[blasher]

Stocks closed higher this past Friday, lifting the Nasdaq Composite back into the black for the week, after the European Central Bank said it would take further steps to ease loan collateral for banks. Facebook rose 3.8% to close after Nomura Equity Research initiated coverage of the social-networker with a buy rating and $40 price target. Zynga, which depends on Facebook for the majority of its revenue, gained 4.8%. Also, Electronic Arts added 2.2% after Citigroup cut its rating to neutral from buy, citing “limited” catalysts for EA’s stock. EA also said that DreamWorks acquired the movie rights to EA’s “Need For Speed” racing-game franchise. The global economy will be in focus next week as concerns over Spain's banking system continue to fuel investor anxiety. Eurozone leaders announced that they agreed on a set of growth-enhancing policies equal to about €125 billion, or 1% of eurozone GDP, ahead of a key two-day summit for European Union leaders, which will bring together the leaders of all 27 members of the EU. Also, investors will monitor U.S. data, including the Case-Shiller home-price index for April, consumer-confidence figures for June, May durable-goods orders, pending home-sales figures, weekly jobless claims, first-quarter GDP figures, the Chicago PMI and UMich consumer-sentiment gauge for June. Also, Google will hold its annual developers conference in San Francisco on Wednesday, the co. is rumored to be working on its own tablet. Implied volatility inched below the 17.5 level on light trading volumes.
OptionSmart

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NEW! . . FREE! . . . MARKET STATS! . . .

Free Real-Time Stock Market Statistics

Enjoy !!!

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Stocks closed mixed yesterday after the Federal Reserve extended Operation Twist programs but stopped short of announcing a more aggressive bond buying policy. Also, the Fed cut its economic growth forecasts to a range of 1.9% to 2.4% from 2.4%-2.9% in April and raised its forecast for the unemployment rate. Tech stocks managed to put in a mostly upbeat performance, with Microsoft taking the stage for the second time this week, this time to show off features of its coming Windows Phone 8 release. Applied Materials rose more than 3% after the co. named Gary Dickerson as its new president. Adobe Systems gave up 2.7% a day after the co. reported second-quarter results that exceeded the estimates, but gave a disappointing third-quarter forecast. Declines also came from Apple, Netflix, IBM and Google. Implied volatility inched lower on modest trading volumes.

[blasher]

Stocks finished up about 1% yesterday, as investors breathed a delayed sigh of relief about Greece and were optimistic the Federal Reserve might act to boost the economy at the end of its two-day meeting . As fears of an imminent Greek exit from the euro recede, banking and debt worries in Spain have moved into greater focus. Spain's 10-year yield remained above 7% Tuesday, heightening worries that the country will need a bailout. In May, home builders filed for 780,000 building permits at the fastest pace since September 2008. Tech stocks put in a broad slate of gains, with Oracle advancing 3.1% following a better-than-expected earnings report and Microsoft gaining 2.9% a day after unveiling its new Surface tablet. Also, Nvidia rose 6.7% as the co.’s Tegra 3 chips will be used in one of the models of the Surface tablet. In the evening trade Adobe Systems lost 4.3% after in-line earnings report and weaker-than-expected forecast. Implied volatility inched lower on massive trading volumes.
Stock Seasonality and Dividends.

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Stocks closed sharply higher Thursday as panicky investors reacted to reports that central banks are ready to provide liquidity to financial markets following Greece's crucial election on Sunday in case it becomes necessary. The Labor Department reported that retail prices fell 0.3% in May compared to April levels, driven down by the falling gas prices. Stocks will likely continue to swing sharply through Friday. European stock markets lifted today by reports that major central banks and governments have contingency plans ready to counter any volatility next week after Greek elections.
Stock Trading Commentary

