Corporate Governance

Most of both houses of Congress, and possibly a majority of high-level politicians these days (especially G.W. Bush and Co.), all seem to operate American affairs the way executives operate global businesses. Which isn't surprising, since so many politicians come from business and law backgrounds, scores having worked as CEOs or for corporate lobbyists and the like. The problem, though, is that modern business has become extremely top-heavy, eagerly rewarding everyone of the executive class regardless of how much work they're doing on a daily basis or how much they're truly contributing to the company overall. And thus that same attitude has crept into government thinking.

Yes, good management can do great things for a company, as can a CEO with vision and passion. But real day-to-day operations are successful based on good middle -management and the quality of the staff beneath them. While executive-level management spends 90% of their time taking meetings where ideas are discussed but nothing is accomplished, and then they all give themselves raises.

Sound familiar? Think it’s just an urban myth? Well, that's the U.S. government for you. And it's Halliburton, GM, and every other corporate business and big-city bureaucracy in the country.

Case in point:

When Delphi Corp. started considering bankruptcy as part of it's efforts to slash auto-worker pay in half and remove benefits from retired employees, they immediately commenced a flurry of meetings, in which the executives decided that, well, all of the executives in the company weren't getting paid enough. Also, if any executives were fired, it was reasonable to assume that they should be healthily compensated with at least six months of pay and a partial bonus. So for the sake of staying competitive in the market place, maintaining quality, and retaining the best workforce possible, the day-to-day laborers and bottom-level management types would have their salaries drastically reduced, while the executives would have theirs raised. What kind of logic is that?

Of course, many people cried foul and Delphi Corp. had to backpedal some. But the fact remains that even after all of the corporate greed and corruption uncovered in the aftermath of the entire 1980s and then, more recently, Enron and its spiritual brethren, companies such as Delphi Corp. will still happily, publicly, boldly, blatantly try to pull off schemes such this where the money of the masses is transferred to the pockets of few.

’Tis not surprising then, that Congress continues to give itself raises and increased health and retirement benefits while also turning down opportunities to bring better health, retirement, and education benefits to the general public. Will a senator or representative a give themselves a raise? Sure. And more power too ’em. But will they raise the minium wage by a buck? Nahhhhhhh....

***

Word of the day: Manichaeism, a philosophy that centers around the concept of dualism (good vs. evil, light vs. dark, yin vs. yang). The ancient religious form of Manichaeism combines Zoroastrian, Christian, and Gnostic beliefs and elements with Babylonian folklore and Buddhist ethics. Also see: Manichaean. Wild stuff.

Comic creator of the hour: Chester Brown, writer-artist of "The Playboy," "I Never Liked You," "Ed the Happy Clown," "Underwater," "Louis Riel: A Comic-Strip Biography," etc.

Site of the minute: Dogsbody, TCJ reviews of art/indie comics, including archived reviews by good ol' NYC-Florida writer Daniel Holloway.

Ms. Hollywood Science, I'd Like You to Meet Mr. Government Bureaucracy...

I just read a blurb in Premiere magazine noting that the U.S. government is offering grants to scientists, in the hopes of sexing up the science industry and recruiting today’s youth into such disciplines as nuclear physics, genetic modification, and other serious realms of scientific study that videogame playing, reality-TV watching, celeb-mag reading Americans are running away from in droves.

But after searching the Grants.gov and U.S. Department of Energy Office of Science grant databases, I was unable to unearth greater details or a grant application. However, a Google search did yield “Pentagon's New Goal: Put Science Into Scripts,” a related New York Times article by David M. Halbfinger:

LOS ANGELES, Aug. 3, 2005 - Tucked away in the Hollywood hills, an elite group of scientists from across the country and from a grab bag of disciplines - rocket science, nanotechnology, genetics, even veterinary medicine - has gathered this week to plot a solution to what officials call one of the nation's most vexing long-term national security problems.

Their work is being financed by the Air Force and the Army, but the Manhattan Project it ain't: the 15 scientists are being taught how to write and sell screenplays ... Exactly how the national defense could be bolstered by setting a few more people loose in Los Angeles with screenplays to peddle may be a bit of a brainteaser. But officials at the Air Force Office of Scientific Research spell out a straightforward syllogism:

Fewer and fewer students are pursuing science and engineering. While immigrants are taking up the slack in many areas, defense laboratories and industries generally require American citizenship or permanent residency. So a crisis is looming, unless careers in science and engineering suddenly become hugely popular, said Robert J. Barker, an Air Force program manager who approved the grant. And what better way to get a lot of young people interested in science than by producing movies and television shows that depict scientists in flattering ways?

... Teaching screenwriting to scientists was the brainstorm of Martin Gundersen, a professor of electrical engineering at the University of Southern California and sometime Hollywood technical adviser, whose biggest brush with stardom was bringing a little verisimilitude to Val Kilmer's lasers in the 1985 comedy "Real Genius."

More recently, he was asked to review screenplays by the Sloan Foundation, which awards prizes for scientific accuracy, and found most to be "pretty dismal," as he put it. "My thought was, since scientists have to write so much, for technical journals and papers, why not consider them as a creative source?" Dr. Gundersen said.... The Air Force is providing $100,000 annually for three years; the Army Research Office has added $50,000 this year....

