Archive for August, 2006

PortfolioCrafter - Market Commentary 8/24/06

Thursday, August 24th, 2006

PortfolioCrafterStocks closed with slender gains as the latest reports on the economy eased concerns about higher interest rates but also raised questions about slowing growth. The weaker than expected new home sales report implies accelerating pace of the economic slowdown.

Today, the Dow Jones industrial average closed up 6.56 to 11,304.46, the Standard & Poor’s 500 index closed up 3.07 or 0.2% to 1,296.06, and the Nasdaq composite index closed up 2.45 to 2,137.11.

Market breadth was positive, after alternating throughout the session. On the New York Stock Exchange, winners topped losers 6 to 5 on volume of 1.25 billion shares. On the Nasdaq, advancers narrowly edged decliners on volume of 1.42 billion shares.

Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke is due to speak tomorrow at the annual Fed symposium for global central bankers. His speech will likely set the tone for morning trading. Investors continue to worries about how the slowing housing market will hurt consumer spending. Overall, economic data point to a slowdown in economic growth, but there appear to be mixed opinion as to what the trend of growth will be heading into 2007.

New home sales fell to an annual pace of 1.07 million in July, against the expected 1.13 million. New home sales are down 21.6% in the past year, the biggest drop since late 1994. The housing data shows that the slump is getting worse, and it’s raising questions for investors about what the Federal Reserve will do next. A separate report showed a bigger than expected dip in durable goods orders. New orders fell a 2.4% percent in July, much larger than the expected 0.7% decline. However, excluding the 9.6% drop in transportation goods, durable-goods orders rose 0.5%. This has actually boosted prospects for the economy and we are now looking at a 10%.

Shares of Rite Aid Corp. closed down $0.32 or 6.8% to $4.36, after announcing that it is buying the Eckerd and Brooks drugstore chains for $3.4 billion in cash and stock. The deal is to acquire 1,858 drugstores from Canada’s Jean Coutu Group which will give it a 32% stake in Rite Aid. Rite Aid, will also assume $850 million of Jean Coutu long-term debt. This deal will raise Rite’s ownership to 5,000 stores and will significantly expand its presence on the East Coast with estimated sales of nearly $27 billion. Goldman Sachs feels that this will make Rite Aid an underperforming and highly leveraged company. Analyst opine that the increased financial risk and challenges of integrating the acquired stores could result in a lower credit rating.

Shares of Ford Motor Co. closed unchanged at $7.76, on reports that the founding family is considering taking the company private. The Ford family controls nearly 40% through a separate class of stock and the attempt is to pave the way for Bill Ford and his inner circle to retool the struggling automaker without further meddling by shareholders. This move would presumably cost about $13.7 billion and is being termed as ‘mere speculation’ by the company spokesman.

Stock of McDonald’s Corp. closed up 29 cents at $35.88 after its president and CEO, Mike Roberts resigned after nearly three decades with the company. He’s being replaced by Ralph Alvarez, head of its North American operations. This news comes in the wake of its slowest U.S. monthly sales gain, and amid persistent speculation that there was acrimony in the executive suite over succession plans.

Shares of Apple Computer Inc rose less than 1% after it said that it is recalling 1.8 million laptop batteries made by Sony amid a risk of overheating. Stock of Sony closed down $1.16 or 2.6% to $43.26. These Sony lithium-ion battery packs were used in Book G4 and PowerBook G4 laptop computers. Apple, said an additional 700,000 of the battery packs were sold outside the U.S. and will also be recalled.

Stock of EBay Inc. closed down $1.22 or 4.7% to $25.78, on a Piper Jaffray downgrade to underperform from market perform. The brokerage said it sees a worsening picture for the company, with costs likely to increase and with prospects for growth picking back up in the core eBay business seen as highly unlikely. Hundreds of eBay Inc. merchandisers have closed their online storefronts, and some took their listings elsewhere, in the wake of a controversial fee increase eBay began charging earlier in the week. eBay took this step since there is about four times the number of items listed for sale in stores than in auctions on eBay. The imbalance has hit eBay hard with profit dropping 14% from a year earlier.

U.S. light crude oil for October delivery added 60 cents to settle at $72.36 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange. Crude futures found some support from strength in natural gas, and a news report that BP’s output from its key oilfield in Alaska’s Prudhoe Bay has been further reduced due to a problem with a compressor.

