We got the Fed and the GDP report out of the way but the market action is more of the same.  The Dow fell 23 points on good volume.  The advance/declines were slightly positive.  Each time we rallied today, we sold back off.  The market is trying to make up its mind here on which way to go.  Throw in the fact that it's summer and we might be in for an extended period of indecision.  It is not the greatest trading environment.  There's nothing wrong with sitting on the sidelines for now.  I'd still like to get some September OEX puts if the opportunity presents itself.  GE was off 1/8 and the volume was good.  Steady grind lower here for a week and a half.  Gold fell over $10 on the futures but came back in the aftermarket.  The US dollar was a bit lower.  The XAU was off 3/8.  ABX, GG and NEM all had fractional losses on good volume.  Maybe the employment report can get the gold shares moving again.  ABX earnings out tomorrow.  Mentally I'm feeling a bit tired.  The summation index has rolled over but it hasn't done so in earnest yet.  But it is something to watch.  I'm still holding out for a move above 1700 on the S&P 500 but that may be the wrong strategy.  We'll see.  We are in the seasonal strength period for gold.  My October ABX calls are still in the black but that won't last forever without some more upside.  However we could very well be in a doldrums period for gold here as well.  Many players in all the markets won't be back until after Labor Day.  Maybe we can get some beginning of the month money flows tomorrow.  The ECB will be having a meeting as well.  But it will probably be just another day of the waiting game for the employment report.  We'll keep an eye on the foreign markets and go from there.

Dow Jones Futures 8/1/13 Stock Market Futures

By Tim - http://stockstobuy.org - Twitter - @stockstobuy -

Stock Market Futures for 8/1/13

The Dow Jones and Stock Market traded higher on Wednesday.  Will the stock market go up or down on Thursday? Keep tabs on the stock market futures which will predict the open on Thursday. If you are a stock trader or investor, check out my stock picks group. We are making some big trades in there right now. Sign in and sign up.

2013 Biggest Stock Gainers - Click Here

Stock Market Futures - August 1, 2013

Dow Jones Futures - Up 103
S&P 500 Futures - Up 12

NASDAQ Futures - Up 20
Gold Futures - 1325

Silver Futures - 19.74
Oil Futures - 106.51

Asian Markets ( Nikkei ) - 14006

Top Stocks 2014 - Top Penny Stocks 2013

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Dow Jones Close 7/31/13 Stock Market Closing Prices

By Tim - http://stockstobuy.org - Twitter @stockstobuy -

Stock Market Closing Prices - 7/31/13

Dow Jones Industrial Average ( DJIA ) Close - 15503 Down 116
Nasdaq Stock Market Close - 3627.37 Up 11

S&P 500 Close - 1686.25 Up 0.29

http://dowjonesclose.com

Commodities Closing Prices - 7/31/13

Gold Close - 1323

Silver Close - 19.81

Oil Close - 105.15
Natural Gas Close - 3.44

The Dow Jones Industrial Average closed at 15503 on 7/31/13, as the stock market was volatile today.  All in all, it was a good day for the stock market and all eyes will shift to the jobs report on Friday.   Keep an eye on earnings from YELP & TRLA tonight.   We will be watching this in the stock picks group.

As of the close today, Ecotality (ECTY) is the top penny stock gainer of 2013
As of the close today, Revolution Lighting (RVLT) is the top stock gainer of 2013 above $2

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Check out - Top Stocks 2013 - Dividend Stocks 2013 - Penny Stocks 2013 - Restaurant Stocks 2013 - Oil Stocks 2014 - Stock Picks 2014

For the latest updates on the stock market, visit, http://daytradingstockblog.blogspot.com/

Tesla (TSLA) Stock Analysis 8/1/13 August 1, 2013

Tesla Motors (TSLA) Stock Analysis 8/1/13 August 1, 2013 -

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Tesla (TSLA) stock continues to trade in the $130's.  Tesla (TSLA) is one of the strongest stocks I've seen in awhile but earnings will set the tone very soon.  Tesla (TSLA) will have resistance between $140-$143 with support at $128 and $125.  TSLA is a strong buy below $110.

Also see - Top Stocks 2013 - Top Stock Gainers 2013

Apple (AAPL) Stock Analysis 8/1/13 August 1, 2013

Apple (AAPL) Stock Analysis 8/1/13 August 1, 2013 -

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Apple (AAPL) stock is back testing $450 on Wednesday.  Apple (AAPL) will now have resistance located at $457-$460.  Apple (AAPL) will have strong support in the $430's.  The stock has seen is best one week stock move since late 2012.  Apple (AAPL) is a strong buy below $420.

I continue to believe Apple (AAPL) will hit $500 before $300

Also see - Top Stocks 2013 - Top Stock Gainers 2013

Facebook (FB) Stock Analysis 8/1/13 August 1, 2013

Facebook (FB) Stock Analysis 8/1/13 August 1, 2013 -

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Facebook (FB) stock rallied above $38 on Wednesday but then dropped.  Facebook (FB) hit a new 52 week high located at $38.31.  FB won't have any major resistance until $38-$40.  Pullbacks below $36 are a strong buy until further notice.

Facebook (FB) showed last week that they are killing it in mobile.  If this continues into next quarter, you will be looking at a $45 stock after October 2013 earnings.

Also see - Top Stocks 2013 - Top Stock Gainers 2013

Once again, minor problems with this blog site.  More of the same for the markets today as the Dow was off a point on better volume.  The advance/declines were barely positive.  It's a waiting game on the Fed and that will end tomorrow.  We could go either way here and that doesn't help much.  I'm still waiting for a move above 1700 on the S&P 500 and that may not happen.  I do not want to miss the next downside opportunity but there is the chance that we will rally up one more time to screw whoever is getting short now.  That's a guess as usual.  It is also possible that tomorrow just comes and goes.  It is the summer.  But I don't think that will happen.  GE was flat, volume was light.  Gold fell about 5 bucks on the futures.  The US dollar was a bit higher.  The XAU fell 7/8.  ABX and GG fell 1/3, while NEM was flat.  Volume remains light here.  The technicals are rolling over for the gold shares here.  We will need to see a rally in a hurry or they will take out their 50 day moving average to the downside.  My October ABX calls are still profitable but have lost some ground.  Earnings or lack there of on Thursday.  Mentally I'm feeling OK.  GDP in the morning and the Fed in the afternoon.  I would expect to see volatility increase but who knows?  The small stocks have held up pretty good here, so I still have to be a believer in one more run up.  But everything could change tomorrow.  Gold has been sideways for a week.  We should see some movement tomorrow.  It is the summer and perhaps moves will be muted due to the lack of real players.  Time will tell on that.  Even after tomorrow we have the ECB on Thursday followed by the jobs numbers on Friday.  We'll keep an eye on the overseas trade tonight and go from there.

A negative start to the week as the Dow fell 36 points on light volume.  The advance/declines were 2 to 1 negative.  Todays action should turn the summation index lower.  Now is this the beginning of the decline that I've been looking for?  It could be but I am not completely sure.  I'd really like to see one final move up past 1700 on the S&P 500 to buy some September OEX puts.  That could simply be wishful thinking on my part.  I do think that the upside is limited from here though.  The technicals for the stock indices are rolling over and the TRAN has already broken down somewhat.  Plenty of Fed, ECB and economic data this week.  GE was off 1/8 or so on very light volume.  No trades in mind here for now.  Gold was up a bit on the futures as was the US dollar.  The XAU fell 7/8.  ABX, GG and NEM all had fractional losses on light volume.  Gold and the gold shares are waiting on the Fed and the reports as well.  Overbought on the short term for the gold shares here still.  Mentally I'm feeling OK.  I'd expect Tuesday to be more of the same waiting game.  Wednesday is the close of the month of July as well.  Obviously the market could go either way here.  I'm still trying to remain patient but I do feel that once the decline begins in earnest, it will be one worth being short for.  Gold has had a nice move higher off of the recent lows.  It is now hovering at the 50 day moving average.  If we can break above that level it would spell good news for my October ABX calls.  ABX is due out with its earnings report on Thursday.  I can't see anything good coming from that but perhaps all the bad news is already baked into the stock.  The overall outlook for gold after this weeks data and announcements will be more important.  If the market behaves as I'd like it, I'll sell the October ABX calls within the next couple of weeks and concentrate on the September OEX puts.  The market rarely goes where you'd like.  It's a waiting game for another day.     

