Weekly Watch List

GNC (3/18/12, +20.95%)
AAPL (4/29/12, +0.00%)
ALXN (7/24/11, +53.54%)
ULTA (4/8/12, -5.70%)
MA (9/24/11, +35.77%)
MNST (10/16/11, +38.89%)
DG (4/8/12, +1.19%)
DLTR (9/4/11, +43.17%)
VRSK (4/8/12, +4.88%)
WXS (4/29/12, +0.00%)
FFIV (4/29/12, +0.00%)
TJX (3/25/12, +9.91%)
NSR (4/29/12, +0.00%)

Additions:
AAPL (4/29/12, +0.00%)
FFIV (4/29/12, +0.00%)
NSR (4/29/12, +0.00%)
WXS (4/29/12, +0.00%)

Subtractions:
NUS (4/15/12, -8.06%)

Last week, all the major U.S. indexes moved higher. The Nasdaq vaulted 2.3%, the S&P 500 gained 1.8%, the NYSE composite tacked on 1.6%, and the Dow added 1.5%. Although the Nasdaq jumped 2.3& on Wednesday, it was only the first day of a rally attempt and a follow through day can only come after day four. It was the S&P 500’s 1.4% move higher on volume Wednesday, on the 11th day of a rally attempt for that index, that constituted the follow through day that flipped the IBD outlook to “confirmed uptrend”. Ordinarily, you’d like to see the follow through day be a bit stronger, but the rally held up for the rest of the week. It’s okay to make new purchases again of quality stocks at proper buy points. Ease back in slowly until this new uptrend proves that it has some legs. This week, unless Europe blows up some more, the major overhang on the markets will be Friday’s April employment report, which will most likely be a significant market moving event, one direction or the other.

This week, two watch list stocks are at or near proper buy points. AAPL, trading at $603.00, took a healthy bounce off of its ten week line and is in buy range up to $710.01. DG, trading at $47.78, is sitting just above a $47.69 buy point after clearing a 2nd stage square box base on base on good volume.

/as usual, your mileage may vary, always do your own homework

Weekly Watch List

GNC (3/18/12, +5.19%)
ALXN (7/24/11, +55.58%)
ULTA (4/8/12, +0.33%)
MA (9/24/11, +30.68%)
MNST (10/16/11, +34.61%)
NUS (4/15/12, +0.00%)
DG (4/8/12, -0.61%)
DLTR (9/4/11, +39.80%)
VRSK (4/8/12, +1.78%)
TJX (3/25/12, +6.19%)

Additions:
None

Subtractions:
LQDT (12/25/11, +47.13%)

Last week, the major U.S. indexes ended mixed. The Dow gained 1.4%, the NYSE composite added 1.2%, the S&P 500 inched ahead 0.6%, and the Nasdaq lost 0.4%. The IBD outlook remains at “market in correction”. So far, corporate earnings reports have been generally good, but the market seems irrationally fixated on Europe’s woes again and recent U.S. economic data hasn’t been particularly robust. Between the French elections, which are predicted to foreshadow an incoming Socialist president, and the meaty heart of U.S. earnings reporting season, this week should prove to be interesting. Stay above the fray until after the dust settles.

With the market in correction, none of the watch list stocks can be considered as buy candidates.

/as usual, your mileage may vary, always do your own homework

Bonus content:

The following stocks currently exhibit potential technical characteristics consistent with historically successful shorting opportunities, emphasis on POTENTIAL:

HSP
LRCX
RDC

INCORRECTLY SHORTING STOCKS CAN LEAD TO UNLIMITED LOSSES. Proceed at your own risk.

/How to Make Money Selling Stocks Short by William J. O’Neil

Weekly Watch List

ALXN (7/24/11, +50.93%)
GNC (3/18/12, +0.09%)
ULTA (4/8/12, -0.12%)
LQDT (12/25/11, +42.38%)
MA (9/24/11, +30.69%)
MNST (10/16/11, +36.20%)
DG (4/8/12, -1.95%)
NUS (4/15/12, +0.00%)
DLTR (9/4/11, +34.84%)
VRSK (4/8/12, +0.21%)
TJX (3/25/12, +3.08%)

Additions:
NUS (4/15/12, +0.00%)

Subtractions:
None

Last week, all the major U.S. indexes powered lower. The Dow gave up 1.6%, the NYSE composite lost 1.9%, the S&P 500 sank 2.0%, and the Nasdaq dived 2.2%,. The IBD outlook remains at “market in correction”. Down days are coming on higher volume while the few up days are coming on lighter volume, exactly the opposite of what you want to see. The only bright spot, so far, is that the watch list stocks seem to be holding up better than the overall market. That said, it doesn’t pay to fight a plunging tape. Raise cash where appropriate, play portfolio defense, and watch from the sidelines until the next uptrend starts.

With the market in correction, none of the watch list stocks can be considered as buy candidates.

/as usual, your mileage may vary, always do your own homework

Bonus content:

The following stocks currently exhibit potential technical characteristics consistent with historically successful shorting opportunities, emphasis on POTENTIAL:

HSP
JNPR
NIHD
OPEN
QGEN
VECO

INCORRECTLY SHORTING STOCKS CAN LEAD TO UNLIMITED LOSSES. Proceed at your own risk.

