.Wiser Trader Stocks and Options Newsletter

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Issue No. 101   November 6, 2006                   Prescott, Arizona                       Systems@WiserTrader.com

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1.0   Trading

     

      The major indices lost an average of 1% this week.

 

 

Major Averages For the Past Week

Index

10/29/06

11/5/06

% Change

DOW

12090.26

11,986.04

-0.86%

NASDAQ

2350.62

2,330.79

-0.84%

S&P500

1377.34

1,364.30

-0.95%

Russell 2K

765.84

752.73

-1.71%

NYSE

8779.87

8,716.76

-0.72%

 

 

1.1 Shift in Focus

 

      The S&P 500 in Figure 1A pulled back to its upper trend line this week due to profit taking amid concerns about the economy slowing.  With 80% of S&P 500 companies now reporting, based on existing reports, earnings are expected to average a 21% gain for the quarter.  This is above the 18% previously expected as recently as last week. 

 

      However, the 1.6% GDP number recently released moved the focus from earnings to slowing economic growth.  Retail results were mixed with Wal-Mart sales gains on the light side giving reason for concerns about consumer spending.  A good employment picture gave some support to the markets.  Hourly earnings were up 3.9% over the past year.  While this could be inflationary, it gives some indication that consumer spending can be maintained.

 

 

 

FIGURE 1A

 

 

 

      The NASDAQ in Figure 1B remains about 2.0% below its April high, pulling back from its upper trend line.  Semiconductors and technology, after a brief gain, ended the week down.  Commodities remain volatile.  So far, the NASDAQ is up 5.7% for 2006. 

 

 

FIGURE 1B

 

 

 

 

 

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2.0 Market Analysis

 

      Key industry ETF’s in Table 2A are Biotech and Semiconductors, which confirm the NASDAQ.  Transportation confirms the Dow Jones Industrial Average according to Dow Theory.  Banking and Financials are confirming indicators for the S&P 500.  Gold and Housing are respective indicators for the inverse health of the currency (inflation) and the capacity for consumer spending. 

 

 

Table 2A

Indices, Key Industry ETF’s and Sector SPDR’s

 

1 month

1 wk ago

2 wks ago

3 wks ago

4 wks ago

Dow Jones Industrial Index

1.1%

-0.9%

0.7%

0.4%

0.9%

NASDAQ Composite Index

1.3%

-0.8%

0.4%

-0.6%

2.5%

S & P 500 Index

1.1%

-0.9%

0.6%

0.2%

1.2%

NYSE Composite Index

2.1%

-0.7%

0.9%

0.7%

1.3%

Russell 2000 Index

1.7%

-1.7%

0.5%

-0.1%

3.1%

HGX, Phil. Housing Index

-0.3%

-3.0%

1.5%

-1.5%

2.9%

IYR, Real Estate

0.6%

-2.9%

1.0%

0.2%

2.4%

GLD, GOLD

9.3%

4.9%

1.1%

0.4%

2.8%

RKH, Banking

-1.4%

-1.1%

0.4%

-1.2%

0.4%

IYT, Transportation

0.6%

-2.9%

0.5%

1.2%

2.0%

SMH, Semiconductors

-3.0%

-1.8%

-0.2%

-5.3%

4.5%

BBH, Biotechnology

0.9%

-1.6%

1.6%

0.9%

0.0%

OIH, Oil Infrastructure

8.6%

0.8%

3.7%

1.7%

2.3%

XLE, Energy

7.4%

0.8%

2.7%

1.3%

2.4%

XLU, Utilities

4.0%

-0.5%

0.4%

3.1%

1.0%

XLB, Materials

4.1%

-0.3%

2.2%

-0.2%

2.4%

XLI, Industrial

-1.0%

-1.0%

-0.1%

-0.8%

0.9%

XLK, Technology

1.5%

-0.6%

0.0%

-0.2%

2.3%

XLV, Healthcare

-0.6%

-1.7%

-0.7%

2.2%

-0.4%

XLF, Financials

-0.3%

-1.0%

1.0%

-1.0%

0.9%

XLP, Consumer Staples

0.8%

-1.9%

1.6%

0.9%

0.1%

XLY, Consumer Discretionary

2.0%

-1.2%

1.7%

-0.5%

2.1%

 

 

 

 

      The VIX and VXN volatility indexes are listed in Table 2B.

 

 

Table 2B

Volatility

Indicator

Current

Last Week

2 Weeks Ago

Complacent

Cautious

VIX **

11.2

10.8

10.6

< 20

> 50

VXN ***

17.2

17.4

16.7

< 30

> 70

**   Above 20 day SMA = Short-term sell signal.

*** Below 20 day SMA = Short-term buy signal.

 

 

 

      Figure 2A compares the major averages with key ETF’s and Sector SPDR’s.

