Spectrum Pharmaceuticals

I recently purchased Spectrum Pharmaceuticals (SPPI) at $15.57 based upon my research using Investor's Business Daily. The stock is currently trading around its 20-day moving average and above its 50-day moving average. Let's see how this trade plays out over the coming weeks. I will look to exit this trade if this stock trades down over 10%.

Activision Closed Out

I closed out my position in Activision Blizzard, Inc. (ATVI) on 12/2/11 at $12.39 for a slight gain. This stock was part of my portfolio for around 2 years and just really never gained the traction I expected, which is why I chose to finally part ways. The main premise behind entering this stock was to capture the online gaming portfolio most notably World of Warcraft. The game and subscriptions were huge successes, however just never translated into a high flying stock.

Trade Activity 9/15/11

I closed out my position in Vale S.A. (VALE) at $27.44 for a gain of almost 6%. I'm also testing the waters on a gold down day to get into a stock that has been a high flyer and is now down over $2.50 per share give or take a few pennies. The stock is Randgold Resources Ltd (GOLD) and I'm in at $106.10. The stock is currently ranked #10 on the IBD 50 and is a leader in the industry and will hopefully continue on the weaker market.

The chart above is showing Randgold on a weekly chart as it dips and touches the 200-day moving average on lower than average volume and somewhat oversold indicators as spelled out by the stochastics.

Trade Activity 8/23/11

I took advantage in the recent market drop-off to pick up some additional shares of U.S Steel (X) at $25.83 and entered into a new position in Vale S.A (VALE) at $25.76.

Recent Trades 8/9/2011

Picked up a few more hundred shares of Annaly Capital Management (NLY) when shares dipped into the low 17's. I also tested my Sunday theory by purchasing a Jan 2012 $30.00 call on Petroleo Brasileiro (PBR) as the stock dipped into the 26 range.

Sunday Thoughts

The market has been very volatile, I shy away from saying crazy because some folks have been anticipating a correction due to ongoing world debt issues. Whatever your take on the situation I'm wondering how the U.S. debt downgrade will impact the open come Monday morning. I'm almost in all cash except for a few shares of U.S. Steel. I think my plan tonight is to do my due dilligence and research some stocks that I wouldn't mind getting long in.

If the market remains volatile and provides huge swings up/down then doesn't it make sense to take advantage of this market via long straddle? Here is my thought process behind this and someone please comment if they agree/disagree with my consensus. If I enter call/put position on a stock, I know up front what my risk will be and how much I could lose in a worst case scenario. On the flip side, with the huge volatility it may be better than actually getting caught on the wrong side of a trade.

Trade Activity 8/5/2011

I tried to double down on my position in Petroleo Brasileiro (PBR) by purchasing another 100 shares on August 4th for $29.58. The stock turned against me today and kept declining, so I closed out my entire PBR position @ $28.81 for an overall 8% loss.

Trade Activity for 7/26/11

I was listening to Day Trading Radio this morning and caught a piece of his analysis of Diana Shipping (DSX), which I have watched in the past along with other shippers such as Dry Ships (DRYS). I decided to see if I could pull a profit on just a 100 shares. I'm in at $9.84

Nice Article on Annaly Capital

Here is a nice article on Annaly Capital (NLY), which I have been holding since November 2010. Don't forget they come out with earnings on July 25th. The article is courtesy of Seeking Alpha.

http://seekingalpha.com/article/281097-who-owns-annaly-capital?source=yahoo

Trade Activity 7/1/11

Sold U.S. Steel (X) at $46.57 for a 9.34% gain since my entrance into this stock on 6/21/11