All the best,
Manuel Jesus-Backus
The Portfolio Crafter
30-day risk-free trial

Cramer’s Mad Money Daily Recap 8/23/06

Thursday, August 24th, 2006

CramersMadMoney.comWe have done our best to record the calls for you, but remember that the shows are fast moving, and sometimes Cramer bangs on the sell! sell! sell!, bull roar, train wreck, suicide jump, hallelujah chorus, backing up truck, creepy house of pain voice, machine gun, fanfare, toilet flush, all aboard, applause, cash register, bear growl, bowling pins, and submarine diving alarm buttons all at once, while he is screaming.

Please do your own research, and verify all information before acting on it. This summary of Cramer’s picks is not intended to replace watching the shows, where his comments about the stocks often include advice about entry and exit points.

Bullish
Advanced Micro Devices (AMD) (buy on pullback) (RealMoney Radio)
Allstate (ALL) (Lightning Round)
Altria (MO) (mentioned on Mad Money)
Andersons (ANDE) (Lightning Round)
Anheuser-Busch (BUD) (mentioned on Mad Money)
Apple (AAPL) (buy on pullbacks) (RealMoney Radio)
Apple (AAPL) (mentioned on Mad Money)
Becton Dickinson (BDX) (Lightning Round)
Borders (BGP) (RealMoney Radio)
Bristol-Myers Squibb (BMY) (mentioned on Mad Money)
Chicago Mercantile Exchange (CME) (Lightning Round)
Cisco Systems (CSCO) ($25 target) (mentioned on Mad Money)
Comcast (CMCSA) (Lightning Round)
Essex (KEYW) (Lightning Round)
Exelon (EXC) (Lightning Round)
Exxon Mobil (XOM) (mentioned on Mad Money)
Ford (F) (RealMoney Radio)
General Mills (GIS) (RealMoney Radio)
General Motors (GM) ($35 target) (Lightning Round)
General Motors (GM) (RealMoney Radio)
Goldman Sachs (GS) (mentioned on Mad Money)
J. Crew (JCG) (mentioned on Mad Money)
J.C. Penney (JCP) (RealMoney Radio)
Manulife (MFC) (Lightning Round)
MasterCard (MA) (mentioned on Mad Money)
Merck (MRK) (RealMoney Radio)
MetLife (MET) (Lightning Round)
Morton’s Restaurant (MRT) (CEO interview on Mad Money)
Oshkosh Truck (OSK) (Lightning Round)
Peabody Energy (BTU) (RealMoney Radio)
Pediatrix Medical (PDX) (Lightning Round)
Pfizer (PFE) (RealMoney Radio)
Procter & Gamble (PG) (RealMoney Radio)
Qualcomm (QCOM) (RealMoney Radio)
Rite Aid (RAD) ($5 target) (mentioned on Stop Trading!)
Schlumberger (SLB) (mentioned on Mad Money)
Sirius Satellite Radio (SIRI) (Lightning Round)
Sprint (S) (RealMoney Radio)
Starbucks (SBUX) (mentioned on Mad Money)
Texas Instruments (TXN) (Lightning Round)
Time Warner (TWX) ($26 target if broken up) (mentioned on Mad Money)
TXU (TXU) (Lightning Round)
UnitedHealth (UNH) (mentioned on Mad Money)
URS (URS) (RealMoney Radio)
Walgreen (WAG) (mentioned on Stop Trading!)
Yahoo! (YHOO) (RealMoney Radio)

Bearish
Analog Devices (ADI) (Lightning Round)
Bristol-Myers (BMY) (mentioned on Stop Trading!)
Caterpillar (CAT) (mentioned on Stop Trading!)
Google (GOOG) (RealMoney Radio)
Intel (INTC) (Lightning Round)
NuVasive (NUVA) (Lightning Round)
Omnicare (OCR) (Lightning Round)
Prudential (PRU) (Lightning Round)
Shanda Interactive Entertainment (SNDA) (Lightning Round)
SonoSite (SONO) (Lightning Round)
Sprint (S) (mentioned on Stop Trading!)
Target (TGT) (Lightning Round)
Verasun Energy (VSE) (Lightning Round)
Viacom (VIA) (mentioned on Stop Trading!)
Vimpel-Communications (VIP) (Lightning Round)
Zumiez (ZUMZ) (Lightning Round)

Just click here and order while supplies last

PortfolioCrafter - Market Commentary 8/23/06

Thursday, August 24th, 2006

PortfolioCrafterStocks closed lower after the Bush administration said an offer by Iran to hold negotiations on its nuclear program falls short of U.N. demands to halt uranium enrichment. Investors are worried any worsening of the conflict with Iran could send crude prices higher. Additionally, a softer than expected report on the housing market revived economic worries on Wall Street.

