Today's Trading Ideas

Markets

Beware Of New 52 Week Highs During Options Expiration Week
Since mid January the major stock indexes have topped out in the short term and a pullback has been underway. The Dow Jones Industrial Average hit a high at 10,729 on January 19th, 2010 and made a short term low on February 5th, 2010 at 9,835. During that time many commodity and financial stocks...
Corn: MB Wealth’s Biggest Position
March 17, 2010 By: Matthew Bradbard MB Wealth Corp. is not responsible and does not endorse anything out side of the content of this article authored by Matthew Bradbard; President of MB Wealth Why corn and why now? Since the January USDA report prices of corn have come down approximately 15% but...
Top Performing Industries For March 18 (NKE, ZIPR, FDX, CNC, GME)
At 2:31 p.m., Dow gained 35.90, or 0.33%, to 10,769.57, while the broader Standard & Poor's 500 index fell 1.62, or 0.14%, to 1,164.59. The Nasdaq composite index added 1.39, or 0.06%, to 2390.48. The industries that are driving the market today are: Textile - Apparel Footwear & Accessories...
Iron Ore Price Rise Has China, Europe Worried (VALE, BHP, RTP)
Steelmakers forced to buy from smaller producers on the volatile spot market Iron ore negotiations have ground to a halt - again. Iron ore producers and consumers were so far apart last year that negotiations on pricing broke down entirely. No price benchmark was reached between major Australian...
FedEx Corporation’s (FDX) Third-Quarter Profit Beats Expectations
FedEx Corporation (NYSE: FDX) announced its third-quarter results on Thursday. The company saw its quarterly profit more than double as strong export volumes in Asia offset a flat demand in U.S. FedEx’s International Priority business saw an 18% increase in volume, which was led by exports from...
Stocks That Created New 52-Week Highs (ADTN, AFCE, AGYS, AMIC, APEI)
ADTRAN Inc (NASDAQ: ADTN) shares gained 1.96% to create a new 52-week high of $26.59. ADTN’s trailing-twelve-month operating margins stand at 21.53%. Read more about this company here. AFC Enterprises Inc (NASDAQ: AFCE) shares climbed to $10.63, creating a new 52-week high before slipping to $10....
Benzinga’s Volume Movers (FNSR, MDTH, SMRT, PANL, TEVA)
Finisar Corporation (NASDAQ: FNSR) shares climbed 7.01% to $15.12. The volume of FNSR shares traded was 648% higher than normal. FNSR has increased the amount of publicly offered stock, priced at $121 million. Read more about this company here. MedCath Corporation (NASDAQ: MDTH) shares jumped 26....
Luck Of The Irish 3/17/10
I have found that the harder I work and the more research I do the luckier I am. Crude is back near the recent highs having gained nearly $4 off yesterdays lows. The previous 2 attempts above $83 in the last week have failed will 3 times be a charm. We continue to advise clients to be a seller...

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Topics

Sports Team Ownership No Longer A Guaranteed Moneymaker
The New York Times (NYSE: NYT) recently ran an article about the effects of the recession on owners of the nation's professional sports teams. Over the past few decades, the price of professional sports teams seemed to go nowhere but up. It was a good business to get into because it seemed like no...
Big Drug Cos. Are Slackers in Emerging Mkts.
The leading drug makers aren’t doing enough to gain market share in emerging markets, according to a report that was issued by IMS Health, a research company based in Norwalk, Conn., that tracks prescriptions and other data on drug sales. That’s according to an article in today’s New York Times....
Interview With Former Bear Stearns CEO and Chairman Alan "Ace" Greenberg
Bloomberg Television’s Margaret Brennan had an insightful interview with former Bear Stearns CEO and Chairman Alan "Ace" Greenberg. The two spoke about a wide range of topics but most of the interview dealt with the collapse of Bear Stearns and its aftermath when the firm was acquired by JP Morgan...
Using Financial Ratios – An Investor’s Most Important Tool
Many people who invest in stocks pay close attention to earnings estimates, and analyst recommendations. And all of that is important. But the key to understanding a company’s financials is financial ratios. Financial ratios are a way of taking a company’s financial statements and putting them into...
Japan is Recovering Says Government
The Japanese government raised its view of the economy for March, the Wall St. Journal reported today. It was the 1st time in 8 months. The report was released by the Office of the Cabinet. The report emphasized that the risk of prolonged deflation choking off the nation's nascent recovery still...
Dolby Laboratories (DLB) Takes On 3D
Dolby Laboratories (NYSE: DLB) is set to profit from the coming boom in 3D movies. After the success of James Cameron's "Avatar" followed by that of Tim Burton's "Alice in Wonderland", there's no longer any doubt that 3D movies are here to stay. Although 3D movies have been around since the 1950's...
Ford Motor Company (F) Unveils New Police Interceptor
Auto manufacturer Ford Motor Company (NYSE: F) revealed its new purpose-built Police Interceptor. Ford Motor Company's new Police Interceptor will replace Ford's Crown Victoria Police Interceptor when production of the Crown Victoria ends in 2011. The new vehicle is designed to exceed the...
Court Upholds FCC Extension Of Content Access Rule (CMCSA) (DTV) (VZ)
A federal appeals court upheld a Federal Communications Commission rule that forces cable companies to make the programming from properties that they own available to rivals on equal terms. The FCC banned cable companies like Comcast Corporation (NASDAQ: CMCSA) from entering into exclusive deals...

