• 31Aug

     

    Markets are flashing a sell signal and this is only the third one since the market bottom in March for the market indexes.

    This could be a dip or the correction we have been seeing in the technicals.
    September  can be a historically challenging month. There have been corrections 2000 there was a strong correction.

    The Weekly picture points to the daily lows getting taken out by price to verify the technical indication.
    Commodities should retreat as the US Dollar rises if this is a correction that would have any lasting power.

    Banking has already seen some market selling last week.
     
    First targets is the 50 SMA watch the financials in Mondays session as an indicator of confirmation.

    Oil will see resistance at Monday’s high of $75. A breech of $71.45 could send it into the upper $60 range fairly quickly.
    Shanghai Composite ends morning down 5.4%, weighed by concerns of slowing bank lending

    Many felt the US Fed administration kept the market propped up during the bulk of 2009 since march, now we may see the next card in the deck played.

    Insider Trading and Investor Sentiment Signaling U.S. Stock Market Top

    Insider Selling in August Soars to 30.6 Times Insider Buying, Highest Level Since TrimTabs Began Tracking in 2004. NYSE Short Interest Plunges 10.3%, While Margin Debt Spikes 5.9% 

     TrimTabs Investment Research reported that selling by corporate insiders in August has surged to $6.1 billion, the highest amount since May 2008. The ratio of insider selling to insider buying hit 30.6, the highest level since TrimTabs began tracking the data in 2004.
    “The best-informed market participants are sending a clear signal that the party on Wall Street is going to end soon,” said Charles Biderman, CEO of TrimTabs.
    TrimTabs’ data on insider transactions is based on daily filings of Form 4, which corporate officers, directors, and major holders are required to file with the Securities and Exchange Commission.
    In a research note, TrimTabs explained that insider activity is not the only sign the rally is about to end. The TrimTabs Demand Index, which tracks 18 fund flow and sentiment indicators, has turned very bearish for the first time since March.
    For example, short interest on NYSE stocks plummeted by 10.3% in the second half of July and margin debt on all US listed stocks spiked 5.9% in July, while 51.6% of advisors surveyed by Investors Intelligence are bullish, the highest level since December 2007.
    “When corporate insiders are bailing, the shorts are covering and investors are borrowing to buy, it generally pays to be a seller rather than a buyer of stock,” said Biderman.
    TrimTabs also reports that the actions of U.S. public companies have been bearish. In the past four months, companies have been net sellers of a record $105.2 billion in shares.
    “Investors who think the U.S. economy is recovering are going to get a big shock this fall,” said Biderman. “Companies and corporate insiders are signaling that the economy is in much worse shape than conventional wisdom believes.”
    TrimTabs Investment Research is the only independent research service that publishes detailed daily coverage of U.S. stock market liquidity–including mutual fund flows and exchange-traded fund flows–as well as weekly withheld income and employment tax collections.

    Founded by Charles Biderman, TrimTabs has provided institutional investors with trading strategies since 1990.
          

     

    U.S. Unemployment – Epic Fail

     
    The figure of 16% quoted here is nothing more than the Bureau of Labor Statistics “U-6″ measure of unemployment.
    U-6 Total unemployed, plus all marginally attached workers, plus total employed part time for economic reasons, economic reasons, as a percent of the civilian labor force plus all marginally attached workers.
    Here is a chart showing the ‘official’ U3 measure of unemployment and the U6 alternate measure. The chart also includes the unofficial unemployment rate projection done by John Williams of Shadowstats.com.

    It appears that Dennis wanted to take this occasion to say that things were SO bad that there is little use in applying any sort of stimulus to the public, although there is plenty of stimulus required for the banks.

     
    Real US unemployment rate at 16 pct: Fed official
    The real US unemployment rate is 16 percent if persons who have dropped out of the labor pool and those working less than they would like are counted, a Federal Reserve official said Wednesday.

    “If one considers the people who would like a job but have stopped looking — so-called discouraged workers — and those who are working

    fewer hours than they want, the unemployment rate would move from the official 9.4 percent to 16 percent, said Atlanta Fed chief Dennis Lockhart.

    He underscored that he was expressing his own views, which did “do not necessarily reflect those of my colleagues on the Federal Open Market Committee,” the policy-setting body of the central bank.

