Thursday, December 17, 2009

A Dividend Play: NLY

Having kept an eye on NLY for about four years, I think this may be a good time to seriously consider owning this security.

Annaly Capital Management, Inc.(NLY), is a real estate investment trust, which owns, manages, and finances a portfolio of investment securities.

Positives are:

•Nice chart pattern.
•Consistent uptrend and rebound from the lows of early March '09.
•Excellent average daily volume of over 8.2 million shares.
•Exceptional dividend yield of 15.2%.
•Forward P/E ratio is at about 7.


Trading this morning at 18.52, I look for a continuation of the uptrend.
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Thursday, December 10, 2009

Short Term Returns From UNH

Bought on October 28, 2009 at 26.11, UNH is up 4.04% for the day (at 29.66). Over a period of 6 weeks we realized a gain of 13.60%.
I say take these short term returns and cash in the profits.
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Tuesday, December 01, 2009

Stocks to Watch - December '09

Watch List for December '09

BCE-----26.50
DUK-----16.68
RTN-----51.53

We'll check the performance of these companies at the end of the month.
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Results for "Stocks to Watch - November '09"

For the month of November, these stocks appeared to be poised for a good performance:


Stock Symbol------11/1/09--------------11/30/09

CEPH----------------54.58----------------54.95 (up .68%)
NOC-----------------50.13----------------54.80 (up 9.32%)
UNH-----------------25.95----------------28.67 (up 10.48%)


The average return for this month was 6.83%, not bad when you consider that the S&P 500 gained 5.74% for the same period of time. In any case, a very good month at the market.
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Tuesday, November 17, 2009

Good Signals From BCE

With many stocks hitting 52 week highs, and after taking a pounding a year ago, BCE appears to be lagging in its recovery.

BCE Inc. (BCE) provides communication services to residential and business customers in Canada. Its services include Bell Home Phone local and long distance services, Bell Mobility and Solo Mobile wireless, high-speed Bell Internet, Bell TV direct-to-home satellite and VDSL television, IP-broadband services, and information and communications technology services.

Positives are:

•Good chart pattern.
•Consistent uptrend and rebound from the November 26 '08 drop.
•A fair average daily volume of over 647,000 shares.
•A nice dividend yield of 5.7%.
•Forward P/E ratio is at 12.

Trading this morning at 25.84, I am betting that the trend continues and that the stock price will get back to the mid 30's level by the first quarter of 2010.
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Saturday, October 31, 2009

Stocks to Watch - November '09

Watch List for November '09

CEPH----54.58
NOC-----50.13
UNH-----25.95

These stocks should outperform the market provided the latest sell off is a temporary correction.
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Wednesday, October 28, 2009

UNH - A Health Care Play

Trying to figure out the future of health care in the U.S. is beyond me. I am not keen to the idea of politicians trying to fix anything, regardless of party affiliation. Hopefully, something good will come out of the proposals now on the table.

Meanwhile, many of the insurers, pharmas and health care facilities have been beaten down for the past two years. There is a chance that in the future their recovery will materialize.

Unitedhealth Group (UNH) is showing signs of life. UNH provides health care services in the United States.

Positives are:

•Fair chart pattern.
•Support at the 23.50 level.
•Average daily volume of over 12.5 million shares.
•Healthy fund ownership.
•Forward P/E ratio is at about 8.

Trading this morning at 26.11, I expect UNH to bounce up and cross the 50 dma (now at 27) in the next few weeks, if so, the next resistance level would be at 30.
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Watch List Will be Published Monthly

Due to the amount of time necessary to research and publish the "Weekly Watch List" and the short term view, I have revised the schedule so it can be included in this blog on a monthly basis thus showing a more realistic and accurate result.


Recap for the week of 10/16/09:

on 10/16------------------on 10/23


AKAM 21.80-------------21.50 (down 1.40%)
ATW 39.29---------------38.81 (down 1.24%)
EZPW 14.07---------------14.06 (down .01%)

New list will appear around the beginning of each month.
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Tuesday, October 27, 2009

Time to Move Out of KBR

Written up on October 7, 2008 and again on January 29, 2009 with prices at 15.28 and 15.43 respectively, KBR Inc. had a tremendous run and after yesterday's drop of 1.41 (down 5.87%) we may have heard a wake up call to take profits.

This retreat clearly marked a break down below the 50 day moving average with a weak support at 21.50.

