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Are You Ready To Take Adventage Of The Markets

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Typically the months of August and September are the two least to make gains. As people are going on their last minute vacation before the summer is over, the stock markets seem to take a break. The volume is lower than any other time of the year.


As you can see by the last couple of weeks, the markets have seen a stall in gains compared to the other four months. The overall markets are holding to their levels, but quite few good stocks have come down from where they were just a little while ago. I don’t expect them to stay there very long. At the present time, the markets are showing that they are at a good resistance level. I also see that it’s more of a bull than a bear scenario going on.


The correction in the markets seem to be happening on the individual stock levels, so I’m getting ready to go all-in. I see some of the companies that I’ve been recently coming down to levels I consider a good entry point. If the stocks do fall back after I start building a position, that won’t be a problem since I always buy in increments.


So my question to you is… Are you ready to get in (if you’re sitting on the sidelines), or build a bigger position in the companies that you own already? Do your research on those companies now, so when the time is right to get in, you will know which ones will be a great investment. If you are up more than 20% in a stock already, you might want to take profit now and get back in after the pull-back.


If you’re looking for some free advice or trading programs to help improve your trading, please check out the free trial of Jim Cramer‘s Action Alert and/or Trading Solutions free trading program.
Due diligence and research is vital to surviving in the markets, so be disciplined in your trading style and remember… Happy Trading.

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The Dow At 9000, Where Do We Go From Here?

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Who would have thought that this could have happened so soon? Either way, it was reached. The DOW close above 9000 (9069.29 to be exact). The S&P 500 has been on a tear, closing at 976.29. Lets not forget that the NASDAQ is now at 1973.60. The past two weeks of trading have been great for the markets.
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With that being said, what are we to expect in the coming weeks? If you’ve been listening to the talk on the street, you’ve heard both sides of the possibilities. “It’s only going to get higher” or “the markets are going to correct themselves”. Those are the only two choices.
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After listening to all the opinions that where flying today, I would have to agree that the markets are due for a correction. How can it not? I don’t know about you, but I don’t really see a reason to be all optimistic about the stock market. Add on to the fact that many traders and investors have made a lot of money in the last four months. There will be some profit taking very soon.
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With all the talk about health care and the Cap and Trade bill, if these two bills pass, corporations are going to find it hard to keep making the earnings that the investors want to see. The taxes that will be imposed onto these industries are going to break them as well as the country’s GDP.
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In the last few months I’ve made some great gains in the markets and I’m not willing to give them back anytime soon. At this time I’m sitting more than half my portfolio on the sidelines, while I wait for the other shoe to drop (and it will). Don’t get me wrong, I do believe that there will be some gains to be made in many other sectors and that’s why I’m watching the tech sector. They (tech sector) don’t have the government issues to deal with, like most of the others ones.
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Which ever way you plan on playing the markets in the coming weeks, do your due diligence.

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Great Gains So Far For This Week

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I’ve been busy this week with many things, so keeping an eye on the stock market hasn’t been easy for me. Well this afternoon I’ve had the time to see the progress for the past few days and I’m amazed at the gains that have been made this week by the major indicies.
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I told you in a recent post that I jumped out of basically everything until the markets correct themselves again. We’ve had too much of a run up and I’m skeptical. Looking back on the past few days that I missed, I noticed that there were good opportunities to make money on stocks that I sold and they went on a roller coaster ride afterward.
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The one I want to talk about is Agnico-Eagle Mines Ltd. (NYSE:AEM), a stock that was as high as $62 only five weeks ago. I made the right choice to sell off my position. After it corrected by 10% I bought a small position back. I let it just sit there not bothering to pick up more as it continued to drop. Unknown to me, I wasn’t paying attention to what the stock did this week as it dropped down to below $47.50. If I was aware of the situation, I would have back the truck up so fast to grab shares at that price. That was Monday morning and now the price per share is $55 (as of 3:45pm). A 16% gain in just three trading days.
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In all the times that I’ve traded AEM, I’ve always made money. This would have been great to profit from, but I’m not going to drive myself crazy because I didn’t get into this play. There will always be more opportunities to make money, but if you want to stay sane while trading stocks, you can’t sit there and think of the “what if’s”.
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Agnico Eagle has been trading within a range of $45 to $60 (which is a nice swing gap) this entire calendar year. When the price drops below $50 I buy quite a bit, as it goes above $55 I prepare to sell. This week was a good opportunity to do exactly that and I’m OK with the fact that I missed it.
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Try to keep that in mind as you go through your portfolio.

