by Todd Shriber

With another Republican candidate debate and President Barack Obama’s long-anticipated jobs speech this week, it’s fair to say that we’re already in the throes of election season. Sure, Election Day 2012 is still 14 months away, but in the world of politics, it’s never too early to start pandering for votes.

Along those lines, Trader Daily decided to take a look at the 10 most important states in the 2012 election, either to Obama’s re-election hopes or the designs any Republican challenger has on defeating the incumbent. California, Illinois, New York and Texas were not included on this list because, based on recent trends, it is highly unlikely that any of these states flip sides.

States appear in order of electoral votes from least to most (electoral votes in parentheses).

10) New Hampshire (4)

The only state in New England that can be viewed as a toss-up, New Hampshire has been identified as critical to the hopes of both parties in 2012, according to The Wall Street Journal.

9) Nevada (6)

Nevada is an interesting case not only because it is the epitome of a tossup state, but also because it was worth five votes in the electoral college in 2008, but in 2012 it will be worth six. President Obama won Nevada in 2008, but Nevada is not loyal. In the three elections from 1980 to 1988, Nevada went Republican. Then Bill Clinton won it in 1992 and 1996. George W. Bush won it twice before Obama cleared it in 2008.

8) Colorado (9)

Once reliably red, demographic changes have altered Colorado’s political hue. And while nine electoral votes won’t have anyone confusing Colorado with California or Texas, in a close race, Colorado will matter, as The Wall Street Journal noted.

7) Wisconsin (10)

Wisconsin has been a blue state in presidential races for a while now. But in 2010, the state elected a Republican governor and senator, so the Democrats could face a dog fight here.

6) Indiana (11)

Obama pulled a big surprise here in 2008. Red Mass Group says the Republicans must win Indiana back in 2012 “in order to remain competitive and relevant.”

5) Virginia (13)

See above. That comment from Red Mass was made in reference to several states, including Virginia. Virginia was once an easy win for Republicans, but Obama dispelled that notion. A potentially competitive Senate race shines the spotlight even brighter on Virginia in 2012.

4) North Carolina (15)

Virginia’s neighbor to the south was also another former easy win for the GOP that went Democrat in 2008. Fifteen electoral votes is enough to get both parties spending plenty of money in the Tar Heel state.

3) Ohio (20)

Ohio elected a Republican governor and senator in 2010, but that hasn’t changed a very weak jobs picture. The big question is which party does Ohio blame its economic woes on, because the party that escapes Ohio’s wrath probably carries this critical state.

2) Pennsylvania (21)

Pennsylvania hasn’t gone Republican in a presidential race since 1998, but it usually appears competitive enough to get both parties spending money there. Losing Pennsylvania would arguably cripple Obama’s re-election hopes.

1) Florida (29)

It’s no surprise that at least one Florida politician acknowledges the fact that Florida is the most important state in presidential politics, according to Politico. President Obama won here in 2008, but Florida has had a tendency to bounce back and forth. The last time a candidate lost Florida and won the election? Bill Clinton in 1992.

by Todd Shriber

Gold’s recent performance has been lethargic by the yellow metal’s standards. But the reality is that the yellow metal is still one of the most popular kids at the financial markets party. Here’s a look at 10 fun and illuminating facts about gold:

10) Warren Buffett Really Doesn’t Like Gold

Gold isn’t the Oracle of Omaha’s favorite investment option, as Forbes notes. While Buffett has been wrong about gold, at least he has been consistent with the message. His dislike of the yellow metal dates back to at least the late 1990s.

9) A History Lesson

Yes, it was ages ago, but if all the gold mined during the California gold rush was tallied up in today’s U.S. dollars, the sum would be more than $50 billion.

8) Costs Rise, but Prices Rise Even More

The average production cost for replacing and producing an ounce of gold jumped from $281 an ounce in 2001 to $655 an ounce in 2008, according to the World Gold Council. The price varies in different parts of the world, but the average is currently estimated to be around $700 an ounce. So production costs haven’t even tripled in the past decade while gold prices have climbed roughly 500%.

