December 2008
OTCJ: My Shortest Edition- Ever/ CNN Features CGYV
Posted on December 17, 2008
My Shortest Edition- Ever/ CNN Features CGYV This might be my shortest edition of all time. I've written plenty of coverage on China Energy Recovery, so there's no need to go back and look at the facts. However, some of you might not be aware the company was featured on a short segment on CNN yesterday... More »
OTCJ: Chu On This
Posted on December 16, 2008
Chu On This President Elect Obama announced his Energy Team, led by Dr. Stephen Chu as Secretary of Energy, Nobel Prize winner in Physics. The home run for China Energy shareholders would have been California's Steve Westly. Westly is an eBay founder, well known investor in Green theme companies, and... More »
OTCJ: The Three Hottest Global Stocks
Posted on December 13, 2008
Comments in the BLOG There are two new BLOGS for your review over the weekend should you choose to give them a quick read. First, there's some commentary on China Energy Recovery (OTC BB: CGYV) as it relates to developments in China and the incoming Secretary of Energy. Second, there's some technical... More »
OTCJ: One More Bubble and Fabulous Friday
Posted on December 06, 2008
One More Bubble and Fabulous Friday We just might be in for a little rally in the markets. Yesterday could only be described as "Fabulous Friday"- it will be looked back as a highly pivotal day in this our bottoming process. First, let's look at the latest big bubble. Here's the next big bubble, and... More »
OTCJ: Sez McKinsey and Company
Posted on December 02, 2008
Sez McKinsey and Company Compliments of one of the OTC Journal members, I read an interesting item from Jonathan Woetzel, the director of McKinsey's Shanghai office. Before covering his views on "Profiting from Innovation", it might be worth taking a look at just who the heck McKinsey and Company is... More »
November 2008
OTCJ: Pickle in San Antonio: China Energy Working Higher
Posted on November 25, 2008
Comments in the BLOG Yesterday morning I posted a new BLOG on Platina Energy Group's (OTC BB: PLTG) Q3 Earnings report. The company is simply not delivering the numbers we were hoping for by now for several reasons. Read the BLOG for my comments and thoughts on what to do from here. The BLOG is your... More »
OTCJ: Guess The Chart
Posted on November 22, 2008
Comments in the BLOG During the week Nighthawk (OTC BB: NIHK) posted its Q3 earnings report, and I have to say I was very pleasantly surprised. Since the company had been so quiet over the course of the summer, I thought there was a possibility the Q3 numbers would be disappointing. It was quite the... More »
OTCJ: Ethanol Part III - Go West, Young Man
Posted on November 20, 2008
Ethanol Part III - Go West, Young Man I believe the Ethanol movement is getting ready to take a new direction over the next five years. It's going to the West. I'm not talking about the Western United States, where the corn ethanol model is flawed. I'm talking about West of Brazil, where the sugar cane... More »
OTCJ: Ethanol Part II- Why It Works in Brazil
Posted on November 18, 2008
Ethanol Part II- Why It Works in Brazil Ethanol works in Brazil. Unlike the United States' corn ethanol program, the Brazilian sugar cane ethanol program makes good economic sense, and has allowed Brazil to become energy independent. Prior to the 1980's Brazil was dependent on oil imports just as the... More »
OTCJ: China Energy Gets Celebrity Endorsement
Posted on November 17, 2008
China Energy Gets Celebrity Endorsement I don't know how much bigger it could get. This news is an absolute bomb shell, and you will be amongst the first to understand what's going on here because you read the OTC Journal. Information is power, and you now know what others don't. At some point in the... More »
OTCJ: Corn Ethanol; Wasting Another $7 Billion of Your Money
Posted on November 14, 2008
Comments in the BLOG Yesterday I posted a BLOG on the quarterly earnings report out of Spicy Pickle (OTC BB: SPKL). It's an extensive look, and there are challenges. If you are interested in the company, it's a must read. Click Here to go straight to the BLOG. The BLOG is your opportunity to ask questions... More »
OTCJ: NightHawk Up Big on Wow News: Pickle Gets Back on Expansion Track
Posted on November 12, 2008
Comments in the BLOG I woke up this morning to an extremely nice surprise from our friends and Nighthawk (OTC BB: NIHK), and the stock has responded by moving up 20% today and regaining pre September levels. I wrote an extensive BLOG on the news, but here's a quick overview. Itron (NASDAQ: ITRI) is... More »
OTCJ: NVTL and SWIR Withdrawn, China Energy in the Media
Posted on November 09, 2008
China Energy (OTC BB: CGYV): Media Starting To Catch On EENEWs.net is a web portal committed to all things "Green". EE is short for "Environment and Energy", and the publisher describes its web portal as the "the leading source for comprehensive, daily coverage of environmental and energy policy and... More »
OTCJ: 100% Gain on China Energy in Two Days- Major Breaking News Could
Posted on November 06, 2008
"To achieve a 22 per cent increase in energy availability in developing countries by 2020 would cost about $2,000bn (€1,600bn, £1,300bn), according to the International Energy Agency. McKinsey Global Institute, the research arm of the consultancy, has found that the same end could be achieved... More »
OTCJ: A 20% Record Volume Stop and Reverse: See China Energy Today
Posted on November 04, 2008
What A Massive Stop and Reverse Looks Like- See CGYV I have writing about the challenges in the current market environment quite extensively. Forced liquidations by funds closing their doors are a big part of the technical picture. I have read estimates suggesting 2009 there will be about 1/3 the current... More »
OTCJ: How Do You Get $38.7 Million in Profits For Nothing?
