10 Stocks to Shake the Market

Some stocks are one-hit wonders, making a big splash when they first appear, then quickly fizzle into obscurity or oblivion. But for other stocks, that initial big move is only a preview for even bigger and better gains to come.

Today, we've compiled 10 stocks that made some of the biggest upward moves over the past month. We'll then pair that list with the ratings issued by our Motley Fool CAPS community. The higher each stock's rating, the greater CAPS members' faith in that company's ability to keep on beating the market.

With only one of the stocks carrying a rating better than the lowest, let's see why the CAPS community thinks any of these might outperform the market.

A mighty temblor
Even though cream rises to the top and cash is supposedly king, in this market it's been the detritus that has floated to the surface. As the list above shows, these big movers are some of the CAPS community's least favored stocks. But they're not the only ones powering ahead. There's a good reason this market is being called a "dash for trash."

Unemployment is soaring, there is still a dearth of credit, and housing remains in the dumps. And yet, companies with some of the most precarious balance sheets have soared. Financial stocks are up 60% since the beginning of March while the housing index is up 75%. Even retail stocks are getting caught up in the spring euphoria. Investors might want to use a modicum of caution when sorting their trash.

It took the possible pandemic outbreak of swine flu to spur Novavax to higher highs. The biotech makes a recombinant vaccine technology that could be essential should the flu spread like wildfire and vaccines to fight it become necessary to have in bulk on very short order. Even in the event it doesn't become a worldwide affliction, pharmaceuticals and others will no doubt be taking a closer look at its technology. 

Vaccines have become big business since the shortage a few years ago with the government investing billions in stockpiling vaccines and pharmaceutical companies snapping up the vaccine makers. A company like Novavax whose technology can mass produce vaccines quickly would likely command more of a premium than what it trades at currently, even if those share prices have tripled over the past month.

While CAPS member quinpeung is betting against the government stockpiling vaccines at the moment, jam47N thinks Novavax's on-the-fly technology allows it to maneuver quickly regardless.

This company has mobile lab capabilities, that can make the vaccine on location from the current mutated state, therefore reducing the time it takes to make a vaccine. It also has India's Cipla, as a partner, which makes the generic tamiflu.

But greenshooter sees this as much ado about nothing, at least as far as Novavax is concerned. Whenever there's a rush like this, fools rush in; a more sober look would see that there is still a wide chasm to be crossed before it could actually profit from this crisis.

Too much excitement over swine flu. Will fall in the coming weeks to normal levels. The company needs to raise money and a flu vaccine is years from being approved.

Shake, rattle, and roll
With these shaking the market this past month it pays to start your own research on them at Motley Fool CAPS. Read a company's financial reports, scrutinize key data and charts, and examine the comments your fellow investors have made all from a stock's CAPS page.