– The Stock Market Companion –
15MinuteStocks
Market Update
April 20, 2010
——- Stock Market Investing since the 1980’s ——-
Published all Market Days
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 Today’s SMC Watchlist

– Executive Summary –

The markets are still deciding what to do in light of the SEC actions against Goldman Sachs Group Inc. (Ticker: GS).

Banks like Citigroup (C) have come out with good earnings (yesterday), and last week we had excellent earnings from Intel Corporation (INTC) and J.P. Morgan-Chase (JPM), and an excellent earnings pre-announcement from United Parcel (UPS).

Tonight after the close, Apple Inc. (AAPL) reported earnings.  A blow-out to the upside! (See below) 

The broader market (SP-500), the DOW (DJ-30), and NASDAQ all put in solid positive numbers into the close.

(For our concise market assessments, market details, stock ideas, and SMC return on investments – see below)  

– Markets “At a Glance” –

(Please scroll down to the end of the report to see your favorite benchmarks – Dollar, Oil, Gold … closing prices and daily direction.)

Market	Price (Today’s Close)	Unit of Measure	Today’s Direction
SP-500	1,207.17	Index	UP = +9.65 points
DOW-30	11,117.06	Index	UP = +25.01 points
NASDAQ	2,500.31	Index	UP = +20.20 points
NASDAQ 100	2,023.60	Index	UP = +10.7 points

– Market Trends –

Trend	SP-500	DJ-30	NASDAQ	NASDAQ 100
Short Term	Lateral	Lateral	Lateral	Lateral
Intermediate	Lateral	Lateral	Lateral	Lateral
Long Term	DOWN	DOWN	DOWN	DOWN

*Summary of terms from Trader Vic II-Principles of Professional Speculation (pg. 140-141)
*_________* Represents a change in trend rating.

Friday we wrote, “The financials have been a major driver in the recent advance off the February lows.  Today probably marks at least a pause in their advance and a possible diminishing value in some financials.  This will be a drag on the broader market.”   Friday, we re-classified the short term trend as lateral.

A high volume up-move will re-classify our short term trend as UP.

– Today’s Highlights –

Goldman Sachs reported their earnings prior to the open and the stock gaped up after the open.  It then proceeded to sell-off in spurts throughout the day.

The IMF stated that things were not yet clear with Greece re-financing.  Greece is also attempting a bond sale soon.  It may be undersubscribed as the last one was and cause some turmoil.

The Iceland volcano has caused some to wonder to what degree it will impact the economies of some European nations.  At this point we are not overly concerned about this.

See – Apple Inc. (AAPL) earnings below.

 

– Stock Investing Specifics and Strategies –

 

Apple Inc. (AAPL) posted excellent earnings after the close.  The stock is currently up a little over 5%.  Apple guided lower on earnings going forward.  Keep in mind however, that Apple is consistently conservative in their earnings forecasts. That took a little of the wind out of the sails of the stock price.  The stock is still priced at all time highs of $258/share as we write, down $8/share from its after hours gap-up.  Apple is doing a great job, but some have used this after hours spike in price to off-load shares.  There has been an emphasis in the press about Apple’s 90% increase in net earnings for the quarter.  Their execution is awesome. 

 We sold our shares a little over a week ago and today just prior to the close, the stock was weak and just 2% over our sales price from that time.   I think personally that I have been handling this one a little too close to the vest and hope to correct this situation as the market becomes clearer.  We made money on Apple, but we didn’t need to be out of this one going into earnings.   We will look for a suitable entry going forward.

Citigroup (C) and AIG are both getting good attention.  Citigroup posted good earnings yesterday morning and AIG is getting attention because it may be a direct beneficiary of Goldman’s problems.

We like todays performance of Ford Motor Co (F) and YRC Worldwide (YRCW).  The US Natural Gas ETF (UNG) is hanging in there in the face of weak natural gas prices.  We “half-expected” to be stopped out on that one today.  “Bottom-Fishing” is not without its risks.  We sure would have appreciated a stronger move off these lows in light of the assessment that production numbers have been miscalculated.

Intel Corporation (INTC) has firmed up nicely.  Apple’s earnings are giving tech stocks a boost in the after hours.

The objective at the Stock Market Companion is to get things right as much as humanly possible and to increase your confidence so that you can invest successfully on your own.  We are disappointed not to be in Apple right now following earnings, but our disappointment will diminish as we proceed.  We have learned that it is easier to overcome a missed opportunity than real losses.  There is another opportunity being prepared just over the horizon.  We will be ready.

Please remember – at the Stock Market Companion we do not and cannot give individual investment advice. According to the State of Washington RCW 21.20.005 the Stock Market Companion is not a Registered Financial Advisor and we do not render any advice on the basis of the specific investment situation of a particular individual. This information is for a wide readership and is not intended for any particular individual,  and under no circumstances should our SMC Intraday Update, SMC 30MinuteStocks Market Update or Watchlist be considered an investment recommendation or plan for any specific individual.  By accessing this material, you agree that the Stock Market Companion will not be held liable for any actions taken by a subscriber or other parties.  Please seek the council of a broker or other licensed investment professional for accurate pricing and concerning the suitability of all investments that you may be considering. Disclosure : Please understand that the Stock Market Companion holds positions in the above mentioned securities.  Based on market related or personal events these positions may change without notice.      