Posted on November 01, 2008
Let's Go Crazy I have absolutely fantastic news for anyone who happens to read today's commentary. Here's the news flash- It's no longer October. Thank God, the sun came up again today, and I looked at my calendar. October 2008, the worst month I can remember - far worse than 1997, 2000, 2001, or any... More »
October 2008
OTCJ: 500 is the New 50
Posted on October 26, 2008
500 Is the New 50 October 2008- here's an amazing statistic. During the month of October 2008 there have been 16 trading days with DOW swings of over 500 points during the course of the trading session. Normally, there are no 500 point swings any point during the course of one month, or even one year... More »
OTCJ: Credit Default Swap Scam: China Energy Rebounds
Posted on October 23, 2008
China Energy (OTC BB: CGYV): Apparently, Enough is Enough CGYV ended up being a very pleasant surprise today as the stock finally traded up quite nicely for one day out of nowhere. I have written about this several times- the irrational pricing in this particular stock has been fostered by the death... More »
OTCJ: Hedge Funds: Their Dirty Little Secret; Platina Energy Trying Hard
Posted on October 21, 2008
Platina Energy (OTC BB: PLTG): The Little Stock That's Trying PLTG has been making an effort try for higher levels of late, so it's worth looking at. Of the three little penny stocks I cover, this is the one with some decent volume that's trying like heck to head for higher ground. Coming off about... More »
OTCJ: Thoughts For Managing The Fear; Pickle Panned
Posted on October 18, 2008
Managing The Fear Factor In 1698 London coffee shop owner John Castaing posted a list of stock and commodity prices called "The Course of the Exchange and Other Things". This was the first known stock exchange, and fostered a network of coffee house exchanges. The first speculative bubble known as the... More »
OTCJ: Pickle Flies Into Vancouver Airport
Posted on October 14, 2008
Comments in the BLOG I posted a BLOG on this morning's news release from China Energy Recovery (OTC BB: CGYV), which included some comments about the current price performance. Today's subject matters reveals CGYV can deal with the black sludge in the rivers in China, emanating from factory pollution... More »
OTCJ: More Earnings Factoids
Posted on October 13, 2008
More Earnings Factoids What a difference a day makes. Wow- the DOW and the S&P; both rally nearly 12% in one day- the biggest one day rally in 76 years. There are years when we don't see this kind of movement. Absolutely astonishing. The Bond market will be open tomorrow, and lower short term interest... More »
OTCJ: Two Insane Factoids
Posted on October 11, 2008
Two Insane Factoids Not too long ago I wrote bubbles were, by nature, mass shared speculative hallucinations. There's another side to that maxim. There is a mass shared hallucination the world's financial system is coming to an end. Unlike a bubble, this one could be viewed as a "Credit Black Hole" More »
OTCJ: A Market On Crack
Posted on October 08, 2008
A Market On Crack Well, I took my shot on Monday with the large cap stocks at a perfect 61.8% six year retracement, and was rewarded with a slap upside my head and a big paper loss so far. I guess I'm in some sort of denial that we can't have some sort of relief rally in here. I'm short SDS at $86... More »
OTCJ: Call Me Crazy
Posted on October 06, 2008
Call Me Crazy I think this is the big giant "WHOOSH" the technicians have been waiting for. Here's my first thought- if the market doesn't hold somewhere in here and have some sort of relief rally, we are going to have another huge leg down- probably sending the DOW down into the 8,000 to 8,500 range... More »
OTCJ: It's Noisy Out There
Posted on October 04, 2008
It's Noisy Out There You're sitting in your easy chair in the den catching the evening news. The kids are talking non stop. A plane is passing overhead. Your wife is telling you about her friends new hair style (snore), and you're trying to take in the evening news. If you're like most people, you have... More »
OTCJ: The Spicy Surprise: Pickle Pulls Rabbit From Hat
Posted on October 01, 2008