Today, the Dow Jones industrial average closed down 41.94 or 0.37% to 11,297.90, the broader Standard & Poor’s 500 index closed down 5.83 or 0.45% to 1,292.99, and the tech heavy Nasdaq composite index closed down 15.36 or 0.71% to 2,134.66.

Market breadth was negative. On the New York Stock Exchange, losers beat winners 11 to 5 on volume of 1.2 billion shares. On the Nasdaq, decliners beat advancers also by two to one as 1.5 billion shares changed hands.

Iran continues to ‘Priority One.’ The State Department acknowledged that the response falls short of the conditions set by the Security Council, which require the full and verifiable suspension of all enrichment related and reprocessing activities.

In data news, the home sales number came out so weak that it upset investors. The weak report may reinforce fears that the Federal Reserve has lifted interest rates to a point that has choked off not only inflation, but also growth, raising the specter of a recession. Sales of existing homes plunged 4.1% to a seasonally adjusted annualized rate of 6.33 million, against the expected 0.9% decline to 6.56 million. The inventory of unsold homes rose 3.2% to a 3.856 million, the highest since April 1993. Investors will get another look when the Commerce Department reports new home sales.

The star of the day, stock of Gateway Inc. closed up $0.23 or 13% to $1.95, after the PC maker received a $450 million bid for its retail operations from Lap Shun (John) Hui, owner of Joui International and a former owner of e-Machines. In a separate statement, the investor said he would consider buying all shares of Gateway. Additionally, Harbert Management Corp. has acquired a 10.2% of Gateway’s outstanding stock. All this has suddenly got investors interested in the company.

National Semiconductor closed up $0.79 or 3.5% to $23.37, after lowering its quarterly sales target due to reduced shipments of chips used in mobile phones. The company, however, maintained its gross profit margin target.

Shares in Ford Motor Co. closed up $0.34 or 4.6% to $7.76 on a Wall Street Journal report that the auto maker was interested in joining a Renault-Nissan alliance, if talks with General Motors Corp. don’t work out. The company as recently approached Nissan and Renault CEO Carlos Ghosn about a possible three way tie up.

Shares of International Business Machines closed down $0.28 to $78.67, after it announced that it is acquiring Internet Security Systems Inc. for $1.3 billion. The companies expect the deal to close in the fourth quarter. This led the shares of Internet Security to close up $1.62 or 6.3% at $27.60.

U.S. light crude oil for October delivery fell $1.34 to settle at $71.76 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange. Futures fell after the latest weekly government supply data showed a smaller than expected decline in crude stocks.

All the best,
Manuel Jesus-Backus
The Portfolio Crafter
30-day risk-free trial

Cramer’s Mad Money Daily Recap 8/22/06

Wednesday, August 23rd, 2006

CramersMadMoney.comWe have done our best to record the calls for you, but remember that the shows are fast moving, and sometimes Cramer bangs on the sell! sell! sell!, bull roar, train wreck, suicide jump, hallelujah chorus, backing up truck, creepy house of pain voice, machine gun, fanfare, toilet flush, all aboard, applause, cash register, bear growl, bowling pins, and submarine diving alarm buttons all at once, while he is screaming.

Please do your own research, and verify all information before acting on it. This summary of Cramer’s picks is not intended to replace watching the shows, where his comments about the stocks often include advice about entry and exit points.

