This Week's 5 Smartest Stock Moves

If you're feeling good about the market, you're not alone. Take my hand as we go over some of the more uplifting headlines of the week.

1. Good times at the Apollo
Sun Microsystems (Nasdaq: JAVA  ) didn't have to wait long for the rebound. Serial acquirer Oracle Systems (Nasdaq: ORCL  ) is buying the company for $9.50 a share.

The $7.4 billion deal helps Sun save some face. The company's boardroom was going to have to face pitchfork-carrying shareholders after another buyout fell apart earlier this month.

Sun hadn't given Mr. Market a lot to be sunny about until its front porch began filling up with potential suitors in recent weeks. Analysts were expecting Sun to post a loss this fiscal year, and now it will be Oracle's problem (or turnaround opportunity). 

This has to be a good omen for the market. When even the ugly ducklings are being pulled at from both ends like Popeye and Bluto fighting over Olive Oyl, imagine when the attractive companies come up for consolidation. I think we're going to need a bigger porch.

2. Keep on rolling
Shareholders of Chipotle Mexican Grill (NYSE: CMG  ) probably feel as stuffed as one of the quick-service chain's signature burritos after the company posted better-than-expected results on Thursday. Earnings soared 47%, to $0.78 a share, fueled by improving margins and a recent increase in menu prices that helped keep comps positive at the unit level.

Analysts were looking for just $0.55 a share on the bottom line. It's not all good news, as comps growth of 2.2% is the slowest in the company's brief publicly traded history. Is the company willing to sacrifice foot traffic by keeping its premium pricing intact? Maybe not. Chipotle is testing value menu items, a kids menu, and new items like soup in its home base of Colorado.

There are uncertainties all around, but it's hard not to be left smiling after seeing the chain smoke past Wall Street.  

3. Apple of my eye
Apple (Nasdaq: AAPL  ) didn't phone it in on Wednesday; it iPhoned it in. The Mac daddy saw its fiscal second-quarter profit grow by 15%, on the strength of a quadrupling of iPhone sales. If you're not impressed by the earnings production, do consider that analysts were braced for a decline in profitability.

Like Chipotle, every blue sky has a gray lining. In Apple's case, the "but" came in the form of a drop in computer sales. It's easy to see why, given the dour economy and the shift to low-priced netbooks. However, as long as iPhones are selling like hotcakes -- or at least like MacBooks circa 2008 -- Apple has plenty of time to get its Macs and MacBooks in line.

4. House of verbs doesn't come crashing down
If unexpected growth spurts at Chipotle and Apple tickled the market, what kind of a frenzy do you think would have swept the market if a laggard like eBay (Nasdaq: EBAY  ) had taken a surprising step forward?

Not so fast. The online marketplace didn't turn a miracle this week. However, by keeping its revenue and earnings setbacks in the single digits on a percentage basis, it did manage to surpass the market's lowly projections.

Sure, eBay's marketplace revenue is a stinker. It fell by 18% over the past year, weighed down by its flagship ebay.com auction site. However, gains at PayPal and Skype helped keep the carnage to a minimum. It may be too early to say "eBay is back," but it may be OK to say that "eBay no longer has its back to the wall."

5. If it's not broker, don't fix it
TD AMERITRADE (Nasdaq: AMTD  ) posted its quarterly results on Tuesday. The financials came in as expected, but let's dig into why the discount broker is making the cut for this week's column.

• TD AMERITRADE closed out the quarter with $6.4 billion in net new assets.
• The broker's client base expanded during the period. It now has 5.1 million funded accounts.

Since rival Charles Schwab (Nasdaq: SCHW  ) posted similar gains a week earlier, it's fair to say that the discounters are generally growing. Yes, folks saw their dreadful 2008 brokerage statements and still found faith in the market. And since the rally didn't kick in until the tail end of the March quarter, they have probably been rewarded for that faith.

You go, Wall Street.