The Spicy Surprise: Pickle Pulls Rabbit From Hat Good riddance to September- one of the worst months of my life professionally. What a mess. I am heartened in the knowledge that the last 4 bear markets have all died in October. I also know when a Bear ends, 30% of the losses are made up in the first... More »
September 2008
OTCJ: The VIX Rocket; China Energy Below Mendoza Line
Posted on September 30, 2008
The VIX Rocket Do you know what the VIX index is? They are talking about it a lot in the financial media. Extreme levels in the VIX are considered by many technicians to be one of the best technical indicators for picking market bottoms. Yesterday's 700 point plus drop in the DOW was one of the ugliest... More »
OTCJ: Yes, The Sky Is Finally Falling
Posted on September 29, 2008
Yes, The Sky Is Finally Falling I thought I'd seen it all with the end of the Savings and Loan industry in the 80's, the '87 crash, the dotcom demise of 2000, 911, and Enronitis. Today, I've started a new chapter in the ugly experience book that is getting longer than it should be. Hindsight has proven... More »
OTCJ: Where To Find 9% GDP Growth
Posted on September 28, 2008
Comments in the BLOG I posted a BLOG on Friday's news release from Platina Energy (OTC BB: PLTG) for those that want an update on that situation. The BLOG is your opportunity to ask questions and offer comments. I will make an effort to answer every legitimate question. If I don't know the answer, I... More »
OTCJ: Congress And Cameras Equals Windbags
Posted on September 24, 2008
Comments In The Blog My September 11th edition was entitled The Next Big Bubble: Alternative Energy, and it's a pretty good read. I used the phrase "a shared speculative hallucination" to describe economic bubbles. In the article, I stated that one of the four key drivers of bubbles as "Legislation... More »
OTCJ: Courage Equals Wealth Right Now
Posted on September 22, 2008
If You Have The Courage, You Can Create Some Real Wealth Right Now I don't know your personal financial circumstances. I don't know how much of an appetite you have for risk. I don't know if you have the mental strength to ignore all the negative rhetoric the media is feeding us right now. Here's what... More »
OTCJ: The Bear Market Low Is Made
Posted on September 20, 2008
The Bear Market has been building to a crescendo, and it was reached this past week in the most volatile trading in the history of the stock market. I've never seen large cap stocks trade up and down as they did this past week as the seesaw activity in the markets required... More »
OTCJ: Pickle Pause Nears An End: What A Week
Posted on September 18, 2008
What A Week- So Far I have a ton of commentary on this past week and the times we are living through, but I just don't have time to go into all of it today. I could write 10,000 words on the whole short selling issue, and probably will next week. The market was absolutely pounded earlier in the week... More »
OTCJ: Would You Believe?
Posted on September 16, 2008
Would You Believe? Wow- what a week. I'll tell you this with a great deal of certainty- we are living through a period of financial upheaval that happens once in a century. If I would have made the following predictions six months ago, what would you have said? Bear Stearns would no longer exist Lehman... More »
OTCJ: China Energy Recover: Fueled By Twin Turbo Growth Drivers
Posted on September 13, 2008
Now that you've seen the movie, it's time to read the book. If you haven't been to www.otcjournal.com, and watched the 12 minute China Energy video, please do so now. Then, read on. Twin Turbo Growth Drivers Fuel China Energy Recovery (OTC BB: CGYV) I think we can all agree- the recent Beijing Summer... More »
OTCJ: The Next Big Bubble: Alternative Energy
Posted on September 11, 2008
A New Idea: A New Direction If you want some background on the potential for Alternative Energy companies to become the next Big Bubble, read today's edition. Stand by. This weekend's new idea is in the Alternative Energy space. I believe Alternative Energy will be the next bubble, and it's time to... More »
OTCJ: When Will the Next Bull Kill the Bear?
