content and applications through the iTunes Store. The company sells its products to consumer, small and mid-sized business, education, enterprise, government, and creative markets. As of September 25, 2010, it had 317 retail stores, including 233 stores in the United States and 84 stores internationally. The company, formerly known as Apple Computer, Inc., was founded in 1976 and is headquartered in Cupertino, California.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Jon C. Ogg]

  Credit Suisse is not impressed at all with Apple Inc. (NASDAQ: AAPL) and its new iPhone 5 models. We agree, as does Bank of America/Merrill Lynch with its key downgrade this morning. That analyst downgrade was one of sentiment, but Credit Suisse’s downgrade of Apple is far worse because it involves a lowering of estimates and expectations. Tim Cook is still chasing the ghost of Steve Jobs and the Apple iPhone 5 refresh (and de-minimus model) are just not enticing any new interest.

• [By Daniel Sparks]

  With every uptick of the S&P 500, it's getting more difficult to find undervalued stocks to buy. Nevertheless, a few great businesses have been left behind amid the market's surge, particularly Apple (NASDAQ: AAPL  ) and Baidu (NASDAQ: BIDU  ) . Though both companies are definitely facing turbulence, a contrarian look reveals two excellent market leaders up for grabs at bargain prices.

• [By Jared Cummans]

  With a new iPhone device on the horizon, Apple (AAPL) has announced a new deal that will bring the famed mobile device to Japan.

  Japan’s NTT DoCoMo will begin carrying the iPhone starting this fall as the firm looks to increase its number of contracts and deliver the long-awaited device to its customers. The deal comes just ahead of the September 10th meeting where Apple will release the details on its latest iPhone model.

  On a macro scale, Apple has been trying to expand its reach into global markets for some time now, as the popularity of the iPhone has transcended U.S. borders. This move comes in a long line of others that look to make the tech giant a more global force.

  Apple shares were down $3.42, or .69%, at Thursday’s close. The stock is down just over 7% this year.

Top 10 Blue Chip Companies To Buy Right Now: Chevron Corporation(CVX)

Chevron Corporation, through its subsidiaries, engages in petroleum, chemicals, mining, power generation, and energy operations worldwide. It operates in two segments, Upstream and Downstream. The Upstream segment involves in the exploration, development, and production of crude oil and natural gas; processing, liquefaction, transportation, and regasification associated with liquefied natural gas; transportation of crude oil through pipelines; and transportation, storage, and marketing of natural gas, as well as holds interest in a gas-to-liquids project. The Downstream segment engages in the refining of crude oil into petroleum products; marketing of crude oil and refined products primarily under the Chevron, Texaco, and Caltex brand names; transportation of crude oil and refined products by pipeline, marine vessel, motor equipment, and rail car; and manufacture and marketing of commodity petrochemicals, plastics for industrial uses, and fuel and lubricant additives. It a lso produces and markets coal and molybdenum; and holds interests in 13 power assets with a total operating capacity of approximately 3,100 megawatts, as well as involves in cash management and debt financing activities, insurance operations, real estate activities, energy services, and alternative fuels and technology business. Chevron Corporation has a joint venture agreement with China National Petroleum Corporation. The company was formerly known as ChevronTexaco Corp. and changed its name to Chevron Corporation in May 2005. Chevron Corporation was founded in 1879 and is based in San Ramon, California.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By David Smith]

  Bowing out of Egypt
  It's also noteworthy that Egypt shares a western border with Libya, which is a significant producer, but where chaos and contretemps also reign. Is it any wonder, then, that Chevron (NYSE: CVX  ) announced on Tuesday that it will unload its Egyptian downstream operations, including 66 service stations and a couple of oil depots, to Total (NYSE: TOT  ) ? The French company is also buying the retail assets in the land of the Sphinx from Royal Dutch Shell (NYSE: RDS-B  ) . Perhaps it knows something of which the rest of us are unaware.

• [By Maxx Chatsko]

  Chevron (NYSE: CVX  )
  Although I believe most of Chevron's growth will come from natural gas assets in Australia and Asia, the company owns more than 500,000 bpd of refining capacity from the two largest refineries in California. That could provide a sleeper growth opportunity if the United States ever chooses to develop the Monterey shale in the central and southern parts of the state. Recent estimates peg the total reserves in the formation as high as 15.4 billion barrels -- twice that of the Bakken. There are serious water and environmental concerns that are lacking solutions at the moment, but the formation would be a big boon to refiners on the West Coast. Aside from potentially lowering gasoline prices for drivers in the region, the influx in cheap oil would certainly attract Asian countries that have fallen over each other to get to Canada's land-locked oil sands. The margins on Monterey exports could be huge, depending on recovery economics and oil quality. �

• [By Reuters]

  Richard Drew/APA board overlooking the floor of the New York Stock Exchange shows an intraday number above 1,600 for the S&P 500 on Friday. A big gain in the job market lifted the stock market to a record high. NEW YORK -- The Dow and S&P 500 advanced to all-time closing highs on Friday, with major indexes jumping 1 percent after an unexpectedly strong April jobs report eased concerns about an economic slowdown. The S&P closed above 1,600 and the Dow briefly traded above 15,000 for the first time as stocks extended this year's rally. Bellwether companies, including Chevron Corp. (CVX), Boeing Co. (BA) and Johnson & Johnson (JNJ), reached 52-week highs. The Russell 2000 stock index of mid- and small cap companies also hit a record, confirming the broadness of the rally. About 70 percent of stocks on both the New York Stock Exchange and the Nasdaq ended in positive territory. Non-farm payrolls rose by 165,000 last month and the unemployment rate fell to 7.5 percent, a four-year low, from 7.6 percent, the government said. In addition, hiring was much stronger than previously thought in February and March. Investors welcomed the gains after weeks of disappointing data, including tepid manufacturing reports, that suggested the economic recovery was losing steam. "We were all wringing our hands over the past month but this alleviates fears about a sharp spring slowdown," said Brad Sorensen, director of market and sector analysis at Charles Schwab in Denver. The Dow Jones industrial average (^DJI) was up 140.61 points, or 0.95 percent, at 14,972.19. The Standard & Poor's 500 Index (^GSPC) was up 16.63 points, or 1.04 percent, at 1,614.22. The Nasdaq Composite Index (COMPX) was up 38.01 points, or 1.14 percent, at 3,378.63. Both the Dow and S&P ended at all-time closing highs. For the week, the Dow rose 1.8, the S&P gained 2 percent and the Nasdaq rose 3 percent in its biggest weekly climb since the first week of the year. Sectors ti

• [By Matt DiLallo]

  Compelling dividend
  Not only does ConocoPhillips offer steady growth, but the company pays a very generous dividend on its stock that's currently just below 4.4%. For perspective, it's a lot higher than Chevron's (NYSE: CVX  ) 3% dividend. While Chevron is in the midst of a major production growth phase, both companies are likely to grow projection by 5%. That means, all things being equal, ConocoPhillips has the potential to outperform thanks to that higher dividend.

