The Perfect Ending for A Wild Week...

Hey folks,

How is the 'ol portfolio going? If you've been patient and buying some strong stocks, it should be behaving quite chipper by now!

So what was hot today?

AKAM
BAS
CRDN
ISIG
CTV
GV
TIII
NTG
LBIX
UARM

Under the Microscope: Akamai Technologies (AKAM)

Hey folks,

I got a hot stock for ya. Check out Akamai Technologies (AKAM). AKAM managed to finish at 34.52 (up 1.27 or 3.82%) this past Friday while the rest of the general market struggled like a fish out of the water. In addition, AKAM has managed to climb above its 50 day MA. RS is up as is institutional buying. The stock is also relatively inexpensive, with a P/E of 16. Earnings growth is also a positive factor for AKAM. It plans on reporting earnings on July 26. Most likely, it will beat earnings (judging its past earnings growth). Still, there is plenty of time to make some money from now till July 26.

Akamai Technologies (AKAM - NASDAQ)
3 month chart



















AKAM 1 year chart




















AKAM Earnings Growth Graphs

Stacking Up the Gains..

Hey folks,

Just got some more stocks to display

So far, the current winners are

ISIG
ILC
MIKR
CTCI
VOL
BRLI
SONO
XNR
BVX (add more to position)
GEL
FSII
SAM (getting ready to breakout to higher level-very slow moving)
HWCC
LOOP
CELG
NTGR

Stocks Stage a Spectacular Surge....

off what looks like a bottom. Stocks began to lift off from better than expected earnings reports from companies such as FedEx and Morgan Stanley.

Stock to keep on the radar include:

KNOT
VOL
DAKT
XPRSA
ISIG
MRY
MWRK
CRDN
FRPT
IIG
BVX
CTV
CYMI
HIH

Whats Hot & Whats Not (6.19.06)

Wasssuuuuup ladies and fellas?

Just got back from school and I gotta say, another ugly day. But do not despair. If you have been following some of my picks you couldn't be doing half as bad as the rest of them. Right now, I'm taking some time to highlight some of todays winners and losers. Lets take a look, shall we?

all prices as of market close of 6/19/06

Imergent Inc (IIG) Closed at 13.75 Opened at 12.85 HOD = 13.76

Not a bad day at all for IIG. It actually performed so well, I had to pick some up for myself. Plus, I just couldn't resist the P/E ratio of 1! Not to mention the bullish chart pattern and the rising accumulation in institutional buying. Ahhh, I wish they were all this easy to nail down.... =)

Imergent Inc (IIG - AMEX) 3 month chart


Gotta love the action!
















Memry Corp (MRY) Closed at 2.96 Despite the lower than expected close, MRY has performed very well in the last few days. I expected a little profit taking (on market fears) and I also expect the stock to continue its uptrend in the weeks and months to come.

Memry Corp (MRY - AMEX) 3 month Chart

One of my favorite stocks.
I am back with a new position
at 3 bucks.















Interactive Intelligence Inc (ININ) Closed at 12.30 Opened at 11.22 HOD of 12.48. In my opinion, ININ is a beauty. It is a growth stock in the making (has consistently beat earnings). In addition, company managment owns over 50%.

Interactive Intelligence Inc (ININ - NASDAQ) 3 month chart

Here's your chance before the stock really takes off. Come the end of July, 12/13 will be just a memory.















Loopnet Inc (LOOP) closed at 17.51 Opened at 16.60 HOD of 17.63

Loopnet Inc (LOOP - NASDAQ)

Hot New IPO and already profitable with last years sales growth at 81%? I'll take some!
















Spartan Motors Inc (SPAR) closed at 14.73 opened at 14.41 HOD of 14.74

Spartan Motors Inc (SPAR - NASDAQ) 3 month chart

I love the chart pattern. I also love the fact that it is relatively unknown. Only drawback is that it is thinly traded.















Bio Reference Labs Inc (BRLI) closed at 20.79 Opened at 20.58 HOD of 20.89

Bio Reference Labs Inc (BRLI - NASDAQ)


Improving Earnings growth has helped launch BRLI into the institutional buy spotlight!