Posted on September 08, 2008
A New Idea, A New Direction In case you didn't catch my special video announcement this past weekend- here's a review. I'm introducing my first major new idea in months this coming weekend. Does it seem like a tough time to look at new ideas in the market? Yes, at first blush, you bet. However, this... More »
OTCJ: A Special Video Message For You
Posted on September 06, 2008
A Special Video Message For You There's a very important and special 2 minute video message just for you at the home page of the OTC Journal. It's time for a change, and time to make some money. Go to WWW.OTCJOURNAL.COM Home Page : www.otcjournal.com Email Questions or Comments To: [email protected]... More »
August 2008
OTCJ: A Plethora Of Blogging: PhotoChannel, Platina, and eFood Reviewed
Posted on August 30, 2008
A Plethora Of Blogging: PhotoChannel, Platina, and eFood Reviewed I've been buried in some new ideas for the post summer market environment. It's been a long time since I've delivered any new ideas. As is my policy, I avoid anything more than a trading idea over the summer months, and bring out some... More »
OTCJ: PhotoChannel Today; Platina Energy Tomorrow
Posted on August 26, 2008
PhotoChannel Today (OTC BB:PNWIF); Platina Energy (OTC BB: PLTG) Tomorrow Here's a quick reminder for those who are following these ideas. For PhotoChannel Networks: Today, one hour after the market closes, PhotoChannel Networks (OTC BB: PNWIF) will its first ever conference call on the Q3 (calender... More »
OTCJ: Spicy, eFood, and Platina In the News
Posted on August 23, 2008
Special Note Sorry for the lack of content of late. I was on a hectic road trip this past week, and couldn't cover some of the week's events. Today's edition is a review of a couple of very exciting and promising developments for three of the stocks I follow. No, I haven't been vacationing all summer... More »
OTCJ: The Pickle: Spicy on the Top Line
Posted on August 14, 2008
The Pickle (OTC BB: SPKL): Spicy on the Top Line The Spicy Pickle June quarterly results were out today, and they were spot on what I was expecting. A huge percentage increase in the top line, and huge expenses in the quarter as they built three new stores and bought back four stores from a franchisee... More »
OTCJ: Getting CREE'md: Post Close Earnings Outlook
Posted on August 12, 2008
Getting CREE'md (NASDAQ: CREE): Post Close Earnings Outlook I haven't written anything about CREE in sometime, but today gives us a good opportunity to look at the stock and come up with a plan. CREE, at its core, is a specialty semiconductor manufacturer. At best, they are middle tier, and certainly... More »
OTCJ: Our Season Is Coming: Seasonality in the Markets: Are you Ready?
Posted on August 09, 2008
Our Season Is Coming: Seasonality in the Markets: Are you Ready? Winter, Spring, Summer, and Fall- The four seasons. In some places, the seasons are more pronounced than others. For example, Winter, Spring, Summer, and Fall are more climatically different in Boston than San Diego. All businesses have... More »
OTCJ: Platina Energy Reach Expanding
Posted on August 05, 2008
Platina Energy Group (OTC BB: PLTG): Reach Expanding I'm really glad PLTG delivered some news for me to cover, as it gives me the opportunity to use one of the most important new resources on the new and improved OTC Journal web site. Today, just after the close, PLTG announced has acquired another... More »
OTCJ: It's Finally Here For You!! The New Site
Posted on August 02, 2008
It's Finally Here For You: The New Site In case you're wondering why the content has been a little sparse of late, you will find out on Monday when you check the OTC Journal's Web Site. Over the nearly 11 years I have been publishing the OTC Journal, there have been lots of ups and downs and winners... More »
July 2008
In The Teeth of The Summer Bear
Posted on July 29, 2008
In The Teeth of The Summer Bear I knew it was going to be a tough summer, and it has been. We're in the middle of it right now- the worst of the bear market, and it's been an ugly one. True, there are a lot of head winds preventing the market from making upside progress. If you think your paper and/or... More »
OTCJ: Oil and Platina- Should They Correct Together?
Posted on July 23, 2008
Oil and Platina- Should They Correct Together? The market is improving nicely as oil starts a corrective phase after one of the most prolific parabolic runs in the history of markets. Oil peaked at nearly $150, and closed at about $124 today- so much for the idea that the price of oil was simply a function... More »
OTCJ: Vomiting From the SEC's
Posted on July 19, 2008
Comments in the BLOG For all of you who were following the trading strategy I laid out in last weekend's edition for shorting large caps into earnings releases, you probably have figured out by now that I have pretty much abandoned that idea. The Daily BLOGs have contained no short term trading ideas... More »
Natural Health Care
Posted on July 18, 2008
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OTCJ: Spicy Pickle Notches #42
Posted on July 17, 2008
Spicy Pickle (OTC BB: SPKL) Notches #42 SPKL announced store #42 is now open for business. It is located in Michigan- Portage, Michigan to be precise. Michigan represents the 14th state for Spicy Pickle. The Michigan franchisee has committed to opening 10 stores in the Kalamazoo- Grand Rapids- Ann Arbor... More »
OTCJ: Platina: $1/2 Billion In Independent Report: Today's Earnings
Posted on July 15, 2008
How's Ugly Working So Far? If those who took the time to read my weekend edition on How To Make Ugly Work For You, so far there has been one stock to look at. Genetech (NYSE: DNA) reported earnings post close yesterday, and there was a brief opportunity to take a profit on a short trade or a put option... More »
OTCJ: How Ugly Can Work For You In Earnings Season
Posted on July 12, 2008
How Ugly Can Work For You in Earnings Season This market environment is giving me flashbacks of the Post 911/Dot Bomb meltdown era. It is simply an ugly Bear Market, and with each successive trading day it just seems to get uglier. If you are long any stocks today, you simply need to have a long term... More »
OTCJ: Larry's Look At Today's Rodeo Ride
Posted on July 10, 2008
Today's Rodeo Ride: Going Long RIMM Another rodeo ride in the markets today. This is about as volatile a market as I can ever remember. I need Dramamine. The rumored insolvency of FreddiMac and Fanny Mae had the market all riled up today, along with the $5 rise in oil prices. Here’s a chart that is... More »
OTCJ: Home To A Whole Lot of Ugly: Close out QID; TraceGuard's Major
Posted on July 07, 2008
Home To A Whole Lot of Ugly: Close out QID I was home at the end of last week for the first time in 10 days. While I was away the market simply got a whole lot uglier. Wow, what a melt down. I'm just about caught up with correspondence- all your BLOG questions are answered and I have a few more in my... More »
June 2008
OTCJ: Platina Updates Production. And, Is the Pickle Bottoming?
