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Tuesday, September 7th, 2010
12:50pm (EST)
The bears are trying to get back Friday’s triple-digit win by the bulls and so far they are doing a pretty good job. Futures were already pointing towards a lower open and the market has been a steady decline since the open. The euro is weaker on the bank “stress test” news while China, the world’s largest producer and user of steel, said it is temporarily cutting its steel production.
The Financial and Energy sectors are seeing some increased selling pressure as both are trading lower. U.S. Financial stocks are down nearly 2% due to the weakness in the European Bank stocks, which tumbled on concerns about the health of their balance sheets. Bank of America (BAC, $13.25, down $0.25), Capital One (COF, $39.45, down $1.24) and Wells Fargo (WFC, $25.25, down $0.59) are all trading lower as a result.

China halted its production of steel during the seasonally busy September-October period as the use of electrical power slipped due to efficiency goals. The move has been a lift to U.S. Steel stocks today as some analysts feel “spot product pricing” will be good for steel manufacturers going forward. U.S. Steel (X, $47.79, up $1.80) is up nearly 4% on the news and is making a run at breaking out above its 200-day moving average.
Meanwhile, President Obama plans to introduce a $50 billion infrastructure package and an extension of the research and development tax credit by as early as Wednesday. He is expected to propose a $200 billion tax credit for businesses spending on new plant and equipment with write-offs up to 100%.
As we head to press, the Dow is down 84 points, to 10,363. The S&P 500 is down 6 ticks to 1,095 while the Nasdaq down 20 points to 2,213.

Gold is up $8 to $1,259/ ounce while oil is slipping 72 cents and is at $73.88 a barrel.
This week is shaping up to favor the bears and the sentiment is negative. The key levels to watch for today will be Dow 10,350; S&P 1,095; Nasdaq 2,200. If these levels fail then we could see a quick test back to support levels.
We have added a few more stocks to our Watch List with possible option trades as we look to capitalize on the current volatility. Although we are currently “full” with current trades, we do see some opportunities for some quick ones as there are a couple of earnings announcements we are following closely.
Subscribers, check for the updates on all of our current trades and we will see everyone on Tuesday morning at 9am (EST) sharp.
Tags: option picks, stock options trading, U.S. Steel, x, X takeover rumors Posted in Earnings, Market Analysis | Comments Off
Tuesday, July 27th, 2010
12:50pm (EST)
The market is mixed after getting off to a good start but less than stellar economic news has cooled the enthusiasm. Earnings continue to dominate the headlines but the bulls are having trouble breaking through the upper resistance levels we outlined in the morning update.
The consumer confidence report came in at 50.4 for July which was only slightly below expectations of 51 but down from last month’s reading of 54.3. However, to put things in perspective, the decline follows last month’s nearly 10-point drop, from 62.7 in May. This report takes a pulse of the American consumer on how they feel about the economy, jobs and their outlook and it clearly shows they are still holding back on spending.
Elsewhere, the Standard & Poor’s/Case-Shiller 20-city home price index posted a 1.3% increase in May from April as 19 of 20 cities showed price gains month over month. Of course, this was helped by the federal tax incentives which attracted some buyers into the market but we expect prices to remain flat or down for housing over the next six months.
Turning to earnings, Dupont (DD, $40.52, up $1.53) is up 4% after reporting better-than-expected results. The company said profits came in at $1.2 billion, or $1.26 a share, versus $417 million, or $0.41 a share, in the year-ago period.

Revenue jumped 25% to $8.6 billion while analysts were expecting $8.3 billion/ $0.94 a share. DuPont also raised its 2010 earnings forecast to $2.90-$3.05 a share, up from $2.50-$2.70 and above Wall Street’s expectations of $2.64 a share.
U.S. Steel (X, $45.93, down $2.96) is getting pounded and is down 6% today after reporting a negative numbers for its most recent quarter. Before the open, the company reported a loss of $25 million, or $0.17 a share, versus a loss of $392 million, or $2.92 a share, in the year-ago period. Revenue rose to $4.7 billion from $2.1 billion. Excluding items, U.S. Steel would have earned $0.45 a share but blamed the weakening of the euro against the dollar during the quarter for the miss.

