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[dionysus]

That's amazing. Congratulations. I finally got back to even or close to it on a few trades and simply unloaded so I have no stock right now. Calls and puts are a bit too scary for my liking.

I still do a few options, but I am moving away from them. Psychologically, I just hate it when an option expires out of the money, and then I look at that stock in 6 months and it is way over the strike price. I recently missed a 120% return on ACGY by 2 freaking months. It is just devastating to my psyche to know that I was right, but it didn't happen soon enough.

And honestly it is way easier to value stocks than options, and since I don't do this for a living....

 

[Justin Bailey]

"Bonds are junk?" Where did you hear that?

Like anything else, the quality of a bond varies. But the absolute safest investment is a US Treasury bond.

I think he may have heard the term "junk bonds" and got confused :lol

 

[dionysus]

I wouldn't even call a US treasury safe anymore. Maybe a TIPS (is that the right acronym?), the one that is inflation protected.

 

[Tarazet]

That's amazing. Congratulations. I finally got back to even or close to it on a few trades and simply unloaded so I have no stock right now. Calls and puts are a bit too scary for my liking.

My portfolio is showing about -3%. By November 3 it'll be +4% with basically no risk taken.

I'm kicking myself because I bought a 10-year CD at 3.8%, and now just a month later you can get them at 5%. Warg. I'm half tempted to pull the plug on it and buy a TIP instead.

 

[kathode]

Hoooly crap at MSFT. That thing is a damn rocket!

 

[RSTEIN]

I have a bid in at 1.26... just 6 contracts (MSQVN). I'm leaving now. We'll see if it gets hit!

 

[teh_pwn]

i heard bonds are junk, but also invest long term in index that have overseas exposure, as you said.
what's the best place to research this?

Bonds are junk for long term. For long term investments, it's only marginally better than stuffing cash under your mattress. But short term it's a safe way to invest.

 

[kathode]

I have a bid in at 1.26... just 6 contracts (MSQVN). I'm leaving now. We'll see if it gets hit!

That's the one I got yesterday at 1.45. Not sure if I'm buying more today. Thinking we might have another solid green day before we get a solid red.

Hahaha, ended at 1.27. Wonder if your order got executed.

 

[teh_pwn]

My 401k is now in the green again. I started a couple years ago, and tripled my investment rate around October. The old buy low strategy still works.

My Roth IRA is still 3-4% red, but I started four years ago. I need to find out if vanguard can auto deduct contributions from my paycheck so I have more control during these recessions.

Hoooly crap at MSFT. That thing is a damn rocket!

Lots of undervalued companies with real business models are going to do this. Microsoft has several products that practically print money. Their dividends are fair too.

 

[RSTEIN]

That's the one I got yesterday at 1.45. Not sure if I'm buying more today. Thinking we might have another solid green day before we get a solid red.

Hahaha, ended at 1.27. Wonder if your order got executed.

nope...

 

[RSTEIN]

 

[Meier]

Ugh, sold my Sprint on Friday as I was finally back to about even after it's sucked for awhile... thing has gone up 36 cents since then. Lost out on hundreds of dollars (a nice chunk to me) and counting. Dammit.

 

[kathode]

http://i39.tinypic.com/2njhnwg.jpg

http://i41.tinypic.com/35i41s8.jpg

It's unbelievable. Actually considering bailing on this one...

Edit: There we go!

 

[Deku Tree]

Is this a minor sell-off? Or the beginning of a new bear slide? what do you think?

 

[Ether_Snake]

Yuck, anything I own is down big time.

 

[Relix]

Wait, why the hell the dollar get so strong all of a sudden..

 

[RSTEIN]

It's unbelievable. Actually considering bailing on this one...

Edit: There we go!

I'm getting ready to buy more. Not yet tho.

 

[Ovid]

Question for you guys who do mostly options trading. I see FDO has dropped all the way to $28 from $31 last week. The majority of puts & calls are at $30. Would be safe to say that the shorts have gotten a hold of this stock with options expirations on Friday? I really can't see another reason why this stock has fallen so much.

EDIT: Damn, THQI down 10%.

 

[Wickerman]

Question for you guys who do mostly options trading. I see FDO has dropped all the way to $28 from $31 last week. The majority of puts & calls are at $30. Would be safe to say that the shorts have gotten a hold of this stock with options expirations on Friday? I really can't see another reason why this stock has fallen so much.

I'm just kidding

 

[RSTEIN]

Question for you guys who do mostly options trading. I see FDO has dropped all the way to $28 from $31 last week. The majority of puts & calls are at $30. Would be safe to say that the shorts have gotten a hold of this stock with options expirations on Friday? I really can't see another reason why this stock has fallen so much.