Posted on June 30, 2008
Energy is just flat out getting goofy and technically, we don't see it coming back to reality anytime soon. $150 a barrel seems inevitable and $180 to $200 is not out of the question, not yet anyway. So, I hope many of you took our suggestion of playing the broader markets to the short side. Until proven... More »
OTCJ: Platina Goes to Pluto and Back
Posted on June 23, 2008
Platina Goes to Pluto and Back Welcome to the erratic world of micro caps. For those of you who missed it, just this last Thursday we launched a new feature profile on Platina Energy Group (OTC BB: PLTG), a small but potentially exciting oil & gas production company with properties in Kentucky... More »
Friday's Meltdown and Special Announcement
Posted on June 22, 2008
Special Announcement: Limited Service Until July 1st It's time for a little vacation. Normally, when I take a trip, it's somewhere there's an internet connection and I keep up to date on my notebook computer. Next week I won't have that option. I'll be out of touch with the electronic world temporarily... More »
Platina Enegy Group: My Kind of 12 Cent'r
Posted on June 19, 2008
Platina Energy Group (OTC BB: PLTG): My Kind of Twelve Cent'r It's a recipe Betty Crocker herself would be proud of. It's a recipe for successful speculation on low priced stocks. Here are the key ingredients to bake into the cake: Find a company in the hottest sector- the one investors are piling into... More »
OTCJ: Pickle Turns 41 and 13; The Short Reload
Posted on June 17, 2008
The Short Reload: We're There Here's an update for those of you who have been following my trade to make money by betting on what I believe is a corrective phase in the market. It's not complicated- it's simple. After a brutal January to March, the market simply steamed up the charts for two months... More »
Oil's Impossible Moon Shot: How High Can We Go?
Posted on June 14, 2008
Oil's Impossible Moon Shoot: How High Can We Go? Here in the good old USA, the price of oil is making it rough on all of us. Not only are prices north of $4 per gallon at the pump, but the ripple effect throughout the entire economy is causing skyrocketing prices in other consumables as well. The one-two... More »
Pickle Turns 40: Short Targets for NDX
Posted on June 11, 2008
Comments in the BLOG There are a couple of new BLOGs up for your review- yesterday, I posted a BLOG on my current open short trade on the NDX through QID and an update on eFoodSafety (OTC BB: EFSF)- which as we all know is making new all time lows. Check the BLOG to read my current thoughts. The BLOG... More »
OTCJ: The Trade That Paid: At the Tipping Point?
Posted on June 07, 2008
The Trade That Paid: At the Tipping Point? Friday was pretty ugly in the markets, and I would almost be jubilant if it were all about one trade. However, it's not, and Friday was not a positive for the bigger picture. It was a 1 - 2 punch in the gut for the economy- Oil spiked $10.75- about 8% in one... More »
OTCJ: Short, and Getting Shorter
Posted on June 05, 2008
Short, and Getting Shorter Here's an update for those who have been following my latest trade on the NASDAQ 100. I jumped into QID a couple of weeks ago on the premise the market was due for a correction, and the NASDAQ 100 would participate in a big way. QID is an ETF that trades inversely to QQQQ... More »
May 2008
OTCJ: PhotoChannel: So, What's the Big Deal? A Review
Posted on May 31, 2008
Comments in the BLOG Late Friday I published a BLOG on the status of my current suggested trade- short the NASDAQ COMP through QID (AMEX: QID). This particular security trades as a negative proxy to the ETF for the NASDAQ 100- QQQQ. If the QQQQs go up 2%, the QID trades down about 3%, and vice versa... More »
Merriman Curhan Ford & Co.'s Research Report on PhotoChannel Networks, Inc.
Posted on May 30, 2008
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PhotoChannel: Big Development- I Mean Really BIG!!!!
