-Executive Summary-

• Higher, but the markets have headwinds to tackle.  The DOW (DJ-30) is holding the 12,000 with a certain tenacity.
• Please see our market and individual stock observations, below.
• Here’s our first Stock Market Companion Customer Testimony video.
  

– Stock Market Companion – Current Holdings –

Nr.	Co.	Ticker	Action	Entry Date	Current Gain (Loss)
1	Nexxus Lighting	NEXS	Holding	3/18/2011	-12%
2	Dell Inc.	DELL	Holding	3/21/2011	+0.8%

If the above “Current Holdings” table is empty it means that we are not holding ANY stocks at this time and that we are therefore 100% in cash.

– 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	1,297.85	Index	Flat = +4.08 points
DOW-30	12,087.61	Index	UP = +68.98 points
NASDAQ	2,699.19	Index	UP = +15.32 points
NASDAQ 100	2,271.02	Index	UP = +13.06 points

– Market Trends –

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

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

– Market Perspectives –

For your added perspective, we’ve included this chart of the broader market (Successful stock investors develop and start with a minds-eye view of the broader market and keep it clear) –

1. SMC SP-500 ETF Daily Chart (Click to open helpful chart in a separate browser window).

– Today’s Highlights –

Asian markets were down overnight, which took European markets down, which caused our U.S. markets to open with the futures pointing down.  Our U.S. markets however staged a nice recovery during the day.

There is not one single catalyst impacting the market.  There are many.  Here are the items each playing a role in today’s market –

1. Weakness in Asian shares and increasing awareness of the SIGNIFICANCE, SIZE, and COST of rebuilding in Japan.

2. Uncertainty of what the defined objectives are in Libya, and whether we will achieve them.

3. Oil prices (WTI) reaching $106/barrel.

4. Industrial output reductions – and therefore earnings and GDP reductions – related to parts shortages from Japan.

5. Weak but possibly – momentarily – turning US dollar value (the US dollar could be staging a modest reversal here to the upside.  Today’s “no-vote” to further austerity measures in Portugal may cause the euro to loose some of its recent shine.)

6. The U.S. Federal Reserve told the Bank of America (Ticker: BAC) that they would not allow it to increase it’s dividend in the near future.  (There was a time when the Federal Reserve did not have such authority.)

7. New home sales data released today at 250,000 is disastrous.

– Story-Stock Investing –

We sent out this SMC Intra-Day Update with our observations today –

Dear Subscriber-Friend –

At the Stock Market Companion, Inc., we are operating under the foundational premise that the stock market today is NOT OVER-VALUED.  Many individual stocks however were at risk to profit taking after making very strong runs over the past 24 months.  We avoided that problem by exiting the market when the troubles in Egypt arose, and by targeting the stocks of excellent companies AFTER strong pull-backs … like our interest in Ford Motor Co. on a -26% pullback, and Dell Inc, on a pull-back from its post-earnings highs.

We continue to look for opportunities to make excellent returns on our investments.

The markets are NOT in a condition as they were in 2008, when we were very skeptical of the markets, made money on short moves and steered clear of disaster.

Dell, Inc. (DELL) is showing good strength today.  We like the stock based on the reasons we wrote in our SMC 15MinuteStocks Market Update which we posted after we made our purchase last week.

Nexxus Lighting, Inc. (NEXS) is showing weakness today.  As we mentioned on our purchase of a very modest holding in this company, we are intending to give this stock plenty of breathing room.  This is a very, very small company and the stock must be handled with caution and with a small share count.  They are introducing an innovative product to be sold at Lowes stores, beginning in June.

In stark contrast to Nexxus Lighting, Dell, Inc. may be purchased by those with their own convictions with share counts that can be substantial-due to the liquidity in the stock.  Of course, Dell has its own volatility and could fail our expectations for the stock to remain above Michael Dell’s own purchase points last week in the low $14’s.  We’ll simply have to see.  Share counts must always be weighed against risk tolerance.

Ford Motor Co. (F) – We like how Ford attracts buying interest down at the $14/share level whenever the stock is driven there on broad market weakness like this morning.

Zagg Inc. (ZAGG) – A very innovative company with excellent accessories for the smart phone and tablet market.  At $6.70/share is down approx. -40% from its recent highs.  It’s right at its 200 day moving average.

Nvidia (NVDA) – We are attentive to the ability of this stock to hold above its $17/share level and attract buying interest in the low $17’s.  This company sells high volume quantities of its processor chips for smart phones and tablets = THE sweet spot in the technology arena.

For your protection and our own, we would like to remind everyone that this is not an investment recommendation for any particular individual.  We cannot possibly know the risk tolerance and investment suitability of such investments for any particular subscriber. Successful investors know their own objectives, purposes, and risks associated with any investment – whether in real estate, stocks, or other investments.  Each investor is on their own.

We are simply reporting the SMC actions in the market place.

Your – Stock Market Companion

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 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 : 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.

– Stock Market Companion – Performance –

Please click on this chart to see the Stock Market Companion 15MinuteStocks stock performance versus the SP-500.  It will open in a separate browser window.
* Gains (losses) do not include brokerage fees.   Our returns are very strong … BUT …  WE have to remind everyone just like all other financial sites in America – Past Performance is No Guarantee of Future Returns.  Unlike others however, our objective is to teach you to be able to make these types of strong returns On Your Own.

All of the investments – stocks, entries, and exits are listed on our Stock Market Companion Watchlist at the bottom of the spreadsheet, in the section labelled Former Holdings.

– Benchmarks “At a Glance” –

US Dollar	1.4097 USD = 1 Euro	USD / EUR	Dollar = UP a bit.
Gold	$1,438.00	Ounce	Gold =UP
Oil	$105.48	Barrel (West Texas Crude)	Oil = Flat
30 Yr. Fixed Mortgage	4.79%	Percent	Flat
10 Yr. Bond Yield	3.348	Percent	Up a bit.
1 Yr. CD	1.16	Percent	Flat

Data Source : Financial Visualizations Inc.

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.