The Dow made an impressive comeback after being lower by 150 points during the session.  The most watched index finished the day with a gain of 3 points on very light volume.  The advance/declines were negative.  The market is acting as though it wants to move higher here.  Perhaps next week we can get above 1700 on the S&P 500 and start looking for some OEX puts.  Maybe some negative divergences will start to appear.  Hasn't happened yet.  Today was interesting to be sure, even with the light volume.  GE was flat on the day with volume nothing special.  Gold was off about 8 bucks on the futures, with the US dollar slightly lower.  The XAU was up almost a point.  ABX, GG and NEM all had fractional gains to the upside.  Volume was heavy in NEM which reported lousy earnings.  NEM sold off and then came all the way back plus some.  The gold shares are holding up here despite bad news.  That is a positive moving forward.  My October ABX calls are still in the black.  Mentally I'm feeling OK.  Plenty going on next week for the stock indices.  We've got the Fed, plus GDP and Fridays employment report.  So things could get interesting.  I'm not sure exactly what to expect.  I'm hoping for one more run to the upside but the markets always go where they will.  TRAN was higher today and that could be an indication of things to come.  We're still short term overbought for the stock indexes.  Gold had and OK week but it seems like we are stalling here.  Same action in the gold shares as well.  ABX reports earnings next week and we all know they will be bad.  We'll see if the stock can hold up like NEM did today.  It's anybodies guess really.  I'm going to try and hold on to this trade but you never know.  Plenty of charts to check over the weekend and potentially a big coming week for the markets on tap.  For now it's Friday afternoon and time for a break.   

More of the same today as the Dow rose 13 points on about the same level of volume as yesterday.  The advance/declines were positive.  The overall market was much stronger than the Dow, led by earnings from FB.  I'm still going to wait for the S&P 500 to get above 1700 before buying the OEX puts.  I am also considering going out to the September contract.  Of course I could simply be wrong here and the market continues to rally far past 1700 on the S&P 500.  The market goes where it wants to.  The short term technicals for the stock indices have worked off the overbought condition and are now mid-range.  GE was up a few cents on light volume.  No trades in mind here for now.  Gold came back about $10 on the futures as the US dollar took a good drop today.  I would have liked to see more rally for gold today.  The XAU was only up a point.  The gold shares were mixed.  ABX, GG and NEM had fractional moves one way or the other on average to good volume.  GG had a lousy earnings report but the stock did not fall apart.  That's a plus for the gold bulls going forward.  Mentally I'm feeling OK.  Timing is everything and we are not yet halfway through the summer.  I'm trying to remain patient.  I still think that the upside for the stock indexes is limited here.  That said, I would not be surprised by new highs in the coming days.  I could be wrong and often am.  No technical divergences just yet.  It was good to see gold hold its own today and not have any downside follow through.  We've still got to get through Friday though.  We'll keep an eye on the markets overnight and close out another summer week tomorrow.     

Stocks Going Ex Dividend First Week of August 2013

  Here is our latest update on the stock trading technique called 'Buying Dividends'. This is the process of buying stocks before the ex dividend date and selling the stock shortly after the ex date at about the same price, yet still being entitled to the dividend. This technique generally works only in bull markets, and can work in flat or choppy markets, but you need to avoid the technique during bear markets.

In order to be entitled to the dividend, you have to buy the stock before the ex-dividend date, and you can't sell the stock until after the ex date. The actual dividend may not be paid for another few weeks. WallStreetNewsNetwork.com has compiled a downloadable and sortable list of the stocks going ex dividend in the near future. The list contains many dividend paying companies, many with market caps over $500 million, and yields over 2%. Here are a few examples showing the stock symbol, the ex-dividend date, and the yield.

First Commonwealth (FCF) 8/1/2013 3.2%

Global Partners L.P. (GLP) 8/1/2013 6.1%

KNOT Offshore Partners LP (KNOP) 8/1/2013 5.2%

Noranda Aluminum Holding Corporation (NOR) 8/1/2013 5.0%

National Resource Partners L.P. (NRP) 8/1/2013 10.3%

ONEOK Inc. (OKE) 8/1/2013 3.4%

Pope Resources L.P. (POPE) 8/1/2013 3.1%

Spectra Energy Partners LP (SEP) 8/1/2013 4.5%

Star Gas Partners L.P. Unit LP (SGU) 8/1/2013 6.6%

Southern Company (SO) 8/1/2013 4.5%

The additional ex-dividend stocks can be found at wsnn.com. (If you have been to the website before, and the latest link doesn't show up, you may have to empty your cache.) If you like dividend stocks, you should check out some of the other high yield stock lists at WallStreetNewsNetwork.com or WSNN.com. Most of the lists are free.

Dividend definitions:

Declaration date: the day that the company declares that there is going to be an upcoming dividend.

Ex-dividend date: the day on which if you buy the stock, you would not be entitled to that particular dividend; or the first day on which a shareholder can sell the shares and still be entitled to the dividend.

Monthly Dividend Stock List
Record date: the day when you must be on the company's books as a shareholder to receive the dividend. The ex-dividend date is normally set for stocks at two business days before the record date.

Payment date: the day on which the dividend payment is actually made, which can be as long at two months after the ex date.

Book now available: Buying Dividends Revised and Expanded
Don't forget to reconfirm the ex-dividend date with the company before implementing this technique.

Disclosure: Author did not own any of the above at the time the article was written.

By Stockerblog.com

Another mixed session for the stock markets as the Dow fell 25 points on almost average volume.  The advance/declines were 3 to 1 negative.  Perhaps this is the beginning of the anticipated downside.  But I'm hoping for one last run above 1700 on the S&P 500 to get short.  It may or may not happen.  The small stocks held up better today but AAPL had a lot to do with that.  Still overbought on the stock indices.  I'm going to try and be patient here to buy the OEX puts.  The game is never easy.  GE was off a few cents and the volume was light.  No real follow through so far to the good day on Friday.  Gold got slammed today as the futures were off by $15 after being higher earlier in the session.  The XAU was even weaker, losing 4 5/8.  ABX lost 7/8, GG and NEM fell 1 1/2.  Volume was good.  The US dollar was a bit higher.  Hopefully it was simply profit taking for gold today but it is still overbought here.  My October ABX calls remain in the black but lost value today.  GG and NEM are out with earnings tomorrow.  GG before the bell and NEM after the close.  This news should set the tone for the gold shares tomorrow and Friday.  I really can't see any good news coming out of theses reports with the drop in the price of gold over the recent quarter.  So we'll see.  Mentally I'm feeling OK.  Today was the first real downside day since the end of June.  Seasonality says that we won't be going much higher from here.  It will be interesting to see if there is any follow through tomorrow.  I would advise anybody who is looking to trade the stock indexes to be sure and keep a close eye on things here.  We could be simply heading into a period of the doldrums for a couple of weeks.  But if we are not, things could get interesting very quickly.  I would like to say I have conviction one way or the other but there are no divergences yet in my opinion.  I'm still looking to trade the downside though.  Gold did not have a good day but the near term up trend line is still intact.  However if the stock market rolls over here soon as I expect, it will probably take the gold shares with it.  We also had a nice gap to the upside on the weekly gold share charts to start things off this week.  If we fall back the next couple of days as well, the weekly charts won't look so bullish.  We'll keep an eye on things overnight and take it from there.