3 Jesse Livermore Rules for a Fed Taper

NEW YORK (TheStreet) -- Before I discuss the current market outlook, I'd like to summarize a few investment rules made famous by American stock trader Jesse Livermore that are especially pertinent this week: Pivotal Points. The core of Livermore's timing strategy was built upon two categories of pivotal points. The first he called a reversal pivotal point and the second he called a continuation pivotal point. Optimum buy and sell opportunities occur when an investor is able to identify these key market moments. A speculator has to be patient, Livermore remarked that he always made money when he waited and traded on the confirmation of these pivotal points. When entering a new trade rooted in a pivotal point thesis, Livermore let the market tell him what to do. He got his clues and cues from what the market told him. He did not anticipate: "To anticipate the market is to gamble; to be patient and react only when the market gives the signal is to speculate." One must be right on the moves but also right on the timing. Therefore, Livermore pioneered the probing strategy similar to a commanding officer sending out a reconnaissance platoon to probe the enemy lines and gather intelligence before unleashing the troops. Averaging into an allocation enables you to avoid pitfalls. If your initial allocation loses 10% it's time to cut losses, admit your mistake, and exit the trade. Averaging in is a sure way to confirm judgement. If the line of least resistance cannot be identified, it is best to be in cash. The trend is your friend. No trend means get out. Investors should learn to be comfortable in cash.

With these three rules providing a conversational foundation, let's discuss the market outlook.

On Friday we were faced with a potential double whammy of negativity because of Federal Reserve bond purchase tapering on Wednesday and a Larry Summers nomination to Fed chairman by President Obama. Summers was a disaster waiting to happen because of his anti-stimulus bias. The decision to pull his name from consideration provides the stock market with a significant long-term boost.

Jesse Livermore's rulebook would have labeled the Summers catalyst as a reversal pivotal point; however, with Fed official Janet Yellen now in the picture, the status quo is reaffirmed and Obama's Fed appointment catalyst simply becomes a continuation pivotal point which reinforces the long-term bullish trend.

In the short run we still have to deal with the second half of the double whammy, which is the beginning of a Fed taper. The media is referring to it as a "tiny taper" of only $10 billion so it shouldn't be too much of a shock to our economic sentiment, especially in the absence of Summers. Nevertheless, it is a noteworthy pivotal point that should be recognized with a negative bias. This is why we have more than 90% of the portfolio in cash.

Until the technical action proves otherwise, I will remain cautious in the short run. If this catalyst snowballs into a reversal point it would impact upon leaders such as Google (GOOG), Tesla (TSLA) and Priceline (PCLN) -- three leadership stocks that have experienced strong technical resistance in recent weeks at $890, $170 and $980, respectively. Netflix (NFLX) is also an interesting breakdown candidate at $300, if this taper turns into a reversal pivotal point.

Of course, the other play to watch is gold. Monday the metal finished at $1,311, even with the news that Summers is out. If Tuesday is down again, we'll buy more of the SPDR Gold Trust (GLD) January 2014 $135 puts that have performed so well so far. Recent positive market action that has boosted the Dow Jones Industrial Average all the way back to 15,500 because of good news from Syria, and Summers has yet to recognize the reality of the taper. We will learn a lot from the broad market action of the next five trading days as the taper finally becomes the market's singular focus. Either it's a reversal pivotal point or it's a continuation pivotal point. Until we get a definitive answer, we'll probe the short side of GOOG/TSLA/PCLN/GLD and hold the majority of the portfolio in cash. After enjoying the previous $97 Apple (AAPL) Apple run we are certainly comfortable to be in cash as the market signals its next move. At the time of publication the author had no position in any of the stocks mentioned. Follow @EconomicTiming This article was written by an independent contributor, separate from TheStreet's regular news coverage.

This commentary comes from an independent investor or market observer as part of TheStreet guest contributor program. The views expressed are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the views of TheStreet or its management. Jason Schwarz is an option strategist for Lone Peak Asset Management in Westlake Village, Calif. He is also the founder of the popular investment newsletter available at www.economictiming.com. Over the past few years, Schwarz has gained acclaim for his market calls on the price of oil, Bank of America, Apple, E*Trade, and his precision investing in S&P 500 option LEAPS. His book, The Alpha Hunter, is set to be released by McGraw Hill in December 2009.

Hot Specialty Retail Stocks To Own Right Now

We reaffirmed our Neutral stance on specialty retailer, Bed Bath & Beyond Inc. (BBBY), based on the company�� strong quarterly performance, impressive outlook and store growth initiatives. However, company�� margin performance is a cause of concern, given the soft trends witnessed of late.

Why Reiterate?

Bed Bath & Beyond ��a leading operator of merchandise and home furnishing stores in the U.S. ��enjoys a strong countrywide network of more than 1,100 stores and has a focus on offering merchandise to suit consumer preferences.

We remain impressed by the company�� initiatives of expanding and renovating stores, boosting online presence, incorporating technological advancements and revivifying its merchandise mix to enhance productivity. Such measures bode well for future sales.

Bed Bath & Beyond�� efforts are paying off well, as evinced by its first-quarter fiscal 2013 earnings that rose 4.5% to 93 cents per share, benefiting from the performances of World Market (Cost Plus Inc.) and Linen Holdings. Moreover, the company�� earnings were in line with the Zacks Consensus Estimate.

Hot Specialty Retail Stocks To Own Right Now: Tatmar Ventures Inc. (TAT.V)

Highway 50 Gold Corp., an exploration stage company, engages in the acquisition and exploration of mineral resource properties in Canada and the United States. The company explores primarily for gold and silver ores. It owns interests in the Golden Brew property located in Lander County, Nevada; and the Lookout Property situated in Fort Steele Mining Division, British Columbia. The company was formerly known as Tatmar Ventures Inc. and changed its name to Highway 50 Gold Corp. in July 2011. Highway 50 Gold Corp. was incorporated in 2004 and is based in Vancouver, Canada.

Hot Specialty Retail Stocks To Own Right Now: Southwest Bancorp Inc.(OKSB)

Southwest Bancorp, Inc. operates as the holding company for the Stillwater National Bank and Trust Company and Bank of Kansas. The company, through its subsidiaries, offers commercial and consumer lending, deposit and investment services, and specialized cash management and other financial services in Oklahoma, Texas, and Kansas. It provides various deposit and personal banking services that include commercial deposit services, such as SNB Digital Lockbox, commercial checking, money market, and other deposit accounts; and retail deposit services, such as certificates of deposit, money market accounts, checking accounts, NOW accounts, savings accounts, and automatic teller machine access. Southwest also offers commercial real estate loans, working capital and other commercial loans, construction loans, loans to small businesses, student loans, residential real estate loans and mortgage banking services, personal lines of credit, and other installment loans. In addition, the company provides Internet banking services under the name SNB DirectBanker; personal brokerage and credit cards; business and health consulting services; insurance services; and integrated document imaging and cash management services. It operates 6 in Texas, 11 offices in Oklahoma, and 8offices in Kansas; and loan production offices on the campus of the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center and in Houston, Texas. The company was founded in 1894 and is headquartered in Stillwater, Oklahoma.

