Phil's Stock World, Stock Options Trading & Information

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Phil...The hundred grand portfolio updates are helpful...Fun ..and have been profitable...really like em... made some nice entries into USB, KEY today... and I better add those FAZ calls tomorrow... Really glad you put that up this morning...

- Becker

Simply the best blogger with the greatest group of members a person could surround himself with on trading day. I've been trading for quite some time now and the insights & suggestions offered by Phil and the members keep me on a continuous learning cycle.

- DDay

I did the same thing via your logic (sold puts that is). I glanced one time and they were already up 15% which is considered a good return for an overnight hold in most circles. This is PSW though and to us it's just another day…

- Kwan

Phil: Once again thanks for those inciteful comments, and the old links to Sage's portfolio management (I hadn't read before). I'm an experienced stock trader, but over the last 3 or 4 months have come to appreciate options trading here at PSW, and the consistency of your many premium-selling strategies. It is liberating to have to worry less about getting direction right and being able to generate 5% MONTHLY returns with close to delta-neutral positioning. Much appreciated!

- Neverworkagain

Well that was a fun day. Cashed out my GS 140 calls for about 35% profit and my AAPL calls for 38% gain. Not bad for 40 minutes of work. Back to 85% cash.

- Singapore Steve

Market manipulation…. One of the things I've gained from this site is the concept of market manipulation. I never thought it was so prevalent, but now I know it is. I actually consider its effect when I make trades. Several days ago, when AAPL was moving toward 220 I sold 210 calls. My reasoning was that they will probably pin this month at 210. They came in big time as the stock moved ever closer to 210. I agree with Phil's comment that one of the things we need to do is find out what they are manipulating, and how, and hitch a ride. They are doing this with several equities. I've actually seen one article describing several equities that were being manipulated to pin at expiration each month, and describing how it was done, and of course Phil has described it well. In some ways it's easier to figure this out than it is a ‘normal' market behavior, and thus easier to make money in certain equities.

- Iflantheman

Phil, Passed a milestone today since joining 2 months ago. 25% of my account is in buy/writes, bull call spreads and disaster hedges. A majority of the trades were taken directly from your ideas or someone else`s contributions. Some were daytrades that became spreads. That part of my account is up 30% as of today. I don`t worry about it, or mess with it much, did a few rolls etc. Rest of the account is there to day trade, cover the writes and take advantage of opportunities. Thanks to everyone who contributes here, what a sweet way to trade, so many opportunities.

- Ben1Be

WOW, glad I went bearish… Phil, thanks for the help on the QID calls yesterday, I turned it into a partial cover rolling down to the Feb 52s selling the 55s 1/2 covered. Sold 1/2 and now lowered my cost basis to $4.38 on the $52s (fully covered).

- Texasmotion

Phil - Another excellent teaching article - when you write like that it blows me away. Thank you! I had the ideas from earlier articles but what I didn't have was enough understanding. The familiarity of ideas through repetition, re-working, revision - over time - the variation, the pulling out of implications - it all contributes to understanding and mostly thats on the student - but a good teacher (worth their weight in gold) makes understanding a pleasure. I wanted to learn about trading options because it makes my brain feel better - fitter, healthier. Actually mostly it makes me happy to think about the trade and trading options. You are a good teacher and I know that or I wouldn't value the subscription the way I do. It pays for itself through the pleasure of understanding alone.

- Redfern1

Thanks for the USO directions today. Made it 3 times (up/down/up) for a very nice win.

- Doro165

The best play I made this year was PSW. Will renew my membership tonight. Looking for the same trading profit percentages next year, but will have an advantage from the compounding, and much better skills acquired from you and the many skilled PSW co-pilots. Thanks!

- Gel1

A truly great website with a lot of information for investors. Whether you are a novice, seasoned, or a professional there is a lot to be gained about stock options and options trading from this very informative website.

- ZKatkin

Phil - I LOVE these futures trades at random hours! I wasnt able to get in on the 612 part but if I had it wouldve been 130$ (2.6%) on a 5k contract in less than 30 minutes. I know you have to sleep, spend time with fam, ect but Im just letting you know that your posts after hours/late at night has made people who followed them a decent chunk of change. Thank you, we appreciate it!