– Stock Market Companion – Current Holdings –

Nr.	Co.	Ticker	Action	Entry Date	Current Gain (Loss)
1	YRC Worldwide	YRCW	Holding	2/26/2010	+51%
2	US Natural Gas ETF	UNG	Holding	4/9/2010	-3%
3	Ford Motor Co.	F	Holding	4/14/2010	+6%

– Stock Market Companion – Previous Holdings –

Nr	Co.	Ticker	Entry Date	Exit Date	Total Gain or (Loss)
1	ProShares Ultra Short SP-500	SDS	4/7/2010	4/9/2010	(-1.8%)
2	US Natural Gas ETF	UNG	4/5/2010	4/8/2010	(-8.2%)
3	Apple Inc.	AAPL	3/23/2010	4/7/2010	+5.7%
4	Ford Motor Co.	F	3/31/2010	4/7/2010	(-2%)
5	Somaxon Pharmaceuticals	SOMX	3/23/2010	4/6/2010	(-15.9%)
6	Dendreon Inc.	DNDN	3/23/2010	3/31/2010	(-1.4%)
7	ProShares Ultra Short SP-500	SDS	3/19/2010 (1/2 Position)	3/23/2010	(-1.5%)
8	Dendreon, Inc.	DNDN	2/11/2010	3/19/2010	+14.5%
9	General Electric Co.	GE	3/16/2010	3/19/2010	+1.4%
10	Apple Inc.	AAPL	3/5/2010	3/19/2010	+1.3%
11	Ford Motor Co.	F	2/25/2010	3/18/2010	24%
12	RINO International	RINO	3/3/2010	3/17/2010	3.1%
13	Nutri-System Inc.	NTRI	10/16/2009	12/28/2009	+79.7%
14	Palm Inc.	PALM	11/11/2009	11/27/2009	-8.6%
15	Research In Motion	RIMM	12/8/2009	1/5/2010	+6.8%
16	Simple Tech, Inc.	STEC	12/15/2009	1/5/2010	+62.2%
17	US Natural Gas ETF	UNG	12/10/2009	1/8/2010	+6%
18	Human Genome Sci.	HGSI	12/22/2009	1/8/2010	(-0.2%)
19	Ford Motor Co.	F	11/9/2009	1/12/2010	+48.6%
20	Western Refining Inc.	WNR	1/5/2010 (1/2 Share Count)	1/12/2010	(-5.5%)
21	RINO International Corp.	RINO	1/8/2010 (1/4 Share Count)	1/12/2010	(-5.1%)
22	Bank of America Inc.	BAC	1/4/2010	1/12/2010	+4.7%
23	YRC Worldwide	YRCW	1/12/2010 (1% only)	2/4/2010	(-17.1%)
24	Dendreon Inc.	DNDN	2/3/2010 (1/4 Share Count)	2/4/2010	(-2.7%)

* Gains (losses) do not include brokerage fees

– Benchmarks “At a Glance” –

US Dollar	1.341 USD = 1 Euro	USD / EUR	Dollar = Flat
Gold	1,142.6	Ounce	Gold = Flat
Oil	$84.38	Barrel (West Texas Crude)	Oil = Up
30 Yr. Fixed Mortgage	5.14	Percent	Flat
30 Yr. Bond Yield	4.7	Percent	Flat
1 Yr. CD	1.36	Percent	Flat

(Data Source : Finviz.com Financial Visualizations)

We wish you all a fine evening.

Remember to invest on your own, but not alone.

Signing off for today, your –

Stock Market Companion

** Stock Market Companion Disclaimer **

The Stock Market Companion (SMC) Market Update and Watchlist are published documents to subscribers that show how we (SMC) are viewing the markets and what we are watching, investing in or selling today.  This information is for a wide readership and is not intended for any particular individual,  and under no circumstances should this Market Update or Watchlist be considered an investment recommendation or plan for any specific individual.  By accessing this material, you agree that the Stock Market Companion will not be held liable for any actions taken by a subscriber or other parties.  You understand that the Stock Market Companion holds positions in the above mentioned securities.  Based on market related or personal events these positions may change without notice.

Furthermore, the Stock Market Companion, Inc. is a content provider and publisher and not a registered broker-dealer or licensed investment professional.  Our intent is to publish very accurate market information for an audience of subscribers (1000+ subscribers).  By accessing the Stock Market Companion website and/or using the Stock Market Companion products and services such as this Market Update and accompanying Watchlist, you understand and agree that the material provided in the Stock Market Companion products and services is for informational and educational purposes only, and that no mention of a particular security in a Stock Market Companion product or service constitutes a recommendation to buy, sell, or hold that or any other security, or that any particular security, portfolio of securities, transaction or investment strategy is suitable for any specific person.  To the extent any of the information contained in any Stock Market Companion product or service may be deemed to be investment advice, such information is impersonal and not tailored to the investment needs of any specific person.  Before selling or buying any stock or other investment you should consult with a qualified broker or other financial professional to verify pricing information and to solicit advice as to the appropriateness of a given transaction or investment.<

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