1988 Porsche 959 S

Your favorite books, if they were tea. (H/T Meghan E. Morris)

Every bull and bear market has leadership by individual stocks and sectors. Therefore, it is important for independent traders and investors to always…

Every bull and bear market has leadership by individual stocks and sectors. Therefore, it is important for independent traders and investors to always watch the leading stocks and sectors for clues. Certain chart patterns will indicate when the major institutional money is going to start taking profits, or even begin to accumulate a particular stock or industry group. This is why it is critical to learn and understand how to read the charts. At this moment, some of the leading stocks in the NASDAQ Composite are Google Inc (GOOG), Facebook Inc (FB), Apple Inc. (AAPL), Amazon.com Inc. (AMZN), and Twitter, Inc. (TWTR). By following these market leading stocks we can get a sense of how the overall market will perform. As long as money flow continues to lift these equities, the rest of the NASDAQ Composite Index should hold up well. Other leading equities can generally be bought on pullbacks into technical support levels, as long as these leading stocks remain in solid up-trends. Should a trader or investor see a technical reversal signal in one of these leading equities, then it could be a warning sign that the institutional money is beginning to come out of the leading stocks. When this occurs, it will often have and adverse effect on the major stock indexes. Remember, it is the institutional money that moves markets, it is not the individual at home with an online account buying 100 shares of a stock. The institutional money is very leveraged and has unlimited buying power, therefore, the institutions are who you must learn to follow. Nick Santiago www.InTheMoneyStocks.com

UPDATE: The earlier rumors have been confirmed: People’s Bank of China told more than 10 third-party payment service providers yesterday not to give clearing services to online Bitcoin exchanges, China Business News reports, citing a central bank meeting with the companies. This news is pressuring Bitcoin to $678 (on Mt.Gox) but more notably, BTC China rates imply a $588 equivalent price - down 57% from its highs. From a $100-plus premium, BTC China now trades $130 cheap to Mt.Gox as the ‘arb’ flips.

Continued

Lazard hits new 52 week high

Zachs Equity Research

November 16th 2013.

Shares of Lazard Ltd.  reached a new 52-week high, touching $41.66 at the second half of the trading session on Nov 18. However, the stock closed the session at $41.26, which reflects a solid year-to-date return of 34.7%.The trading volume for the session was 0.5 million shares. Despite the strong price appreciation, this Zacks Rank #3 (Hold) stock has plenty of upside left, given its strong estimate revisions over the last 30 days and expected long-term earnings growth of 12.0%. Growth Drivers Impressive third-quarter 2013 results comprising a positive earnings surprise of 31.64%, top-line growth, a strong capital position and higher assets under management (AUM) were the primary driving factors for Lazard. On Oct 24, Lazard reported third-quarter 2013 adjusted earnings of 46 cents per share, outpacing the Zacks Consensus Estimate of 35 cents. Moreover, this compared favorably with 26 cents earned in the prior-year quarter. On a year-over-year basis, Lazard experienced 10.0% rise in both revenues and AUM, which acted as positives for the quarter. AUM growth resulted from market appreciation and rise in net inflows. Additionally, the company’s capital ratios depict its strong position. However, a 4.3% increase in expenses was the headwind for the quarter. Further, Lazard has delivered positive earnings surprises in 3 out of the last 4 quarters with an average beat of 35.95%. Estimate Revisions Show Potency Over the last 30 days, 3 out of 7 estimates for 2013 have been revised upward, lifting the Zacks Consensus Estimate by 4.7% to $1.77 per share. For 2014, 4 out of 7 estimates moved north, helping the Zacks Consensus Estimate advance 6.1% to $2.44 per share.

Wake up, there is money to be made! This morning, both of our member services (theResearch Center and Intra Day Stock Chat) are seeing gains in their accounts. 

1st: The Research Center, which is where swing traders and those who are looking to hold positions for days to weeks reside. Research Center members were alerted to enter a currency trade utilizing an ETF, which could have also been traded through other FOREX instruments last week. Today, the first profit target was hit, profits earned, and now members have a breakeven stop in place while they sit back and wait for more gains.  2nd: The Intra Day Stock Chat, during the live trading session this morning, members were alerted to some great trades and earned great profits. Don’t hear it from us, take a look below at what some members posted to our Facebook fan page wall… Try both services for 7 free no obligation days right now, click here