Top-10 (9!) stock blogs

Thank you to Fiona King at CurrencyTrading.net for listing me as part of their top-9 stock blogs.

Also thank you to all who have sent their respects by email. I very much appreciate the support.

Essential Reading

Yesterday's consolidation didn't change anything on the broader picture. Monday's bullish gains still hold as dominant until proven otherwise. Today's post looks at what is going around the Blogosphere.

Timothy Sykes offers his usual low key assessment on Yahoo!s decision to removed date/time stamps from its posts. I cannot agree more with him... dumbasses. Maybe this is a strategy to scare off Microsoft.

One of my favorite morning stop-offs is Maoxian's del.icio.us links.

Abnormal Returns is my first port of call to get a working list of articles to read for the day. TraderMike is my second, although he is on vacation. And Charles Kirk when he publishes his linkfest (also on vacation).

24/7 WallStreet hvae the 25 most valuable blogs. Wouldn't mind a slice of that pie, although somewhat depressing to see a (hypothetical) range from $860,000 to $150 million across the 25. Oh to be numero uno on that list.

Datawink has an excellent chart analysis tool. Bullish prognosis for Intel. But JPMorgan Chase & Co. is a no-no.

Bill Cara has an extensive summary of Wednesday's action.

Travis asks if "Commodity" is going to be a bad word again? Commodity bull markets can last for up to 35 years, the current one is still in its early stages - so even if the short term picture looks rocky, the long term picture should be fine. The next test of 200-day MAs/40-week MAs for the likes of Oil, Gold, Grains, and Copper will likely kick start the next (substantial) leg of the rally.

Bill Rempel has an extensive article on impacts of market performance over the past 10 years have little bearing on how the market performs over the next 10 years.

Headline charts has gone long the market as of March 24th.

Stock Trading to Go explains why the Oracle Corp (ORCL) miss is important over and above the Plain Jane miss.

Afraid to Trade is looking for a cup-and-handle bottom for Apple Inc (AAPL).

Finally, Brett has a good piece on using the Dow TICK to track program trading.

What you should be reading for today

Looks like St. Paddy's day was not one for Bear Stearns (or its employees) to celebrate. The subsequent action in the markets reflected the panic.

Bill has an excellent chart showing the relationship between the VIX and 10-year Treasury Yield. This ratio is at levels last seen in the 2002/2003 bottom

TraderMike has his usual succinct summary. He is watching 2,200 closely in the Nasdaq. Market reaction to Fed decision will decide whether we have support or resistance.

Will the Fed cut by a full 1%? Will Markets view it as the needed cure? Or a panic reaction to the current state of affairs? It sounds like a lot to me - but what do I know.

Barry has Lehmans on B.S. watch.

Steven Smith at TheStreet.com noted heavy option trading volume in B.S. over the course of the last couple of weeks.

Kevin's Market Blog is looking for a measured move target down to $39-39 for the Qs.

Quantifiable Edges notes how Bear ruined the traditional pre-Fed rally. But, not to be outdone, the Fed impact on the market turns more negative as time passes (Oh Great!).

In times like these it is better to buy stocks for the long haul, rather than try and trade the volatility swings. For me, the best stocks to buy in these conditions are dividend payers. Why? You are buying a stock at deep discount with a yield which is (usually) far superior to any bond - a good floor for any stock. Assuming you spread your share purchases over time you can get a really good deal on stocks. Sites like Dividend Money, Dividend Growth, Dividend Guy, Dividends4Life, and Dividends Matter should be on your feed readers. Dividend Money had a nice piece about Insurers.

If/When the Fed starts to adopt a Zimbabwean policy towards money it will probably unwittingly cure the Social Security shortfall.

Microcap Speculator: Financial Blog Search

Josh over at Microcap Speculator has created a new Financial Blog Search. Give it a test drive today.

Essential Reading

Wall St Warrior sees good strength in the DJ US Medical Services Index

ETF expert is sticking with Utilities

Stock Trading to go is looking for a bright start for Thursday

Brett's comment on Wednesday's action is telling:

Nearly half of those 20-day lows, however, were also 52-week new lows. There is a core group of stocks that are quite weak; small caps are notable in that regard; financials and homebuilders continue to lead the downside (and were an excellent tell for the late weakness on Tuesday). Among NYSE common issues, we had 40 new annual highs against 390 new lows. The failure of the weakness to attract any sustained buying has been worrisome: bottoms are usually formed when we get very strong buying on high volume at price lows, as institutions pick up bargains. No bargain hunting yet.

Or are too many waiting for a bounce.

Ugly has taken a slice of EHTH

Trader's Narrative is looking for a reprieve in financials.

Essential reading

Headline charts on Interest rates and the dollar

Headline charts (again) on Sector Strength: His Growth/Value comparison, and Cyclical index comparison charts are excellent.

Bill (No DooDahs) has voiced concerns on the lack of volatility. Also noted by Bill (Vix and More) last Friday. No fear likely means no bottom.

Jack Haddad has gone long the Diamonds (DIA). A must-do subscribe feed.

Nice bullet point summary from Stockbee, with two sectors to watch.

Datawink was looking for "extreme weakness" in the Dow from December 21st.

AC Investor has a solid list of stocks for Wednesday

TraderMike has a quick chart summary for the market

Brett Steenbarger's lesson of the day

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