The Daily Zinger

I didn't catch this one, but my trading buddy Jono did. He noticed that it started to move late yesterday; I wasn't paying attention.

I did however watch Quiet Days in Clichy, a movie that the Catholic Bishops Board of Review called "morally offensive... a portrait of human depravity," which I took as a ringing endorsement. It turned out to be art house porn circa 1970. Shocking in its day no doubt, but a yawn 30-some years later. I've seen more human depravity in a five-minute Christina Aguilera music video.

Good night, guys.

GOAM, 1-min. Chart

Erin McKeown

Another album recommendation from the Chairman: Erin McKeown's Grand. She's smart and has a great voice... this album is a lot of fun.

Stocks to Watch -- Tuesday, November 9

Keep an Eye on BIIB

Biogen Idec looks like a possible short here. Initial risk is around $2... if price returns to the major swing low around $55 then the reward to risk looks OK. (Disclaimer)

BIIB, Daily Chart

Chart of the Day -- PACCAR, Monthly Chart

You probably don't recognize the name PACCAR, but I bet you've heard of Kenworth and Peterbilt. PCAR hit a new all-time high yesterday. Long-time shareholders can afford gold embroidered Yosemite Sam mudflaps.

PCAR, Monthly Chart

Best and Worst Performing Mid-Cap Stocks (last 4 weeks)

Every Tuesday I feature a stock scan from my universe of Mid-Cap stocks. Last Tuesday I listed the best and worst performers over the last 12 weeks; today I'm posting the list of the best and worst performers over the last 4 weeks.

Best:

• Cypress Semiconductor Corp (CY)
  Up ~29% {digital and mixed-signal integrated circuits}
• Cree Inc (CREE)
  Up ~28% {semiconductor materials and devices}
• MPS Group Inc (MPS)
  Up ~27% {temp agency}
• Avocent Corp (AVCT)
  Up ~27% {analog and digital KVM (keyboard, video and mouse) switching systems}
• Cabot Microelectronics Corp (CCMP)
  Up ~26% {high-performance polishing slurries}

Worst:

• DeVry Inc (DV)
  Down ~24% {for-profit education}
• Ivax Corp (IVX)
  Down ~22% {pharmaceutical products}
• VISX Inc (EYE)
  Down ~18% {laser vision correction}
• IndyMac Bancorp Inc (NDE)
  Down ~14% {savings and loan}
• FMC Technologies Inc (FTI)
  Down ~13% {energy, food processing and air transportation}

Big Media Bites Back

Blogging As Typing, Not Journalism, by Eric Engberg:

Just wait until the bloggers break the story that the exit polls were indeed accurate, but many electronic voting machines were rigged (no paper trail, remember) resulting in a massive fraud.

Your Election Map on Acid

Michael Gastner, Cosma Shalizi, and Mark Newman at the University of Michigan have put together a nice page of population-adjusted / voter-percentage-adjusted election maps.

Print Club 2005

I've always admired Heather Champ's beautiful photographs. Consider joining her Print Club. (You can also buy individual prints.)

Gold ETF Coming Soon

SEC close to backing new gold product, by Kevin Morrison

I'm still waiting for the iShares product: "Barclays Global Investors has also filed a gold ETF investment proposal with the SEC." In the meantime I suggest you check out Vanguard's Precious Metals and Mining Fund (VGPMX), which has a 0.55% expense ratio and a $10,000 minimum buy-in.

Bringing New Meaning to the Term, "Execution"

S.E.C. Is Said to Examine Stock Pricing by Big Brokers, by Jenny Anderson: