Top 10 Focus Stocks of The Day: GFRE, APL, MDMD, DF, SCLN, AMLN, PNSN, TSTC, TPCG, SSRX (May 14, 2011)

XCSFDHG46767FHJHJF

tdp2664 China Analyst Below are today's top 10 focus stocks. These momentum stocks are attracting a lot of interest from traders. Three Chinese companies (GFRE, TSTC, SSRX) are on the list. Gulf Resources, Inc. (NASDAQ:GFRE) is today's 1st best focus stock. Its daily price change was 19.6% in the previous trading day. Its upside potential is 279% based on brokerage analysts' average target price of $12 on the stock. It is rated positively by 100% of the 2 analyst(s) covering it. Its long-term annual earnings growth is 19% based on analysts' average estimate. Atlas Pipeline Partners, L.P. (NYSE:APL) is today's 2nd best focus stock. Its daily price change was 13.6% in the previous trading day. Its upside potential is 10% based on brokerage analysts' average target price of $40 on the stock. It is rated positively by 60% of the 5 analyst(s) covering it. Its long-term annual earnings growth is 15% based on analysts' average estimate. MediaMind Technologies Inc. (NASDAQ:MDMD) is today's 3rd best focus stock. Its daily price change was 13.0% in the previous trading day. Its upside potential is 12% based on brokerage analysts' average target price of $18 on the stock. It is rated positively by 100% of the 6 analyst(s) covering it. Its long-term annual earnings growth is 15% based on analysts' average estimate. Dean Foods Company (NYSE:DF) is today's 4th best focus stock. Its daily price change was 9.2% in the previous trading day. Its upside potential is 0% based on brokerage analysts' average target price of $13 on the stock. It is rated positively by 13% of the 16 analyst(s) covering it. Its long-term annual earnings growth is 10% based on analysts' average estimate. SciClone Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ:SCLN) is today's 5th best focus stock. Its daily price change was 8.4% in the previous trading day. Its upside potential is 33% based on brokerage analysts' average target price of $7 on the stock. It is rated positively by 67% of the 3 analyst(s) covering it. Its long-term annual earnings growth is 19% based on analysts' average estimate. Amylin Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMLN) is today's 6th best focus stock. Its daily price change was 7.9% in the previous trading day. Its upside potential is 0% based on brokerage analysts' average target price of $14 on the stock. It is rated positively by 17% of the 18 analyst(s) covering it. Its long-term annual earnings growth is 55% based on analysts' average estimate. Penson Worldwide, Inc. (NASDAQ:PNSN) is today's 7th best focus stock. Its daily price change was 7.1% in the previous trading day. Its upside potential is 95% based on brokerage analysts' average target price of $7 on the stock. It is rated positively by 33% of the 3 analyst(s) covering it. Its long-term annual earnings growth is 15% based on analysts' average estimate. Telestone Technologies Corporation (NASDAQ:TSTC) is today's 8th best focus stock. Its daily price change was 6.8% in the previous trading day. Its upside potential is 72% based on brokerage analysts' average target price of $12 on the stock. It is rated positively by 100% of the 1 analyst(s) covering it. Its long-term annual earnings growth is 20% based on analysts' average estimate. TPC Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:TPCG) is today's 9th best focus stock. Its daily price change was 6.1% in the previous trading day. Its upside potential is 9% based on brokerage analysts' average target price of $43 on the stock. It is rated positively by 100% of the 2 analyst(s) covering it. Its long-term annual earnings growth is 26% based on analysts' average estimate. 3SBio Inc. (ADR) (NASDAQ:SSRX) is today's 10th best focus stock. Its daily price change was 6.1% in the previous trading day. Its upside potential is 3% based on brokerage analysts' average target price of $21 on the stock. It is rated positively by 100% of the 5 analyst(s) covering it. Its long-term annual earnings growth is 20% based on analysts' average estimate.