- Jromeha

Sold out my AAPL mar95 calls. Up over 100% today on them!

- Singapore Steve

Praising PSW for enlightenment is a bit akin to praising the Pope for being holy. I've been reading PSW for about two months now and have learned more about investing technique and the world in general than I've learned from the books and seminars I've paid for. Thanks for the enlightenment, the education, the guidance and the truth, which is not a commodity these days, but a virtue in short supply.

- Andy Morris

Phil…..You have absolutely NAILED IT! This is not a bull market, nor is it a bear market. It is a Rangeish market, and it's going to stay that way for a long time (the latter is my prediction. I love the word. What I love more is the fact that I've found someone with some investing intelligence greater than mine who can assist me in playing this type of market. Your description today of how it's playing out is right on. I predict some media ‘guru' will steal your word and your description within the next few days and we'll all get to read about what ‘they' discovered about this market. Thanks Phil!

- Iflantheman

Phil Thank you very much, I appreciate your help and wisdom.

- CdsdpDean

Phil - Thanks for the welcoming gift of the POT at a buck Just paid for this month and my membership is not even 24 hours old! looking forward to many more - bk

- Bjkeck

You guys gotta give it to phil–the voice of reason yesterday, last nite and this morning.

- Corleone

As a fellow "low-end" investor I like Phil's Buy/Write strategy on solid stocks. Before I came here I loved to try to "figure things out" with very little success "TRYING TO FIGURE THINGS OUT"! I traded too much and fell in love with stocks that "should have done" what they didn't do. Now a majority of my accounts are in Buy/Writes suggested here or cash (waiting for a better time for more Buy/Writes). I use 15-20% of my total holding to short term trade and hedge. This is manageable with my full time job as a business owner. I have found Phil's system a more discipline way to achieve the returns I want without relying on my ability (more like inability to "figure things out").

- DCalrk41

Phil - I celebrate today, having reached my goal for the year, trading in sync with your education and guidance, of 1 million in profit. I learned a lot, achieved much, and am profoundly grateful. To be honest, when I set the goal I thought it was daunting, as I have for many years been an investor in equities but did very little with options. Learning and doing has for me been a blast! I reached my goal by following Phil's strategies - lots of Buy/Writes, covered calls on equities , naked put entries for income production. I did it with 2.5 mil and kept 600,000 in cash in case I got in trouble. I concentrated on stocks (many of my own choosing) that had decent dividends and wrote front month calls against (OTM) which has worked well in this market run. 25% of my gain is in dividends and premium selling, with the balance in appreciation.

- Gel1

Against all prognostics (bears) Phil pointed in the morning the correct direction, and in middle of day he pointed the possible move to 2.5% Incredible… I'm starting to serious believe on the program trading and the human nature behind the programing those "trade-bots".

- Spider

Phil - DIA 107 Calls. As suggested I am taking the money and running to home depot for some shelter supplies! This is the grand finale of several successful trades from you through this roller-coster and as you have further suggested it is time for me to sit back and relax in cash. May even be able to talk my wife into the premium membership after these intelligent trades in a stupid market.

- DOStrade

Thanks Phil, your note at the close was responsible for making those silly GOOG sellers pay for my NYC sojourn, nice!!

- zeroxzero

Peter D, Just a note of thanks. Eight weeks ago, I entered my first RUT strangles, when the RUT was at 625. Tomorrow, I will let them expire, with the RUT at 625 (give or take). I didn't care when the RUT went to 650, nor when it dropped to 590. Easiest, no touch money I've made in a long time.

- Judahbenhur

The strategy you have laid out pretty much mirrors much of my trading activity. I also mix in some momentum plays and "drop dead" bargains that come across my radar. My YTD trading profit is 63%. Back in March when Phil said "unless you think the world is coming to an end, then NOW is the time to start taking positions in Buy/Writes with the VIX so high." I jumped in with both feet - ( thanks, again Phil)

- Chaps

Phil, I don't know how I can thank you enough for your guidance this past week. I'm up significantly in my portfolio and I've never been so relaxed watching the market panic. Thanks once again for being here for us.

- thechaser

Phil: I have 263 positions - 70% in options ( balance stocks) in three portfolios with a value of 3 mil. YTD profit is about $750,000. Thanks!

