If you have not done your taxes yet because your afraid its going to take hours or days to go though all of your stocks then your in luck. I recently just used TradeLog to do my taxes and it saved alot of time. I use scottrade and Interactive brokers. The only downfall was that if you trade options on scottrade, you have to manually enter some of them in. Other then that, this program rocks!

Bulltrader readers know that I’ve liked Mastercard ( MA) since 2006.  It’s ready to go higher I believe.  The stock has consolidated during the bear market, really only around 10% or so from its highs.  The company just continues to crush bullish earning estimates.  I think the stock moves higher from here.   I also like Visa (V).

Costco is an upscale discount retailer.  That doesnt make sense does it?  Anyhow, if you believe the so-called bottom is in, I think COST will benefit as the best of breed among retailers in their space.  The stock looks to be breaking out of a downward channel here recently.  On a P/E basis, the stock seems cheap.   Costco is worth watching.

Bottom or no bottom, that is the question. As you well now I have not been making post that often because I did not have a good take on this market.  I think the bottom may have been seen  but we have alot of resistance at the 12750 level. If we cant break it then I see more sideways trading for another few months. The dow is up over 200pts today and I believe the next down day should be taken as an opportunity to take some positions in stocks.

Apple.  One of the best companies and best stocks over the last 5 years bar none.  The stock has gotten crushed this year, dropping from $200 to around $115.   The million dollar question is whether Apple will be a leader for the next 5 years.  Technically, the stock seems to have support around $120.  The intensity of selling has lightened up.  The MACD is turning bullish.  The next catalyst of the stock will probably be the earnings report middle of next month.  The company is trading at only 21x forward earnings with a earnings growth rate of at least 50%.  Smith Barney has it as a priority buy.  I think Apple will once again beat 1q estimates handily.  MAC sales are rocking and there are rumors of the 3G iPhone this summer.

General Electric has been performing very well as of late.  The stock has broken out of a pretty severe downtrend.  GE went down with the rest of the market despite exiting the subprime business before it went belly up.  The last quarter earnings were excellent and the stock traded up toward $42 a share before the bear market.  GE gets the nod in my opinion because of its excellent management team.  Today, the stock traded over 102 million shares, the most in one day in well over 2 years.   I think the big boys are getting back into GE, maybe you should to?

We’re a nation at war that is experiencing a sub-prime mortgage crisis, so it isn’t hard to see why the US dollar has tanked and a recession is around the corner. However, it isn’t just a growing deficit and countless home foreclosures that are affecting the dollar.

Below are five ways the currency is being affected that people rarely discuss. Awareness of these undercurrents could give you the upper hand when analyzing the market, as most people are obsessed with the usual scapegoats.

1. Petrodollars – The US dollars earned by a country when petroleum is sold, also known as petrodollars, can strengthen or weaken the currency. Since most of the world’s petroleum is dependant on dollars, each country will retain a reserve of the U.S. currency. However, when a country finds itself with a large surplus of dollars, those dollars are put back into the U.S. by investing in assets. What will become of the dollar if petroleum is largely dealt in with other nations’ currency? It could definitely happen and, obviously, that would also make a large impact.
2. Weather – Every natural disaster to strike the US can affect the dollar. Obviously, damage from a few tornados has a smaller effect than Hurricane Katrina did. However, anything that has a negative effect on a large area will impact the economy, particularly if it causes problems for the agricultural industry.
3. Wal-Mart – Is the destroyer of Mom and Pop stores everywhere a culprit? You betcha’. In fact, any stores that largely deal in foreign goods is adversely impacting the dollar. So, you can also blame yourself for the imported car in the driveway and all those toys in your kid’s toy box.
4. US Treasury Secretary – No, it isn’t just the wacky antics of George W. that affects the dollar. In fact, the federal official that affects the Forex market the most is the US Treasury Secretary. It is this person, after all, who represents the US in terms of currency.
5. Public Perception – It doesn’t matter if the public’s perception of the economy represents reality. If they are largely pessimistic or optimistic, then Forex traders are obviously going to follow suit and move money into or away from the dollar.

Mainstream news agencies don’t usually relate the above factors to Forex, so they may not be on the forefront of our thoughts. There are obviously countless undercurrents that change the market, but one needs to analyze more than the usual culprits when trying to predict the ebb and flow.

Heather Johnson is a freelance business, finance and economics writer, as well as a regular contributor at Business Credit Cards, a site for best business credit cards and best business credit cards offers. Heather welcomes comments and freelancing job inquiries at her email address heatherjohnson2323@gmail.com

Yahoo: Compass Minerals International, Inc., through its subsidiaries, produces and markets inorganic mineral products in North America and the United Kingdom. It operates in two segments: Salt and Specialty Fertilizer. 

