The Market Is Ignoring These Insider Purchases, But You Should Not

(This is an excerpt from an article I originally published on Seeking Alpha. Click here to read the entire piece.)

Since the market swoon began in earnest in August, I have become increasingly interested in the stock market’s reaction to the news of insider buying by company executives. In many cases, I have made the plunge alongside the insiders. Insider buying by executives at companies like First Solar Inc. (FSLR), Monster Worldwide Inc. (MWW), Molycorp (MCP), Coldwater Creek (CWTR), and Skullcandy (SKUL) have all caught my interest (I pay little attention to purchases by Board Directors). Swift Transportation (SWFT) is also on my radar. In almost each case, top executives made significant purchases as the stock of their respective companies traded at or near major lows. In almost each case the market has sent these stocks lower even after initially positive responses.

I assess each case in chronological order of the purchases (all charts provided by freestockcharts.com):

Molycorp (MCP)insider purchase Aug 15

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Molycorp breaks down out of a Bollinger Band squeeze as fears surge over rare earth prices
Molycorp breaks down out of a Bollinger Band squeeze as fears surge over rare earth prices

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Swift Transportation Co., LLC (SWFT)insider purchases Aug 19 to Aug 23

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SWFT is trading back at all-time lows despite the massive insider buying
SWFT is trading back at all-time lows despite the massive insider buying

First Solar (FSLR)insider purchases Aug 22 and Aug 24

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First Solar attempts yet another bottom as sellers finally appear washed out
First Solar attempts yet another bottom as sellers finally appear washed out

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Monster Worldwide, Inc. (MWW)insider purchases Aug 30

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Monster Worldwide is down an incredible 67% this year
Monster Worldwide is down an incredible 67% this year

Coldwater Creek (CWTR)insider purchases Sep 6 to Sep 15, 2011

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Has Coldwater Creek's CEO signaled a bottom at all-time lows?
Has Coldwater Creek's CEO signaled a bottom at all-time lows?

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Skullcandy, Inc. (SKUL)insider purchase Sep 16, 2011

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Skullcandy trades well below its initial IPO range
Skullcandy trades well below its initial IPO range

I believe these insider purchases are encouraging signs in an otherwise sobering market. These are not all the insider buys from the past several months, but they have caught my interest. When added to all the stock buybacks that companies continue to announce, I have to believe that the grass is very green on the other side of whatever economic calamity still lies ahead.

Be careful out there!

(This is an excerpt from an article I originally published on Seeking Alpha. Click here to read the entire piece.)

Full disclosure: long MCP, FSLR, SKUL, and CWTR

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