-Executive Summary-

• The markets closed DOWN today – BUT better than expected, following an aggressive afternoon sell-off.
• SMC holding China Shen Zhou Mining Resources, Inc. (Ticker: SHZ) cruised higher today with vigor.  The stock was subject to market based afternoon selling, but still appears o.k.  This is a micro-cap stock where the shorts (60% of the holding) may have over-played their hand.  Today’s move is +10%.
• Oil and other commodities like gold, silver, and corn are all moving strongly higher in price.  It’s too late at this time to run-after these commodities.  It rarely pays to run after the market.
• Here’s our SECOND 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	-22%
2	Dell Inc.	DELL	Holding	3/21/2011	-3%
3	Cisco Inc.	CSCO	Holding	4/6/2011	-1%
4	Ford Motor Co.	F	Holding	4/1/2011	+0%
5	China Shen Zhou Mining	SHZ	Purchased Today	4/7/2011	+10%

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	1,328.17	Index	Down = -5.34 points
DOW-30	12,380.05	Index	Down = -29.44 points
NASDAQ	2,780.42	Index	Down = -15.72 points
NASDAQ 100	2,321.18	Index	Down = -11.70 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 (Yesterday’s) (Click to open helpful chart in a separate browser window).

– Today’s Highlights –

For all practical purposes, today’s market action would be represent a classic “double-top” formation, whereby the market (S&P 500 and DJ 30) reach previous highs and then pull back sharply, as buyers refuse to push the markets higher and sellers emerge to take their profits as negative news unfolds and uncertainty about future economic conditions in the face of strong commodity prices takes hold.  If this was the case, we would normally liquidate positions and wait for the market to retrace -10% to -15% and individual stocks to give up anywhere from 1x to 4x this same amount.  That’s right – individual stocks would give up anywhere from -10% to -40% of value.

But we are in a situation where the market has defied this type of gravity.  Think about it – Over the last 2.5 months we’ve had the first significant unrest in the Arab world in generations emerge – taking out the Egyptian president and growing into violence in other Arab states – thereby threatening control of the Suez Canal and threatening consistent oil supplies, yet the markets have moved higher.  Additionally, the markets have had to reconcile the worst nuclear accident since Chernobyl, which has momentarily jolted the world’s 3rd largest economy.

The markets have hardly budged.

Today, we awoke to further conflict in Libya resulting in concern over their oil supply.  West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude surged above $113/barrel.

Late afternoon selling put a specter of fear in market participants for a bit, but the markets recovered.

While stock prices remain firm, investors are not pushing share prices higher.  Excellent earnings – whether from Costco (Ticker: COST) or Oracle, Inc. (ORCL) have not benefited investors following the earnings announcements.

– Story-Stock Investing –

We like how China Shen Zhou Mining Resources, Inc. (Ticker: SHZ) responded to the market today.  We would like to thank subscriber-friends “Dr. Andrew” and “Tom” for their encouragement.

At some point the increases in commodity costs must affect the market, as corporations weigh the ability of passing on additional cost of goods sold to customers.

We are attentive to stock HH Gregg (Ticker: HGG) as this electronics retailer has been pounded over the last months, although it is in an expansion phase.  This sounds rather boring, but boring may be good.

Also, China Automotive Systems, Inc. (CAAS) made an important announcement today – involving among other things a +20% growth rate for the foreseeable future.  We will report more next week and look for an entry.  The stock has been roughed up due to – you guessed it – accounting irregularities.

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	1.4483 USD = 1 Euro	USD / EUR	Dollar = Down more.
Gold	$1,474.10	Ounce	Gold =UP at all time high’s.
Oil	$113.05	Barrel (West Texas Crude)	Oil = UP
30 Yr. Fixed Mortgage	4.79%	Percent	Flat
10 Yr. Bond Yield	3.57	Percent	UP
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.