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Update On NRG Energy Inc. (NYSE:NRG)

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What a difference a day makes. Last night I posted about NRG Energy Inc. (NYSE:NRG). A company that I’ve been trading for the last month or so. I’ve made some nice gains and I still feel the company’s stock will continue to rise considering the alternative energy needs in this country.

Something that I did over look in the post is that NRG Energy is in a middle of a hostile take over bid from the country’s largest nuclear power company, Exelon (NYSE:EXC). In October, Exelon offered 0.485 of one of its shares for every NRG share. Many of the NRG investors were not pleased with the offer and stated that Exelon had to raise it’s bid for the independent power producer.

News came out this morning that the company will raise it’s offer by about 12%. The issue is now is that NRG’s stock price has risen above the offering price from Exelon. So now Analyst are suggesting that it means that Exelon would most likely have to materially raise it’s bid to get NRG shareholders support.

At the close of last night (July, 2009), Exelon’s stock price closed at $51.56, which puts it’s bid for NRG at $25.01 a share. NRG shares closed at $26.05 yesterday.

NRG’s stock price opened Thursday at $25.30 and has dropped as low as $24.88. It has bounced back a little, but after today jobless claims and other economic data releases today. I don’t expect any stock to do really good today. We are going into a three day holiday weekend so let the rest of this eek play out on it’s on and see what bargains we’ll have next week.

Happy Independence Day.

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Nuclear Energy Stocks

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There are many different stocks out there that fall under the term “speculative”, of course that not really the case when it comes to the electric utility stocks. I just want to write about a sector that seems to be building up steam (literally and figuratively) later that needs to be addressed.


A little over a month ago I started looking for a new speculative stock to trade (oppose to invest in) and I happen to stumble over a company that is in the electric utility sector, but because it is mainly a nuclear play, I thought it would be a decent opportunity. I looked around at other companies that are also trying to expand their nuclear plant output, but this one stuck in my mind.


I invested a small amount (like I always do on speculative stocks) in the company after reading their earnings reports and reading the transcripts from their conference calls. Since then the stock price has moved up over 30% in just 5 weeks.


What really made me think that I had to write a post on it, was the fact that the company was profiled on a CNBC special this week titled Nuclear Option. In the show there was a lot of positive talk about the use of nuclear power being used in this country. There hasn’t been a nuclear power plant built in the United States in over thirty years, but now there are two being built as I type this post. One in Texas and the other in Maryland.


The company that I’m referring to is NRG Energy Inc. (NYSE:NRG). The company looks good to me and I will be buying more of it on the dips. I do expect it to lose some value because of profit takers as well as the overall market taking it down some as the DOW and the economy take a roller-coaster ride throughout the remaining part of the year. The chart looks healthy and with the price of oil expected to go back up, it will continue to rise.


As with any stock you look to invest in or trade, you need to do your own research to see if it’s right for you.

Nuclear energy stock market


Happy Trading



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Another Day In The Stock Market

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With the economy the way it is right now along with the volatility in the stock market, If you have the ability to trade stocks on a daily basis (day trader) or even holding for a day or so, you can make some money without really trying.
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You will still have to do your homework and research on the companies that you want to invest in, but if you have a list of stocks that you’re very familiar with, playing the volatility is quite profitable.
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Yesterday I spoke about building position in the companies that you want to invest in. When the markets were at their lows, I started to do so. I actually picked up some at good prices, even though I would have like them to come down some more. I told you in the past to buy in increments, not all at once. If the price did continue to fall yesterday, I would have bought more later on.
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I bought Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) @ $134.75, Joy Global (NASDAQ:JOYG) @ $34, Research In Motion (NASDAQ:RIMM) @ $76.25 and last, but not least, Sirius Satellite Radio (NASDAQ:SIRI) @ $0.325. I expected prices to bounce back up yesterday as well as a little bit more of a gain today. I was right only three of the four trades I did. This morning I waited for the opening to see what I was going to sell. At the opening bell, Sirius was up to $0.43 per share and after the negative news about their downgrade, I expected it to drop down below $0.40. I put in a limit sell order for $0.425 and it sold shortly afterward. A gain of 30% over night. To be honest I was planning to hold on the Sirius for the long term (until their next earnings report ), but when I was up that much, I sold it and will continue on the next dip.
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As for Apple, I was also able to sell my shares at $138, for a gain of 2.5%. I know that isn’t much to boast about, but if you think that you can’t even get that on a basic 12 month CD these days. Take into consideration that I did buy large amounts of share that help offset the fees that were charged to me. Joy Global was the last on I sold this morning. I sold it at $36.50 per share, for another gain of 7.3%.
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As for RIMM, I didn’t get the action I wanted, but that’s OK since I do expect that to run into the $100 range in the coming months. I will continue to hold on to the share and add to my position.
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You need to take advantage of the opportunities when they present themselves, so if you are able to trade on a daily basis, good luck.