/How to Make Money Selling Stocks Short by William J. O’Neil

Weekly Watch List

ALXN (7/24/11, +58.82%)
GNC (3/18/12, +5.31%)
ULTA (4/8/12, +0.00%)
LQDT (12/25/11, +37.00%)
MA (9/24/11, +30.51%)
MNST (10/16/11, +34.34%)
DG (4/8/12, +0.00%)
DLTR (9/4/11, +35.02%)
TJX (3/25/12, +4.30%)
VRSK (4/8/12, +0.00%)

Additions:
DG (4/8/12, +0.00%)
ULTA (4/8/12, +0.00%)
VRSK (4/8/12, +0.00%)

Subtractions:
FAST (3/25/12, -1.24%)
NUS (8/28/11, +46.74%)

Last week, the major U.S. indexes moved lower. The Nasdaq gave up 0.4%, the S&P 500 lost 0.7%, the Dow shed 1.1%, and NYSE composite faded 1.5%. Wednesday’s downdraft on volume turned the IBD outlook over to “market in correction”. Raise cash, don’t make new purchases, don’t let any profit turn into a loss, and never take a loss of more than 7-8% on anything. Keep your powder dry and your watch lists updated until the next uptrend appears.

With the market in correction, none of the watch list stocks can be considered as buy candidates.

/as usual, your mileage may vary, always do your own homework

Bonus content:

The following stocks currently exhibit potential technical characteristics consistent with historically successful shorting opportunities, emphasis on POTENTIAL:

EW
HSP
NFX
VECO
WCRX

INCORRECTLY SHORTING STOCKS CAN LEAD TO UNLIMITED LOSSES. Proceed at your own risk.

/How to Make Money Selling Stocks Short by William J. O’Neil

The Muslim Brotherhood Goes To Washington

Less than two years ago, the Muslim Brotherhood was banned in Egypt and now, after Obama affirmatively shoved Mubarak under the bus, they’re in control of Egypt, making the rounds in Washington D.C. on a diplomatic charm offensive. And we’re obligated by treaty to give them the time of day, not to mention billions of dollars. WTF happened here and where’s the outcry of international sanity?

Muslim Brotherhood officials aim to promote moderate image in Washington visit

Members of Egypt’s Muslim Brotherhood began a week-long charm offensive in Washington on Tuesday, meeting with White House officials, policy experts and others to counter persistent fears about the group’s emergence as the country’s most powerful political force.

The revolution that ousted Hosni Mubarak has rapidly transformed the Brotherhood from an opposition group that had been formally banned into a political juggernaut controlling nearly half the seats in Egypt’s newly elected parliament.

With its rise, however, have come concerns from Egypt’s secularists as well as U.S. officials that the Islamist group could remake the country, threatening the rights of women and religious minorities. Such fears were only exacerbated by the Brotherhood’s recent decision to field a candidate in upcoming presidential elections, despite previous pledges that it would not do so.

See also:
The Muslim Brotherhood courts Washington
The Muslim Brotherhood comes to Washington
Muslim Brotherhood seeks U.S. alliance as it ascends in Egypt
Egypt’s Muslim Brotherhood seeks ‘bridges of understanding’ with Washington
Egypt’s Brotherhood launches U.S. diplomatic push
Muslim Brotherhood envoys met with White House officials in DC
White House meets with Muslim Brotherhood in effort to engage Egypt’s political actors
White House downplays meeting with Muslim Brotherhood
White House Defends Meetings with Muslim Brotherhood
Muslim Brotherhood Attempts To Charm U.S. Skeptics
Egypt’s Muslim Brotherhood Woos Washington
Muslim Brotherhood US charm offensive belies domestic reality
Egypt’s Muslim Brotherhood Woos Washington
Muslim Brotherhood Delegation Visits D.C.
Muslim Brotherhood Delegation Visits Washington
Delegation from Egypt’s Muslim Brotherhood Visits Washington

Moderate, charm offensive?

Allah is our objective.
The Prophet is our leader.
Qur’an is our law.
Jihad is our way.
Dying in the way of Allah is our highest hope.

/if you don’t see the problem here, you don’t know taqiyya like they know taqiyya

Secret In The Sky

Round and round the Earth it goes, who or what it’s spying on very few people know.

Delta 4 rocket successfully lofts surveillance satellite

A Delta 4 rocket made a thunderous departure from California on Tuesday afternoon, only to slip into a news blackout minutes later while it climbed higher and faster to deploy a classified spy satellite, a success-defining milestone that was confirmed by hobbyist observers.

The United Launch Alliance-made booster roared away from Vandenberg Air Force Base at 4:12:57 p.m. local (7:12:57 p.m. EDT; 2312:57 GMT) on a southwesterly course to reach a retrograde orbit inclined 123 degrees relative to the equator.

. . .

The hush-hush nature for the rest of flight is all part of launching covert payloads for the U.S. National Reconnaissance Office, the secretive agency that operates the country’s fleet of spy satellites. The NRO does not disclose the purpose of its spacecraft being sent up on each launch, saying only that the flight was called the NROL-25 mission.

