-Executive Summary-

• Huge recovery for the markets due to –
  1. Excellent earnings from Intel, Corp (Ticker: INTC)
  2. Acceptable bond sales by Spain, Portugal, and Germany – Removing some of the pessimism related to European sovereign debt issues.
  3. Increases in commodity prices as the U.S. dollar fell.  The U.S. dollar fell due to an increase in confidence in the euro, now that Spain and Portugal were successful with their bond sales.
• Good news from Intel, Corp. is good news for Stock Market Companion holding Dell, Inc. (DELL)  See more below.
• Apple, Inc. (Ticker: AAPL) reported earnings after the close that were also huge.
• Intel’s, and now Apple’s earnings are showing that the supply chain problems resulting from the trouble in Japan are less than expected.
• Here is a video interview of a father and son using the Stock Market Companion successfully together – as a teaching and investing tool.
  

– Stock Market Companion – Current Holdings –

Nr.	Co.	Ticker	Action	Entry Date	Current Gain (Loss)
1	Nexxus Lighting	NEXS	Miniscule Holding	3/18/2011	-20%
2	Dell Inc.	DELL	Holding	3/21/2011	+1%
3	Ford Motor Co.	F	Holding	4/1/2011	-2%

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	1,330.36	Index	UP = +17.74 points
DOW-30	12,453.54	Index	UP = +186.79 points
NASDAQ	2,802.51	Index	UP =+57.54 points
NASDAQ 100	2,357.76	Index	UP = +50.99 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 –

What a difference one day makes for the markets when the markets are in earnings season.  The benefit of our transparent markets is that we can make projections on future earnings easier based on quarterly reporting.  You need to understand that the U.S. is unique about this.  In Germany, investors do not have anywhere near the view into company financials that we do here in the U.S.  That said, some companies have discontinued giving forward estimates on earnings, but we still have the 1x quarter actual earnings which gives us a real understanding of how the companies are running.  The question and answer sessions that are offered by CEO’s and their finance teams when individual companies report earnings are also a tremendous benefit.

For example, last night Intel, Corpl (Ticker: INTC $21:40) reported EXCELLENT earnings.  What does excellent mean?  In this case, Intel’s 1st quarter revenues were $1.2 billion (that’s right, BILLION with a “B”) HIGHER than expectations and earnings per share a dime higher than expected.  Here are the numbers –

Quarterly revenues = $12.8 billion

Quarterly earnings / share = $0.56/share

Shares of Intel stock vaulted +6% this morning before the open, sold-off a bit after the open and then surged into the afternoon to close at $21.41.

For the last two months, the shares of the stock of companies related to the traditional personal computer (PC) market have been brutally punished due to concerns that the PC market is slowing down in sales (revenues).  There has been a dramatic shift in PC sales as the Ipad has redefined the PC landscape.  What we are saying is this – there has been a strong concern that the traditional PC market has been selling less equipment as tablet PC’s and smart phones continue to grow rapidly.  And this is accurate.  When we have looked at the details from the big box retailers (think: Best Buy), quarterly results, this shift to tablet PC’s and smart phones is taking place.  A recent interview with the chief financial officer at Dell, Inc. also validated this shift – BUT – also said that enterprise (think: small and big business) sales of traditional PC’s were taking up the slack.

Today, Intel’s earnings validates this point –  Yes, tablet PC’s and smart phones are re-defining the RETAIL PC landscape, BUT sales of tradition PC components are still robust, due to enterprise level sales.  Brisk server business is also helping Intel.

Intel reported this in their quarterly earnings call – “The first-quarter revenue was an all-time record for Intel fueled by double digit annual revenue growth in every major product segment and across all geographies. These outstanding results, combined with our guidance for the second quarter, position us to achieve greater than 20 percent annual revenue growth.”

Broadly speaking these three items are moving the market significantly higher today –

1. Intel Corp.’s (Ticker: INTC) excellent quarterly earnings.
2. Successful bond sales in Spain, Portugal, and Germany; which consequently caused the U.S. dollar to sell-off hard.
3. Higher commodity prices (think: Oil, Gold, and Silver)

– Story-Stock Investing –

Most Stock Market Companion subscribers know that we have been strong supporters of Intel, Corp. (Ticker: INTC) for several quarters now due to their –

1. Quarter after quarter of record or near record sales and earnings levels.

2. CEO Paul Otellini.  He has been in his position since 2005, and has been with the company a long time.  He has made excellent decisions, but the stock has gone nowhere during his tenure.  He is driven to change this, we are certain.

3. Recent, aggressive stock buy-back program initiated.

As we wrote above, Intel is forecasting 20 percent annual revenue growth.  The stock needs to respond.    We are going to re-initiate our investment in Intel Corp. soon.  We need to see how the shares perform tomorrow, after this strong gap-up.  The market HAS NOT rewarded investors for hastily getting on board stocks on gap-ups.   We are cautiously, very optimistic.

What is good for Intel, should be good for existing Stock Market Companion holding Dell, Inc. (Ticker: DELL).

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	1.4521 USD = 1 Euro	USD / EUR	Dollar = Down Significantly
Gold	$1,498.90	Ounce	Gold = Up at High’s Again.
Oil	$111.38	Barrel (West Texas Crude)	Oil = Flat
30 Yr. Fixed Mortgage	4.85%	Percent	Flat
10 Yr. Bond Yield	3.4	Percent	Flat
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.