Sun Healthcare Group (SUNH) closed at 9.19 opened at 8.91 HOD of 10.01

Sunh Healthcare Group (SUNH - NASDAQ) 3 month chart




















Smith Micro Software (SMSI)

Smith Micro Software (SMSI - NASDAQ) 3 month chart




















WEGI.OB




















PMDX.OB




















RSPG.PK




















GHLT.PK





















Some other hot stocks to keep an eye on

SKIL

CTCI

PSPT

EGOV

CXTI

GEL

HRZ

OPNT

CITP

SBGI

TATTF

MBRX

HWCC

CSGS

HIH

IHR

MIKR (already have a position from 8.50)

Go With the Flow

hey folks,

I gotta apologize for not being able to narrow down the stock list I posted yesterday. I have been very busy and thus had no time to narrow down the selections. Still, anyone running thru the list can easily see who are todays clear winners...

MRY *
IIG *
HLF
SPAR
CXTI
GEL
OPNT
ABI
BRLI *
LH
SMSI *
IHR *
FMD *
ININ *
LOOP *
HWCC (recently added)
SCHK (recently added)

* = favorite

Sneak Peak for the Upcoming Week....

Hey folks,

I got some stocks that you should keep on the radar.

MBRX
AEHR (Just broke out on higher than normal volume)
AHN
NTPA
XPO
TATTF
GPK
IWA
WGA (maybe)
LACO (maybe)
FCEA (maybe)
NASB
HLF (watch for breakout)
CITP
SBGI
WILC (maybe)
TEN
SPAR (maybe, wait for higher volume)
SCL (maybe)
SSI
PHLI (maybe)
PWEI (keep eye on it)
CXTI
ADS (keep eye on chart pattern and wait for high volume, around 2 million)
GEL (awesome chart pattern and increased buying interest)
HRZ (awesome chart and increased accumulation by institutions)
OPNT (completing 2 year base and attempting to reach past 3 yr high of 21)
XNR
SIAL
APN
GHCI (keep eye on it)
SUNH (heading to 12 or higher)
ABI
IIG (a stock with a P/E of 1.01 and a great chart? How can you go wrong??)
BRLI
LH
CLHB
MRY
ASVI (possible bottom)
CRDN (watch for bottom)
DAKT (still hot)
SMSI (nice chart pattern)
IHR
FMD (cup w/handle -watch for breakout)
ININ (possible breakout)
CVD (possible breakout)
OYOG (keep eye on it)
TXU (great, low risk stock for the summer)
LOOP (hot IPO with plenty of near term upside)
VITA (hot!)
WGO (positive reversal
SPAB (bottomed out and ready to start building its base)
MXWL (maybe......)


OTC.BB Stocks

ITKG (Great chart!)
NLST (Great as hurricane/severe weather conditions play)
CPNLQ (bankrupt Calpine )
WEGI (OTC.BB with great chart) *
SMTR (.BB, possible bottom) *
RSPG (.BB on Fire!) *
GHLT (.BB on Fire!) *
ESSE (Keep eye on it)
PMDX (Keep an eye on it) *
FRPT (keep an eye on it)
CHYS (an .BB stock, but with incredible earnings. Earnings increased from 3 mill to 33 million. Now thats insane!) *
IEAM (keep an eye on it) *

* = favorite

2 Small Gems For The Long Run...

Hey folks,

Not to say that investing is dead, but it has become something little bit more difficult in our modern day in age. With everyone wanting everything done and accomplished at a fast rate, it is easy to see why not that many traders prefer to sit on a stock for long periods of time. Still, here and there, a few stocks worthy of holding onto appear.

My two favs at the moment are MRY and ISIG
I am leaning towards MRY a little more and feel more comfortable with it as it has stable financials and it just cleared a 5 year high today as well. I will be back later to post more info and charts.

Add Shares To Winning Stocks, Reduce Shares of Losing Stocks...

Hey guys,

Just want to keep you clued into some stocks that are showing strength and which aren't.

Showing Strength

MIKR
UARM
ISIG
ACTG
BRLI
SMSI
GYMB
DAKT
BVX
DIOD

Showing Weakness

CTV
SMDI
ARGN
QSII

Neutral

ENS
NPSI
UTK
ILC
WWWW

Take Advantage of Cheap Prices.....

Hey folks,

I shouldn't have to tell you, but corrections such as these usually end up leaving extraordinary growth stocks at rock bottom prices. Definatly take advantage of the cheap prices of TNL, CRDN, CTV, LRCX, CYMI and many more. Also look for new winners such as OSG, ISIG, BVX, ORNG, and SONO

Throwing in the Towel??

hey folks,

Without a doubt, the longs have started to show their insecurity in the market. How so? When longs abandon clear winners such as HANS and others that have shown consistant strength, it is a sign that clearly reads: "Unless you're short, keep to the side lines". I have been doing just that, especially after seeing most of my potential plays crushed like a grasshopper under a ton of bricks. Still, I am keeping an eye on stocks showing strength, such as ZOLL, QSII, UARM, and DIOD. Also, I have 2 potential plays for anyone looking for a gamble (at this point it feels like a gamble). Check out BVX and HRZ if you'd like. Anyways, gotta study for a psych exam. See you all tomm!

