Stock Trading

Monday After taking a scary dip in early April, Apple’s (NASDAQ:AAPL) stock stabilized somewhat in the last week, staying above the level of $450 per share for the entire five-day period. Despite experiencing some minor rises and falls, the stock has advanced nearly 16 percent since closing at a 52-week low of $385.10 on April 19. Shares continued trading within their current range Monday, closing up $1.77, or 0.39 percent, at $454.74. Here’s a cheat sheet to today’s top Apple stories: Is Apple now a once-in-a-decade buying opportunity? Click here to get your 24-page Ultimate Cheat Sheet to Apple’s Stock now! Finally, Apple Gets Pentagon Approval After being beaten in the race to get Pentagon approval by rivals BlackBerry (NASDAQ:BBRY) and Samsung (SSNLF.PK); Apple has finally received its Department of Defense security approval. The recent approval covers all of Apple’s iOS 6-powered devices. Earlier this month, BlackBerry won security approval for its BlackBerry 10 operating system, and Samsung won approval of its Android Knox-based mobile devices. Although Samsung’s standard devices do not meet the military’s security specifications, the South Korea-based smartphone maker was allowed to beef up its security with Knox Security software… (Read more.) Could This Be the Future of Apple’s iOS? Could this be the iOS 7 reboot that Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) users have been waiting for? Simply Zesty, a full service digital agency based in the UK, has created an amazing concept video that outlines the expected design changes that users are anticipating for Apple’s new mobile operating system. Simply Zesty describes its video as “our concept designs for iOS 7, gathered from the rumours, speculation and features we think Apple should include on the new OS.” Apple will officially unveil the new iOS 7 at the Worldwide Developers Conference, scheduled for June 10-14. Apple’s iOS has not had a major makeover since the iPhone’s debut in 2007, and this could be a make-or-break scenario for the next generation of Apple’s mobile operating system… (Read more.) Major Apple Supplier Gets April Sales Bump After posting a first quarter drop in earnings revenue, Foxconn, also known as Hon Hai Precision Industry, has seen its latest figures rise. According to Patently Apple, Foxconn saw a 12 percent monthly increase in total sales for April due to an increased demand for consumer electronics products. Foxconn is one of Apple’s (NASDAQ:AAPL) largest suppliers, with an estimated 40 percent of its total sales revenue derived from the Cupertino-based company… (Read more.) NEW! Discover a new stock idea each week for less than the cost of 1 trade. CLICK HERE for your Weekly Stock Cheat Sheets NOW! Don’t Miss: Is Apple Ignoring a Growing Screen Size Trend? Tuesday As Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) seeks to build relations beyond its main supplier Foxconn and attempts to add Samsung (SSNLF.PK), shares of the iPhone maker slumped on Tuesday. Following Monday’s gains, the stock ended the day down $10.88, or 2.39 percent, at $443.86. Here’s a cheat sheet to today’s top Apple stories: Is the Average Joe Still Buying Apple? Apple has come under a great deal of scrutiny over the past several months. The world’s largest publicly traded company suffered a sharp correction that started last year, and faces worries about new product offerings on an almost daily basis. However, the average joe investor still believes in Apple. Is Apple now a once-in-a-decade buying opportunity? Click here to get your 24-page Ultimate Cheat Sheet to Apple’s Stock now! Shares of Apple dropped nearly 17 percent in the first quarter, compared to double-digit gains in the Dow Jones Industrial Average and S&P 500. In April, the company’s stock price even reached a fresh 52-week low of $385. Many investors saw this as a buying opportunity, though. According to brokerage firm TD Ameritrade, more of its clients now own Apple than ever before. In fact, Apple is the most widely held stock in terms of dollar

