-Executive Summary-

• Higher.  The markets advanced, in spite of difficulties in Japan, Libya, and Portugal.
• Micron Technology, Inc. (Ticker: MU $11.50) surged on excellent earnings for their memory products, giving encouragement to focused technology stocks like – Nvidia Inc. and Silicon Image, Inc.
• Best Buy, Inc. announced earnings and sales that were a disappointment, BUT validated the strength of smart phone and pc tablet sales.
• At the Stock Market Companion, we initiated positions in Nvidia, Inc. (Ticker: NVDA) AND Silicon Image, Inc. (SIMG) – see more 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	+1.2%
3	Nvidia, Inc	NVDA	Purchased Today	3/24/2011	+3.9%
4	Silicon Image, Inc.	SIMG	Purchased Today	3/24/2011	+/- 0%

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	1,309.66	Index	UP = +12.12 points
DOW-30	12,170.56	Index	UP = +84.54 points
NASDAQ	2,736.42	Index	UP = +38.12 points
NASDAQ 100	2,312.09	Index	UP = +41.59 points

– Market Trends –

Trend	SP-500	DJ-30	NASDAQ	NASDAQ 100
Short Term	*Flat*	*Flat*	*Flat*	*Flat*
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 –

European troubles, resulting from Portugal’s legislature voting DOWN austerity measures, have taken the center stage – and combine with what we wrote yesterday concerning the various catalysts impacting the markets –

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 at 250,000 is disastrous.

– Story-Stock Investing –

Today we sent out TWO SMC Intra-Day Alerts.  Here they are –

Dear Subscriber-Friend –

We are initiating now a start position in the stock of the company Silicon Image, Inc. (Ticker: SIMG) at $9.71/share.

Our stop is a long way down… at $7.99/share.

Here’s the story – Smart phones are the equivalent of carrying a laptop computer in your pocket.

The main difference between the two (besides the absence of the keyboard) is the screen size.  Silicon Image’s focus is in creating standards and chip-sets that allow smart phones and tablet pc’s to be connected easily to large screens – like T.V.’s.  Their MHL (Mobile High Definition Link) product allows for –

1. Existing connectors in phones or tablets to be re-configured (by the manufacturer) for high definition video output.  Phone manufacturers do not need to find a place in that already crammed space for another connector.
2. Simple and smart linkage – using a cable – between the smart phone or other device and the screen.
3. Simultaneous charging of the mobile device while linked and sending video content.

Click here for their website, where you can understand more… Click on the “Experience It” link on their banner on the home page to get an idea of the functionality their product offers.

Smart phones and tablets are selling very strongly.  Best Buy (the big box retail store) came out with earnings today and stated that T.V.’s and laptop sales declined, while mobile (smart phones and tablet pc’s) sales increased +40%.

Silicon Image’s revenue is growing and their margins are strong.  Their addressable market is huge.  The number of shares available to the public is small = 73 million shares.  Their first revenue from the MHL product will come this year.

There are risks.  Will wireless technology displace their product?  Will other standards be developed?  Will firms like Apple develop their own technologies … ?

The stock is volatile.  Today, the stock is up approx. +8%.  For us at the Stock Market Companion, we will be looking for opportunities to purchase this stock as long as it remains above $8.50/share, and below $10.30/share.

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

Dear Subscriber-Friend –

We have gone ahead this morning and initiated a modest purchase of Nvidia Corp. (Ticker: NVDA) at $18.50.

We would not purchase much more Nvidia above $19.15.

Our stop on Nvidia is at $17.20.

We will report more later in our SMC 15MinuteStocks Market Update

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	1.4177 USD = 1 Euro	USD / EUR	Dollar = Flat
Gold	$1,430.10	Ounce	Gold =Flat / Down
Oil	$105.47	Barrel (West Texas Crude)	Oil = Flat
30 Yr. Fixed Mortgage	4.79%	Percent	Flat
10 Yr. Bond Yield	3.404	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.