Alpha Male

Without a bit of shame in self-promoting my opinions and my blog, I refer you to my article published yesterday at seekingalpha.com:

http://seekingalpha.com/article/73752-those-bubbling-solar-stocks

For my loyal readers, this is no new information, simply a more cohesive article covering the rapid rise in energy and ag stocks over the last year. I would also refer you to the commentary for 2 reasons. Look at how not to respond to an article if you disagree. Simply saying you suck and you're wrong without an argument makes you look stupid. Also, look into Jack Yetiv's articles covering the solar arena. He is very thorough in his analysis and outlines his argument for many of the companies mentioned in my article. Even though he disagrees with me, he admits that some of these stocks are carrying huge P/Es.

http://seekingalpha.com/article/73738-further-musings-on-solar-stocks

Microsoft got bashed after yesterday's close. However, simply falling below 30 doesn't throw it into the immediate buy category; it's still up from $26 a few weeks ago. I would hold out for a return to those levels before buying, with or without a Yahoo resolution.

A long-time favorite of mine finally hit the mark today. When COF broke $50, I bought Jan 09' puts against it as I've been advising for some time now. Amex came out with crummy earnings and they are a much better run company than COF. Furthermore, COF's continued exposure to auto loans leaves another shoe to drop and I expect much volatility over the next 9 months. Consumer confidence hit a 26-year low this week. Ouch.

P.S. My info was correct. Options on TAN began trading today.....only out to 10/08 however. Back to it's IPO price in the $25s and worth a look.