Bullish
Advanced Micro Devices (AMD)(AMD) (Lightning Round)
Amgen (AMGN)(AMGN) (Lightning Round)
BJ Services (BJS) (Lightning Round)
Borders (BGP) (mentioned on Stop Trading!)
CA (CA) (mentioned on Stop Trading!)
Capital One Financial (COF) (Lightning Round)
Citrix Systems (CTXS) (Lightning Round)
Clorox (CLX) (Lightning Round)
Core Laboratories (CLB) (CEO interview on Mad Money)
CVS (CVS) ($40 target) (RealMoney Radio)
Devon (DVN) (mentioned on Stop Trading!)
Double Hull Tankers (DHT) (Lightning Round)
Dynegy (DYN) (mentioned on Mad Money)
eBay (EBAY) (wait for CEO to leave) (RealMoney Radio)
EnCana (ECA) (mentioned on Stop Trading!)
Ford (F) (Lightning Round)
GameStop (GME) (mentioned on Mad Money)
Garmin (GRMN) (Lightning Round)
Home Depot (HD) (wait for CEO to leave) (RealMoney Radio)
L3 Communications (LLL) (Lightning Round)
Lowe’s (LOW) (RealMoney Radio)
McDonald’s (MCD) (Lightning Round)
Merck (MRK) (Lightning Round)
Merck (MRK) (mentioned on Stop Trading!)
Pfizer (PFE) (Lightning Round)
Pfizer (PFE) (mentioned on Stop Trading!)
Sigma-Aldrich (SIAL) (mentioned on Mad Money)
Sonoco Products (SON) (mentioned on Mad Money)
Take-Two Interactive’s (TTWO) (mentioned on Mad Money)
Texas Instruments (TXN) (RealMoney Radio)
Time Warner (TWX) (wait for CEO to leave) (RealMoney Radio)
TXU (TXU) (mentioned on Mad Money)
Valero (VLO) (Lightning Round)
Varian (VAR) (Lightning Round)
Wachovia’s (WB) (mentioned on Stop Trading!)
XM Satellite (XMSR) ($17 target) (mentioned on Stop Trading!)
XM Satellite Radio (XMSR) (RealMoney Radio)

Bearish
American Science & Engineering (ASEI) (Lightning Round)
Atheros Communications (ATHR) (Lightning Round)
Barr Pharmaceuticals (BRL) (Lightning Round)
BJ’s Restaurants (BJRI) (Lightning Round)
Diana Shipping (DSX) (Lightning Round)
Genentech (DNA) (Lightning Round)
Gold Kist (GKIS) (Lightning Round)
Maxim Integrated Products (MXIM) (RealMoney Radio)
Navteq (NVT) (Lightning Round)
North Fork (NFB) (Lightning Round)
Plum Creek Timber (PCL) (Lightning Round)
Toll Brothers (TOL) (RealMoney Radio)

Just click here and order while supplies last

PortfolioCrafter - Market Commentary 8/22/06

Tuesday, August 22nd, 2006

PortfolioCrafterStocks closed flat after a Federal Reserve official’s warning that the central bank may need to raise interest rates again to combat inflation. This revived concerns about higher pressure on inflation and its impact on interest rate hikes. Advanced Micro Devices was the bright spot that rallied on an upbeat market share forecast and a broker upgrade.

Today, the Dow Jones industrial average closed down 5.21 or 0.05% to 11,339.84, the Standard & Poor’s 500 closed up 1.30 or 0.10% to 1,298.82, and the Nasdaq composite index closed up 2.27 or 0.11% to 2,150.02.

Market breadth was positive. On the New York Stock Exchange, winners topped decliners by 19 to 13 on volume of 1.21 billion shares. On the Nasdaq, advancers beat decliners by 4 to 3 as 1.59 billion shares changed hands.

Comments from Chicago Fed Bank President Michael Moskow revived worries about the economy. He said ‘this month’s pause to the Federal Reserve’s string of interest rate hikes was “constructive,” but more rate increases could still be needed to cut inflation. The risk of inflation remaining too high is greater than the risk of growth being too low. Thus some additional firming of policy may yet be necessary to bring inflation back into the comfort zone within a reasonable period of time.” All this statement indicates is that there is no guarantee that the Fed is finished raising rates.

The other main focus today was Iran. Its chief nuclear negotiator stated that his country is ready to begin “serious talks” with the U.S. and the five other Western powers that put together an incentive package designed to encourage it to end its nuclear activities. However, he did not make clear whether his country would abandon nuclear enrichment. The U.S. and other Western powers suspect Iran is enriching uranium with a view to building a nuclear bomb. Iran, however, claims its nuclear program is for peaceful purposes.

