Risk aversion has re-entered the investment equation with risky assets such as equities and commodities bearing the brunt of the selling orders, while gold bullion, government bonds, the US dollar and the yen are attracting safe-haven money.

The global stock market pullback seems to be gathering momentum with three markets on my radar screen now trading below their 50-day moving averages, indicating a reversal of the secondary trend. These markets are China, Hong Kong and Chile, with most others uncomfortably close to this intermediate support level (see table below). I am of the opinion that more markets will fall below the 50-day lines and that we will at least see some degree of reversion to the key 200-day moving averages (often used to distinguish between primary bull and bear markets). The table provides the key levels, as well as the declines since the recent highs.

Click here

...

The Rise of TheStreet.com

A company that many of our editors have been keeping track of over the past several weeks for its stock price as much for it’s borrowing of our Oxford Club’s Chairman’s Circle ideas is TheStreet.com (Nasdaq: TSCM).

And its recent price movements have been drawing a lot of interest from technical traders and fundamentalists as well. If you’re unfamiliar with TheStreet you’re probably familiar, if not aware of it’s outspoken leader Jim Cramer.

While many have questioned his entertainment factor against the value he’s added picking stocks for viewers, his real impact on TheStreet’s bottom line is immense. His face is a majority of the brand. The concern for investors would be for something to happen to him.

TheStreet publishes almost 100 new articles a day and uses the traffic to fuel its premium services and gain “eyeball”

...

Source: TheStreet.com  06/10/2008
As anyone who has bought gasoline might guess, the energy/natural resources sector easily outdistanced all other equity mutual fund categories in May.

The average fund in the energy/natural resources sector moved up 7.10% during the most recent month, while the weak U.S. dollar and worldwide economic jitters lifted the average precious metals fund by 6.01% into second place.

Interesting story on TheStreet.com today; we continue to love near monopolies... multiple ways to win here - as the "pooring of America" continues, cash strapped Americans will turn more to credit (before defaulting in some cases), and much of the rest of the world has yet to see their first credit card...Visa's strategy -- one shared by rival MasterCard MA -- of capitalizing on consumers' increasing reliance on plastic to pay for everyday purchases, rather than simply big-ticket items. Now, the two companies are looking to prepaid cards as another potential growth area, as they attempt to continue strong growth inside the U.S. and -- more important -- globally."The big vision is that ... people talk about prepaid in the same way they talk about credit and debit," says Elizabeth Buse, Visa's global head of product, in an interview with TheStreet.com. "If we're talking a few ...

Hello Friends!  Thanks so much for stopping by and visiting my blog, Stock Picks Bob’s Advice!  As always, please remember that I am an amateur investor, so please remember to consult with your professional investment advisers prior to making any investment decisions based on information on this website.

A few moments ago I sold my 140 shares of IHS (IHS) that I had puchased 10/1/07 with a cost basis of $58.53.   These shares were sold at $59.29 for a gain of $.76 or 1.3% since purchase.

This sale doesn’t really fit into my usual ‘trading rules’.  But I always retain the right to arbitrarily ‘pull the plug’ on any of my holdings.  Perhaps it is because my portfolio is so small at 6 positions now–or I am just anxious to keep up with my Covestor …