Top 10 Best-Performing Leisure Services Stocks Year-to-Date: TZOO, FUN, SIX, PCLN, CNK, CTRP, ISCA, DVD, STNR, BWL.A (May 14, 2011)

XCSFDHG46767FHJHJF

tdp2664 China Analyst Below are the top 10 best-performing Leisure Services stocks year-to-date, UPDATED TODAY before 4:30 AM ET. One Chinese company (CTRP) is on the list. Travelzoo Inc. (NASDAQ:TZOO) is the 1st best-performing stock year-to-date in this segment of the market. It has risen 68.02% since the beginning of this year. Its price percentage change was 270.38% for the last 52 weeks. Cedar Fair, L.P. (NYSE:FUN) is the 2nd best-performing stock year-to-date in this segment of the market. It has risen 44.13% since the beginning of this year. Its price percentage change was 60.31% for the last 52 weeks. Six Flags Entertainment Corp (NYSE:SIX) is the 3rd best-performing stock year-to-date in this segment of the market. It has risen 42.52% since the beginning of this year. Its price percentage change was 106.75% for the last 52 weeks. priceline.com Incorporated (NASDAQ:PCLN) is the 4th best-performing stock year-to-date in this segment of the market. It has risen 30.30% since the beginning of this year. Its price percentage change was 144.54% for the last 52 weeks. Cinemark Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:CNK) is the 5th best-performing stock year-to-date in this segment of the market. It has risen 20.13% since the beginning of this year. Its price percentage change was 17.34% for the last 52 weeks. Ctrip.com International, Ltd. (ADR) (NASDAQ:CTRP) is the 6th best-performing stock year-to-date in this segment of the market. It has risen 17.48% since the beginning of this year. Its price percentage change was 17.13% for the last 52 weeks. International Speedway Corporation (NASDAQ:ISCA) is the 7th best-performing stock year-to-date in this segment of the market. It has risen 12.46% since the beginning of this year. Its price percentage change was -0.44% for the last 52 weeks. Dover Motorsports, Inc. (NYSE:DVD) is the 8th best-performing stock year-to-date in this segment of the market. It has risen 11.80% since the beginning of this year. Its price percentage change was -1.49% for the last 52 weeks. Steiner Leisure Limited (NASDAQ:STNR) is the 9th best-performing stock year-to-date in this segment of the market. It has risen 7.37% since the beginning of this year. Its price percentage change was 5.80% for the last 52 weeks. Bowl America Incorporated (AMEX:BWL.A) is the 10th best-performing stock year-to-date in this segment of the market. It has risen 5.26% since the beginning of this year. Its price percentage change was 5.01% for the last 52 weeks.

REITs that Pay Dividends Monthly

XCSFDHG46767FHJHJF

dow2664 I personally think that real estate has bottomed out, with the possible exception of high end single family residences. An optimal way to invest in real estate, if you think the turn-around has started, is through Real Estate Investment Trusts, also known as REITs. Almost all the income from REITs is passed through to investors to avoid double taxation, at the corporate level and at the shareholder level. Fortunately, there are plenty of REIT specialties to choose from, including apartments, commercial buildings, personal storage units, industrial properties, government buildings, medical buildings, and mortgages. You can buy and manage your own real estate directly, but then you lose out on many of the benefits of REITs, such as liquidity, professional management, diversification, and not having to deal with plumbing problems in the middle of the night. Several REITs even pay dividends monthly, according the the list of monthly dividend stocks at WallStreetNewsNetwork.com. Yields range from 3% to more than 6%. The monthly dividends can provide advantages over quarterly dividends, in that the volatility is usually lower, compounding is greater if dividends are reinvested, and capital is returned more quickly. One monthly dividend paying REIT is Inland Real Estate Corp. (IRC), which offers a yield of about 6.4%, and trades at 10 times forward earnings. This REIT owns and operates shopping centers and single-tenant retail properties in the Midwest. The company has been paying monthly dividends since 2004. LTC Properties, Inc. (LTC) which sports a yield of 5.8% and trades at a forward PE of 13, is a long-term care real estate investment trust. This is a REIT that pays monthly dividends, and the dividend track record also dates back to 1992. To see the list of monthly dividend REITs along with other stocks that pay high dividends on a monthly basis, go to WallStreetNewsNetwork.com. The list can be downloaded, sorted, and updated. Disclosure: Author did not own any of the above at the time the article was written. By Stockerblog.com