After gaining approximately 47.25% over a period of less than one year and selling for 22.61,i can happily call it a day and search for other opportunities.
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Friday, October 23, 2009

Going Nowhere at GE

Although Genereal Electric Co. (GE) has made a considerable move up from the March lows, I cannot see great prospects for its future.
Mentioned in this blog on 7/25/08 at 28.58, we are backing out of this position and taking a 47% loss selling it at the price of 15.20, we lick our wounds and move on.
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Monday, October 19, 2009

Let's Take Profits on ATW

Too high, too fast is my view on the recent price move for Atwood Oceanics, Inc.

On 5/26/09 the stock appeared as an attractive buy candidate then trading at 23.53;
today, after a fine run, it is my feeling that taking profits may be a prudent move.

With a price of 40.06 we have gained 70% in almost 5 months. I'd say that is a very nice return.
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Saturday, October 17, 2009

Watch List for the Week of 10/19/09 - Last Week's Recap

Stocks to watch for the week of 10/19/09:

AKAM-----21.80
ATW------39.29 (Going strong)
EZPW-----14.07 (May resume uptrend)


Recap for the week of 10/12/09:

on 10/12------------------on 10/16


ATW 37.70---------------39.29 (up 4.22%) A winner as of late.
EZPW 14.34---------------14.07 (down 1.88%) Slight pullback.
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Saturday, October 10, 2009

Watch List for the Week of 10/12/09 - Last Week's Recap

Stocks to watch for the week of 10/12/09:

ATW------37.70 (Still a favorite)
EZPW-----14.34 (Ditto)


Recap for the week of 10/5/09:

on 10/6------------------on 10/9


ATW 34.55---------------37.70 (up 9.12%) Jackpot!
EZPW 13.57---------------14.34 (up 5.67%) Nice return.
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Tuesday, October 06, 2009

Watch List for the Week of 10/5/09 - Last Week's Recap

Stocks to watch for the week of 10/5/09 (as of 10/6/09):

ATW------34.55
EZPW-----13.57


Recap for the week of 9/28/09:

on 9/28----------------on 10/5


DOX 26.40---------------25.89 (down 1.93%) Not so good.
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Monday, September 28, 2009

Watch List for the Week of 9/28/09 - Last Week's Recap

Stock to watch for the week of 9/28/09:

DOX-----26.40


Recap for the week of 9/21/09:

on 9/21----------------on 9/25


DOX 26.65---------------26.40 (down 1%) Still like it.
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Thursday, September 24, 2009

AONE is Priced

Expected to be priced at 10.50-11.00, A123 Systems (AONE) went public today with a pre-trading value of 13.50... it never traded that low. The lowest price the stock saw was 16.56 and has not looked back in about one hour of trading, soaring up to 19.70 with incredible momentum.
Those who got in before trading begun have made a sizable gain. Not bad for a company that has yet to show a profit in eight years.
I am not inclined to chase a mad crowd, but then I also chose not to buy Google (GOOG) when it was issued in the $80's.
Oh well!
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Wednesday, September 23, 2009

An IPO to Watch, A123 (AONE)

Today we await the pricing of an initial public offering: A123 Systems (AONE).
The expected price range is between 10.50 and 11.00.

A123 (AONE) designs, develops, manufactures and sells advanced, rechargeable lithium-ion batteries and battery systems.

Financial backers for this company include: the U.S. Government, General Electric (GE), Motorola (MOT), Qualcom (QCOM), and AES (AES).

Chances are, this will be the hottest IPO for '09.
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Monday, September 21, 2009

Watch List for the Week of 9/21/09 - Last Week's Recap

Stock to watch for the week of 9/21/09:

DOX-----26.65


Recap for the week of 9/14/09:

on 9/15----------------on 9/18


AOB 5.44---------------5.43 (down .18%)
ATW 32.10-------------33.27 (up 3.64%) continued a fine run
DOX 25.88--------------26.65 (up 2.98%) solid

Looking for a dull trading week.
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Thursday, September 17, 2009

Drop TKC, Time to Move on

Turkcell Iletisim Hizmetleri AS (TKC) was featured in this blog on 7/18/08 (at 15.85)and again on 8/4/09 (at 16.60); since then,the stock has hovered around these prices and is now showing what could be a "head and shoulders" chart pattern. I am inclined to say that, in the near future, the stock is headed down.