    Lockhart pointed out in a speech to a chamber of commerce in Chattanooga, Tennessee that those two categories of people are not taken into account in the Labor Department’s monthly report on the unemployment rate. The official July jobless rate was 9.4 percent.

    Lockhart, who heads the Atlanta, Georgia, division of the Fed, is the first central bank official to acknowledge the depth of unemployment amid the worst US recession since the Great Depression.

    Lockhart said the US economy was improving but “still fragile,” and the beginning stages of a sluggish recovery were underway.

    “My forecast for a slow recovery implies a protracted period of high unemployment,” he said, adding that it would be difficult to stimulate jobs through additional public spending.

    “Further fiscal stimulus has been mentioned, but the full effects of the first stimulus package are not yet clear, and the concern over adding to the federal deficit and the resulting national debt is warranted,” he said.

    President Barack Obama’s administration has resisted calls for more public spending, arguing that the 787-billion-dollar stimulus passed in February needs time to work its way through the economy.

    Lockhart noted that construction and manufacturing had been particularly hard hit in the recession that began in December 2007 and predicted some jobs were gone for good.

    Prior to the recession, he said, construction and manufacturing combined accounted for slightly more than 15 percent of employment. But

    during the recession, their job losses made up more than 40 percent of all US job losses.

    “In my view, it is unlikely that we will see a return of jobs lost in certain sectors, such as manufacturing,” he said.

    “In a similar vein, the recession has been so deep in construction that a reallocation of workers is likely to happen — even if not permanent.”

    Payroll employment has fallen by 6.7 million since the recession began.

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  • 31Aug

    Headlines for the stock market Trading Day Monday August 31 2009

    * The FDIC is absorbing U.S. banks’ risk on billions in loans to try to spur companies to pick through the wreckage of fallen rivals.

    * Large U.S. companies, in a power play, are paying their bills more slowly while at the same time insisting they receive collections from their smaller suppliers more quickly.

    * Business economists are split on whether the U.S. Federal Reserve’s massive infusion of credit into the economy will lead to inflation in the next couple of years.

    * Representative Ron Paul said he has a commitment from the chairman of the U.S. House Financial Services Committee, Barney Frank, to advance legislation opening the Federal Reserve to broader federal audits.

    * Fed and Treasury officials are scrambling to prevent the commercial-real-estate sector from delivering a roundhouse punch to the U.S. economy as it struggles to recover.

    * Chemicals maker Huntsman Corp <HUN.N> has agreed to purchase Tronox Inc for $415 million, in a deal that would pull the Oklahoma City company out of bankruptcy-court protection, according to people familiar with the deal.

    * China’s sovereign-wealth fund is anticipating a positive return on its investments this year and may ask the Chinese government for more capital to deploy, its chairman said.

    * Freedom Communications Inc, the owner of the Orange County Register, is expected to declare bankruptcy this week, according to people familiar with the situation, the latest in a string of Chapter 11 filings in the battered newspaper business.

    * General Motors Co [GM.UL] announced a new joint venture in China to make light-duty trucks as part of an effort to penetrate further into China’s vibrant auto market, a key strategic focus for the recently restructured car maker.

    * An experimental heart drug being developed by AstraZeneca PLC <AZN.L> significantly outperformed the blockbuster pill Plavix in a big clinical trial, setting the stage for a potential three-way battle in a $9 billion market for anticlotting medicines.

    * The chief executive of the Italian firm named by the United Arab Emirates as having delivered containers with weapons from North Korea to an Iran-bound ship said his company received the shipment in sealed crates that were never opened before being put on the freighter.

    * Consumers are helping pull the tech sector out of one of its worst-ever slumps, and optimism is building that businesses may start switching on spending soon. Intel Corp <INTC.O> boosted its third-quarter sales forecast, citing strong PC demand.

    * Metallurgical Corp of China will raise about $2.3 billion in an initial public offering of 2.87 billion H shares ahead of a Hong Kong listing Sept. 24.

    * The head of American International Group Inc’s <AIG.N> giant aircraft-leasing business is in talks to buy a piece of the unit amid growing frustration at AIG’s delay in selling the company.

    * China Unicom <0762.HK> announced a deal with Apple Inc <AAPL.O> to sell iPhones in China starting later this year, bringing the popular device to the world’s largest mobile market for the first time.

