Day Traders Diary

2/19/09

U.S. stocks open modestly higher once again as the major averages sit precariously above the November bear market lows. The Dow Jones Industrial Average added 35 points to 7,591. The S&P 500 climbed 6 points to 795 while the Nasdaq Composite gained 13 points to stand at 1,481. The Dow is holding in there even though HP lowered guidance last night. The stock is down 7%. Dell is down 3% in sympathy. Baidu is higher on solid earnings, helping lift Google and Yahoo. CNBC's Cramer recommended IBM, but it isn't helping. CBS reported dismal earnings last night and cut the dividend, but the stock is higher this morning. Sprint/Nextel, CVS, Avon, Hormel, Noble Energy, Gamestop, Whole Foods, and Pride International are higher following earnings. Whole Foods is jumping 33%. The best we can say about the financials is they opened unchanged or a little higher. However, after the open, Citigroup and Bank of America pushed lower, heading to zero. That's bad. Rumors are surfacing that JP Morgan wants to give back their TARP money. Can't blame them. After the first half an hour the averages hadn't budged from where they opened. After the first hour, the averages had drifted back to the unchanged level. Bank of America is down 9%. Scary.

All comments contained herein are for informational purposes only, and should not be considered as a solicitation to buy or sell any security. The firm does not guarantee the accuracy or completeness of the information or make any warranties regarding results from it's usage.