Dr. Gundersen, meanwhile, offered Valerie Weiss, a participant in the 2004 workshop, as a potential success story. A film buff at Harvard while she was getting her Ph.D. in biophysics, Ms. Weiss switched careers to film four years ago and is now trying to sell a comedy built around a Bridget Jones-like biochemist who applies the scientific method to her hunt for a mate.

She said she hoped her background would give her film the kind of personal touch that Nia Vardalos brought to "My Big Fat Greek Wedding" as a Greek-American. "To write a film that is going to have impact like that, it needs to be from somebody that has direct experience," she said.

Ms. Weiss said Dr. Gundersen's notion that scientists could make good screenwriters stood the test of reason.

"They're inherently creative, and willing to take more risks than other people," she said. "They're searching for the unknown, they're compensated very minimally, they're going on blind faith that what they're searching for is going to pay off. And filmmaking is exactly the same way."

I’d like to argue that a good screenwriter—or a good writer of any sort—can write a great story without having the “direct experience” that Valerie Weiss claims is required. Also, Nia Vardalos’ "My Big Fat Greek Wedding," although highly profitable and occasionally funny and touching, is not a masterwork example of impact-laden cinema. It’s a goofy little comedy.

Writers need to do their homework: reading, research, interviews, and endless imagining. But you don’t have to be a female Harvard science PhD to write a dating comedy about a female science PhD. The education, skills, and experiences of a writer will likely culminate in a better story than a “direct experience” person throwing ideas down on paper. “Direct experience” does pay off with memoir writing, but for romantic comedies and action thrillers? Not so much.

Novelists such as John Le CarrĂ© (aka David Cornwell) are the rare exception. Le CarrĂ©, a former spy that writes spy thrillers (“The Spy Who Came In From The Cold,” “Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy,” etc.), is probably a better fiction scribe than actual espionage mastermind. And there are others in this vein. Scientists, soldiers, construction workers—great writers come from a variety of backgrounds and day jobs. But the work of a great writer is not limited by his or her past.

The U.S. government should try offering to all writers—not just scientists—encouraging them to write exciting, scientifically accurate science-themed screenplays. And more importantly, programs such as this should help writers find scientists that they can rely on for fact checking and research. Maybe even co-writing.

Imagine that: The federal government hooking up writers and scientists to work together on new projects. Scientists helping writers flesh out their screenplays while writers help recruit today’s kids into the world of hard science. Scientists correcting writers when they lose track of facts, and writers smoothing out the story arcs and dialogue of the microscope gazers and number crunchers.

That would be a worthy program. But ignoring writers while funding scientists to take a break from science so they can learn how to write? That’s nothing more than a study in entropy and thanatology. We might as well start paying screenwriters to design cloning technology in their spare time...

***

Speaking of Scientists: "Life is an anti-climax for some but for most of us it adds up to 16 hours of orgasmic pleasure. Researchers in Germany have calculated that is the number of hours that the average person spends enjoying orgasms during his or her lifetime.... and people spend six weeks doing nothing but playing during childhood, will watch television for a staggering five-and-a-half years ... spend seven years doing nothing but working ... [and] 24 years and four months in the land of nod." -- Allan Hall, "You've got it coming: all 16 hours of it," The Age (Victoria, Australia).

Talkin' 'bout Filmmakers: writer-producer-director Judd Apatow gets focused in an all-out interview conducted by Mike Russell. (Apatow's one of the the new comedy masterminds behind “The Ben Stiller Show,” “Freaks and Geeks,” “Undeclared,” “The Larry Sanders Show,” “The Cable Guy,” “Anchorman,” “The 40-Year-Old Virgin,” “Fun with Dick and Jane.”) Read on...

What's PR Got to Do With It?

"PR" can mean a number things.

Typically, a PR (press release) is any news item that’s distributed by a company, concerned party, or publicist and is not actually written by, originated by, or researched by a real reporter and editor. Some companies keep their PR (public relations) division in house, but for bigger events they usually hire a big PR firm. The publicists and marketing geniuses (spawns of Satan) then try to get the word out about the company/event to the public. The PR (public relations) people do this by sending out PR (press releases) to everyone and their mother, with special emphasis on hounding the media.

In the normal media world, three things happen when a magazine/newspaper/TV reporter or news editor receives a piece of PR: (1) If they are wise, they throw it in the trash; (2) If they are not too lazy, they try to figure out whether or not there is actually anything newsworthy buried inside the flack-written fluff that is the basis of every PR; (3) If they are a regular, good ol' jurno hack, they try to figure out if they will be able to get any cool interviews or free electronics or movie/concert tickets or stock options or sex out of the publicist if they cover the “news” found in the PR; (4) The reporter/editor will research and verify (or contest) the info in the PR and then begin writing a story based upon the PR, bringing in outside research and doing interviews with people and trying to find the truth, unless they're FOX News or very drunk, in which case they'll just report the PR as fact or plagiarize it verbatim.

However, in the world of stocks, PRs are released directly onto newswires and are then avidly devoured by the public without ever being touched by reporters or editors, so anyone following the stock PR wires needs to do their own extensive DD (due diligence) to figure out what is really relevant and what is bullshit. With many PR wires, the company that wants to issue a news release just has to pay the wire service a fee, and then, bingo-presto, it’s posted online.