Shares of Advanced Micro Devices Inc. closed up $1.48 or 6.3% to $24.88, after Bear Stearns upgraded it to “outperform” from “peer perform.” The chipmaker said it aims to capture a 30% share of the global market for computer processors by 2009, by selling more processors that would be used in desktop and laptop computers by businesses.

Toll Brothers Inc. shares closed up $0.43 or 1.7% to $25.20, after reporting lower third-quarter earnings which topped analyst expectations. The company also cut its full-year outlook, blaming it on a glut of homes on the market and a decline in buyer confidence. The company is scaling back its land position as demand for new homes continues to deteriorate.

Stock of XM Satellite Radio closed up $2.28 or 20% to $13.52, after Bear Stearns upgraded it to “outperform” from “under perform.” They opine that the wave of negative catalysts that have plagued the company have subsided. In sympathy, stock of rival Sirius Satellite Radio Inc rose 3.3% to $4.03.

Shares of Microsoft closed down $0.50 to $25.62, after it announced that it is considering making discounts available during the holidays to compel consumers to update their PCs with the new Vista system, even though the system won’t be available until Jan. 2007. This was not taken well by the market.

U.S. light crude oil for September delivery gained 18 cents to settle at $72.63 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange.

All the best,
Manuel Jesus-Backus
The Portfolio Crafter
30-day risk-free trial

Cramer’s Mad Money Daily Recap 8/21/06

Tuesday, August 22nd, 2006

CramersMadMoney.comWe have done our best to record the calls for you, but remember that the shows are fast moving, and sometimes Cramer bangs on the sell! sell! sell!, bull roar, train wreck, suicide jump, hallelujah chorus, backing up truck, creepy house of pain voice, machine gun, fanfare, toilet flush, all aboard, applause, cash register, bear growl, bowling pins, and submarine diving alarm buttons all at once, while he is screaming.

Please do your own research, and verify all information before acting on it. This summary of Cramer’s picks is not intended to replace watching the shows, where his comments about the stocks often include advice about entry and exit points.

Bullish
American Movil (AMX) (buy at $35) (mentioned on Stop Trading!)
AMN Healthcare (AHS) (mentioned on Mad Money)
Boeing (BA) (RealMoney Radio)
Chemical & Mining Co. of Chile (SQM) (mentioned on Mad Money)
Cisco (CSCO) (RealMoney Radio)
Comcast (CMCSA) (Lightning Round)
Devon Energy (DVN) (Lightning Round)
Electronic Arts (ERTS) (Lightning Round)
EuroZinc Mining (EZM) (mentioned on Mad Money)
EuroZinc Mining (EZM) (RealMoney Radio)
FedEx (FDX) (Lightning Round)
Ford (F) (RealMoney Radio)
Garmin (GRMN) (RealMoney Radio)
General Motors (GM) (RealMoney Radio)
Globalsantafe (GSF) (Lightning Round)
Halliburton (HAL) ($40 target) (Lightning Round)
Harley Davidson (HOG) (Lightning Round)
Juniper Networks (JNPR) (RealMoney Radio)
Nabors (NBR) ($36-$40 target) (RealMoney Radio)
Nabors (NBR) (Lightning Round)
National Oilwell Varco (NOV) (mentioned on Mad Money)
PepsiCo (PEP) (mentioned on Mad Money)
Procter & Gamble (PG) (mentioned on Mad Money)
Sanderson Farms (SAFM) (mentioned on Stop Trading!)
Sanderson Farms (SAFM) (RealMoney Radio)
Satyam Computer Services (SAY) (Lightning Round)
Staples (SPLS) (Lightning Round)
Time Warner (TWX) (RealMoney Radio)
Toyota Motor (TM) (RealMoney Radio)
Under Armour (UARM) (buy below $30) (RealMoney Radio)
Vornado (VNO) (Lightning Round)
Yamana Gold (AUY) (Lightning Round)

