Stocks for May 19, 2008

Here's the list for the week of 19 May.

Symbol	Top Ranked	Zacks	PEG	SuppDem	VL	IBD Stock checkup
RIMM	1	1	1	1	1	A
ACI		1	1	1	1	A+
BUCY	1		2	1	1	A+
KEX	1	1	2		1	A+
NBL	1	1	1		1	A+
AAPL	1		2	1		A+
ARO			1	1	1	A+
AXYS		1	2		1	A+
BRY		1	1		1	A+
CSX	1		1		1	A+
FLS		1	1		1	A+
FTI	1	1	1			A+
JOYG		1	1		1	A+
LNN		1	1		1	A+
MA	1	1	2			A+
MON		1	1		1	A+
MOS	1		1		1	A+
PCLN			1	1	1	A+
POT	1		1		1	A+
RIG		1	1		1	A+
SFY	1	1	1			A+
SWN		1	2		1	A+
BIDU	1	1	2			A
DE	1		1		1	A
DVN		1	1		1	A
GFA	1	1	1			A
GLW		1	2		1	A
KWK	1		1		1	A
MANT		1	1		1	A
MUR		1	1		1	A
NETL	1		2	1		A
WMB		1	2		1	A-
XLNX		1	1		1	A-

This week, I welcome these four stocks to the core list:

• BIDU (brand new)
• DE (last on 6 Mar 08)
• KWK (last on two weeks ago; briefly dipped to 4)
• MOS (last on 6 Mar 08)

Baidu.com (BIDU) Baidu.com provides Chinese language Internet search services. I wonder how searching on Chinese characters works? ISRG is off the core list.

Core list (with n of 10 weeks passing):

Symbol	Passing weeks	Earnings
RIG	10	Earn 6-Aug
RIMM	10	Earn 25-Jun
BUCY	9	Split 27-May
PCLN	9
GLW	9
MANT	8
MON	8
ESRX	7
AXYS	7
FLS	7
KEX	7	Earn 23-Jul
MATK	6
PRGO	6
JOYG	6	Earn 29-May
LNN	6
NFLX	5
POT	5
BIDU	5
DE	5	Earn 13-Aug
KWK	5
MOS	5	Earn 31-Jul

	moving down this week
	moving up this week
	new this week

The Dow rose about 200 points this week, ending just shy of 13,000.

I am continuing to enjoy Musicophilia by Oliver Sacks. The end of the book seems to have shorter essays, but I am struck by how patients can be trapped because of a stroke, or Tourette's syndrome, or by Parkinsons, and somehow be freed to be able to move or speak through music. (Sometimes just imagining music!) Philosophically speaking, the author has some speculation as to why humans developed music. An interesting question is a chicken-and-egg question: music or speech?

On the trading front, Friday was options expiration. I rolled over my CLB calls and was in the catbird seat: the stock went up, into the money, but the time decay allowed me to buy the calls back in at a lower price. (So I made money on the option and made money on the stock. PXP has had a good run up and I let it get called away. After all, I'm dating stocks, not marrying them.

Enjoy your trading this week.

Stocks for May 11, 2008

Here are the weekly stocks the passed three or more of my five filters. RIMM has passed all five, again.

Symbol	Top Ranked	Zacks	PEG	SuppDem	VL	IBD Stock checkup
RIMM	1	1	1	1	1	A
ACI		1	1	1	1	A+
BUCY	1		2	1	1	A+
RIG	1	1	1		1	A+
KEX	1	1	2		1	A
AAPL	1		2	1		A+
AXYS		1	1		1	A+
BIDU	1	1	2			A+
BRY		1	1		1	A+
CSX	1		1		1	A+
FLS		1	1		1	A+
JOYG		1	1		1	A+
LNN		1	1		1	A+
MA	1	1	2			A+
MON		1	1		1	A+
MOS	1		1		1	A+
PCLN			1	1	1	A+
POT	1		1		1	A+
SWN		1	2		1	A+
DE	1		1		1	A
DVN		1	1		1	A
GFA	1	1	1			A
MANT		1	1		1	A
MATK		1	1		1	A
GLW		1	2		1	A-
IVGN		1	2		1	A-
XLNX		1	1		1	A-

This week, I welcome these two stocks to the core list:

• JOYG
• LNN

Joy Global (JOYG) makes mining equipment. It was on my core list some time ago. Lindsay Corporation (LNN) manufactures and sells automated agricultural irrigation systems that enhance or stabilize crops. KWK and LIFC are off the core list.