Posted on May 28, 2008
PhotoChannel (OTC BB: PNWIF) Game Changer If you read my BLOG yesterday afternoon, you know PNWIF had perked up a bit during the trading session, and now we know why. PNWIF announced an absolute game changerpre open today, and if the market recognizes the magnitude of today's news, we could be in for... More »
OTCJ: Correction from Today's Obese Market Trade
Posted on May 20, 2008
Correction From Earlier Publication As a number of sharp readers pointed out, I made an error in today's publication. I was suggesting traders look at the June or July 38 Calls on QID as a way to short the market for a lot of upside without commiting much capital. As it turns out, I inadvertently published... More »
OTCJ: Obese Market; Pickle Open #39
Posted on May 20, 2008
An Obese Market Oil cranked up through $130 today- the dollar is giving back some of its recent gains. The market is starting to give some ground. I moved back into the money on my short position in the market- as covered in the weekend edition. In case you missed it- here's today's idea for a trade... More »
OTCJ: A Heavy, Heavy Market
Posted on May 17, 2008
Comments in the BLOG There two comments from this past week of note- I blogged a quick presentation on a heavy market, which I'm going to expand on in today's edition, and a couple of paragraphs on Nighthawk's (OTC BB: NIHK) Q1 quarterly report. Before the end of the weekend, I'll deliver an expanded... More »
OTCJ: eFood Update: Moderate Sales Growth with Buckets of IP
Posted on May 13, 2008
eFood Update: IP Plentiful- Sales "Moderate" After reading today's rather comprehensive update from eFoodSafety, one word popped into my head- Truthful- this is probably a darn good 25,000 foot view of where the company is in the process of commercializing it's IP (Intellectual Property) portfolio... More »
OTCJ: When Main Street and Wall Street Diverge
Posted on May 09, 2008
When Main Street and Wall Street Diverge Main Street and Wall Street are clearly out of sync right now. Large cap and big momentum stocks have come back beautifully since the massive Q1 drubbing, but small stocks are still trading in a virtual coma- we're just not seeing the kinds of volumes we need... More »
Pickle Opens #38; Texas Expansion Continues
Posted on May 06, 2008
Pickle Opens #38- Texas Expansion Continues Despite the rather boring performance on the chart, Spicy Pickle has now gotten back on the new store opening bandwagon, and is announcing a second new store opening in as many weeks. Today, just after the market closed, SPKL announced its third Austin, Texas... More »
The FED Love Fest
Posted on May 01, 2008
The FED Love Fest Wednesday's FED decision was exactly what the market wanted. One and done. The FED lowered the discount rate 1/4 point, and stated it would probably be the last interest rate cut. The market is now expecting the FED to start raising interest rates in December. I know many of you will... More »
April 2008
OTCJ: This is Not Your Father's Recession
Posted on April 26, 2008
This is Not Your Father's Recession The consumer sentiment reading came in at 64 on Friday- that's the lowest rating since 1983- BTW- 1983 was the start of a strong 17 year bull market. The forces hampering our economy at present are far different than the forces we endured in the 70's and early 80's... More »
OTCJ: CREE Reviewed- Perfect Pullback
Posted on April 25, 2008
Comments in the BLOG This week's BLOG entries were all about CREE (NASDAQ: CREE). Those who have been following my commentary on CREE should recall I have been suggesting owning this one at about the $26 level. Above $30, in this market environment, I would suggest selling covered calls, which is a... More »
Spicy Hits Michigan
Posted on April 22, 2008
Spicy (OTC BB: SPKL) Hits Michigan Fresh off last week's first open forum conference call, Spicy Pickle is out with more substantive news. The stock has begun a rebound phase, but clearly is not ready to simply rocket up the charts. It's not that kind of market environment, so it's hardly surprising... More »
Nighthawk: Five Fold Growth This Year? Here's How
Posted on April 19, 2008
Nighthawk (OTC BB: NIHK): Five Fold Growth This Year? Here's How This past Wednesday Nighthawk put out its 10k annual report, and this massive, completely boring document, sets the stage for what could be a breakout year for the company. A wonderful read if you have insomnia. 5% of it is important... More »
Pickle Delivers Surge In Same Store Sales
Posted on April 16, 2008
Pickle (OTC BB: SPKL) Delivers Surge In Same Store Sales Marc Geman, CEO of Spicy Pickle, will have something Spicy to discuss on today's conference call, which probably will have ended by the time you read this edition. As the company disclosed just at the close today, the revenues at Spicy Pickle... More »
Pickle Conference Call Reminder
Posted on April 16, 2008
The Pickle (OTC BB: SPKL) Call Reminder: Today at 4:15 Eastern; 1:15 Pacific As a reminder I encourage all investors interested in Spicy Pickle to tune in to today's conference call. It will begin 15 minutes after the market closes- that's 4:15 Eastern, 1:15 Pacific. This is the first conference call... More »
The Pickle Wants To Hear From You!