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The Stock Market Is Getting Ready For Another Run ...

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Here we are again going through another correction in the markets. The three indicies have dropped over the past week off their seven month high and I’m not surprised. Over the last three months the markets have been on a tear coming off their lows. I mentioned before about how the markets wouldn’t be able to continue these gains without some sort of correction and profit taking.
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Even though I’ve been waiting for this pull back for some time, I did expect it. I will say that the markets aren’t as weak as I thought. I no longer expect to see the DOW reach 7000 again. As a matter of fact I don’t think it will get below 7800.
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The word on the street is that there is a large amount of money sitting on the sidelines waiting to jump back in, which means that once investors and traders feel that the waters a safe enough to come back in, it will help the markets rebound even more. Yesterday I heard that many of the hedge fund managers are already invested in and that they don’t have much capital not isn’t in the markets. The report stated that they are concerned that they may miss the next surge in the markets and they don’t want to be caught sitting it out.
If that’s the case, it can also be said that if they get skittish and pull their money out to avoid another big loss, we will see the 7800 level on the DOW.
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I don’t think so on the latter issue because the housing market is showing signs of stabilization, as well as the financial sector. Jim Cramer last night even had a segment in regards to the housing bottom. Since last August he has been saying that the housing bottom would be around June 30th of this year. Well, he ripped the board down and said that after yesterday’s housing number were the third straight month that they have improved. Other indicators are looking good too.
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With that in mind, I will start building positions in the stocks that I’ve been watching for sometime. Over the next two weeks, I will be looking at Apple, JP Morgan, Research In Motion and Agnico Eagle Mines. Of course there are others that I do like, but I would want more of a pull back before jumping on board with them.
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If you’re looking to take advantage of some free advice from Jim Cramer (besides his TV show), Check out his Action Alerts program that he’s always mentioning on his show. I’ve been a member for over a year and find some sound information from him, along with some great picks. Follow the link for a two week free trial of his Action Alerts subscription.
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Finance, Energy And Politics, Oh My

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It seems that the stock market doesn’t react the way it should when important economic news is released. Over the last two months there has been negative news reports released that would normally cause the indicies to drop, but instead they have responded in the opposite manner.

The same goes for the good news that is also released. Look at how the news came out yesterday about the billions of dollars that will be paid back by ten of the major banks. You would think that the news would make investors and traders want to invest in these companies, making the price rise, well it’s wasn’t the case. As a sidebar comment, It amazes me that the money isn’t being returned to the Fed’s, instead it will be held by the Treasury Department just in case it will be needed again. My opinion is that the money will be used in the department’s slush fund and never returned to the tax payer.

The talk is out again about drilling in the Gulf of Mexico. The talks should have never halted. How are we to ever take control of our economy if we are depending on foreign countries to supply us with our energy needs? Oil is abundant in the gulf and we are not taking advantage of it, but I guess it’s OK since Russia is working with Cuba to drill in the gulf. That’s real good that they are doing so, this way they can also sell oil to us and we won’t be dependent on the Middle East. If you’re not sure, that last comment was a sarcastic one. Keep an eye on the alternative energy sector for some good gains. When oil gets above $70-$80 per barrel, solar and wind energy becomes more feasible and profitable as an investment.