More of the same today as the Dow gained 22 points on light volume.  The advance/declines were positive.  The overall market was weaker than the Dow with both the NASDAQ and S&P 500 lower.  Low volume and lackluster trading are the norm here so far at the end of July in the summer.  I'd still like to wait and see the S&P 500 get over 1700 before trying the OEX puts.  The summation index continues higher and you can't ignore that.  The daily and weekly technicals remain overbought for the stock indices.  That condition has lasted far too long in my opinion.  But you can't fight the trend and the trend remains up.  GE was off 1/8 on light volume.  I don't see any catalysts for this stock now that the earnings have come and gone.  GE will probably follow the overall market from here.  The gold futures were a touch lower on the session as the US dollar was lower as well.  The XAU however climbed 3 1/4.  That remains a positive development for gold followers as the gold shares out perform the metal itself.  ABX, GG and NEM were all up 1/2 or more on good volume.  Short term overbought for the gold shares now but we have broken the first down trend line in numerous issues.  Mentally I'm feeling OK.  I'm still going to try and be patient here for the next trade.  I'm going to purchase some OEX puts for either the August or the September option cycle.  Like I've said before the ideal set up will be with a negative divergence in the RSI or the McClellan oscillator.  Hasn't happened yet.  Gold is showing signs of life and we decisively broke through the $1300 level to the upside.  But gold can be volatile, so keeping the profit is sometimes hard to do.  My October ABX calls are showing a nice profit but we all know how that can change.  AAPL reported earnings after the bell today and it looks like it's getting a pop in the aftermarket hours.  Perhaps that will lead to some type of rally tomorrow.  We'll keep an eye on things overnight and see what happens tomorrow. 

A typical summer Monday session as the Dow finished little changed on the day.  The most watched index rose a point on light volume.  The advance/declines were positive.  The overall market was stronger than the Dow implying higher prices to come.  I still like the idea of some OEX puts at some point when we get over 1700 on the S&P 500.  But perhaps the market won't wait for me.  Not a lot of economic data out this week.  It might be a good time to watch and wait.  GE was up 1/8 on average volume.  No overhead resistance here but there is a possible negative RSI divergence on the weekly chart.  No trades here for now.  Gold was the story of the day as it broke through the $1300 level convincingly.  The precious metal futures gained over $40 on the session.  The US dollar was weaker.  The XAU rallied 5 1/2 and broke through the first down trend line on the daily charts, as did some of the individual gold shares.  ABX rose a buck, GG and NEM each added over 1 1/2.  Volume was strong to the upside which confirmed the breaking of the down trend lines for the gold issues.  My October ABX calls are solidly in the black.  The question now is when to sell them.  Overbought on the short term for both gold and the gold shares now.  Mentally I'm feeling OK.  At this point you can't help but wonder how much longer this rally has to go.  I am still going to try and be patient to wait for some negative divergences before I buy some index puts.  Easier said than done sometimes.  I'm still guessing that this is the 5th wave up of a 5 wave move.  I could be wrong.  Gold had a very strong session and that bodes well going forward.  The gold shares were leading the way before today and that is positive moving forward as well.  I am going to have to consider taking the profit on the October ABX call trade and perhaps buying them back cheaper later.  However the last time a gold share call trade worked for me, I sold the options way too early.  Plenty to ponder as usual and the trading is never easy no matter which way it goes.  We'll follow what happens overseas tonight and take it from there.       

Stocks Going Ex Dividend the Fifth Week of July

  Here is our latest update on the stock trading technique called 'Buying Dividends'. This is the process of buying stocks before the ex dividend date and selling the stock shortly after the ex date at about the same price, yet still being entitled to the dividend. This technique generally works only in bull markets, and can work in flat or choppy markets, but you need to avoid the technique during bear markets.

In order to be entitled to the dividend, you have to buy the stock before the ex-dividend date, and you can't sell the stock until after the ex date. The actual dividend may not be paid for another few weeks. WallStreetNewsNetwork.com has compiled a downloadable and sortable list of the stocks going ex dividend in the near future. The list contains many dividend paying companies, many with market caps over $500 million, and yields over 2%. Here are a few examples showing the stock symbol, the ex-dividend date, and the yield.

NiSource (NI) 7/29/2013 3.6%

Whitestone REIT (WSR) 7/30/2013 7.5%

Bank of Montreal (BMO) 7/30/2013 5.2%

Unitil Corp (UTL) 7/30/2013 4.8%

Pinnacle West Capital (PNW) 7/30/2013 4.2%

Hasbro Inc. (HAS) 7/30/2013 3.7%

Ames National (ATLO) 7/30/2013 2.8%

Epiq Systems (EPIQ) 7/30/2013 2.7%

Clorox Co. (CLX) 7/22/2013 3.5%

First Trust Exchange Traded Fd VI (MDIV) 7/23/2013 7.3%

Brookfield Canada Office Properties (BOXC) 7/29/2013 10.2%

Student Transportation Inc (STB) 7/29/2013 9.5%

The additional ex-dividend stocks can be found at wsnn.com. (If you have been to the website before, and the latest link doesn't show up, you may have to empty your cache.) If you like dividend stocks, you should check out some of the other high yield stock lists at WallStreetNewsNetwork.com or WSNN.com. Most of the lists are free.

Dividend definitions:

Declaration date: the day that the company declares that there is going to be an upcoming dividend.

Ex-dividend date: the day on which if you buy the stock, you would not be entitled to that particular dividend; or the first day on which a shareholder can sell the shares and still be entitled to the dividend.

Monthly Dividend Stock List
Record date: the day when you must be on the company's books as a shareholder to receive the dividend. The ex-dividend date is normally set for stocks at two business days before the record date.

Payment date: the day on which the dividend payment is actually made, which can be as long at two months after the ex date.

Book now available: Buying Dividends Revised and Expanded
Don't forget to reconfirm the ex-dividend date with the company before implementing this technique.

Disclosure: Author did not own any of the above at the time the article was written.

By Stockerblog.com

Invest in Rare Earth Metals through Stocks

With the huge demand for scarce elements used in cellphones, superconductors, magnets, televisions, wind turbines, car batteries, luminescent materials, lasers, medical equipment, regenerative brakes, and radar, investors are looking for ways to invest in these rare earth metals, also known as rare earth minerals or rare earth elements.

Although they are relatively abundant, these elements are hard to mine due to the fact that they are dispersed and not often found concentrated. These rare metals group consists of Scandium, Yttrium, Lanthanum, Cerium, Praseodymium, Neodymium, Promethium, Samarium, Europium, Gadolinium, Terbium, Dysprosium, Holmium, Erbium, Thulium, Ytterbium, Lutetium.

Lithium and manganese are often lumped in with rare earth metals due to their scarcity, but technically, they are not part of the rare earth element family. The easiest way to invest in these elements is through companies involved in the mining of the rare earth metals, over 25 of which have been turned up by WallStreetNewsNetwork.com.

One example is Rare Element Resources Ltd. (REE) is a Lakewood, Colorado based $90 million market cap company involved in the exploration and development of rare earth mineral and gold properties. It has a 100% interest in the Bear Lodge Property in Wyoming, USA, which contains one of the largest disseminated rare-earth element deposits in North America, according to the US Geological Survey Professional Paper 1049D. Indicated resources at the company's Whitetail Ridge project includes U. S. Department of Energy critical rare earth elements Europium, Terbium, Dysprosium, and Yttrium, along with other elements Gadolinium, Holmium, Erbium, Thulium, Ytterbium, and Lutetium. The company, which trades on the New York Stock Exchange, is debt-free with 0.75 in cash per share. For the latest reported quarter, Rare Element generated negative earnings of 67 cents per share.

Another company is Molycorp, Inc. (MCP), based in Greenwood Village, Colorado, produces and markets rare earth and rare metal materials, including lanthanum, cerium, neodymium, praseodymium, and yttrium; heavy rare earth concentrates, which include samarium, europium, gadolinium, terbium, dysprosium. It owns the Molycorp Mountain Pass mine in San Bernardino County, California. The company has $1.37 billion in debt, and over $404 million in cash, with $2.15 in cash per share. 73.30%. Revenues spiked 73.30% for the latest reported quarter ending March 31, with a 4.09 loss per share. The company reports latest earnings on August 8.

A diversified way to invest in rare earth stocks is with the Market Vectors Rare Earths/Strategic Metals Exchange Traded Fund (REMX). This ETF has a goal of tracking the performance of the Market Vectors® Global Rare Earth/Strategic Metals Index. It has price to earnings ratio of 20 with a dividend yield of 2.4%.

