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24/7 Wall St. Closing Bell — February 7, 2013: Markets Flat to Start, Then Slide (BBRY, MCP, NOK, ABBV, GOOG, FMC, GMCR, IACI, TSO, V, YELP, ALU, BG, CI, MWW, NYT, PM, S, TEVA, ATVI, CSTR, LNKD, RVBD, SPWR, AOL, APO, MCO, XONE, SUTR, AKAM)

Paul Ausick — Thu, 07 Feb 2013 21:02:48 +0000

U.S. equity markets opened flat this morning, largely due to a slew of data from Europe that essentially cancelled any good news with an equal dollop of bad. U.S. unemployment data came out before the market opened and was a bit worse than expected (more coverage here). In Europe, the Bank of England and the European Central Bank both kept key interest rates unchanged, Italy’s Monte del Paschi bank reported its derivatives loss at just short of $1 billion, France’s trade deficit was greater than expected, and German industrial production rose a bit more than expected. In Asia, traders were selling as we go into the lunar new year holiday weekend, which begins a week of exchange closures of different lengths in different markets. In the U.S., sellers outgunned buyers and a strengthening dollar held down energy and gold prices.

The U.S. dollar index rose 0.61% today, now at 80.206. The GSCI commodity index is down about 0.1% at 676.14, with commodities prices mostly lower today. WTI crude oil closed down 0.8% today, at $95.83 a barrel, it’s lowest level in two weeks. Brent crude trades up 0.4% at $117.20 a barrel. Natural gas is down 3.6% today at about $3.29 per million BTUs after the EIA reported that inventories shrank less than expected (more coverage here). Gold settled down 0.5% today at $1,671.30 an ounce.

The unofficial closing bells put the DJIA down more than 43 points to 13,943.17 (-0.31%), the NASDAQ fell more than 3 points (-0.11%) to 3,165.14, and the S&P 500 fell -0.19% or nearly 3 points to 1,509.30.

There were a several analyst upgrades and downgrades today, including BlackBerry (NASDAQ: BBRY) raised to ‘outperform’ at Wells Fargo; Molycorp Inc. (NYSE: MCP) raised to ‘neutral’ at J.P. Morgan; Nokia Corp. (NYSE: NOK) reiterated as ‘hold’ at Argus; AbbVie Inc. (NYSE: ABBV) started as ‘neutral’ at Credit Suisse; and Google Inc. (NASDAQ: GOOG) started as ‘neutral’ at Sterne Agee.

Earnings reports since markets closed last night resulted in several price moves today, including these: FMC Corp. (NYSE: FMC) is down 3.4% at $59.74; Green Mountain Coffee Roasters Inc. (NASDAQ: GMCR) is down 5.5% at $46.25 (more coverage here); IAC/InterActivecorp (NASDAQ: IACI) is up 1.8% at $43.78; Tesoro Corp. (NYSE: TSO) is up 2.9% at $52.65 after posting a new 52-week high of $53.14 earlier today; Visa Inc. (NYSE: V) is down 2.3% at $157.20 (more coverage here); Yelp Inc. (NYSE: YELP) is down 5.1% at $21.25 (more coverage here); Alcatel Lucent SA (NYSE: ALU) is down 7.1% at $1.59 (more coverage here); Bunge Ltd. (NYSE: BG) is down 8.6% at $72.56 (more coverage here); Cigna Corp. (NYSE: CI) is up 2.6% at $61.19 after posting a new 52-week high of $61.23 earlier today; Monster Worldwide Inc. (NYSE: MWW) is down 7% at $5.44 after posting a new 52-week low of $5.01 earlier today; New York Times Co. (NYSE: NYT) is up 3.2% at $8.50; Philip Morris International Inc. (NYSE: PM) is up 2.5% at $89.85 (more coverage here); Sprint Nextel Corp. (NYSE: S) is down 1% at $5.71 (more coverage here); and Teva Pharmaceuticals Industries Ltd. (NYSE: TEVA) is down 0.5% at $37.96.

After markets close today and before they open tomorrow morning we are scheduled to hear from Activision Blizzard Inc. (NASDAQ: ATVI), Coinstar Inc. (NASDAQ: CSTR), LinkedIn Corp. (NYSE: LNKD), Riverbed Technology Inc. (NASDAQ: RVBD), SunPower Corp. (NASDAQ: SPWR), AOL Inc. (NYSE: AOL), Apollo Global Management LLC (NYSE: APO), and Moody’s Corp. (NYSE: MCO).