Bearish
Aetna (AET) (mentioned on Stop Trading!)
Akamai (AKAM) (mentioned on Stop Trading!)
Baidu (BIDU) (Lightning Round)
BioCryst Pharmaceuticals (BCRX) (Lightning Round)
Blockbuster (BBI) (Lightning Round)
CB Richard Ellis (CBG) (Lightning Round)
Imperial Sugar (IPSU) (Lightning Round)
Jos. A Bank Clothiers (JOSB) (Lightning Round)
Kinross Gold (KGC) (Lightning Round)
Netflix (NFLX) (Lightning Round)
Network Appliance (NTAP) (mentioned on Stop Trading!)
Office Depot (ODP) (Lightning Round)
Scientific Gaming (SGMS) (CEO interview on Mad Money)
Tellabs (TLAB) (Lightning Round)
TTM Technologies (TTMI) (Lightning Round)
United Parcel Service (UPS) (Lightning Round)

Get your official Cramer Bobblehead at the NBC Universal Store. Just click here and select “current shows” in the left menu and then choose “Mad Money”

PortfolioCrafter - Market Commentary 8/21/06

Tuesday, August 22nd, 2006

PortfolioCrafterStocks closed lower after weaker than expected results from home improvement retailer Lowe’s Cos. triggered concern about economic growth. Additionally, Iran’s defiant stance over its nuclear activities boosted oil prices. Nasdaq was hit the hardest as investors bailed out of some of last week’s biggest winners.

Today, the Dow Jones industrial average closed down 36.42 or 0.32% to 11,345.05, the broader Standard & Poor’s 500 index closed down 4.78 or 0.37% to 1,297.52, and the Nasdaq composite index closed down 16.20 or 0.75% to 2,147.75.
Market breadth was negative, and volume was moderate. On the New York Stock Exchange, losers topped winners by nearly 19 to 13 as 1.11 billion shares changed hands. On the Nasdaq, decliners topped advancers by almost 2 to 1 as 1.34 billion shares changed hands.

The fact that the major averages closed well off their intraday lows, indicates where the market is going the rest of the week. While some sort of consolidation is on the cards, there do not appear to be any significant problems for the market right now. The major worry right now is the belligerent attitude of Iran and the revived worries about its nuclear program. The answer to how much will growth slow, would be available in the slew of reports expected next week.

Shares of Lowe’s Cos. closed down $1.17 or 4% to $28.35, after reporting quarterly earnings that rose from a year earlier but were just short of expectations. The company also issued a full-year earnings growth forecast that is short of estimates. The company’s disappointing results and outlook had investors worried about the outlook for the home-improvement sector as a whole, in this period of slowing economic growth.

Shares of Gold Kist Inc. soared 47% to $19.02 as the poultry producer said it would consider a $1 billion plus the assumption of $144 million -debt offer from Pilgrim’s Pride Corp. to acquire the company. Gold Kist said it has already rejected two offers from Pilgrim’s Pride since February. Stock of Pilgrim’s Pride closed up 5.6% at $24.97.This represents a premium of around 55% over Gold Kist’s closing stock price. Pilgrim Pride opines that the acquisition of Gold Kist would add to its earnings.

Ford Motor Co.’s shares closed down $0.53 or 6.6% to $7.47, as brokerage Credit Suisse First Boston downgraded it to “under perform” from “neutral”. This is a reaction to the auto maker slashing its fourth-quarter production plans by 21%, particularly in the pickup and SUV segments. This has prompted speculation regarding the state of Ford’s “Way Forward” restructuring plans as well as the future of its earnings.

Shares of SanDisk Corp. closed up $0.22 to $51.39, after introducing a new digital music player that stores twice as many songs as Apple’s iPod Nano for almost the same price. Additionally, it cut the cost for Sansa players with two, four and six gigabytes of storage by as much as 30% ahead of the holiday shopping season. This led stock of Apple to closed down $1.35 or 2% to $66.56.

U.S. light crude oil for September delivery rose $1.31 to settle at $72.45 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange. Crude-oil futures rose on Iran’s refusal to bow to international pressure over its nuclear activities. Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said that Tehran will continue to pursue nuclear technology, despite a U.N. Security Council deadline to suspend uranium enrichment. It also turned away U.N. inspectors wanting to examine its underground nuclear site in an apparent violation of the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty.

All the best,
Manuel Jesus-Backus
The Portfolio Crafter
30-day risk-free trial

Cramer’s Mad Money Daily Recap 8/18/06

Monday, August 21st, 2006

CramersMadMoney.comWe have done our best to record the calls for you, but remember that the shows are fast moving, and sometimes Cramer bangs on the sell! sell! sell!, bull roar, train wreck, suicide jump, hallelujah chorus, backing up truck, creepy house of pain voice, machine gun, fanfare, toilet flush, all aboard, applause, cash register, bear growl, bowling pins, and submarine diving alarm buttons all at once, while he is screaming.