Like a child who grows too big to tolerate an embarrassing nickname, GM (NYSE:GM) appears ready to stare down name-callers who speak the “Government Motors” moniker. Between its strong sales data, investment in new cars, improved public image and return of stock prices to IPO levels, the signs point to a bona fide General Motors revival. The news has been almost entirely positive for GM over the past year, in which stock prices surged more than 50 percent to reach the level of its November 2010 IPO while sales increase domestically and overseas. It’s safe to say the company benefited from the positive exposure during the 2012 presidential election, when President Obama brandished the success of Detroit automakers like a weapon against opponent Mitt Romney. Clearly, Americans felt good about the Detroit comeback and voted accordingly. NEW! Discover a new stock idea each week for less than the cost of 1 trade. CLICK HERE for your Weekly Stock Cheat Sheets NOW! Success for General Motors and Ford (NYSE:F) meant the administration’s economic policies were working, including the bailout and loans handed to the automakers by the government. Those days of government attachment appear to be over (and happily so) for GM, as the Treasury department continues dumping company stock and expects to exit completely by early next year. Once that happens, GM will be eligible to return to the S&P 500. Of course, the company’s success will only continue if it makes its customers happy enough to become repeat customers. The satisfaction levels for GM are among their highest levels ever, due to a concerted effort by the company to bring back customers and get them dreaming about Detroit cars the way they did in the Big 3′s heyday. J.D. Power’s Customer Service index shows Cadillac, Buick and GMC all scoring in the top three of their respective categories in customer estimation. NEW! Discover a new stock idea each week for less than the cost of 1 trade. CLICK HERE for your Weekly Stock Cheat Sheets NOW! In another display of GM’s return to form, real estate developers are planning a car condominium project on the site of a former GM plant in Pontiac, Michigan. Car enthusiasts will be able to house their car collections and enjoy the comforts of a country club while entertaining guests at the proposed site. Automakers hope they will see some of the new Corvettes to go along with the classic versions bound to pop up in the condos in Pontiac. GM is poised to celebrate a legitimate revival. Don’t Miss: GM Aims For Its Achilles’ Heel: Customer Loyalty. Read the original article from Wall St. Cheat Sheet

Qihoo 360 Technology Co (NYSE:QIHU) will report earnings before markets open on Monday, May 20th. Qihoo 360 Technology Co Ltd. provides Internet and mobile security products in the People’s Republic of China. The Companys products include an Internet security product for Internet security and system optimization, an anti-virus application to protect users’ computers against trojan horses, viruses, worms, adware, and other forms of malware, and a mobile smartphone security program. Here is your Cheat Sheet to Qihoo 360 Technology Co Earnings: Earnings Expectations: Analysts expect earnings of $0.14 per share on revenues of $106.30 million. Currently, the company’s P/E ratio stands at 102.75. Analyst Trends: Analysts have a more negative outlook for the company’s next-quarter performance. Over the past three months, the average estimate for next quarter’s earnings has fallen from a profit of $0.23 to a profit $0.21. For the current year, the average estimate is a profit of $0.99, which is worse than the estimate ninety days ago. Earnings Trends: Here’s how Qihoo 360 Technology Co has been performing on an annual basis: Fiscal Year 2009 2010 2011 2012 Revenue ($) in millions 32.30 57.66 167.85 329.03 Diluted EPS ($) 0.045 0.075 0.135 0.375 Next, our CHEAT SHEET investing framework asks us to drill down to the recent quarterly data: Quarter Dec. 31, 2011 Mar. 31, 2012 Jun. 30, 2012 Sep. 30, 2012 Dec. 31, 2012 Revenue ($) in millions 62.32 69.28 91.09 84.04 102.95 Diluted EPS ($) 0.1260 0.1179 0.0751 0.105 0.1031 Past Performance: Qihoo 360 Technology Co has beat analyst estimates 3 times in the past four quarters. Shareholders could expect a boost if the company beats estimates. “E = Earnings Are Increasing Quarter-Over-Quarter” is a core component of our successful CHEAT SHEET investing framework. Don’t waste another minute – click here to discover our CHEAT SHEET stock picks now! (Company fundamentals provided by Xignite Financials. Email any earnings discrepancies to earnings [at] wallstcheatsheet.com) Read the original article from Wall St. Cheat Sheet

Wisconsin is not the most unemployment-friendly state. The state legislature’s Joint Finance Committee voted Monday to approve a proposal that would require Wisconsin’s unemployed to double their work searches from two to four searches per week. Should they fail to meet requirements, they would lose their benefits, NBC 15 reported Monday morning, hours before the vote. NEW! Discover a new stock idea each week for less than the cost of 1 trade. CLICK HERE for your Weekly Stock Cheat Sheets NOW! The budget committee approved the proposal Monday afternoon, making Wisconsin a state with one of the toughest job requirement searches in the country, compared to states like Pennsylvania and Michigan who only mandate that their unemployed apply to a minimum of two jobs per week. According to a briefing paper by the nonpartisan Legislative Fiscal Bureau, only three other states require four or more searches a week. Though the change was up for a vote Monday in the legislature’s Joint Finance Committee, the full legislature will have to agree for the change to take effect. The Democrats are against the proposal, claiming it is “designed to kick people off of unemployment insurance.” Republicans deny this claim, explaining that the proposal will work to better encourage people to secure jobs. Don’t Miss: Fed’s Easy Money Policy Gets a Green Light From Low Inflation. Read the original article from Wall St. Cheat Sheet