For a list of rare earth metals stocks, which can be downloaded, sorted, and updated, go to WallStreetNewsNetwork.com. This site also has a list of lithium stocks, which are not technically rare earth stocks, by are often included in the same investment arena.

Disclosure: Author did not own any of the above at the time the article was written.

By Stockerblog.com

Stocks that Al Gore Has Been Buying

In case you weren't aware, Al Gore, former U.S. Vice President, set up an investment management company several years ago with David Blood, former Co-Chief Executive Officer of Goldman Sachs Asset Management. The company is called Generation Investment Management, and it specializes in investing on companies involved in sustainability, social responsibility, and environmental responsibility.

Gore's company made a few purchases in the first quarter of the year. One was SYSCO (SYY), the food service industry company. The stock trades at 21 times trailing earnings and 18 times forward earnings. It pays a generous yield of 3.1%.

Laboratory Corporation of America (LH) is another Gore company. The stock has a price to earnings ratio of 16 and a forward P/E of 13. It does not pay a dividend.

Teradata (TDC) is a data warehousing solutions company. The stock trades at 26 times trailing earnings and 17 times forward earnings. This one also doesn't pay a dividend.

HDFC Bank (HDB) based in India, has a trailing P/E of 139 and a forward P/E of 25. The company pays a small dividend yield of 0.8%.

If you like interesting stock lists like this, check out the free stock databases at WallStreetNewsNetwork.com.

Disclosure: Author didn't own any of the above at the time the article was written.

A mixed bag for expiration Friday as the Dow fell 5 points on light volume.  The advance/declines were barely positive.  The NASDAQ under performed  with weakness from MSFT and GOOG due to their earnings reports.  Good earnings from GE helped the Dow.  I'm still guessing that we'll see on final move up here in the next couple of weeks and that should do it.  I could be wrong and often am.  The summation index continues higher.  The short and medium term technicals continue to be overbought.  Todays weakness in the small stocks could be the first sign of a change in the wind coming.  We'll see.  GE had a strong day and gained 1 1/8 on very heavy volume.  Yesterdays candlestick pattern didn't matter.  Calls were the way to go here but I was indecisive.  You cannot make money by staying on the sidelines.  That is stating the obvious.  Gold was up $8 on the futures as the US dollar fell back a bit today.  Still below the important $1300 level for the precious metal.  The XAU is finally out performing here and gained 3 3/8.  That is usually bullish going forward.  ABX and NEM rose 3/4, while GG tacked on another buck.  Volume was average.  That's 2 good weeks in a row for the gold shares.  My October ABX calls remain in the black.  Mentally I'm feeling OK.  We are now on to the August option cycle.  If we can get above 1700 on the S&P 500, I will be buying some OEX puts.  Could be next week.  It would probably be best to wait for a negative divergence in the McClellan oscillator or the RSI.  But who knows?  Maybe we will just continue to move higher, staying overbought for weeks on end.  It's happened before.  However the seasonality factor says that is not likely.  Gold has had a bounce and now we will have to see what happens with the $1300 level.  The daily short term down trend line of resistance comes in around that level.  Even if we drop back here, I still believe that the bottom is in at the $1200 level.  Time will tell on that.  One thing to remember here as well for all the markets is that we are in the middle of the summer.  I would not be surprised to see things slow down for a while.  That won't be a plus for options trading.  At any rate, it's Friday afternoon and time for a break.

More new highs as the Dow closed higher by 78 points on average volume.  The advance/declines were 2 to 1 positive.  The beat goes on and on.  Summation index continues to the upside.  Bernanke finishes his speeches and says all the right things.  No overhead resistance and the small stocks continue higher as well.  Maybe I'm just all wrong trying to look for a short entry here.  However on the S&P 500 daily chart this looks like the 5th and final wave up from the lows of June.  My guess is that getting some August puts if and when we get over the 1700 level will be just fine.  We'll see.  GE was up just a touch after being higher earlier in the session.  Volume was average.  The daily candlestick for today looks ominous but that could all change with the earnings for tomorrow.  Or not.  Perhaps the overall market will follow the lead of GE on Friday.  I did not try any trades here.  Gold was up $6 on the futures and the US dollar saw a little bit of strength today.  The XAU was off 1/8.  ABX, GG and NEM had slight fractional moves one way or the other on lighter volume.  Hopefully we are just working off some of the short term overbought conditions here before heading higher once again.  That's the hope at least.  The markets always go where they want.  Mentally I'm feeling a bit tired, did not sleep well.  We're still overbought both short and medium term for the stock indexes.  Of course I've been saying that a lot this year.  We really haven't had a decent downside move in quite a while.  The May to June swoon does count for something but it wasn't much in percentage terms.  My guess is that we will get something trade worthy in the next couple of option cycles.  Gold is now moving sideways before the next directional take off.  Which way is the question.  Short term overbought here on some of the technicals and that could be enough to send it lower near term.  I'm going to have to seriously consider getting rid of the October ABX calls before they turn into losers again.  We'll get through expiration Friday tomorrow and call it a week.

Lose Abdominal Fat with Green Tea ~ Make Your Stock Portfolio Healthy

Drink Tea for Weight Loss

According to a study by Peking University and other institutions, the catechins in green tea can cause weight loss. The research showed that adults who consumed the catechin-rich tea beverage lost significant amounts of abdominal fat as well as overall body fat when compared to the control group. What was interesting is that neither the green tea group nor the control group was asked to exercise or change their daily diet.

Other Benefits

Not only are the catechins in the green tea helpful for your health, but the caffeine can also provide additional health benefits. Studies have shown that caffeine can help prevent strokes, due to the anti-inflammatory effects of green tea and its blood circulation control. In addition, caffeine may help prevent skin cancer, according to a study in the Journal of the American Association for Cancer Research.

The Tea Stocks

For the investor looking for a way to get into the green tea industry, the options are fairly limited. For example, Argo Tea is a chain of tea shops operating in Chicago, New York, Boston, and St. Louis, but they are privately held. Bigelow Tea Company which owns the only tea plantation in the U.S., is also privately held. Fortunately, WallStreetNewsNetwork.com has turned up a list of ten publicly traded companies involved in the production and sale of tea.

Unfortunately, most of the stocks are overseas companies, which makes it hard for American investors to invest in. There is of course Starbucks (SBUX) which owns Tazo Tea Company. Starbucks bought Tazo in 1999, and open the first Tazo tea shop in 2012. Starbucks trades at 34.7 times trailing earnings and 25.8 times forward earnings. It pays a dividend yield of 1.2%. For the latest reported quarter, earnings spiked up 26% on a 11.3% rise in revenues. Starbucks reports earnings on July 25.

Another major player in the tea area is The Hain Celestial Group (HAIN), which owns the Celestial Seasonings tea company. The company sells green tea along with other types of tea and herbal teas, known as tisanes. The natural food company Hain Food Group took over Celestial in 2000. Hain trades at 30.8 times trailing earnings with a forward P/E of 25. Earnings for the last reported quarter were up an incredible 68.9% on a 21.4% boost in revenues. The company's next earnings announcement will be held on August 19.

Ito En (ITOEF), which trades over-the-counter, is based in Tokyo and is the largest green tea distributor in Japan. The stock trades at 18.8 times earnings. Revenues for the latest reported quarter were up 9.6%, with earnings jumping 14.9%.

There are several other tea companies that can be found on the free list of tea stocks at WallStreetNewsNetwork.com. The list includes the stock ticker symbol, the P/E ratio, the forward P/E ratio, and the yield. Let's hope High Tea gives new meaning to your stock portfolio.

Disclosure: Author didn't own any of the above at the time the article was written.

By Stockerblog.com

Kind of a drift to todays price action as the Dow gained 18 points on light volume.  The advance/declines were almost 2 to 1 positive.  Still overbought on the stock indices and perhaps we'll hold things up until expiration.  The summation index continues higher.  Bernanke spoke and it didn't have much of an effect on the markets.  I'll be looking for August OEX puts from here on out.  As usual, timing is everything.  GE was up 1/8 and the volume was light.  Earnings due Friday.  No trades here for me.  Gold fell today as the futures dropped $13.  The US dollar was a bit higher.  The XAU was off 2 1/2.  ABX, GG and NEM all had fractional losses on OK volume.  The gold shares could be in for a rest now, the technicals are dropping from overbought.  My October ABX calls are still in the black.  Mentally I'm feeling tired.  Overbought, staying there and it is the same old tune for the stock indices.  Seasonality from here is unfavorable though.  There will be a time to own puts in the next couple of months.  When the summation index rolls over again, that will be the time to act.  For now patience is required.  Gold rallied for a couple of weeks but now there is strong resistance at $1300.  If we can get through that it will paint a better picture for gold.  2 days left in the July option cycle.  We'll see what happens tomorrow.

Stocks Going Ex Dividend the Fourth Week of July

  Here is our latest update on the stock trading technique called 'Buying Dividends'. This is the process of buying stocks before the ex dividend date and selling the stock shortly after the ex date at about the same price, yet still being entitled to the dividend. This technique generally works only in bull markets, and can work in flat or choppy markets, but you need to avoid the technique during bear markets.

In order to be entitled to the dividend, you have to buy the stock before the ex-dividend date, and you can't sell the stock until after the ex date. The actual dividend may not be paid for another few weeks. WallStreetNewsNetwork.com has compiled a downloadable and sortable list of the stocks going ex dividend in the near future. The list contains many dividend paying companies, many with market caps over $500 million, and yields over 2%. Here are a few examples showing the stock symbol, the ex-dividend date, and the yield.

Clorox Co. (CLX) 7/22/2013 3.5%

First Trust Exchange Traded Fd VI (MDIV) 7/23/2013 7.3%

Brookfield Canada Office Properties (BOXC) 7/29/2013 10.2%

Student Transportation Inc (STB) 7/29/2013 9.5%

The additional ex-dividend stocks can be found at wsnn.com. (If you have been to the website before, and the latest link doesn't show up, you may have to empty your cache.) If you like dividend stocks, you should check out some of the other high yield stock lists at WallStreetNewsNetwork.com or WSNN.com. Most of the lists are free.

Dividend definitions:

Declaration date: the day that the company declares that there is going to be an upcoming dividend.

Ex-dividend date: the day on which if you buy the stock, you would not be entitled to that particular dividend; or the first day on which a shareholder can sell the shares and still be entitled to the dividend.

Monthly Dividend Stock List
Record date: the day when you must be on the company's books as a shareholder to receive the dividend. The ex-dividend date is normally set for stocks at two business days before the record date.

Payment date: the day on which the dividend payment is actually made, which can be as long at two months after the ex date.

Book now available: Buying Dividends Revised and Expanded
Don't forget to reconfirm the ex-dividend date with the company before implementing this technique.

Disclosure: Author did not own any of the above at the time the article was written.

By Stockerblog.com

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Zimbabwe Stock Market Up 53% So Far This Year

New High for African Stock Exchange

Just as the S&P 500 Index has done so, the Zimbabwe Stock Exchange Industrial Index has made an all time high, rising over 53% so far this year. The stock exchange trades in United States dollars.

Runaway Inflation

The economic turnaround for Zimbabwe has been pretty amazing, as just a few years ago, the country had runaway inflation. Several years ago, the inflation rate of Zimbabwe exceeded 231,000,000% (that was the official rate, some economists believe that it was actually 89,700,000,000,000,000,000,000%). Just to buy three eggs, it had cost 100 billion Zimbabwe dollars.

$100 trillion dollar bill

At that time, the country had been issuing currency as high as $100 trillion dollar bills. Zimbabwe eventually allow several currencies to trade in the country, including the U. S. dollar. Now the $100 trillion dollar bill is a collector's item and hasn't been printed for several years.

I had written an article back in 2010 in much more detail about Zimbabwe inflation.

Finally a bit of downside as the Dow fell 32 points on light volume.  The advance/declines were almost 2 to 1 negative.  I did not attempt any OEX put trade today and I'll be waiting for the August option cycle to maybe try out that idea again.  The market should move off of whatever Bernanke has to say tomorrow.  We're still overbought for the stock indices.  This could be the end of the rally but that remains to be seen.  It is a possibility though.  GE was off almost 1/4 today and the volume picked up a little.  Things still could go either way here on the earnings report due Friday.  Gold was up $6 on the futures today as the US dollar took another steep drop.  The gold shares out performed for a change as the XAU rose 4 1/2.  ABX up a buck, GG gained 1 3/8 and NEM added 7/8.  Volume was good for the gold shares.  My October ABX calls are in the black.  GG is clearly leading the way here though.  Mentally I'm feeling OK.  We'll see where we go from here but I think it is no secret that any upside would be limited from here for the stock indexes.  We are in the seasonally unfavorable period for the stock market.  When this summer rally ends there will be opportunity in buying puts on the indices.  The ideal scenario would be with a declining summation index.  I believe that at some point in the next couple of months that will happen.  So will will wait and see.  Patience is required for now but when the time comes you'll have to be ready to strike.  Gold is showing a little life here but we don't know if it is for real or simply a dead cat bounce.  I am sticking with my guess that the lows are in for gold at around the $1200 level.  The gold shares are acting better but that could change at any time as we all know.  I'm going to have to consider selling my October ABX calls at a profit for once.  We'll keep an eye on the overseas markets tonight as we wait for Bernanke tomorrow.   

Temporary Agencies May Provide Permanent Returns for your Portfolio

The number of temporary workers has been increasing for many years. According to a recent press release from the Bureau of Labor Statistics on July 5, "Employment continued to trend up in temporary help services (+10,000)". Why are companies hiring more temps and less full time workers?

Avoiding Obamacare

Ease of terminating temporary employees in the event of a business downturn

Getting to know how a potential employee will work out before hiring them as a permanent employee

More financial flexibility

Avoiding unemployment taxes

No union issues

Transfer of the burden of I9 checks

There are many other reasons that companies use temporary workers, but you can see how these benefits can cause numerous companies to turn to temporary agencies. According to WallStreetNewsNetwork.com, there are over a dozen publicly traded companies which provide temporary employment services, with half a dozen paying dividends.

Robert Half International (RHI) is a provider of temporary and full-time staffing throughout the world. This Menlo Park, California based company was founded in 1948. The stock, which trades at 22 times trailing earnings and 17 times forward earnings, pays a generous dividend of 1.9%. Earnings for the latest reported quarter jumped 15.6% on a 0.8% rise in revenues. The company reports earnings on July 22.

Another major player in the temp worker employment field is Kelly Services, Inc. (KELYA) which has been in business since 1946. The stock has a trailing price to earnings ratio of 13 and a trailing PE of 11. The dividend yield is a CD beating 1.1%. Latest quarterly earnings spiked 34.4% on a 3% drop in sales. The company will report n August 5.

ManpowerGroup (MAN) has about 3,500 offices in 80 countries. It trades at 16 times forward earnings, however recent quarterly earnings were down 40.5% on a 6.4% reduction in revenues. The dividend yield is 1.5%. Earnings will be reported July 19.

For a free list of all the temporary staffing stocks, go to WallStreetNewsNetwork.com.

Disclosure: Author didn't own any of the above at the time the article was written.

By Stockerblog.com

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Still problems with the blog site.  The Dow rose 20 points today on very light volume.  The advance/declines were positive.  I placed an open order for some OEX puts at the price I was willing to pay but it wasn't filled.  It's probably too late for this trade now but if we get some early strength tomorrow perhaps I'll try it again.  Only 4 days to go in the July option cycle.  We are very overbought both short and medium term and there will be some downside this week in my opinion.  You'll have to be nimble to make this trade work.  The summation index continues higher.  The small stocks continue to lead the way.  GE was off a few cents on average volume.  Still time here to go either way on the earnings report Friday.  I'll most likely just step aside.  Gold gained 5 bucks on the futures as the US dollar showed a slight upside bias.  The XAU was flat on the session.  ABX, GG and NEM all barely moved on very light volume.  My October ABX calls are still in the black.  Some inflation data out here tomorrow and Bernanke blabs on Wednesday.  Perhaps these events will move gold.  Mentally I'm feeling OK.  I would have liked to have gotten the OEX puts today but it was not to be.  The light volume upside continues and it has lasted long enough without some type of profit taking or downside.  So we'll see.  Today was your typical summer Monday.  Gold needs some type of catalyst here for higher prices but it is still out of favor.  I do believe the ABX calls I own have a chance to be a profitable trade though.  I may have to sell them and then try and buy them back.  But that's a guess as usual.  We'll see what happens overnight and go from there.