Please do your own research, and verify all information before acting on it. This summary of Cramer’s picks is not intended to replace watching the shows, where his comments about the stocks often include advice about entry and exit points.

Friday’s show was a compilation of highlights about security stocks from previously aired programs.

Bullish
General Dynamics (GD) (mentioned on April 21 Mad Money)
Analogic (ALOG) (mentioned on March 21 Mad Money)
Nice Systems (NICE) (mentioned on March 15 Mad Money)
Osi Systems (OSIS) (mentioned on March 9 Mad Money)
Viisage Technology (VISG) (mentioned on Feb. 15 Mad Money)
Axsys Technologies (AXYS) (mentioned on Feb. 8 Mad Money)
Edo (EDO) (mentioned on Feb. 8 Mad Money)

Get your official Cramer Bobblehead at the NBC Universal Store. Just click here and select “current shows” in the left menu and then choose “Mad Money”

PortfolioCrafter - Market Commentary 8/18/06

Saturday, August 19th, 2006

PortfolioCrafterStocks rose for a fifth straight day with the Nasdaq logging its biggest weekly point gain in more than four years, extending a rally powered by tamer than expected inflation data that lifted hopes the Federal Reserve has stopped raising interest rates.

Today, the Dow Jones industrial average closed up 46.51 or 0.4% to 11,381.47, the broader Standard & Poor’s 500 closed up 4.82 or 0.4% to 1,302.30, and the Nasdaq composite closed up 6.34 or 0.3% to 2,163.95. The Nasdaq ended the week 5.5%, it’s best performance since the week ending May 30, 2003. The Dow finished the week 2.6%, while the S&P gained 2.8%.

Market breadth was positive. On the New York Stock Exchange, winners beat losers 18 to 13 on volume of 1.34 billion shares. On the Nasdaq, advancers edged out decliners 15 to 13 on volume of 1.72 billion shares.

The major gauges have rallied this week on upbeat earnings from Hewlett-Packard and others, falling oil prices following a cease-fire in the Israel-Hezbollah war, and relief about the Federal Reserve. Next week will be light on economic news, with a report on existing home sales, durable orders and new home sales. Investors also took in comments from President Bush, who said that the 2006 budget deficit would be less than expected.

U.S. consumer sentiment sank in early August with the UMich consumer sentiment index dropping to 78.7 from 84.7 in July. Economists were expecting it to slide to 83.6. Inflation fears spiked, with consumers expecting prices to rise 4.2% over the next 12 months. This could be a red flag for the Feds.

Shares of Microsoft Corp. shot up 4.4% to $25.79 after it said it expects to spend about $3.8 billion buying back 155 million shares of its common stock at a price of $24.75 a share. The company also said the authorization for its ongoing share repurchase program has been boosted by $16.2 billion, to $36.2 billion and it will buy through 2011.

Stock of Dell fell 2.8% to $21.64 after the company reported a second-quarter profit that fell almost 50% from a year ago. The company also reported quarterly revenue that rose from a year earlier and modestly surpassed analysts’ expectations. However, profits have been substantially lower than a year ago due to increased competition from rival Hewlett-Packard. It reported sales of $14.1 billion, and earnings of $502 million. Additionally, it also disclosed that it has been under an informal investigation by the SEC for the past year.

In comparison, stock of Hewlett-Packard Co. rose 72 cents or 2% to $35.15 2%, after the company reported a fiscal third-quarter profit surge and issued an earning forecast for the current quarter that topped Wall Street expectations. The quarterly net income rose by nearly $1 billion from a year earlier, and sales rose just over 5%. It also said it plans to buy back $6 billion worth of H-P stock.

Ford Motor Co. saw its stock slide 2.1% or $0.17 to $8 after deciding to reduce its North American auto production in an effort to lower the supply of several models, ease pressure on sales incentives and lower dealer inventory costs. The fourth-quarter production is being cut by 21%, or 168,000 units, from year-earlier levels. The company said the new production plan will result in downtime at more than 10 assembly plants through the end of 2006

Shares of Gap closed down 3.8% to $16.65 after the apparel giant pared its full-year profit view in the wake of a second-quarter profit that tumbled 53%. The company has expressed disappointment with consumers’ first takes on new apparel lines and accessories at Gap, Old Navy and Banana Republic outlets.