Top Consumer Stocks For 2015: Interphase Corporation(INPH)

Interphase Corporation and subsidiaries provides solutions for long term evolution (LTE) and WiMAX, interworking gateways, packet processing, network connectivity, and security for applications in the communications and enterprise markets. The company offers telecom and enterprise I/O products, such as network connectivity, interworking, multi-core packet processors, and wireless baseband modules. The network connectivity products comprise T1/E1 communication controllers that primarily support SS7 signaling; OC-3/STM-1 ATM network interface cards (NICs); and Ethernet NICs. The interworking products include OC-3/STM-1 interworking modules; and broadband access gateway and media converter appliances. The multi-core packet processors comprise GigE and 10 GigE packet processors. The wireless baseband modules include LTE eNodeB and WiMAX base station modules. It also provides engineering design services, such as specifications gathering, program management, detailed design, and rapid prototyping; and electronics manufacturing services, which comprise supply chain, branding and control, production assembly, integration, and testing and delivery. Interphase Corporation sells its broadband telecommunications products to telecom equipment manufacturers for inclusion into telecommunications and networking infrastructure solutions designed for use in wireless carrier networks; and enterprise products to server manufacturers for integration into server platforms for delivery of high-performance application platforms for enterprise networking. The company markets its products through its direct sales force, manufacturers? representatives, and value-added distributors. Interphase Corporation was founded in 1974 and is headquartered in Plano, Texas.

Hot Specialty Retail Stocks To Own Right Now: ValueVision Media Inc.(VVTV)

ValueVision Media, Inc., an interactive retailer, engages in marketing, selling, and distributing products to consumers through televisions (TVs), telephone, online, mobile, and social media. The company offers fine and fashion jewelries comprising gold, sterling silver, and platinum products; gemstone products; and men?s and women?s watches. It also offers home and electronics products, such as home decor, mattresses, bed and bath textiles, kitchen appliances, dining accessories, and a various furnishings; and consumer electronics, including TVs, computers, GPS devices, cameras, camcorders, and video game systems. In addition, the company offers beauty products, such as skincare, cosmetics, and hair care products; and health and fitness products comprising nutritional supplements, and workout gear and accessories. Further, it offers fashion apparel, outerwear, and accessories, including handbags and footwear. Its principal form of product exposure is its TV shopping net work, ShopNBC, which markets brand name and private label products. The company?s other distribution channels also include its Internet retailing Web sites, such as ShopNBC.com and ShopNBC.TV, which provide a range of consumer merchandise; and digital platforms comprising mobile and social media. ValueVision Media, Inc. has strategic alliances with GE Capital Equity Investments, Inc. and NBC Universal, Inc. The company was founded in 1990 and is headquartered in Eden Prairie, Minnesota.

Hot Specialty Retail Stocks To Own Right Now: Charming Shoppes Inc.(CHRS)

Charming Shoppes, Inc. operates as a specialty apparel retailer primarily for women in the United States. The company operates retail stores and related e-commerce Web sites under the LANE BRYANT, CACIQUE, LANE BRYANT OUTLET, FASHION BUG, FASHION BUG PLUS, and CATHERINES PLUS SIZES brand names. Its retail stores offer plus-size, junior, and misses sportswear, dresses, coats, and intimate apparel, as well as accessories and casual footwear. The company also sells food and specialty gifts through its Figi's Gifts in Good Taste catalog and related e-commerce Website, as well as through third-party retailers' stores. In addition, it operates FIGI'S Gallery that offers home decor, bedding, housewares, jewelry, garden accents, apparel, collectibles, gifts, and other items through its catalog and e-commerce Website. As of March 27, 2012, the company operated 1,857 retail stores in 48 states. Charming Shoppes, Inc. was founded in 1940 and is headquartered in Bensalem, Pennsylvania .

Hot Specialty Retail Stocks To Own Right Now: Marsh & McLennan Companies Inc. (MMC)

Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc., a professional services company, provides advice and solutions in the areas of risk, strategy, and human capital. It operates in two segments, Risk and Insurance Services, and Consulting. The Risk and Insurance Services segment provides risk management and insurance broking, reinsurance broking, and insurance program management services for businesses, public entities, insurance companies, associations, professional services organizations, and private clients. The Consulting segment offers advice and services to the managements of organizations in the area of human resource consulting, comprising retirement and investments, health and benefits, outsourcing and talent; and strategy and risk management consulting, such as management, economic, and brand consulting. The company also provides investment consulting services for endowments and foundations in the United States; health and benefit recordkeeping, and employee enrollment technology; human resource knowledge, data, and solutions for professionals in various industries; and Medicaid policy consulting services. It principally serves customers in the United States, the United Kingdom, the Asia Pacific, and Continental Europe. Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. was founded in 1871 and is headquartered in New York, New York.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Reuters]

  Wendy Maeda/The Boston Globe via Getty Images NEW YORK -- Walgreen is moving 120,000 employees to a private health insurance exchange from coverage provided directly from carriers, the company will announce Wednesday. The pharmacy chain will join 17 other large employers on the Aon Hewitt Corporate Health Exchange as part of a growing movement to offer employees fixed dollar amounts to purchase their own plans on such exchanges. The end-cost to employees depends on the plan chosen, but they typically get more options than under traditional arrangements. Private exchanges mimic the coverage mandated as part of the Affordable Care Act. Enrollment in the public exchanges starts Oct. 1. "What happens to employer contributions over time? Will they put in as much as they put in the past? These are unanswered questions but potential negatives," says Paul Fronstin, a senior research associate with the Employee Benefit Research Institute. The benefit to Walgreen and other employers is unknown at this point, as their cost-savings aren't clear. Of the 180,000 Walgreen (WAG) employees eligible for health care insurance, 120,000 opted for coverage for themselves and 40,000 family members. Another 60,000 employees, many of them working part-time, weren't eligible for health insurance. Aon Hewitt (AON) says other participants in its program include retailer Sears Holding (SHLD) and Darden Restaurants (DRI). These new additions raise enrollment to 330,000 from 100,000 last year, and Aon Hewitt estimates enrollment will jump to 600,000 next year, a fivefold increase from 2012. By 2017, nearly 20 percent of employees nationwide could get their health insurance through a private exchange, according to Accenture Research (ACN). A recent report by the National Business Group on Health said that 30 percent of large employers are considering moving active employees to exchanges by 2015. Other major providers of private exchanges include Mercer, a division of Marsh & Mc

• [By Keith Speights]

  Flourishing
  While the federal Obamacare exchanges flail, private health insurance exchanges are flourishing. For example,�Mercer, a subsidiary of Marsh & McLennan Companies (NYSE: MMC  ) ,�announced in April that several large insurers -- including Aetna, Cigna, Humana, and UnitedHealthcare -- would be part of its Mercer Marketplace private exchange. Mercer Marketplace allows employers to contribute a defined amount for its employees to use on health coverage. Employees use the system to shop around for the insurance plans that best meet their needs.

• [By Ben Levisohn]

  Progressive (PGR) was downgraded from Strong Buy to Market Perform at Raymond James, while Marsh & McLennan (MMC) was cut to Outperform from Strong Buy.

Hot Specialty Retail Stocks To Own Right Now: Terra Tech Corp (TRTC)

Terra Tech Corp., formerly Private Secretary, Inc., incorporated on July 22, 2008, through its subsidiary GrowOp Technology Ltd. (GrowOp Technology) specializes in controlled agricultural technologies. The company integrates breed hydroponic equipment with technology to create solutions for the cultivation of indoor agriculture. It works with horticulturists, engineers, and scientists, to develop and manufacture products for the urban agricultural industry. Its products are utilized by horticulture enthusiasts, local urban farmers, as well as green house growers. Its products can be found through specialty retailers throughout the United States. In April 2013, the Company acquired Edible Garden and its line of locally grown hydroponic produce.

