Free Lunch
Find December bargain stocks and track performance.
Almanac Investor Alert 12/27/2005
*** FREE Lunch #2 2005 Is Served ***
This is the second helping of the Free Lunch Bargain Stocks. This assortment is selected from the stocks making new 52-week lows on December 27, 2005. As usual we have discarded any preferred stocks, new issues, closed-end funds and other non-regularly trading common shares. In addition, for this late-December offering we have weeded out several obscure and thinly traded issues.
As a reminder this is a short-term trading strategy. You get in and get out as soon as you have a significant gain. The stocks all behave differently and there is no automatic trigger point to sell at. Standard trading rules do not apply for these trades. You should be out of all of these stocks between the middle of January and the middle of February. Advice a la G.M Loeb, never forget why you bought a stock. Also, be careful not to chase these stocks if they have already run away.
Free Lunch #1
With the market still struggling, our first list of Free Lunch stocks has been slow to start. Yet, the entire list of 71 stocks is up 4.6% on average since the 12/15 close led by the 11 AMEX stocks 15.5% average gain and the OTC Bulletin Board stocks 9.7% average gain. This compares to -0.6% for the NYSE Composite, -1.5% for the NASDAQ Composite and -1.3% for the AMEX Composite.
Year-end Ruminations
Our Santa Claus Rally has so far not materialized. Three of the last four weeks have posted a Down Friday/Down Monday combination for the Dow. And today the Dow registered a downside outside reversal day. None of this is overly encouraging for the stock market. Please refer to our 2006 Annual Forecast in the January 2006 issue and our other recent email alerts for more on our continued cautious stance for 2006.
This is our last Email Alert for 2005. Our next Weekly Email Update will be January 5, 2006
HAPPY NEW YEAR & WE WISH YOU ALL HEALTH & PROSPERITY IN 2006!!!
2005 FREE Lunch Menu of Bargain Stocks Late-December NYSE, NASDAQ, AMEX & OTCBB New Lows |
|||||
| 52 Week | 52 Week | % Down | 12/27/2005 | ||
| Low | High | From High | Close | ||
| NYSE | |||||
| APL | Atlas Pipeline Partners | 39.50 | 49.72 | - 20.6% | 39.63 |
| GMP | Green Mountain Power | 26.75 | 33.09 | - 19.2% | 27.02 |
| HKF | Hancock Fabrics | 3.88 | 10.70 | - 63.7% | 3.88 |
| IQW | Quebecor World | 13.25 | 24.50 | - 45.9% | 13.25 |
| KFT | Kraft Foods | 27.88 | 35.80 | - 22.1% | 27.90 |
| NI | Nisource | 20.95 | 25.50 | - 17.8% | 20.96 |
| NYT | New York Times | 26.09 | 40.94 | - 36.3% | 26.18 |
| NZT | Telecom New Zealand | 31.15 | 39.00 | - 20.1% | 31.40 |
| OMX | OfficeMax | 24.20 | 34.84 | - 30.5% | 24.35 |
| PIR | Pier 1 Imports | 8.75 | 19.98 | - 56.2% | 8.75 |
| SFF | Santa Fe Energy Trust | 25.54 | 45.05 | - 43.3% | 25.74 |
| SFL | Ship Finance Int'l | 17.00 | 24.00 | - 29.2% | 17.12 |
| TPP | TEPPCO Partners LP | 33.15 | 45.45 | - 27.1% | 33.55 |
| UGP | Ultrapar Holdings | 13.71 | 20.99 | - 34.7% | 13.74 |
| VCI | Valassis Communications | 28.72 | 40.80 | - 29.6% | 28.91 |
| NASDAQ | |||||
| AINN | Applied Innovation | 3.21 | 5.37 | - 40.2% | 3.21 |