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Stocks ended the day lower yesterday on concerns about the debt crisis in Europe and falling oil prices. Investors are worried about Spain, which recently requested up to €100 billion to recapitalize insolvent banks. Egan-Jones cut its credit rating on Spanish government debt to "CCC+" from "B." Italy has been under pressure amid fears the debt crisis is spreading to the core of the eurozone. Greece is also in focus ahead of a crucial election this weekend. Investors were focused on Capitol Hill, where JPMorgan’s CEO Dimon told lawmakers that he could not defend the trades that led to the bank's multi-billion dollar loss. the tech sector was weighed down by slumping shares of Hewlett-Packard, despite advance in Dell and Zynga. Dell rose 2.6% a day after the co. initiated an 8-cent a share quarterly dividend and announcement that it aims to cut $2 billion in costs by the end of its fiscal 2015, reducing expenses in supply chain and services delivery. HPQ closed down 1%, one of the worst performers on the Dow Jones Industrial Average. Yahoo was down 0.9% after the firm unveiled an agreement with CNBC LLC to share business-news content. Implied volatility inched higher on modest trading volumes.

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Stocks closed up more than 1% yesterday, rebounding from the prior session's losses, on speculation that central bankers could make further moves to stimulate the global economy and as Wall Street tracked events in Europe. The gains were broad, with financial shares among the leaders. JPMorgan Chase, Bank of America and Citigroup were up between 2.5% and 4.5%. Meanwhile, Europe continues to be a worry, with yields on 10-year Spanish bonds hitting a euro-era high of 6.8%, indicating just how fearful investors are of the safety of Spain's sovereign debt. Italian bond yields also rose, remaining above the 6% benchmark. Adding to the pressure on Spain's banking system, Fitch Ratings downgraded 18 Spanish banks. Tech stocks closed with strong gains, boosting on a market-wide surge. Texas Instruments closed up more than 2% after the co. narrowed its guidance for the second quarter, effectively maintaining its earlier forecast. TomTom N.V. surged more than 13% after the co. announced a deal to provide mapping technology to Apple’s iPhone and iPad devices. Dell gained 3% in after-hours trading, following the co.’s announcement that its board has adopted a dividend policy under which quarterly cash dividends will start being paid in the third quarter of the current fiscal year. Implied volatility inched lower on light trading volumes.
Stock Trading Commentary and Trading Systems

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Early gains were short-lived yesterday as enthusiasm over a $125 billion bailout for Spanish banks fizzled.Bank stocks were among the biggest losers, with Bank of America leading the DOW's drop. Investors are also cautious as they prepare for elections in Greece on Sunday. The concern is that anti-austerity political parties will win enough seats in parliament to derail the bailout program Greece secured earlier this year. Shares of technology bellwether Apple fell after the company's annual developers conference. The implied volatility inched higher as bearish sentiment surfaced.

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Yesterday, stocks rallied, with the major indexes surging more than 2%, as investors grew hopeful that more stimulus for the global economy is around the corner. The Federal Reserve said the U.S. economy maintained a moderate pace of growth from early April to late May. The European Central Bank left its benchmark interest rate at 1% and ECB President Mario Draghi told a news conference in Frankfurt that the euro area’s recovery was expected to come gradually and mentioned some members preferred a rate cut. Bank of America leapt 7.6%, leading gains that included all 30 of the blue-chip index’s components. Tech stocks also closed with broad gains as Groupon rallied 8.6% after Stifel Nicolaus raised its rating. Oracle rose 3.1% ahead of a company announcement related to cloud computing. Facebook rose 3.6% after JMP Securities initiated its coverage with a market outperform rating and $37-a-share price target. Implied volatility plunged below the 22.5 level on modest trading volumes.

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Yesterday, stocks posted losses in choppy trading as a worsening outlook for the global economy vied with hopes of central bank stimulus. On Sunday, a report showed China’s services sector expanded at its slowest pace in more than a year, adding to worries about the nation’s economy. Also, anxieties over the health of the Spanish banking system and the possibility that Greece could soon exit the euro remain high. U.S. factory orders showed a surprise drop, adding to souring sentiment about domestic growth. Orders for goods produced in U.S. factories decreased 0.6% in April. Tech stocks ended with mixed results, led by late gains from Salesforce.com and more disappointments from Facebook and Groupon. Salesforce rose 0.18% after the co. said it would acquire social-media marketing company Buddy Media for $689 million. Also, gains came from Apple, Oracle, Seagate Technology and Braoadcom. Facebook fell almost 3% after Bernstein Research initiated coverage with an under-perform rating and a $25 price target. Research In Motions also continued to suffer following the co.’s disappointing forecast last week, giving up 5.85%. In the evening trade Starbucks fell 2.6% as the co. said it will acquire privately held La Boulange bakery chain for $100 million in cash. Implied volatility inched lower on light trading volumes.
Seasonal Stock Trading

