Skip navigation
MOST POPULAR RELATED TAGS
  • TOPICS
  • SECTORS
  • COMPANIES

FAST MONEY FEATURES

PollFast Money PollsFAST MONEY POLL
Get in the post game.  Respond to our
"Question of the Day" right now.


52 Week High52 Week High TRADER RADAR
Which stock should be on your screen? Follow the clues to solve this puzzle.



Trade SchoolTRADE SCHOOL
Grab a pencil because school is in session and the Fast Money traders are teaching class.


FAST MONEY EMERGING MONEY
EMERGING MONEY TOP 20
Fast Money's index for the world.




PodcastFM PodcastsFAST MONEY PODCASTS
Download Fast Money onto your MP3 Player.




FM WIDGETFAST MONEY WIDGET
Grab this all-in-one application and get recaps of the show sent right to your desktop or blog.



ShopSHOP FOR FAST MONEY MERCHANDISE
Get your game on with Fast Money gear.




Wanna See Our PhotosFAST MONEY PHOTOS!
Check out our scrapbook.  These "pix" are guaranteed winners.




SignupNewsletterNEWSLETTER
Sign up and receive a recap email every Friday after the show!





FM Mobile AlertFAST MONEY MOBILE ALERTS
Get advanced information about the next Fast Money.



Fast Money DisclaimerFast Money BiosAbout Fast MoneyRapid RecapFast Money Home
Font size:
Jan.21
3:29 PM ET
Monday, 21 Jan 2008
Secrets From The Pro's

From evaluating a bank to investing in a retailer – how do the Fast Money pro’s do it?




TRADING BROKERS
Metrics That Matter
-
M&A Advisory Business
- Underwriting
- Trading

Brokers can really make a fortune or lose their shirts on the commission from trades, says Karen Finerman. And the ones who aren’t doing it well in a volatile environment are the ones to avoid.

Goldman Sachs  [GS  Loading...      ()   ]stands above all others, says Guy Adami. (He's a former Goldman guy)

Morgan Stanley [MS  Loading...      ()   ] too, adds Pete Najarian.

TRADING BROKERS
Loading...
Loading...

TRADING RETAIL STOCKS
Metrics That Matter
-
Same-Store Sales (A.K.A "Comps")
- Fashion Initiatives
- Execution

Usually on the first Thursday of every month the retailers release same-store-sales, which are a report card for the sector, says Jeff Macke. Don’t own a retailer who’s missing their numbers.

TRADING RETAIL STOCKS
Loading...
Loading...
Loading...
Loading...

TRADING DRUG STOCKS
Metrics That Matter
-
Conferences & Clinical Test Trial Dates
- Current Roster Of Drugs
- Pipeline Of Future Drugs

It’s important to know these metrics says Pete Najarian because drugs sometimes hit stumbling blocks. Of course, other times they become multi-billion dollar blockbusters.

TRADING DRUG STOCKS
Loading...
Loading...
Loading...

TRADING ENERGY & COMMODITY STOCKS
Metrics That Matter
-
Price of the Commodity
- Beware Valuation
- Stocks are NOT a proxy play for the underlying commodity

Guy Adami feels the third point is extremely important. For example, he says if you’re bullish on gold don’t buy a mining company such as Newmont Mining [NEM  Loading...      ()   ] because you also get all kinds of corporate risks.

TRADING ENERGY & COMMODITY STOCKS
Loading...
Loading...

TRADING TAKEOVER TARGETS
Questions You Should Ask
-
Are there "supervoting shares"?
- What state is the company incorporated in?
- Are there big shareholders who've been active in the past?

Stay away from companies incorporated in Pennsylvania, says Karen Finerman. They’re not shareholder friendly. By contrast, Delaware is extremely friendly. And you can find out the state of incorporation on the front of a “10-Q”

TRADING TAKEOVER TARGETS
Loading...
Loading...

TRADING DEALS "IN LIMBO"
Questions You Should Ask
-
What kind of bidder is it? Corporate?
- Is it a "trophy property"?
- What leverage can the buyer use against the target?

Finerman says when you’re looking at the bidders, determine if they’re corporate bidders or some kind of LBO. Finerman likes corporate bidders best.

TRADING DEALS "IN LIMBO"
Loading...
Loading...

TRADING CHIP STOCKS
Metrics That Matter
-
Global Demand
- Commoditization
- Gadgets

Gross margins are very important explains Guy Adami. Intel’s [INTC  Loading...      ()   ] margins are expected to go higher into next year and that makes it a stock he wants to own.

TRADING CHIP STOCKS
Loading...

TRADING SOFTWARE & VIDEOGAME STOCKS
Metrics That Matter
-
Product Cycle Demand

Judge video games by the hardware release, says Jeff Macke. Typically Sony (SNE), Nintendo (NTDOY) and Microsoft (MSFT) lead on new consoles he says. A few years after that, profit margins are strong on the new software titles.

TRADING SOFTWARE & VIDEOGAME STOCKS
Loading...
Loading...
Loading...

TRADING GADGETS AND TELECOM
Metrics That Matter
- Product Cycle Demand
- Wireless Capacity

Pete Najarian investigates how much growth lies ahead for companies in this sector.  For example, he likes Research In Motion (RIMM) because Pete anticipates they will explode when they get into China.

TRADING GADGETS AND TELECOM
Loading...



______________________________________________________
Got something to say? Send us an e-mail at and your comment might be posted on the Rapid Recap! Prefer to keep it between us? You can still send questions and comments to .

Trader disclosure: On Nov. 19, 2007, the day this segment was taped, the following stocks and commodities mentioned or intended to be mentioned on CNBC’s Fast Money were owned by the Fast Money traders: Finerman's Firm Owns S&P 500 Options, Finerman's Firm Owns Russell 2000 Puts, Finerman's Firm Is Short (IWM), Finerman's Firm Is Short (MDY), Finerman's Firm Is Short (SPY), Finerman's Firm Is Short (IJR), Finerman's Firm Is Short (IYR), Finerman's Firm Owns (BIIB) Options, Finerman's Firm And Finerman Own (GS), Finerman's Firm Owns (HD) And (HD) Puts, Finerman Owns (HD), Finerman's Firm Owns (KSS), Finerman's Firm Is Short (LEH) And Owns (LEH) Puts, Finerman's Firm Is Short (LEN), Finerman's Firm Owns (LTD), Finerman's Firm Owns (MSFT) Options, Finerman's Firm Owns (TWX), Finerman's Firm Owns (YHOO), Finerman's Firm Owns (WMT), Finerman's Firm Owns (NDAQ), Finerman's Firm Owns (NYX), Finerman's Firm Owns (NMX) Options, Finerman's Firm Owns (BEAS) Options, Macke Owns (DIS), Macke Owns (YHOO), Najarian Owns (AMTD) Options, Najarian Owns (CSCO) Options, Najarian Owns (YHOO) Options, Najarian Owns (GOOG) Options


Permalink: /id/22770065