Shorts Are Still Retreating, But It Is Time to Protect Positions In First Solar

It has been a good run, but it seems that First Solar’s best gains are behind it for now. First Solar (FSLR) declined 5.9% on Tuesday, January 29 on heavy trading volume. FSLR is now trading below its 50-day moving average (DMA) for the first time since October. This breaks a primary uptrend that has … Read more

Herbalife: Anatomy of A Short Squeeze

In “A Trading Plan For Herbalife: A Pullback Likely Before A New Trading Range“, I used options trading and presumed resistance at the 50-day moving average (DMA) to estimate that this week would finally mark a pullback in Herbalife (HLF) shares. Instead, HLF punched right through 50DMA resistance on Monday (Jan 14) and in just … Read more

Another Downgrade for Skullcandy and Another Oversized Response

(This is an excerpt from an article I originally published on Seeking Alpha on January 3, 2013. Click here to read the entire piece.) A little over a week ago, I wrote optimistically that Skullcandy (SKUL) could make 2013 a comeback year. Those hopes were dashed right at the gate of the new year as … Read more

With the Endgame Known, Options Trading in Herbalife Provides Even More Insight

(This is an excerpt from an article I originally published on Seeking Alpha on December 24, 2012. Click here to read the entire piece.) So it turns out that Bill Ackman, with his hedge fund Pershing Square Capital Management, is the “big whale” behind the massive short position built against Herbalife (HLF). Ackman indicated that … Read more

Flurry of Trading in Molycorp Ahead of CEO Change May Finally Cement A Bottom

(This is an excerpt from an article I originally published on Seeking Alpha on December 12, 2012. Click here to read the entire piece.) It turns out that recent put buyers in Molycorp (MCP) may have had the right idea, but their bearish trade may have a very short shelf life. After hours on December … Read more

Post-Earnings Selling Sets Up Opportunity In Lender Processing Services

(This is an excerpt from an article I originally published on Seeking Alpha on November 26, 2012. Click here to read the entire piece.) I have followed Lender Processing Services (LPS) for a little over two years. It all started soon after LPS sold off swiftly in the wake of disclosures regarding “foreclosuregate” in late … Read more

Picking Homebuilder Stocks for 2013

(This is an excerpt from an article I originally published on Seeking Alpha on November 26, 2012. Click here to read the entire piece.) {snip} It is hard to be bearish on the U.S. economy when housing is working. Homebuilders are also the ultimate play on the U.S. economy given the minimal (direct) linkage to … Read more

Whirlpool Optimistic About A Recovery in Structural Demand

This is an excerpt from an article I originally published on Seeking Alpha on November 5, 2012. Click here to read the entire piece.) Back in February, I reviewed the latest earnings report from Whirlpool (WHR) and concluded that the stock still had upside but it was better to buy on a dip. {snip} Source: … Read more

Consol Energy’s Breakout Survives A Reduction In Earnings Guidance

(This is an excerpt from an article I originally published on Seeking Alpha on October 17, 2012. Click here to read the entire piece.) Consol Energy (CNX) is the U.S.’s largest producer of coal from underground mines. {snip} The charts below show how CNX recently broke out and how it has traded relative to its … Read more

Skullcandy Recovers Losses from Downgrade – Now Comes the Tough Part

(This is an excerpt from an article I originally published on Seeking Alpha on October 5, 2012. Click here to read the entire piece.) After Morgan Stanley downgraded Skullcandy (SKUL), I quickly wrote that I thought the sell-off was way overdone and marked a buying opportunity. From comments and other posts I have seen, it … Read more