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Yesterday, stocks plunged more than 2% losses after a U.S. jobs report showed slim growth in May. The U.S. economy added only 69,000 jobs in May, while economists expected an increase of 165,000. The unemployment rate edged up to 8.2% from 8.1% as more people entered the workforce. The ISM manufacturing index fell to 53.5% in May, sliding below 54% expected. The technology sector joined a broad market retreat with Hewlett-Packard highlighted the declines tumbling 6.3% as the co. took a hit from an analyst downgrade. Jefferies cut its rating to hold from buy citing worries that tablets will hurt PCs, smartphones will hurt printers, and European uncertainty will hurt enterprise IT spending. In the coming week, investors will closely watch any updates on Greece’s commitment to remaining in the euro zone, the Fed’s Beige Book, factory orders, the ISM services index for April, first-quarter productivity and labor cost figures, April trade deficit and wholesale inventories data. Implied volatility surged above the 27 level on huge trading volumes.
Stock Trading Systems and Commentary

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Yesterday, stocks finished in the red, ending a month on a weak note. The Dow and S&P 500 dropped more than 6%, the Nasdaq has declined 7% in May. Worries about Spain not being able to fund bank bailouts, which could reach a cost of as much as €100 billion, continue to build. The IMF said it will begin its annual economic review of Spain next Monday. Also, U.S. GDP growth for the first quarter was revised lower to a 1.9% annual rate, slower than the 2.2% rate first estimated. ADP private-sector payrolls showed a gain of 133,000 jobs, less than the 157,000 forecast by economists. Additionally, weekly initial jobless claims rose 10,000 to 383,000, higher than the expected 368,000 forecast. The Chicago PMI, fell for a third straight month to 52.7, the lowest level since May 2009. The index was expected to come in at 57 for May, up from 56.2 in the month prior. The tech sector slipped into the red, while Facebook recovered from early losses to close 5% higher. Intel slipped 1% after Morgan Stanley initiated coverage of the stock with an underweight rating, citing slower growth and potential margin erosion. Meanwhile, Zynga rose 7% after Baird Equity Research upgraded the stock to outperform from neutral, saying “headwinds appear largely priced in. Implied volatility inched higher on moderate trading volumes.

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Yesterday, stocks fell sharply on worries about Europe's debt crisis, specifically the Spanish banking system. Bond yields in Spain and Italy surged to 6.6% and polls out of Greece added to the uncertainty over whether it would remain in the euro zone. Tech stocks were mostly in the red, with Facebook sliding 2.3%. Research in Motion tumbled 7.8% on news it hired JPMorgan and RBC Capital to review its strategic options, which is generally a signal it is putting itself up for sale, the co. also warned it now expects an operating loss for its fiscal first quarter, which ends on June 2. Implied volatility surged above the 22.5 level on huge trading volumes.

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Yesterday, stocks rose as investors welcomed a lack of negative headlines out of Europe and hopes that China will move to support its economy. Greek polls signaled a commitment to the euro currency and on hopes of more global stimulus. The Conference Board's Consumer Confidence Index for May fell to 64.9, after falling to 68.7 last month, while economists had expected the index to ease to 69.4 in May. The Case-Shiller Home Price Index, fell at a 2.6% annual rate in March, after falling at a 3.5% rate in the prior month. Semis kept the tech sector, while Facebook Inc. continued its post-IPO plunge, sliding 9.62%. Advanced Micro Devices gained 4%, while Micron Technology 2.7% and Intel moved up 1.4%. Western Digital and Seagate Technology were in the red, after Barclays Capital downgraded the stocks of the disk-drive makers to equal weight from overweight, citing signs of weak demand in the personal-computer market. In the evening trade Research In Motion dropped 7% after the co. said it would likely post a quarterly loss, and Facebook slipped 0.1%, extending sharp dayside decline. Implied volatility inched lower on light trading volumes.
Stock Trading Systems and Commentary

