Celebrating a Handful of 52-Week Highs — And Reloading on SINA.com Options

Sina Corp. (SINA) pulled back sharply this past week on news that China last Friday raised banks’ required reserves 50-basis points to a record 19.5%. This pullback in the stock offers you a chance to re-load your options on Sina, which remain solidly in an uptrend. So buy the June $90 call options (SINA110618C00090000), which last traded at $4.90.

I also want to highlight the National Bank of Greece (NBG) and Spreadtrum Communications (SPRD) as strong BUYs this week. For various technical reasons related to the pricing of options, I am not making new options recommendations on these just quite yet. But look for these recommendations in the coming weeks.

Meanwhile, I’m recommending that you close your position in Melco Crown Entertainment Limited (MPEL) for a small gain. With the stock stuck in a trading range for the last couple of months, and uncertainties rising around its ultimate ownership after the death of founder Stanley Ho, there are better places to keep your money for the purposes of short-term trading.

Portfolio Update

Alliance Resource Partners LP (ARLP) rose another 3.53% this past week, closing near record highs. Now up 12.65% since our initial recommendation, ARLP remains a BUY.

Cognizant Technology Group (CTSH) rose 2.95% this past week, closing at a record high. With the company’s fundamentals strong and sentiment in emerging market stocks improving slightly, CTSH is a BUY.

Denison Mines Corp. (DNN) jumped to a record high of $4.55 last week before ending the week flat. A bet on the world’s exploding demand for uranium, DNN remains a BUY.

ELEMENTS Rogers Intl Commodity Agri ETN (RJA) ended the week down, despite almost penetrating the $12.00 mark on Thursday. With virtually every commodity in the world hitting record highs, RJA remains a BUY.

Bank of Ireland (IRE) ended the week slightly down. The bank announced it will pay nearly 215 million euros ($291.5 million) in dividends to the Irish government this month — keeping a lid on the state’s stake in the lender at 36%. It also announced its customer deposits had remained broadly stable since the end of November and reiterated that impairment charges for loan losses peaked in 2009. This is all good news. With the stock still under its 50-day moving average, I am keeping IRE at a HOLD.

Ivanhoe Mines (IVN) ended the week 2.67% down. This bet on the “Mongolian miracle” remains a BUY.

National Bank of Greece SA (NBG) surged 8.33% last week after it made an all-share bid for rival Alpha Bank, valuing it at around $4 billion. According to a local analyst, the proposal had opened “the threshold of a new era” for the local banking sector. Load up on this “crazy pick” while you still can. NBG remains a BUY.

Novo Nordisk A/S (NVO) ended the week up 6.35%, hitting a 52-week high. This bet on the global diabetes epidemic remains a BUY.

Sina Corporation (SINA) pulled back 8.2% this past week. This is what we have been waiting for to open new option positions. Buy the June $90 call options (SINA110618C00090000). With earnings announcements scheduled on Feb. 28, “China’s Twitter” remains a BUY.

Spreadtrum Communications, Inc. (SPRD) fell back sharply this week on a combination of options expirations and the interest rate news from China. Look for a strong bounce this week. SPRD stock is a BUY.

Silvercorp Metals Inc. (SVM) rose another 10.77% this past week, and is now trading near 52-week highs. I’m still looking for an optimal time to exit our March $12.50 call options. With silver prices trading at a record, and the stock trading above its 50-day moving average, SVM is a BUY.

Transocean Inc. (RIG) rose a solid 7.99% this past week. Transocean is scheduled to release its fourth-quarter earnings after the closing bell on Wednesday, Feb. 23. Analysts, on average, expect the company to report earnings of 92 cents per share on revenue of $2.31 billion. Trading above its 50-day moving average, RIG remains a BUY.