The market has been looking to the financial sector for clues about the health of the economy and the strength of any pending recovery. But this is a departure from the past, mostly because of the group's role in the global economic meltdown that shook the markets last fall.

Historically speaking, other industries have offered more clues about the country's economic health, one of the best being transports.

Transports Are A Leading Indicator

Transports are considered early cycle indicators, with consumer and business spending quickly showing up in the group's results. So while the financials are squarely in the spotlight, the transports deserve some attention too in order to develop a more rounded view of the economic landscape.

Let's take a closer look at some major players operating in different segments of the transports sector.

Federal Express (

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Dell (

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Here are the stocks added to the Zacks #5 Rank ("strong sell") List today:

Aegean Marine Petroleum Network Inc (ANW) AeroVironment Inc (AVAV) Albany International Corp (AIN) BancTrust Financial Group Inc (BTFG) Build-A-Bear Workshop Inc (BBW) C&D Technologies Inc (CHP) CARBO Ceramics Inc (CRR) Care Investment Trust Inc (CRE) China Security & Surveillance Tech Inc (CSR) CNOOC Ltd (CEO) CoBiz Financial Inc (COBZ) Coleman Cable Inc (CCIX) Collective Brands Inc (PSS) CRH Plc (CRH) Cumulus Media Inc (CMLS) Cybex International Inc (CYBI) Dayton Superior Corp (DSUPQ) DCP Midstream Partners LP (DPM) Employers Holdings Inc (EIG) Entravision Communication (EVC) Exterran Holdings Inc (EXH) Foundation Coal Holdings Inc (FCL) Fresh Del Monte Produce Inc (FDP) Frontline Ltd (FRO) G&K Services Inc (GKSR) Gladstone Capital Corp (...

Here are the stocks added to the Zacks #5 Rank ("strong sell") List today:

AerCap Holdings NV (AER) Ametek Inc (AME) AptarGroup Inc (ATR) CKE Restaurants Inc (CKR) Frontline Ltd (FRO) Greenhill & Co Inc (GHL) II-VI Inc (IIVI) International Game Technology (IGT) KVH Industries Inc (KVHI) LeapFrog Enterprises Inc (LF) NCR Corp (NCR) Old Dominion Freight Line (ODFL) Penn Virginia GP Holdings LP (PVG) Stanley Furniture Company Inc (STLY) Strattec Security Corp (STRT) SunPower Corp (SPWRA) Transocean Ltd (RIG) Twin Disc Inc (TWIN) View the entire Zacks #5 Rank List.

Zacks Investment Research

Here are the stocks added to the Zacks #5 Rank ("strong sell") List today:

Acergy SA (ACGY) Akzo Nobel NV (AKZOY) Allegheny Energy Inc (AYE) Axis Capital Holdings Ltd (AXS) BG Group Plc (BRGYY) Camden Property Trust (CPT) CBL & Associates Properties Inc (CBL) Columbus McKinnon Corp (CMCO) Consolidated Graphics Inc (CGX) Cytec Industries Inc (CYT) Dawson Geophysical Co (DWSN) Delphi Financial Group Inc (DFG) El Paso Corp (EP) Equinix Inc (EQIX) Frontline Ltd (FRO) Gamco Investors Inc (GBL) Illinois Tool Works Inc (ITW) Lindsay Corp (LNN) Loews Corp (L) M&T Bank Corp (MTB) Mercury General Corp (MCY) Old Point Financial Corp (OPOF) Parker-Hannifin Corp (PH) Partner Communications Company Ltd (PTNR) Signet Jewelers Ltd (SIG) Superior Energy Services Inc (SPN) Urban Outfitters Inc ...

Keith Fitz-Gerald says investors have the chance to profit from the contango phenomenon in oil markets. The implied higher future oil prices mean an opportunity to buy oil-related ETFs now at a bargain price. For a safer option, Keith picks two oil transportation companies that pay healthy dividends.

This from Money Morning:

Many investors have given up on oil, fearing that a fall from grace precludes a rise in price from the ashes. But it’s worth noting that the oil markets are right now in a rare state of  ’super contango,’ which suggests that the markets expect far higher prices by next year.

Here’s what you need to know.

In case you’re not familiar with the term, ‘contango‘ denotes a normal and very specific condition associated with futures contracts in which the price of oil for distant delivery months from now exceeds the price of oil being traded right now

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pNo sooner do I say that gold may go lower (and the U.S. dollar higher) than gold ramps up again and the greenback stumbles badly. Sigh. Well, my longer-term (and bigger) bets are on the right side.br /br /Here is news I'm reading ...br /br /a class=summheadline href=http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601083amp;sid=aOsLprMIpWycamp;refer=currencystrongDollar Falls From Three-Week High Versus Euro as ADP Says Job Cuts Rose /strong/aThe dollar fell from a more-than three-week high against the euro after a private report showed U.S. job market deteriorated last month, reinforcing expectations for a long recession. br /br /XX Sean's note -- does the ADP news surprise anybody? Yes, the loss of 693,000 jobs was a href=http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601087amp;sid=axprAUuvIM3Aamp;refer=worldwidestronghigher than analysts' expectations /strong/aof a loss of 495,000 jobs. But everyone I talked to thought the real number would be higher than estimates. So again, who is surprised? br /br /a href=http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601087amp;sid=ahkU9Lg5fzoAamp;refer=homestrongOil Traders Seek Another 10 Supertankers for Storage/strong/a br /Frontline ...

viastockadvisors

Bryan Perry focuses on stocks that offer a combination of both income and growth potential; in The 25% Cash Machine, he looks at oil shipping firm Frontline.

Track Bryan’s picks at:

http://trackthepros.com/stocks/category/1562

“There is no way this world is going to function without double-hulled tankers hauling oil across the world’s oceans to the energy-hungry net import nations.

“While the domestic demand has been curtailed by the general slowdown in the economy, that will be temporary.

“The biggest operator transporting crude oil around the world is Frontline Ltd. And once again I find myself saying just how cheap this stock is, given its lead position in the crude tanker business.

“The thing that gets me particularly excited about Frontline is that it’s a leader in an industry that is vital to the future of the global economy.

“Short of a long-term, worldwide depression, the company is in a great position

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Dow components Hewlett-Packard (HPQ) and Home Depot (HD) headline the last official week of second-quarter earnings season. Joining them will be S&P 500 members Gap (GPS), Lowe's (LOW), Limited (LTD) and Target (TGT).

Overall, we have confirmed reports from 106 companies, 13 of which are in the S&P 500. Retailers will again be prominent, with 40 listed to release results.

There is not much on the economic calendar, though we will get inflation numbers on Tuesday. Key data will include: Tuesday: July producer prices (PPI), July housing starts, July building permits Wednesday: Weekly crude inventories Thursday: July Leading Indicators, August Phili Fed survey, weekly initial jobless claims

The Kansas City Fed will hold its economic symposium at Jackson Hole, WY. Fed Chairman Fed Ben Bernanke will speak about financial stability on Friday.

Volume could be modest through Labor Day as traders try to get in late

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