The Company operates in two markets: Commercial AG and Retail AG. The Company�� products include commercial hydroponic and aeroponic systems with automated dosing systems (ADS); digital atmospheric controllers, such as lighting, humidity and carbon dioxide, and commercial greenhouse manufacturing. GrowOp Technology services medical cannabis industry, as well as the small scale traditional hydroponic cultivator. GrowOp Tech manufactures a range of indoor gardening equipment distributed through retail partners throughout the United States and Europe. In addition to its product line it is the creators of mobile controlled agricultural facilities, the BIG Bud and the little Bud, on the market. Its products include high intensity discharge (HID) and light emitting diode (LED) lighting systems, filtration, nutrients, portable hydroponic chamber, and environmental controllers.

Hot Specialty Retail Stocks To Own Right Now: Pinnacle Entertainment Inc.(PNK)

Pinnacle Entertainment, Inc. owns, develops, and operates casinos, and related hospitality and entertainment facilities in the United States. It operates casinos, such as L'Auberge du Lac in Lake Charles, Louisiana; River City Casino and Lumiere Place in St. Louis, Missouri; Boomtown New Orleans in New Orleans, Louisiana; Belterra Casino Resort in Vevay, Indiana; Boomtown Bossier City in Bossier City, Louisiana; and Boomtown Reno in Reno, Nevada. The company also operates River Downs racetrack in southeast Cincinnati, Ohio. As of May 26, 2011, it operated seven casinos and one racetrack. The company was formerly known as Hollywood Park, Inc. and changed its name to Pinnacle Entertainment, Inc. in February 2000. Pinnacle Entertainment, Inc. was founded in 1935 and is based in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Travis Hoium]

  What: Shares of Ameristar Casinos (NASDAQ: ASCA  ) and Pinnacle Entertainment (NYSE: PNK  ) fell as much as 11% today after the government brought into question the merger of the two companies.

• [By Ben Levisohn]

  Pinnacle Entertainment (PNK) has gained 56% this year; Las Vegas Sands (LVS) has climbed 38%. And Deutsche Bank has nice things to say about both today.

  Bloomberg

  First Pinnacle. Deutsche Bank’s Carlo Santarelli ponders the stock’s big move and comes away still seeing value in its shares. He writes:

  When we upgraded PNK in April, our thesis centered on the FCF strength of the combined entities [Pinnacle completed its acquisition of Ameristar Casinos on Aug. 14], a handful of favorable catalysts, easing regional gaming comps, & an inexpensive relative valuation. Given the shares’ sizeable move since then, we believe it is worth revisiting the investment case. Post the announcement of several asset sales and the closing of the transaction, we are adjusting our estimates, raising our PT to $30 from $24, and maintaining our bullish view at current levels given what we still believe to be an attractive free cash flow valuation, meaningful potential synergy realization beyond the $40 mm of announced benefits, and a free option on a lagging regional recovery.

  Santarelli also revisited Las Vegas Sands and there too, he likes what he sees. He writes:

  With…LVS at [a share price level] that have been challenging to break from over the last year plus, we believe this time is different and hence we see continued upward momentum…In the case of LVS, we see; 1) meaningful mass market strength continuing through year end, setting the stage for upward company and market estimate revisions for 2014, 2) continued cash flow appreciation and capital returns serving as downside protection and positive catalysts, and 3) continued shared gains, largely driven by table optimization and mass market strength, driving both estimates and sentiment.

  He also likes Wynn Resorts (WYNN), despite its 34% gain.�Santarelli writes:

  As for WYNN, we believe near-term estimates continue to take a back seat to capital return

Hot Specialty Retail Stocks To Own Right Now: Cogent Holdings Limited (KJ9.SI)

Cogent Holdings Limited, an investment holding company, provides full-service logistics management services to corporations in Singapore. It offers transportation management services, including trucking services for laden and empty containers between the ports and its warehouses or other designated destinations; transportation services for oil and gas equipment, such as equipment used for the construction of oil rigs; the transportation of petroleum and chemical products from Jurong Island; and freight coordination services, such as trade and inbound customs documentation, as well as dry hubbing services. The company also provides warehousing management services comprising storage space for electronic components, non-perishable items, and other general products, as well as chemicals and hazardous materials; and packing, palletisation, forklift handling, and chemical drumming services for petrochemical-related customers. In addition, it offers container depot management ser vices, including depot premises operation, as well as cleaning, maintenance, and repair works for containers. Further, the company provides automotive logistics management services comprising processing, transportation, and storage of motor vehicles, as well as assisting customers in port and customs clearance, vehicular transportation, warehousing, and delivery activities; de-registration and export of second-hand motor vehicles; repossession of cars; and removal and towing of accident vehicles. It operates a fleet of approximately 100 prime movers, trucks, and lorries, as well as 400 trailers; and manages and leases approximately 3.5 million square feet of warehousing space and premises. The company was incorporated in 2007 and is based in Singapore.

Hot Specialty Retail Stocks To Own Right Now: Beacon Roofing Supply Inc.(BECN)

Beacon Roofing Supply, Inc. distributes residential and non-residential roofing materials. The company?s residential roofing products include asphalt shingles, synthetic slates and tiles, clay and concrete tiles, slates, nail base insulation, metal roofing, felt, wood shingles and shakes, nails and fasteners, metal edgings and flashings, prefabricated flashings, ridges and soffit vents, gutters and downspouts, and other accessories. Its non-residential roofing products comprise single-ply roofing; asphalt; metal; modified bitumen; built-up roofing; cements and coatings; insulation?flat stock and tapered; commercial fasteners; metal edges and flashings; skylights, smoke vents, and roof hatches; and sheet metal products, including copper, aluminum, and steel. The company also provides complementary building products, such as vinyl siding; red, white, and yellow cedar siding; fiber cement siding; soffits; house wraps; vapor barriers; and stone veneer, as well as vinyl windo ws, aluminum windows, wood windows, turn-key windows, and wood and patio doors. In addition, it offers specialty lumber products comprising redwood, red cedar decking, mahogany decking, pressure treated lumber, fire treated plywood, synthetic decking, PVC trim boards, millwork, and custom millwork. Further, the company provides waterproofing systems, building insulations, air barrier systems, gypsum, moldings, cultured stone, and patio covers. Its customer base consists of contractors, home builders, building owners, and other resellers. Beacon Roofing Supply, Inc. distributes its products through 194 branches in 38 states of the United States; and 6 Canadian provinces. The company was founded in 1928 and is based in Peabody, Massachusetts.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Luke Jacobi]

  Beacon Roofing Supply (NASDAQ: BECN) fell 7.11 percent to $34.25 after Robert W. Baird downgraded the stock from Outperform to Neutral.

  Commodities

• [By Lauren Pollock]

  Beacon Roofing Supply Inc.'s(BECN) fiscal fourth-quarter earnings declined slightly as higher costs offset a jump in sales. “We continued to experience a challenging pricing environment, which drove down our gross margins from the prior year,” Chief Executive Paul Isabelle said. Results missed estimates, sending shares down 4.4% to $34.50 in light premarket trading.

• [By Investment Contrarians]

  In the small-cap area, take a look at the suppliers to the housing market. Beacon Roofing Supply, Inc. (NASDAQ: BECN) is a stock that you should keep an eye on. The company supplies builders and roofing companies with roofing supplies.

