– The Stock Market Companion –
15MinuteStocks
Market Update
April 23, 2010
——- Stock Market Investing since the 1980’s ——-
Published all Market Days
Monthly Subscription $29.95
 Today’s SMC Watchlist

– Executive Summary –

UP, and more UP…  The markets finished strong today on two pieces of good news.  New-home sales rose at a year-to-year rate of 26%. (Source: CNNMoney)  This news is driven by the government’s $8,000 tax credit for first time home buyers, who need to have the purchase contract signed by the end of next week.  The second piece of good news was durable goods orders (goods expected to last at least 3 yrs.).  They increased by 2.8%, when excluding negative effects of aircraft and other transportation goods. (Source: AP)

Energy, home builders, and computer memory suppliers were the big movers on our screens today.  We sent out an SMC Intra-day Update concerning the US Natural Gas ETF (UNG), stating that we were adding more at $7.48/share.  Our stop is “in”, at approx. $6.80/share.  Natural gas futures finished near to their highs for the day. (See more below.)

(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	1,217.28	Index	UP = +8.61 points
DOW-30	11,204.28	Index	UP = +69.99 points
NASDAQ	2,530.15	Index	UP = +11.08 points
NASDAQ 100	2,055.33	Index	UP = +10.17 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.

Energy may be moving to replace the financials in terms of underlying strength for the markets.

One more confirmation day above last Friday’s high volume down-day will put our short term trend UP.   We’d feel better about it if Intel Corporation confirmed their uptrend with an excellent follow through day on volume.

– Today’s Highlights –

Greece was again the center of attention, this time due to their engaging the European Union and IMF bailout plan.  While the news is not encouraging in itself, it took the uncertainty out of the equation – at least for the moment. The US Dollar backed off and the Euro recovered a bit.

As mentioned above, new home sales and durable goods orders were very positive news for today.

Large capitalization financial stocks are showing weakness and leading stocks with good earnings haven’t been able to punch north (INTC and AMZN).  Apple Inc. is an exception.

– Stock Investing Specifics and Strategies –

Energy stocks were strong today. Schlumberger’s (SLB) earnings caused the spark in the energy sector.  Sales declined at SLB, but their outlook was greeted with enthusiasm.  The focus is on their margins and the fact that at $80/barrel, oil prices are high enough to foster investment in exploration projects. (Source: MarketWatch)

Schlumberger is a leading oil services company.  They and Halliburton are (among others) the ones oil producers (Exxon, Royal Dutch Shell…) call when they want to expand their oil production.  They do this when oil prices are sufficient to pay for expanded exploration and development.

If we can make some good investments in this sector we’ll do it.  Schlumberger might not be a bad idea.  The stocks in this area are still relatively range bound and are not in any way over extended to the degree that stocks are in retail and some technology stocks.

We may be in just the right place with our US Natural Gas ETF (UNG) holding.  Don’t forget to read our SMC Intra-day Update on UNG in your email.

We finally made a change in our watchlist that we think that you will all appreciate.  We now have 3 groupings –

At the top = Current Holdings

Second Group = Stocks We Are Tracking Closely for Entry (INTC, SOMX, ARNA…)

Third Group = Former holdings – This is useful for subscribers to see what and when we entered and exited for learning purposes.

We are going to expand the second group next week to include more stocks on our radar.

 

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 15MinuteStocks 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	+69%
2	US Natural Gas ETF	UNG	Holding	4/9/2010	+4%
3	Ford Motor Co.	F	Holding	4/14/2010	+8%

– 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	1.333 USD = 1 Euro	USD / EUR	Dollar = Down
Gold	$1,153.70	Ounce	Gold = UP
Oil	$85.12	Barrel (West Texas Crude)	Oil = UP
30 Yr. Fixed Mortgage	5.14	Percent	Flat
30 Yr. Bond Yield	4.66	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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