MaoXian.com -- Archive > November 22, 2004

Stocks to Watch -- Monday, November 22

Posted on November 22, 2004 at 14:15, GMT

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Drop in and say hi this morning if you have the chance.

Posted on November 22, 2004 at 8:15, GMT

Chart of the Day -- Ecolab, Monthly Chart

ECL hit a new all-time high last week. Ecolab is up about 100 times off its 1988 low (not including dividends), so long-term shareholders have really "cleaned up" (pun intended).

ECL, Monthly Chart

Posted on November 22, 2004 at 7:55, GMT

Best and Worst Performing Large-Cap Stocks (last 12 weeks)

Best:

Advanced Micro Devices Inc (AMD)
Up ~74% {semiconductor manufacturer}
Delta Air Lines Inc (DAL)
Up ~62% {airline}
Apple Computer Inc (AAPL)
Up ~61% {personal computers and peripherals}
TXU Corp (TXU)
Up ~54% {power production; electricity, natural gas}
Citrix Systems Inc (CTXS)
Up ~52% {access infrastructure software and services}

Worst:

Merck & Co Inc (MRK)
Down ~39% {pharmaceutical products}
Marsh & McLennan Companies Inc (MMC)
Down ~39% {risk and insurance services}
Winn-Dixie Stores Inc (WIN)
Down ~28% {major food and drug retailer}
Chiron Corp (CHIR)
Down ~23% {pharmaceuticals}
Aon Corp (AOC)
Down ~21% {risk and insurance brokerage services}

Posted on November 22, 2004 at 7:45, GMT

Update on Crude Position

Working off the January contract now... you can see that Fuzzy captured a solid 600 cents over the last three and a half weeks... that's $6,000 per contract, which is nothing to sneeze at. Catching an occasional big move makes up for many a whipsaw.

Light, Sweet Crude Oil futures, 30-minute Chart

Posted on November 22, 2004 at 7:35, GMT

Unfair and Uncompetitive

Why College Funding Isn't Fair and Anti-Competitive, by John Wasik: (terrible headline, John)

"It's difficult to tell which [529] plan is the best deal, though, since there's no clear, upfront disclosure of all fees or tax benefits... [529s are] not subject to federal mutual fund or securities regulation ... Since fund choices are limited in 529s, college savers are often stuck in programs where expenses are higher than non-529 accounts ... The broker-sold fund expenses not only devour returns, they negate the financial benefit of state tax breaks, where offered ... Don't approach any commissioned sales representative for [college funding] advice."

I would add: don't approach a commissioned salesman for any financial advice.

Posted on November 22, 2004 at 7:25, GMT

Washington Post Wants to Dumb Down

Post Discusses Circulation, Diversity, by Frank Ahrens:

"In an effort to win new readers, Downie said Post reporters will be required to write shorter stories. The paper's design and copy editors will be given more authority to make room for more photographs and graphics."

When the Post starts to provide clues for the Jumble, I'll know the end is at hand.

Posted on November 22, 2004 at 7:15, GMT

Sentiment Update for the Week Ending November 19, 2004

You can see that the market put in a reversal bar last week and the public sentiment remains very positive, so I wouldn't be surprised if prices continued to fall this week. The rally since the end of October didn't start from a point of pessimism, which makes me feel uneasy.

(Last week's Sentiment Update)

Vanguard Total Stock Market VIPERs, Weekly Chart

Posted on November 22, 2004 at 7:05, GMT

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