EDIT: Damn, THQI down 10%.

Well it is quadruple witching on Friday so these things tend to happen. Lots of games being played.

The price action of FDO is pretty typical as of late, especially for retailers. The stock is up 100% since the beginning of the year. They report earnings. Earnings are good. Stock goes up a little. Then people say "oh shit, this stock is up 100%." All the good news is basically priced in at this juncture. Plus, this mid $30 area has been huge resistance since 2002. In 2002 it hit $36 and pulled back. In 2005 it hit $34 and pulled back. In 2007 it hit $35 and pulled back. Here we are again. This morning it bounced off its 200 day MA so maybe that will prove to be a support level.

 

[Ovid]

The one thing I don't understand is that 99 Cents Only Stores reported better than expected earnings last week and Family Dollar continued to decline.

99 Cents Only Stores (NDN) was up again today while the other retailers declined. It just doesn't make cents (I mean sense).

FDO better make its way into the 30s again next month after they report earnings.

 

[kathode]

MSFT got upgraded.... awesome....

 

[RSTEIN]

Getting ready to buy more MSFT puts.

 

[RSTEIN]

Alright, I got 9 contracts at $1.18. I'm not thrilled with the price but I saw the SP500 was rolling over so I jumped in. That may bite me in the ass. We'll see. I have 13 contracts now, so still got plenty of room.

 

[dionysus]

Wait, why the hell the dollar get so strong all of a sudden..

Everywhere else in the world is just as bad or worse.

 

[kathode]

Alright, I got 9 contracts at $1.18. I'm not thrilled with the price but I saw the SP500 was rolling over so I jumped in. That may bite me in the ass. We'll see. I have 13 contracts now, so still got plenty of room.

Nice, I should have jumped in at the top. Probably going to buy more ERTS calls.

 

[RSTEIN]

Nice, I should have jumped in at the top. Probably going to buy more ERTS calls.

better to be lucky than smart My CL puts are finally working for me too.

 

[kathode]

better to be lucky than smart My CL puts are finally working for me too.

Well damn, that will teach me to bail out early I guess. Still in MSFT puts. I'll think about buying more if we get any green movement in the day or two.

 

[RSTEIN]

Is this a minor sell-off? Or the beginning of a new bear slide? what do you think?

Well, I noticed lots of stocks started to break their uptrends/support lines in the last two weeks (I keep a list of about 100 annotated charts plus I check every chart in the S&P100/NASDAQ100 every day). These were mainly industrials/tech. Now we're starting to see consumer staples/utilities (typically defensive names) break their uptrends (e.g. look at PG last couple of days). To me this is a warning sign that says basically back off. With these trend lines violated, the next support level I'm looking for is the 50 day moving average. Some stocks have already corrected down to their 50 day MA and some have even violently crashed through (e.g. WMT). I'll start plucking away at the stocks that react positively to their 50 day MAs. I'll have a stop about 3% below the 50 day MA in case the market wants to really go low so I can bail out with a small loss.

The market isn't oversold or overbought. It's kind of in no-man's land right now. Last week there were about 30 overbought stocks. Today there's only one (MSFT) and 3 oversold stocks. This is the first time since March 13th that the number of oversold stocks has been greater than the number of overbought stocks. It's been a hell of a run so this seasonal stuff is pretty typical.

It's anyone's guess really. I just use these tools to help narrow down the range of likely outcomes. I'm 90% cash right now if that tells you anything. But for all I know the market could go up 5% tomorrow.

 

[yoopoo]

Just bought some AKS, its going to bounce up soon

 

[Ovid]

June 18 (Reuters) - Cowen & Co began coverage of Family Dollar Stores Inc (FDO.N) with an "outperform" rating and said lower gasoline prices and higher penetration in traffic-driving consumables business have aided the discounter's results over the past several quarters.

The brokerage said while margin dipped to 5.2 percent in fiscal 2008, investments in infrastructure, solid inventory and associate management and a mix shift to more discretionary purchases when the economy normalizes should push earnings before interest and tax margin back to 7 percent.

The company's move to accept credit cards and food stamps should also boost comparable-store sales, Cowen added.

The brokerage also said recent pullback in the retailer's shares "offers a solid entry point." The stock has fallen about 8 percent in the past three months.

Family Dollar's shares were trading up 19 cents at $29.18 Thursday morning on the New York Stock Exchange.

Keep hearing good things about this company. The stock price should begin to rise into the 30s again after the quadruple witching that will occur tommorrow.

 

[RSTEIN]

MSFT added to Goldman's conviction buy list. D'oh!

 

[kathode]

Sold out of ERTS calls for 10% loss yesterday. Stupid of me. Sold VRSN calls for 20% gain this AM. Holding MSFT puts. Getting slaughtered.