See also:
Rocket Launches Secret Spy Satellite for US Military
United Launch Alliance Delta IV Rocket Successfully Launches Payload for the National Reconnaissance Office
United Launch Alliance Delta IV Rocket Successfully Launches Payload for the National Reconnaissance Office
US launches new spy satellite NROL-25
Delta 4 lifts off
Spy satellite-carrying rocket blasts off
U.S. rocket carrying classified payload launches
ULA Successfully Launches Delta IV Rocket
Rocket carrying classified payload launches from California’s central coast
Rocket launch includes key parts from Utah’s ATK sites
List of NRO Launches
National Reconnaissance OfficeNational Reconnaissance Office

According to the listed launch designation, NROL-25 is a radar imaging satellite operating in a retrograde low Earth orbit.

/if I had to guess what it’s looking at, I’d guess Iran

Smart Diplomacy Comes Home To Roost

Remember when Obama was all about shoving long time U.S. ally Hosni Mubarak under the bus? Well, apparently, he and his State Department didn’t think through the consequences very well. Or, if they did, they’re really dumb or naive or both.

Egypt’s Muslim Brotherhood names Khairat al-Shater as presidential candidate

Egypt’s Muslim Brotherhood announced on Saturday it will field its deputy chairman, Khairat al-Shater, as a candidate in the upcoming presidential election.

The Brotherhood’s supreme guide, Mohammed Badie, announced Shater’s nomination in a news conference and read out a brief statement from Shater, who was not present.

“After it was decided to field my name in the presidential elections, I can only accept the decision of the Brotherhood. I will therefore resign from my position as deputy chairman,” Shater’s statement said.

The Brotherhood’s political arm, the Justice and Freedom Party (JFP), also announced the decision on its Facebook page on Saturday.

See also:
Egypt Brotherhood candidate stirs unease
Egypt’s Brotherhood candidate stirs unease, even on Facebook
Revolution’s Spearhead?
Egypt Brotherhood candidate: sharia is main goal
Egypt Brotherhood candidate says sharia is main goal
Muslim Brotherhood candidate alters Egypt’s election race
Why the U.S. May Be Secretly Cheering a Muslim Brotherhood Run For Egypt’s Presidency
Muslim Brotherhood Finally Takes it a Step Too Far
Brotherhood defends Al-Shater’s nomination, Abdullah Al-Asha’al backs him
Profile: Egypt’s Khairat al-Shater
Egypt’s “Engineer”: A Look Under the Hood
Egypt candidate: Muslim Brotherhood’s Khairat al-Shater
Khairat El-Shater
Justice and Freedom Party
Freedom and Justice Party (Egypt)

Seriously, what informed person in their right mind didn’t see this coming? The Muslim Brotherhood already controls a majority in the Egyptian parliament and now they’re going for the political jugular to solidify their power. If they’re successful, it won’t bode well for Christians, women, or relations with Israel and the United States and it certainly won’t resemble anything close to what the West calls democracy.

/was this impending ugliness the change the feckless, Utopian Obama Foreign Policy Clown Posse was hoping for?

Bill Turns Four

Happy birthday Bill! Four years and 15 pounds later . . .

Photographing cats is hard. They just will not cooperate.

And this is Bob, 55 shots and not a one with his eyes open.

So I had to turn off the flash to catch vampire kitty with his eyes open and then manipulate the photo brightness. No one knows Bob’s birthday or exactly how old he is, but it’s somewhere north of 15.

See also:
Bill Turns Three
Bill Turns Two Today!
Happy Birthday Bill!

At least Bill seems to have stopped growing, which is good because he’s already the size of a small dog.

/so, until next year, hopefully we’ll all be back

Weekly Watch List

ALXN (7/24/11, +57.44%)
GNC (3/18/12, +2.95%)
LQDT (12/25/11, +24.34%)
MNST (10/16/11, +31.60%)
MA (9/24/11, +24.78%)
NUS (8/28/11, +49.64%)
DLTR (9/4/11, +32.69%)
TJX (3/25/12, +2.80%)
FAST (3/25/12, +0.86%)

Additions:
None

Subtractions:
DG (3/25/12, -1.97%)
ULTA (11/13/11, +28.39%)

Last week, the major U.S. indexes moved higher. The Dow rose 1.0%, the Nasdaq and S&P 500 each added 0.8%, and the NYSE composite tacked on 0.3%. Despite the weekly upward move, the indexes all suffered another bout of across the board distribution on Wednesday, pushing the IBD outlook to “uptrend under pressure”. Proceed with caution. Think about booking any big gains and weeding out your laggards. At a minimum, keep a close eye on your portfolio in case the market rolls over into correction. Don’t let profits turn into losses.

With the uptrend under pressure, it’s probably not a good idea to be making new purchases but, if you like tempting fate, this week one watch list stock is near a proper buy point. GNC, trading at $34.89, is still within 5% of a $33.80 buy point, off of a four weeks tight pattern.

/as usual, your mileage may vary, always do your own homework