Forex

Luck Of The Irish 3/17/10
I have found that the harder I work and the more research I do the luckier I am. Crude is back near the recent highs having gained nearly $4 off yesterdays lows. The previous 2 attempts above $83 in the last week have failed will 3 times be a charm. We continue to advise clients to be a seller...
Steve Forbes: We Have a Fixed Currency IN the US
Steve Forbes at about 2:46 talking about China's fixed ex-rate at 6.83 Yuan per dollar since the summer of 2008:"Fixed currencies - we should be in favor of them, because it makes life easier. We have a fixed currency between California and New York, and it's a good thing."Related: Greg Mankiw's...
Dollar firmer against most currencies
The US dollar is firmer against most major currencies. The euro, the Swiss franc and Swedish krona are the worst performers. In the U.S., jobless claims fell 5,000 to a seasonally adjusted 457,000 in the week ended March 13 compared to an expected slip to 455,000. CPI data was also released, flat...
Euro Falls as Risk Appetite Increases
The EUR fell 0.2 percent to $1.3745, after hitting a five-week high of $1.3817. Some analysts blamed this partially on rumors that Germany's Chancellor Angela Merkel has endorsed a proposal to eject errant countries from the eurozone. Merkel’s party said Greece should go to the IMF if it needs aid...
Dollar Mixed After US PPI Data
The U.S. dollar was mixed against other major currencies on Wednesday, following the release of disappointing data on producer prices in the United States. Lower costs for energy pushed the U.S. producer price index to a drop of 0.6% in February, the Labor Department reported Wednesday. Analysts...
Sterling Is Breaking out, Help By Positive Fundamentals
Sterling (NYSE: FXB) was already leading the foreign currencies higher against the US dollar in early European trading and the less dovish MPC minutes and firm employment figures have given the pound an extra boost. The March 4th meeting minutes showed the MPC voted unanimously to keep policy...
BOJ Leaves Rates Unchanged, But Increases QE (FXY)
The Bank of Japan left the key target rate unchanged at 10 basis points, but appeared to bow to government pressure and increased the size of the three-month loan facility arranged last December to JPY20 trillion from JPY10 trillion. Tweaking this facility was widely tipped as a likely compromise...
USD Continues To Retreat After Fed’s Decision
As was widely expected, the Federal Reserve Bank held the fed funds rate steady at 0.25%, adding to earlier USD losses. The decision was a virtual certainty, considering the high unemployment rate and slow recovery. What investors were looking for was any changes in the language and hints about...

