Sold Some Halliburton Bought Tesero (NYSE: TSO)

I bought some Tesero (NYSE:TSO) for a trade. Not an investment.

Energy Bull Continues to Run

My two energy picks have fared well with most all other energy stocks. I will be selling part of my Halliburton (NYSE: HAL) postion tomarrow as it has reached my short term price target. I still am holding Chesapeake (NYSE: CHK).

McGraw-Hill (NYSE: MHP)

Publisher McGraw-Hill (NYSE:MHP) looks interesting at these levels. They have reported an earnings upside surprise the past 5 qtrs. McGraw has solid fundamentals and should be a steady grower between 8% and 15% a year.

I do not own (MHP).

Abercrombie & American Eagle Downgraded

Abercrombie and American Eagle were both downgraded today. So far I have been wrong about American Eagle. I still think this is a good buying opportunity for the longer term with American Eagle.

Ga-Ga For Google (Nasdaq: GOOG)

I own Google and I am so tired of people talking about it on tv. I am so sick and tired of listening to the same bull and bear debates. If you think it's overvalued then sell it or buy puts. If you think it's undervalued then buy some shares or call options. I just don't want to hear about Google every hour, especially how "expensive" the $280 price is. Just divide everything by 10 when you look at it. Sorry I had to rant about this one.

Altria (NYSE: MO) Moving Higher

Altria, the old Philip Morris is moving higher amid speculation that they will win a lawsuit in Illinois allowing them to have enough cash to break the company up. I think Altria is worth at least $90 a share broken up. I own Altria, and it is one of my stock picks for 2005-06. I just added to my position yesterday.

ICICI Bank (NYSE: IBN)

I added some ICICI Bank to my portfolio while I was on vacation. I am up about $1 since the purchase. ICICI is India's second largest bank.

Oil Lower

Oil is pulling back to $64.25. This is helping move the markets higher.

Baidu Leads Market on Down Day

Baidu.com (BIDU) IPO debut ended up 353% higher than it's filing. I don't recommend buying into this dotcom frenzy. The market had a down day especially the homebuilders.

Dow	10,558.03	-52.07	(-0.49%)
Nasdaq	2,177.91	-13.41	(-0.61%)
S&P 500	1,226.42	-9.44	(-0.76%)
10-Yr Bond	4.392%	+0.07
NYSE Volume		1,931,038,000
Nasdaq Volume		1,517,002,000

Finding A Brokerage Firm

There are many online brokerages but don’t just pick the one with the cheapest commissions. You must read the fine print and see if the services offered are enough to make you happy. Also many advertise dirt cheap commissions requiring you to trade frequently to get a discount on the commission. Some brokerages charge extra for trading more than a 1,000 shares. Check the pricing. Everyone wants the best deal but if you don’t trade often and you trade over $1,000 per transaction then a $7 commission vs. a $10 or $5 commission should not make a difference in which brokerage firm you choose.
I am with Ameritrade Izone ($5 Internet trades) but they don’t have telephone customer service or local offices. I only need the minimum bells and whistles. Some like a little extra.

Below are just a few names to check out and research. Check message boards to see how satisfied people are with each firm.
Also check out Consumer Search Which has links to articles reviewing brokerage firms:

Ameritrade ($10.99 Equity) ($10.99 + $0.75 Per Options Contract)
Ameritrade Izone ($5) ($8 + $1.75)
Brownco ($5 Market/$10 Limit) (10 Contract $20 Market/$25 Limit)
Choicetrade ($5) (99 Cents: $2.97 min.) (Can “test drive” a demo account)
Etrade ($14.99 for <5)
Firsttrade ($6.95) ($6.95+$1.25)
HarrisDirect ($19.95) ($25 + $1.75)
Schwab ($9.95-19.95) (9.95-19.95 + 0.95) **Read Pricing Terms
Scottrade ($7) ($7+1.25)
Sharebuilder ($4 Tuesday Trade***: $15.95 for Real Time Trades)
TD Waterhouse ($17.95) ($17.95+$1.75)

Chesapeake Energy Beats

Chesapeake Energy (CHK), one of my stock picks for 2005-2006 beat estimates of $0.46 by $0.04. The stock is trading up in the AH. I still like (CHK) under $30.

I am long Cheasapeake.

Short Squeeze Pick Performance

Recommended the below stocks on 6/16/05
Here is how they have done.

Cerner (CERN) - Up 19.6% (Own) Still attractive
Dynamic Materials (BOOM) - Up 8% (Don't own)
Parlux Fragrences (PARL) - Up 10% (Don't own)
Forward Industries (FORD) - Up 24% (Don't own) Still attractive
Turbochef (OVEN) - Down 5% (Don't own) Will go to $20

American Eagle Guides Higher

After the bell (AEOS) guided higher and reported that it will have another great quarter. Same store sales rose 17.1% compared to estimates of 15%. Total sales for July were up 25%, $175 million compared to $139.6 million a year ago. The stock traded down in the afterhours. I will be looking to add to my position tomorrow morning if it is still under $31.

As a side note, I visited an American Eagle store for the first time today and was blown away by the business they were doing. Abercrombie (ANF) & Hollister also seemed very busy for a weekday afternoon. Some of the losers look to be Levi's, Tommy Hilfiger (TOM), and Ralph Lauren (RL). Just by judging on traffic into each store.

Also the quality of clothing at AEOS seemed to be superior to that of Levi's/Dockers and Pac Sun (PSUN).

Stock Pick: American Eagle (AEOS)

I recently initiated a position is American Eagle Outfitters (AEOS). I know that I'm very late to the retail game. I still think the stock is attractive on a PE basis. The forward PE is between 14-17 depending on where you look. AEOS is growing earnings between 15-30%. I think it is attractive especially with back to school shopping starting to pick up.

Forward Industries (FORD)

Forword Industries continues to trade higher. I recommended this stock to you at $19 as a short squeeze. It is now over $27. I would sell some of your position to protect profits in a stock that already has had a big move and is subject to naked shorting. I still think it goes higher.

I do not own (FORD).