At the same time, the company in question and their publicity team may not actually be behind the PRs you see -- it could be the MMs (market makers) that have hired a PR team to release publicity items to help make the stock go up or down. Typically, stock-related PR found on the legitimate news wires will not be lies, per se, since people could get in trouble for distributing completely false information, but the info will likely be manipulated to the furthest extent the law allows, to help whatever party is releasing or paying for the PR.

But since the general media doesn't pay much attention to all the penny stocks out there, penny traders have to rely on PR to a great degree. And the PR, in turn, affects what the stock media reports on, what the stock bulletin boards talk about, and what the stock gurus recommend. And many of the stock-news services that release info on the wires and distribute info through newsletters and websites and spam are glorified PR firms in their own right – they’re paid (with money and/or stock) to recommend the stock they’re flaunting. Nonetheless, even when PR is mostly BS, it can still affect the PPS (price per share) or P/S (market cap divided by revenues, or stock price divided by sales price per share) and is rarely bad new (which is kept strictly on the QT). But you can use PR to your advantage if you’re on top of the news.

Penny Stocks Part 2: Bollinger is Not a Rock Band

Question: Swing trades, day trades, long-term investments. Exchange-Traded Funds (ETFs). NASDAQ, NYSE, AMEX, Pink sheets, and Over the Counter Bulletin Board (OTC BB) trades. Is it business or gambling? Can the small guy ever really win, or is the system rigged against the masses?

As part of my continuing attempt to find unique and insightful trading advice -- especially in the volatile world of penny stocks and -- I now present to you another post from the mighty Ric at the discussion thread “So how do I make money then?” at the Allstocks.com’s Bulletin Board.


Things you need to know

By Ric.

Best two pieces of advice for pennies:

1) Don't let people convince you that a penny is a long hold. You will get burnt. Buy low, sell high, and never look back.

2) Due Diligence.

Two things that you must learn about charts immediately are RSI (the relative strength index) and Bollinger Bands. They are so important. Now there is so much you can learn in charts that will help you make choices but I consider the above the most important things to learn for any investors. RSI will let you know if there is buying pressure or selling pressure. It will also confirm a run. Bollinger Bands also show price pressures and are used to support other indicators. There are links below under TA for education on understanding charts.

Relative Strength Index

Definition:

Relative Strength Index (RSI), an oscillator introduced by J. Welles Wilder, Jr., could be more appropriately called the internal strength index, for it compares the price of a security relative to itself. The RSI is based upon the difference between the average of the closing price on up days vs. the average closing price on the down days over a given period, and is plotted on a vertical scale of 0 to 100. An oscillator refers to a momentum or rate-of-change indicator that is usually valued from -1 to +1 or 0% to %100.

Wilder advocated a 14-day RSI, although shorter and longer periods have gained popularity when the market exhibits certain characteristics. Generally, RSI is measured in a period between 5 and 25.

Interpretation:

There are several possible interpretations for the Relative Strength Index, any of which can be very powerful depending on the market conditions and trading/investment approach: One interpretation is that buy signals are triggered when RSI is in oversold (20-30) area, potentially meaning that the stock is about to reach its low for this trend, and sell signals are triggered when RSI is in overbought (70-80) area, potentially signaling a market top.

A second mode of interpretation is to look for support and resistance lines or common chart formations such as head and shoulders in the RSI itself, indicating potential reversals that the stock chart may not.

A third mode of interpretation is to recognize divergences in the RSI, such as when the price is moving up when the RSI is moving down or vice versa. This can mean that the price is going to "correct" and move in the direction of the RSI.

A fourth mode of interpretation for the RSI is to view it as a bullish or bearish signal when it crosses 50. When the RSI crosses above 50 it can be considered bullish, and when it crosses below 50 it can be considered bearish.


Bollinger Bands


Definition:

Investors use trading bands, lines drawn above and below the moving average, to isolate a range of prices for a given security, based on the concept that a stock generally trades within a predictable range on either side of the moving average. When a stock is near the upper or lower limits of the trading bands is when an investor should pay closest attention, according to conventional wisdom.

Bollinger Bands are considered some of the most useful bands in technical analysis, for they vary in distance from the moving average of a security's price based on the security's volatility. During periods of increased fluctuation, the bands widen to take this into account, and when the fluctuation decreases, the bands are tapered for a narrower focus to the price range. The upper band is the standard deviation multiplied by a given factor above the simple moving average, and the lower band is the standard deviation multiplied by the same given factor below the simple moving average.

Interpretation:

The standard interpretation is that Bollinger Bands do not give absolute buy and sell signals, but instead indicate whether the price is relatively high or low, allowing for more informed confirmation with other technical indicators.

Bollinger Bands are typically drawn two standard deviations from a twenty day simple moving average for intermediate-term analysis, ten day for short term with 1.5 standard deviations, and fifty for long-term studies with 2.5 standard deviations. According to John Bollinger, for the most accurate average "choose one that provides support to the correction of the first move up off a bottom. If the average is penetrated by the correction, then the average is too short. If, in turn, the correction falls short of the average, then the average is too long. An average that is correctly chosen will provide support far more often than it is broken."