Core list (with n of 10 weeks passing):

Symbol	Passing weeks	Earnings
RIG	10	Earn 6-Aug
RIMM	10	Earn 25-Jun
BUCY	9	Split 27-May
PCLN	9
GLW	8
ESRX	7
MANT	7
MON	7
FLS	6
PRGO	6
AXYS	6
KEX	6	Earn 23-Jul
MATK	6
ISRG	5
NFLX	5
POT	5
JOYG	5	Earn 29-May
LNN	5

	moving down this week
	moving up this week
	new this week

The market had a sharp drop at the end of the week, but it looks like it's recovering a little bit on Monday.

I am reading Musicophilia by Oliver Sacks. Part memoir, part research, Sacks describes the effect of music on the mind, from the point of view of a neuroscientist who loves music.

I put the Chris Mayer book down for a little bit because I think I'm reading too much about stocks to enjoy them.

Have fun trading this week.

Stocks for May 5, 2008

Here are the weekly stocks the passed three or more of my five filters. RIMM alone has passed all five.

Symbol	Top Ranked	Zacks	PEG	SuppDem	VL	IBD Stock checkup
RIMM	1	1	1	1	1	A
RIG	1	1	1		1	A+
ACI		1	1	1	1	A
KEX	1	1	2		1	A
AXYS		1	1		1	A+
BIDU	1	1	2			A+
BUCY	1		2		1	A+
CSX	1		1		1	A+
FLS		1	1		1	A+
FTI	1	1	1			A+
GFA	1	1	1			A+
JOYG		1	1		1	A+
LNN		1	1		1	A+
MA	1	1	2			A+
MANT		1	1		1	A+
MON		1	1		1	A+
MOS	1		1		1	A+
PCLN			1	1	1	A+
POT	1		1		1	A+
PRGO		1	1		1	A+
AAPL	1		2	1		A
DE	1		1		1	A
ESRX		1	1		1	A
GLW		1	2		1	A
IVGN		1	2		1	A
DVN		1	1		1	A-

This week, I welcome the following two stocks to the core list:

• KEX
• AXYS

Kirby Corporation (KEX) provides marine transportation and diesel engine services. Axsys Technologies (AXYS)designs and manufactures precision optical solutions for defense, aerospace, homeland security, and commercial applications.

FLIR and MUR are off the core list.

Core list (with n of 10 weeks passing):

Symbol	Passing weeks	Earnings
RIG	10	Earn 7-May
RIMM	10	Earn 25-Jun
BUCY	9	Split 27-May
PCLN	9	Earn 8-May
ESRX	8
GLW	8
ISRG	6
FLS	6	Earn 28-Apr
MANT	6
MON	6
PRGO	6	Earn 6-May
LIFC	5
KWK	5	Earn 7-May
MATK	5
NFLX	5
POT	5
AXYS	5
KEX	5	Earn 23-Jul

	moving down this week
	moving up this week
	new this week

They promise the blessings of the Garden of Eden, but they plan to transform the world into a gigantic post office. Ludwig von Mises, describing Socialism. (He could just as easily be describing politicians today.)

I had lunch with Henry last week. It is wonderful to catch up with old friends.

I have been reviewing all of my trading from last year, now that the necessary evil of taxes is behind me. I haven't come to a lot of conclusions, but here are some observations.

• I made more on individual plays (directional bets) than I did in following the advice of newsletters.
• I made a lot of steady income from selling naked puts, having the stock put to me, and selling covered calls.
• My biggest losses came from following newsletter recommendations while not imposing my own rules on top of them. The greatest damage came from:
  • Not taking a pre-defined loss (say 8% or 2 times the Average Trading Range (ATR)).
  • Not entering at a lower Bollinger Band.
  • Not waiting for the Moving Average Convergence Divergence (MACD) to bottom out and start ticking back up

I am not placing a the blame at the feet of newsletters, but uttering a mea culpa. I take responsibilty for my trades, but in addition, I take responsibility for applying my rules.

Have fun trading this week.