For the period of time we held TKC, we collected an anualized dividend of about 4.7%,
and see a profit of 4.79%. Selling today at 16.61, it may be time to move out of this position.
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Monday, September 14, 2009

Watch List for the Week of 9/14/09 - Last Week's Recap

Stocks to watch for the week of 9/14/09:
Let's hold off until Tuesday or Wednesday to price them. Expecting a significant drop early Monday as the market opens.

Okay, let's give it a try, as of 9/15/09 the picks are:


AOB-----5.44
ATW----32.10
DOX-----25.88


Recap for the week of 9/8/09:

on 9/8----------------on 9/11


ATW 28.32-------------32.35 (up 14.23%) nice run
COV 39.60-------------41.87 (up 5.73%) no too shabby
DOX 24.91-------------26.11 (up 4.82%) another good one

Great four day week.
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Dumped SLXP a Bit Too Soon

Impatience took the best of me. On August 18 '09 I chose to let go of Salix Pharmaceuticals Ltd. (SLXP) at 12.93 after a very dull and fruitless 20 months.
Sold SLPX one month too soon. Today after good news on clinical trials the stock shot up 6.77 (+50.6%) to 20.15, an incredible run... Bummers!
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Sunday, September 06, 2009

Something Worth Reading

Once in a while, we come across an article or commentary that, in the midst of a lot of gibberish makes some kind of sense and hopefully allows us to step back and make our own financial decisions, often better than the ones we get from the so-called experts.
This article from "The Motley Fool" is right on target:


http://www.fool.com/investing/general/2009/09/06/why-you-shouldnt-listen-to-jim-cramer.aspx
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Saturday, September 05, 2009

Watch List for the Week of 9/8/09 - Last Week's Recap

Stocks to watch for the week of 9/8/09:

ATW 28.32
COV 39.60
DOX 24.91


Recap for the week of 8/31/09:

on 9/1-------------on 9/4

EZPW 13.37---------12.63 (down 5.53%)
KBR 22.65-----------21.81 (down 3.71%)
PFE 16.70-----------16.39 (down 1.86%)
SEPR 18.15----------22.82 (up 25.73%) Luckyyyyy!!!

One pick (SEPR) saved our week.
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Tuesday, September 01, 2009

Watch List for the Week of 8/31/09 - Last Week's Recap

Stocks to watch for the week of 8/31/09:
(Expecting a decline on Monday and then we will check these stocks and price them on Tuesday or Wednesday)
Okay, as of 9/1/09, let's keep an eye on:


EZPW 13.37
KBR 22.65
PFE 16.70
SEPR 18.15



Recap for the week of 8/24/09:

on 8/24-------------on 8/28


ATW 29.78 --------28.67(down 3.73%)
SEPR 18.35 -------18.59(up 1.31%)
SUG 20.85 --------20.06(down 3.79%)

That was not a good week.
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Saturday, August 22, 2009

Watch List for the Week of 8/24/09 - Last Week's Recap

Stocks to watch for the week of 8/24/09 (same as last week):

ATW 29.78
SEPR 18.35
SUG 20.85


Recap for the week of 8/17/09:

on 8/19------------on 8/21


ATW 28.02-----------29.78 (up 6.28%)
SEPR 17.79-----------18.35 (up 3.15%)
SUG 19.04-----------20.85 (up 9.51%)

It's been a good week, we avoided a devastating Monday.
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Wednesday, August 19, 2009

Watch List for the Week of 8/17/09 (as of 8/19/09)

Stocks to watch for the week of 8/17/09 (as of the morning of 8/19/09):

ATW 28.02
SEPR 17.79
SUG 19.04

Have prosperous trades for the remainder of this week.
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Tuesday, August 18, 2009

Time to Drop SLXP

On 12/12/07 I wrote about Salix Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (SLXP) purchased at 11.89; since then, we have seen nothing but red. Held on to it for over 20 months. I think it is time to let it go.
Trading today at 12.93 (an 8.75% gain) may be a good time to unload.
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Monday, August 17, 2009

Expect a Drop Today - Last Week's Recap

Due to the significant drops in the Asian markets overnight, I am delaying the weekly watch list for at least one day. As a result, expect major losses today in the U.S. from the fallout.