7) India’s Reserves

With 614.6 tons of gold reserves, India boasts the 11th-largest total in the world, according to CNBC. The country is the world’s largest consumer of the yellow metal, Reuters reports.

6) Russian Replenishing

Earlier this year, the Central Bank of Russia announced plans to purchase 100 tons of gold per year to replenish its reserves, The Wall Street Journal reported.

5) History Lesson Part II

The first gold coins were produced in 700 BC and the history of gold being converted to money spans 2,600 years, according to Talewins.com.

4) ETFs

The first exchange traded fund (ETF) backed by physical gold to trade in the U.S. was the SPDR Gold Shares (GLD), which made its debut in November 2004. Today, GLD faces competition in the U.S. from the iShares COMEX Gold Trust (IAU), the ETFS Physical Swiss Gold Shares (SGOL), and the ETFS Physical Asian Gold Shares (AGOL), just to name a few.

3) History Lesson Part III

Gold futures began trading in the U.S. in 1974 after a 41-year ban on gold ownership by private citizens was lifted, according to Inside Futures.

2) Production

Barrick Gold (ABX) was the world’s top gold miner as ranked by production by a wide margin in 2009 and 2010, Bloomberg reported.

1) Production Part II

Contrary to popular belief, South Africa is not the world’s top gold producer. In fact, South Africa is the fourth-largest behind China, the U.S., and Australia, according to Index Mundi.

by Todd Shriber

The past week on Wall Street has provided plenty of memorable mathematical moments. Without further ado, Trader Daily takes a look at 10 of the craziest numbers of one of Wall Street’s most volatile weeks:

1) Two: Including last year’s rejection, the number of times Peabody Energy (BTU) has tried to get its hands on Australia’s Macarthur Coal and thus far failed.

2) Five: We mean $5, the price nearly a third of the respondents in a poll on The Street think shares of Bank of America (BAC) will bottom at.

3) 63: As in percent. That’s the premium to the closing price Motorola Mobility (MMI) Google (GOOG) is paying to acquire the maker of mobile phone handsets that run on Google’s Android operating system. That’s nearly double the average premium paid in over 360 wireless sector deals in the past five years, according to Bloomberg.

4) 77: That’s the percentage of turnover in high-frequency trading accounts for some U.K. markets, The Wall Street Journal reported.

5) 2.4 Million: As in dollars per day. That’s what BP (BP) is spending on rigs in the Gulf of Mexico that are not currently looking for oil, according to OilSlick.com.

6) 37.1 Million: The White House payroll for 2011, InvestorPlace said.

7) 63.2 Million: The number of Bank of America shares sold by John Paulson’s Paulson & Co. during the second quarter. Paulson now holds 60.4 million shares of BofA, according to Bloomberg.

8) 627.7 Million: That’s the value of call options on the SPDR Gold Shares (GLD) purchased by Steven Cohen’s SAC Capital, according to Benzinga.

9) 1.63 Billion: The amount in dollars that the Swiss government may forgo in francs to help the country’s export and tourism industries following the franc’s recent surge as a safe-haven currency, Bloomberg reported.

10) 1.8 Billion: The lead in dollars the SPDR S&P 500 Trust (SPY) held over GLD at the end of last week for the title of world’s largest ETF by assets.

by Todd Shriber

With the infamous “flash crash” of May 2010 still fresh in the minds of many traders, two international trading platforms experienced a bad day to fall victim to technical woes. With markets plunging across the world on renewed concerns about slack economic growth and heightened concerns of a double-dip recession, today simply wasn’t the day to add fuel to the fire with computer problems.

Yet that’s reportedly what happened to NYSE Euronext (NYX), the operator of the New York Stock Exchange and the Liffe derivatives market, and Skandia Investment Solutions, a U.K.-based investment firm.

NYSE Euronext said a computer glitch halted derivatives trading on Liffe and prevented stock quotes from its European exchanges from being updated for an hour, according to Bloomberg. This is kind of a big deal because NYSE Liffe is the world’s second-largest derivatives businesses by trading value, according to the NYSE website.