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Yesterday stocks ended mixed as investors welcomed a slight dip in jobless claims but remained cautious amid ongoing uncertainty in Greece and the rest of Europe. The number of jobless claims fell 1,000 to 367,000 in the latest week, while economists had expected the report to show 365,000 claims. The U.S. trade deficit widened to $51.8 billion in March from $45.5 billion in February, narrower than the $53 billion expected. China reported import and export growth that was slower than expected, rising new concerns from investors around the globe about a so-called hard landing for China's economy. Tech stocks fell deeper into the red, brought low by a downbeat forecast from Cisco Systems that put particular pressure on stocks of other corporate IT vendors. Cisco slid 10.5% after in-line results for its April quarter and a disappointing forecast for the current period, citing a weakening spending environment for corporate tech. After the closing bell J.P. Morgan Chase & Co. fell 6.9% as the co. said it had a “significant” mark-to-market losses in its synthetic credit portfolio. Implied volatility inched below the 20 level on moderate trading volumes.
Keep watching that 63.00 area as Key Support.

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Yesterday, stocks bounced back from a sharp sell-off Wednesday, but all three major indexes closed in the red as investors continue to fret about Greece and Spain. Investors started to sense that the market was oversold in the morning, but wariness over the fiscal and political health of Greece and Spain kept it in negative territory. Yields on Spanish 10-year bonds crossed 6% for the first time in two weeks, stock market fell to its lowest level since 2003. Greek elections failed to yield a coalition government, which throws into question whether the nation will be able to meet the requirements needed to secure its next round of bailout funds. Tech stocks closed trading with mixed results, though jumped 3% following a strong earnings report. Demand Media jumped more than 8% after the co. reported better-than-expected results for the first quarter and raised its forecast for the current year. Yahoo closed down 0.4%, as activist investor Daniel Loeb of Third Point reiterated his call for the resignation of CEO Scott Thompson over inaccuracies on his academic resume. In the evening trade Cisco dropped 8.4% in heavy volume after the co. reported earnings in line with expectations and issued a weak outlook. Implied volatility surged above the 20 level on huge trading volumes.

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Stocks recovered Monday afternoon from modest losses earlier in the day, as investors considered the implications of leadership changes in France and Greece. Stocks in France and Germany initially tumbled about 2% Monday, but bounced back as investors continued to digest the results.The good news is that markets are reacting in a very mature fashion. The good news is that markets are reacting in a very mature fashion. The bad news is we have a lot of political uncertainty ahead of us still.

QQQ = 63.00 is a VERY Key area:



Stock Trading Systems

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Yesterday started on an optimistic note, as a decline in weekly jobless claims ahead of the April jobs reading, due Friday morning. But shortly after the opening bell, investors were hit with a weaker-than-expected reading on the U.S. service sector. If the upcoming reports continue to trend negative, that would throw a pebble in the Fed's decision basket for taking some action. European Central Bank officials voted Thursday to hold interest rates steady, even as the euro-area economy slides toward recession. Investors also continued to sort through a deluge of Q1 corporate results. GM fell more than 2% after the automaker reported strong first-quarter earnings on good results in its domestic market, but took a hit on its bottom line from rising losses and special charges in Europe.

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Stocks ended mixed Wednesday as investors digested a weak private-sector jobs report and mostly upbeat corporate results. The NASDAQ edged 0.3%. The tech-heavy index was supported by Flextronics. Payroll processor ADP reported tepid private-sector job growth in April, raising concerns about the government's monthly jobs report due Friday. The earnings boost is mostly behind us. More negative headlines will dominate the market in the next few weeks. Eurozone unemployment hits record 10.9%. Readings were a bit better in Asia, as a closely watched measure of manufacturing activity in China improved slightly.