- Gel1

Oxen (directly) and Wilkinson (indirectly) are making me a great day trader! Props to Andrew for another little nugget last night: HIG. $20 Dec calls paid 6% quickly this morning. And helloooo STJ - a few days, but nice pick nonetheless - esp with early cover premium.

- Dstillwe

Wow, Phil, we pretty much made your levels. Your levels: Dow 7,404, S&P 775, Nas 1,466, NYSE 4,839 and RUT 402 My sceen is showing: Dow 7,404, S&P 777, Nas 1,462, NYSE 4,868 and RUT 404

- Jordan

Author Archive for Insider Scoop

GSV Capital Punished for Expanding Facebook Investment

by Insider Scoop - February 10th, 2012 8:57 am

Courtesy of Benzinga.

Venture capital firm GSV Capital (NASDAQ: GSVC) will sell an additional 3 million shares of common stock in order to raise funds that it will use to buy interests in Facebook, Twitter, and Kno Inc.. The company will also use the funds to invest in Dropbox, StormWind, DreamBox, Grockit, ZocDoc, and other young internet-based companies.

GSV has attracted investment thanks to its narrow focus on sexy media darlings, such as social media, cloud computing, clean tech, and mobile computing; its investment in Kno, an e-textbook startup, follows Apple’s announcement to jump into the etextbook sector. The company also made heavy investments in Groupon (NASDAQ: GRPN) and Zynga (NASDAQ: ZNGA).

The company currently holds 80,000 shares of GRPN that it cannot sell until May 1st. CSV also holds an unsecured promissory note on Zynga worth $4 million which the company expects to mature on June 28th.

These holdings are 8.2 percent of the company’s net asset value, and may be dwarfed by its holdings in Facebook. Currently, the company owns 350,000 shares of Class B common stock in the social media site that it cannot sell until six months after Facebook’s IPO.

Shares in GSV plummeted on the news, hitting $17 in pre-market trading. The stock closed at $19.50 at the end of trading on Thursday.

According to an SEC filing on Thursday, the company’s net asset value was $13.26 per share, so even at $17, the firm is trading at a premium. However, since GSV is a major investor in Facebook and intends on expanding its holdings in the company, that premium may shrink after Facebook’s IPO. The company’s bigger bet on Facebook also means that investors can use GSV now to invest in the firm before it goes public.

An investment in Dropbox would also mean shareholders in GSV can have an indirect stake in the internet startup that has seen exploding sales and investor interest. A greater bet on Kno Inc. will also give GSV more exposure to the nascent etextbook market. Kno, an e-textbook startup led by Osman Rashid, who also founded Chegg, a company that rented textbooks to college students.

The company’s exposure to so…

Posted in Benzinga, Immediately available to public | No Comments »

UPDATE: Cobalt International Energy Announces Successful Pre-Salt Flow Test Offshore Angola

by Insider Scoop - February 10th, 2012 8:50 am

Courtesy of Benzinga.

Cobalt International Energy (NYSE: CIE) today provided additional data confirming the significance of its Cameia Pre-salt oil discovery in Block 21 offshore Angola.

The Cameia-1 Well was drilled in 5,518 feet (1,682 meters) of water to a total depth of 16,030 feet (4,886 meters), at which point an extensive wire line evaluation program was conducted. The results of this wire line evaluation program confirmed the presence of a 1,180 foot (360 meter) gross continuous oil column with over a 75% net to gross pay estimate. No gas/oil nor oil/water contact was evident on the wire line logs. An extended Drill Stem Test (DST) has now been performed on Cameia-1 to provide additional information.

The DST flowed at an un-stimulated sustained rate of 5,010 barrels per day of 44-degree API gravity oil and 14.3 million cubic feet per day of associated gas (approximately 7,400 BOEPD) with limited drawdown. The flow rate, which was restricted by surface equipment, facility and safety precautions, confirmed the presence of a very thick, continuous, high quality reservoir saturated with light oil.

Joseph H. Bryant, Cobalt’s Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, said “Cameia is an extraordinary success. The results have exceeded our pre-drill expectations and have increased our confidence in our entire West Africa Pre-salt exploration inventory. We will immediately commence our Cameia appraisal program.”

