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During the past couple of weeks, we’ve seen the major indexes push higher (including new all-time highs from the S&P 500), we’ve seen some growth stocks get off their duffs and we’ve seen a gradual improvement in stocks and sectors hitting new highs. In other words, the evidence has improved, and while we would prefer to see some real buying power (volume has been whisper-quiet for the most part), we’re tilting our Market Monitor a bit toward the bullish side. Bottom line: It’s OK to put some more money to work here, and then see if stocks can build on their recent gains.

This week’s list has a broad array of solid stories from a variety of industries. Our favorite is BitAuto (BITA), a great (and easy to understand) Chinese growth story that is quickly rounding out its launching pad.

Stock Name	Price	Buy Range	Loss Limit
Stillwater Mining (SWC)	0.00	16-17	14.5-15
Skechers (SKX)	0.00	41-43	38-39
Live Nation Entertainment, Inc. (LYV)	0.00	23-24	21.5-22
Kate Spade & Company (KATE)	0.00	35-36.5	32-33
ICICI Bank (IBN)	0.00	48-50	44-45
Electronic Arts (EA)	0.00	33-35	30-30.5
Dillard’s (DDS)	0.00	106-112	99-100
Ctrip.com International Ltd. (CTRP)	34.94	53-55	48-49
Bitauto Holdings (BITA)	0.00	42-44	37-38
American Airlines Group Inc. (AAL)	0.00	38-40.5	36-36.5

Current Market Outlook


September is often a herky-jerky month, with crosscurrents arising as institutional investors position their portfolios for the rest of the year. So far, though, despite some ups and downs in the major indexes, the action has been encouraging—growth stocks are waking up, with some glamour stocks (including a few recent IPOs) tearing up the charts. As we’ve written repeatedly, there are still some dark clouds out there; despite the improved action, we still see many broader, smaller-cap indexes acting poorly, and even the big-cap indexes have hit resistance in recent days. But the action of individual stocks continues to have us leaning bullish.

This week’s list has a few out-of-the-way ideas today, and our Top Pick is one of them—Mallinckrodt (MNK) is a little-known (but well-established) drug firm with huge earnings estimates for the next few quarters. And the stock has been super strong during the past few weeks.

Stock Name	Price	Buy Range	Loss Limit
Western Refining (WNR)	0.00	46-48	42.5-43.5
Mallinckrodt (MNK)	0.00	82.5-85.5	75-76
Health Net (HNT)	0.00	44-46.5	42-43.5
GoPro, Inc. (GPRO)	0.00	57-61	50-51
Green Plains Energy (GPRE)	0.00	43-45	39.5-40.5
Chipotle Mexican Grill (CMG)	773.32	660-685	625-635
Cavium (CAVM)	0.00	52-54	49.5-50.5
Baidu (BIDU)	0.00	218-228	205-208
Banco Bradesco (BBD)	0.00	17-18	16-16.5
Ambarella (AMBA)	52.79	36-38	32-33

Current Market Outlook


In the market, it’s the unexpected that you should pay closest attention to. Two weeks ago, the broad market was heading south and the major indexes broke down after a month of distributive action. But since then, the market has zoomed ahead like a rocket, with all the major indexes back above their 50-day lines and many stocks either hitting new highs or racing toward the top of multi-week launching pads. There are still some things to worry about, and we’ll probably get a truer read on things once the big boys come back from vacation next week. But overall, we’re leaning bullish, encouraged by what we’ve seen during the past two weeks.

This week’s list shows a bunch of stocks that have shown big-volume buying of late, a sure sign institutions are sniffing around. Our Top Pick this week isn’t a stock we think is going to double, but rather, one we feel strongly will head higher. It’s Home Depot (HD), the granddaddy of housing stocks, which just busted free from a 15-month base.

Stock Name	Price	Buy Range	Loss Limit
WPX Energy (WPX)	0.00	23-25	20-21
Sensata Technology (ST)	0.00	47-49	44-45
Regeneron Pharmaceuticals (REGN)	512.96	340-350	319-320
Royal Caribbean Cruises (RCL)	0.00	61-63	57-58
Home Depot (HD)	0.00	88-91	83-84
Keurig Green Mountain (GMCR)	0.00	129-135	119-121
F5 Networks, Inc. (FFIV)	0.00	120-122	113-114
Community Health Systems (CYH)	0.00	50-52	46-47
Canadian Solar (CSIQ)	0.00	34.5-35.5	31-32
Akorn (AKRX)	0.00	37-38.5	34-35

Current Market Outlook


We’re eight and a half months into 2014, and it finally looked as if the choppy (four weeks up, four weeks down, etc.) type of environment had been left behind. But not yet! Just during the past couple of trading days, we’ve seen the market churn near its highs and the sellers come out of the woodwork. We can’t conclude at this point that the market is set to sink for a few weeks; the evidence doesn’t support that. But given that sustained trends have been hard to come by, we also continue to think holding some cash on the sideline and booking partial profits makes sense. We’ll keep our Market Monitor in a “lean bullish” position, but we’ll be watching the upcoming action closely. If the uptrend is OK, buyers should show up soon.

This week’s list has a broader array of stocks and sectors on it, with a few stable stories. Still, we’re going with a true growth stock as our Top Pick—Palo Alto Networks’ (PANW) quarterly report was a barnburner and the stock soared to new highs on record volume. And we think its pullback since looks normal.

Stock Name	Price	Buy Range	Loss Limit
WhiteWave Foods (WWAV)	0.00	34.5-36.5	32-33
United Therapeutics (UTHR)	0.00	118-123	105-107
TriQuint Semiconductor (TQNT)	0.00	19-20	17-18
Gentherm (THRM)	0.00	47-49.5	44-45
Palo Alto Networks (PANW)	236.92	94-98	86-88
Monster Beverage Corporation (MNST)	0.00	86-89	78-80
Southwest Airlines (LUV)	0.00	32-33	29-30
Jazz Pharmaceuticals (JAZZ)	0.00	154-162	145-148
Greenbrier (GBX)	57.73	67-70	63-64
Foot Locker (FL)	0.00	55-57	52-53

Current Market Outlook


After a vacuum of selling pressures helped the S&P 500 and Nasdaq soar to new highs, last week’s generally tight, calm action was just what you want to see—despite the run, investors aren’t booking profits and the bears aren’t coming out of the woodwork. That’s not to say there won’t be pullbacks (possibly brief, sharp dips) or that every investor is rowing in the same direction—some groups are lagging and many major indexes are still shy of their September peaks. Thus, you shouldn’t buy with both fists, but there’s clearly enough evidence to be bullish and look to latch onto new leading stocks as they emerge.

This week’s list is chock-full of stocks with big stories and powerful charts. There are many we like, but for our Top Pick we’ll go with Medivation (MDVN), a well-traded (but little-known) biotech firm that has a blockbuster treatment for prostate cancer on its hands.

Stock Name	Price	Buy Range	Loss Limit
Wabtec (WAB)	0.00	86-89	81-82
Ulta Beauty (ULTA)	331.95	119-123	110-111
Textron (TXT)	0.00	40.5-41.5	37.5-38.5
Spirit Airlines (SAVE)	57.03	73.5-77	68-69
Receptos (RCPT)	0.00	103-108	88-90
MercadoLibre, Inc. (MELI)	980.83	128-135	122-124
Medivation (MDVN)	0.00	106-111	96-98
Marriott International, Inc. (MAR)	0.00	73-75	68-70
Alibaba (BABA)	254.81	112-116	102-105
Allison Transmission (ALSN)	51.79	31.5-33.5	29.5-30