Some standouts from today include the following stocks:

The ExOne Co. (NASDAQ: XONE) is up 49% at $26.80. The 3D printer company held its IPO today and went out big. More coverage here.

Sutor Technology Group Ltd. (NASDAQ: SUTR) is up 60% at $1.62. The China-based steel products maker posted quarterly EPS that were double expectations.

Akamai Technologies Inc. (NASDAQ: AKAM) is down 15.9% at $34.97. The network and cloud company posted so-so revenues and light guidance after close last night..

Stay tuned for Friday. Minneapolis Fed President Narayana Kocherlakota is giving a speech. We have also noted the following events on the schedule (all times Eastern):

8:30 a.m. – International trade
10:00 a.m. – Wholesale trade

Filed under: 24/7 Wall St. Wire, HI/LOW, Market Close Tagged: ABBV, AKAM, ALU, AOL, APO, ATVI, BBRY, BG, CI, CSTR, FMC, GMCR, GOOG, IACI, LNKD, MCO, MCP, MWW, NOK, NYT, PM, RVBD, S, SPWR, SUTR, TEVA, TSO, V, XONE, Yelp

24/7 Wall St. Closing Bell — February 6, 2013: Markets Waver With Little New Data to Chew On (FSLR, JCP, WFC, ACI, ITRI, CMG, EXPE, GNW, TTWO, DIS, ZNGA, CVS, MRO, NUS, RL, SYT, TWX, FMC, GMCR, IACI, TSO, V, YELP, ALU, BG, CI, MWW, NYT, PM, S, TEVA, BCC, GDP, VOCS)

Paul Ausick — Wed, 06 Feb 2013 21:04:54 +0000

U.S. equity markets opened lower this morning before bouncing into positive territory briefly and then turning south again. As happened yesterday, the focus was on Europe, where Italy’s oldest bank was expected to reveal the extent of its derivatives losses, estimated by some to be as high as €1 billion. German factory orders came in slightly below estimates. In Asia, the early resignation of one governor from the Bank of Japan sent the Nikkei up nearly 4%. There was little data out in the U.S. today. Mortgage applications rose 3.4% from last week (more coverage here) and crude oil inventories also rose. But today has mostly been spent waiting for news from Italy. In the event, shares came close to a flat finish.

The U.S. dollar index rose 0.3% today, now at 79.721. The GSCI commodity index is up 0.4% at 676.70, with commodities prices lower today. WTI crude oil closed flat today, at $96.62 a barrel following today’s report on inventories (more coverage here). Brent crude trades up 0.2% at $116.80 a barrel. Natural gas is up 0.8% today at about $3.43 per million BTUs. Gold settled up 0.3% today at $1,678.80 an ounce.

The unofficial closing bells put the DJIA up less than 7 points to 13,985.98 (0.05%), the NASDAQ fell about 3 points (-0.10%) to 3,168.48, and the S&P 500 rose 0.05% or less than 1 point to 1,512.06.

There were a several analyst upgrades and downgrades today, including First Solar Inc. (NASDAQ: FSLR) started as ‘buy’ at Citi; J.C. Penney Co. Inc. (NYSE: JCP) started as ‘sell’ at Maxim Group; Wells Fargo & Co. (NYSE: WFC) started as ‘buy’ at Nomura; Arch Coal Inc. (NYSE: ACI) cut to ‘neutral’ at J.P. Morgan; and Itron Inc. (NASDAQ: ITRI) raised to ‘buy’ with a price target of $52 at Argus.

Earnings reports since markets closed last night resulted in several price moves today, including these: Chipotle Mexican Grill Inc. (NYSE: CMG) is up 5.8% at $322.83; Expedia Inc. (NASDAQ: EXPE) is down 2.7% at $65.65; Genworth Financial Inc. (NYSE: GNW) is down 3.1% at $8.89; Take-Two Interactive Software Inc. (NASDAQ: TTWO) is up 14.9% at $14.54; Walt Disney Co. (NYSE: DIS) is up 0.4% at $54.53 after posting a new 52-week high of $55.50 earlier today (more coverage here); Zynga Inc. (NASDAQ: ZNGA) is up 8.4% at $2.97 (more coverage here); CVS Caremark Corp. (NYSE: CVS) is down 1.3% at $51.06 (more coverage here); Marathon Oil Corp. (NYSE: MRO) is down 1.4% at $34.23; Nu Skin Enterprises Inc. (NYSE: NUS) is down 3.3% at $41.56; Ralph Lauren Corp. (NYSE: RL) is up 5.8% at $174.43; Syngenta AG (NYSE: SYT) is down 2.3% at $85.10; and Time Warner Inc. (NYSE: TWX) is up 4.1% at $52.01 after posting a new 52-week high of $55.23 earlier today (more coverage here).