For more Benzinga, visit Benzinga Professional Service, Value Investor, and Stocks Under $5.

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CareFusion Announces $500 Million Share Repurchase Program

by Insider Scoop - February 10th, 2012 8:30 am

Courtesy of Benzinga.

CareFusion Corp. (NYSE: CFN), today announced that its board of directors authorized the repurchase of up to $500 million of the company’s common stock.

“This share repurchase program reflects our confidence in CareFusion’s growth potential and our commitment to increasing shareholder value,” said Kieran Gallahue, chairman and CEO. “With our strong balance sheet and cash flow generation, we also remain committed to making disciplined, strategic investments for growth that will maximize value for our shareholders over the long term.”

For more Benzinga, visit Benzinga Professional Service, Value Investor, and Stocks Under $5.

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Richmont Mines: Promising Drill Results From Island Gold Mine Confirm Potential at Depth

by Insider Scoop - February 10th, 2012 8:17 am

Courtesy of Benzinga.

Richmont Mines Inc. (NYSE: RIC), is pleased to announce results from its deep drilling program on its Island Gold Mine property.

Highlights:

— Four main zones (G, C, D and E1E) identified between -500 metres and -900 metres of vertical depth over a lateral strike length of 150 metres that span between the Lochalsh and Island Main zones;

-- Results include: 13.39 g/t Au over 4.84 metres and 16.42 g/t Au over 4.08 metres in Zone E1E, 22.08 g/t Au over 6.58 metres in the G Zone, 12.28 g/t Au over 7.24 metres and 27.26 g/t Au over 5.88 metres in Zone C, 33.36 g/t Au over 2.18 metres and 20.22 g/t Au over 2.05 metres in Zone D, and 13.23 g/t Au over 3.67 metres in Zone STH (just south of the G Zone) (all cut grades over true width);

-- 2011 deep exploration drilling at the Island Gold Mine encompassed 25 holes and wedges over a total of 23,000 metres; 2012 program will include 35,000 metres of surface and underground exploration drilling.

Martin Rivard, President and CEO, commented: “We have results from more than 23,000 metres of deep drilling completed at our Island Gold Mine, and are pleased that they have confirmed the potential at depth for this Property. While the spacing of this drilling is currently too large to establish resources, the results confirm the extension of known zones at depth. We plan on completing approximately 35,000 metres of deep drilling at Island Gold during 2012, with the goal of establishing resources below current infrastructure. 20,000 metres of this drilling is planned from underground, and we have already begun a 1,100 metre exploration drift from the -400 metre level of the mine to provide more effective access for drilling. In addition, we are currently evaluating different options for the potential construction of an exploration shaft in order to accelerate the identification of deep resources at Island Gold.”

The following table selectively presents drill results that intersected a cut grade of at least 3 g/t Au over a minimum true width of 2.0 metres.

For more Benzinga, visit Benzinga Professional Service, Value Investor, and Stocks Under $5.

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AEP Sees 2012 EPS of $3.05-3.25 vs $3.17 Est

by Insider Scoop - February 10th, 2012 7:32 am

Courtesy of Benzinga.

American Electric Power (NYSE: AEP) will share 2012 to 2014 plans, including 2012 ongoing earnings guidance (earnings excluding special items) and expected capital spend, during a meeting today with investors in New York.

The company is expected to announce an ongoing earnings guidance range for 2012 of $3.05 to $3.25 per share and set its 2012 capital budget at $3.1 billion. Capital expenditures for 2013 and 2014 are estimated at $3.5 billion to $3.7 billion per year.

For more Benzinga, visit Benzinga Professional Service, Value Investor, and Stocks Under $5.

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Financial Breakfast: Morning News Summary for February 10, 2012

by Insider Scoop - February 10th, 2012 7:20 am

Courtesy of Benzinga.

Friday, February 10, 2012

This is your Benzinga news summary and trader’s outlook covering headlines from overnight and today’s pre-market session.

Keynes was the first to introduce the concept of a multiplier in 1929.