Yahoo (NASDAQ:YHOO) appears to have added another arrow to its social media quiver by purchasing the microblogging platform Tumblr. The $1.1 billion acquisition has just been approved by Yahoo’s board according to anonymous sources via the Wall Street Journal. Tumblr’s board approved the deal yesterday, reports Forbes. Marissa Mayer, who has run Yahoo since leaving Google (NASDAQ:GOOG) last year, engineered this latest acquisition after becoming interested in the social media startup several months ago. Founded in 2007, Tumblr has rocketed in popularity with its unique blend of blogging and social networking. The company only recently added advertising to its service last year which has so far generated $13 million in revenue. Tumblr has recently seen its user base double from 58 million unique users in 2012 to 117 million users this March according to statistics from comScore (NASDAQ:SCOR). Meanwhile, Tumblr’s smartphone user base has tripled from 4 million users in 2012 to 12 million unique users this year. This would add significantly to Yahoo’s smartphone user base which is already around 84 million… Interestingly, Yahoo’s purchase of Tumblr is all in cash. Typically, acquisitions of this magnitude involve a significant stock component. For example, Facebook’s (NASDAQ:FB) $1 billion purchase of Instagram was comprised of only $300 million in cash while the rest in of the value was offered in company shares. David Karp is the mastermind behind Tumblr. Here’s how Yahoo has traded over the past week: Follow Nathanael on Twitter (@ArnoldEtan_WSCS) Read the original article from Wall St. Cheat Sheet

Urban Outfitters (NASDAQ:URBN) will report earnings after markets close on Monday, May 20th. Urban Outfitters, Inc. operates retail stores and direct response, including a catalog and Web sites. The Company’s Urban Outfitters and Anthropologie retail concepts sell fashion apparel, accessories, and household and gift merchandise. Urban also designs and markets young women’s casual wear which it provides to the Company’s retail operations and sells to retailers worldwide. Here is your Cheat Sheet to Urban Outfitters Earnings: Earnings Expectations: Analysts expect earnings of $0.29 per share on revenues of $654.94 million. Currently, the company’s P/E ratio stands at 27.01. Analyst Trends: Analysts have a more negative outlook for the company’s next-quarter performance. Over the past three months, the average estimate for next quarter’s earnings has fallen from a profit of $0.51 to a profit $0.48. For the current year, the average estimate is a profit of $1.92, which is worse than the estimate ninety days ago. Earnings Trends: Here’s how Urban Outfitters has been performing on an annual basis: Fiscal Year 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 Revenue ($) in millions 1,835 1,938 2,274 2,474 2,795 Diluted EPS ($) 1.17 1.28 1.60 1.19 1.62 Next, our CHEAT SHEET investing framework asks us to drill down to the recent quarterly data: Quarter Jan. 31, 2012 Apr. 30, 2012 Jul. 31, 2012 Oct. 31, 2012 Jan. 31, 2013 Revenue ($) in millions 730.65 568.93 676.27 692.89 856.83 Diluted EPS ($) 0.2698 0.23 0.42 0.40 0.5563 Past Performance: Urban Outfitters has beat analyst estimates 2 times in the past four quarters. This is not consistent enough to get bullish yet. “E = Earnings Are Increasing Quarter-Over-Quarter” is a core component of our successful CHEAT SHEET investing framework. Don’t waste another minute – click here to discover our CHEAT SHEET stock picks now! (Company fundamentals provided by Xignite Financials. Email any earnings discrepancies to earnings [at] wallstcheatsheet.com) Read the original article from Wall St. Cheat Sheet

