tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19515949368582375892012-02-17T01:01:30.824-05:00Hello, I'm Zach... I'm a husband, father, and hedge fund manager. I decided to keep track of my trading in this blog format because it is good discipline for me to write out my thoughts on positions i am taking. I am hoping to get comments to help refine my thought process and discuss ideas. Finally every now and then I throw in some personal posts as life issues are really more important to me than investments. Enjoy!Zachnoreply@blogger.comBlogger731100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1951594936858237589.post-54191947795829487202007-08-07T17:38:00.000-05:002007-08-07T17:41:41.398-05:00

As for me I shall sing of Thy strength;Yes, I shall joyfully sing of Thy lovingkindness in the morning.For Thou hast been my strongholdAnd a refuge in the day of my distress.Psalm 59:16Isaac is home!He was discharged for the hospital Tuesday following an MRI "just to be certain". The doctors are satisfied that nothing of a neurological nature is causing his symptoms. The consensus points to a

Zachnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1951594936858237589.post-53349709677144910652007-08-07T07:45:00.000-05:002007-08-07T07:48:53.628-05:00

Thank you for continuing to pray for Isaac. He had some twitching yesterday but no full episodes like we have seen previously. He seems to be getting his strength back to some degree although his many visitors have worn him out somewhat (that's what big brothers are for right?)Today we hope to be able to do an MRI to see if that sheds any light on what is happening. Other than that, its very

Zachnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1951594936858237589.post-88734177372175753472007-08-06T07:16:00.000-05:002007-08-06T07:22:18.155-05:00

last night... 8/5Praise God for Dennis and Isaac's safe return! Isaac had a slight episode in the plane from Brazil to Miami. Our Atlanta doctor had us take him directly from the airport to Scottish Rite where the neurologist was able to observe another 50 minute incident of shaking.His vital signs and all test results thus far are good. They plan to observe Isaac overnight, see a few more

Zachnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1951594936858237589.post-1564125101815461452007-08-03T07:28:00.000-05:002007-08-03T07:29:55.057-05:00

Dennis has arrived in Paraguay!Another email from my Mother:Isaac has been released from the hospital!Received an email from Dennis that he and Isaac are together at the hotel. Isaac's release means that he has been seizure free (with medication) for 24 hours and that he will be able to travel, as planned on Saturday (arriving in Atlanta on Sunday). We are so thankful for your prayers and that

Zachnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1951594936858237589.post-41904865489559219812007-08-02T06:06:00.000-05:002007-08-02T06:11:35.091-05:00

An email from my Mother:Praying friendsWe were able to get through to Isaac's room again this evening. The challenge of connecting via phone involves redialing many times (for 20 to 30 minutes) until you get a "breakthrough". There are not many lines gong into the hospital so they limit the calls to 3 minutes. It was totally wonderful to hear his voice although he was quite medicated.Kelly, one

Zachnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1951594936858237589.post-78615938808178414632007-08-01T15:37:00.001-05:002007-08-01T15:38:53.912-05:00

From Dawn (one of the missionaries):"Isaac was in an ambulance at the hospital prior to being taken to the location for his EEG. The team was gather around praying for the ambulance driver intending to share the gospel with him. Isaac had a seizure. Team prayed for him. Seizure ceased. Gospel was shared. Driver received Christ on the spot!"I feel like we are walking through the pages of Acts!Huge

Zachnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1951594936858237589.post-69919891350755604252007-08-01T12:24:00.000-05:002007-08-01T12:34:22.264-05:00

Some of you may know my brother Isaac. He left last week for a short-term mission trip to Paraguay. While he was there, he had a seizure of some sort and was taken to the hospital in the rural town they were in. He responded to the anti-convulsive medication but has been continuing to have convulsions off and on since then. He has been transported to the main city in Paraguay where the medical

Zachnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1951594936858237589.post-22589410940525184862007-06-02T13:06:00.000-05:002007-06-08T20:31:10.575-05:00

Hey Everyone... I finally got my ducks in a row and am getting back to blogging this week. I set up a new site to keep track of investment ideas and will use this blog as more of a sounding board for personal reflections and family related stuff.The new site is www.zachstocks.com and I hope you will bookmark it and visit often. I intend to put out a piece on a different stock each day and dive a

Zachnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1951594936858237589.post-25316783702438354322007-02-23T16:50:00.000-05:002007-02-23T16:54:47.908-05:00

I am giving this name another shot as it appears the stock has found support above the 200 day. The stock traded up sharply on strong volume this week and today when it pulled back in lighter trade I was able to pick up 7,500 shares. I expect to see the stock challenge its old highs in short order assuming the market holds together. There is no way to hedge the position as of yet so if things get

Zachnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1951594936858237589.post-2653791354812502792007-02-23T16:43:00.000-05:002007-02-23T16:48:28.955-05:00

I was impressed with the way CTCM has traded up in recent days despite the weaker market overhang. The stock came public last summer at $14 and made a nice run from that point. It has since pulled back and appears to have found support just below $20. I am encouraged with the strong selling volume earlier this week as the weaker holders were likely shaken out of the name. Then as it traded back

Zachnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1951594936858237589.post-8847751249973720712007-02-23T16:28:00.000-05:002007-02-23T16:29:07.062-05:00

ATHR is a semiconductor name and while it is hard for me to fully grasp what the company does, I am impressed with the way they have ramped up sales and earnings over the last 5 quarters. The stock is trading at a relatively rich valuation for a mature company but it is reasonable for the type of growth trajectory they are experiencing now.I purchased the stock in mid-November at $24.12 as it was

Zachnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1951594936858237589.post-21184936567317859912007-02-23T16:23:00.000-05:002007-02-23T16:25:02.477-05:00

Fortress is the first public Alternative Investment company and the IPO was met with a lot of enthusiasm. The stock came public at $19 and immediately traded to a high of $37 before closing at $31. I got a small allocation but with that kind of move, every bit of stock helps.After the stock came back in some on declining volume, it began to show life on Wednesday and so I picked up 5,000 shares.

Zachnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1951594936858237589.post-22122205162687183142007-02-23T16:18:00.000-05:002007-02-23T16:18:33.771-05:00

Meridian reported earnings this week adn the market has seemed to accept the numbers well. The company makes diagnostic kits for various medical tests. Although flue season has gotten off to a bit of a weak start, other products have picked up the slack allowing the company to beat expectations and guide higher.I am impressed by the diversification of products as well as the geographic spread.

Zachnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1951594936858237589.post-5529673788251607702007-02-23T16:12:00.000-05:002007-02-23T16:13:10.361-05:00

Google has been a hard name for me to trade. Pictured is a weekly chart since the IPO in mid 2004. The advance has been incredible and the company is one of the most innovative growth stories in business. Last summer I got suckered into making a short bet on the stock when the overall market stumbled and GOOG was having a hard time staying above it's 50 and 200 day averages. I was quickly proven

Zachnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1951594936858237589.post-25249979546138829362007-02-22T07:42:00.000-05:002007-02-22T07:43:07.424-05:00

Feb 10, 2007Apple has been a wonderful stock and I'm thankful for the profits we have made on the long side over the past 2 years. However I believe that now everyone who would ever want to own AAPL now knows the story and either owns it or has decided not to buy it. I think the last hurrah happened at the beginning of the year when a few new products were announced. The stock traded up on

Zachnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1951594936858237589.post-74639170157701448992007-02-21T13:45:00.000-05:002007-02-21T13:45:38.877-05:00

When i first began to look at CROX i was impressed with the growth in earnings and sales and the fact that it was a newer possibly undiscovered company. Their product appeared to be unique and it is assumed they have patent protection to keep others from blatently mimicking what they produce.The original IPO was very successful. The stock was offered at $21 in February and hit a high of 32.50 the

Zachnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1951594936858237589.post-30058162951777509432007-02-21T08:31:00.000-05:002007-02-21T08:32:38.071-05:00

Feb 16, 2007Solar IPO's were popular late in 2006. CSIQ didn't pan out as well as expected as the IPO priced at 15 and quickly turned down and broke lower. The stock traded as low as 9.26 early this year but has since caught some eyes as a cheaper stock and is trading up nicely in volume now. I picked up 5,000 shares yesterday as the stock cleared its previous swing high on the strongest volume

Zachnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1951594936858237589.post-25808970606760127142007-02-21T08:17:00.000-05:002007-02-21T08:27:54.125-05:00

What could be more boring than a company that makes wires and cables? And yet this appears to be a strong growth story with a good fundamental business and steady growth and profitability measures.HWCC concentrates on specialty wires that provide safer environments and offer better quality. The composites that make up the insulation around the wires do not give off halogen gas when they burn

Zachnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1951594936858237589.post-63180340791426498152007-02-21T08:13:00.000-05:002007-02-21T08:14:39.518-05:00

INFY is an offshore service company based in India. I came across the name while looking at SAY a competitor. After comparing the two I decided that INFY had better prospects as their growth trajectory appeared stronger and they had better relative strength. The chart appeared much stronger as well with a 2ndary offering bringing the stock back just a bit but not having much of a dampening effect

Zachnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1951594936858237589.post-69085606784353945692007-02-21T07:46:00.000-05:002007-02-21T08:10:11.378-05:00

This company "Designs analog/digital/mixed-signal ICs, modules and subsystems for RF, microwave and millmeterwave applications." If you understand what that means you should be working for the company... But the part that I understand is the company is in the semiconductor manufacturing business which has seen some good growth lately and the company is growing sales and earnings impressively.

Zachnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1951594936858237589.post-78018593116517202452007-02-16T09:49:00.000-05:002007-02-16T11:20:24.638-05:00

SLRY was yesterday's IPO and it traded well out of the gate. There was a good bit of anticipation on this name and i waited for the stock to pull back a bit off the initial excitement and then picked up 20,000 shares at $12.80.I expect the stock to move further as more people jump on board with this growing company. So far sales levels continue to increase quarter over quarter and it is likely

Zachnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1951594936858237589.post-76478594155621448372007-02-16T09:34:00.000-05:002007-02-16T11:22:06.729-05:00

This is another IPO that had a lot of hype built around it. The stock has seen a very nice run even after gapping up 50+% from its IPO price, but has recently pulled back to the $35 level.Yesterday the stock traded up for the 2nd day and appeared ready to continue to run and challenge previous highs. I decided to pick up 5,000 shares and got them done just over $36. I expect that the quarterly

Zachnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1951594936858237589.post-66714271177664575192007-02-16T08:41:00.000-05:002007-02-16T11:32:57.427-05:00

Jan 19, 2007The year started off with a sharp drop in oil prices and consequential weakness in energy stocks. OIS fit the profile as the company provides products and services to drillers. The stock started the year by tradign down sharply through the 50 day average. This is after a broad top formed in the first part of last year, a weakening price pattern and then a brief rally into the end of

Zachnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1951594936858237589.post-32336908866279769522007-02-16T08:38:00.000-05:002007-02-16T08:37:47.711-05:00

Jan 23, 2007Dolby is a household name and has enjoyed increases in consumer entertainment trends. In November they announced earnings and suprised significantly on the upside. Sales are increasing and the demand for their products in many different types of entertainment vehicles should continue to be strong.The company makes most of its money through licensing its technology so margins are very

Zachnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1951594936858237589.post-1038891336811299092007-02-16T08:32:00.000-05:002007-02-16T08:32:45.234-05:00

WFR is in the semiconductor equipment industry and they hae a great track record of sales and earnings growth. This summer the stock traded down and broke the 200 day average and scared a lot of people (I'm included in that group as I got burned shorting the stock). It quickly found support and has rallied back up to form a nice base. In essence, it shook out a lot of the weak holders paving the

Zachnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1951594936858237589.post-25727514774006327642007-02-16T08:22:00.000-05:002007-02-16T08:22:51.001-05:00

Its hard to believe that it's been a full year since i took my initial position in ICE. It's also hard to believe that just a year ago it was trading in the high 30's after coming public just 2 months before. The stock was a quick winner as the entire sector was full of excitement over possible mergers and the increasing trend of previously pit traded assets being listed on electronic exchanges.

Zachnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1951594936858237589.post-51300866915792348332007-02-16T08:15:00.000-05:002007-02-16T08:16:34.733-05:00

LVS has some exciting plans for development in the Macao project in China. This is going to be the Las Vegas of the Asian world and LVS owns a significant portion of the development rights. The company has very steady EPS and revenue growth over the last several quarters and the expectation is that these numbers will significantly improve as construction is completed in China and the resorts

Zachnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1951594936858237589.post-86634319446791538492007-02-16T08:06:00.000-05:002007-02-16T08:07:10.026-05:00

www.theknot.com is a website dedicated to helping plan weddings, engagements, and all the extras that go along with getting married. The company makes over half of their revenue through selling ad space on their site, and the rest through selling wedding supplies and publishing associated magazines.The company is only recently profitable but it has good experience in growing its name brand.

Zachnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1951594936858237589.post-49246036696157180252007-02-14T10:28:00.000-05:002007-02-14T10:28:24.878-05:00

Jan 19, 2007Yesterday (Jan 18th) the company offered a secondary priced at 12.50 which was significantly below the previous day close. The stock has had a strong run going into the offering and seems to be turning its fundamentals around nicely. After the pricing, the stock was a bit weak but the overall market was holding up early in the day. Since I got a small allocation on the deal I decided

Zachnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1951594936858237589.post-73441709480368506652007-02-14T10:14:00.000-05:002007-02-14T10:16:02.939-05:00

HRT has a long and checkered history. It originally started as a medical tech company and was not very successful. In '92 it purchased Micron Products which makes sensors and snaps for electrocardiograms. This is a stable business but had little growth potential. More recently in 2004 the company bought New England Molders which makes injection products for the medical industry as well as other

Zachnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1951594936858237589.post-90248266091374309252007-02-14T10:05:00.000-05:002007-02-14T10:05:41.183-05:00

UA has an incredible base product and has spent a lot of time, effort, and money to create a top notch brand image. The apparel made by UA is not easily duplicated and the brand is so sought after that the company is able to demand top dollar for its line. Retail stores like Dicks, Sports Authority, Target, etc are all clammoring for more UA products and are willing to give valuable store real

Zachnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1951594936858237589.post-24303173895747239202007-02-14T09:42:00.000-05:002007-02-14T09:51:42.033-05:00

NDAQ has been a strong horse over the last couple of years. It ran from below 10 to above 40 in 2005 and then spent most of last year trading in what looks to be a large top formation. The company continues to grow earnings but I am a bit concerned that so much competition in the business with many ECN's and exchanges competing for volume could be detrimental to the company's forward earnings.

Zachnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1951594936858237589.post-52523894166426818292007-02-13T10:27:00.000-05:002007-02-10T15:18:51.961-05:00

GROW had an incredible move in the last half of 2006. Every day it seemed it would make a new high and I would be left wondering how I could have missed such a name but I was paralyzed and could not get into the stock because it was clear that the risk of a pullback from such a lofty height could result in significant losses and a quick failed trade.Sure enough, at the beginning of this year,

Zachnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1951594936858237589.post-41029854182801554162007-02-10T14:21:00.000-05:002007-02-10T13:57:48.924-05:00

Cameco is a miner of uranium and has a strong history of increasing profit. The stock has risen from below 10 to over 40 over the last 2 years, but has backed off since spring of 06. While profitability continues to rise, it appears that the stock has gotten a bit ahead of itself trading at 60 times past earnings. Now the expectations for 07 are $1.61 per share which puts the stock at a much more

Zachnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1951594936858237589.post-51642808607489945312007-02-10T13:43:00.000-05:002007-02-10T13:36:27.962-05:00

Gymboree has had an incredible run over the last year rising from $12 to over 45 in a relatively short amount of time. The stock is not extremely expensive, but the reason for this is the fear that the fundamental growth could be slowing and so the stock will demand a smaller multiple.Thursday, the company released their January sales and it was a dissapointment to investors. The stock sold off

Zachnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1951594936858237589.post-27082796980640313982007-02-10T13:19:00.000-05:002007-02-10T13:14:57.337-05:00

Mindray had a successful IPO in September of last year. It priced at 14 but has never traded below $15. Its initial run lasted 3 full months taking it above $27. Since that time the stock has pulled back to consolidate and the company has filed a shelf to offer more stock. The deal should price this week and yet the stock is running up into the deal. This is indicative of pent up demand and is a

Zachnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1951594936858237589.post-43428684789397084562007-02-10T13:14:00.000-05:002007-02-10T13:10:21.410-05:00

NYSE is a very old name but has a new face. After merging with Archapelago last spring the stock was listed under the ticker NYX. The company has finally begun to embrace technology more aggressively and has been able to operate much more profitably over the past 3 quarters.The stock shot out of a well formed base in November running quickly from 80 to 110 in a few short weeks. The industry is

Zachnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1951594936858237589.post-27047073182296849842007-02-10T13:05:00.000-05:002007-02-10T13:01:37.157-05:00

Riverbed is in the computer networking sector and came public in September at $10.00. The stock quickly amassed big gains trading up over 50% from its initial price and never looked back. It took until December for the stock to make any meaningful pullback but it finally consolidated.Yesterday, the stock broke out of a 2 month consolidation on the 2nd day of strong accumulation. The stock is

Zachnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1951594936858237589.post-31612862068943370262007-02-10T13:01:00.000-05:002007-02-10T12:58:11.774-05:00

After coming public in September at $16.00 the stock doubled in 3 months time. Since early December, the stock has been settling down and giving back some of its excesses. It now is at a spot it looks good for a trade as it bounces off the $20 area where it first started trading.Software has been a hot area and DIVX has strong sales and earnings growth trends quarter to quarter. They are

Zachnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1951594936858237589.post-62878076718795130042007-02-02T08:38:00.000-05:002007-02-02T08:38:35.310-05:00

I got involved with this name just about a year ago as it was trading out of a consolidation not long after its IPO. The stock has been a great success both fundamentally and technically. The company is taking advantage of the push to electronic exchanges instead of pit-traded markets and has benefited from the proliferation of funds trading options. Earnings and sales continue to grow quarter

Zachnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1951594936858237589.post-75167588233417015182007-01-30T13:57:00.000-05:002007-01-30T14:01:24.022-05:00

Very few kids want to be a hedge fund manager when they grow up. I think when I grow up this is what I want to do... if you can't read the writing, caption reads: "This is an actual fly by during deployment of the Nuclear Aircraft Carrier USS Stennis. The pilot was grounded for 30 days, but he likes the picture and thinks it was worth it. Yikes!

Zachnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1951594936858237589.post-78208927429838562052007-01-30T12:00:00.000-05:002007-01-30T12:40:03.675-05:00

Varian Medical Systems is a system and equipment manufacturer in the oncology market. The stock has been very successful for years as the company grew earnings throughout the bear market and also through the more beneficial markets we've been dealing with the last few years.The stock has begun to experience more volatility in the last year or so which looks to me like a churn in the shareholder

Zachnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1951594936858237589.post-65532563865815347372007-01-26T10:38:00.000-05:002007-01-26T10:38:53.622-05:00

I came across this name while looking through arbitrage deals for Piedmont. The company is buying VSTH in a stock deal. The acquisition should help the company cross sell new services to existing clients at a point where the company is ramping up sales and becoming a profitable entity. The overall margins should benefit significantly from revenue growth as the infrustructure has been costly to

Zachnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1951594936858237589.post-24409980893396586162007-01-26T09:19:00.000-05:002007-01-26T09:20:28.222-05:00

KBR is an engineering and construction services company... Nothing too exciting but they seem to have adiversified client base dealing with both government infrastructure as well as energy customers.The stock came public at $17 and traded above $21 the first day. It consolidated for its first 3 weeks of trading and then made an incredible run up to 27.63. Since then it has pulled back grudgingly

Zachnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1951594936858237589.post-79339993859117749142007-01-26T08:20:00.000-05:002007-01-26T08:32:32.951-05:00

I am probably going to take some flack for this one since i am almost religious about my caffene intake each morning but I think the time is right to short Starbucks. I actually tried to short the name last year as the stock initially broke down from its high, but the bull market in the latter half of the year stopped me out. The pattern has worked its way further including an attempt to re-take

Zachnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1951594936858237589.post-28723611522659395602007-01-26T08:19:00.000-05:002007-01-26T08:19:37.758-05:00

I am taking another stab at this name as it has rebounded above the IPO price of $12 and seems to be bringing in some volume with the positive trading. I believe the weak holders have been purged for the most part and now as investors begin accumulating positions, the name should show more stability. The group (software / enterprise) is in a positive trend and that should help drive interest in

Zachnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1951594936858237589.post-87823701424225682802007-01-25T16:21:00.000-05:002007-01-25T16:22:01.713-05:00

HLYS came public at $21 but has yet to trade below 30. It hit its ultimate high the first day of trading at 38.75 or almost double the IPO price. The company's main product (shoes with wheels in the soles) is in high demand. I could not find shoes in David's size when looking for them for Christmas. Sales have been phenominal and the company is ramping up EPS now as they have reached critical

Zachnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1951594936858237589.post-55298225448968159152007-01-25T16:15:00.000-05:002007-01-25T16:23:01.797-05:00

LRCX operates in the semiconductor equipment group which has seen a lot of demand lately. It's difficult to understand all the technology that goes into their systems, but it is clear that the company has been winning business and growing earnings quickly. The group is also trading very well which should act as a tail wind for the stock.I got involved after the stock traced out a well formed base

Zachnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1951594936858237589.post-17035896298393244932007-01-25T08:08:00.000-05:002007-01-25T08:09:04.526-05:00

VTAL priced a 2ndary offering on Nov 17 at $31.00. The stock traded poorly below this level for about a week as the additional supply weighed on the market. However the volume soon dried up and then the stock began to run up on somewhat increasing volume. On Dec 4th I bought 5,000 shares at $33.03 as the stock broke out of its consolidation in above average volume. I expected that the overhang

Zachnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1951594936858237589.post-7387998304428179732007-01-23T15:59:00.000-05:002007-01-23T15:59:56.459-05:00

AER came public mid November at 23.00 It started the day out hot but closed just a bit above the offering price. It spent 2 months trading around the IPO price but appears to have now broken out of its range and volume has come in higher on the advance. The company is profitable and should recognize some revenue stability due to the dynamics in the Airline industry (its main source of business).I

Zachnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1951594936858237589.post-32682813911553081002007-01-23T14:33:00.000-05:002007-01-23T14:33:33.091-05:00

BARE has started a trading pattern that shows some good opportunity. The stock is trading well above it's IPO offering and has held up very well for the last 3 months. Each significant dip has been met by strong buying power with volume showing signs of institutional support.Fundamentally the company looks like it is gaining footing as sales and EPS have picked up over the last few quarters. The

Zachnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1951594936858237589.post-70839184334984714832007-01-23T13:09:00.000-05:002007-01-23T13:10:15.237-05:00

SNDA is not a typical investment for me. The stock is coming out of a long downtrend and while it has had a positive move the last 6 months, the chart looking back several years shows a good bit of pain.The company is a chinese internet content firm. Currently sales and earnings are decreasing on a year-over-year basis but the expectations are for this to turn back up. The company has a new model

Zachnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1951594936858237589.post-45163425814243169232007-01-20T20:37:00.000-05:002007-01-20T20:41:45.860-05:00

David and me about to fly "Lola." The pilot's name is Charlie by the way. A good time was had by all... Notice the 13 american flags for the number of successful flights - we added a few more by days end

Zachnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1951594936858237589.post-39763716813213315812007-01-19T16:15:00.000-05:002007-01-19T16:16:19.322-05:00

The stock debuted in October being offered at $14 and closing its first day at the high end of its range near 19.00. Trading continued to be positive through mid-November reaching a high of 29.24 at the peak (a day which marked a reversal closing down on the day). The stock pulled all the way back to 20.50 where it appears to be making a stand.On Dec 18th a day after the stock traded up in volume

Zachnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1951594936858237589.post-25562225329215553262007-01-16T16:29:00.000-05:002007-01-16T16:29:54.485-05:00

This is a recent IPO that had a lot of excitement around it. The offering price was $17 but the stock immediately traded between $22 and $26 its first day. It is interesting to note that the stock has not broken outside of this range in the 3 weeks since the stock became public.Yesterday I put in an order to buy 5,000 shares and was suprised to be able to get all the shares done at my limit (

Zachnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1951594936858237589.post-89217674610991689912007-01-15T15:39:00.000-05:002007-01-15T15:45:12.141-05:00

Recently, a friend of mine penned a blog entry discussing how often a man’s work “establishes a fundamental part of his self-identity.” He was able to state that his vocation, while mostly pleasant and reasonable, was more of a means to an end than a personally defining activity. For some reason, I fall in a very different camp. It may have a lot to do with personality, it may be connected to

Zachnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1951594936858237589.post-69523845858791028022007-01-12T12:23:00.000-05:002007-01-12T12:24:20.143-05:00

The IPO was at 14 and it quickly traded up to 17 in the first 2 days. A pullback to 15 found suport over a weeks time and on 12/22 it moved up quickly and i added shares at 15.80. Earnings appear to be solid and the group is strong so i anticipate it to trade well for the next week or two.The chart to the left is draw on Dec 29. All appears well and it will be interesting to see if managers will

Zachnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1951594936858237589.post-54968516972494247602007-01-12T10:52:00.000-05:002007-01-12T10:53:19.896-05:00

MPEL is a gaming company with exposure to the new Macau development areas. The company is just turning profitable and its IPO faired well. I actually expected it to gain 50% or more from the offering price but the price was $18.50 and it closed just above 21.50 the first day of trading.The stock came in to test the $19 area and then reversed back up. I got too heavily involved trading it the

Zachnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1951594936858237589.post-42455037590649307762007-01-10T16:40:00.000-05:002007-01-10T16:41:09.547-05:00

KBW is a trading, research, and investment banker for small cap companies. The company has been profitable at least since 2001 although its earnings growth has been up and down. It came public at 21 on Nov 9th and immediately traded up from 25.50 to 27.50 its first day. The stock has taken some time to consolidate and settle down from erratic trading.On Dec 15th the stock gave confirmation it was

Zachnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1951594936858237589.post-50283805159818759562007-01-10T13:10:00.000-05:002007-02-10T13:05:34.787-05:00

Gold has had an incredible run as a commodity and many of the miners have been taken along for the ride. GG is no exception having risen quickly in 2005 and early 2006 only to peak and stall out. I believe that the stock sucked in many premature short sellers as it broke its initial swing low and dropped to 20.35 in October. It has since rebounded over 50% to 31.50 before beginning to trade off

Zachnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1951594936858237589.post-10170773138035187872007-01-10T11:16:00.000-05:002007-01-19T17:04:48.622-05:00

GUID came public at 11.50 on the 13th. It never traded below 13.50 and closed above 15 the first day. It continued higher for 2 more days peaking at 17.90 at which point it began its first pullback. I bot the stock on the 27th. The 26th was its first positive day after pulling back below 16 and so I bought a 10,000 share position the next day as it traded up on higher volume. By the end of the

Zachnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1951594936858237589.post-3455300442984623312007-01-09T13:07:00.000-05:002007-01-09T14:22:49.776-05:00

I feel like the worst dad in the world...Sunday afternoon i was doing some reading in my office and heard the girls getting into trouble out in the living room. I walked out and sure enough, someone wasn't sharing, someone else didn't have a good attitude, and everyone just needed a little break. So we talked for a minute and then i took Morgan (the attitude offender) back into my office and

Zachnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1951594936858237589.post-20679697160748956462007-01-08T17:07:00.000-05:002007-01-08T17:08:45.769-05:00

NMX is another name in the financial exchange area that has been white hot. It came public at a price of $59 but has yet to actually trade below $100. Its first day it eclipsed $150 but has pulled back and consolidated its gains.I got involved when it first pulled back and then began making what I assumed would be a sustained run. The name has fizzled out a bit and is close to stopping me out but

Zachnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1951594936858237589.post-24443041019234935312007-01-07T21:28:00.000-05:002007-01-08T15:42:31.463-05:00

JCG came public in June and traded very well from the offering. After the first 2 days of very bullish trading, it pulled back and begain its first consolidation. It took 2 full months to work through the consolidation and then it broke to a new high (50% above the offering price) and marched steadily from there. It formed a base on base pattern and then i took my initial purchase as it broke

Zachnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1951594936858237589.post-80782006725646182982007-01-04T13:13:00.000-05:002007-01-06T16:14:08.089-05:00

Herbalife is a fast growing weight management and nutritional supplement company. They operate using a direct marketing setup as customers become sales reps reducing the marketing cost for the company. HLF has extended its footprint outside its US market by pushing into Mexico. It may continue to add new countries to its geographical service area.Earnings have been exceptional quarter to quarter

Zachnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1951594936858237589.post-79210824778584539842007-01-04T12:16:00.000-05:002007-01-04T12:33:42.786-05:00

Sometime last night i woke up to hear a clicking sound downstairs. I got up and walked into our front hallway and saw that the door to the basement was locked but someone or something was turning the handle trying to get in. The light in the stairway was on and I could see a shadow through the crack under the door. I didn't have any kind of weapon but i knew if i didn't do something quickly, the

Zachnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1951594936858237589.post-70714454777078973962007-01-02T19:55:00.000-05:002007-01-07T14:34:33.716-05:00

CEP came public mid-November at $21.00. I was able to get some shares on the initial deal and turned them out at a decent profit gradually.After consolidating between 23 and 24 for quite some time, the stock made a strong move on the 18th and I picked up 5,000 shares at 23.55. This was about a 1.5% position in my account which is a normal size for a trading position. The stock continued to

Zachnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1951594936858237589.post-75540636375820242152007-01-02T19:11:00.000-05:002007-01-06T16:24:01.569-05:00

BTJ is a very niche type firm. It's primary product assists E&P firms in seismic exploration. The process uses ships to tow barges of sorts that are able to evaluate oil prospects on underwater potential drilling sites. The company does not have direct vulnerability to fluctuations in prices of oil, but benefits from trends in exploration - a trend that should continue to be healthy even after a

Zachnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1951594936858237589.post-76031688407360058192006-12-29T09:43:00.000-05:002006-12-29T11:33:51.294-05:00

A long December and there's reason to believe Maybe this year will be better than the lastI can't remember the last thing that you said as you were leaving Oh the days go by so fastAnd it's one more day up in the canyons And it's one more night in HollywoodIf you think that I could be forgiven I wish you would The smell of hospitals in winter And the feeling that it's all a lot of oysters, but no

Zachnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1951594936858237589.post-42917184558631037092006-12-22T15:04:00.000-05:002006-12-29T11:34:11.202-05:00

I had a conversation with someone a while back and my friend thought that seeing these words in a prominent place in my office was indicitave of a significant problem in my life. This has bothered me to no end because I believed strongly (and still do) that these are God-given virtuous character qualities and that it is honorable for me to strive to have focus and discipline in what i do - at

Zachnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1951594936858237589.post-57133543204418516012006-12-22T14:14:00.000-05:002007-01-02T21:31:58.801-05:00

I plan to form my account around 20 core positions (long or short) each being roughly 3 to 5% of the account value each being well thought out fundamentally and technically sound position. I intend to initially commit to a 3% position at an opportune time and risk no more than 10% of the value of the position. At a point I may choose to average up into the position bringing my total to no more

Zachnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1951594936858237589.post-17014010227825041202006-12-21T16:41:00.000-05:002007-01-02T21:32:13.980-05:00

So how does someone like me with all the emotions and temptations of every other man on the street get to manage a significant portion of some one's retirement assets? This week I think I behaved more like a novice than most untrained e*trade account holders. Lucky me, I escaped with only minor injuries but I know i got off the reservation.So looking at my performance this year, I am beating my

Zachnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1951594936858237589.post-17676612025162128282006-12-21T16:28:00.000-05:002006-12-29T11:35:16.482-05:00

The problem with wearing your heart on your sleeve is that you constantly have to wash bloody shirts... So why do people do this "blog" thing and disclose story lines, wishes, dreams and inspirations? And who really reads all those blogs out there anyway?So this is an experiment and maybe just a high tech way for me to do the journaling i never seem to be able to make myself do consistently.

Zachnoreply@blogger.com0