• [By Lee Samaha]

  It's been a volatile year for the roofing industry, and over the last three months, investors have seen more downside. Roofing materials distributor Beacon Roofing Supply (NASDAQ: BECN  ) is down 11.5% in the last three months, and building products manufacturer Owens Corning (NYSE: OC  ) fell 5.5% in the same period -- all in a year when many commentators thought this sector would outperform.�

Hot Specialty Retail Stocks To Own Right Now: James Hardie Industries SE (JHX)

James Hardie Industries plc, together with its subsidiaries, manufactures and sells fiber cement products and systems for interior and exterior building construction applications primarily in the United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, the Philippines, and Europe. Its products principally include fiber cement interior linings, exterior siding products, and related accessories products. The company offers fiber cement products with various patterned profiles and surface finishes for a range of applications, including external siding and soffit lining, internal linings, facades, floor and tile underlay, lattice, fencing, decorative columns, flooring, and ceiling applications; and manufactures and sells fiber reinforced concrete pipes. Its products are used in various markets, such as new residential construction, which include single and multi-family housing; manufactured housing that comprise mobile and pre-fabricated homes; repair and remodeling; and various commerc ial and industrial applications, such as stores, warehouses, offices, hotels, motels, schools, libraries, museums, dormitories, hospitals, detention facilities, religious buildings, and gymnasiums. The company markets its fiber cement products and systems under various Hardie brand names, such as HardieBacker; and other brand names, such as Artisan Lap and Artisan Accent Trim by James Hardie, Cemplank and Prevail siding, Scyon, and Stria siding. The company sells its products directly, as well as through distributors, large home center retailers, small to medium size dealer outlets, and specialist distributors to dealers or lumber yards, consumers, builders, real estate developers, and distributor/hardware stores. James Hardie Industries plc was founded in 1888 and is headquartered in Dublin, the Republic of Ireland.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Ian Sayson]

  Exporters dropped. Samsung Electronics slipped 2.9 percent to 1.329 million won in Seoul. Canon Inc., the world�� biggest camera maker, fell 1.1 percent to 3,215 yen in Tokyo. James Hardie Industries SE (JHX), a building materials supplier that gets about 70 percent of sales from the U.S., tumbled 2.8 percent to A$9.37 in Sydney.

Hot Specialty Retail Stocks To Own Right Now: United Technologies Corporation(UTX)

United Technologies Corporation provides technology products and services to the building systems and aerospace industries worldwide. The company?s Otis segment designs, manufactures, sells, and installs passenger and freight elevators, escalators, and moving walkways, as well as provides maintenance and repair services. Its Carrier segment offers heating, ventilating, air conditioning, and refrigeration systems, controls, services, and energy-efficient products for residential, commercial, industrial, and transportation applications. The company?s UTC Fire and Security segment provides electronic security products comprising intruder alarms, and access control and video surveillance systems; fire safety products, such as specialty hazard detection and fixed suppression products, fire extinguishers, fire detection and life safety systems, and other firefighting equipment; systems integration, video surveillance, installation, maintenance, and inspection services; and mon itoring, response, and security personnel services. Its Pratt and Whitney segment supplies aircraft engines for the commercial, military, business jet, and general aviation markets; industrial gas turbines; geo thermal power systems; and space propulsion systems, as well as provides fleet management, maintenance, repair, and overhaul services. The company?s Hamilton Sundstrand segment supplies aerospace products, such as power generation, management and distribution, flight control, engine control, environmental control, auxiliary power units, and propeller systems; and industrial products, including air compressors, metering pumps, and fluid handling equipment under the Sullair, Sundyne, and Milton Roy names. Its Sikorsky segment manufactures military and commercial helicopters, as well as offers aftermarket helicopter and aircraft parts and services. United Technologies Corporation was founded in 1934 and is based in Hartford, Connecticut.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Travis Hoium]

  The one Dow stock moving significantly lower after reporting earnings is United Technologies (NYSE: UTX  ) . The stock has fallen 0.7% today after the company reported a 16% rise in revenue to $14.39 billion. The problem is that revenue fell short of the $14.94 billion estimate, and the company said sequestration might have a $0.10 per-share impact on full-year earnings. I don't think this was a terrible report, especially when you consider that EPS of $1.39 actually beat estimates by $0.09, but investors are concerned about growth, and United Technologies didn't show nearly enough in the first quarter. �

• [By WALLSTCHEATSHEET.COM]

  United Technologies provides essential and highly demanded technology products and services to companies large and small across the globe. It is being reported that the company will no longer be putting 4,000 employees on unpaid leave due to the Government shutdown. The stock has been exploding to the upside and is now trading near all time high prices. Over the last four quarters, earnings and revenues have been rising, however, investors have had mixed feelings about recent earnings announcements. Relative to its peers and sector, United Technologies has been a year-to-date performance leader. Look for United Technologies to OUTPERFORM.

• [By Rich Smith]

  That company was United Technologies (NYSE: UTX  ) , whose Pratt & Whitney subsidiary snagged a $648.8 million contract, modifying a previously awarded cost-plus-incentive-fee contract related to the production of F135 jet engines for Lockheed Martin's (NYSE: LMT  ) F-35 Lightning II Joint Strike Fighter. Monday's award extends the period for performing technical baseline review design, verification, validation, and qualification work on the new engine. The awarded funds will also pay for the production of two spare flight test engines and associated spare parts.

• [By Rich Smith]

  Following on Boeing's (NYSE: BA  ) contract win six months ago, in which it was awarded $895 million to begin upgrading the U.S. Air Force's fleet of C-17 Globemaster III transport aircraft, we learned of a second beneficiary of the contract today: United Technologies (NYSE: UTX  ) .