Hot Stock Watch

Hey folks,

Another day, another lost dollar? Hopefully not! I know today is another boring, quasi-negative trading day. Despite this there are some winners and even a breakout that you should keep your eye on.

First Marblehead Corp (FMD) has begun day two of its breakout of a cup with handle formation. From here, it can attack its 2 year high of roughly 74. Its a long stretch, but not impossible given the amount of buying interest that the stock is generating.

Also keep an eye on US Xpress Enterprises (XPRSA). The trucking firm has been on fire the last few weeks and it seems to be working on the right side of a 2-year base. So far the stock is in a confirmed uptrend and looks like a good buy at this level.

Although my Top Ten under $10 did not come off on a great start, there are a few winners that you should keep an eye on. BWEB, ARGN, AERTA and WILC are all doing just fine. I expect the other ones to pick up if market conditions soften up.

Good luck and trade light!

My Top Ten Under $10

Nick's Top Ten Under $10

These are my current favorite stocks to trade under $10. Picks are based on technical factors, chart patterns, and RS. Keep in mind that no pick is guaranteed and may depreciate in value due to negative factors. Due your own due diligence before buying or selling a security.

BWEB (yep, its baaack) at 0.78

WWWW at 6.42

FJC at 2.70

BRR at 4.30

ARGN at 9.00

WILC at 8.20

ILC at 0.47

FRPT (OTC.BB) 4.56

AERTA at 3.12

XIDE at 4.76

Other Honorable Mentions:
Prices as of 6/09/06

The Problem with Being Overconfident

Hey folks,

Just wanted to post a great and interesting article that I have recently read. It points out some of the psychological problems and dilemmas that traders face, ultimately reducing their chances of profiting. I definitely recommend it as a read! Check it out below.


"The Greatest Emotional Problem Facing TradersFriday May 26, 9:23 am ETBy TradingMarkets ResearchRecently, in my TraderFeed blog, I suggested that traders faced a greater emotional hurdle than either fear or greed: overconfidence. Overconfident is what leads us to take on too much risk for too little reward. It is what allows us to wager our hard-earned money on untested and unproven market signals. Indeed, almost by definition, beginning traders start their trading careers in an overconfident state. After all, in what other performance field--sports, music, or chess--would a newcomer enter a competition with experienced professionals and truly hope to compete?

Research reviewed by Scott Plous in his book "The Psychology of Judgment and Decision Making" suggests that overconfidence is greatest in situations where individuals have no better than chance odds of being correct in their judgments. One of the reasons for this is called the Gambler's Fallacy. A person who guesses market direction once a day and has a 50/50 chance of being correct will encounter, on average, about six occasions per year in which he or she is correct five times in a row. Some of these random traders will, by sheer good fortune, hit this streak early on in their career. According to researcher Ellen Langer, early (but random) experiences of success lead individuals to be highly confident in their ability--even when the task is guessing the outcome of coin tosses! This is because they are more likely to attribute success to internal factors--skill--than to situational reasons or chance. The gambler who experiences a (random) streak of wins becomes convinced that he has a hot hand and raises his bets accordingly. The result is predictably disastrous.

Do traders behave differently from gamblers? Research suggests not. Terence Odean found that traders who were most confident in their decision-making traded the most frequently--and lost more money than other traders because of the increased transaction costs. A provocative study from the London Business School presented traders with price data and asked the traders to make trading decisions based on the data. Traders were not informed that the data were generated randomly. The traders who expressed the greatest confidence in their decisions, not surprisingly, were also the ones who, on average, lost the most money. The "illusions of control" demonstrated by these traders can reach extremes bordering on the absurd. In Langer's studies in which coin tosses were presented as tests of "social cues", for instance, 40% of all subjects insisted that their ability to guess the outcome of the coin tosses could be improved with practice--and 15% believed that enhanced concentration and an absence of distractions would improve their results.