Posted on April 12, 2008
Comments in the BLOG RIMM-UGH- right idea, wrong security. Watching that stock fall apart on Friday and hitting $115, as I predicted it would, was painful in that I had been blown out of the short term puts I suggested for a high risk trade at a loss. For those of you who are still in the trade, a couple... More »
Micros Showing Sign of Life: Two Looking Very Strong
Posted on April 05, 2008
Comments in the BLOG Lots of Blogging for your entertainment and education on the RIMM trade I am in fairly heavily this week. So far, I'm not doing too well. While I still believe the trade will make money to some extent, my timing on really loading up on those put options was not great. I should have... More »
RIMM: To Short, or Not To Short?
Posted on April 01, 2008
Comments in the BLOG As posted in today's BLOG, I closed my SPY trade within an hour of the open at $134.29 for a net gain of $2230 in two trading days. The market then continued to "melt up", and I ended up leaving another $2k on the table- such is life. Today, bad news on financials (UBS), and bad... More »
March 2008
Next Week's Big Trade: RIMM
Posted on March 29, 2008
Comments in the BLOG You will find a newly posted BLOG with a complete update on last week's annual 10K filing of the audited financial statement from Spicy Pickle (OTC BB: SPKL). Definitely worth a read- this stock will be much higher in the next Bull Market in my view. Read my comments, and find out... More »
V2K International: New Parner, New Future
Posted on March 24, 2008
V2K International (OTC BB: VTOK) Check Out The V2K Video You can watch today's video before or after reading the presentation. Simply go to the home page at www.otcjournal.com, and you will find it. Alternatively, you can click here to go directly to the proper page. It should simply play on your computer... More »
A FireStorm MeltUp? A New Idea For Monday
Posted on March 22, 2008
The Firestorm MeltUp- Could It Be Coming? As I observed in Thursday's edition, we could be coming to the beginning of the end of the Bear Market. I believe there is still a lot of volatility ahead, but we could be close to an extended period of upside bias. Bernanke's recent moves to create liquidity... More »
Death of the Bear Equals Death of the Bear? eFoodSafety Mulligan
Posted on March 20, 2008
Comments in the BLOG It was a big week for me, and I hope at least of few of you were paying attention on Monday morning and followed my lead. Sundays are usually devoted to sports around my house- either playing, watching, or both. Financial news takes a back seat. However, I caught the news about... More »
Pickle Shareholders Learning To Love Texas
Posted on March 17, 2008
Today, just post close, SPKL announced it has inked a seven store franchise agreement in San Antonio, Texas. In total, Texas is now accounting for 25 current and future Spicy Pickle locations, more than the 23 in home state Colorado. With the Dallas/Ft Worth area still to go, Texas is proving to be fertile... More »
Testing the Theory: The VIX Cooperates for a Trade
Posted on March 14, 2008
Testing The Theory: The VIX Cooperates For A Trade The market cooperated today and gave us an opportunity to test the idea I shared in the mid week edition- The idea of using the VIX index to measure extreme levels of fear and complacency, then using those extremes levels to place a bet that the pendulum... More »
Use the VIX To Trade Extremes; Bernanke's Latest Move
Posted on March 12, 2008
Bernake's Move: The Beginning of the End of the Bear? Ben Bernake went shopping yesterday and bought a rally. In a move that would out spend even Bill Gates, he pledged $200 billion of the government's money to buy a one day short covering rally- so- was it a wise investment? Because, in reality, he... More »
eFoodSafety: The Winds Of Change Are About To Howl
Posted on March 06, 2008
eFoodSafety (OTC BB: EFSF): The Winds Of Change Are About To Howl I cover a number of situations in the OTC Journal, but the one I get most questions, observations, whining, and complaining about is eFoodSafety. It's probably because of the unmet expectations in 2007. Whether the company was too optimistic... More »
A Look At The Future
Posted on March 01, 2008
A Look At the Future Flip on the financial channels right now all you will get the biggest smorgasbord of conflicting viewpoints on the stock market and the economy I have ever experienced in the 22 years I have been investing in the markets. I can remember when CNBC was FNN (Financial News Network... More »
February 2008
Pickle's Purchase Brings 20 Fold Top Line Result
Posted on February 27, 2008
Comments in the BLOG I hope at least of few of you followed my weekend trade and took a shot at my suggested option trade on the Time Warner (NYSE: TWX) calls. I bought first thing Monday morning, and closed out yesterday with a one day $1,000 profit on a $6500 investment. That's 15.3% in one day, or... More »
Apple Comment; Trade For the Week; Using RSS Feeds
Posted on February 23, 2008
RSS Feeds: A Great Solution In A Filtered World Emailing has become a bit fickle over the last couple of years. Spamming rather crude sales pitches for everything from Viagra to $50 million free money from Nigeria, to identity theft still jams our inboxes. There are filters everywhere to catch offending... More »
Spicy Pickle Inks Five New Locations