Experts: Target Hackers Will Be Tough to Find

Joe Raedle/Getty Images NEW YORK -- It doesn't surprise experts that some debit and credit card numbers stolen from Target's computer systems may have surfaced among nearly 100 fake credit cards seized by police in Texas this week. Even so, they say the bust is unlikely to lead authorities directly to the hackers behind the breach, given the vast, labyrinthine nature of the global market for stolen data. According to police in McAllen, Texas, two Mexican citizens arrested at the border used account information stolen during the pre- Christmas Target breach to buy tens of thousands of dollars' worth of merchandise. But the U.S. Secret Service said Tuesday its investigation into the possibility of a link between the Target data theft and the arrests remains ongoing. Target (TGT) says hackers stole about 40 million debit and credit card numbers from cards swiped at its stores between Nov. 27 and Dec. 15. The thieves also took personal information -- including email addresses, phone numbers, names and home addresses -- for another 70 million people. In the aftermath of the breach, millions of Americans have been left to wonder what's become of their precious personal information. Chester Wisniewski, senior security adviser for the computer security firm Sophos, says in cases where such a massive amount of information is stolen, criminals generally divide the data into chunks and sell the parcels in online black markets. In many ways, those markets behave much like any legitimate marketplace ruled by the forces of supply and demand. Groups of higher-end cards are worth significantly more than those with lower credit limits and so are cards tied to additional personal information, such as names, addresses and zip codes, which make them easier to use. After thieves purchase the numbers, they can encode the data onto new, blank cards with an inexpensive, easy-to-use gadget. Or they can skip the card-writing process and simply use the card numbers online. Crooks often have the option to buy cards last used in their area. That way, Wisniewski says, the cards attract less attention from the banks that issued them. According to police, the pair arrested at the U.S.-Mexican border used cards containing the account information of Target shoppers from South Texas. Police say the two used fraudulent cards to purchase numerous items at national retailers in the area. The underground markets always have a steady supply of card numbers on sale and their locations are always moving as they try to elude law enforcement, says Daniel Ingevaldson, chief technology officer at Easy Solutions Inc., a firm that sells anti-fraud products and tracks the activity of the online black markets. A big jump in inventory usually indicates there's been a breach of a major retailer. That's what Ingevaldson's firm saw in the cases of both Target and Neiman Marcus, which also recently reported a breach. While many of these online bazaars and forums are based in Russia and Eastern Europe, much of the chatter is in English and appears to have been written by Americans, Ingevaldson says. The types of criminals who buy the card numbers run the gamut, ranging from purely online white-collar crooks to street gangs. "In reality, card numbers can be bought by anybody with access to the forums and a few Bitcoins in their pocket," Ingevaldson says. Wisniewski says the people who buy card numbers online and produce the fake cards aren't the ones who try to use them. Using the cards is the riskiest part of the fraud scheme, so the task is usually farmed out to others who are often recruited through spam emails. The recruiters then send them fraudulent debit and credit cards and instruct them to buy large quantities of expensive merchandise or gift cards in exchange for a small percentage of their value. Card users, once caught, often only have a handler's email address to share with police, making it nearly impossible to find the recruiters, Wisniewski says. Both analysts say Russia and former Soviet countries are a hotbed for hackers behind these kinds of schemes. The region has a large population of highly educated computer science professionals and law enforcement is extremely lax when it comes to fraud that occurs overseas and not in the hackers' home country. Wisniewski and Ingevaldson also believe the original authors of the malicious software used in the Target breach are likely based in Russia or Eastern Europe, as some reports on the breach have suggested. But it's unlikely the original programmers do any hacking themselves. They can make a nice living simply selling the code to those who do. "Keep in mind, it isn't illegal to write these kind of codes, just to use them," Wisniewski says. "And selling them is a lot less risky than taking cards into an Apple store."

Why the Labor Department Unemployment Report Could Rock Markets on Friday

This may be right after Labor Day, but the economic reports will be flowing heavily this week and peaking with the U.S. Labor Department report on the employment situation on Friday. With the recent volatility and capital outflows we have seen, Friday’s unemployment report could truly rock the markets higher or could take back all of the recovery gains.

As of Tuesday, Bloomberg is calling for unemployment to remain static at 7.4%. The nonfarm payrolls are expected to be up by 175,000 and the private sector payrolls are expected to be up by 178,000. Be advised that the higher-end of both ranges is 234,000 on the total payrolls and 230,000 on the private sector payrolls.

We also will get to see a lot of pre-employment report data from other sources ahead of the report. Gallup releases its Jobs Creation Index on Wednesday morning, followed by the Challenger Job Cuts Report and the ADP employment report on Thursday. Also due on Thursday is the report on weekly jobless claims from the Labor Department. The consensus Bloomberg estimates are likely to change marginally but currently are as follows:

Gallup and ADP (not covered) ADP est. 177,000, with range of 150,000 to 225,000 Weekly jobless claims 330,000, with a range of 325,000 to 335,000

Another jobs report will be out on nonfarm productivity and unit labor costs, but this has no real effect on official labor Department data as this is from the second quarter. That being said, the estimates are 1.8% higher on productivity and 0.7% higher on labor costs.

Markit already signaled that manufacturing jobs trends was the second month of job creation, while the ISM report on manufacturing showed that manufacturing jobs growth was slower. Those were both covering only the manufacturing sector reports.

Also note that the S&P 500 is currently just under 1,650 and the DJIA is right at 14,900 again. The 10-year Treasury yield is 2.87% and the 30-year Treasury yield is right at 3.80%. The low for the DJIA was 14,762.35 last week, versus a high of 15,049.98 at the start of last week.

As a reminder, pending military action in Syria and unrest potentially hang in the balance as well. And remember that estimates may formally or unofficially change going into ADP or other pre-employment reports.

Puerto Rico Investors Bracing For Default

The clock is ticking towards a default by Puerto Rico on its massive municipal bond debt.

According to a report last week in the Financial Times, some creditors met in New York City to discuss a possible restructuring of Puerto Rico's massive $70 billion debt with "restructuring specialists."

The specialists, it was reported, said that a restructuring "appears increasingly likely".

The outlook for Puerto Rico bondholders is grim, according to the FT's Henny Sender.

"Puerto Rico's status as an unincorporated territory makes a Chapter 9 filing for bankruptcy protection for local governments, such as the Detroit municipal filing last July, impossible," Sender reported. "That situation complicates any negotiations with creditors."

He continued: "The territory's debt service burden requires it to pay between $3.4 billion and $3.8 billion each year for the next four years. As doubts grow about the ability of the commonwealth to service that debt, the cost of doing so will inevitably rise."

"The numbers are untenable," one restructuring adviser told Sender. "To issue new debt the yield would have to rise and where they can't raise new money they will have to stop paying."

He concluded that, "if Puerto Rico was forced to take that step, the effects would probably ripple through the entire $4 trillion municipal bond market."

The plot thickened when, apparently in reaction to the FT's report, Puerto Rico officials quickly denied the speculation that a restructuring of its debt was being considered, according to the Bond Buyer's Robert Slavin. "Puerto Rico will take every step necessary to continue honoring its obligations," a government statement said.

The grim outlook for Puerto Rico municipal bond investors is nothing new. In fact, UBS, the leading underwriter and enabler of Puerto Rico bond offerings and UBS closed-end funds, reported over a year ago that the firm expected "more downside than upside momentum" to Puerto Rico's credit. It also reported that Puerto Rico's "reliance on regular access to the capital markets to finance a diminishing structural deficit constitutes the most pronounced credit risk for investors."

The clock is also ticking on a downgrade to "junk" status by the three rating agencies, Moody's Standard & Poor's and Fitch, which have had Puerto Rico on "negative watch" for more than a month. The island commonwealth is facing a potential downgrade by the end of this quarter.

While the Puerto Rico government is scrambling to rearrange the deckchairs on its Muni Bond Titanic, the powerful Teachers Union said that they will not bear the brunt of economic cuts to their pension system and have gone to court to stop the cuts.

There is even talk about federal government renewing a tax on Puerto Rican rum to help balance the budget deficit. If a default occurs, it may be that there isn't enough rum on the island to drown investors sorrows.

Zamansky LLC are securities and investment fraud attorneys representing investors in federal and state litigation against financial institutions. For more information about Zamansky LLC, please visit http://www.ubspuertoricofunds.com/.

 

Household Brands at Fair or Undervalued Prices

Many stocks in the consumer cyclic sector represent everyday household brands and where we typically go on Saturday to shop. The GuruFocus Buffett-Munger Screener highlights these name companies with high predictability and EBIDTA growth rates. Here are some highlights from second quarter trading.

Bed Bath & Beyond Inc. (BBBY)

EBITDA: 8.1% 12-month Growth Rate

Rated with 5-star predictability, Bed Bath & Beyond Inc. (BBBY) was founded in 1971. The company is up 21% over 12 months, with a market cap of $16.55 billion; its shares trade at around $76.02 with a P/E ratio of 16.50 and P/S ratio of 1.50.