The politicians are not doing the job that they were sent to Washington to do. The spending in this country is way out of control and needs to be pulled back. The private sector has to take charge of their future. We can not expect the government to come to their rescue. If the company can’t make a profit, then it needs to close no matter how many people it will affect. In the long run, having the Federal government get involved will only hurt more than it would have originally.

Keep your eyes on the stock market and be ready to raise capital (cash). I expect a pull back soon enough.

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How Does The Stock Market Work?

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One of the top three questions that I hear from friends, family and other people that know that I deal with the stock market on a daily basis is, “how does the stock market work?”. There is no way to really tell you everything there is to know about the stock market in just one post. To understand the stock market totally would take you a few years to do.
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I’ve been dealing with the stock market for quite some time and I have to admit that I still don’t know everything to beat the markets all the time. The stock market are always changing and what may have worked in the past won’t necessarily help you in the future. Of course the basics will stay the same.
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I get my information from many different sources to keep a breast of the situation at hand that will effect the markets. Relying on only one or two sources is not enough to be truly informed.
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That leads me to talk about one of the sources I use on a daily basis. That source is Jim Cramer from Mad Money on CNBC. While his show is some-what informing (I find it more entertaining than informative), I’m referring to his Action Alerts subscription that he offers at TheStreet.com. His Action Alert is a way to get a good look at how he trades stocks as well as his criteria in picking stocks to invest in. He can’t trade stocks for his personal gains, instead he has a portfolio that all the proceeds go to charity. In the subscription he allows you to see what he holds in the portfolio along with daily e-mails (a few of them each day), as to why he is building more or less of a position in a particular stock. He doesn’t buy or sell anything in the portfolio until he has sent out an e-mail to his subscribers informing them of his next move.
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I do have to say that I’ve taken his advice many times over the past few years and have made money following him. The best gains I’ve made following his advice was during a bull market. His portfolio has beaten out the S&P 500 each year I’ve been involved with the Action Alerts, more so during a bull market.
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Action alerts is also an affiliate of Beating The Stock Market and has offered my readers a two week FREE Trial of the program. What could you possibly lose with a free trial? In the past two months of the stock market climbing I’ve watched the Action Alert portfolio grow more than the major indicies. As a matter of fact, one of his picks gained over 80% in the weeks following his recommendation of the stock.
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Just click on the button.

Happy Trading.

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The Stimulus Plan Doesn’t Stimulate Anything

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stimulus package

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Well, it’s been three weeks since Obama has taken office and he’s already having a hell of a time trying to get his administration candidates approved as well as the stimulus package. To top it all off it seems that Wall Street along with Main Street have not confidence in the new President.
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The Dow had a horrible day today because of all the “politics as usual” mentality going on in Washington. The government laid out it plan for the financial bailout which basically told us nothing in regards to specifics. It seems that all that Tim Geithner told everyone was that the government will spend more than $1 trillion in private and public support, but really nothing else.
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Wall Street went on a selling spree to unload many stocks to take refuge in safer investment like gold and bonds. The DOW fell 382 points today which is over a 4.5% drop.
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The Treasury’s plan is to restore the credit markets. To work towards removing the bad assets from the bank’s books. They also state that it would help open the path for consumer and business loans. If it is anything like the first TARP plan, they know that they’re going to spend $1 trillion, but they have no clue as to how they’re going to spend it.
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All I got to say is that after last night press conference and today’s treasury announcement, they’re proving to me that this administration has no idea on how to fix this problem and take care of their lobbyist and other cronies at the same time. It’s sad to think that if they really wanted to end this nightmare of a recession, all they have to do is stop the federal spending, cut the taxes and the rest will take care of itself in a short period of time.
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Why would the government need to raise taxes if they aren’t spending as much money? If they have to cut jobs, so be it. If the corporate taxes were less along with payroll taxes, companies would be able to hire the people they would be laid off from the federal jobs that were cut to save on spending. I’m not a genius, but it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure that out. Go to any Ivory league college and ask an economic professor and they will tell you the same thing. The less they spend, the less they will need to raise taxes.
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As for the stock market, the DOW close at 7,888 and at this level it’s nothing but a buying opportunity for traders who are looking to a few good deals. Do your research and buy incrementally.
Happy trading.

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