Benzinga’s Top News

Alcatel-Lucent (NYSE: ALU) Reports Q4 EPS EUR0.19 vs EUR0.11 Est; Revenues EUR4.26B vs EUR4.22B Est

NYSE Euronext (NYSE: NYX) Reports Q4 EPS $0.50 vs $0.48 Est; Revenues $628M vs $626.55M Est

Domestic Pre-Market Trading

U.S. Equity Markets trade lower as Dow futures trade down about 70 points.
U.S. Dollar trades about 0.32% higher.

To see more pre-market news, click here.

Overseas Trading

European markets are lower in afternoon trading. Britain’s FTSE 100 slid 0.52%, Germany’s DAX fell 1.25% and France’s CAC 40 lost 1.0% on the session.
Asian stocks ended the session mixed. China’s Shanghai added 0.14%, Japan’s Nikkei 225 slid 0.61%, and Hong Kong’s Hang Seng fell 1.08%.

To see more overseas news, click here.

Upgrades/Downgrades

Deutsche Bank Upgrades ConocoPhillips (NYSE: COP) to Buy
Wedbush Upgrades ON Semiconductor (NASDAQ: ONNN) to Outperform

To see more of today’s upgrades, click here.

Deutsche Bank Downgrades O’Reilly Automotive (NASDAQ: ORLY) to Hold
Benchmark Downgrades TripAdvisor (NASDAQ: TRIP) to Hold

To see more of today’s downgrades, click here.

On the Economic Calendar

US Trade Balance is set to report at 8:30 a.m. ET
U of M Confidence Index is due at 9:55 a.m.
US Monthly Budget Statement is set at 2:00 p.m.

To see more economic news, click here

Earnings

Alcatel-Lucent (NYSE: ALU) Reports Q4 EPS EUR0.19 vs EUR0.11 Est; Revenues EUR4.26B vs EUR4.22B Est
NYSE Euronext (NYSE: NYX) Reports Q4 EPS $0.50 vs $0.48 Est; Revenues $628M vs $626.55M Est
Laboratory of America (NYSE: LH) Reports Q4 EPS $1.56 vs $1.53 Est; Revenues $1.37B vs $1.38B Est

To see more earnings announcements, click here.

Corporate News

Recon Technology (NASDAQ:

…

Posted in Benzinga, Immediately available to public | No Comments »

National Interstate Corporation Sees Q4 EPS of $0.58-0.64 vs $0.28 Year Ago

by Insider Scoop - February 10th, 2012 7:09 am

Courtesy of Benzinga.

National Interstate Corporation (Nasdaq: NATL) today reported anticipated earnings per share and gross premiums written for the 2011 fourth quarter and full year. The Company’s estimated earnings from operations improved significantly in the 2011 fourth quarter contributing to an expected 11% to 13% increase in 2011 full year after–tax earnings from operations per share when compared to the 2010 full year.

Both underwriting income and net investment income improved during the 2011 fourth quarter contributing to the estimated increase in operating earnings. Gross premiums written increased 8.6% for the 2011 fourth quarter and 20.0% for the 2011 full year compared to the same 2010 periods reflecting the favorable impact of growth in existing businesses as well as the Vanliner Insurance Company acquisition in 2010.

Three months: Net income per share, diluted $ 0.58 to $ 0.64

Full year: Net income per share, diluted $ 1.79 to $ 1.85

For more Benzinga, visit Benzinga Professional Service, Value Investor, and Stocks Under $5.

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ValueVision Secures $40M Credit Facility; Sees Q4 Sales of $148M vs $169.56M

by Insider Scoop - February 10th, 2012 6:40 am

Courtesy of Benzinga.

ValueVision Media, Inc. (NASDAQ: VVTV), a multichannel electronic retailer operating as ShopNBC (www.shopnbc.com), today announced it has secured a $40 million, lower-cost revolving credit facility with PNC Bank, National Association. The Company has also renewed three TV distribution agreements while securing savings of approximately $15 million in annual TV distribution expense commencing January 2013 through the early renewal of its largest TV distribution agreement. In addition, ValueVision announced anticipated sales results for its fiscal 2011 fourth quarter (Q4) and full year ended January 28, 2012.

ValueVision has secured a $40 million revolving credit facility with PNC Bank, National Association, a member of The PNC Financial Services Group, Inc. (NYSE: PNC). Loans under the new revolving credit facility will bear an interest rate of LIBOR plus 3% per annum. Proceeds will be used to fund the retirement of the Company’s existing 11% per annum, $25 million term loan and the payment of an approximately $12.4 million deferred payment obligation to a TV distribution provider during Q1 2012.