Historical pricing:

Bed Bath & Beyond sells an assortment of domestics merchandise and home furnishings. The company and its subsidiaries make up a chain of retail stores, operating under the names Bed Bath & Beyond, Christmas Tree Shops, Harmon Discount, Harmon Face Values and buybuyBaby. The company is also a partner in a joint venture which operates two stores, named Home & More, in the Mexico City market.

Guru Action: As of June 30, 2013, top Guru shareholder Chris Davis, holds 22,140060 shares with a phenomenal trading history of gains in every quarter since the second quarter of 2006. In the second quarter, he sold 1,208,936 shares at an average price of $68.13 for a gain of 11.6%. Davis has averaged a gain of 108% on 25,802,850 shares bought at an average price of $36.50.

BBBY is broadly held by billionaires.

Ross Stores Inc. (ROST)

EBITDA: 21.6% 12-month Growth Rate

Rated with 4-star predictability, Ross Stores Inc. is up 23% since January, with a market cap of $14.65 billion; its shares trade at around $67.01 with a P/E ratio of 18.20 and P/S ratio of 1.50.

Historical pricing:

Ross Stores Inc. and its subsidiaries operate two brands of off-price retail apparel and home fashion stores. At the en! d of January 2012, the company operated a total of 1,125 stores, with 1,037 Ross Dress for Less stores with locations in 29 states, the District of Columbia, and Guam; the company's 88 dd's Discounts stores are located in seven states. Both brands target value-conscious women and men between the ages of 18 and 54.

Guru Action: As of June 30, 2013, Scott Black holds 177,583 shares with another remarkable trading history of gains in every quarter but one since the fourth quarter of 2009. In the second quarter, he bought 386,550 shares at an average price of $28.06 for a gain of 4.6%. Black has averaged a gain of 139% on 386,550 shares bought at an average price of $28.06 per share.

Here's more Guru trading action.

Fossil Group Inc. (FOSL)

EBITDA: 14.8% 12-month Growth Rate

Rated with 4.5-star predictability, Fossil Group Inc. is up 39% over 12 months. The company has a market cap of $7.08 billion; its shares trade at around $120.60 with a P/E ratio of 20.20 and P/S ratio of 2.50.

Historical pricing:

Fossil Inc. was formed in 1991 and is the successor to a Texas corporation formed in 1984. Fossil is a marketing and distribution company that specializes in consumer fashion accessories. The company's main offerings include an extensive line of men's and women's fashion watches and jewelry, handbags, small leather goods, belts, sunglasses, shoes, soft accessories and clothing.

Guru Action: As of June 30, 2013, Columbia Wanger made a gain of 19.3% on 872,645 shares bought at an average price of $101.05.

Steven Cohen is the top Guru shareholder with 1.87% of shares outstanding, a trading history only in the green. For the last three quarters of 2003, Cohen had gains of 774.5%, 579.4% and 557.2%, respectively.

Here's more Guru Trading action.

Watchers International Inc. (WTW)

EBITDA: 35.1% 12-month Growth Rate

Rated with 4-star predictabi! lity, WTW! is down 22% over 12 months. The company has a market cap of $2.07 billion; its shares trade at around $37.06 with a P/E ratio of 8.70 and P/S ratio of 1.17.

Historical pricing:

Founded in 1974, Weight Watchers International Inc. is a global-branded consumer company and a provider of weight management services, operating globally through a network of company-owned and franchise operations.

Guru Action: As of June 30, 2013, Chuck Royce, one of seven Guru stakeholders, lost 15.1% on 23,500 shares at an average price of $43.61. Royce's trading history shows three quarters of losses.

In the fourth quarter of 2012 and the first quarter of 2013, top Guru stakeholder Third Avenue Management shows an average loss of 30% on 500,920 shares bought at an average price of $53.05.

Here's more Guru Trading action.

Have a look at the GuruFocus Buffett-Munger Screener for rapid research results.

If you are not a Premium Member, we invite you for a 7-day Free Trial.

GuruFocus Real Time Picks reports the stock purchases and sales that Gurus have made within the prior 2 weeks. The report time lag can be as short as 2 days after the date of the transaction. This feature is for Premium Members only.

Check out the GuruFocus special feature 52-week low screener to find the stocks hitting new lows but are still held by top investor Gurus and Insiders.

Why you should maintain an investment dairy

Whether it is living on a budget or eating to a diet plan, or having a running program the most important (and often neglected) portion is RECORDING your thoughts and actions. Let us assume you 'think' you know what is happening to your eating, running or saving, that is enough, right?

Wrong. Completely wrong. You need to write down the actual proceedings as it happens. Corporate World has a Budget, and a Budget Compliance committee. This committee makes a continuous comparison of the actual with the budgeted numbers. This gives us a basis for

a) Corrective action or b) Revising the Budget.

If you 'thought' that equities will give you ATLEAST 18% p.a. you were proved wrong from say 2007 to 2012. So maybe you need corrective action.

Let us say you DECIDE to maintain an Investment Diary similarly for all your investing…

Assuming a diary is a place where you will write down your darkest, best, an investment diary is a must.

These 5 things MUST, MUST, MUST go into a diary if you really want to improve as a stock picker:

a) Log all ideas - history tells you which were good and which bad. A diary will be cruel enough to tell you that your best pick was a fluke, or whether it was a product of some effort. A diary is much more honest than your brain. A brain lets you remember events as you wish it had happened, rather than how it actually happened.

b) Learn your lessons! losing money in the market is fine, losing the lesson is NOT. Losses get registered in the mind better than the profits...so it is important to know WHY you lost money. Was it a decision taken over 3 pegs of whiskey? was it a decision taken to please a broker? Or was it on the basis of information from a poorly informed member of the Board of Directors? Et el Rajat Gupta?

c) List advice from people YOU think are good advisers or people who can or are mentors. also if you find an expert from the media and to keep it a little light even whom the media thinks as experts...and see what really works. Write down all the ideas that people give and see what works. Also see the logic. See the hype - and separate it from the reality. All these things help you MATURE as an investor.

d) Give vent to whomsoever but be careful if it is in a public forum / electronic media - do not maintain it in an electronic form. You may want to edit the language if you know about 100,000 people are going to see it.

e) Collect compliments

f) Write down what do YOU think will happen in the immediate future...and why. Then see whether you were right, and if you are right whether it was luck or skill.

Doing all this helps you be a better investor. Just the process alone is worthwhile!

Keeping all this in an electronic form...and updating makes NO SENSE...because you cannot know how u modidifed it...so a hard copy makes more sense....

Earnings Preview: Will JPMorgan Beat Again? - Analyst Blog

We expect JPMorgan Chase & Co. (JPM) to beat earnings expectations when it reports second-quarter 2013 results before the opening bell tomorrow, Jul 12.

Why a Likely Positive Surprise?

Our proven model shows that JPMorgan has the right combination of two key ingredients to beat earnings.

Positive Zacks ESP: The earnings ESP (Read: Zacks Earnings ESP: A Better Method) for JPMorgan is +2.11% – the difference between the Most Accurate estimate of $1.45 and the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $1.42. This indicates a likely positive earnings surprise.