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Stocks drifted higher Friday, capping a weekly gain, as upbeat corporate results outweighed a weaker-than-expected report on Q1 economic growth. Amazon jumped 15% after its report and eased concerns about the online retailer's expansion. Jobs and consumer data will take the focus away from corporate earnings this week, as investors try to gain a clearer view of the economy through the fanfare of quarterly financial surprises.
Stock Trading Systems

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Stocks declined for a second day as disappointing economic data and unease over Europe offset positive corporate results. Initial jobless claims declined but were still higher than what analysts expected. Also, existing home sales dipped 2.6%, a sign that the housing recovery remains on shaky ground. The Philadelphia Fed regional manufacturing index also fell, coming in below expectations. Meanwhile, investors were also mildly relieved that an auction of €2.5 billion of Spanish 10-year bonds drew strong demand. Techs stocks fell mostly into the red, with Apple leading the way as concerns rose about a potential delay for the next iPhone model. Apple was down 3.4%. Qualcomm lost 6.6% a day after the co. told investors that it was dealing with a manufacturing shortage of 28 nanometer chip products, that would weigh down its results a bit for the rest of the fiscal year. eBay soared more than 13.2% on the company’s upbeat results. The Internet auction site reported a 20% gain in its first-quarter profit. In the evening trade Microsoft and Advanced Micro Devices each climbed 3.1% and 1.6% respectively following quarterly results that surpassed expectations. Meanwhile, SanDisk lost 13% after the company’s quarterly sales view fell short projection. Implied volatility inched higher on massive trading volumes.



.

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Stocks finished higher yesterday despite a fairly bland round of economic news. Initial jobless claims rose unexpectedly to 380,000 in the latest week, up from a revised reading of 367,000, which was also revised higher. Recent data out of China have been mixed, raising fears of a sharp slowdown in the region. Separate reports showed no increase in overall wholesale prices in March, which was better than the 0.2% increase forecast, and the nation's trade deficit declined unexpectedly in February. The tech sector recorded broad gains, with Hewlett-Packard leading the advance and Google rising 2.37% in advance of the co.’s quarterly results. H-P rose 7.2% after IDC and Gartner Inc. reported H-P’s first-quarter PC shipments rose more than 3% from a year ago and remained the world’s No. 1 PC maker by units shipped. In the evening trade Google added 0.8% after the co. reported a 61% surge in quarterly earnings and said it plans to create a new class of nonvoting stock. Implied volatility dropped sharply below the 18 level on massive trading volumes.

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we got that break above 67.10 for QQQ and did shoot up . . .
67.80 is still my Target. I expect a slight but steady move higher today and tomorrow.
Stocks closed sharply lower yesterday, following a disappointing jobs report last week. The U.S. economy added 120,000 jobs in March, following three straight monthly gains of 200,000 jobs or more, a trend economists expected would continue. Also, the Chinese government reported Monday that inflation rose at an annual rate of 3.6% in March, higher than expected. AT&T eased after the co. said Sunday that it had yet to reach a deal with its union on a new contract after the old one expired, but that workers would stay on the job while negotiations continue. Tech stocks also closed in the red, while AOL surged 43% after the co. said it agreed to sell more than 800 patents to Microsoft for about $1 billion in cash. Separately, Facebook agreed to buy photo network Instagram for $1 billion in cash and stock. Implied volatility surged to the 18 level on moderate trading volumes. Stock Trading Systems

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a break and hold (for 10-minutes) above 67.10
should bring QQQ into a bullish move
with 67.80 as the initial Target.

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Stocks closed the shortened trading week with losses ahead as investors weighed Europe’s return to the headlines against positive weekly claims data ahead of Friday’s nonfarm payrolls report for March. Weekly jobless claims fell by 6,000 to 357,000 last week. Technology stocks finished with mostly mild gains with Apple and Microsoft among the biggest gainers. Microsoft added 1% ahead of the launch of the Nokia Lumia 900 smartphone this weekend; the device is the highest-profile launch using its Windows Phone 7 mobile operating system. Also, Dell rose 0.2% after the co. announced a deal to acquire Make Technologies. Broker Raymond James downgraded eBay to outperform from “strong buy,” citing the stock’s higher valuation. Today the market could take a hit as the Labor Department on Friday said that only 120,000 jobs were created in March, well below market expectations. Also, the unemployment rate fell to 8.2% from 8.3%, mostly because more people dropped out of the work force. This week investors will pay close attention to comments from Fed officials, including chairman Ben Bernanke on Monday, the outlook for the Chinese economy and the start of earnings season, with earnings reports from Alcoa, Google and JPMorgan in the spotlight. Implied volatility inched higher on modest trading volumes.