Mr. Bollinger also contends that:

Sharp moves tend to occur after the bands tighten to the average, when a stock is less volatile. The greater the period of less volatility, the higher the propensity for a price breakout.

When the price hits the upper or lower bands, it is suggested to confirm with other indicators whether that price movement shows strength or weakness, respectively, which could indicate a continuation. If indicators do not confirm this movement, it can suggest a reversal.

Tops or bottoms made outside the bands, followed by the same inside the bands, indicate a trend reversal.

A move originating at one band tends to go to the other band.


Resources for IQCharts & DD for otcbb and pinksheets


Try these two DD tools to be quick and good with your facts. At pinksheets in a matter of seconds under Company Info I can give you o/s, any r/s, company name changes, or planned changes and more. Quotetracker is a program you install on your computer. I wouldn't survive without it in a quick paced market. Tons of TA and FA with dd. Shoot pinksheets is my homepage on Firefox browser for quick reference. This is the first two places I go for fast due diligence.

www.pinksheets.com {Company Info tab is loaded with information} {SEC Filing Tab - wow} {News Tab - Pr's at your finger tips}

www.quotetracker.com - after you set it up add a symbol quickly then charts, news, research, and raw data at your finger tips. Great charts.

DD is mainly knowing where to go.


FA – Fundamental Analysis


www.pinksheets.com - first place to look!!!! Go to Company info for o/s. r/s, name changes, and many other facts. Go to SEC tab to look for filings. News tabs for latest news that may not show up through normal wire service.

www2.barchart.com - after you enter stock symbol select opinion to see trend spotter

www.otcbbtrader.com – otcbb loser/winner by volume, price, shares, transaction, and more

www.otcbbtrader.com/portal/n_letter/ gen/Microcap_Recap_Report.html - otcbb market recap on otcbb and pinksheet market for the day

tinyurl.com/9s2wr - DD site that is great.

www.otcbb.com – otcbb news

www.boardcentral.com/ index.php?view=Main – most popular stock search

www.smallcapcenter.com – otcbb resources

smallcapcenter.com/ tools_QuickSearch.asp?page=QUICKSEARCH.ASP - free filter

www.stockfetcher.com - stock filter

knobias.10kwizard.com - SEC Edgar filings


TA – Technical Analysis

www.stockcharts.com – charting web site

bigcharts.marketwatch.com – charting web site

www.iqcharts.com/education - TA, candlesticks, chart patterns education

www.stockcharts.com/education/ChartAnalysis - teaches chart analysis

www.transitionstrading.com/Chart_Studies.htm - teaching about charts


General DD (Due Diligence/Research/Fact-Checking)

www.allstocks.com/edu/index.html - Research links

www.quotemedia.com/results.php - Free level II (not pink)/Delayed

www.nasdaqtrader.com/aspx/regsho.aspx - “Sho” list

www.nasdaq.com – Tons of information (insider trading/IPO’s/Most active/much more)

www.tradetrek.com/online.asp - General but with 5 day and 6 month forecasts

www.secform4.com – Free real time insider trader monitor

www.otcbbtrader.com/portal/goto.dll - Market Data

www.stockmarketyellowpages.com – search tool

www.rookiedaytrader.com – Some good advise here

www.epubsinc.com/ index.php?pageName=formtypes – Edgar form types and descriptions

www.shellstockreview.com/ssrShellsBySym.htm - Shell companies

www.daytradingcoach.com/index2.htm - trading tips, education, quotes and charts

www.investopedia.com/ - dictionary of stock terms, tutorials

www.stockcharts.com/education/ MarketAnalysis/dowtheory1.html - theory of market movement

www.stockcharts.com/education/ TradingStrategies - well known trading strategies

our-street.com/home.htm - list of scam companies

www.sec.gov – latest filings, litigations, proceedings, or suspensions


————————————————————

Secretary of States (Protect Yourself!)

Alabama - arc-sos.state.al.us/CGI/ SOSCRP02.MBR/INPUT
Alaska - www.gov.state.ak.us/ltgov
Arizona -www.azsos.gov
Arkansas - www.sosweb.state.ar.us
California - kepler.ss.ca.gov/list.html
Colorado - www.sos.state.co.us
Connecticut - www.sots.state.ct.us
Deleware - www.state.de.us/sos/default.shtml
Florida - www.dos.state.fl.us
Georgia - www.sos.state.ga.us/default800.asp
Hawaii - www.ehawaii.gov/dcca/ bizsearch/exe/bizsearch.cgi
Idaho - www.idsos.state.id.us
Illinois - www.sos.state.il.us
Indiana - www.in.gov/sos
Iowa - www.sos.state.ia.us
Kansas - www.kssos.org/main.htm
Kentucky - sos.ky.gov
Louisana - www.sec.state.la.us
Maine - www.state.me.us/sos
Maryland - www.sos.state.md.us
Massachusetts - www.sec.state.ma.us
Michigan - www.michigan.gov/sos
Minnesota - www.state.mn.us/ebranch/sos
Mississippi - www.sos.state.ms.us
Missouri - www.sos.mo.gov
Montana - sos.state.mt.us/css/index.asp
Nebraska - www.sos.state.ne.us
Nevada - esos.state.nv.us/SOSServices/ AnonymousAccess/CorpSearch/CorpSearch.aspx
New Hampshire -www.sos.nh.gov/index.html
New Jersey - www.state.nj.us/state
New Mexico - www.sos.state.nm.us
New York - www.dos.state.ny.us
North Carolina - www.secretary.state.nc.us/ corporations
North Dakota - www.knowx.com/northdakota/ northdakota-corporate-records.jsp
Ohio - www.sos.state.oh.us
Oklahoma - www.sos.state.ok.us
Oregon - www.sos.state.or.us
Pennsylvania - www.dos.state.pa.us/dos/site/default.asp
Rhode Island - www.state.ri.us
South Carolina - www.scsos.com
South Dakota - www.sdsos.gov/index.htm
Tennessee - www.state.tn.us/sos
Texas - www.sos.state.tx.us
Utah - www.utah.gov/ltgovernor
Vermont - www.sec.state.vt.us
Virginia - www.soc.state.va.us
Washington - www.secstate.wa.gov/corps
West Virginia - www.wvsos.com
Wisconsin - www.sos.state.wi.us
Wyoming - soswy.state.wy.us/corporat/ corporat.htm


