Stocks were mixed on Thursday morning, with modest gains in Technology and Communication Services and losses in other sectors. On the employment front, first-time claims for state unemployment benefits fell to 709,000 for the week ended November 7, down from 757,000 a week earlier and below the consensus forecast of 731,000. Inflation data was muted. The Labor Department said that U.S. consumer prices were unchanged in October following growth of 0.2% in September. The Reuters consensus forecast called for growth of 0.1%. The Dow fell 0.5%, the S&P fell 0.3%, and the Nasdaq rose 0.3%. Crude oil rose more than 1% to $42 per barrel, while gold rose $16 to $1878 per ounce.

This pick list highlights constituents of the Morningstar US Mid Cap Index that we believe offer investors the best risk-adjusted return prospects. The market capitalization range for U.S. mid-caps typically falls between $1 billion and $8 billion and represents 20% of the total capitalization of the U.S. equity market.

Stocks rose on Thursday morning, recovering some of their losses after Wednesday's sharp selloff. GDP data was strong. The Commerce Department said that the U.S. economy expanded at a 33.1% annualized rate in the third quarter, a reversal from the 2Q decline of 31.4%. The reading was also above the Bloomberg consensus forecast of 32.0%. On the employment front, the Labor Department said that initial claims for state unemployment benefits fell to 751,000 for the week ended October 24, down from 791,000 a week earlier and below the Bloomberg consensus forecast of 770,000. The Dow rose 0.4%, the S&P 1.0%, and the Nasdaq 1.5%. Crude oil fell more than 3% to $36 per barrel, while gold fell $8 to $1872 per ounce.

Our analysis of insider sentiment for the past few weeks has offered little about which to be concerned. Generally, the insider-sentiment barometers created each week by Vickers Stock Research have been bearish -- but not to a degree that is in any way extraordinary. Insiders typically sell shares more often than they buy shares, and that is especially the case when major stock indices are at or near all-times highs (like now). So we've sat back and discounted marginally bearish sentiment. This week, we're sitting back and discounting insider sentiment again, but for a different reason.