Don,

You flatter me and I am appreciative of your kind words.

I like VIVO a lot. Because it has been kind to me. The greatest rationale I can make for this stock is the perfect picture of steady revenue growth, earnings growth, free cash flow, and even steady dividend increases.
The only downside is that it is priced near perfection with a p/e in the 50's.

Thanks again for the kind words. It means a lot to me coming from as dedicated an investment person as you are!

Your friend,

Bob
Stock Picks Bob's Advice

Hi Bob,



After my first full day in this I'm now looking at a failed upside breakout, which, as one technician or another has noted, is a Bad Thing. But the last time I did a large scale review of my last 1388 trades, which covered several years, I specifically tallied the results of all trades that closed below the breakout point on day one, and to my great surprise, found that almost exactly half of those ended up being profitable, just like the trades that closed above the breakout point. So, although I didn't like the action, I'm staying with this till my stop is hit--which is closer now than it used to be!:) Good luck with nasty market! Don

Darn, Bob, after taking this hit on VIVO this morning, I'm going to have to sell one of my Chateaux to cover my loss!:) OK, I take full responsibility for it. And it really did meet all of my criteria--except for the volume when I bought it. But you're still my hero anyway! Don

Don,



I suspect we ALL are amateurs in this market. You made some very kind remarks on this blog and on my page and I appreciate your support. However, VIVO really imploded on us. I guess the only warning signal was the valuation----the high p/e especially. If we can combine all of the other factors and find some value as well, we are likely safer in the long haul.



I don't think this particular story is over anyhow. This is a small company that is only part of the way to where it is going.



Again thank you and good-luck with this one and all of the rest of your 'picks'.



Bob

Hi Bob, Thanks for your additional thoughts on this.



No matter how hard I try, I still from time to time succumb to feeling smart when the market turns one of my ideas into a profit, and dumb when it's a loss. Even when a dumb idea learns to a profit, and vice versa.



Looking at the reasons behind VIVO, I can see those fundamental reasons for it, which, if applied to a large basket of stocks over time, make money. In my own particular trade though, I did violate my requirement for high volume on the breakout. I've gone over more than a thousand of my own trades, and given my use of breakouts, volume has mattered a lot. Anyway, I 'm giving myself an A for the fundamental portion of this trade, an A for requiring a setup pattern before entry, an F for my not sticking with my volume requirement, an A for my position sizing being exactly as I intended, and an A for waiting till my stop was hit. Overall, I get a B!:) --and another lesson learned. Thanks again Bob! Don