You've got to pick a pocket or two.....

MA - Mastercard - This company went public in September of 2006 and has been on a steady climb up ever since. The name of the game here is branding; the Mastercard name is recognized worldwide. Mastercard's IPO took place on MAy 25, 2006 with the stock trading at $40.30. I purchased it that day for approvimately 41.58. The stock closed that day at $46.00, a nice one day pickup. I have successfully bought in and out of MA quite a few times in the past year, and lost when I misread some signals or exited a winning trade too early. Recently I suffered a 12% loss on February 9th, when the company announced earnings. The stock was heavily shorted and I got stuck with a LONG position that erased a lot of gains. The recent market weakness has only made MA more attractive.

BUY 200 MA at 102.00 LIMIT

Stock picks for Monday March 12. 2007

I have been an active trader for several years now. I still have a long way to go before I can rely on trading for income. I have tried quite a few web sites for trading information, and I have come up with a list on those I consider to be the best in show.

1) Briefing.com - I use this for earnings reports, and for breaking news. It has pretty good coverage, and breaking news is relayed quickly. However, I still get the news quicker by using the "Dow Jones" news filter in Tradestation. I want to know when a company is in play and this service has a clean, easy-to-follow interface. The platinum service is about $25.00 per month, and there are varying levels of service. The "Trader" level is the costliest ($350.00 per month) but you receive daily trade recommendations.