And this just in, Apple (AAPL, $262.69, up $3.41) plans to sell an unlocked iPhone 4 in Canada starting on Friday. The company is moving in Research In Motion’s (RIMM, $53.82, down $1.71) own backyard and plans to allow customers to shop around for a service plan.

As we head to press, the Dow is currently holding a slight gain of 27 points and is at 10,552 while the S&P 500 is up a point to 1,116. The Nasdaq is lower by 4 points and is at 2,292. Upside targets are Dow 10,600; S&P 1,125; and Nasdaq 2,300. To the downside look for Dow 10,400, S&P 1,100; and Nasdaq 2,250.
We will be back in the morning with another full update at 9am. We have updated our current trades as we have one company reporting earnings before the bell on Wednesday. Subscribers, check the Members Area for our latest comments.
Tags: AAPL, Apple, call options, Canada iPhone, DD, Dupont, how to trade options, iPhone 4, momentum options trading, Momentum stocks, option picks, option stock picks, options alerts, options newsletter, options track record, put options, Research in Motion, RIMM, stock options trading, U.S. Steel, volatile options, x Posted in Apple, Company Commentary, Earnings | Comments Off
Monday, March 8th, 2010
9:00am (EST)
Futures are trading in a narrow range this morning as we get ready for the upcoming week. There is little economic data due out during the first half of this week and earnings are coming to a crawl so Wall Street will be looking for other cues to give the market direction.
Asian markets surged last night in their first trading session following the upbeat U.S. jobs report but the European markets fell slightly.
The good news, if you are bullish, is that there are a lot of upgrades on stocks this morning that could get the bulls in a buying mood.
Research In Motion (RIMM, $69.50, down $0.48), Yahoo (YHOO, $16.06, up $0.25) and U.S Steel (X, $58.90, up $2.26) all got upgrades and are showing higher bids in pre-market trading.


M&A (mergers and acquisitions) activity continues to pick up… American International Group (AIG, $28.08, up $1.37) is selling one of its major foreign subsidiaries (Alico) to MetLife (MET, $38.92, up $0.81) for $15.5 billion. It is the second major sale for AIG this month as the company tries to get leaner and meaner.