Raven Industries (NASDAQ:RAVN) will report earnings before markets open on Monday, May 20th. Raven Industries, Inc. is an industrial manufacturer focusing on plastics and electronics. The Company manufactures ultra thin and reinforced plastic sheeting, provides electronic manufacturing services, and manufactures precision products for agriculture. Raven also provides balloons, inflatables, contract electronics, and industrial controls through its subsidiaries. Here is your Cheat Sheet to Raven Industries Earnings: Earnings Expectations: Analysts expect earnings of $0.44 per share on revenues of $112.64 million. Currently, the company’s P/E ratio stands at 23.64. Analyst Trends: Analysts have a more positive outlook for the company’s next-quarter performance. Over the past three months, the average estimate for next quarter’s earnings has risen from a profit of $0.31 to a profit $0.33. For the current year, the average estimate is a profit of $1.46, which is better than the estimate ninety days ago. Earnings Trends: Here’s how Raven Industries has been performing on an annual basis: Fiscal Year 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 Revenue ($) in millions 279.91 237.78 314.71 381.51 406.18 Diluted EPS ($) 0.85 0.79 1.12 1.39 1.44 Next, our CHEAT SHEET investing framework asks us to drill down to the recent quarterly data: Quarter Jan. 31, 2012 Apr. 30, 2012 Jul. 31, 2012 Oct. 31, 2012 Jan. 31, 2013 Revenue ($) in millions 96.33 117.92 101.67 97.01 89.58 Diluted EPS ($) 0.3012 0.52 0.32 0.30 0.3037 Past Performance: Raven Industries has beat analyst estimates 2 times in the past four quarters. This is not consistent enough to get bullish yet. “E = Earnings Are Increasing Quarter-Over-Quarter” is a core component of our successful CHEAT SHEET investing framework. Don’t waste another minute – click here to discover our CHEAT SHEET stock picks now! (Company fundamentals provided by Xignite Financials. Email any earnings discrepancies to earnings [at] wallstcheatsheet.com) Read the original article from Wall St. Cheat Sheet

A hallmark disease of an overweight, desk bound nation, diabetes instigates a staggering economic burden on our healthcare system where total costs, including hospital inpatient care, doctor visits, medication, and reduced or lost productivity have been estimated at $245 billion in 2012, a 41% increase in the last five years. Further, diabetes costs the average sufferer $13,700 per year in tending to the disease to maintain a certain quality of life and avoid death.Keeping in step with the climb of obesity in the U.S., diabetes is big business with pharmaceutical firms committing large portions of their R&D budgets to new and better ways to get insulin into and throughout the body. Most have failed, but the brass ring remains an oral version -- a pill, taken discretely every day just like vitamins or aspirin. Now it appears a small, Israeli biotechnology firm, laboring almost anonymously in early phase

While the DJIA and S&P500 are hitting new highs on a daily basis, it is worth noting that the broad energy sector, as measured by the Spider Energy ETF (XLE), has severely underperformed the overall market. The energy sector has lagged the broad market (DJIA) by some 25 percentage points over the past 5 years. And this in spite of the outperforming refining and MLP sectors within the energy space.What if energy stocks joined this rally? I think they will. And I think the DJIA and S&P500 could easily move up another 2-3% on the back of an energy sector rally. Here's why.DIA data by YChartsAccording to Standard & Poors, the energy sector now composes only 10% of the S&P500. According to Bespoke Investment, this is down from 15.3% in 2008. There have been a number of reasons for the energy sector's contraction

I wish I had easy answers but I sure don't. Just look at our Big Chart – we flipped it bullish and put up new level targets just two weeks ago and already the Russell is up 5% to test 1,000.  All 3 lines over 1,000 and we're back to being bullish until 3 of 5 fail to hold our "Must Hold" lines.   We should be celebrating this but we played too cautiously as what we thought was a top and I never officially put "5 Inflation Fighters Set to Fly" or our "5 Trade Ideas that Make (made) 500% in an up Market" into our portfolios and I only said: So lots of fun ways to participate in the next mega-rally.  We don't need S&P 1,900 – just holding 1,600 would do us quite well and I cannot emphasize enough that these are HEDGES to our current BEARISH stance – just in case we're wrong and a correction never comes and the markets go up and up forever and all of our bearish positions expire worthless.  In reviewing those posts, I realize I went heavily into detail about my thoughts of the current market environment and we decided we'd better go with the flow until the flow changes and, frankly, I don't have a lot to add to that.  A week ago we reviewed our "5 Trade Ideas" that made ridiculous amounts of money in a very short time but, as I have been reminded this weekend – unless I specifally state something should be included in one of our virtual portfolios – it doesn't occur to people that they should add it to theirs so we have been out of balance bearish in our portfolios and have gotten hit pretty hard in this relentlessly climbing market.   That's my fault then and my solution is to make things less confusing and go back to my favorite system for managing trades and that's to have a portfolio for short-term trading and one for long-term trading (the Income Portfolio is a separate strategy and won't be affected) and we'll be instituting that beginning next week.  The idea is to practice the basics – position sizing, scaling in, scaling out, using stops, reacting to news, diversifying positions, etc.  The Long-Term Portfolio is generally for short-term positions that don't work but that we would like to stick…