After markets close today and before they open tomorrow morning we are scheduled to hear from FMC Corp. (NYSE: FMC), Green Mountain Coffee Roasters Inc. (NASDAQ: GMCR), IAC/InterActivecorp (NASDAQ: IACI), Tesoro Corp. (NYSE: TSO), Visa Inc. (NYSE: V), Yelp Inc. (NYSE: YELP), Alcatel Lucent SA (NYSE: ALU), Bunge Ltd. (NYSE: BG), Cigna Corp. (NYSE: CI), Monster Worldwide Inc. (NYSE: MWW), New York Times Co. (NYSE: NYT), Philip Morris International Inc. (NYSE: PM), Sprint Nextel Corp. (NYSE: S), and Teva Pharmaceuticals Industries Ltd. (NYSE: TEVA).

Some standouts from today include the following stocks:

Boise Cascade Co. (NYSE: BCC) is up 25.9% at $26.43. The wood products maker held its IPO today, and priced above the expected range. More coverage here.

Goodrich Petroleum Corp. (NYSE: GDP) is up 18.6% at $12.60. The oil & gas E&P firm announced rising production at one of its wells.

Vocus Inc. (NASDAQ: VOCS) is down 15.5% at $15.00. The cloud software company after guiding current quarter earnings and revenues lower.

Stay tuned for Thursday. Chicago Fed President Charles Evans and Fed Governor Jeremy Stein are giving speeches. We have also noted the following events on the schedule (all times Eastern):

8:30 a.m. – New claims for unemployment benefits
8:30 a.m. – Productivity and costs
10:30 a.m. – EIA weekly natural gas storage report
3:00 p.m. – Consumer credit
4:30 p.m. – Fed balance sheet and money supply

Filed under: 24/7 Wall St. Wire, HI/LOW, Market Close Tagged: ACI, ALU, BCC, BG, CI, CMG, CVS, DIS, EXPE, featured, FMC, FSLR, GDP, GMCR, GNW, IACI, ITRI, JCP, MRO, MWW, NUS, NYT, PM, RL, S, SYT, TEVA, TSO, TTWO, TWX, V, VOCS, WFC, Yelp, ZNGA

24/7 Wall St. Closing Bell — October 29, 2012: Markets Closed as Hurricane Sandy Aims at New York (WIT, OFC, LOCK, JAKK, URI, PBR, BKW, HRS, L, LUFK, EDU, PCG, SNH, APC, FMC, AGN, ADM, CAR, AVP, BP, JCI, JDSU, STX, YNDX, RVBD, OPNT, EBAY, CLH)

Paul Ausick — Mon, 29 Oct 2012 20:01:13 +0000

U.S. stock markets were closed today as New York City and the entire East Coast of the country from the Carolinas to Maine prepare to deal with Hurricane Sandy. In New York, the subway has been closed as have commuter highway tunnels and some bridges. With U.S. markets closed the news centered on the effects the storm might have on global markets and on shares in some sectors, particularly U.S. insurance companies (more coverage here), financial institutions, and oil refineries (more coverage here). In Europe today, markets closed lower, and in Asia markets closed mixed as traders wait to see the impact of the storm on the U.S. The U.S. stock and bond markets will also be closed tomorrow (more coverage here).

The U.S. dollar index rose slightly today, now up 0.21% at 80.239. The GSCI commodity index is up fractionally at 638.97, with commodities prices mostly lower again today. WTI crude oil closed down 0.9% in electronic trading today, at $85.54 a barrel. Brent crude trades down 0.13% at $109.41 a barrel. Natural gas is up 2.2% today at about $3.47 per thousand cubic feet. Gold closed at $1,708.70 an ounce, down 0.2% for the day.