CMP has had a huge run along with all of the other mineral and energy related stocks.  I wish I had owned this stock but I certainly would not chase it up here.  If anything I think its sets up nicely for a short play.

 Here is the chart:

Yahoo Finance: Strayer Education, Inc., through its subsidiary, Strayer University, Inc., offers various academic programs in traditional classroom courses, as well as through Internet. It provides undergraduate and graduate degree programs in business administration, accounting, information technology, education, and public administration through 55 campuses in Alabama, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Maryland, New Jersey, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, and Washington, D.C. As of December 31, 2007, Strayer Education had approximately 36,000 students enrolled in its various programs. The company was founded in 1892 and is headquartered in Arlington, Virginia.

In this market, no stocks are immune from punishment. STRA has been a good stock for awhile but I think its uptrend has been challenged.  Attending these type of institutions is not cheap.  Many student rely on student load for academic assistance.  Well, financial institutions are not going to be eager to make student loans in this environment especially since most people dont pay them back anyhow. :>  Here is the chart.

Goldman Sachs is a media darling when it comes to financial stocks and the financial media.  The Fast Money crew loved Goldman below $200.  Everyone talks about how they are the best run financial company and have little to no exposure to the subprime market, etc.   They are kinda like Brett Favre in the NFL. Everyone is reluctant to critize them.  Well, GS is and has been rolling over big time for awhile and now is bumping up against the August 2007 lows.  Its hard to say which way GS is going.  If I had to pick a side in this market, I would have to say GS is heading lower.  GS is a premium name but right now its not a premium stock.

From Yahoo Finance:  BP Prudhoe Bay Royalty Trust operates as a grantor trust. The company holds overriding royalty interests constituting a non-operational interest in minerals in the Prudhoe Bay oil field located on the North Slope in Alaska. The Prudhoe Bay field extends approximately 12 miles by 27 miles containing approximately 150,000 productive acres. As of December 31, 2006, its estimated, net remaining proved reserves were 81.08 million barrels of oil and condensate, of which 69.02 million barrels were proved and developed reserves, and 12.06 million barrels were proved undeveloped reserves. The company was founded in 1989 and is based in New York, New York.

By the way, this stock pay a cool 13% dividend as well.  Both this stock and PBT brokeout this week.  Stock that have low volatility and pay a high dividend seem to be working in this bear market.  Here is the chart:

I guess its been a few weeks now since I wrote about this company called Permian Basin Royal Trust.  Since then, the company made an announcement of a higher than expected monthly dividend payout.  It has taken some time for people to see the light on this stock but the word appears to be out given what transpired this week.  The stock brokeout on huge volume this week and had a very nice follow up day yesterday.  Unfortunately, I  had already taken some profits since I first profiled this stock on the bull trader.  I still like the stock on a pullback.  I don’t think its going to be a teenager anytime soon though. Here is the chart:

A very quick note today on New Oriental Energy & Chem Corp. ( NOEC - Nasdaq).

With the recent run in COIN (the stock has run-up from 10 to 16 in a few weeks), I looked for other companies that are in the same sector and have a very small float.

NOEC is a sister-play, which has not yet been discovered. The float is only 5.14 million shares, with the short interest being 432,000 shares (about 9%).

Notice that the short interest has been increasing and right now is at an all-time high:

A brief description of NOEC: The company engaged in the manufacture and distribution of fertilizer and chemical products. The products are distributed to markets in the Peoples Republic of China. The Companys primary business is the manufacture and sale of urea, a chemical used as fertilizer for crops and in certain manufacturing processes, including the manufacture of resin, plastic and medicine. NOEC also produces and sells methanol. The Companys other products include Ammonium Hydrogen Carbonate, which can be used as a fertilizer for crops and in the pharmaceutical and food industries. In addition, another product NOEC has developed Dimethyl Ether (DME). DME has a variety of industrial applications in the production of pesticides, cosmetics and as a refrigerant.

Earlier today, NOEC put out a press release that they are moving to the NASDAQ Global Market as of March 6. This should improve liquidity and visibility.

The chart is extremely oversold but the MACD and Stochastics are starting to rise:

I think that NOEC should not have a problem reaching $6.70, which would be a 20%+ move from here. If that resistance can be broken, $8.50 is the next area of resistance.

I have bought some shares earlier today awww.thebulltrader.comr own due diligence before making any investment.

If everything falls into place, NOEC could replicate the quick & large move that COIN has had.