U.S. light crude oil for September delivery added $1.08 to settle at $71.14 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange.

All the best,
Manuel Jesus-Backus
The Portfolio Crafter
30-day risk-free trial

Cramer’s Mad Money Daily Recap 8/17/06

Friday, August 18th, 2006

CramersMadMoney.comWe have done our best to record the calls for you, but remember that the shows are fast moving, and sometimes Cramer bangs on the sell! sell! sell!, bull roar, train wreck, suicide jump, hallelujah chorus, backing up truck, creepy house of pain voice, machine gun, fanfare, toilet flush, all aboard, applause, cash register, bear growl, bowling pins, and submarine diving alarm buttons all at once, while he is screaming.

Please do your own research, and verify all information before acting on it. This summary of Cramer’s picks is not intended to replace watching the shows, where his comments about the stocks often include advice about entry and exit points.

Bullish if CEO leaves
3M (MMM) (featured on Mad Money)
Avon (AVP) (featured on Mad Money)
Bausch & Lomb (BOL) (featured on Mad Money)
Bristol-Myers (BMY) (featured on Mad Money)
Dell (DELL) (featured on Mad Money)
Home Depot’s (HD) (featured on Mad Money)
Marsh & McLennan (MMC) (featured on Mad Money)

Bullish
Altria ($100 target)(MO) (Lightning Round)
American International Group (AIG) (mentioned on Mad Money)
American Standard (ASD) (RealMoney Radio)
Ameritrade (AMTD) (RealMoney Radio)
Apple (APPL) (Lightning Round)
Archer Daniels (ADM) (mentioned on Stop Trading!)
ATP Oil & Gas (ATPG) (RealMoney Radio)
Becton Dickinson (BDX) (buy at $66) (Lightning Round)
Black & Decker (BDK) (RealMoney Radio)
Bristol-Myers (BMY) (RealMoney Radio)
Children’s Place (PLCE) (mentioned on Stop Trading!)
China Life Insurance (LFC) (Lightning Round)
Cisco (CSCO) (Lightning Round)
Consol Energy (CNX) (Lightning Round)
Dean Foods (DF) (Lightning Round)
Dow Chemical (DOW) (Lightning Round)
E*Trade (ET) (RealMoney Radio)
Ford (F) (Lightning Round)
Garmin (GRMN) (RealMoney Radio)
General Motors (GM) (RealMoney Radio)
Gymboree (GYMB) (mentioned on Stop Trading!)
Hershey (HSY) (mentioned on Mad Money)
Hewlett-Packard (HPQ) (RealMoney Radio)
Intel (INTC) (sell at $20) (Lightning Round)
Jack in the Box (JBX) (Lightning Round)
Lowe’s (LOW) (mentioned on Stop Trading!)
Masco (MAS) (RealMoney Radio)
Merck (MRK) (RealMoney Radio)
Monsanto (MON) (mentioned on Stop Trading!)
Nuance Communications (NUAN) (Lightning Round)
Qualcomm (QCOM) (Lightning Round)
Schlumberger (SLB) (RealMoney Radio)
Sonic (SONC) (Lightning Round)
St. Jude’s (STJ) ($40 target) (RealMoney Radio)
Sunrise Senior Living (SRZ) (Lightning Round)
TD Ameritrade (AMTD) (mentioned on Mad Money)
Valero (VLO) (Lightning Round)

Bearish
Abercrombie (ANF) (mentioned on Stop Trading!)
Abraxis Bioscience (ABBI) (Lightning Round)
Aon (AOC) (mentioned on Mad Money)
Brightpoint (CELL) (Lightning Round)
Ciena (CIEN) (Lightning Round)
Delek US Holdings (DK) (Lightning Round)
Dell (DELL) (RealMoney Radio)
Marsh & McLennan (MMC) (mentioned on Mad Money)
Sirius Satellite Radio (SIRI) (Lightning Round)
Weyerhaeuser (WY) (Lightning Round)
Whole Foods (WFMI) (RealMoney Radio)

Get your official Cramer Bobblehead at the NBC Universal Store. Just click here and select “current shows” in the left menu and then choose “Mad Money”