There were several analyst upgrades and downgrades today, including Wipro Ltd. (NYSE: WIT) raised to ‘outperform’ at Credit Suisse; Corporate Office Properties (NYSE: OFC) raised to ‘outperform’ at BMO Capital Markets; LifeLock Inc. (NYSE: LOCK) started as ‘buy’ at Needham , Deutsche Bank, and Goldman Sachs; JAKKS Pacific Inc. (NASDAQ: JAKK) maintained as ‘underperform’ and named ‘Bear of the Day’ at Zacks; and United Rentals Inc. (NYSE: URI) named ‘value stock of the day’ at Zacks.

There were several earnings reports today although, of course, there was no impact on share prices: Petroleo Brasileiro SA, aka Petrobras, (NYSE: PBR), Burger King Worldwide Inc. (NYSE: BKW) (more coverage here), Harris Corp. (NYSE: HRS), Loews Corp. (NYSE: L), Lufkin Industries Inc. (NASDAQ: LUFK), New Oriental Education & Technology Group Inc. (NYSE: EDU), PG&E Corp. (NYSE: PCG), Senior Housing Properties Trust (NYSE: SNH), Anadarko Petroleum Corp. (NYSE: APC), and FMC Corp. (NYSE: FMC).

Some firms that had been scheduled to report results this week have postponed their announcements due to the weather. We have a roundup of those we know about here. Others still scheduled to report earnings tomorrow include Allergan Inc. (NYSE: AGN), Archer Daniels Midland Co. (NYSE: ADM), Avis Budget Group Inc. (NASDAQ: CAR), Avon Products Inc. (NYSE: AVP), BP plc (NYSE: BP), Johnson Controls Inc. (NYSE: JCI) JDS Uniphase Corp. (NASDAQ: JDSU), Seagate Technology plc (NASDAQ: STX), and Yandex NV (NASDAQ: YNDX).

Major stories from today include:

Riverbed Technology Inc. (NASDAQ: RVBD) is acquiring smaller rival OPNET Technologies Inc. (NASDAQ: OPNT) for $43 a share in cash and stock, or about $1 billion. More coverage here.

eBay Inc. (NASDAQ: EBAY) today eliminated about 325 jobs at its PayPal subsidiary. More coverage here.

Clean Harbors Inc. (NYSE: CLH) will acquire oil recycler Safety-Kleen in an all-cash deal worth $1.25 billion. More coverage here.

Stay tuned for Tuesday. U.S. bond and equities markets are closed due to the weather tomorrow. New York Fed President William Dudley has cancelled a scheduled speech, but Minneapolis Fed President Narayana Kocherlakota is scheduled to give a speech Tuesday evening in Duluth. We have noted the following event on the schedule (all times Eastern):

7:45 a.m. – ICSC-Goldman store sales
8:55 a.m. – Redbook
9:00 a.m. – S&P Case-Shiller house price index

Paul Ausick

Filed under: 24/7 Wall St. Wire, HI/LOW, Market Close Tagged: ADM, AGN, APC, AVP, BKW, BP, CAR, CLH, EBAY, EDU, FMC, HRS, JAKK, JCI, JDSU, L, LOCK, LUFK, OFC, OPNT, PBR, PCG, RVBD, SNH, STX, URI, WIT, YNDX

24/7 Wall St. Closing Bell — August 1, 2012: Markets Lose Small Gains after FOMC Minutes

Paul Ausick — Wed, 01 Aug 2012 20:03:34 +0000

The three major US stock indexes opened higher this morning as markets were getting primed for the afternoon’s statement from the FOMC. Tomorrow’s announcement on interest rates from the European Central Bank now takes center stage. China’s PMI report came in weaker than expected (our report here), but Asian markets finished higher, probably hoping that the weaker PMI would lead to more Chinese government stimulus. US and European PMI readings were mixed, with the Eurozone revised up, while both Germany and France posted downward revisions (more coverage here). When the FOMC minutes were finally released, markets responded by dropping sharply on the lack of stronger hints for more stimulus (our coverage here).

The US dollar index rose today, now up 0.46% at 83.013. The GSCI commodity index fell by about -1.3% to 635.82, with commodities prices mostly lower again today. WTI crude oil rose 1% today, closing at $88.91/barrel, following the EIA’s weekly petroleum status report (our coverage here). Brent crude trades up 0.74% at $105.70/barrel. Natural gas is down -1.18% today to $3.171/thousand cubic feet. Gold settled at $1,603.70/ounce, down -0.4% for the day.

