Good news for RIMM

Banc of America is bullish on RIMM, and the stock is up more than 4% to 104+ today.

In a client note late Wednesday, Banc of America Securities analyst Tim Long reiterated his "Buy" rating and $146 price target for Research and Motion shares. Long predicted that next week the company will report third-quarter revenue of $1.64 billion, which would be near the high end of its guidance.

"Checks have been positive and we haven't seen any signs of an enterprise slowdown. We think November quarter sales have been driven by strong Curve sales, 8830 sales and the introduction of the CDMA Pearl," he said.

Long also expects the company to issue positive fourth-quarter guidance.

At the time of the Forbes.com story, RIMM was down to 99+. Any semblance of good news was going to light the stock up. So, while the rest of the market had rallied (erratically) over the past week, RIMM sat in the corner. Now the market is flat, and RIMM is igniting. Buying in the final two hours today was heavy. Probably will continue in the morning. Would've made a productive daytrade. I'm still holding my long and swing shares beyond earnings (Dec. 20).

If the B of A news isn't enough, China Mobile announced that the BlackBerry goes out in January.

BlackBerry Mobile Phones to Debut in China in Jan 08

The BlackBerry 8700g mobile phones are being tested by the mobile carrier now and are expected to make its debut in the market next month, said the employee.

The market for cellphones in China has been insanely robust for many years now. People there access the internet via cellphone more than any other means. Nihao ma!

RIMM intraday





















RIMM daily

Mobile games fit for kings and queens

I will confess that cellphones were the final frontier for me. If my then-employer hadn't required me to carry a company-owned cellphone back in 1999, I probably wouldn't have had one for many more years.

The best thing about that little phone was the games I loved playing while sitting on the throne, so to speak. It was a football game that wasn't half bad and totally addicting. Many times I lamented the premature end of a game because, well, my business on the throne was done too quickly.

But the future of cellphone games is getting quite serious now that high-end cellphones like the BlackBerry are catering to their customers' needs. Jessica Vascellaro of the Wall Street Journal explains the future of this quickly growing and profitable niche in future tech.

Real strength in AMZN, AAPL, GOOG, RIMM

I'm a firm believer in buy and hold, no matter what Cramer says. Nothing against swing or day trading. I just think a substantial portion of any portfolio should include core holdings. Trading around those core holdings makes sense.

Letting a powerful bull run works in a simple, pure way as opposed to trying to catch it and ride it for short gains — paying a higher tax and multitude of commissions along the way. With that in mind, here's quick look at my A- stock picks and where momentum stands in each.

Amazon (AMZN) $75.10
After trading sideways since a June 14 mid-day high of $72.87, volume kicked up on Monday. Today was a third day in a row of increasing volume (12.5 million shares) and AMZN traded at an all-time high of $75.35 at mid-day. Rising volume and the breakout make this a tempting buy for Amazonians.

Apple Inc. (AAPL) $137.73
To the dismay of Apple bears and competitors, the gravy train is still chugging ahead. At near-warp speed, mind you. AAPL broke out to a new high (ho hum) today on 32 million shares, up from yesterday's 25 mil. Though this is one of only eight A- stocks, it is also only one of four that is at a healthy entry point.

Baidu (BIDU) $212.84
Bear-buster Baidu has gained $77 in one month. With a float of just 19 million shares, the short squeeze has been painful for bears. The recent move up, since $181 on July 2, has been on robust volume. There have been only four down days since June 12, and today's breakout is an all-time high. Is it a buy here? Tough call for momo traders, since today's 5.2 million shares is right about average for the past 30 days. Always a major risk in terms of entry point. This stock hasn't known a floor since it was in the 90s!

Crox (CROX) $47.10
The happy run from $40 to $49 hit a skid yesterday, and the PPS dropped today on lower volume. As earnings day (Aug. 2) inches closer, plus options expiry, volatility will rule. Risk-loving longs will load up on this mini-dip.

Foster Wheeler (FWLT) $120.25
Recent run is nice, but the stock has finished lower in two of the last three days. Could be a buying opp for bulls.

Google (GOOG) $552.16
Seems like just a little while ago when Google was hovering at $460 and investors were growing weary, bored, frustrated with the lack of volatility. Well, blame your leaders. Google intends to never split. Google intends to have a stable stock. They love Warren Buffett in Googleland. Good for investors. Today's breakout (up nearly 7 bucks) on 5.2 million shares is nice for longs and long wannabees.

(Update, 2:35 p.m. CNBC just reported that the eBay-Google debacle of a few months ago could affect Google's earnings. Somehow, I just don't put much stock in that, and if it affects GOOG, bulls have a buying opp.)

Spartan Motors (SPAR) $17.16
The stock has struggled since its split and has given up much of its fluff. Underneath remains a strong moneymaker. The stock has traded sideways for three weeks. An interesting earnings report is around the corner.

Research in Motion (RIMM) $227.52
Nice breakout today (5.6%) on higher volume. This stock has just killed shorts, and who knows how high it flies now. Like Baidu, except with real money in its coffers. And, coincidentally, the Chinese market awaits the Crackberry. Looks like a buy here.