Stock on WallStreetNewsNetwork List Up 49% on Friday

In case you missed it, earlier this week on Wednesday, July 10, I wrote an article called Stocks Selling Below Cash per Share - Getting Stocks at a Discount which described how risk can be reduced by finding stocks trading below the amount of cash per share, especially if the company has low or no debt.

The Below Cash Stock ~ And Debt Free

Two stocks were included in the writeup, Emerson Radio Corp. (MSN) and Career Education (CECO), and the article referred to the free list of stocks selling below cash at WallStreetNewsNetwork.com. One of the stocks which was one the list of about ten stocks was iGo, Inc. (IGOI), the company that makes and markets power products for mobile electronic devices, such as chargers and surge protectors. The stock was trading at 2.28 on Wednesday, and closed at 2.29 on Thursday. This was approximately a 36% discount to the company's cash per share. In addition, the company has no debt.

iGo Really Did Go - Up!!!

After the market close on Thursday, it was announced that Steel Excel (SXCL) made a cash tender offer to purchase up to 44% of the outstanding shares of the common stock of iGo at a price of 3.95 per share. This is a premium of over 71%.

Huge One Day Increase

On Friday, the stock opened at 3.37 on the news, and closed at 3.42 for the day, about a 50% increase (49.34% to be exact).

By the way, Emerson Radio is down eight cents from Wednesday, but Career Education is up 3.4%.

The blog site here continues to malfunction.  I may have to move it and I will let you know here if I do.  Hopefully it will return to normal soon.  The Dow was negative for most of the session and then popped up in the final half hour.  It finished the day with a slight gain of 3 points on light volume.  The advance/declines were about even.  It felt like a summer Friday as it should.  The overall market was stronger than the Dow once again, implying higher prices.  I canceled my July OEX put order but may try it again early next week.  However I could also make a case for just sitting out next week and waiting until the August option cycle.  Overbought, staying there and there is no overhead resistance for most of the stock indices at this point in time.  The summation index continues higher.  The small stocks are leading the way and that is bullish.  GE was lower by 18 cents today.  Volume was average for summer.  We're below $24 and the resistance comes in at $24.25.  You could make a case to go either way here before the earnings in a week.  I will probably sit this one out.  Gold was off a couple of bucks on the futures as the US dollar was higher on the day.  The XAU dropped 2 1/4.  ABX, GG and NEM all had fractional losses and the volume was lighter than it has been.  My ABX calls are still slightly in the black.  Gold and the XAU finally had a positive week but you can't make much more of it than that.  Mentally I'm feeling OK.  Higher we go with a summer rally and there doesn't seem to be anything in the way to stop it.  Plus the positive expiration week bias will be upon us.  I've been looking to buy index puts and we have done nothing but rally so I've been wrong again here as well.  At least it hasn't cost me any money just yet.  Plenty of economic data out next week so perhaps we'll see some volatility.  The markets won't go straight up forever.  Gold found a bid this week and I still think the lows are in at the $1200 level.  I could be wrong and often am.  The gold shares haven't taken the lead here so perhaps this week was just a dead cat bounce.  That's a guess as usual.  Once the gold shares start to out perform gold itself, we should see a sustained rally.  My apologies for the sloppiness of the blog this week but I cannot control the functioning of this site itself.  Spellcheck isn't working properly along with the posting page.  As I said before hopefully things will return to normal next week.  I'll be checking the charts over the weekend to decide whether trying the OEX puts in the next 5 days is viable.  For now it's Friday afternoon and time for a break.

Stocks Going Ex Dividend the Third Week of July

  Here is our latest update on the stock trading technique called 'Buying Dividends'. This is the process of buying stocks before the ex dividend date and selling the stock shortly after the ex date at about the same price, yet still being entitled to the dividend. This technique generally works only in bull markets, and can work in flat or choppy markets, but you need to avoid the technique during bear markets.

In order to be entitled to the dividend, you have to buy the stock before the ex-dividend date, and you can't sell the stock until after the ex date. The actual dividend may not be paid for another few weeks. WallStreetNewsNetwork.com has compiled a downloadable and sortable list of the stocks going ex dividend in the near future. The list contains many dividend paying companies, many with market caps over $500 million, and yields over 2%. Here are a few examples showing the stock symbol, the ex-dividend date, and the yield.

Bowl America (BWL-A) 7/15/2013 4.9%

Saul Centers (BFS) 7/15/2013 3.3%

McGrath RentCorp (MGRC) 7/15/2013 2.9%

Comtech Telecommunications (CMTL) 7/17/2013 4.3%

Cracker Barrel (CBRL) 7/17/2013 3.3%

A.Schulman Inc. (SHLM) 7/17/2013 3.0%

Group Long Distance, Inc. (GLDI) 7/18/2013 13.3%

The additional ex-dividend stocks can be found at wsnn.com. (If you have been to the website before, and the latest link doesn't show up, you may have to empty your cache.) If you like dividend stocks, you should check out some of the other high yield stock lists at WallStreetNewsNetwork.com or WSNN.com. Most of the lists are free.

Dividend definitions:

Declaration date: the day that the company declares that there is going to be an upcoming dividend.

Ex-dividend date: the day on which if you buy the stock, you would not be entitled to that particular dividend; or the first day on which a shareholder can sell the shares and still be entitled to the dividend.

Monthly Dividend Stock List
Record date: the day when you must be on the company's books as a shareholder to receive the dividend. The ex-dividend date is normally set for stocks at two business days before the record date.

Payment date: the day on which the dividend payment is actually made, which can be as long at two months after the ex date.

Book now available: Buying Dividends Revised and Expanded
Don't forget to reconfirm the ex-dividend date with the company before implementing this technique.

Disclosure: Author did not own any of the above at the time the article was written.

By Stockerblog.com

Business Related Dot Info Domains Being Auctioned

One of the major Internet domain auctioneers, Sedo.com, is having a large auction of dot info (.info) domains. Some of the domains being offered are: guides.info claims.info promoter.info repairs.info reseller.info supplier.info import.info merchandise.info brochure.info charge.info nuts.info engineers.info fame.info souvenirs.info imports.info intranet.info mailing.info

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This site has not worked properly all week.  The blog must go on though.  The Dow had a huge rally today as it gained 169 points on average volume.  The advance/declines were almost 7 to 1 positive.  My idea to purchase the July OEX puts has obviously been wrong.  The market remains overbought and staying there.  The summation index continues higher.  The small stocks have led the way here and thankfully I was keeping an eye on that.  So why not try the calls instead over the past week?  The volume has been light.  Today it picked up a bit at least.  Perhaps we simply continue to rally.  We are at new closing highs for some of the major indices now and there is no overhead resistance.  You could make a case that we broke out from the multi-year resistance, fell back to it with the recent decline and are now off to much higher prices.  I did put in another open order for the OEX July puts though.  GE was up 3/8 on OK volume.  We have earnings to deal with in a week here.  I'm not sure that I will attempt a trade for GE.  Gold rallied as the US dollar took another spill today.  The precious metal futures were up $32.  The XAU finally followed along and gained 6 points.  ABX rose 1 1/4,  GG gained 2 and NEM added 1 1/2.  The volume continues above average here.  My October ABX calls are now in the black.  Could this be the start of some klind of sustained rally in gold and the gold shares?  Hasn't happened yet.  Mentally I'm feeling OK.  Perhaps I will simply cancel the OEX July put order tonight.  The technicals are overbought and it doesn't mean anything yet.  Perhaps the best course of action here would be to wait for the August cycle.  Maybe the sidelines are the place to be before the July expiration.  There are always many questions in the game.  Gold and the gold shares are having a good week so far but they remain mired in a steep downtrend.  A bounce is underway but how long it lasts is the question.  GG is by far the out performer among the gold shares right now.  That is probably where I should have tried the calls.  It is always easy to second guess your trades.  Much more difficult to get them right to begin with.  I'll be checking the charts tonight to see if I'd like to continue searching for an entry point for a July OEX put trade.  We'll see if the foreign markets follow the lead of the US stock indexes overnight.