Phone Numbers provided by HitMe101


Knight Equity Markets, L.P.
NASDAQ TRADING
800-222-4910

NASDAQ TRADING
888-515-0031

BULLETIN BOARD
800-232-3684

DELISTING/BANKRUPTCY
212-336-8656

DELISTING/BANKRUPTCY
212-336-8791

DELISTING/BANKRUPTCY
212-336-8792

INTERNATIONAL
800-762-0271

BROKER/DEALER DESK
888-302-9197

INSTITUTIONAL DESK
800-222-4895

FOREIGN BULLETIN BD
212-336-8841

HELP DESK
888-931-HELP

NITE UBS Capital Markets L.P.
JERSEY CITY, NJ
N/A

DOMESTIC TRADING
212-514-5140

FOREIGN/ADR TRADING
212-804-3354

OTC BB/PINK TRADING
800-631-3094

DEALER/SALES TRADING
800-213-2923

TD Waterhouse Capital Markets, Inc.
OTC TRADING
201-369-8830

BULLETIN BOARD
201-369-8889

BULLETIN BOARD
800-500-3905

DEALER/INST SALES
201-369-1000

DEALER/INST SALES
800-369-5775

JEFFERIES & COMPANY, INC.
BULLETIN BOARD TRDG
212-336-7007

BROKER DEALER
877-350-2855

NASDAQ TRADING
972-701-3100

DALLAS TX
800-527-6816

AGENCY TRADING
972-701-3250

DALLAS TX
877-273-9728

LOS ANGELES
310-914-1163

STAMFORD CT.
203-708-5910

866-682-2398

INTL TRADING
203-708-5890

800-525-8620

877-350-BULL

LISTED TRADING
973-912-2790

CONVERTIBLES
203-708-5868

BROKER/DEALER DESK
212-336-7007

JEFF Tradition Asiel Securities Inc.
NASDAQ
212-791-4770

OTCBB
212-791-5335

VANDHAM SECURITIES CORP.
NEW YORK NY
212-223-7510

CloseVNDM 07:30
0.015 50 Oppenheimer & Co., Inc.
NEW YORK, NY
212-422-7813

CONVERTIBLE BONDS
212-668-5764

800-682-5381

NASDAQ/OTCBB TRADING
212-422-7813

LISTED DESK
212-668-8033

INSTITUTIONAL DEPT
212-943-9055
Hudson Securities, Inc.
JERSEY CITY, NJ
201-216-9100