| ASRV | AmeriServ Financial | 4.04 | 5.99 | - 32.6% | 4.08 |
| ATAR | Atari | 0.98 | 3.40 | - 71.2% | 0.98 |
| ENMD | EntreMed | 1.86 | 4.80 | - 61.3% | 1.88 |
| EPIX | EPIX Pharmaceuticals | 3.78 | 18.22 | - 79.3% | 3.81 |
| GPTX | Global Payment Tech | 2.09 | 7.63 | - 72.6% | 2.27 |
| GTXI | GTX | 7.23 | 13.99 | - 48.3% | 7.47 |
| JBSS | John B Sanfilippo & Son | 12.30 | 26.97 | - 54.4% | 13.05 |
| MAXM | Maxim Pharmaceuticals | 1.15 | 3.12 | - 63.1% | 1.19 |
| TWMC | Trans World Ent | 5.90 | 15.50 | - 61.9% | 6.05 |
| VLCCF | Knightsbridge Tankers | 24.60 | 47.50 | - 48.2% | 24.63 |
| VRLK | Verilink | 0.72 | 3.60 | - 80.0% | 0.74 |
| WPTE | WPT Enterprises | 5.65 | 29.50 | - 80.8% | 5.75 |
| ZOMX | Zomax | 1.97 | 4.95 | - 60.2% | 2.04 |
| AMEX | |||||
| ELC | Electric City | 0.50 | 1.30 | - 61.5% | 0.54 |
| HH | Hooper Holmes | 2.44 | 6.36 | - 61.6% | 2.53 |
| HRT | Arrhythmia Research | 9.01 | 22.95 | - 60.7% | 9.16 |
| MSS | Milestone Scientific | 1.10 | 4.30 | - 74.4% | 1.17 |
| PME | PreMD | 1.05 | 3.50 | - 70.0% | 1.20 |
| PNO | Path 1 Network Tech | 1.98 | 5.99 | - 66.9% | 2.05 |
| OTCBB | |||||
| ACUR | Acura Pharmaceuticals | 0.28 | 1.36 | - 79.4% | 0.30 |
| ASDS | Ascendant Solutions | 0.51 | 1.77 | - 71.2% | 0.53 |
| BNSIA | BNS Holding | 6.00 | 7.05 | - 14.9% | 6.03 |
| BPTR | BrandPartners Group | 0.43 | 1.15 | - 62.6% | 0.44 |
| BRSI | Ballistic Recovery Sys | 1.51 | 4.90 | - 69.2% | 1.55 |
| CBNH | Community Bank & Trust | 29.02 | 35.00 | - 17.1% | 29.02 |
| CMXX | Cimetrix | 0.27 | 0.85 | - 68.2% | 0.30 |
| EKCS | Electronic Control Sec | 0.85 | 2.65 | - 67.9% | 1.00 |
| FLWE | Fellows Energy | 0.31 | 1.40 | - 77.9% | 0.35 |
| LFLT | Lifeline Therapeutics | 1.85 | 20.25 | - 90.9% | 2.05 |
| MCAM | Money Centers of Am | 0.25 | 1.15 | - 78.3% | 0.30 |
| MEMS | Mems USA | 0.83 | 3.50 | - 76.3% | 0.90 |
| NBOH | National Bancshares | 22.25 | 29.50 | - 24.6% | 22.25 |
| PATY | Patient Infosystems | 1.02 | 6.30 | - 83.8% | 1.09 |
| SPSC | Spectrum Sci & Soft | 0.57 | 2.60 | - 78.1% | 0.62 |
| TCPS | TechnoConcepts | 1.70 | 5.55 | - 69.4% | 2.13 |
| YPNT | YP Corp | 0.40 | 1.38 | - 71.0% | 0.48 |
STANDARD TRADING GUIDELINES - DO NOT APPLY!
- YOU ARE ON YOUR OWN TO DETERMINE YOUR EXIT POINTS .
- WE WILL NOT BE UPDATING INDIVIDUAL FREE LUNCH STOCKS.
Please trade carefully. Bon Appetite!
Those who study market history are bound to profit from it.
Sincerely,
Jeffrey A. Hirsch, Editor & Publisher
J. Taylor Brown, Vice President
The next issue will be available after the close on January 12th, 2006.
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Pursuant to the provisions of Rule 206 (4) of the Investment Advisers Act of 1940, we advise all readers to recognize that they should not assume that all recommendations made in the future will be profitable or will equal the performance of any recommendations referred to in this Email issue.
The information presented in this Almanac Investor has been obtained from sources believed to be reliable, but its accuracy isnot guaranteed. The security portfolio of our employees, officers or affiliated companies may, in some instances, include securities mentioned in this Almanac Investor.