The Entertainment stocks could get a pop after seeing “Alice in Wonderland ” bring in a whopping $116 million in its opening weekend – a record for a 3-D film. We knew Alice would be a hit and the total easily surpassed all other films in release and gave Walt Disney (DIS, $33.22, up $0.65) an even bigger opening than “Avatar.” Imax (IMAX, $13.72, up $0.40) also benefitted as their theaters were packed all weekend long.
Earnings:
Monday: Casey’s General Stores (CASY, $31.86, up $0.21), Kronos Worldwide (KRO, $15.69, down $0.27), ResCare (RSCR, $9.53, up $0.34), TiVo (TIVO, $17.50, up $0.97) and Value Line (VALU, $25.42, up $0.45).
Tuesday: Boston Beer Company (SAM, $50.54, up $0.74), Dick’s Sporting Goods (DKS, $25.19, up $0.83), J. Crew Group (JCG, $45.61, up $1.55), Kroger (KR, $22.74, up $0.05), Overstock.com (OSTK, $13.43, up $0.35) and Tootsie Roll (TR, $28.17, up $0.87).
Wednesday: American Eagle Outfitters (AEO, $16.74, up $0.01), Bon-Ton Stores (BONT, $11.78, up $0.68), Elbit Systems (ESLT, $60.58, up $0.09), Gymboree (GYMB, $45.15, up $0.40), Hot Topic (HOTT, $6.71, up $0.08), Men’s Wearhouse (MW, $25.17, up $0.74) and Vail Resorts VPFG, $15.48, up $0.18).
Thursday: Aeropostale (ARO, $25.56, up $0.56), Goldcorp (GG, $40.37, up $0.80), National Semiconductor (NSM, $14.67, up $0.04), Pall Corp (PLL, $41.32, up $0.68), Piedmont Natural Gas (PNY, $26.74, up $0.35) and Smithfield Foods (SFD, $19.09, down $0.36),
Friday: AnnTaylor Stores (ANN, $18.50, up $0.53), Citi Trends (CTRN, $29.50, up $0.13) and Kirkland’s (KIRK, $18.81, up $0.81),
As we head to press, Dow futures are up 7 points, S&P 500 futures are up a point while the Nasdaq 100 futures are up 2. Current subscribers, check the Members Area for the updates.
Tags: AIG, DIS, met, option picks, option signals, options alerts, RIMM, stock options trading, x, YHOO Posted in Company Commentary, Earnings, Market Analysis, Market Commentary | Comments Off
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Apple (AAPL) Moving In On RIMM’s Turf
Tuesday, July 27th, 2010
12:50pm (EST)
The market is mixed after getting off to a good start but less than stellar economic news has cooled the enthusiasm. Earnings continue to dominate the headlines but the bulls are having trouble breaking through the upper resistance levels we outlined in the morning update.
The consumer confidence report came in at 50.4 for July which was only slightly below expectations of 51 but down from last month’s reading of 54.3. However, to put things in perspective, the decline follows last month’s nearly 10-point drop, from 62.7 in May. This report takes a pulse of the American consumer on how they feel about the economy, jobs and their outlook and it clearly shows they are still holding back on spending.
Elsewhere, the Standard & Poor’s/Case-Shiller 20-city home price index posted a 1.3% increase in May from April as 19 of 20 cities showed price gains month over month. Of course, this was helped by the federal tax incentives which attracted some buyers into the market but we expect prices to remain flat or down for housing over the next six months.
Turning to earnings, Dupont (DD, $40.52, up $1.53) is up 4% after reporting better-than-expected results. The company said profits came in at $1.2 billion, or $1.26 a share, versus $417 million, or $0.41 a share, in the year-ago period.
Revenue jumped 25% to $8.6 billion while analysts were expecting $8.3 billion/ $0.94 a share. DuPont also raised its 2010 earnings forecast to $2.90-$3.05 a share, up from $2.50-$2.70 and above Wall Street’s expectations of $2.64 a share.
U.S. Steel (X, $45.93, down $2.96) is getting pounded and is down 6% today after reporting a negative numbers for its most recent quarter. Before the open, the company reported a loss of $25 million, or $0.17 a share, versus a loss of $392 million, or $2.92 a share, in the year-ago period. Revenue rose to $4.7 billion from $2.1 billion. Excluding items, U.S. Steel would have earned $0.45 a share but blamed the weakening of the euro against the dollar during the quarter for the miss.
And this just in, Apple (AAPL, $262.69, up $3.41) plans to sell an unlocked iPhone 4 in Canada starting on Friday. The company is moving in Research In Motion’s (RIMM, $53.82, down $1.71) own backyard and plans to allow customers to shop around for a service plan.
As we head to press, the Dow is currently holding a slight gain of 27 points and is at 10,552 while the S&P 500 is up a point to 1,116. The Nasdaq is lower by 4 points and is at 2,292. Upside targets are Dow 10,600; S&P 1,125; and Nasdaq 2,300. To the downside look for Dow 10,400, S&P 1,100; and Nasdaq 2,250.
We will be back in the morning with another full update at 9am. We have updated our current trades as we have one company reporting earnings before the bell on Wednesday. Subscribers, check the Members Area for our latest comments.
Tags: AAPL, Apple, call options, Canada iPhone, DD, Dupont, how to trade options, iPhone 4, momentum options trading, Momentum stocks, option picks, option stock picks, options alerts, options newsletter, options track record, put options, Research in Motion, RIMM, stock options trading, U.S. Steel, volatile options, x
Posted in Apple, Company Commentary, Earnings | Comments Off