JERSEY CITY, NJ
800-624-0050

JERSEY CITY, NJ
212-227-7733

INSTITUTIONAL SALES
800-419-9187

201-216-0375

COLORADO
888-576-1828

BOCA RATON, FL
800-898-2777

INTERNATIONAL
888-306-1998

561-361-0951

CANADIAN ARB
201-216-1475

WM. V. FRANKEL & CO., INCORPORATED
JERSEY CITY, NJ
201-434-5005

NEW YORK, NY
212-943-6633

NEW YORK, NY
800-631-3091

SEABOARD SECURITIES, INC.
NASDAQ/OTCBB
973-514-1699

FLORHAM PK, NJ
973-514-1500

AGENCY DESK
973-514-1678

JUNO BEACH FL.
561-630-6170

Hill Thompson Magid and Co., Inc.
JERSEY CITY, NJ
201-434-8100

JERSEY CITY, NJ
212-233-2200

NASDAQ TRADING
800-631-3083

ADR TRADING
800-879-9842

CANADIAN EQUITIES
866-235-7016

BANK STOCKS
866-291-6316

CHICAGO, IL
800-999-8073

CHICAGO, IL
312-372-3828

Maxim Group LLC
NEW YORK, NY
212-895-3680

800-261-0498

OTCBB
212-895-3874

FOREIGN TRADING
212-895-3897

INTL Trading, Inc.
ORLANDO FL
407-741-5399

800-541-1977

OTCBB DESK
800-327-5703

OTCBB DESK
407-741-5394

NEW YORK, NY
212-485-3545

Bear, Stearns & Co. Inc.
NEW YORK NY
212-272-4810

OTCBB/PINK SHEETS
212-272-4975

NASDAQ TRADING
800-247-7882

EMERGING MARKETS
212-272-9297

INTERNATIONAL
212-272-4580

ARBITRAGE
212-272-4506

PREFERRED
212-272-5104

PREFERRED
800-231-8892

CONVERTIBLES
212-272-4484

HIGH YIELD DEPT
212-272-5100

OTCBB/PINK SHEETS
212-272-4975

VFINANCE INVESTMENTS, INC
OTCBB/PINK SHEETS
800-487-0577

OTCBB/PINK SHEETS
561-981-1314

NEW JERSEY
908-782-4469

NEW YORK
908-782-4469

PHILADELPHIA
856-234-2900

PERSHING TRADING COMPANY, L.P.
JERSEY CITY NJ
201-413-3531

NASDAQ TRADING
800-305-0161

BULLETIN BOARD
201-413-2700

DEALER DESK
201-413-2465

866-880-9410

Fulcrum Global Partners LLC
OTCBB DESK
212-803-7046

OTCBB BROKER/DEALER
212-803-7070

CANADIAN/FOREIGN DSK
212-803-9026

Sterne Agee Capital Markets, Inc.
BOCA RATON, FL
561-368-8373

BOCA RATON, FL
800-930-3536

DEALER SALES, FRANK
800-979-4568

DOMESTIC SECURITIES, INC.
EDISON, NJ - OTC
732-661-0300

MONTVALE, NJ OTC
201-782-0009

MONTVALE, NJ HQ
201-782-0888

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Recovering a Loss

Loss vs. Gain-Needed-to-Recover-the-Loss

10% - 11.1%
20% - 25.0%
30% - 42.9%
40% - 66.7%
50% - 100.0%
60% - 150.0%
75% - 300.0%
90% - 1000.0%

Timing your entry and exit from the market is critical to making money and controlling losses.


MM Signals

100 > I need shares
200 > I need shares badly but don’t take it down to get them.
300 > Take the price down to get shares......
400 > Trade it sideways based on Supply and Demand
500 > Gap one-way or the other, usually to the direction of the 500 trade. Sometimes -if in the middle -keep the price right where it is.

Invest with your brain not with your heart. — Ric

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Check out the Spam Stock Tracker project. -- L.B.

Penny Stocks Part 1: Psychological Trappings

Despite the dire risk of boring many readers, I've decided to blog up some investment advice.

The following is taken from a post by the mighty Ric at "So how do I make money then?," a recent discussion thread at Allstocks.com’s Bulletin Board.


PRICE IS CONTROLLED BY THE PSYCHOLOGICAL TRAPPINGS OF THE MARKET.

By realityinc21/Diana

Stage 1 - Accumulation. Stock is quiet, trading sideways and without a lot of volatility. Most everyone ignores the stock because it has no sizzle. Insiders hold large blocks of stock and quietly gear up for the distribution.

Stage 2 - Breakout. Volume jumps up, psychological barriers are broken. Insiders begin to tell their friends of upcoming significant fundamental change. Pros take notice and buy the stock on the coat tails of the well informed. The public ignores it because they have not read about the company in the paper yet. It must be a scam.

Stage 3 - Uptrend. As a larger audience learns of the company and its promise, more buying comes in to the stock and it begins to climb. Pros begin to sell, but slowly. Average investor begins to buy.

Stage 4 - Pullback. The stock has gone up too fast, and some profit taking arrives. The jumpy investor who got the entry timing right but lacks confidence in his or her decision sells the stock with a small profit, and smiles in the mirror. The Pro holds on, Average Investor looks through the newspaper to find justification for ownership of the shares.

Stage 5 - Resumption of the Uptrend. The pull back is short lived, and the stock bounces and continues higher. The wannabe regrets the sell, but provides self counsel on the merit of making a profit, albeit a small one. The Pro might sell a little bit more, but still holds the majority of the original position. The Average Investor is getting excited now, and thinks about what could have been if only he had bought when he first noticed the stock.

Stage 6 - Exhaustion of the Uptrend. The media takes notice, and communicates the company's merits to the masses. The masses buy the stock, and it goes up sharply with strong volume. The Pros sell with enthusiasm. The Average Investor owns it now, and is telling everyone who will listen. The wannabe Pro jumps back on, after all, he was smart enough to buy it when the trend started, so he knows the stock well. Will hope make it go higher?

Stage 7 - Gravity Works. Pro selling begins to weigh on the uptrend, and the stock fails to go higher despite high volumes. The stock starts to go down instead of up, and the Pro is almost sold out. The Average Investor continues to cheer lead, hoping to rally support. The wannabe ignores what the market is telling him, taking a loss is too painful to consider. The company is featured on the cover of a magazine.

Stage 8 - The Second Guess. The stock bounces and starts to go back up. The wannabe Pro averages down while the Average Investor gets back to advising friends of his stock picking acumen. Pros sell their remaining holdings and begin to look for another deal to play, or perhaps start short selling the stock.

Stage 9 - Out of Gas. The bounce is a fake out, and the stock moves lower again. The public owns this stock, and they have no more power to buy. The Pro are making money on the short sales now, but are despised by the masses. The Average Investor makes calls for short selling to be made illegal—after all, the short sellers are the demons causing the sell off.