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  • 28Aug

    Minnesota bank is 83rd failure of 2009
    Forest Lake, Minn.-based Mainstreet Bank was closed by regulators Friday, marking the second bank failure of the day and the 83rd of 2009. The Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. said Mainstreet Bank had $434 million in deposits as of June 30. Stillwater, Minn.-based Central Bank has agreed to assume the failed bank’s deposits, the FDIC said. Mainstreet Bank is the second bank to fail in Minnesota this year.

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  • 26Aug

    Bad News From IRS For ETFs
    Exchange traded funds that invest in metals do not qualify for the 15% rate on long-term capital gains. Instead their top top tax rate is 28%. it applies if the fund owned the metal for more than one year and the investor owned fund shares for over a year, IRS says privately. The fund’s investors are deemed to own a share of the metal, such as gold, silver or platinum. The gain is treated as coming from the sale of a collectible.
    The IRS takes a different stance for IRAs investingin these funds. If the metal is held by an independent trustee, the Service will not treat the IRA as owning a share of the fund’s underlying metal. This favorable interpretation keeps the IRA from running afoul of the rule barring direct investments in bullion.
    Although you can own almost any type of asset in an IRA, the IRS prohibits owning collectibles in an IRA, including metals and coins, except for certain kinds of bullion and certain coins minted by the U.S. Treasury. According to IRS Publication 590 , “If an IRA invests in collectibles, the amount invested is considered distributed in the year invested.” The account owner would have to pay a 10% penalty on the amount invested in a collectible since it would be considered an early withdrawal. Ouch! This makes it sound like owning precious metal ETFs in an IRA isn’t such a good idea.

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  • 24Aug

     

    Breaking StockSHAKERS.com News

    Obama To Nominate Bernanke To 2nd Term
    President Barack Obama plans to nominate Ben Bernanke to a second term as
    chairman of the Federal Reserve

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  • 24Aug

    U.S. Equity markets are reversing from the early rally today and are now retesting the opening levels.

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  • 24Aug

     

    CTIC announced today that the  U.S. Food and Drug Administration  ( FDA ) has accepted and has filed for review the Company’s New Drug Application (NDA) for pixantrone as treatment for relapsed or refractory aggressive non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma (NHL). A Prescription Drug User Fee Act (PDUFA) date will be established by the  FDA  regarding the review of the pixantrone NDA by  September 4th  2009.

    “The  FDA’s  acceptance to file our pixantrone NDA represents a significant milestone for CTI and for patients with relapsed and refractory aggressive NHL. We look forward to working with the  FDA  and their final decision on our request for priority review,” noted  James Bianco , M.D., Chief Executive Officer of CTI.

    Pixantrone (BBR 2778), is a novel topoisomerase II inhibitor with an aza-anthracenedione molecular structure that differentiates it from currently marketed anthracyclines and other related chemotherapy agents. Anthracyclines are the cornerstone therapeutic for the treatment of lymphoma, leukemia, and breast cancer. Although anthracyclines are sufficiently effective to be used as first-line (initial) treatment, anthracyclines cause cumulative heart damage that may result in congestive heart failure many years later. As a result, there is a lifetime limit of anthracycline doses and most patients who previously have been treated with an anthracycline are not able to receive further anthracycline treatment if the patient’s disease returns. Pixantrone also can be administered through a peripheral vein rather than a central implanted catheter as required for other drugs in this class. The  FDA  is required to set an action date for review of an application 74 days after the initial submission of the NDA. CTI expects to receive the action date for this drug candidate from the  FDA  and a final decision on review status on  September 4th, 2009 .

    Headquartered in  Seattle , CTI is a biopharmaceutical company committed to developing an integrated portfolio of oncology products aimed at making cancer more treatable.

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  • 24Aug

     

    Friday rally lands Dow industrials, S&P, Nasdaq at 2009 highs; oil also ends at a 2009 high.
    Friday’s rally came on the heels of the big uptick in existing home sales during July, the largest monthly advance in more

    than 10 years. Sales jumped 7.2% to an annual rate of 5.24M units. First-time buyers flooded the markets to take advantage

    of the government’s tax credit prior to its expiration later this fall.