The unofficial closing bells put the DJIA down more than 31 points to 12,977.42 (-0.24%), the NASDAQ fell more than 19 points (-0.66%) to 2,920.21, and the S&P 500 fell 0.29% or nearly 4 points to 1,375.37.

There were several analyst upgrades and downgrades today, including Wal-Mart Stores Inc. (NYSE: WMT) raised to ‘hold’ at Deutsche Bank; JetBlue Airways Corp. (NASDAQ: JBLU) cut to ‘sell’ at Dahlman Rose; Discovery Communications Inc. (NASDAQ: DISCA) cut to ‘sell’ at Citigroup; BP plc (NYSE: BP) cut to ‘hold’ at Jefferies; and Tech Data Corp. (NASDAQ: TECD) cut to ‘underperform’ at BofA/ML.

Earnings reports since markets closed last night have led to some price changes as of the last half hour of trading today: Electronic Arts Inc. (NASDAQ: EA) is up 5.4% at $11.61 (more coverage here); Allstate Corp. (NYSE: ALL) is up 7.3% at $36.80 after posting a new 52-week high of $36.99 earlier today; Edison International Inc. (NYSE: EIX) is down -2.6% at $44.99; FMC Corp. (NYSE: FMC) is down -3.2% at $52.97; Take-Two Interactive Software Inc. (NASDAQ: TTWO) is down -9.7% at $7.93 after posting a new 52-week low of $7.92 (our coverage here); WebMD Health Corp. (NASDAQ: WBMD) is down -2% at $14.41; Allergan Inc. (NYSE: AGN) is up 4.7% at $85.91; Burger King Worldwide Inc. (NYSE: BKW) is down -0.8% at $15.20; CNH Global NV (NYSE: CNH) is up 0.2% at $38.19; Devon Energy Corp. (NYSE: DVN) is down -3.5% at $57.07; Exelon Corp. (NYSE: EXC) is down -2% at $38.34; and Harley-Davidson Inc. (NYSE: HOG) is down -2.4% at $42.18.

After markets close today we are set to hear from Atlas Pipeline Partners LP (NYSE: APL), Avis Budget Group Inc. (NYSE: CAR), CVR Energy Inc. (NYSE: CVI), First Solar Inc. (NASDAQ: FSLR), General Growth Properties Inc. (NYSE: GGP), GT Advanced Technologies Inc. (NASDAQ: GTAT), Onyx Pharmaceuticals Inc. (NASDAQ: ONXX), and Seaspan Corp. (NYSE: SSW).

Before markets open tomorrow we are scheduled to get earnings results from American Superconductor Corp. (NASDAQ: AMSC), Apache Corp. (NYSE: APA), Beam Inc. (NYSE: BEAM), Boise Inc. (NYSE: BZ), Duke Energy Corp. (NYSE: DUK), Lear Corp. (NYSE: LEA), Monster Worldwide Inc. (NYSE: MWW), and Time Warner Cable Inc. (NYSE: TWC).

Some standouts from today include the following stocks:

Silicon Image Inc. (NASDAQ: SIMG) is up 26% at $4.94. The semiconductor company beat estimates last night and is positioned for growth with Samsung’s hot-selling Galaxy phones.

Knight Capital Group Inc. (NYSE: KCG) is down -28.5% at $7.39 after posting a new 52-week low of $7.20 earlier today. The financial services company has admitted to some trading errors. More coverage here.

Frontier Communications Inc. (NASDAQ: FTR) is up 11.7% at $4.38. The telecom provider reported better-than-expected earnings last night — and pays a very rich dividend yield. More coverage here.

Facebook Inc. (NASDAQ: FB) is down -3.5% at $20.95 after posting a new post-IPO low of $20.87 earlier today. The social networking company had no news today, but some investors are jumping ship before the locked-up shares hit the market later this month.