Posted on February 20, 2008
Comments in the BLOG There was one new BLOG posting for your review this week. Yesterday, about mid way through the trading day, I suggested those who were looking for a rebound in TTGLE on some long awaited positive developments should go ahead and consider trading out of their positions. Crazy stuff... More »
Two Bear Market Trades For Right Now
Posted on February 17, 2008
Two Bear Market Trades For Right Now Can you make money on the long side in a Bear Market? Sure, but you have to change your approach. In a Bull Market, you can buy momentum stocks for a trade. Another words, if a stock is going up, you can buy it, as it will often keep going up- sometimes for many... More »
I'm Getting CREE'D; Teeth Of A Bear
Posted on February 10, 2008
The Teeth of a Bear Here's a new flash- yes, we are in a Bear Market. This is a market environment characterized by a general decline in stock valuations, lower volumes, and fears of deteriorating economic conditions. How long will it last? Typically, these Bear Market corrections last somewhere in... More »
PhotoChannel Networks: Anatomy of a Victory
Posted on February 07, 2008
Comments in the BLOG There were two new BLOG postings for your review this week. First, I covered an 8K filing on Titan (or should I say Titanic) (OTC BB: TTGLE), which had more moderately disturbing news contained within. Secondly, I covered the year end audited financial statements issued by PhotoChannel... More »
Pickle Powers Past The 125 Store Mark: Houston Will Have 10
Posted on February 04, 2008
Pickle Powers Past The 125 Store Mark: Houston Will Have 10 If you live in Texas, it is becoming more likely you will be seeing a number of these in your neighborhood at some point in the not too distant future. I'll make today's edition a quick read. SPKL continues to be the one company that doesn't... More »
The Titan Mess: Anatomy of a Disaster
Posted on February 02, 2008
The Titan Mess: Anatomy of a Disaster I strongly recommend the continued accumulation of TTGL with an eye on another double. Could take six months to a year, but worth waiting for. Fundamentals suggest a far higher valuation. October 20, 2007 OTC Journal BLOG Titan Global is rapidly becoming an oxymoron... More »
January 2008
Pickle Keeps Rolling: Company Store Expansion Accelerates
Posted on January 31, 2008
Comments in the BLOG There was a pretty ugly downside surprise out of Titan Global (OTC BB: TTGLE for now) this week, and I'm not quite sure what to make of it so far. I can't decide if this distressing turn of events is fully priced into the stock and there's upside, of if management's display of incompetence... More »
Bear Proof Income Ideas
Posted on January 26, 2008
Comments in the BLOG There were two new BLOGs posted earlier today. First- some comments on the harsh reality that Southland Health Services aka Bad Toys aka Paladin Holdings is officially dead. In my view, all of our dividend shares in Southland are simply worthless, and will never have any value... More »
The Big Giant Woosh
Posted on January 23, 2008
Comments in the BLOG There were two new BLOGs posted earlier today. First, a recap and some comments on Spicy Pickle (OTC BB: SPKL) which has held up rather well in the current market meltdown, and Apple Computer (NASDAQ: AAPL), which has done just the opposite. Comments on both for your review. The... More »
Pickle Invades Tinsel Town: Coming Attractions
Posted on January 16, 2008
Coming Attractions Recession? Little doubt the market now believes the US Economy is clearly going into recession. The market is now in the process of pricing equities for a major economic slow down, and stocks are simply getting killed across the board. After reviewing some of the data and commentary... More »
Drubbing in '08: Where To From Here? AAPL's Big Week
Posted on January 13, 2008
Comments in the BLOG There were a couple of new BLOGS posted this week. I posted an update on Apple Computer (NASDAQ: AAPL), and the unfortunate total demise and bloodbath in Titan Global (OTC BB: TTGL), for which I have no explanation. I know we are in a tough market, but TTGL is really ridiculously... More »
Pickle Invades City of Broad Shoulders: Chicago Gets Five More Stores
Posted on January 08, 2008
Pickle Invades City of Broad Shoulders: Chicago Gets Five More Stores 2007 is a wrap for Spicy Pickle, and the company ended up hitting the 36 opened stores mark at year's end. For those of you who might be disappointed by SPKL for not reaching the 40 store number forecast by management- not to worry... More »
The SEC Helps U: New '08 Regs Change the Micro Playing Field
Posted on January 06, 2008
Comments in the BLOG The only new BLOG I posted towards the end of the year had some comments on Apple Computer (NASDAQ: AAPL), and that was it for the vacation week. The first three trading days of 2008 have been very rough on the markets, with Friday being a "cash at any cost" blood bath. The "R... More »
TraceGuard Management Moves Towards The Money
Posted on January 03, 2008
Comments in the BLOG The only new BLOG I posted towards the end of the year had some comments on Apple Computer (NASDAQ: AAPL), and that was it for the vacation week. As 2008 progresses, new stories will unfold, and older ones will either make progress or fall by the way side. At the end of the weekend... More »