A different kind of overconfidence can be seen in surveys of traders and investors, asking them for their expectations for the market. Traders feel better about their ability to call market direction than is warranted. For example, in such surveys as those conducted by Investors Intelligence, over 70% of respondents pronounce themselves either bulls or bears--despite the fact that the majority of time the market is range bound. Research cited by Hersh Shefrin, in his review of behavioral finance studies entitled Beyond Greed and Fear, finds that traders are most bullish after extended rises--with inexperienced traders most bullish of all. That is paradoxical, because market returns historically have been greatest following years of decline, not years of strength. Similarly, it is not uncommon to see put-call ratios elevated after a five-day period of decline, despite the fact that returns, on average, are superior following five days of weakness than after five strong days. Quite simply, traders extrapolate from the past to the future--and confidently act upon these (false) expectations.

Is it possible to immunize oneself from overconfidence? My personal therapy for treating overconfidence has been to test out my trading ideas and calculate: a) precisely how often the pattern would have been successful if used in the past; and b) how much of a P/L edge was present over that time. Those statistics, which I report on my blog, ground me in the inherent uncertainty of markets and prepare me for the very real possibility, with any trade idea, that I will be wrong. This, in turn, has helped me greatly with risk management, as I am unlikely to wager a large proportion of my trading stake on any uncertain proposition--even when the odds are in my favor. The past is hardly a guarantor of the future, but by assuming that the future won't be better than the past, we can soberly assess the downside and avoid overconfidence.

The best trades, I find, have enough of a historical edge to make me feel confident about the idea, but also enough potential downside to prevent me from feeling overconfident. Planning for each trade being a potential loser may seem counterintuitive, but it keeps risk management sharp and overconfidence at bay. And that makes a world of difference to the bottom line".

- Brett N. Steenbarger, Ph.D.

Taking Advantage of the Situation: Hurricanes

Hey guys,

As you may or may not know, another hurricane heavy season is getting ready to start. Some good ideas for a Hurricane portfolio include: PSA, FRZ, WLSC, MINI, IPII, BECN

Shorter's Delight

Hey guys,


As hard as it may be to believe, we have yet another down day. I wish I could tell you that things can get better, but now I can't see it. The market has become a short sellers paradise, so unless you are short, don't bother. Sure there are some longs posting daily gains, but these are very sporadic and do not last more than a day. Basically by the time you buy the stock, unless you are day trading it or can predict the next days market action, its pretty much useless.

My shorts on MGI and BWS still stand. I will try and find a few more new short positions that may help offset the losses suffered from the carnage.

Chin Up!

Hey folks,

I know, I know, the markets negativity has been unrelenting. But what can you do? You can sit on cash or invest in a CD. Or you can keep your head up and continue to try and find stocks that are burning up the charts or go the short seller route. Regardless, I have a few stocks for you to check out regardless of your position

Some short ideas include: DDE, MGI, BWS I know that I used to be bullish on these and even had long positions in them as well, but they are looking more attractive as short sells at the moment.

Some long picks: SPSS, EGY, MIKR, VVUS, ANEN, SUPX, BIDU, SMSI, CTCI (keep eye on it), LYV and PRFT

Hanging on For Dear Life!

Hey folks,

Keep your senses and wits about you because todays market is a real cliff hanger! Will we bounce back up or will we cling onto the last, itty bitty piece of support that we have left? Or will we sink down and begin a bearish decline? Stay tuned to find out!

In the mean time, check out some diamonds in the rough that continue to do exceptionally well.

DAKT, EGY, IRN, MIKR, ANEN, CMTL, LECO, BMRN, SPAR, HITT, CITP and HYEG (interesting company)

On the Radar Screen.

Hey guys,


One thing that I find very frustrating is finding hot stocks and watching them go nowhere because of the markets negative movements. Well despite this, I continue to search for picks. Here we go.

PGS
CXG (previously mentioned)
CHDN
LYV
GISX
BWP
ALCO
CMTL
HITT (previously mentioned
CYMI
ZP (mentioned by One in 6+)

A couple more....

RTK
ORA
LECO
MTRX
WILC
APN
MRY (previously mentioned)
MORN (2nd chance)

Pancake Close For the Week.

Hey guys,


I don't know about you, but this weeks flat close leaves me wanting more. The supposed bounce that we were supposed to have was uninspiring at best. So where does that leave us? Right back at square one of the deep correction. Sure we bounced back up from dead bottom support, but where did we go? Nowhere but sideways with portfolios filled with cash and a mind full of uncertainties about the markets next move. Until institutions and deep pocket investors start feeling more confident and comfortable with the economic data, this is how it will be.