Still having problems with this site.  We got some volatility after the Fed minutes but it wasn't all that much.  The summer crowd reactions are usually muted.  The Dow fell 8 points on light volume.  The advance/declines were positive.  The overall market was stronger than the Dow.  The summation index continues higher.  Still overbought and still staying there.  I canceled my open order for the July OEX puts before the Fed minutes.  I might try again tomorrow but who knows?  We seem to be in some sort of upwards drift for the stock indices at the moment.  So the question is why even take the risk on an option trade here?  7 days left in the July cycle.  GE was off a few cents and the volume was light.  No trades in mind here at the moment.  Gold was only up a buck on the futures after being much higher.  The US dollar got crushed on the Fed minutes.  As usual the XAU didn't do much and was off 1/4.  ABX and GG were little changed, while NEM fell 1/2.  Volume continues to be above average for the gold shares.  Either positions are being built or there are way more sellers here than normal.  This, after these issues have already gotten walloped.  My October ABX calls are in the red.  Mentally I'm feeling OK.  Well I've been patient to try and put on this OEX July trade.  However it may not even be worth it.  The rally is still a light volume one and it will fail in my opinion.  The question is when?  As long as the small stocks are in the lead, there is a positive bias to the stock indexes.  I would like to try something before the expiration though.  Gold and the gold shares continue to go nowhere.  Perhaps this October ABX trade was not a good idea again.  Time will tell.  We'll keep an eye as usual on the overnight price action and see what tomorrow brings.

Stocks Selling Below Cash per Share

Getting Stocks at a Discount

Investors who are looking for turn-around situations in the stock market, yet want to reduce their risk, should look at stocks selling below cash per share. This means (in simple terms) that if you take all the company's cash in the bank, divide it by the number of shares, the result would be higher than what you could buy the shares for. If the company has little or no debt, then if the company went out of business today, you would receive more than what the shares are trading for.

There are several stocks selling below cash per share that have been identified by WallStreetNewsNetwork.com. Obviously, when stocks sell this cheap, there is usually some sort of negative issue associated with it, but if you are a contrarian, you may find a gem in the junk pile.

Electronics

One example is Emerson Radio Corp. (MSN), the New York Stock Exchange traded marketer of house-ware and consumer electronic products, such as DVD players, microwave ovens, compact refrigerators, clock radios and televisions. The stock, which currently trades at 1.77 per share, sells way below its book value of 2.66 per share, and 18% below its cash per share of 2.15. The company only has $83 thousand in debt. The stock trades at only five times earnings. On the downside, latest quarterly revenues and earnings were down by over 40%. A one time large dividend distribution to the shareholders could send this stock higher. The company has been in business since 1948.

Education

Career Education (CECO) operates colleges, schools, and universities that are in career-oriented disciplines. Its operations include Colorado Technical University and American InterContinental University. Degree and certificate programs are numerous and include technology, criminal justice, computer science, engineering, health sciences, culinary arts, hotel and restaurant management, fashion, interior design, film and video production, and construction. The stock sells at an 18% discount to its cash per share of 4.29. The stocks trades at 3.52, way below its book value of 8.90. Total debt for the company is only $103 thousand. Earnings for the latest reported quarter were negative and the company will report second-quarter 2013 financial results on Wednesday, August 7, 2013, after the market close. This Illinois based company was founded in 1994.

For a free list of over ten stocks trading at or below cash per share, go to WallStreetNewsNetwork.com. The list includes current price, cash per share, debt, P/E ratio, and discount to cash per share. Please keep in mind that although the turnaround percentage gains on these stocks can be huge, the risks are high because of the low capitalizations and usually poor earnings. I hope you find your gem.

Disclosure: Author didn't own any of the above at the time the article was written.

By Stockerblog.com

Once again this blog website is malfunctioning.  Hopefully this writing will be posted.  The light volume rally continues as the Dow gained 75 points.  The advance/declines were almost 3 to 1 positive.  Overbought and staying there.  This rally has lasted longer than I thought it would as we have now broken through the declining tops lines on the major indices.  How much longer will it last?  Usually longer than you think.  I adjusted my open order for the July OEX puts and it hasn't been filled yet.  I will have to keep adjusting it to a higher strike price the longer the advance goes on.  I'm still a believer in this trade because the volume here has been anemic.  We've got the Fed minutes out tomorrow and that could cause some volatility.  So we will have to wait and see.  GE was up 1/3 on the usual light volume.  I'm not exactly sure what to do here next so I will probably pass on the July option cycle.  However with the earnings due on expiration Friday, I could change my mind.  Gold was up over $10 on the futures despite another strong day in the US dollar index.  It looks like gold pulled back in the aftermarket though.  The XAU only gained a point.  ABX, GG and NEM all had fractional gains on good volume.  My October ABX calls are slightly in the red.  Gold and the XAU continue going nowhere.  Mentally I'm feeling a bit tired.  RUT hit another new high for the year and that could be a precursor for the overall stock market.  That's a guess as usual and if true, buying OEX puts would probably be a failure.  I am still going to try them here at some point in the July option cycle.  8 days to go there.  Gold continues to languish after the recent debacle.  Base building is what is needed here.  We'll keep an eye on what happens tonight and try for the OEX July puts again tomorrow.

Stocks that Have Recently Increased their Dividends

The following stocks have recently increased their dividends. This may be a sign of improving business for a company.

Sovran Self Storage, Inc. (SSS) announced an increase of the quarterly dividend by 10.4%.

Bank of the Ozarks (OZRK) announced a quarterly cash dividend increase of 11.8%.

Medtronic (MDT) recently increased its dividend by 8%.

Total Income+ Real Estate Fund (TIPRX) announced a second quarter dividend of $.2379 per share whichis is an 83% increase.

Armanino Foods of Distinction (AMNF) announced an increase of 16.67% in its quarterly dividend.

If you like interesting lists like this, check out the many stock lists at WallStreetNewsNetwork.com, most of which are free.

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I am having trouble with the blog website today.  Hopefully this will post.  The Dow gained 88 points today on average volume.  The advance/declines were positive.  It still has the feel of wanting to move to the upside to me.  We are right at the declining tops lines for the major indices and it looks like they will break through.  Regardless, I have an order in for the July OEX puts.  We're short term overbought and I believe that we'll see some sort of pull back this week.  This trade is strictly short term.  Perhaps the open order will be filled tomorrow.  GE was up a few cents on increasing volume.  Plenty of time to take a position one way or the other here.  We'll see some kind of move on expiration Friday next week with the earnings due.  Gold gained over $20 on the session with the US dollar finishing the day weaker.  I'm still expecting the $1200 level to hold for gold but that's a guess as usual.  The gold shares went the other direction, losing 1 1/2.  ABX was flat, while GG shed 1/2 and NEM dropped 3/4.  Volume continues to remain pretty good for the gold shares.  My October ABX calls are showing a slight loss.  Mentally I'm feeling OK.  The stock indexes are now overbought but they could stay that way as has happened quite often this year.  However I never trust light volume rallies and this one certainly fits the bill.  It is just a matter of it it drops here or goes to the old highs.  The RUT has made a new high and when the small stocks take the lead it is bullish.  The summation index does continue higher as well.  So we'll see.  I could be wrong about trying the OEX puts here.  Gold and the gold shares continue to not be on the same page.  Eventually they will get going together.  They have only gone the same direction when it's been down lately.  The fundamentals for gold really look like they continue to erode.  Contrary to popular opinion puts you long gold here.  We'll keep an eye on the foreign markets tonight and go from there.