 

 

FIGURE 2A

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Table 2C

Market Summary

 

Industry performance is based on the Yahoo Industry Classification System

 

 Major Indices 
 For the Past Week:
 Dow Jones     -0.9%
 NASDAQ        -0.8%
 S&P500 Index  -0.9%
 Russell 2000  -1.7%
 NYSE          -0.7%
 
 30 Year Bond 4.811%
 10 Year Note 4.715%
 FOMC Rate    5.250%
 
 Leading Industries
 For the Past Week:

Grocery Stores

Nonmetallic Mineral Mining

Gold

Multimedia & Graphics Software

Silver

Security Software & Services

Housewares & Accessories

Insurance Brokers

Steel & Iron

Healthcare Information Services

 
 Lagging Industries
 For the Past Week:

Department Stores

Industrial Equipment Wholesale

Real Estate Development

Long-Term Care Facilities

Home Furnishing Stores

Water Utilities

Internet Service Providers

REIT - Residential

Discount, Variety Stores

Long Distance Carriers

 
 
 Leading Industries
 For the Past Month:

Grocery Stores

Nonmetallic Mineral Mining

Silver

Copper

Steel & Iron

Industrial Metals & Minerals

Gold

Oil & Gas Drilling & Exploration

Marketing Services

Internet Information Providers

 
 Lagging Industries
 For the Past Month:

Investment Brokerage - Regional

Health Care Plans

Trucking

Catalog & Mail Order Houses

Printed Circuit Boards

Specialized Health Services

Computer Based Systems

Semiconductor- Memory Chips

Education & Training Services

Long Distance Carriers

 
 Crude Oil $59.22
 
 Gold for the past 30 days:
 USD    +11.70%
 CAD    +11.90%
 CHF    +12.10%
 GBP    +10.73%
 EUR    +11.59%
 JPY    +11.87%
 
 
 

 

 

 

 

 

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3.0 Procedure

 

      The following watch lists contain stock candidates for consideration.  They are not necessarily trades.  Categories include checklists for insider buying and cash rich companies, as well as, filters that employ stock picking methods used by master traders.  The information is not meant to imply any endorsement or sponsorship by these master traders. 

 

      Current stock rankings are based on the degree to which stocks are overbought or over sold based on the 28-period Williams %R for the past two trading days.  Two columns are labeled “%R1” and “%R2” with “%R2” indicating the Williams %R for the most recent trading day.  Of course, values more negative than -80 are oversold and those less negative than -20 are overbought.

 

      One should keep in mind that oversold stocks are not necessarily ready to move upward.  They could very well be in a condition of continuous decline.  The lists are meant to serve as a starting point for further due diligence. 

 

      A column labeled “Monthly % Gain” was added to show the inverse relationship between price action over the past month and the Williams %R.  The change from a 10-period Williams %R with a weekly percent change to a 28-period Williams %R with a monthly percent change was done to reflect a longer term view.

 

      Watchlist performance is based on weekly closing prices on Friday.  The “Reference” is the date that a stock passed the indicated filter and was first added to or returned to the list.  The “% Change” is how the price has changed since the reference date.  Stocks that are down 10% or more after being listed are removed for a period of about two months.  The “% from Max” is the percentage the price has declined from the maximum price reached since the reference date.  Stocks that are down 8% from their highs after being listed are flagged in yellow.  Stocks that are down 15% from their highs after being listed are removed for two months.  More information on filters is available on the web site.

 

      A performance summary of filtering techniques for checklists and master trader selection methods is given in Table 3A. 

 

 

Table 3A

Stock Filter Summary

Filter

Avg. % Change Since Listed

Avg. % Change Friday

1 Month

1 Week Ago

2 weeks Ago

3 Weeks Ago

4 Weeks Ago

Net Insider Buying

5.8%

0.6%

4.6%

-0.7%

0.5%

1.1%

3.7%

Cash Rich Companies

-0.3%

-0.1%

-2.0%

-0.3%

-1.7%

-3.0%

3.2%

Price to Free Cash Flow

8.1%

0.0%

2.1%

-0.7%

1.3%

0.7%

0.8%

Growth Momentum

4.3%

1.8%

4.9%

0.2%

1.3%

0.7%

2.7%

Lynch

27.5%

0.3%

4.7%

1.8%

-0.5%

2.1%

1.3%

Buffett

9.0%

0.1%

3.0%

-2.0%

2.7%

-1.3%

3.7%

Graham

16.4%

-0.1%

3.3%

-0.5%

0.7%

1.5%

1.5%

Templeton

9.8%

-0.4%

0.0%

-2.8%

1.6%

-1.2%

2.6%

 Zweig

10.7%

-0.1%

2.7%

-1.0%

1.7%

0.0%

2.0%

Average

10.1%

0.2%

2.6%

-0.7%

0.9%

0.1%

2.4%

 

 

Key

Passed Recent Filter

Price declined by half of stop loss setting

Oversold  based on  Williams %R  (%R2 is most recent)

Overbought based on Williams %R  (%R2 is most recent)

 

 

 

      Companies that have experienced net insider buying within the past 6 months of 5% or more of issued stock are listed in Table 3B.  These stocks should also appear in one of the master trader screens or meet additional screening criteria before being given serious consideration.  This list is a mixture of stocks that are optionable and those that are not.

 

 

Table 3B

Net Insider Buying Check List

Stock