Stage 10 - Dead Cat Bounce. The Average Investor and the wannabe Pro have no pain tolerance left, and finally sell for a big loss. The short selling Pros are the only buyers to take the share off their hands, and provide the needed liquidity. The stock bounces, and some short-term traders make a quick profit. The Average Investor either swears to never buy a stock again, or tells lively stories over drinks about the one that could have been.

Stage 11 - Post Mortem. Pros have forgot about the stock and are considering carpet samples for their new home in Florida. Average Investor continues to follow the company and buys loads of cheap stock to try and overcome the regrettable loss.

The stock market is mean. You can be a good analyst, but if you can't overcome the psychological traps of trading, you will do what the crowd does. To be successful, you have be one step ahead of the crowd, and trade with unemotional discipline. There are strategies to take advantage of each stage of the market cycle that can be applied just by looking at a stock chart. They just require a bit of knowledge.

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Everyday for the next 30 days, read this 10 times a day.

Ask yourself 10 times a day "what kind of trader am I going to be??" Am I going to be a crying whining little bitch or am I going to shake it off?? Am I going to buy to high because I do not know how to read a chart or am I going to f**cking learn how to read a chart?? Am I going to be the entertainment for this board or am I going to go the library and check out all the books that I can read on day trading and investing and stock charting. Am I going to learn how to do my own due diligence or am I going to buy on the recommendation of people from this board?? (It is pretty obvious that is what happened) they were great recommendations but you were about 5 steps behind. It looks like by the time you were buying everyone else was selling. Am I going to take this laying down or am I going to get my Goddamn money back. No one can make those choices for you!!

May seem like I am being a cold hearted bitch but this the real world baby. The question you have to address right this minute is… am I going learn on the fly or am I going to back it up and learn about what the f**ck I am doing?? You dove in headfirst now you have to learn how to swim. If you are not willing to learn how to swim—bail and take your loss. Day trading is time consuming. I would venture to say that most of the people on this board spend 5 to 10 hours a day researching-charting-reading sec filings-going over financials—reading news releases—communicating with other traders on strategies—then finally buying—then the same process begins for the exit. It may not seem like it right now but I am trying to help you. As will others. Sugarcoating the facts will not help you. You need a good dose of reality and I just gave it to you!! I.e. reality incorporated....

The only consolation that I can give you is: I have been in your shoes. After over 20 years of dealing with the market I still was not prepared for the depth of day trading. I learn new things everyday and make mistakes everyday. After 4 years of making at least 5 trades a day I am a newbie just like you. It is a process. Welcome to day trading and good luck with your choices. Reality incorporated Establish a set of trading rules that work for you. These are my rules. You have a adapt your own. Maybe this will give you some guidelines to go by.

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MY PENNY STOCK RULES:

1. I never buy on impulse or get emotionally attached to a —think LOGIC—I buy it, I sell it, I make money and I rarely look back.

2. I never buy a stock JUST because I like it or worse someone else likes it.

3. I rarely buy a micro penny stock trading under a volume of 50,000 mil—80 to 100 mil is better (always remember there has to be buyer for every stock you buy)...

4. I rarely hold a micro penny stock over night.... My definition of micro penny is under .10 cents ...Rarely over a weekend...NOTICE I SAID RARELY. THERE ARE SOME STOCKS THAT HAVE A BUILD UP AND IF THE VOLUME IS GOOD AND I FEEL CONFIDENT ABOUT MY DD I WILL HOLD IT FOR THE RUN. At $7.00 to $10.00 a trade I can buy and sell it every day on news or hype or earning whatever. .(THAT'S WHY IT'S CALLED DAY TRADING)

5. I never buy a penny stock on the way up. IE CHASING I watch the pre market trading and set a buy price and a sell price and stick to it (missed out on NEOM by sticking to my rules—I noticed it at .11 and refused to buy to high) UPSIDE IS I DO NOT HOLD 500,000 SHARES OF NEOM AT.43 CENTS—-DOWNSIDE I DID NOT MAKE 50,000 DOLLARS. I DID MAKE A COUPLE OF GRAND BY PLAYING THE GAP AFTER THE RUN. IF YOU MISS THE RUN PLAY THE GAP. LIKE THE MAN SAID—THERE IS ANOTHER STOCK JUST WAITING TO BE BOUGHT.

6. I never think about GETTING RICH OR RETIRING on penny stocks...My goal is to make $200.00 a day and not lose my original investment. Most often I exceed my goal. (When I lose money it is usually because I have not followed my own rules)

7. I never ride a stock down—I will sell it and re-buy it. EXAMPLE: BOUGHT CTKH AT .002 AND .0022. SOLD HALF AT .0046. SOLD HALF OF THAT HALF AT .0069. IT STARTED GOING DOWN AND I BAILED OUT AT .006. BOUGHT AGAIN TODAY AT .0032. LOGIC-DO YOU ACTUALLY BELIEVE MUTUAL FUND MANAGERS WOULD HAVE HELD ONTO IBM IF IT DROPPED 50%?????—(WELL SOME WOULD) LOL I THINK NOT...RIDING A STOCK DOWN IS LIKE THROWING 50% OF YOUR MONEY OUT OF A CAR WINDOW AT 75 MILES AN HOUR AND HOPING IT FLIES BACK TO YOU. OR BETTER YET "IF YOU LOVE IT LET IT GO—IF IT LOVES YOU IT WILL COME BACK TO YOU". THAT’S BULL****—IF IT LOVED YOU IN THE FIRST PLACE IT NEVER WOULD HAVE LEFT... I have actually bought and sold the same stock 3 times in one day. ATNG WAS A RECENT 3 TIME BUY AND SELL. BOUGHT AND SOLD IBZT 3 TIMES ONE DAY. (not usually but it does happen).

