MaoXian.com -- Archive > December 22, 2004

Stocks to Watch -- Wednesday, December 22

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

Chat Room Open from 8AM-9AM, Eastern Time

In yesterday's pre-open chat we anticipated the breakdown in ISON, despite the generally positive tape. Come join us today!

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

Chart of the Day -- Freddie Mac, Monthly Chart

Freddie Mac (Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation) is a stockholder-owned corporation charted by Congress in 1970 to keep money flowing to mortgage lenders in support of homeownership and rental housing. Freddie Mac purchases single-family and multi-family residential mortgages and mortgage-related securities, which it finances primarily by issuing mortgage pass through securities and debt instruments in the capital markets.

FRE hit a new all-time high yesterday. Freddie has been slightly outpacing Fannie over the last five years, but Sallie has been trouncing them both. Long-term shareholders who hold any of them have done fabulously well.

FRE, Monthly Chart

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

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

Best:

Great Atlantic & Pacific Tea Co Inc (GAP)
Up ~33% {retail food business}
Sola International Inc (SOL)
Up ~31% {spectacle lenses -- Acquired by Carl Zeiss}
Merit Medical Systems Inc (MMSI)
Up ~31% {medical products - diagnosis and treatment of cardiovascular disease}
Radisys Corp (RSYS)
Up ~30% {advanced embedded systems}
SCM Microsystems Inc (SCMM)
Up ~27% {solutions that enable secure access to digital content and services}

Worst:

Standard Microsystems Corp (SMSC)
Down ~24% {semiconductors}
Hot Topic, Inc (HOTT)
Down ~21% {mall-based retailer}
Synaptics Inc (SYNA)
Down ~19% {user interface solutions for notebook computers}
Christopher & Banks Corp (CBK)
Down ~19% {women's specialty apparel}
J. Jill Group Inc (The) (JILL)
Down ~15% {specialty retailer of women's apparel}

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

New Brands Address a New Set of Consumers

Washington Post Company Buys Slate Magazine, by David Carr:

"... industry specialists estimated that the deal was worth between $15 million and $20 million ... After years of losing money and an ill-fated attempt in 1999 to become a subscriber-only site, it achieved marginal profitability in one quarter last year and is now a break-even proposition on revenue of about $6 million a year, according to company executives ... Slate, whose main editorial offices are in New York, had 4.8 million unique visitors last month, compared with 4.5 million for washingtonpost.com, according to Media Metrix."

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

Roundup of China Aviation Oil News XI

Investors find it hard to get CAO compensation --- FT

"Allegations of insider trading might pose a legal threat to CAO�s Chinese state parent group after it sold a 15 per cent stake in CAO in October to institutional investors if it was already aware of the derivatives losses as claimed by Chen Jiulin, the CAO chief executive, in a filing with the Singapore High Court. ... A lawsuit against the CAO�s parent, China Aviation Oil Holding, could only be filed if Singapore police found evidence of insider trading."

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

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