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Stocks dropped yesterday after the Federal Reserve indicated it was unlikely it would offer more stimulus anytime soon. Also, a report on factory orders for February came in below expectations after the report said activity picked up by 1.3% compared to expectations of 1.4%; January orders dropped by 1%. On the upside, Ford sales rose 5%, GM sales surged 14.2% in March from year-earlier levels, and Chrysler said March was the best month for sales in four years. Tech sector closed mostly in the red following the broader market. Apple hit another record high, gaining 1.73% after Piper Jaffray issued a research note in which it raised its price target to $910 a share from $718, and estimated that the stock will reach $1,000 in 2014. Among other leading tech stocks, IBM rose 0.01% and NetApp added 0.93% after J.P. Morgan raised its price targets and lifted outlooks. Intel, Nvidia and Broadcom closed in the red after The Semiconductor Industry Association trade group released figures showing a drop in world-wide chip sales in February from a year ago. SanDisk dropped more than 5% Tuesday evening after the chip company cut its quarterly sales forecast. Today the ADP employment report for March could draw more than the usual attention as it comes two days ahead of Friday’s nonfarm-payrolls report. Implied volatility inched higher on modest trading volumes.

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Stocks closed higher as the latest U.S. manufacturing numbers gave investors reason to keep the stock market’s rally going on the first day of the second quarter. The March installment of the ISM Manufacturing Index came in above expectations at 53.4, up from 52.4 in the month prior. Also, February construction spending declined by 1.1%. Economists had predicted a 0.5% increase in spending. Investors got a mixed view of China’s crucial manufacturing sector. Worries about a slowdown in China have tempered investor enthusiasm lately. Tech stocks closed on a strong note Monday, but Groupon’s decline was in the spotlight. Groupon fell almost 17% after the company cut its fourth-quarter earnings by $22.6 million and its quarterly sales by $14.3 million. Merrill Lynch cut its rating on Groupon and Amazon.com. UBS downgraded Texas Instruments and Linear Technology to neutral from buy on valuation concerns. Dell rose 1.05% after the co. said it would acquire privately held cloud-computing technology company Wyse Technology. Implied volatility inched lower on huge trading volumes.

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there is some great Kissing going on
in the Daily ARTS Chart.
If it were not for the pending EU meeting this Friday,
I would be loading up on Downers!
The 60-min ARTS Chart has gone to Cash from the recent Up Signal (Nov-29) . . .
and the 15-minute ARTS Chart (short-term) is fully back into a Down Signal now.

I have some Down positions, but am not Adding to them
because of the announcements pending from Europe for the rest of this week.

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QQQ = 49.80 is a Key Level . . .
it is an initial Target / Support area..
I am expecting a Bounce tomorrow . . .
but it may not be until way down there.

[blasher]

Thanks !!! . . .
hey, one of my favorite songs ever: Lips Like Sugar

.

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LOL! . . yes, I can imagine like a pinch ...
but don't for sure know your pinch.
My KISS is explained within here: ARTS.
Good Luck tomorrow.

[PhotoChick]

QQQ — Top Stock Holdings
Stock...Weight...Amount
Apple 14.62% $2,996,367,677
Microsoft 8.89% $1,822,697,489
Oracle 5.59% $1,145,759,218
Google INC. Cl A 5.55% $1,138,269,214
Intel 4.43% $907,328,087

[PhotoChick]

Got the board Marked ;)

[PhotoChick]

Is that anything like a pinch? Can you show it to me in a chart?

[PhotoChick]

Thanks for the warm welcome and nice compliment. Let's see if we can bring some life to this party ;)

[blasher]

awesome! . . welcome . . .
and that lips-photo is one of my favs !!