8. I never insult or bash another fellow trader...I respect other people's trading methods. I LEARN FROM THEM. What the hell—It's not my money.... ( It's not like they are setting on third base at a black jack table and take a hit on 15 and the dealer has a 6 showing and I have $500.00 dollars riding on that hand). I DO LISTEN AND LEARN AND BENEFIT FROM THEM.

9. I never trade with MONEY that I am not willing to lose.

10. I follow the market and market trends (not just the stocks)

11. I never buy a stock without reviewing, analyzing and understanding the charts. I learned how to read charts and believe in them....They do not lie...I MAY NOT KNOW WHAT THEY MAKE OR PRODUCE OR SELL WHEN I BUY IT BUT I DO REVIEW THE CHARTS ON THE FLY AND PUT IN A BUY ORDER FOR SMALL AMOUNT TO GET IN THE DOOR. MOST TRADERS KNOW WHEN A RUN IS COMING AND HAVE ALREADY DONE THE DUE.

12. I never get gambling and investing confused. I INVEST IN REAL ESTATE.... MY BUSINESS....SMALL, MEDIUM AND LARGE CAP STOCKS WITH A HISTORY-MANAGEMENT TEAM-FINANCIALS—ASSETS—CASH—ETC...30 YEARS+ GROWTH AND INCOME MUTUAL FUNDS WITH 12% OVERALL GAIN IN GOOD AND BAD TIMES (THEY ARE PROFESSIONALS AND THAT IS THEIR JOB). I GAMBLE WITH PENNIES... MY DEFINITION OF PENNIES IS ANYTHING UNDER $5.00.

13. I always take 50% of earning from each week and e-transfer into INTEREST BEARING TAX account. THEN I LEARNED HOW TO INVEST THAT MONEY IN REAL ESTATE TO MINIMIZE TAXES. INCORPORATE, PROTECT AND SHELTER.

14. I ALWAYS TAKE MY ORIGINAL INVESTMENT OUT OF THE EQUATION WHEN IT IS FEASIBLE TO MAKE ENOUGH MONEY ON THE TRADE TO MAKE IT WORTHWHILE .IE...WHEN THE STOCK IS ON A RUN UP SELL PORTIONS AT TIME TO RECOUP ORIGINAL INVESTMENT. IF IT IS A STOCK I PLAN TO KEEP LIKE TFSM—I BOUGHT AT 1.06. AT 2.12 I WILL SELL HALF AND RECOUP INVESTMENT AND KEEP 5000 SHARES FOR FREE. HOPEFULLY THAT WILL BE THIS WEEK.

15. I ALWAYS HAVE FUN.........ACTUALLY I HAVE A BLAST....

16. I LEARN SOMETHING NEW EVERYDAY....

17. I CAN'T SPELL, TYPE WELL OR USE PROPER GRAMMAR—AND I SWEAR LIKE A SAILOR...BUT IF YOU PUT A DOLLAR SIGN IN FRONT OF IT—-I WILL FIGURE IT OUT..........THAT CERTAINLY DOES NOT MAKE ME STUPID...IT MAKES ME SMART BY RECOGNIZING MY LIMITATIONS. LEARN YOURS.

18. I ALWAYS MAKE MY OWN DECISIONS AND TAKE ALL RESPONSIBILITY FOR MY ACTIONS.

19. I LAUGH EVERYDAY...MOSTLY AT MYSELF AND SOMETIMES AT OTHERS....

20. LAST AND MOST IMPORTANT—THE MARKET HAS A RHYTHM—EACH STOCK HAS A RHYTHM—LIKE GREAT SEX—A RHYTHM...FIGURE OUT YOUR OWN RHYTHM WITH THE MARKET AND DUE YOUR OWN DD... LEARN THE RHYTHM OF THE CHARTS. IT IS CALLED "HARD WORK". THE REST WILL FOLLOW. TAKE THE TIME TO PASS ON YOUR GOOD FORTUNE TO OTHERS. WHAT GOES AROUND COMES AROUND AND YOU CAN TAKE THAT TO THE BANK.

-- realityinc21/Diana


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Some other reliable gurus I've run across at Allstocks.com’s Bulletin Board are FatherOfTwo and QuestSolver, but there are a lot of talented folks on this forum and on other sites online. No matter how highly or lowly rated anyone is, however, your best bet is to track their advice for a while -- and look at their old recommendations -- to see how often they're right and wrong.

Once you've found someone who can find the winners, also think about whether or not their advice and trading style fit your needs and your own style and attitude. This vetting process will help you figure out whose picks you should follow in the future, which in turn will speed up your own ability to make money on the fly. -- L.B.