It was a great day yesterday for holders of RF Micro Devices (RFMD), as the stock finished the day with a 21% gain on news of a merger with TriQuint Semiconductor. I bought RFMD at $4.50 in January, so it’s been a nice trade for me so far. At the time, I identified the company…

I sold my entire position in Enerplus (ERF) yesterday at $20.00. I first bought ERF at $23.00 per share in March of 2012. Unfortunately, about two months later, I was provided the opportunity to double my position at a price of $16.81, meaning that my average price for my ERF shares was $19.91. Only time…

Seven days ago, I wrote about a large drop in the share price of Dynavax on unusually large volume. I suggested that such large volume is likely coming from and individual or small group of individuals, a financial institution, or a combination of both. I warned that, “…people or institutions that hold large positions in…

Bank of Ireland was one of the first companies that I wanted to own that was not an American company. When I started out, I had no idea how to trade foreign stocks. Anyone who has been to New York City has probably seen Wall Street and knows that Wall Street is a hub of…

If any of you are IRE shareholders, don’t let my headline scare you. I first bought IRE in March of 2012 at $6.98. My father was born in Ireland, but this purchase had nothing to do with him. I whole-heartedly believe in the fine Southern expression “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.” And IRE…

A couple of days ago, I posted about a big 10% one-day move in shares of  Dynavax (DVAX), but warned that, without large volume accompanying the move, it might not last: “A 10% single-day jump is nice to see, but with a volatile stock like DVAX, I wouldn’t be surprised to see a 10% drop…

I recently discussed the effect the extremely cold winter has had on natural gas prices. If a picture is worth a thousand words, a chart is worth ten thousand words to a trader:   There has been a highly contested debate in the energy world over the past few years about whether natural gas will…

Since I mentioned Dynavax yesterday, I thought I would talk a little bit about why I own the stock. My relationship with Dynavax started in October of 2012. I frequently watch Jim Cramer’s show Mad Money on CNBC to get Cramer’s take on what is going on in the market. I tend to disregard the…

Dynavax (DVAX) was by far the biggest mover in my account today, jumping 10.4% on a day that Dow was essentially flat. Any time I see a big move (up or down) in one of my stocks on a relatively quiet day, the first thing I do is check for news. Usually, a 10% jump…

This has been a nice breakout to new 52-week highs for ERF over the last couple of days: The price of natural gas has really spiked because of the particularly harsh winter the country has experienced this year, but a look at a longer-term chart (keeping things in perspective) shows that this stock was on…