Ariad Could be Summer’s Breakout Biotech

tdp2664
InvestorPlace
Biotech stock Ariad Pharmaceuticals Inc.'s (NASDAQ: ARIA ) goal is to produce breakthrough cancer medicines, and it is focusing first on aggressive cancers where current therapies are inadequate. The biotech company has two potential new drugs in clinical trials, and a third is expected to begin trials later this year. These compounds target cell signaling, which management believes not only makes them potentially very effective, but means they may end up being treatments for multiple cancers. Ariad is an exciting story because its compounds have broad, game-changing potential in treating cancer. I like that the company is concentrating on patients most in need and cancers with few treatment options, rather than going the easier route of developing "me-too" drugs. That is how game changers are born. With the incidence of cancer likely to increase significantly over the next two decades, companies that develop breakthrough treatments have huge potential. We are still early in the game, but Ariad has that kind of potential. The furthest along and most important of its treatments is ridaforolimus (drugs in development have the worst names, don't they?), and as you would expect, it's also the one investors are paying most attention to. It works by blocking a protein (called mTOR), which, as Ariad describes it, "creates a starvation-like effect in cancer cells by interfering with growth, division, metabolism, and angiogenesis" (the growth of blood vessels that feed the tumor). Merck Sees Big Opportunity in This Biotech Ariad has partnered with pharmaceutical giant Merck & Co. (NYSE: MRK ) to help develop ridaforolimus and bring it to market. Merck paid Ariad $75 million up front, and then added two $53.5 million milestone payments at the start of Phase II and Phase III trials. In addition, Merck paid half of the development costs. The deal was reworked last year, giving Merck exclusive license to develop, manufacture and commercialize ridaforolimus in oncology (excluding other potential areas of treatment that may be discovered down the road). Merck now funds all development, manufacturing and commercialization costs, and Ariad also received $50 million up front and $19 million to retroactively cover costs from January to April 2010. Ariad, of course, is eligible to receive future payments as regulatory and sales milestones are met (up to $514 million), and the company would also receive tiered double-digit royalties on eventual global sales of ridaforolimus. You know Merck would only enter into a deal like this if they see big potential, and so far, clinical trial results have indeed been encouraging. Ariad received good news in January from a Phase III trial of ridaforolimus in patients with metastatic soft-tissue and bone sarcomas (a type of cancer that develops in certain tissues like bone or muscle). Data showed the trial met its primary endpoint on progression-free survival (PFS), with a 28% reduction in risk of the cancer's progression compared with placebo.