ValueVision expects to report Q4 ’11 net sales of approximately $148 million, a decline of approximately 18% vs. Q4 ’10. The net sales decline primarily reflects challenges in Consumer Electronics, which are expected to continue in the near-term. The Company expects fiscal 2011 net sales of approximately $558 million, a decrease of approximately 1% versus the prior year. ValueVision ended fiscal 2011 with $35.1 million in cash and restricted cash, which is an increase of $2.4 million during the quarter, reflecting positive operating cash flow in the quarter.

For more Benzinga, visit Benzinga Professional Service, Value Investor, and Stocks Under $5.

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Naughty RBS Bankers Fired as Greece Drags Euro Down Again

by Insider Scoop - February 10th, 2012 6:37 am

Courtesy of Benzinga.

Royal Bank of Scotland (NYSE: RBS) is the latest bank to fire employees in connection with a Libor probe aimed at catching interest-rate manipulators, but the stock is also being battered by Greece yet again.

Four employees will lose their jobs, according to Bloomberg. The dismissals mean that Royal Bank of Scotland will follow Citigroup (NYSE: C) and Deutsche Bank (NYSE: DB), who have also fired or suspended traders in connection with a rate-manipulation investigation. ICAP (LON: IAP), an interdealer broker with a market capitalization of over $238 billion, has also suspended employees in recent weeks.

IAP and RBS were broadly down for the day, as Greece failed once again to make a deal with creditors. The Germans have expressed disappointment at the Greeks failing to agree on austerity measures, with Finance Minister Wolfgang Schaeuble telling German lawmakers that Greek debt could clime to 136 percent of GDP by 2020, below the target of 120 percent after a €130 billion bailout being offered.

However, no noe should really be surprised, since the Greeks failed to meet their deadline yesterday on austerity cuts, but Luxembourg Prime Minister Jean-Claude Juncker’s statement that “no disbursement without implementation” points to the thin line connecting the European states and the gap in financial attitudes between member states. With Greeks unable to print their own currency, they remain dependent on an agreement with their northern neighbors in the multi-state federation, and any sign of an agreement failing is a sign of a lack of integrity in the euro. This provides uncertainty to the market, and the market likes nothing less than uncertainty.

Firings at RBS add to worries in Europe, although those worries should spread further. Since Citigroup has also been indicted and investigations are targeted at manipulation of interbank rates in London, Tokyo, and euro rates, the concern about price fixing is global. In addition to a probe by UK authorities, the American Securities and Exchange Commission is investigating the possible price fixing, and is joined by Japan’s Financial Supervisory Agency and the European Union’s antitrust regulators as well as the Swiss Competition Commission.

Regulators have been investigating on suspicions that traders at different banks have been…

Posted in Benzinga, Immediately available to public | No Comments »

Michelin Posts Rise In Profit, Lifts 2015 Operating Income Forecast

by Insider Scoop - February 10th, 2012 4:15 am

Courtesy of Benzinga.

Compagnie Generale des Etablissments Michelin (OTC: MGDDY) lifted its operating income forecast for 2015 to EUR2.5 billion.

Michelin’s sales volumes climbed 6.7%. Its operating profit climbed 14.7% to EUR1.94 billion, versus EUR1.70 billion in 2011. Its revenue surged 15.8% to EUR20.72 billion from EUR17.89 billion.

Michelin’s net profit surged 39% to EUR1.46 billion from EUR1.05 billion, versus analysts’ estimates of EUR1.27 billion.

Michelin also proposed a dividend of EUR2.1 per share, up from EUR1.78, in the year-ago period.

Michelin shares closed at $14.88 yesterday.

For more Benzinga, visit Benzinga Professional Service, Value Investor, and Stocks Under $5.

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Phil's Favorites

Why the Foreclosure Deal May Not Be So Hot After All

February 11th, 2012 4:31 pm

By Matt Taibbi, Rolling Stone

So the foreclosure settlement is through.

