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WHAT TO DO NOW: While there’s been some modest improvement here and there, growth stocks continue to be unable to get going in any real way, with the Nasdaq stuck in the mud and our Aggression Index approaching multi-month lows. We already have a lot of cash, but today we’re pulling the plug on JFrog (FROG), which continues to have great fundamentals, but the stock (and the software sector overall) continues to sag. We’ll sell here and make sure a disappointing situation doesn’t get much worse.

Our Emerging Markets Timer has turned negative, but its action of the past two months looks more like a trading range than a downtrend. Overall we continue to take things on a stock-by-stock basis; we have several stocks that are teetering on the edge of being kicked out of the portfolio, but we’re inclined to be patient unless a stock’s decline forces our hand.

Chipotle Mexican Grill (CMG) reported outstanding first-quarter results yesterday afternoon, with revenue of $1.07 billion vs. the consensus estimate of $1.05 billion. But it was the huge and unexpected earnings beat that brought lots of attention to the stock.

In the wake of surprisingly successful second-quarter results among large-cap banks, all eyes are turning to regulatory reform as the next catalyst to rising earnings estimates among bank stocks.

The iShares EM Fund has bolted higher since July 10, giving us a robust and unambiguous Buy signal. We have two portfolio moves tonight.

We could see a stock market correction in the near future, due to an abnormal concentration of capital in technology stocks and S&P 500 index ETFs (exchange traded funds).

We’ve seen before how Trump’s shoot-from-the-hip approach to foreign policy has marked a significant departure from that of his predecessors. But clearly this latest exchange is different. Understandably, the market reacted negatively to the very mention of military conflict with North Korea.

Updates on Vertex Pharmaceuticals (VRTX) following the July 18 breakthrough drug announcement, and Chipotle Mexican Grill (CMG), which is in the news again due to the closing of a Virginia restaurant location.

There’s a lot on my mind lately: hurricanes, child-rearing, college freshmen, human tragedy and Dollar Tree (DLTR).

In the short-term, the market could be ready to rest and there’s some rotation going on, which could affect leadership. But, big picture, the intermediate- and longer-term trends are pointed up and even the broad market is returning to health.

We still see more positive than negative evidence, though the gap has shrunk a lot during the past week. At this point, we still think the onus is on the bulls to step up after this three-and-a-half-week retreat. Until they do that in a decisive fashion, you should limit new buying to small positions and, of course, honor your stops for any stocks that are weakening.

The market has shifted into a news-driven environment; today the indexes popped higher as it appears any strike on Syria will be delayed, or possibly abandoned. But with many economic reports coming up that could affect interest rates (including the jobs report on Friday) and with Congress debating Syria, expect more gyrations ahead. Overall, our outlook is the same as the past two weeks—with many growth stocks acting well, you should hold your top performers and look to do a little buying on weakness. But with the indexes chopping around, you should also hold some cash and wait for a real green light before getting too aggressive.

This week’s list includes a few secondary-type names; there aren’t as many liquid leaders as has been the case in past weeks. But there are plenty with big potential. Our favorite is Hain Celestial (HAIN), a direct play on the organic food movement, whose stock just emerged from a year-long rest.

Stock Name	Price	Buy Range	Loss Limit
Zillow (Z)	76.64	92-97	78-80
Web.com (WWWW)	0.00	27-28.5	25-25.5
Sina Corp. (SINA)	0.00	76-80	68-69
Nationstar Mortgage (NSM)	0.00	48-51	45-46
Laredo Petroleum (LPI)	0.00	24-25.5	22.5-23
Jazz Pharmaceuticals (JAZZ)	0.00	85-87	79-80
Incyte Corporation (INCY)	76.98	33-34.5	29-30
HD Supply Holdings, Inc. (HDS)	0.00	22-23.5	20.5-21
The Hain Celestial Group, Inc. (HAIN)	0.00	78-80.5	73-74
Chesapeake Energy Corporation (CHK)	0.00	25-26	23.5-24

The market continues to act excellently, and we’re pleased to see more and more growth-oriented stocks flex their muscles, while many defensive sectors take a breather. Of course, part and parcel of that is that we’re seeing a little froth; investor sentiment is getting a bit giddy as some names explode higher. That doesn’t mean a top is imminent—our Market Monitor is solidly in the bullish camp—but it does mean you should be prepared for some news-driven potholes. Overall, you should be holding your best performers and putting more money to work at good entry points, but be sure not to get carried away after a good few months.

This week’s list has an impressive array of stocks that are showing extremely powerful accumulation. Our favorite of the week is SodaStream (SODA), which is very volatile but just broke out on earnings last week on very big volume.

