Rich Valuations Mean Fastenal Has Likely Peaked Short-Term, Buy On Lower Prices

(This is an excerpt from an article I originally published on Seeking Alpha on June 18, 2012. Click here to read the entire piece.) On June 5, 2012, Fastenal (FAST) dropped 9.8% in response to its May sales report. This sharply negative reaction got my attention because Fastenal’s industrial and construction supplies business should be … Read more

Chart Review: Amazon Flips Back to Bullish

The opportunity to go short on Amazon.com (AMZN) was short-lived. Just last week I pointed out how AMZN triggered a post-earnings short again. I missed the first breakdown and was looking to play a second move down. It was not to be. Instead, on Monday, AMZN flipped back into bullish territory. I followed suit by … Read more

Chart Review: Amazon Triggers Post-Earnings Short

On May 18th, I wrote that Amazon.com (AMZN) had triggered a post-earnings short by closing below the low of trading in the immediate aftermath of the last earnings report (at $220). However, I did not recommend pulling the trigger because the market was oversold at the time. Surprisingly, AMZN did not benefit from the market’s … Read more

Lessons From the Successful Trade on Joy Global’s Earnings: The Importance of Context

(This is an excerpt from an article I originally published on Seeking Alpha on June 1, 2012. Click here to read the entire piece.) On Tuesday, May 29, I described a trade on Joy Global (JOY) earnings featuring a bullish bias with a hedge. {snip} JOY ended up disappointing investors… {snip}… Investors and traders clearly … Read more

Shorts Back Off Lender Processing Services As Overall Prospects Continue To Improve

(This is an excerpt from an article I originally published on Seeking Alpha on May 31, 2012. Click here to read the entire piece.) {snip} Since a spate of heavy call buying in February, short interest has taken a fresh plunge. It has now returned to levels last seen right before foreclosuregate exploded. Source: NASDAQ.com … Read more