To say the market has been “moody” as of late would be an understatement. From its low in March 2009, the S&P 500 gained +80% before reaching its peak more than a year later. And now, in about a month, it’s dropped -13% — that includes the… Read More

Among the biggest losers in Wednesday’s early trading are American Eagle (NYSE: AEO), USEC (NYSE: USU) and Tivo (Nasdaq: TIVO). Top Percentage Losers — Wednesday, May 26, 2010 Company Name (Ticker) Intra-Day Price Intra-Day % Loss 52-Week High 52-Week Low American Eagle (NYSE: AEO) $13.52 -12.1% $19.86 $12.56 USEC (NYSE: USU) $4.93 -6.3% $6.52 $3.22 Tivo (Nasdaq: TIVO) $8.76 –4.3% $18.93 $6.41 *Table includes companies with minimum market capitalizations of $200 million and three month trading volumes of at least 100,000 shares. All percentage… Read More

Among the biggest losers in Wednesday’s early trading are American Eagle (NYSE: AEO), USEC (NYSE: USU) and Tivo (Nasdaq: TIVO). Top Percentage Losers — Wednesday, May 26, 2010 Company Name (Ticker) Intra-Day Price Intra-Day % Loss 52-Week High 52-Week Low American Eagle (NYSE: AEO) $13.52 -12.1% $19.86 $12.56 USEC (NYSE: USU) $4.93 -6.3% $6.52 $3.22 Tivo (Nasdaq: TIVO) $8.76 –4.3% $18.93 $6.41 *Table includes companies with minimum market capitalizations of $200 million and three month trading volumes of at least 100,000 shares. All percentage returns are listed as of 11:27AM Eastern Standard Time. Click on ticker symbols for up-to-the-minute price quotes and percentage gain data. Teen Spending Under Pressure We noted the poor quarterly results out of teen-focused retailer Hot Topic (Nasdaq: HOTT), last week. Many teens are likely going to browse rather than buy if forecasts of a lousy summer hiring season prove out. American Eagle Outfitters (NYSE: AEO) issued quarterly guidance this morning that underscores the ongoing struggles in this retail niche. The downbeat view is pushing shares down more than -12% in Wednesday… Read More

Among the biggest winners in Wednesday’s early trading are Solarfun Power (Nasdaq: SOLF), Hercules Offshore (Nasdaq: HERO) and U.S. Airways (NYSE: LCC). Top Percentage Gainers — Wednesday, May 26, 2010 Company Name (Ticker) Intra-Day Price Intra-Day % Gain 52-Week High 52-Week Low Solarfun Power (Nasdaq: SOLF) $7.12 +13.6% $10.78 $4.48 U.S. Airways (NYSE: LCC) $8.65 +10.8% $8.77 $2.00 Hercules Offshore (Nasdaq: HERO) $3.10 +7.1% $7.28 $2.60 *Table includes companies with minimum market capitalizations of $200 million and three month trading volumes of at least 100,000… Read More

Among the biggest winners in Wednesday’s early trading are Solarfun Power (Nasdaq: SOLF), Hercules Offshore (Nasdaq: HERO) and U.S. Airways (NYSE: LCC). Top Percentage Gainers — Wednesday, May 26, 2010 Company Name (Ticker) Intra-Day Price Intra-Day % Gain 52-Week High 52-Week Low Solarfun Power (Nasdaq: SOLF) $7.12 +13.6% $10.78 $4.48 U.S. Airways (NYSE: LCC) $8.65 +10.8% $8.77 $2.00 Hercules Offshore (Nasdaq: HERO) $3.10 +7.1% $7.28 $2.60 *Table includes companies with minimum market capitalizations of $200 million and three month trading volumes of at least 100,000 shares. All percentage returns are listed as of 10:55AM Eastern Standard Time. Click on ticker symbols for up-to-the-minute price quotes and percentage gain data. Solarfun Rebounds We took a look at Solarfun Power (Nasdaq: SOLF) last week as shares were slumping to new lows. At the time, it looked as if investors had lost all faith in this and other solar names, focusing solely on the near-term challenges instead of the long-term opportunities. Well, Solarfun insists the near-term isn’t all that bad, either. The provider of solar power equipment posted first-quarter… Read More

America is getting fatter. The Journal of the American Medical Association released a report earlier this year that showed the obesity rates in men and women had increased from around 27% in 1999 to as high as 34% today. That’s more than 130 million Americans. What better company to take… Read More

Absent a bullish press release, virtually every stock is taking it on the chin right now. There is no safe haven in large companies or small ones, value stocks or growth stocks. This is what happens in brutal markets. Buyers go on strike and sellers rule the day. But when… Read More

