What's better than momentum? Mo' momentum.
Last week wasn't particularly kind for equity investors. The Dow suffered a 2% decline, and the tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite fared even worse with a nearly 3% slide. There were thankfully more than a few stocks bucking the trend.
Let's take a closer look at five of this past week's biggest scorchers.
|
Company |
Oct. 12 |
Weekly Gain |
My Watchlist |
|---|---|---|---|
|
James River Coal (NASDAQ: JRCC) |
$3.88 |
30% |
|
|
VIVUS (VVUS) |
$22.86 |
23% |
|
|
Arch Coal (NYSE: ACI) |
$7.62 |
15% |
|
|
First Solar (FSLR 3.15%) |
$22.11 |
10% |
|
|
MeetMe (MEET) |
$3.25 |
10% |
Source: Barron's.
Jamer River Coal was the biggest gainer among Nasdaq-listed companies. It was a good week for coal stocks, boosted by encouraging news about China's coal-hungry steel mills and an uptick in natural gas prices. James River Coal was the biggest beneficiary on a percentage basis, though Arch Coal also came through with a double-digit percentage pop.
VIVUS soared after its weight-loss pill Qsymia -- the first new obesity drug on the market in 13 years -- entered into a distribution deal with Express Scripts (ESRX).
First Solar was a shooting star after an analyst at Cantor Fitzgerald waxed positively on the shares. The analyst feels that recently announced U.S. anti-dumping tariffs will increase domestic demand for First Solar's panels.
MeetMe moved higher after completing the final step in its strategy to combine its assets under a single brand. The transition of Quepasa.com users to the MeetMe platform is now finished.
