With all the volatility this month, I thought it would be bad… but the month was basically a wash, a little higher than before. The market, though, has started to pull away a bit. My goal continues to be to beat the market, but that’s not currently happening. It’s September, so I’m easing back into some options again, buying out of the money calls.
- Last 4 weeks: 2.8%
- Last 3 months: -0.5%
- Last 12 months: +4.5%
- Year to date: +5.4% (Dow is +7.5 ytd from 12,463)
Holding for another month:
| Ticker | Bought | Now | Months | Return | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CLB | $101.74 | $113.0 | 1 | +11.1% | Core Laboratories NV. From the Peg_Minimalist screen. |
| FDP | $27.61 | $26.24 | 1 | -5.0% | Fresh Del Monte Produce Inc. Sort of like overripe fruit. From the H52EgPS screen. |
| MCY | $53.85 | $53.16 | 10 | -1.3% | Mercury General Corp. From the LPE_YLD screen. |
| MDR | $79.63 | $95.47 | 3 | +19.9% | McDermott International. From the Screamers screen, then the RSPeg2 screen, but now the TREPPE screen. |
| PKOH | $20.80 | $27.43 | 4 | +31.9% | Park-Ohio Holdings Corp. Originally from the H52EgPS screen, then RSPeg2, but now TREPPE. Getting a little long in the tooth, though. |
| PFE | $26.10 | $24.97 | 7 | -4.3% | Pfizer Inc. From the LPE_YLD screen. Looks like a loss, but with dividends, it’s actually break even. |
Selling these:
| Ticker | Bought | Sold | Months | Return | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CFI | $11.85 | $9.97 | 1 | -15.9% | Culp Inc. Well, they can’t all be winners. From the Peg_Minimalist screen. |
| DO | $92.90 | $107.83 | 1 | +16.1% | Diamond Offshore Drilling Inc. From the TREPPE screen. |
| ISRG | $206.66 | $223.56 | 1 | +8.2% | Intuitive Surgical Inc. From the Screamers screen. |
| MLI | $37.30 | $35.20 | 1 | -5.6% | Mueller Industries Inc. From the H52EgPS screen. |
| NVT | $64.37 | $66.58 | 1 | +3.4% | NAVTEQ Corp. From the Screamers screen. |
| PCU | $96.95 | $107.53 | 1 | +10.9% | Southern Copper Corp. From the TREPPE screen. |
New stocks for this month:
| Ticker | Bought | Sold | Months | Return | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ARTC | $57.39 | $N/A | 0 | N/A% | Arthrocare Corp. From the RSPeg2 screen. |
| FOSL | $33.95 | $N/A | 0 | N/A% | Fossil Inc. Dinosaurs? Nope, fashion accessories. From the Screamers screen. |
| RDEN | $24.76 | $N/A | 0 | N/A% | Elizabeth Arden Inc. From the Peg_Minimalist screen. |
| SFD | $32.76 | $N/A | 0 | N/A% | Smithfield Foods Inc. That’s fun, they’re a “hog producer.” From the H52EgPS screen. |
| SIGM | $43.82 | $N/A | 0 | N/A% | Sigma Designs, Inc, a tech-video company. From the Screamers and RSPeg2 screens. |
| NOV | $129.06 | $N/A | 0 | N/A% | National Oilwell Varco Inc. From the Peg_Minimalist screen. |
6/3 Options:
| Ticker | Bought | Sold | Months | Return | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MDRBA | $7.38 | $N/A | 0 | N/A% | MDR Feb 2008 Calls. Sell in early December. |
| RZJDC | $14.00 | $N/A | 0 | N/A% | GRMN Apr 2008 Calls. Sell in early December. |
The next trade will be October 1.
Chasing the Wind 
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