A few weeks back, I was optimistic about it – I had been worried that it was going to contain broad liability waivers for all sorts of activities, and I was pleasantly surprised when I heard that its scope had essentially been narrowed to robosigning offenses.

However, now that the settlement is finalized, and I've had time to think about it and talk to people who know far more than I do about this, I'm feeling pretty queasy.

It feels an awful lot like what happened here is the nation's criminal justice honchos collectively realized that a thorough investigation of the problem would require resources they sim...

Zero Hedge

Greece at the Point of no Return

February 11th, 2012 4:11 pm

Courtesy of ZeroHedge. View original post here.

Submitted by testosteronepit.

Wolf Richter www.testosteronepit.com

"The European Union is suffering under Germany,” Georgios Karatzaferis said on Friday. He is the president of the rightwing LAOS. With 15 members in parliament, the party is a minority partner in the coalition cabinet of party-less technocrat Prime Minister Lucas Papademos. Karatzaferis accused German Chancellor Angela Merkel of trying to "impose her will on Southern Europeans." He called t...

Chart School

World Markets Weekend Review: The Rally Slows

February 11th, 2012 3:35 pm

Courtesy of Doug Short.

The 2012 rally slowed last week as the average gain of our basket of eight markets dropped from 2.01% the previous week to a flat finish of 0.06%. Geographic rotation was the dominant pattern, with the world leadership moving from Europe to the Asia Pacific. Thus, the top performing Nikkei 225 had been the worst performer at the end of the previous week, while the three European indexes were demoted from stellar to cellar. The S&P 500 again finished near the middle of the pack, but in the spirit of the overall slowdown, a finish near the middle was a week-over-week close (fractionally) in the red.

The adjacent table shows the 2012 year-to-date performance of our gang of eight. Three markets have maintained their double-digit gains at the end of six weeks, with the BSE SENSEX overtaking the DAXK (i.e., the DAX ex dividends) for the lead with the Hang Seng in...

Sabrient

Sabrient Risers - 2/11/2012

February 11th, 2012 12:00 am

Top 5 RisersStockRatingAnalysisICABUYThe projected value for Empresas ICA is still rising quickly even though past earnings have already improved significantly.XBUYThe projected value for US Steel is still rising quickly even though past earnings have already improved significantly.FEICBUYProjected value continues to rise for FEI while long term increases in earnings growth are also becoming more widely expected.ASBCBUYMany analysts are expecting higher than previously expected long term growth from Associated Bancorp, and its near-term earnings outlook is also improving....

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Insider Scoop

Benzinga's M&A Chatter for Friday February 10, 2012

February 10th, 2012 6:20 pm

Courtesy of Benzinga.

The following are the M&A deals, rumors and chatter circulating on Wall Street for Friday February 10, 2012:

Actuant Acquires Jeyco Pty

The Deal:
Actuant (NYSE: ATU) announced Friday that it has acquired Jeyco Pty Ltd (“Jeyco”). Headquartered near Perth, Australia, Jeyco designs and provides specialized mooring, rigging and towing systems and services to the offshore oil & gas industry in Australia and other international markets. Additionally, its highly engineered products are used in a variety of applications for other markets including cyclone mooring and marine, defense and mining tow systems. Jeyco generates annual revenues of approximately $20 million.

Actuant shares closed at $27.33 Friday, a loss of 0.18% on average volume.

...

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Market Montage

And Still Not a Single 1% Down Day in 2012

February 10th, 2012 4:14 pm

Submitted by Mark Hanna

Courtesy of MarketMontage. View original post here.

A little flurry of buying in the closing 5 minutes tacked on 2 S&P points and took the major indexes off the lows. Only the Russell 2000 finished with a greater than 1% loss (1.4%) as it has been relatively weak versus the senior indexes for the past few sessions. While today was the "worst day of the year" – it was quite a low bar as the previous biggest loss on the S&P 500 was -0.57%.

The S&P 500 held well above the 10 day moving average (didn't even really touch it) and did not even attempt to fill the gap from last Friday's employment report. The teflon market rolls on for now. Specul...

ETF Selector

ETFs Skid On Greece (VGK, EWG, FXE, DIA, SPY)

February 10th, 2012 4:11 pm

Courtesy of John Nyaradi.