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A continuing light volume levitation as the Dow gained 147 points on lackluster activity.  The advance/declines were positive.  Not all the players are here due to the long holiday weekend.  We are almost to the declining tops lines for the major stock indices.  The scenario is playing out almost ideally for the OEX puts at some point next week.  The trouble is that the small stocks are acting much better here and that they usually lead the way.  The RUT closed at a new high for the year and that is worrisome for the short side.  Perhaps we are going to retest the old yearly highs in the major averages as well.  Getting short term overbought on the technicals for the stock indices but not all the way there yet.  The jobs number was better than expected and the news out of Europe was for continued low interest rates.  The summation index continues to the upside.  GE was up 1/3 on light volume.  I still haven't made up my mind on exactly what to do here.  Perhaps I'll simply pass on this trade.  Gold got clobbered again as the US dollar was higher.  The precious metal futures fell about $30.  We did finish off of the lows and the $1200 level is still holding for now.  The XAU finished off its lows as well, down 2 7/8 on the day.  ABX lost 7/8, GG down 3/4 and NEM shed 1 1/4.  Volume was good here though despite the holiday atmosphere.  My October ABX call trade was filled today and the calls are right where I bought them.  I've attempted this trade numerous times with nothing but disastrous results.  We'll see what happens this time.  Nobody wants the gold shares or gold here.  Oversold and staying there for weeks on end.  That condition won't last forever.  Mentally I'm feeling a bit tired, did not sleep well.  Stocks continue to rise and we are approaching the second line of resistance for the major stock indexes.  The 50 day moving average was penetrated to the upside today.  Next up is the declining tops line.  After that will come the old highs if we get that far.  I'll have plenty to ponder over the rest of the weekend.  I'd still like to give the OEX puts for July a chance.  We'll see.  I would feel a lot better about the put trade if the small stocks were not so strong here.  Gold remains unloved and the gold shares remain strong under performers.  I'm in the ABX call trade now though.  Earnings due on August 1st.  The fundamentals for gold look horrible here as well with a stronger US dollar.  Not to mention civil unrest around the world and gold can't even catch any kind of rally.  As I said before getting long gold here is the ultimate contrarion play.  We'll see if it works.  I'll be checking the charts for the rest of the weekend.  Time to take a break on a Friday afternoon in the summer.      

The Potential of India Stocks

With many countries still in recession and the global economy still showing little sign of recovery, investing in the stock market is causing many people sleepless nights. Fortunes have been lost on the US stock market in the last few years and Wall Street is still very cautious.

Of course there is still a lot of money waiting to be invested - people are looking to diversify their portfolio and American investors are keen start seeing dividends again. There is one region which has suffered due to this economic downturn and that's Asia. And one of the leading Asian economies is India. Although the S&P 500 is up about 18% during the last twelve months, Indian shares have dropped approximately 7%. Maybe it's time for a turnaround.

India's economy has been experiencing unprecedented growth in recent decades and that growth is showing no sign of slowing down any time soon, over a long term time frame.

That economic growth has been accompanied by some spectacularly good performances in India's growing number world class companies and many of these companies are now household names in the West. According to WallStreetNewsNetwork.com, there are over 15 Indian stocks that trade in the United States. ArcelorMittal, Tata, Infosys, Reliance Industries and ICICI Bank are just a handful worth mentioning and there are a lot more which may experience growth stories.

ArcelorMittal (MT), which trades on the New York Stock Exchange, is a major integrated steel and mining company. The stock trades at nine times forward earnings and pays a 6.1% yield. Dividends have been paid quarterly.

The India based Tata Motors Limited (TTM) trades at six times forward earnings and pays a small dividend rate of 0.7%

Infosys Ltd. (INFY) is a business and technology consulting company, which has a forward price to earnings ratio of 13 and a yield of 2.3%.

India is now far more than a developing nation - it is the most influential country in the region and is becoming a key player on the world stage. With hundreds of millions of India's population about to make that important transition into the middle classes there is a rising tide of demand domestically for products and services and this is, in turn driving India's expansion into the global marketplace, including services, technology, and manufacturing.

Coupled with India's rising demand for minerals and metal resources, India has some truly great companies which are showcasing themselves right now. And all of this means one very important thing for American investors right now - investment opportunities. They have solid, safe, secure and stable investment opportunities.

India is currently producing more billionaires than any Western country and these are the guys who are leading these companies. Many of them are by now familiar names on the New York Stock Exchange and NASDAQ, and it is a great time to acquire stock in Indian corporations.

With hindsight, anyone who had invested in even one of India's new stock giants just 20 years ago would be sitting on a very healthy profit by now. Hindsight unfortunately isn't much use in the investment world. Foresight however, is. Anyone who sees the growing opportunities available to invest in Indian based stocks today could be looking back in another decade with a big smile on their face.

For a free list of Indian stocks, go to WallStreetNewsNetwork.com.

Disclosure: Author didn't own any of the above at the time the article was written.

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It was a shortened pre-holiday session as the Dow gained 56 points on very light volume.  The advance/declines were negative.  Not much to read into todays market action but it has the feel of wanting to go higher to me.  The employment report on Friday will be the next catalyst one way or the other.  If we continue to drift higher near term, that would give the July OEX put trade a chance sometime next week.  The 50 day moving averages have kept a lid on the major indices for now.  GE was flat on light volume.  I'm still considering the July calls here but there is no urgency to this trade right now.  Earnings due on expiration Friday.  Gold was up $8 on the futures today with a weaker US dollar.  The XAU gained 1 2/3.  GG rose 7/8, while ABX was up a bit and NEM down a bit.  Volume was good considering the early close.  I still have the open order in for the October ABX calls.  Mentally I'm feeling OK.  So we'll see what kind of numbers come out early Friday morning and the markets reaction to them.  It will be a thinly traded day though.  The foreign markets will remain open tomorrow and we'll see what happens there.  Otherwise it will be a day off in the US as we wait for the employment report.

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A one day reversal to the downside as we opened higher and close lower.  The Dow fell 42 points on light volume.  The advance/declines were negative.  The overall market fared better than the Dow.  Once again the 50 day moving average has turned back prices.  The summation index continues higher though.  Plus the RUT average of small stocks is closer to breaking out to new highs for the year than the other major indices.  I'm not exactly sure what to make of that.  I'd expect tomorrow to be a pre-holiday slow and light volume session.  Then we get the employment report on Friday.  It doesn't look like I'll be getting the July OEX puts before then.  Perhaps we won't make it back to the declining tops lines for the major indices.  I'm on the side of caution for now.  GE fell 3/8 and the volume was good.  Perhaps GE is a precursor for the overall market here.  Trying to hold the 50 day moving average support.  The July GE calls are certainly cheaper now but I'm not biting.  Gold fell back today as the US dollar was stronger.  The gold futures were off $12.  The XAU dropped as well, losing 3 3/4.  ABX off 3/4, GG lost 1 1/2 and NEM slid a buck.  Volume remains pretty good here.  Nothing but bad news for the miners and the fundamentals at the moment are working against them.  Technically still oversold and blown out but we still do not see any signs of a sustained rally.  I adjusted down the strike price for my open order on the October ABX calls as we hit another new low there today.  I'll still give this trade a shot despite the negative outlook and environment.  It is the ultimate contrary play at this point.  Mentally I'm feeling OK.  Stocks are a bit short term overbought here and I doubt we will see a lot of buyers ahead of the employment report.  The market reaction to that number will bear watching.  It should be a thinly traded affair though with the holiday on Thursday contributing to a longer than normal weekend.  I'm being cautious here for now and I'm still favoring puts over calls for the stock indexes.  Gold had a bounce and it stalled today despite civil unrest in Egypt.  Nobody wants the precious metal but I'm still saying the bottom is in at around $1200.  The gold shares continue to be unloved.  The Shanghai market continues to bounce back from its collapse and that is a positive overall for the stock indices for now.  We'll keep an eye on things overnight and go from there.