Stay tuned for Thursday. We have noted the following events on the schedule (all times Eastern):

7:30 a.m. – Challenger job-cut report
8:30 a.m. – New claims for unemployment benefits
10:00 a.m. – Factory orders
10:30 a.m. – EIA weekly natural gas storage report
4:30 p.m. – Fed balance sheet and money supply

Paul Ausick

Filed under: 24/7 Wall St. Wire, Active Trader, HI/LOW, Market Close Tagged: AGN, ALL, AMSC, APA, APL, BEAM, BKW, BP, BZ, CAR, CNH, CVI, DISCA, DUK, DVN, EA, EIX, EXC, FB, FMC, FSLR, FTR, GGP, GTAT, HOG, JBLU, KCG, LEA, MWW, ONXX, SIMG, SSW, TECD, TTWO, TWC, WBMD, WMT

24/7 Wall St. Closing Bell — July 31, 2012: Markets Turn Down on Lost Confidence, Eurozone Waffling

Paul Ausick — Tue, 31 Jul 2012 20:17:16 +0000

The three major US stock indexes opened mixed this morning following the unemployment report from the Eurozone, which showed that the 11.2% rate had remained unchanged. The Eurozone consumer price index was also unchanged at 2.4% (our coverage here). US data on personal income and spending were mixed (our coverage here), while the Case-Shiller house price index showed a year-over-year decline in May (our coverage here). The Conference Board’s economic confidence index improved this month (more coverage here), but Gallup’s survey on economic confidence showed a decline in confidence (our coverage here). An agreement has been struck between Congressional Democrats and Republicans that will avoid a repeat of last summer’s shutdown of some government services.

The US dollar index fell today, now down -0.18% at 82.642. The GSCI commodity index rose by about 0.4% to 644.60, with commodities prices mostly lower today. WTI crude oil fell -1.72% today, closing at $88.06/barrel, although July prices rose 3.6% (our coverage here). Brent crude trades down -1.37% at $104.74/barrel. Natural gas is up 0.16% today to $3.219/thousand cubic feet. Gold settled at $1,610.50/ounce, down -0.6% for the day, but up 0.4% for the month.

The unofficial closing bells put the DJIA down more than 64 points to 13,008.68 (-0.49%), the NASDAQ fell more than 6 points (-0.21%) to 2,939.52, and the S&P 500 fell -0.43% or nearly 6 points to 1,379.32.

There were several analyst upgrades and downgrades today, including Time Warner Cable (NYSE: TWC) started as ‘buy’ at Jefferies; Las Vegas Sands Corp. (NYSE: LVS) cut to ‘hold’ at Argus; The Dow Chemical Co. (NYSE: DOW) cut to ‘hold’ at Argus; Broadsoft Inc. (NASDAQ: BSFT) raised to ‘buy’ at Goldman Sachs, and Comcast Corp. (NASDAQ: CMCSA) started as ‘buy’ at Jefferies.

Earnings reports since markets closed last night have led to some price changes as of the last half hour of trading today: Anadarko Petroleum Corp. (NYSE: APC) is down -3.2% at $69.45; CafePress Inc. (NASDAQ: PRSS) is down -40.9% at $8.10 after posting a new 52-week low of $7.68 earlier today (more coverage here); Dendreon Corp. (NASDAQ: DNDN) is down -23% at $4.76 after posting a new 52-week low of $4.70 earlier today (more coverage here); Hertz Global Holdings Inc. (NYSE: HTZ) is down -2.1% at $11.26; Seagate Technology PLC (NASDAQ: STX) is down -1.4% at $30.01; Aetna Inc. (NYSE: AET) is down -2.9% at $36.05; Archer Daniels Midland Co. (NYSE: ADM) is down -5.2% at $26.08; Coach Inc. (NYSE: COH) is down -18.6% at $49.30(more coverage here); Marathon Petroleum Corp. (NYSE: MPC) is down -0.3% at $47.33; Pfizer Inc. (NYSE: PFE) is up 1.5% at $24.06 (our coverage here); Revlon Inc. (NYSE: REV) is up 7.2% at $14.55; United States Steel Corp. (NYSE: X) is up 9.1% at $20.65; and Valero Energy Corp. (NYSE: VLO) is up 5.5% at $27.51 (more coverage here).

After markets close today we are set to hear from Electronic Arts Inc. (NASDAQ: EA), Allstate Corp. (NYSE: ALL), Edison International Inc. (NYSE: EIX), FMC Corp. (NYSE: FMC), Take-Two Interactive Software Inc. (NASDAQ: TTWO), and WebMD Health Corp. (NASDAQ: WBMD).

Before markets open tomorrow we are scheduled to get earnings results from Allergan Inc. (NYSE: AGN), Burger King Worldwide Inc. (NYSE: BKW), CNH Global NV (NYSE: CNH), Devon Energy Corp. (NYSE: DVN), Exelon Corp. (NYSE: EXC), and Harley-Davidson Inc. (NYSE: HOG).

