Theme for the Year

Oh Seven is not being kind to energy stocks. In just two days, the Dow Oil & Gas Index (^DJUSEN) has dropped 5.7% while the S&P 500 is flat. Well, it’s really up 0.04 points which is 0.0028%, so let’s just say it’s flat.
Crude oil is down 8.9% in the last two days, and oil is now at its lowest price since June 15, 2005. Since the July 14 high of $78.40, oil is down 29%. Even in euros, oil is down!
I’m pleased to report that our new Buy List had a very good day. Fifteen of the 20 stocks went up. The Buy List rose 0.72% compared with the S&P 500’s 0.12%. The big winner was Amphenol (APH), which rose 3.2%. Joe Banks (JOSB) also had a good day, rising 2.6%. The company reported that same-store sales increased 1.4% in December.
Our insurance stocks were the laggards today. Both AFLAC (AFL) and WR Berkley (BER) dropped 0.5%. Naturally, this is one of the many reasons why I’m crazy. By any reasonable standard, we had a very good day today, yet I’m still upset about the few stocks that didn’t do well. I’m sorry, I need help. The good news is that it doesn’t seem specific to either company. The culprit was probably a story from the WSJ on falling insurance premiums.

Posted by Eddy Elfenbein on January 4th, 2007 at 4:23 pm

The information in this blog post represents my own opinions and does not contain a recommendation for any particular security or investment. I or my affiliates may hold positions or other interests in securities mentioned in the Blog, please see my Disclaimer page for my full disclaimer.