There is no question as to the trend E*Trade ( ETFC ) has 'enjoyed' for the past few months. And with the avalanche in full flow there would be little desire to want to jump into the snow and play, but the stock must be near an attractive price for a takeover bid from the likes of T.D. Ameritrade. If there was a takeover interest it probably would be the interest of the buyer to make an offer sooner rather than later, to at least stem the flow of brokerage (its key asset) cancellations/transfers which is no doubt underfoot. From a technical perspective the stock lost $3.69 support on Thursday to end with a $3.37 close. Supporting technicals remain bleak, but the real interest here is less on the short term and more on what the future might bring. If the stock was to receive a buyers bid I suspect it would be over the next 12 months (certainly the stock price couldn't last another 12 months shedding as much as it has). This makes the January 2009 $2.50 strike call at $1.9

One of the few bright spots over the past few days has been Fuel Cell Energy (FCEL). The stock made a strong volume, gap breakout, on the back of earnings . The gap failed to fill on the backtest of support, in itself a bullish confirmation signal. Wednesday's follow through came on slightly disappointing volume, likely an artifact of holiday trading. I wouldn't be surprised to see it drift into the $11.50-12.00 range before pushing higher. You can get a 15-min delayed data chart for FCEL here ; if you like the chart please give it your Vote at the bottom of the chart - TY. On the options front, July 2008 $5 strike Calls were showing the same ask ($7.60) as April's 2008; that's a measly $0.26 time premium for a stock which has added $4 in a month. Good value.

A review of some of the Gold stocks I follow saw an interesting opportunity in Couer D Alene Mines Corp ( CDE ). There is a strong confluence of support marked by the 50-day MA, and the lows of the large white candlestick from early November, created by a Bear Stearns analyst comment that the stock was underpriced , helped later by JP Morgan's upgrade . Given the stock is trading near the price prior to these announcements should be of interest to buyers. Earlier tests of the 50-day MA since October have seen buyers step in - so now shouldn't be any different. The Base metal is making a similar test of its 50-day MA support. The "Golden Cross" between the 50-day and 200-day MAs is a long term bullish signal. Technicals could be better; a mild distribution trend in on-balance-volume isn't helped by the scrappy action in the MACD, or Directional Index. But at least the MACD is holding above its bullish zero line. The point-n-figure has an interesting chart showi

MicroStrategy ( MSTR ) was drawn from a new short scan I am developing. Friday saw a combination break of support, with a nicked loss of 50-day and 200-day MAs. The latter may be enough to generate a swell of buying back to the 20-day MA - an alternative entry point. A loose stop is marked at $105.11, but a tighter one could be placed around $102.62 (just above the 20-day MA). Downside targets are the 2 breakout gaps and August support at $61.00. Technicals have aligned in support of weakness with a fresh 'sell' in on-balance-volume - marking a shift to distribution, combined with a bearish crossover in trend strength (-DI > +DI). Deep in the money puts for April 2008 can be bought with little time value; Optionetics shows the ask for a $150 strike Put at $55.20, with good value for $120 strike puts for the same expiration at $27.50, and the $125 strike at $31.70.

Capstone Turbine ( CPST ) was one of the few bright lights in a volatile session. The stock completed a healthy 4-month base, with decent buying spikes into the right-hand-side of its base. On Wednesday, it cleared two resistance levels: $1.37 and $1.43 (well - finished bang on the latter) - to make it a good buy with a limit order at Wednesday's closing price. Stop placement can be set below yesterday's lows. Some may prefer to fish for fills using GTC buy order orders inside $1.25-1.35 price congestion, taking advantage of any intraday weakness on a backtest of support. Technicals are in good shape with a resistance break in the MACD trigger line and steady accumulation as measured by rising on-balance-volume. Slow stochastics [39,1] are above the bullish mid-line (= rising bull momentum) on increased trend strength as measured by the directional index above 20 and climbing. As for a price target; the projected target from the base is $1.95. The point-n-figure chart still ha

With an expected rate cut on our hands lovers of income yielding bonds are getting squeezed once more. However, income lovers don't have to fret as there is plenty of value out there if you know where to look. Utilities and REITs are one such option, but the best plays are to be found in the unloved financial sector. Not all have suffered at the hands of sub-prime losses, but nearly all have been tarred by the same brush. The following stocks were screened for a yield greater than 5%, trading at the lower Bollinger bands. The best way to take advantage of the firesale is to split your allocated capital into 12 portions and dollar cost average over the year. Reinvest the dividend and let these stocks work for you. Symbol - Name - Close - Industry - Yield CORS - Corus Bankshares Inc - $12.04 - Bank - 8.31% NCC - National City Corp. - $20.20 - Bank (Midwest) - 8.12% FHN - First Horizon National - $23.49 - Bank (Midwest) - 7.66% CRBC - Citizens Republic Bancorp - $15.38 - Bank - 7

Wonder Auto Technology ( WATG ) has a solid upward price trend, supported by good volume accumulation (buying spikes, and rising on-balance-volume combined with a volume breakout). The MACD is a little scrappy, but the latest 'buy' trigger occurred well above the bullish zero line. The stock is rated by Motley Fool's CAPS , and the company is optimistic looking forward. Follow the trend and trail that stop.

Not many stocks on the breakout watch list. PeopleSupport (PSPT) was interesting on a number of fronts. [1] The resistance break ($13.00) followed a confirmed break of the 200-day MA [2] On-balance-volume broke through its resistance prior to price breaking $13.00 [3] The lull from August through to November, including the period of market weakness, all occurred on light downward volume.

A day when the markets finally got rid of some of the shorts and may have tempted a few buyers back. With the shorts back on the sidelines and cash waiting to go to work, now is a good time to see what stocks are making a move. Axsys Technologies ( AXYS ) may have generated a relatively low volume breakout, but if the market switches back to buyer favor it may ride its up trend a little further. The fresh MACD trigger 'buy' well above the bullish zero line is another tick in the bulls favor. Fallond

TechTarget ( TTGT ) is an interesting stock as the 2007 IPO drifted from its post launch gains, down to the $11s before reversing its losses and breaking $15.80 resistance. It featured to newsletter subscribers in September as it was shaping its right-hand-base. The stock found enough momentum to take it to $18.69 before it entered its current October consolidation, generating a positive back test of $15.80. Technicals are nicely bullish with a MACD trigger line well placed to signal a "BUY" while knocking around well above the bullish zero line. Earnings are scheduled for November 7th and with no overhead resistance a positive surprise could send this flying. Fallond