    NASDAQ 3 most active: $SIRI 0.70, $QQQQ 40.29, $MSFT 24.41, Fueled by NASDAQ Last Sale
    NASDAQ 3 biggest advancers: $STBK 38.89%, $SBGI 32.56%, $TGIC 30.49%.
    Warner Chilcott Ltd a specialty drug maker, is acquiring Procter & Gamble Co’s prescription drug business for about $3

    billion, two sources familiar with the matter said.

    Sinopec stock up 4.2% in Hong Kong, 3% in Shanghai.Japan’s Nikkei 225 Average jumps 2.4% in early trading, with autos,

    property pacing gains.

     

    This week the S&P/Case Shiller Home Price Index report for June is due out, along with the Durable Orders, New Home Sales,

    Personal Income, Personal Spending and PCE Core reports for July. Preliminary GDP, Core CPE reports for the 2Q, weekly

    results for Initial Claims and Crude Inventories, and Consumer Confidence and the Michigan Sentiment reports for August

    will be release.
    The top 10 performers since the start of the last recession are listed below, with their performances during the recession

    listed in the fourth column:

    Company Industry Market Cap. on March 1, 2001 (in millions) Return March 2001 to November 2001* Total Return 2001-2008
     
    Southwestern Energy Oil & Gas Exploration $262 14% 2,134%
     
    Goldcorp Gold $274 81% 1,551%
     
    Apple (Nasdaq: AAPL) Computer Hardware $6,489 (1%) 1,048%
     
    Gilead Sciences (Nasdaq: GILD) Biotechnology $3,314 80% 887%
     
    Priceline.com (Nasdaq: PCLN) Internet Retail $432 72% 835%
     
    ITT Educational Services Education Services $721 23% 764%
     
    Strayer Education Education Services $454 64% 739%
     
    McAfee Systems Software $929 191% 726%
     
    Flowers Foods Food $1,728 139% 683%
     
    Range Resources Oil & Gas Exploration $298 (24%) 650%
     
    *Critics say Goldman Sachs Group Inc <GS.N> gives key trading tips only to its own traders and favored clients, hurting others who are not given the opportunity to profit from the information.

    * Policy blunders that drove the U.S. back into recession in 1937 are at the heart of the debate over how quickly the Fed should unwind its emergency measures.

    * The Obama administration is leaning toward outsourcing major components of its space program, such as ferrying cargo and astronauts to the International Space Station.

    * Senator Ted Kaufman is expected to call for the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission to review all forms of current stock-market structure, signaling the broadest statement yet from a legislator in the continuing debate over the growth in high-frequency trading, a lightning-fast, computer-based trading technique.

    * Aluminum Corp of China, also known as Chinalco, is willing to open discussions with Anglo-Australian miner Rio Tinto PLC <RIO.L> for cooperation in bauxite and alumina production, Chinalco’s vice president, Lu Youqing, told Dow Jones Newswires Monday.

    * China Petroleum & Chemical Corp <600028.SS>, Asia’s largest refiner by capacity, said its first-half net profit more than quadrupled, driven by higher fuel prices amid China’s more market-oriented fuel-pricing system.

    * Specialty drug maker Warner Chilcott Ltd <WCRX.O> is expected to announce as early as Monday the acquisition of Procter & Gamble Co’s <PG.N> prescription-drug business for more than $3 billion, say people familiar with the matter.

    * Proposed federal legislation aimed at curbing global warming would drastically reduce domestic fuel production, according to a new study commissioned by the oil industry as part of its campaign to oppose new restrictions.

    * Reports of fraud and intimidation from election monitoring groups are undermining the legitimacy of Afghanistan’s presidential vote, posing a tough new challenge for the U.S. and its Western allies.

    * Iraqi officials, smarting from a disappointing oil-license auction in June, will showcase a second set of fields this week that they hope will garner more interest from international companies.

    * After a weekend sales surge, auto dealers are racing to file for “cash for clunkers” rebates before the program ends.
    * Officials at the U.S. Federal Reserve’s annual retreat voiced support for a second term for Chairman Ben Bernanke, citing his efforts to revive the economy.

    * AT&T <T.N> said it played “no role” in Apple Inc’s <AAPL.O> decision to keep Google’s <GOOG.O> Voice application off the iPhone. Apple said it is still studying the software.