Add to that the fact that NYSE Euronext operates major exchanges in Amsterdam, Brussels, Paris, London and Lisbon, and one sees why this was a thorny issue for traders on what was already a dour day.

Making matters worse is the fact that this isn’t a one-off event for NYSE Euronext. Today’s fault was the sixth in less than two months and follows two hours of equity indexes in Amsterdam, Brussels, Paris and Lisbon not updating on July 29 and for nearly two hours on July 12, according to Bloomberg.

Simply put, post flash-crash, this is not the type of news any exchange operator, particularly one that’s being acquired, should be generating.

Meanwhile, Skandia’s trading platform shut down due to a power outage, reported New Model Adviser. While acknowledging that it was a “frustrating” inconvenience, the firm said it had contingency plans in place to process trades faxed in, according to the article. The platform was expected to be up and running tomorrow.

by Todd Shriber

George Soros, the legendary Hungarian-born investor and loyal donor to liberal causes and politicians, is throwing in his hedge-fund towel. He announced on Wednesday that his $26 billion Quantum fund will close its doors to outside investors and morph into a fund that only manages assets for Soros and his family.

The news could mean the end of the more visible portion of Soros’ long career. Love him or hate him, Soros has left observers of financial markets plenty to be remembered by. In no particular order, here is the Trader Daily top-10 list of George Soros career highlights.

10) Gold Hater

As far back as early 2010, Soros warned of gold being in a major asset bubble. He made those comments in an interview with CNBC in late January 2010. From early February 2010, through the close of trading on Tuesday, the SPDR Gold Shares (GLD) and the iShares Gold Trust (IAU), two exchange-traded funds in which Soros Fund Management once owned sizable stakes, were up over 50%.

9) From Russia with Losses

Soros was one of the first big-name financiers to test the allure of investing in Russia, but being among the first didn’t prevent Soros from having to write off $2 billion in losses following the 1998 financial crisis, according to The New York Times.

8) Brazilian Controversy

Soros’ liberal political proclivities are well known, and that may have been the source of a spurious rumor started by some on the right that Soros was behind a $2 billion loan from the Obama administration to Brazilian oil giant Petrobras (PBR). It’s just that: a rumor. Soros had nothing to do with the loan, according to FactCheck.org.

7) Bold Assertions

Never one to shy away from an audacious claim, Soros said during the financial crisis in 2008 that global subprime mortgage losses could total $1 trillion. Before that, he said the world was facing the worst financial crisis since World War II.

6) Breaking the Baht

A good part of Soros’ trading acumen was born in the foreign currency market, and some critics accuse him of triggering the 1997-98 Asian financial crisis with a massive short bet against the Thai baht, as Investopedia notes.

5) Politics Part II

Though unsuccessful, Soros wrote plenty of checks in an effort to defeat President George W. Bush in 2004. The hedge-fund manager is widely credited with being one of the driving forces from a financial standpoint behind liberal activist groups America Coming Together and Moveon.org, as CNN reported.

4) Insider Trading

Before so many hedge-fund managers and their minions were in hot water for insider trading, Soros was convicted of the offense in France. In a case that goes back more than two decades, Soros allegedly used insider tips for profit on trades of French bank Societe Generale. France’s highest court upheld the conviction in 2006, according to The New York Times

3) Soros the Giver

As The Chronicle of Philanthropy notes, Soros is certainly a charitable guy. He ranked no. 1 on the publication’s “Philanthropy 50” list earlier this year.

2) Steady Returns

Quantum returned an average of 20% a year since 1969 when its predecessor fund was formed, Bloomberg reported.

1) The Pound

As Soros has enjoyed a controversial and illustrious career, the one thing that market historians always recall about him is a 1992 bet against the British pound that was viewed as a catalyst for Great Britain pulling out of the European Exchange Rate Mechanism.