Greeks Predict Prices at Options Expiration

tdp2664
InvestorPlace
Option expiration week ushers in some fascinating dynamics when it comes to option pricing. And when we get into pricing that means you have to address theta and gamma, two of the Greeks that every options trading investor should know. Understanding these Greeks as you head into expiration week can mean the difference between a winning trade and a big hit to your wallet. And is it a coincidence that in ancient Athens the Theta symbol was used as an abbreviation for death? After all expiration is a kind of death with a lot of strikes leaving this world. For that matter, a lot of options trading investors who hold bad trades die a little every day until expiration. Let's look at how these two Greeks impact expiration and option pricing. For my examples, let's consider we are discussing the behavior of at-the-money strikes. THETA Theta Theta measures the rate of time decay of an option per day. It can be either positive or negative. Option buyers acquire negative theta because their position loses value as time passes. Option sellers acquire positive theta because their position makes money as time passes. The rate of time decay is not linear, but rather exponential. That means it speeds up as expiration approaches. That's why traders are drawn to selling short term options which lose value at a quicker rate than long term options. Put simply — Why sell an option losing $5 a day when you can sell one losing $25 a day? This explains the built-in incentive for traders to utilize short-term options when seeking positive theta. Be careful though. There are other forces at work that should temper your enthusiasm for aggressively selling short-term options. Many traders learn the hard way that having a one-variable mind in a multi-variable world is a recipe for disaster. GAMMA Gamma has always been a property of options I've found easier understood through experience rather than reading an article. By definition it is the rate of change of delta per $1 move in the underlying stock. Gamma can also be positive or negative. Option buyers acquire positive gamma while option sellers acquire negative gamma. Gamma Gamma rises as expiration approaches which causes some interesting problems to option sellers going into expiration week. An adverse move in the stock can cause losses to rapidly mount. A position with positive gamma is one that will see its gains accelerate and losses decelerate. Think of a long call or a long straddle. A negative gamma position is one that will see its gains decelerate and losses accelerate. Think of a covered call or an iron condor. Positive Gamma = Long Call/Long Straddle Negative Gamma = Covered Call/Iron Condor The absolute worst example of negative gamma risk killing a trade that I've seen is when a buddy of mine was short September call spreads on the Russell 2000 Index (.RUT) in 2008. With two days until expiration the RUT was sitting at 676, placing my friend's 740 – 750 call spreads 11% out-of-the-money. Given the elevated volatility of the time there was still about $.75 of premium in the spread. That tempted him to hold the spread the last few days to exploit the rapid time decay. After all, what are the odds the RUT would move 11% in two trading sessions? Well, never say never because the small cap index proceeded to do just that. In fact the settlement value for September options came in at 771, or 14% higher than where the RUT was two days prior. That $.75 gain turned into a $10 loss. Due to the huge negative gamma going into expiration a small gain turned into a monumental loss. You want to know the worst part?  The RUT was back down to 676 within one week! Gamma Catch-22 Gamma brings to traders a Catch-22 of sorts. On the one hand holding short options close to expiration offers quick rewards due to high time decay. On the other hand these short options expose traders to the potential to quickly accumulate losses — often referred to as gamma risk. Traders that insist on riding their short option positions all the way to expiration in an attempt to capture the last few bucks from a trade often justify their approach by pointing out the elevated rates of time decay eating away at their short. But they forget the elevated gamma risk they face. For as many times as they enjoy the additional and oft times quick profits they rake in from riding a short into expiration, they will inevitable have to deal with the occasional horror show where the market makes a kamikaze run for their short options. In the long run, the extra few bucks accumulated from riding to expiration unscathed typically pale in comparison to what's forked out to pay the piper when those "cheap" short options come back to bite you. Expiration week is a difficult time for most traders, both the hard-boiled veterans and the guy that may do only a few trades a month. It is almost inevitable that the expiring strikes will mean losses during a trader's life time. But understanding and applying the Greeks like Theta and Gamma can help reduce those losses and build the gains. Follow Tyler Craig on Twitter@TylersTrading .

Top 10 Focus Stocks of The Day: GFRE, APL, MDMD, DF, SCLN, AMLN, PNSN, TSTC, TPCG, SSRX (May 14, 2011)

tdp2664
China Analyst

Below are today's top 10 focus stocks. These momentum stocks are attracting a lot of interest from traders. Three Chinese companies (GFRE, TSTC, SSRX) are on the list.

Gulf Resources, Inc. (NASDAQ:GFRE) is today's 1st best focus stock. Its daily price change was 19.6% in the previous trading day. Its upside potential is 279% based on brokerage analysts' average target price of $12 on the stock. It is rated positively by 100% of the 2 analyst(s) covering it. Its long-term annual earnings growth is 19% based on analysts' average estimate. Atlas Pipeline Partners, L.P. (NYSE:APL) is today's 2nd best focus stock. Its daily price change was 13.6% in the previous trading day. Its upside potential is 10% based on brokerage analysts' average target price of $40 on the stock. It is rated positively by 60% of the 5 analyst(s) covering it. Its long-term annual earnings growth is 15% based on analysts' average estimate. MediaMind Technologies Inc. (NASDAQ:MDMD) is today's 3rd best focus stock. Its daily price change was 13.0% in the previous trading day. Its upside potential is 12% based on brokerage analysts' average target price of $18 on the stock. It is rated positively by 100% of the 6 analyst(s) covering it. Its long-term annual earnings growth is 15% based on analysts' average estimate. Dean Foods Company (NYSE:DF) is today's 4th best focus stock. Its daily price change was 9.2% in the previous trading day. Its upside potential is 0% based on brokerage analysts' average target price of $13 on the stock. It is rated positively by 13% of the 16 analyst(s) covering it. Its long-term annual earnings growth is 10% based on analysts' average estimate. SciClone Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ:SCLN) is today's 5th best focus stock. Its daily price change was 8.4% in the previous trading day. Its upside potential is 33% based on brokerage analysts' average target price of $7 on the stock. It is rated positively by 67% of the 3 analyst(s) covering it. Its long-term annual earnings growth is 19% based on analysts' average estimate.