    * Three technology heavyweights and some library associations are joining a coalition led by a prominent Silicon Valley lawyer to challenge Google Inc’s <GOOG.O> settlement with authors and publishers.

    * The sale of the operations of failed Guaranty Bank in Texas on Friday to the U.S. division of a Spanish bank signals that foreign banks can succeed in the auctions for collapsed U.S. lenders.

    Have a great trading day U.S.A. Stock Markets Monday August 24th 2009

    -stockshakers.com

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  • 23Aug

    Stockshakers are trading long and short at any given time.

    We have 3 very obvious investing goals.

    1 - Near term - This can be a swing trade of a few days or a trade on the open with a close s mins later. Yes we do daytrade and we are not the deadly mesothelioma cancer of the investing world as many would have you believe. We are fast nimble technically minded traders when it is the right thing to do to achieve our trading goals.

    2 - Intermediate term - These are typically a longer developing swing trade (A few days or weeks) into a trend trade with a target that may take a few weeks or even up to a year to reach.

    3 - Long term investors - You can’t possibly trade all of these styles at one time can you? Yup you sure can. We do.

    So this brings us to long term thoughts.
    Hyper inflation is a strong possibility on a global level with so much currancy being printed globaly by every country. Stockshakers should be prepared for the global structured settlement with the credit hits the wall and the currency values have to make a stand. Buying value of the dollar while it is approaching collapse sounds crazy but there is a high likely hood that the Treasury’s yield of 1979 - 1981 near 15% could be replicated. Rapidly rising prices are inevitable and if the stimulus continues past the point that unemployment turns south we will have to deal with inflation.
    This could happen in 3 years or possibly less. Stockshakers are accumulated Treasurys long term and each attractive dip.

    Homes? Real estate they also will benefit from an inflationary period in the U.S. Economy.

    WFC - Wells Fargo is another long term holding.

    Intermediate and possibly long term - F Ford has been and continues to reap returns for Stockshakers.

    Stockshakers strive to utilize best judgement and avoid replicating the errors of others in making trade choices. In our ongoing effort to position our portfolios for success we will update not just the Near term and intermediate term investment goals but also share long term ideas. Stockshakers suggested the long reversal in earl;y March 2009 and look where we are today.

     

    Year to Date 2009 Largest Biggest Percentage Gainers or Winners.
    stocks over $2.00 with above 50,000 volume.
    8/24/09

    #1      VNDA   $13.44       +2588%

    #2       DTG     $23.27       +2035%

    #3      ATSG     $3.10        +1622%

    #4       CAR     $11.57       +1553%

    #5       UTA     $12.37       +1306%

    #6        VCI      $14.98       +1035%

    #7      SCSS     $2.77        +1008%

    #8      SMRT   $12.13        +973.45%

    #9      ABIO       $3.31        +967.74%

    #10   LNET      $7.47        +967.14%

    #11     BZ          $4.53        +953.49%

    #12    OXGI     $30.20       +907%

    #13    BGP        $3.69        +822.50%

    #14   VVTV       $2.96        +796.97%

    #15   STEC     $34.97       +720.89%

     

    2008 Top performers

    Year to Date 2008 Largest Biggest Percentage Gainers or Winners. 
    12/31/08

    #1     EBS      $26.07    +415%

    #2     STSI      $3.83      +379%

    #3     MXC     $13.42     +237%

    #4    TSYS      $8.59      +141%

    #5     FINL      $5.60      +131%

    #6    AFAM    $44.98     +131%

    #7    FSYS     $32.76     +129%

    #8     IDIX       $5.79       +114%

    #9     MITI       $4.36       +111%

    #10  SQNM   $19.84     +108%

    #11   VRX      $22.90     +91%

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  • 22Aug

    Guaranty Bank of Austin is the 81st bank failure of ‘09 as the Mesothelioma  of the financial world continues
    Guaranty Bank of Austin, Tex. became the 81st bank failure of 2009 after it was closed by Office of Thrift Supervision, which appointed the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. as receiver, the federal agency said late Friday. The FDIC said it has entered into a “purchase and assumption agreement” with BBVA Compass of Birmingham, Ala. As of June 30, Guaranty Bank had total assets about $13 billion and total deposits of about $12 billion.  As the Mesothelioma  of the financial world continues it looks mor and more like we are still due for a down turn on the U.S. Equities markets.

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