Some standouts from today include the following stocks:

Facebook Inc. (NASDAQ: FB) is down -6.5% at $21.64, after posting a new 52-week low of $21.61 earlier today. The social media giant continues to suffer from last week’s poor earnings and the end of a lock-up period for pre-IPO investors. More coverage here.

Suntech Power Holdings Co. Ltd. (NYSE: STP) is down -14.2% at $1.15after posting a new 52-week low of $1.02 earlier today. The solar PV maker revealed some accounting issues yesterday that have plagued the company again today.

Sprint Nextel Corp. (NYSE: S) is down 3.1% at $4.37 after posting a new 52-week high of $4.60earlier today. The telecom provider is gaining support for its strategic plan.

Stay tuned for Wednesday. We have noted the following events on the schedule (all times Eastern):

7:00 a.m. – Mortgage Bankers Association mortgage purchase applications
7:30 a.m. – Challenger job-cut report
8:15 a.m. – ADP employment report
9:00 a.m. – PMI manufacturing index
10:00 a.m. – ISM manufacturing index
10:00 a.m. – Construction spending
10:30 a.m. – EIA weekly petroleum status report
2:15 p.m. – FOMC announcement

Paul Ausick

Filed under: 24/7 Wall St. Wire, Active Trader, HI/LOW, Market Close Tagged: ADM, AET, AGN, ALL, APC, BKW, BSFT, CMCSA, CNH, COH, DNDN, DOW, DVN, EA, EIX, EXC, FB, FMC, HOG, HTZ, LVS, MPC, PFE, PRSS, REV, S, STP, STX, TTWO, TWC, VLO, WBMD, X

The Strongest Stock Charts In The S&P 500 (AZO, CCI, CMG, FMC, GPS, PPG, RHT, TSS, V, WFM)

Jon C. Ogg — Sat, 21 Apr 2012 12:54:42 +0000

24/7 Wall St. has partnered with The Chart Lab to bring regular reviews of the strongest and weakest stock charts in the S&P 500 Index. This weekend’s review is tracking the strongest stock charts as the following: AutoZone Inc. (AZO); Crown Castle International Corp. (NYSE: CCI); Chipotle Mexican Grill, Inc. (NYSE: CMG); FMC Corp. (NYSE: FMC); Gap, Inc. (NYSE: GPS); PPG Industries Inc. (NYSE: PPG); Red Hat, Inc. (NYSE: RHT); Total System Services, Inc. (NYSE: TSS); Visa, Inc. (NYSE: V); and Whole Foods Market, Inc. (NASDAQ: WFM).

The biggest questions to ask are 1) what makes these stock charts strong? and 2) what does it mean going forward? ChartLabPro.com’s algorithms use a quantitative approach that aim to forecast patterns by identifying consistent investment themes. The methodology uses over 200 indicators and scores them to locate trends in their early stages constantly running scenarios to locate inefficiencies and trends in stocks. Only four of the ten strongest stock charts were in the top ten strongest charts last week.

The current chart shows the year-to-date gains, prices for support and resistance on each stock, as well as an indication of just how strong each 5-rating or “strong buy” on a short-term trend. The strongest stock charts are never based solely on year-to-date performance but on more recent patterns. This aims to put the longer-term trends into a better short-term picture for the more active traders out there. The top 10 names on average are up 25.78% year-to-date and up 1.57% month-to-date. Compares that to the S&P 500 Index with gains of 8.2% year-to-date and a loss of -2.74% month-to-date.

You can click on the chart included here to open and expand it to a larger resolution for easier viewing.

The results here generate visual and contextual results for technical trading analysis and trading opportunities based upon custom criteria for investors. You can try the Chartlabpro.com for 30 days using promo code Chartp2p8i.

You can also see the five strongest and five weakest technology sector stock charts from the S&P 500 Index here as of Friday.