Among the winners in Tuesday’s early trading are Neurocrine Biosciences (Nasdaq: NBIX), USEC (NYSE: USU) and Capstone Turbine (Nasdaq: CPST). Top Percentage Gainers — Tuesday, May 25, 2010 Company Name (Ticker) Intra-Day Price Intra-Day % Gain 52-Week High 52-Week Low Neurocrine Bio. (Nasdaq: NBIX) $3.64 +33.3% $4.23 $1.94 USEC (NYSE: USU) $5.02 +18.4% $6.52 $3.22 Capstone Turbine (Nasdaq: CPST) $1.05 +2.9% $1.57 $0.64 *Table includes companies with minimum market capitalizations of $200 million and three month trading volumes of at least 100,000 shares. Read More

Among the winners in Tuesday’s early trading are Neurocrine Biosciences (Nasdaq: NBIX), USEC (NYSE: USU) and Capstone Turbine (Nasdaq: CPST). Top Percentage Gainers — Tuesday, May 25, 2010 Company Name (Ticker) Intra-Day Price Intra-Day % Gain 52-Week High 52-Week Low Neurocrine Bio. (Nasdaq: NBIX) $3.64 +33.3% $4.23 $1.94 USEC (NYSE: USU) $5.02 +18.4% $6.52 $3.22 Capstone Turbine (Nasdaq: CPST) $1.05 +2.9% $1.57 $0.64 *Table includes companies with minimum market capitalizations of $200 million and three month trading volumes of at least 100,000 shares. All percentage returns are listed as of 11:50AM Eastern Standard Time. Click on ticker symbols for up-to-the-minute price quotes and percentage gain data. Neurocrine’s Large Opportunity When it comes to picking biotech stocks, it helps to focus on companies seeking treatments for fairly common ailments that lack any rival cures. That’s why shares of Neurocrine Biosciences (Nasdaq: NBIX) are up more than +30% today: its “Daisy-PETAL” drug, which treats endometriosis, just showed strong efficacy in Phase II clinical trials. #-ad_banner-#Endometriosis causes some women to develop a uterine… Read More

Among the biggest losers in Tuesday’s early trading are Bank of Ireland (NYSE: IRE), Arkansas Best (Nasdaq: ABFS) and Sealy (NYSE: ZZ). Top Percentage Losers — Tuesday, May 25, 2010 Company Name (Ticker) Intra-Day Price Intra-Day % Loss 52-Week High 52-Week Low Arkansas Best (Nasdaq: ABFS) $21.35 -17.9% $34.56 $21.39 Bank of Ireland (NYSE: IRE) $4.61 -9.1% $20.18 $4.33 Sealy (NYSE: ZZ) $3.02 -5.0% $4.24 $1.51 *Table includes companies with minimum market capitalizations of $200 million and three month trading volumes of at least 100,000 shares. All percentage returns… Read More

Among the biggest losers in Tuesday’s early trading are Bank of Ireland (NYSE: IRE), Arkansas Best (Nasdaq: ABFS) and Sealy (NYSE: ZZ). Top Percentage Losers — Tuesday, May 25, 2010 Company Name (Ticker) Intra-Day Price Intra-Day % Loss 52-Week High 52-Week Low Arkansas Best (Nasdaq: ABFS) $21.35 -17.9% $34.56 $21.39 Bank of Ireland (NYSE: IRE) $4.61 -9.1% $20.18 $4.33 Sealy (NYSE: ZZ) $3.02 -5.0% $4.24 $1.51 *Table includes companies with minimum market capitalizations of $200 million and three month trading volumes of at least 100,000 shares. All percentage returns are listed as of 11:00AM Eastern Standard Time. Click on ticker symbols for up-to-the-minute price quotes and percentage gain data. European Bank Stocks Portend Darker Clouds Tuesday’s -19% drop in shares of Bank of Ireland (NYSE: IRE) are a fairly big deal – for American investors. The sharp decline highlights the increasing likelihood that some sort of major intervention – on behalf of the bank or the entire Irish economy – will be necessary. Similar weak action in Spanish banks such as Banco Santander (NYSE: STD) implies similar distress on… Read More

The Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico has been called one of the worst-ever environmental disasters — and may prove to be perhaps even bigger than the 1989 Exxon Valdez catastrophe. For more than a month, crews off the Louisiana shore have tried to… Read More

No bride or groom likes to be left at the altar. The same thing applies to investors in companies about to be acquired. One moment, it may look like shareholders will get a hefty premium, and the next, the bottom falls out of the deal and the… Read More

Many publicly-traded firms are in a steady state of flux, acquiring rivals and jettisoning businesses no longer deemed core to the parent company‘s mission. Both situations can be lucrative for astute investors — buyouts can deliver big premiums over current market values, and… Read More