 

[Relix]

MSFT has been netting me some nice amounts since yesterday!

 

[Ether_Snake]

CAE, Quebec to spend up to C$274 million on R&D

* Aims to move beyond core flight simulator business

* Could spend up to C$274 million over 7 years

* Quebec government could invest up to C$100 mln of that

CAE Inc (CAE.TO) said on Sunday it will spend up to C$274 million ($242 million) over the next seven years on a new research and development program that could take it beyond its core flight simulator business.

The Montreal-based firm said the aim is to use its modelling, simulation and training services expertise to move into the healthcare, heavy equipment, mining and energy sectors.

"We intend to leverage our expertise into fields that have similar challenges. Fields where safety is imperative and there is little margin for error, where task complexity and costs of training on real equipment are very high," Robert Brown, CAE's chief executive, said in a statement.

CAE said the Quebec government will participate through a repayable investment which could reach C$100 million, making the company's share of the program C$174 million.

It said the new R&D program is in addition a plan announced in March to develop new technologies in its core aerospace and defence markets.

I hope that CAE will eventually aim at making simulators that use no simulation-specific hardware; meaning that one simulation booth could be used to simulate all sorts of different equipment and machines. I know it sounds far fetched, but I think eventually it would be possible. A lot of technologies will converge, and eventually I think it will be possible for VR tech, motion controls, and tactile feedback techs to merge into something that will allow the hardware to be much more versatile, so that the purpose of the device can be changed remotely. It can be used as a video game environment, training program as simulation, move experience, etc. Everything would be software driven. Who knows

 

[sefskillz]

I'm back in on SIRI at .35

The iphone app hype is starting to make the rounds and I think they'll start chipping away at the debt nicely in the next few earnings... here's hoping anyway

 

[kathode]

Considering bailing on MSFT for ~10% loss. What do you think RSTEIN?

Hmm actually the longer term chart seems like it has some room to fall. I hate holding! :lol

 

[RSTEIN]

Considering bailing on MSFT for ~10% loss. What do you think RSTEIN?

Hmm actually the longer term chart seems like it has some room to fall. I hate holding! :lol

I'm kind of indifferent. I have a small position. I have lots of longs, too. I'm going hold just in case the market can't break back above 900 today. A little insurance policy if that triggers more sellers this week.

 

[Ovid]

I'm back in on SIRI at .35

The iphone app hype is starting to make the rounds and I think they'll start chipping away at the debt nicely in the next few earnings... here's hoping anyway

Don't forget that this company needs the automobile industry to stablize.

 

[dionysus]

Good month for the ole god of wine. Both my shorts and longs are working for me. Except my newest one, ERTS (long). Double shorting emerging markets (EEV) definitely was a good call, especially today. Should also be able to pull out of my short of Honda with a nice return.

I needed some wins, after the disaster that was last year. I lost more than the market then.

 

[RSTEIN]

Wow, I'm considering buying calls. Been a loooooong time!

 

[kathode]

I dumped my MSFT puts for about a 6% loss. I have a reason for not wanting MSFT to go any lower More on that some other time though.

Looked into calls today but I'm just not confident about the market making a solid move up just yet. Only a few S&P stocks are showing up oversold and they didn't look good enough for me to jump in just yet.

 

[kathode]

Damn, should have bought those calls Been taking some hits recently. Gotta get back into the game!

 

[RSTEIN]

Damn, should have bought those calls Been taking some hits recently. Gotta get back into the game!

I bought BDK calls before close yesterday. Sold them this morning for about 15%.

I hope everyone is enjoying this rally. Something really important happened yesterday and continues today: the 50 day MA crossed the 200 day MA. This event is not an automatic green light to go long but the trend is definitely upwards. I've added several names that bounced off their 50 day MAs in the recent retracement. 30% invested.

 

[RSTEIN]

Hope everyone is enjoying this rally

 

[kathode]

Put time!

 

[sefskillz]

loving SIRI today!

 

[Ether_Snake]

CGT continues to get hammered for no reasons. Too bad I don't plan to buy more soon as I have other priorities.

 

[Ovid]

CGT continues to get hammered for no reasons. Too bad I don't plan to buy more soon as I have other priorities.

I'm not to worried about the CGT's recent price activity. I see it as a buying opportunity to pick up more shares (which I did). I didn't purchase shares in this company as a short term investment. Plus like you said before, this company has the potential to be bought out someday.

 

[Ether_Snake]

CGT up 4.39%, and TTWO up 2.95%

TTWO and ATVI are the only shares I own that are in the positives.

EDIT: CGT finished up 7%, go figure Also, their NYSE ticker will be changed to CAE.