Recap for the week of 8/10/09:
on 8/10------------on 8/14

AKAM 19.46---------18.01 (down 7.45%)
ATW 28.96----------28.08 (down 3.04%)
COV 38.16----------39.09 (up 2.44%)
KBR 22.42----------22.86 (up 1.96)

Hang on for dear life.
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Saturday, August 08, 2009

Watch List for the Week of 8/10/09 - Last Week's Recap

Stocks to watch for the week of 8/10/09:

AKAM 19.46
ATW 28.96
COV 38.16
KBR 22.42

Recap for the week of 8/3/09:

on 8/3------------on 8/7

COV 37.81---------38.16 (up .93%)
ATW 28.84---------28.96 (up .42%)
GE 13.40----------14.70 (up 9.70%)
PFE 15.93---------15.96 (up .19%)


Have a profitable trading week.
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Wednesday, August 05, 2009

About AKAM

Insiders are putting their money where their mouths are.
After disappointing earnings report and a 20% day drop in stock value (on 7/29/09), several directors, CEO and other officers are investing about $3.3 million of their own money in Akamai Technologies Inc. (AKAM) as reported this morning in the following article:

http://www.thestreet.com/_yahoo/story/10564083/1/three-insiders-buy-33m-worth-of-akamai.html?cm_ven=YAHOO&cm_cat=FREE&cm_ite=NA

That action may be a signal to increase a position in this company.
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Tuesday, August 04, 2009

More Comments About TKC

On July 18, 2008 I wrote about Turkcell Ilet (TKC), since then we have seen a gain of 4.3% (in addition to the 4.9% dividend). I would say it has given us a decent return considering the market behavior over the past year.

Motley Fool just posted an article about TKC:

http://www.fool.com/investing/international/2009/08/04/5-star-stocks-poised-to-pop-turkcell.aspx

It appears that this stock has legs and may continue to realize gains in the near foreseeable future.
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Sunday, August 02, 2009

Watch List for the Week of 8/3/09 - Last Week's Recap

Stocks to watch for the week of 8/3/09:

COV 37.81
ATW 28.84
GE 13.40
PFE 15.93

Stocks mentioned for the week of 7/27/09:

on 7/27------------on 7/31

ATW 28.94--------28.84 (down .35%)
SUG 19.80---------19.38 (down 2.12%)
KBR 19.88----------21.19 (up 6.59%)
AMGN 60.92-------62.31 (up 2.28%)

Have a profitable trading week.
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Saturday, July 25, 2009

Next Week Choices

Starting today, and continuing each week, I will post stock symbols that appear to have a good chance for nice returns. The following week, a comment will recap the performance of those stocks... This is only a test.

Stocks to watch for the week of 7/27/09:

ATW 28.94
SUG 19.80
KBR 19.88
AMGN 60.92

Good luck on your investments.
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Saturday, June 13, 2009

Covidien is on the Move

After being removed from the S&P 500 and relocating its headquarters to Ireland, Covidien (COV) has not missed a step on its way up to nearly four month highs.

Covidien PLC (COV) develops, manufactures, and sells health care products for use in clinical and home settings worldwide. COV has four divisions: Medical Devices, Imaging Solutions, Pharmaceutical Products, and Medical Supplies.

Positives are:
  • Good chart pattern.
  • Strong support above the 50 dma.
  • Average daily volume of over 6.8 million shares.
  • Number of funds owning the stock has increased for the past four quarters.
  • Forward P/E ratio is at 11.9

Closing on Friday at 36.05, I expect Covidien to maintain the trend and cross the 200 dma (now at 38.94) in the near future, thus boosting the stock price for the next push.

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Missed the Move on TMO

On 5/15/09 I followed a false signal on TMO and sold it at a slight loss, since then the stock has moved up and gained 6.75... bad call,bummer!
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Tuesday, May 26, 2009

ATW Could Perform

With oil prices rising in the last few weeks, a possible beneficiary of this action could be Atwood Oceanics, Inc.

Atwood Oceanics, Inc. (ATW) focuses in the offshore drilling and completion of oil and gas wells worldwide. The company also offers support, management, and consulting services in its field.

Stock price for ATW is directly related to the price of crude.

Attractive aspects for this company are:
  • Good chart pattern, strong support and a five month base at 13.
  • Decisively crossed the 50 dma and holding above the 200 dma.
  • Good volume at 1.4 million shares/day.
  • Low P/E at 5.6
  • Low debt.
  • Large fund ownership.

ATW seems to be a fine investment at 23.53 provided the price of oil continues to climb.

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Friday, May 15, 2009

TMO Shows Weakness

Latest numbers and chart pattern for Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc. (TMO) have made me revise the assessment for the company's near future performance.

Insider selling, price sinking today below its 50 dma and strong overhead resistance, resulted in my choice to exit a long position in the stock.