Zacks Rank #2 (Buy): JPMorgan's Zacks Rank of 2 increases the predictive power of its ESP. The combination of its Zacks Rank and Earnings ESP makes us confident of a positive earnings surprise in the to-be-reported quarter.

Note that stocks with Zacks Ranks of #1, 2 and 3 have a significantly higher chance of beating earnings. The Sell rated stocks (#4 and 5) should never be considered going into an earnings announcement.

Expected Earnings Drivers

Cost containment is expected to be the primary driving factor this quarter. JPMorgan has progressed well with respect to its cost cutting efforts through workforce reduction announced earlier this year. It planned to axe as many as 17,000 jobs, including 13,000–15,000 positions in mortgage banking, by the end of 2014. Mortgage banking job cuts will in particular be reflected in JPMorgan's expenses for the quarter.

Moreover, top-line growth is expected to be significant primarily on higher trading revenues. As capital market activities witnessed improvement during the April–June period with continued support from the Fed, the propensity to invest in the market increased.

Also, in a persisting low interest rate environment, trading activities for financial instruments that are not interest rate sensitive and offer better returns have increased. As a result, trading revenue should strongly support the top line this time around.

Though! we don't expect any significant improvement in interest income due to sluggish loan growth, an uptick in mortgage activity should make up the shortfall.

Another major contributor to the bottom line should be lower provision for loan loses due to overall macroeconomic improvement. Additionally, we expect continued improvement in asset quality trends – including declines in net charge-offs (NCOs) and nonperforming assets (NPAs).

Similar to the first quarter, activities of this banking giant during the second quarter were sufficient to win analysts' confidence. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for the second quarter has inched up by a cent to $1.42 per share over the last 7 days on an obvious tendency for upward estimate revision.

Other Stocks to Consider

JPMorgan is not the only bank looking up this earnings season. Here are some other banks you might consider as our model shows the right combination of elements in these to result in an earnings beat:

Wells Fargo & Company (WFC) has an earnings ESP of +1.09% and carries a Zacks Rank #3. Its second quarter release is scheduled on the same day as JPMorgan.

Fifth Third Bancorp (FITB) has an earnings ESP of +2.27% and carries a Zacks Rank #3. It is scheduled to report second quarter results on Jul 18.

The earnings ESP for Citigroup Inc. (C) is +0.86% and it carries a Zacks Rank #3. The company is scheduled to release second quarter results on Jul 15.

In the banking sector, JPMorgan, which has exposure in almost all banking businesses, is set to kick off the second quarter earnings with Wells Fargo. Therefore, the release will be a significant indicator of performance in the key banking sector.

Will BlackBerry See Its Stock Move Higher After Recent Headlines?

With shares of BlackBerry (NASDAQ:BBRY) trading around $8, is BBRY an OUTPERFORM, WAIT AND SEE, or STAY AWAY? Let's analyze the stock with the relevant sections of our CHEAT SHEET investing framework:

T = Trends for a Stock’s Movement

BlackBerry is a designer, manufacturer, and marketer of wireless solutions for the worldwide mobile communications market. Through the development of integrated hardware, software, and services it provides platforms and solutions for seamless access to information such as email, voice, instant messaging, SMS, Internet, intranet-based applications, and browsing. Its products and services feature the BlackBerry wireless solution, the Research In Motion Wireless Handheld product line, the BlackBerry PlayBook tablet, software development tools, and other software and hardware.

BlackBerry named Eric Johnson to its top sales job, hiring one of Chief Executive Officer John Chen's former colleagues to help the smartphone maker regain the confidence of customers. Johnson is coming to BlackBerry from SAP AG (NYSE:SAP), where he was a senior vice president in charge of the company's global database and technology, according to a statement today. Johnson and Chen both joined SAP when it acquired their previous company, Sybase Inc., in 2010. Chen is reassembling much of the old team that helped him turn around Sybase's fortunes, a feat he's attempting to repeat at BlackBerry, which has lost market share to Apple Inc. and Samsung Electronics. In December, Chen appointed Mark Wilson, a former Sybase executive, to lead marketing, and he hired John Sims from SAP to take charge of the enterprise business. "The experience that the majority of the new leadership team has in working together previously will drive change within the organization at a faster pace," Chen said in the statement. "I look forward to demonstrating these changes to the market."

T = Technicals on the Stock Chart Are Mixed

BlackBerry stock has struggled to make positive progress in the last several years. The stock is currently pulling back and may need time to consolidate before heading higher. Analyzing the price trend and its strength can be done using key simple moving averages. What are the key moving averages? The 50-day (pink), 100-day (blue), and 200-day (yellow) simple moving averages. As seen in the daily price chart below, BlackBerry is trading between its rising key averages, which signal neutral price action in the near-term.

(Source: Thinkorswim)

Taking a look at the implied volatility (red) and implied volatility skew levels of BlackBerry options may help determine if investors are bullish, neutral, or bearish.

	Implied Volatility (IV)	30-Day IV Percentile	90-Day IV Percentile
BlackBerry options	64.63%	20%	18%

What does this mean? This means that investors or traders are buying a minimal amount of call and put options contracts, as compared to the last 30 and 90 trading days.

	Put IV Skew	Call IV Skew
February Options	Average	Average
March Options	Average	Average

As of today, there is an average demand from call and put buyers or sellers, all neutral over the next two months. To summarize, investors are buying a minimal amount of call and put option contracts and are leaning neutral over the next two months.

On the next page, let’s take a look at the earnings and revenue growth rates and the conclusion.

E = Earnings Are Mixed Quarter-Over-Quarter

Rising stock prices are often strongly correlated with rising earnings and revenue growth rates. Also, the last four quarterly earnings announcement reactions help gauge investor sentiment on BlackBerry’s stock. What do the last four quarterly earnings and revenue growth (Y-O-Y) figures for BlackBerry look like and more importantly, how did the markets like these numbers?

	2013 Q3	2013 Q2	2013 Q1	2012 Q4
Earnings Growth (Y-O-Y)	-41,950%	-308.89%	83.84%	178.41%
Revenue Growth (Y-O-Y)	-56.25%	-45.02%	9.37%	-35.97%
Earnings Reaction	15.51%	1.00%	-27.76%	-0.82%

BlackBerry has seen mixed earnings and decreasing revenue figures over the last four quarters. From these numbers, the markets have been optimistic about BlackBerry’s recent earnings announcements.

P = Excellent Relative Performance Versus Peers and Sector

How has BlackBerry stock done relative to its peers, Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL), Google (NASDAQ:GOOG), Nokia (NYSE:NOK), and sector?

	BlackBerry	Apple	Google	Nokia	Sector
Year-to-Date Return	12.90%	-3.96%	1.15%	-1.17%	3.23%

BlackBerry has been a relative performance leader, year-to-date.

Conclusion

BlackBerry provides innovative wireless communication products to consumers and companies worldwide. The company named Eric Johnson to its top sales job, hiring one of Chief Executive Officer John Chen's former colleagues to help the smartphone maker regain the confidence of customers. The stock has not done well in recent years and is currently pulling back. Over the last four quarters, earnings have been mixed while revenues have been decreasing, which has left investors optimistic. Relative to its peers and sector, BlackBerry has been a relative year-to-date performance leader. WAIT AND SEE what BlackBerry does this quarter.