Greece was “saved” for less than 24 hours but now major ETFs around the world skid into the weekend on Greek fears

After wangling for a week or more, Greek took their new deal to the European Ministers meeting, only to have it promptly rejected and so as we go into the weekend, major global markets and ETFs have again hit the skids on Greece.

After two years of wangling, the European zone is demanding yet more and deeper cuts for Greece to qualify for the next round of bailout loans that will keep the country from going bankrupt on March 20th.

Major European and United States ETF responded negatively to the new developments:

SPDR Dow Jones Industrial ETF (NYSEARCA:...

All About Trends

Mid-Day Update

February 10th, 2012 1:40 pm

Reminder: David is available to chat with Members, comments are found below each post.

Click here for the full report.

To learn more, sign up for David's free newsletter and receive the free report from All About Trends - "How To Outperform 90% Of Wall Street With Just $500 A Week." Tell David PSW sent you. - Ilene...

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Option Review

True Religion Falls Apart At The Seams After Earnings

February 10th, 2012 1:22 pm

Today’s tickers: TRLG, KR & IGT

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OpTrader

Swing trading portfolio - week of February 6th, 2012

February 6th, 2012 9:02 am

Reminder: OpTrader is available to chat with Members, comments are found below each post.

This post is for all our live virtual trade ideas and daily comments. Please click on "comments" below to follow our live discussion. All of our current trades are listed in the spreadsheet below, with entry price (1/2 in and All in), and exit prices (1/3 out, 2/3 out, and All out).

We also indicate our stop, which is most of the time the "5 day moving average". All trades, unless indicated, are front-month ATM options.

Please feel free to participate in the discussion and ask any questions you might have about this virtual portfolio, by clicking on the "comments" link right below.

To learn more about the swing trading virtual portfolio (strategy, performance, FAQ, etc.), please click here

Optrader

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Stock World Weekly

Stock World Weekly: The Relentless Pursuit of Meaningless Metrics

February 5th, 2012 5:19 am

NEW: Elliott and Ilene are available to chat with Members regarding topics presented in SWW, comments are found below each post.

Here's the latest Stock World Weekly, called "The Relentless Pursuit of Meaningless Metrics."

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IRA Strategy/Income Trader

Weekend Virtual Portfolio Update 1/30/2012

January 30th, 2012 7:22 am

Here is a quick update of past trades and our current position. AA Money No trade this week as we wait for AA to settle. Phil remarked last week that AA seemed overvalued. In the meantime, it looks like we might have to roll our Feb 9 calls. Good thing we sold only 5 of them against our position. Last week P&L - 310.00 We lost ground last week, but we still have 11 months to sell premium! FAS Money Very good week for FAS Money as we benefited from the large amount of premium sold the previous week. We covered most of the shorts in advance of the Fed speech, but sold another set of options on Wednesday after the speech - 2 FAS calls that expired worthless on Friday, 2 FAS put that we are still holding and 2 FAZ put that we bought back for a profit on Friday. A late stick comparable to last week's almost gave us problems at the end of the day though! Last week P&L - $4277.00 IWM Money A decent week in this virtual portfo...

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Pharmboy

Biotech Investing for 2012

January 18th, 2012 1:09 am

Reminder: Pharmboy is available to chat with Members, comments are found below each post.

Finding new and exciting Biotech companies that target novel mechanisms is like trying to find a needle in a haystack. Sure there are many companies working on cutting edge science, but investing in those companies to reap the rewards of their work is a very dangerous game. More often than not, companies fail because the mechanism does not pan out, the compound(s) do not have pharmacokinetics (get into the body or last very long in the body), or an adverse event happens that knocks years off a development timeline. In addition, the stock can be manipulated by market makers so investors don't know which way is up. I approach investing in biotechs as a long term prospect. I continue to like our current portfolio of biotech companies (join in chat for many of those plays), and we continually add/subtract shares and sell/buy options on ...

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About Phil:

Philip R. Davis is a founder Phil's Stock World, a stock and options trading site that teaches the art of options trading to newcomers and devises advanced strategies for expert traders...

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Ilene is editor and affiliate program coordinator for PSW. She manages the Favorites backup site (blogroll, archives, more). Contact Ilene to learn about our affiliate and content sharing programs.

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