We have a nice collection of six splits to select from this month; enough to prompt the resurrection of the ranking list seen at the bottom of this column. I’ve not felt the need for the list since last June because of the meager number of splits announced over the last eleven months. Home BancShares (HOMB) tops the list and will be joining the 2 for 1 portfolio early next week.

Stocks slid late in the day after the San Francisco Fed president said the Fed might taper its quantitative easing by the end of the year. The S&P 500 Index lost 1/2%, but other U.S. equity index ETFs held up better. Paradoxically, bond prices jumped on the news. Our models remain bullish, and will likely remain so for several more months at least.

Yesterday the market faltered for the first time in several days. Is this the beginning of the pullback our expert contributors have been waiting for? Watch today’s Stock Market Crash Course to find out why this overheated market may need to take a breather, how long it could last and how you should react. Click below to watch the video!

U.S. stock futures rose on Friday, with investors set to move past a bump in the rally road in the prior session and looking ahead to potentially good news from consumer sentiment and leading indicators. Futures for the Dow industrials rose 40 points, or 0.3%, to 15,252, while those for the Standard & Poor’s 500 index rose 4.4 points, or 0.3%, to 1,652.50. Futures for the Nasdaq 100 index added 6.25 points to 3,004.50.

Technically, the shares recently ran into potential resistance near their 80-day moving average and the $100 area. FDX is trading near a 10% year-to-date gain, as well, which could also serve as resistance. On the sentiment front, we continue to see a good deal of bullish calls traded on FDX.

PRICED DEALS*EOX,MKTO,STML,DATA,TCP,TSLA,(TSLA),GTS*

The S&P 500 Index continues to make new highs. Our models remain bullish despite the onset of unfavorable seasonality from May-October. If fact, I expect risk to remain below-average for most of the next twelve months, even though we may experience a summer correction. Our client accounts have their maximum equity exposure that is consistent with their objectives.

We are making a trade effective today Friday, May 17, 2013. This trade is dictated by recent movements in the International Stock and Specialty fund scorecards. Details will be provided in next week’s issue. · Sell all shares of WisdomTree Australia Dividend (AUSE). With the proceeds, purchase iShares Nasdaq Biotechnology (IBB).

U.S. stock futures shed modest gains to turn mostly lower on Thursday after data had jobless claims hitting a six-week high and housing starts down to a five-month low.The government reported jobless claims climbed by 32,000 to 360,000 last week, more than economists had projected. Another report, also from the Labor Department, had the cost of living in April declining for a second month, with the 0.4% drop in the consumer price index coming as energy costs fell.