Bought at about 37.41 on 2/18/09, selling today at 35.04, near a 6.5% loss in 3 months.

I would say it's time to get out and search for better prospects.
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Friday, May 01, 2009

Good Returns From ENS

Brought up in this blog on March 24 of this year, ENS was selling at the time for 12.46 and looking like a good prospect, we just saw a run up in the stock price.
Not wanting to be piggish about it, I am very pleased to cash in on a quick profit. Trading now at 18.26, this represents approximately a 47% return in just 5 weeks.
I say, take the money and run.
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Tuesday, April 21, 2009

CMED Has Potential

Medical device manufacturers seem to be bouncing back from their recent lows. China Medical Technologies, Inc. (CMED) shows good signs for a near to longer term upswing.

CMED is a medical device company engaging in the development, manufacture and sale of medical devices and supplies in China.

Positive signs are:
  • Reaching a new three month high.
  • Sustained break above the 50 day moving average.
  • Adequate average daily volume (509,000).
  • Sizable management ownership.

CMED trades today at 19.81 and looks like a good prospect for future profits.

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Tuesday, March 24, 2009

ENS - An Infrastructure Play

Along with other choices such as GVA and KBR, Enersys seems to be poised to continue its upward trend.

Enersys (ENS) manufactures, markets, and distributes industrial batteries and related products. It also offers related direct current power products, including chargers, electronic power equipment, and various battery accessories. Its motive power batteries are used for industrial forklift trucks, mining equipment, railroad equipment and by material handling equipment dealers and original equipment manufacturers (OEMs), as well as by end users, such as manufacturers, distributors, warehouse operators, retailers, airports, mine operators, and railroads.

Positive signs are:

  • Reaching a new four month high.
  • Strong break above the 50 day moving average.
  • Increasing average daily volume.
  • Heavy fund ownership.
  • Low P/E (approx 6.23).

ENS is trading this morning at about 12.46 and could reach the twelve month estimated target of 15.

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Sunday, March 01, 2009

Dividends Slashed

Prepare yourselves for a barrage of dividend cuts.
In order to cut costs in these difficult times, many companies will take advantage and announce a dividend cut or totally suspend the seemingly attractive quarterly returns.
As the stocks price declined, the dividends that remained unchanged have become disproportionately high yields compared to those of savings accounts, cd's or bonds.
When these changes occur, a new wave of selling will take place, led by investor disappointment.
After the bulk of dividend reduction has taken place, we can begin to search for bargains and better than average yields.
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Wednesday, February 25, 2009

AKAM Defies Gravity

While new lows are the norm for many stocks as of late, Akamai Technologies Inc. (AKAM) seems to be moving in the opposite direction.

Akamai Technologies, Inc. provides services for accelerating the delivery of content and applications over the Internet.

After a huge decline on 7/31/08 (approx. 25% loss) on ten times the average daily volume, the stock has formed a solid base at about 12 over a period of five months. Since 1/22/09 the price has been rising consistently, today reaching a new twenty week high, an anomaly in this environment.

AKAM is trading today at 18.23, up .55 and bucking the trend.

Some appealing factors for AKAM are:
  • Good volume (4.5 million avg./day)
  • Insider buying in December '08
  • Steady price rise above the 50 day moving average
  • It is one of the top companies in the sector
  • Sustained earnings estimate for '09
  • Adequate forward P/E of 10.37

I would consider AKAM at this time a good buy candidate.

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Wednesday, February 18, 2009

A Look at TMO

Fewer and fewer stocks look promising these days when the markets take wild swings and punish most companies under the sun. Has the investing community taken down some solid stocks? According to the chart and numbers available for TMO, I am inclined to favor a long position in the stock.

Thermo Fisher Scientific, Inc. (TMO) provides analytical instruments, equipment, software, and services for research, manufacture, analysis, discovery, and diagnostics in the pharmaceutical markets.

Increased mutual fund interest, reasonable P/E at 12, good volume (just under 5 million/day), low debt, and high ranking in the sector make this company worth considering. TMO is trading today at 37.41, this may be a good entry point.
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Thursday, January 29, 2009

Cost Averaging SUG

Experiencing a 50% "paper loss" on Southern Union Co. (SUG) over the last 8 months, this may be time to buy more (today at 13.30) and lower the average cost per share while increasing the position.
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Time to Load Up on KBR?

The chart pattern for KBR seems to be holding well. I would add to my position (today at 15.43) on a small pull-back.
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