The Vickers Top Buyers & Sellers is a daily report that identifies the five companies the largest insider purchase transactions based on the dollar value of the transactions as well as the five companies the largest insider sales transactions based on the dollar value of the transactions.

The Vickers Top Buyers & Sellers is a daily report that identifies the five companies the largest insider purchase transactions based on the dollar value of the transactions as well as the five companies the largest insider sales transactions based on the dollar value of the transactions.

Stocks edged higher on Monday morning, led by gains in the Energy, Materials, and Financial sectors. Data on inflation expectations from the New York Fed was mixed. Consumers surveyed in October expected prices to be up 5.7% in one year, up from 5.3% in September and the highest reading since the start of the survey in June 2013. However, medium-term expectations for inflation in three years held steady at 4.2% after three months of increases. The Dow rose 0.2%, the S&P was flat, and the Nasdaq rose 0.1%. Crude oil rose to more than $82 per barrel, while gold traded near $1826 per ounce.

The Vickers Top Buyers & Sellers is a daily report that identifies the five companies the largest insider purchase transactions based on the dollar value of the transactions as well as the five companies the largest insider sales transactions based on the dollar value of the transactions.

We have an Over-Weight rating on the Financial Services sector, which accounts for approximately 12% of the S&P 500.Within Financial Services, the bank & brokerage industries account for about half of the market cap. The banking industry is unique, compared to the business models of Industrial, Technology, Healthcare or Consumer companies. “Revenues” for banks generally include net interest income and noninterest (or fee) income, such as service charges, credit card fees, and wealth management fees. “Costs” for banks include noninterest expenses such as salaries, marketing, technology, and credit cost (in the form of a loan loss provision). Numerous factors influence bank profits, including jobs growth and consumer confidence, the yield curve, credit costs, the IPO environment, and regulatory activity. When valuing bank stocks, analysts focus on P/E ratios, price/book ratios, ROA, and ROE. All else being equal, investors grant premium valuations to banks that perform well consistently, relative to other banks, on ROE, ROA, efficiency ratios, loan growth credit quality, dividend growth, and yield. Here are five banks on the Argus BUY list that meet most of these criteria.

Stocks rose on Tuesday morning as investors weighed earnings reports from Johnson & Johnson and Procter & Gamble, and new housing market data. Johnson & Johnson shares rose more than 2% following mixed 3Q results and higher full-year earnings guidance. P&G shares fell after the company topped fiscal 1Q consensus estimates but maintained its full-year guidance to reflect the impact of rising costs. Housing starts fell a greater-than-expected 1.6% in September to an annualized 1.555 million units. Building permits dropped a sharper 7.7%, compared to the consensus call for a 2.4% decline. The Dow rose 0.4%, the S&P 0.5%, and the Nasdaq 0.5%. Crude oil traded near $82.50 per barrel, while gold rose $7 to $1772 per ounce.

Stocks rose strongly on Thursday as investors focused on solid earnings from major banks and lower-than-expected weekly unemployment claims. First-time claims fell to 293,000, down from the prior week and below consensus. Continuing claims dropped to 2.593 million from 2.727 million a week earlier, and were also below the consensus forecast. Inflation data was mixed. The Labor Department said that its producer price index for final demand rose 0.5% in September, down from 0.7% in August and below the consensus forecast of 0.6% growth. However, producer prices were still up 8.6% from the prior year, up from 8.3% in August. The Dow rose 1.56%, the S&P 1.71%, and the Nasdaq 1.73%. Crude oil rose to $81.50 per barrel, while gold rose $4 to $1798 per ounce.