Media

Marc Faber Believes US Treasurys May Rise Sharply
Marc Faber, author of "The Gloom, Boom and Doom Report," told CNBC today that the markets have created their own gold standard, as there is a high amount of uncertainty regarding other asset classes. Faber said that apart from exchange traded funds that have proliferated the market, there has been...
“Mad Money Lightening Round:” Jim Prefers PRSP, CREE, TUP, NAL, T, WIN To S, ISRG, FTR
In his “Mad Money Lightening Round,” Cramer said that Prosperity Bancshares (NASDAQ: PRSP) seems to be the right investment for the moment. PRSP’s shares fell 0.19% yesterday. Jim emphatically stated that CREE (NASDAQ: CREE) is currently a good buy, while Intuitive Surgical (NASDAQ: ISRG) is not....
Fast Money Picks For March 18th (XOM, QCOM, TJX, TSO)
CNBC Fast Money's Tim Seymour believes that Exxon Mobil Corporation (NYSE: XOM) is a buy and recommends a long position. Exxon (XOM) added 1.19% today. Karen Finerman thinks that The TJX Companies, Inc. (NYSE: TJX) should be bought tomorrow, and Pete Najarian likes Tesoro Corporation (NYSE: TSO)....
Cramer Sees Ford (F) At $17
CNBC Mad Money's Jim Cramer said in an interview with Erin Burnett that Ford (NYSE: F) is going up to $17. He thinks that Moody's upgrade of Ford (F) means that it will be able to borrow money at lower rate and increase its earning power. Cramer expects more upgrades for this company, which will...
Whitney Says Banks Are Broken
On CNBC's Worldwide Exchange, Meredith Whitney discussed her view of the banking sector. Whitney is famous for forecasting the banking crisis in 2007 and the insolvency of numerous investment firms. Whitney doesn't believe that" there's much the Fed can do to get banks to start lending again....
Sports Team Ownership No Longer A Guaranteed Moneymaker
The New York Times (NYSE: NYT) recently ran an article about the effects of the recession on owners of the nation's professional sports teams. Over the past few decades, the price of professional sports teams seemed to go nowhere but up. It was a good business to get into because it seemed like no...
Fast Money Lightening Round: Jim Trounces VIP, VMC, AVP; Favors CL, PL Instead
In his “Mad Money Lightening Round,” Jim Cramer warned investors to not buy Vulcan Materials (NYSE: VMC). VMC gained 2.22% yesterday. Jim also thinks that it is time to get out of VimpelCom (NYSE: VIP). VIP added 1.36% in yesterday’s trading. According to Jim, Avon Products (NYSE: AVP) does not...
Huge Move In Monster Worldwide (MNST) Calls Expiring On September 17
According to an article by Pete Najarian on CNBC, shares of Monster Worldwide (NYSE: MWW) are set to gain significantly by late summer. The online employment company moved up 0.37% to close at $16.17 on Monday. MNST’s share price has been fluctuating between $14 and $19 from August 2009. According...

Tech

MSN China Loses Executive (MSFT, GOOG)
Xiao Chen, MSN (NASDAQ: MSFT) China’s Vice-President of sales, has announced his departure from the organization. Xiao Chen had been with the company since its inception. He is likely to pursue his own start-up firm. The move has come as a jolt to the joint venture. MSN is already struggling to...
HTC Corp. To Counter Apple Allegations (AAPL, GOOG)
HTC Corp. has vowed to fight against the patent case filed by Apple Inc. (NASDAQ: AAPL). Earlier this month, Apple (AAPL) had filed a suit against HTC Corp. for infringing 20 of its patents. Google’s (NASDAQ: GOOG) Nexus One device was also implicated in the case. Jason Gordon, HTC Corp.’s director...
Sprint To Launch 4-G Phone (S, CLWR)
Sprint Nextel (NYSE: S) is planning to launch a state of the art telephone that will work on a faster wireless network. The phone has been named the Supersonic. The phone will be produced by HTC Corp. Sprint (S) is currently trying to retain its dwindling customer base. The telecom company has lost...
Look To Semiconductor Stock In 2010 (AAPL, AMD, DELL, HPQ, INTC, NOK, QCOM, TXN)
A study provided by iSuppli Corp, a research firm speecializing in the electronics industry, predicts double-digit growth in semiconductor spending in 2010, revealing a promising year for companies such as Intel (NASDAQ: INTC), Texas Instruments (NYSE: TXN), Qualcomm (NASDAQ: QCOM), and AMD (NYSE:...
Microsoft Bulls Continue to Emerge
Bull bets on Microsoft (NASDAQ: MSFT) have been slowly building over the past few weeks as the stock drifted lower. It has since recovered and is now trading higher for the sixth straight day. Microsoft is currently trading $29.75, up another 1.29% on the day. Options trading today continues to...
MetroGames Gets $5 Million Funding
According to ”Social Gaming StartUp Gets $5 Million Funding”,”TechCrunch”, Argentinean social gaming company, MetroGames, has received a series A funding of $5 million from Playdom. The funding will be used to expand the development of new social games. John Pleasants, CEO of Playdom, said that...
Google (GOOG) Pushes For YouTube Profitability; Automates Overlay Ads
According to “Google Pushes for YouTube Profitability”,TechCrunch, Google (NASDAQ: GOOG) is pushing YouTube towards becoming a profit generating business by automating overlay ads that appear on billions of videos that are watched every month on the website. Using the self-serve Display Ad...
VirnetX (VHC) Wins $106 Million From Microsoft (MSFT) Case
A Texas jury awarded VirnetX Holding Corp (AMEX: VHC) nearly $106 million from Microsoft Corporation (Nasdaq: MSFT) after it came to the conclusion that Microsoft had violated two of the small communications company's patents. The patents dealt with ways to make virtual private network connections...