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Here’s a look into what could have been, trading AAPL, ESI, AMTD or NITE today, Thursday, January 22, 2009. All these stocks were recent LowPES (record low price/earnings screen)s stocks and were on list of possible trades for today.

Yeah, woulda, coulda, shoulda… (something like that)

All entrys were as they crossed above their 20 period sma (simple moving average) on a 1 day chart.

Exits shown were the max if you were to have sold near the best point, just before they falter (not very likely).

AAPL
87.60 – 89.30 (+1.9%)
12:10 – 14:10 EST

ESI – Gapped up at open and never gave a good entrance.

AMTD
11.50 – 12.20 (+6%)
12:10 – 14:10 EST

NITE
16.60 – 18.20 (+9.6%)
10:30 – 14:30 EST

Apple Inc. is up, markets are down (just a wee bit) and I’m up 1.25% on my latest trade, which was QLD. It was a nail biter though. Got in at 24.72, hoping for a break upwards. What I got was a breakdown. All the way to 24.06. That was support and where I should have added more shares. Today though, I played it safe and would have sold my position had it broke through that support line. What I did was, ride it back up and punched out at 25.37 for a gain of $325 (+2.65%) on my 500 shares.

Other stocks that were under consideration today were ESI, AMTD and NITE all on their recent good earnings report numbers. But since the open was looking down, I just decided to watch for a QLD / QID entry. I picked the wrong one, and really should have gone with QID. Had I chose QID I would have been out of todays trade much earlier in the day. Oh well, a win is a win!

Note: AAPL, ESI, AMTD and NITE are all categorized as LowPES Stocks in my stock pick lists. They all had record “low pes” (price/earnings screen) numbers. -Harvey

Cramer Highlights

• Jim Cramer today delivered his “State of the Market” address.
• Told viewers that the market is stronger than they might think, but has an Achilles’ heel holding it back.
• From today’s market action, Cramer said it’s clear, there’s life in this market, and that companies are doing better than expected.
• There are positives in just about every sector in the market, including technology, consumer goods, biotech, retail and some industrials and banking names.
• Then why is the market tanking so badly?
• Cramer said the financials are killing the market, and it’s impossible to separate them.
• The markets, are not that dire, but the stress in the financials is palpable.
• Cramer introduced his “Obama Accountability Index”.
• This is a group of six stocks that he says will grade President Barack Obama’s success in fixing the nation’s ailing markets and economy.
• The index includes Bank of America (BAC) and Citigroup (C), two stocks which he said will show the health of the financials.
• Also included was Caterpillar (CAT) and General Motors (GM), which will show whether the infrastructure stimulus plan is working and whether the auto industry can be saved.
• The final two stocks for the Obama Index were General Electric (GE) and JP Morgan (JPM).
• General Electric, he said, is a gauge for the economy as a whole, while JP Morgan is an indicator of how the “healthy” bank stocks are doing.
• Using this index of stocks, it should be possible to determine just how well (or not so well) Obama is doing at saving the markets.

Here’s the list of stocks from Cramer’s Mad Money Show for Wednesday, January 21, 2009.

Thumbs up for these stocks………….
AMTD – TD Ameritrade $12.02
NYX – NYSE Group $21.45
PPG – PPG Industries $40.46
SCHW – Charles Schwab $14.54

Thumbs down for these stocks………..
BCS – Barclays PLC $4.15
CBS – CBS Corp. $7.14
CME – Chicago Mercantile Exchange $180.58
ERTS – Electronic Arts $17.56
HUN – Huntsman Corp. $3.04
ZION – Zions Bancorp $15.06

*A CHARITABLE TRUST STOCK.

This post isn’t about trading, it is about Trading places. Today we have, out with the OLD (George W. and company) and in with the NEW (Obama and company).

It was a glorious day in Washington DC. It looked sunny and clear from the view on my Mac. Everyone looked so happy to be there. I for one, was happy to just be watching it all on my computer and not having to hassle with rooms, airports, security, cold, bathrooms, and all the other hassles associated with traveling afar in a town stuffed with people.

Now a Trading Tidbit
Now on to real trading. This morning, after looking at the initial volatility in QLD / QID, I vowed not to trade today and just sit it out. However, after watching QID for much of the day and kicking myself for not jumping on it early, I decided to look for an entry in QLD towards the end of the day, thinking down 10%, maybe up a percent or two at the end of day.

Well I had it right for about 5 minutes and then my trade went south. I finally pulled it out in after-hours for a small gain of a half percent. At one point early in the trade I was up 1.5%+.

So far tonight the Hang Seng Index looks to have gapped lower about 3% and then traded higher by a bit. They are not done trading for tomorrow yet though. I would guess that we will trade similarly tomorrow.

Cramer Highlights
Cramer said, “The market speaks in many tongues, but the message was clear when it said things are ugly.”
There were four sectors where the market spoke loudly.
Cramer said the wholesale slaughter of every bank stock could not have been more vicious.
Even the good banks that don’t need government assistance could not escape the carnage.
Cramer said this move told him that the markets simply have no faith in any of these names.
Cramer said the selling was overdone, but will remain that way for the foreseeable future.
The oil stocks were another sector where the message was loud and clear.
The oil stocks told Cramer that they are predicting the economy to remain in free fall.
Yes, demand is lower across the board, but so is production.
So if prices are still plummeting, the markets are predicting huge worldwide unemployment.
Gold and tobacco stocks are also talking.
Gold is a hedge against inflation and uncertainty, two things the market is still fearing.
Tobacco, on the other hand, is the anti-Obama play, said Cramer.
If tobacco is trading higher, it means the markets does not have faith that his stimulus plan will work.
Cramer said, “People are hiding, and it’s scary.”

Here’s the list of stocks from Cramer’s Mad Money Show for Tuesday, January 20, 2009.

Note: Dow stocks mentioned tonight: None tonight!

Thumbs up for these stocks………….
NGG – National Grid $44.86
PAYX – Paychex $24.68

Thumbs down for these stocks………..
AGO – Assured Guaranty $8.09 (down -18.69% today)
LYG – Lloyds TSB Group $2.61 (down -57.90% today)
MON – Monsanto $75.85
WTW – Weight Watchers International $24.91

*A CHARITABLE TRUST STOCK.

I must admit I was hoping for a White Christmas and it looks like I will get it. Here’s the view from my office Friday afternoon before I take vacation time during Christmas week.

2009 – Stock Market Holidays

All Major US Stock Exchanges

New Year’s Day

Martin Luther King, Jr. Day

Washington’s Birthday (Presidents’ Day)

Good Friday

Memorial Day

Independence Day ***

Labor Day

Thanksgiving Day ***

Christmas Day ***

Early Closings


*** The NYSE and NASDAQ will close trading early (at 1:00 PM ET) on Friday, November 27, 2009 (the day after Thanksgiving) and Thursday, December 24, 2009. Amex will end trading (1) for those products that normally cease trading at 4:00 p.m. at 1:00 p.m. and (2) for those products that normally cease trading at 4:15 p.m. at 1:15 p.m. The AMEX will start accepting orders for after-hours trading at 1:15 p.m. and all eligible orders will be executed by 1:30 p.m.

The New York Stock Exchange is open from Monday through Friday 9:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. ET

The NASDAQ Stock Market regular trading hours are from 9:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. ET.


After Hours trading is from 4:00 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. ET.


The Amex Stock Market is open from Monday through Friday 9:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. ET.

Holiday – Market Stock US – SelectNet Pre-hours Trading Session From 8:00 a.m. to 9:30 a.m. ET