Stock Name	Price	Buy Range	Loss Limit
Uni-Pixel (UNXL)	0.00	33-35	29-30
SodaStream (SODA)	142.91	55-58	52-53
Spirit Airlines (SAVE)	57.03	27-28.5	25.5-26
Oceaneering International (OII)	0.00	70-73	67-68
Ocwen Financial (OCN)	0.00	41-42.5	37.5-38
Meritage Homes (MTH)	102.20	48.5-52	45-46
MercadoLibre, Inc. (MELI)	980.83	110-117	98-100
Fortune Brands Home & Security (FBHS)	81.02	38-40	35-36
Electronic Arts (EA)	0.00	20.5-22	19-20
Ctrip.com International Ltd. (CTRP)	34.94	27-28.5	23-24

Ever since the market suffered a wave of nasty distribution two weeks ago, it’s been tough to make much money; strength has attracted sellers, interest rate-sensitive groups have been crushed, the broad market has weakened and, today, growth stocks were battered. Now, the long-term trend is still up, and many stocks remain in uptrends, but the market has changed character. Thus, we’re moving our Market Monitor into neutral territory—maybe this retreat will find support soon, and if it does, we’ll be happy to quickly switch back to an aggressive stance. But for now, we believe it’s best to play things a little cautiously and hold some cash.

This week’s list does have a good crop of candidates if you want to nibble on weakness, including a few bigger-cap issues that have great stories. Our favorite is one of those bigger names—Boeing (BA), which, despite its image as a slow-moving behemoth, has a history of sustained moves when the aerospace industry turns up, as it has today.

Stock Name	Price	Buy Range	Loss Limit
Valeant Pharmaceuticals (VRX)	0.00	86-89	78-80
SunPower (SPWR)	12.26	17-19	14.5-15
Sohu.com (SOHU)	0.00	61-64	52-54
SodaStream (SODA)	142.91	65-67	55-57
Ocwen Financial (OCN)	0.00	41-43.5	36-37
Jazz Pharmaceuticals (JAZZ)	0.00	65-67.5	59-60
Illumina Inc. (ILMN)	289.74	68-71	63-64
Chart Industries (GTLS)	72.05	94-97	84-95
General Motors Company (GM)	0.00	33-34	31-32
Boeing (BA)	432.22	97-100	90-91

The major indexes haven’t done much since the market’s opening-day jump this year, but the vast majority of stocks and sectors are in firm uptrends. In fact, probably our biggest takeaway of the past couple of weeks is that the sellers look spent—most shakeouts or downdrafts are met with buying within hours or a couple of days, and so far, any pullbacks have come on far lighter trade than their prior advances. Of course, earnings season is getting underway, and that’s sure to add volatility to the mix, but the evidence is bullish and thus you should continue to hold most of your best performers, while looking to add exposure on normal pullbacks.

This week’s list has a bunch of great-looking charts from a variety of industries; many of them have shown excellent buying volume of late, which bodes well. Our favorite is Transocean (RIG), a powerful turnaround situation that is getting going after a rough couple of years. We’re now seeing institutional investors pile back in.

Stock Name	Price	Buy Range	Loss Limit
Urban Outfitters (URBN)	0.00	40-42	-
Trinity Industries (TRN)	0.00	35-36.5	-
Seagate Technology (STX)	0.00	31-33	-
Transocean Ltd. (RIG)	0.00	51-54	-
NXP Semiconductors (NXPI)	0.00	26-28	-
Nationstar Mortgage (NSM)	0.00	35.5-37.5	-
Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. (GS)	0.00	129-135	-
Facebook, Inc. (FB)	0.00	29.5-31	-
Celgene (CELG)	0.00	92-95	-
Chicago Bridge & Iron (CBI)	0.00	45-47	-

There remain a few warts on the market’s current rally, including some meaningful divergences (the Nasdaq and Russell 2000 have yet to reach new highs like some of the broader big-cap indexes) and a lack of decisive breakouts from big-cap leaders (most are still working on launching pads). But the evidence is rarely going to line up perfectly; the fact is that during the past few weeks, more and more stocks have been acting well as selling pressures ease. Now’s a time to grow gradually more optimistic as the stocks you own and follow improve.

This week’s list includes one of those classic, big-cap breakouts that we alluded to above. Top Pick Applied Materials (AMAT) is in the process of completing a major acquisition that should boost its market dominance in a big way, and the stock has exploded out of a nice consolidation on very big volume.

Stock Name	Price	Buy Range	Loss Limit
Zebra Technologies (ZBRA)	154.94	72-76	69-70
Skyworks Solutions (SWKS)	0.00	45-47	41-42
MeadWestvaco (MWV)	0.00	42-44	39-40
Lannett Company (LCI)	0.00	45-46	42-43
Illumina Inc. (ILMN)	289.74	160-170	154-155
Carrizo Oil & Gas (CRZO)	24.03	59-61	55-56
Consol Energy Inc. (CNX)	0.00	45-48	43-43.5
Bonanza Creek Energy (BCEI)	0.00	52-55	48-49
Arris Group (ARRS)	0.00	32-34	28.5-29.5
Applied Materials (AMAT)	0.00	20-22	18-19