Amylin Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMLN) is today's 6th best focus stock. Its daily price change was 7.9% in the previous trading day. Its upside potential is 0% based on brokerage analysts' average target price of $14 on the stock. It is rated positively by 17% of the 18 analyst(s) covering it. Its long-term annual earnings growth is 55% based on analysts' average estimate. Penson Worldwide, Inc. (NASDAQ:PNSN) is today's 7th best focus stock. Its daily price change was 7.1% in the previous trading day. Its upside potential is 95% based on brokerage analysts' average target price of $7 on the stock. It is rated positively by 33% of the 3 analyst(s) covering it. Its long-term annual earnings growth is 15% based on analysts' average estimate. Telestone Technologies Corporation (NASDAQ:TSTC) is today's 8th best focus stock. Its daily price change was 6.8% in the previous trading day. Its upside potential is 72% based on brokerage analysts' average target price of $12 on the stock. It is rated positively by 100% of the 1 analyst(s) covering it. Its long-term annual earnings growth is 20% based on analysts' average estimate. TPC Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:TPCG) is today's 9th best focus stock. Its daily price change was 6.1% in the previous trading day. Its upside potential is 9% based on brokerage analysts' average target price of $43 on the stock. It is rated positively by 100% of the 2 analyst(s) covering it. Its long-term annual earnings growth is 26% based on analysts' average estimate. 3SBio Inc. (ADR) (NASDAQ:SSRX) is today's 10th best focus stock. Its daily price change was 6.1% in the previous trading day. Its upside potential is 3% based on brokerage analysts' average target price of $21 on the stock. It is rated positively by 100% of the 5 analyst(s) covering it. Its long-term annual earnings growth is 20% based on analysts' average estimate.

REITs that Pay Dividends Monthly

dow2664

I personally think that real estate has bottomed out, with the possible exception of high end single family residences. An optimal way to invest in real estate, if you think the turn-around has started, is through Real Estate Investment Trusts, also known as REITs. Almost all the income from REITs is passed through to investors to avoid double taxation, at the corporate level and at the shareholder level. Fortunately, there are plenty of REIT specialties to choose from, including apartments, commercial buildings, personal storage units, industrial properties, government buildings, medical buildings, and mortgages. You can buy and manage your own real estate directly, but then you lose out on many of the benefits of REITs, such as liquidity, professional management, diversification, and not having to deal with plumbing problems in the middle of the night. Several REITs even pay dividends monthly, according the the list of monthly dividend stocks at WallStreetNewsNetwork.com. Yields range from 3% to more than 6%. The monthly dividends can provide advantages over quarterly dividends, in that the volatility is usually lower, compounding is greater if dividends are reinvested, and capital is returned more quickly. One monthly dividend paying REIT is Inland Real Estate Corp. (IRC), which offers a yield of about 6.4%, and trades at 10 times forward earnings. This REIT owns and operates shopping centers and single-tenant retail properties in the Midwest. The company has been paying monthly dividends since 2004. LTC Properties, Inc. (LTC) which sports a yield of 5.8% and trades at a forward PE of 13, is a long-term care real estate investment trust. This is a REIT that pays monthly dividends, and the dividend track record also dates back to 1992. To see the list of monthly dividend REITs along with other stocks that pay high dividends on a monthly basis, go to WallStreetNewsNetwork.com. The list can be downloaded, sorted, and updated. Disclosure: Author did not own any of the above at the time the article was written. By Stockerblog.com