Filed under: Active Trader, Charts, Index, Technical Analysis, Trading Alert Tagged: AZO, CCI, CMG, FMC, GPS, PPG, RHT, TSS, V, WFM

Investing in Lithium Gets Easier, Finally an ETF (LIT, SQM, FMC, ROC, AONE, XIDE, ABAT, HEV, ULBI, CBAK, VLNC)

Jon C. Ogg — Wed, 21 Jul 2010 19:44:05 +0000

Investing in global Lithium demand trends just became much easier. An ETF is coming out this week called the Global X Lithium ETF. It is not a commodity fund but it does track the components of the Solactive Global Lithium Index. The index tracks the performance of the lithium industry, which is companies that mine or explore for lithium, sell and distribute lithium, and those which are big end-users of lithium battery production. Some of the big or recognized stock and ADR names that comprise this ETF are Chemical & Mining Co. of Chile Inc. (NYSE: SQM), FMC Corp. (NYSE: FMC), Rockwood Holdings Inc. (NYSE: ROC), A123 Systems, Inc. (NASDAQ: AONE), Exide Technologies (NASDAQ: XIDE), Advanced Battery Technologies, Inc. (NASDAQ: ABAT), Ener1, Inc. (NASDAQ: HEV), Ultralife Corp. (NASDAQ: ULBI), China BAK Battery, Inc. (NASDAQ: CBAK), and Valence Technology Inc. (NASDAQ: VLNC).

This Lithium ETF from Global X is expected to launch on Friday, July 23, 2010 and will trade under the “LIT” ticker on the New York Stock Exchange. These are not all of the names, but these are the names of stocks that actively trade in the U.S. which are components in the ETF. We have included the initial weighting in the proposed ETF, although that will change through time. Weightings will be as follows:

Chemical & Mining Co. of Chile Inc. (NYSE: SQM) 20.00%
FMC Corp. (NYSE: FMC) 17.24%
Rockwood Holdings Inc. (NYSE: ROC) 7.25%
A123 Systems, Inc. (NASDAQ: AONE) 4.75%
Exide Technologies (NASDAQ: XIDE) 4.75%
Advanced Battery Technologies, Inc. (NASDAQ: ABAT) 4.75%
Ener1, Inc. (NASDAQ: HEV) 4.75%
Ultralife Corp. (NASDAQ: ULBI) 2.92%
China BAK Battery, Inc. (NASDAQ: CBAK) 2.81%
Valence Technology Inc. (NASDAQ: VLNC) 2.22%

The Solactive Global Lithium Index tracks the price movements in shares of the largest and most liquid companies whose main business operations are in exploration and/or mining of Lithium or a closely related activity or production of Lithium batteries. The index is calculated as a total return index in USD and adjusted semi-annually. As it adjusts semiannually, so will the weighting of its components.

An inquiry into the company notes that the official launch will be the same seed capital as all Global X ETF products, which is 100,000 shares at a launch price of $15.00. With the sector being difficult to invest in and with the actively traded U.S.-listed stocks (some are foreign ADRs) above having an initial weighting of more than 70%, it seems likely that investors will have far more interest than an initial size of 100,000 shares.

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JON C. OGG

Filed under: Active Trader, ADR, Alternative Energy, Commodities, Commodities & Metals, ETF, ETFs & Mutual Funds, Index, International Markets, Metals Tagged: ABAT, AONE, CBAK, FMC, HEV, LIT, ROC, SQM, ULBI, VLNC, XIDE

FMC Corp.: Jim Cramer’s Hidden Agriculture Trade (FMC)

Douglas A. McIntyre — Wed, 13 Feb 2008 19:03:31 +0000

On tonight’s MAD MONEY on CNBC, Jim Cramer wanted to review a hidden undervalued stock in the market. Tonight he noted FMC Corp (NYSE: FMC) as a key undervalued stock in chemicals and agriculture. While he likes the company on its own, he noted that the current inflated prices in Agriculture and potash stocks should actually generate a much higher stock price. He thinks that because of this company’s pricing power in its its niche that this should be worth a combined $5.7 Billion instead of $4+ Billion today. In his words, that yields a $70 STOCK.

By now you have seen this sector on fire. We just noted a hot potash IPO coming soon and just yesterday we noted how the best post-IPO in recent months is also in the sector. Deere (NYSE: DE) shares indicated lower after earnings this morning and closed lower too.

Just remember one key thing. Thursday is Valentine’s Day, and fertilizer is only a good gift if your intimate other is a green thumb that hasn’t been able to get to the store in a very long time.

FMC closed up 2.2% at $53.54 today and the 52-week trading range is $35.64 to $59.00. $70.00 would be a considerable price. While it still is listed as having a 30+ P/E ratio, this really trades with a 13.8 P/E ratio for fiscal Dec-2008 forward estimates.

Jon C. Ogg
February 13, 2008