Chips Ahoy

A final rally
kicked in,
the first such
happening in the Nasdaq since the day after Christmas.

A positive, be it small, is the action
of the semi equipment makers.

These have significant work to do, but
they are no longer going down week after week.

Specifically, I’m referring to
Novellus
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, KLA
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, and Teradyne
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, which have been
outperforming over the past two to three months.

Otherwise, beneath the surface, Check
Point
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, a rare tech outperformer over the last five weeks, came
unglued for the third day.

Ditto for BEA
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.

Americredit
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continued to
solidify just beneath the top of its 14-week base.

Ditto for BJs Wholesale
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and
its seven-month base.

Cytyc
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, one of the best
actors in the growth sector over the past few months, began to break down.

Kohl’s
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, mentioned Thursday
after it broke out of a five-month pattern, pulled back below the pivot.

On the bright side, First Data
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,
mentioned Friday,
broke out of its seven-month base on dense flow.

Merrill
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, a curiosity as it
stands close to the top of its four-month formation, continued to resist arrest
as it gave scant ground in the wake of Ameritrade’s
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confession.

Eclipsys
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is working on a
sloppy seven-week base.

Paccar
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is loitering very
close to the top of its nine-month zone.