Nasdaq 100 Watch List

Below are the Nasdaq 100 companies that are within 20% of the 52-week low. This list is strictly for the purpose of researching whether or not the companies have viable business models or are about to go out of business. These companies are deemed highly speculative unless otherwise noted (view all here.)

Symbol	Name	Trade	P/E	EPS (ttm)	Yield	P/B	Pct from Yr Low
FSLR	First Solar	105.56	14.02	7.53	N/A	3.26	6.94%
ERTS	Electronic Arts	16.58	N/A	-2.31	N/A	2.08	12.41%
QCOM	QUALCOMM	36.7293	29.48	1.246	1.80%	2.91	12.53%
APOL	Apollo Grp	59.98	14.43	4.16	N/A	6.37	13.62%
ATVI	Activision	10.645	123.78	0.086	1.40%	1.26	14.96%
PPDI	Pharm. Prod.	21.02	15.67	1.34	2.80%	1.87	16.97%
GILD	Gilead	47.60	16.87	2.82	N/A	6.56	17.18%
SRCL	Stericycle	55.28	27.30	2.03	N/A	5.60	20.28%

Watch List Summary

Over the last week, First Solar (FSLR) and Qualcomm (QCOM) had the worst performance. First Solar (FSLR) fell nearly 14% intra-week by Thursday but managed to recover losing only 7% for the week. Qualcomm (QCOM), on the other hand, fell consistently throughout the week and closed at the low for the week. As I ran my stock screeners, looking for quality dividend achieving stocks, Qualcomm (QCOM) kept coming up with the highest return on equity (ROE), return on assets (ROA) and lowest debt. The odd thing is that QCOM isn't even a Dividend Achiever. From a qualitative standpoint, QCOM seems to come up as a solid company with a "wide moat" according to Morningstar. If I were to invest in any stocks at this time Qualcomm (QCOM) and Monsanto (MON) are at the top of my list.

As if to awaken from the dead, Apollo Group (APOL) was the leading gainer for the week by rising slightly above 4%. Apollo Group (APOL) was the leader among stocks that were on the Nasdaq 100 Watch List from the previous week. Provided the stock market can hold up, Apollo Group (APOL) might have a chance at a temporary rebound in the price after having been at the low for so long. Also able to scratch out a gain this week was Stericycle (SRCL) which was up over 1.5%.

Again, Qualcomm (QCOM) and (MON) are my two favorite stocks to start some research on and possibly acquire despite the coming stock market and global economic collapse that is forecasted because of the Spain/Greece/England/Euro implosion. Also, don't forget the U.S. debt and dollar crisis to come. With all of these calamities on the horizon, I would highly recommend factoring in, at least, a 50% lose on any new investments from the current level (a strategy explained in our article "A Simple Way to Avoid Losing Money in Stocks".)

-Touc