Most accounts say Soros made $1 billion on the trade. But some say $1 billion was made in a single day, and the overall profit was $2 billion. Either way, it was a windfall and helped cement Soros’s status as a legendary currency trader. The architect of the trade? Soros’ former chief strategist and former chairman of Duquesne Capital, Stanley Druckenmiller, according to the above Bloomberg report.

by Todd Shriber

This week’s Trader Daily top-10 list is one for the movie buffs among us, as we take a look at the 10 best stock market movies. For better or worse, Hollywood didn’t start tapping Wall Street as a movie backdrop in earnest until the 1980s, so even our younger readers should be familiar with at least of a few of the films that make the list. And for once, this list goes in order.

10) “Boiler Room” (2000):

This may be a harsh assessment and when you get down to it, Boiler Room, starring Vin Diesel and Giovanni Ribisi along with a cameo from Ben Affleck was entertaining. But it was a tad on the sophomoric side and there are certainly better stock market movies in the drama genre.

9) “Trading Places” (1983)

This early 1980s comedy stars “Saturday Night Live” alums Dan Aykroyd and Eddie Murphy. Commodities not stocks serve as the backdrop here. It’s number three on Dave Manuel’s list of Wall Street flicks; we’ll debate the ranking, but say it is worth a watch for a few laughs.

8) “Barbarians at the Gate (1993)

For the fans of mergers and acquisitions history, this is perhaps the best movie you can get your hands on. It is a non-fiction account of the RJR Nabisco leveraged buyout, which is still one of the most talked about takeovers in U.S. corporate history.

7) “Enron: The Smartest Guys In The Room” (2005):

This film is a documentary about – you guessed it – the end of Enron, which until Lehman Brothers in 2008 was the biggest corporate bankruptcy in U.S. history. It’s actually better than any of the dramatic interpretations of the Enron fiasco.

6) “The Pursuit of Happyness” (2006)

One of the few  feel-good movies dealing with Wall Street, this film stars Will Smith and is more about the triumph of the human spirit than the market. “The Pursuit of Happyness” checks in at number five on Manuel’s list. Trader Daily interviewed the real-life star of this story, Chris Gardner, back in 2010, and he has lost none of the intensity and drive reflected in the movie. The interview can be read here.

5) “Other People’s Money” (1991)

Gregory Peck and Danny DeVito shine in this well-timed film that appeared in theaters while the go-go days of the 1980s were still fresh on people’s minds. Dramatic at times, the comedic value in this one is underrated.

4) “Rogue Trader” (1999)

Another non-fiction and arguably underrated film, Ewan McGregor stars as Nick Leeson, the trader that brought down Barings, the bank to the queen, according to Leeson’s website. Trader Daily interviewed Leeson as well last year and were surprised to find him surprisingly candid about his time in a Singaporean jail, the role of the Kobe earthquake, and the small size of the scandal ($1.4 billion) when compared to subsequent ones.

3) “Inside Job” (2010)

The Oscar winner for best documentary in 2010,  Inside Job takes viewers inside the financial crisis via the voice of Matt Damon. Aside from expecting Jason Bourne to suddenly appear at any given moment, the film is as good of a window into causes of the crisis as we’ve seen and should be required viewing for MBA students.

2) “Trader” (1987)

This is a rarely-discussed short documentary film featuring hedge fund legend Paul Tudor Jones. One for the history buffs, market geeks and film aficionados alike.

1) “Wall Street” (1987)

It’s not a stretch nor terribly original to place this iconic classic atop a list of the best Wall Street movies. Michael Douglas won the Oscar for best actor for his role as Gordon Gekko, arguably one of the more memorable film characters of the latter half of the 20th century. And before he was Charlie Harper, Charlie Sheen was Bud Fox in perhaps his best movie role. The sequel is notable in its absence from this list.

by Todd Shriber

From banking to baseball, some of the most recognizable names in their respective industries have delivered plenty of compelling factoids, numerical and otherwise, during the last week that are worth taking a look at. Here’s Trader Daily’s top 10:

1) What Does That Say?

Bank of America (BAC), the largest U.S. bank by assets, announced that it will pay $8.5 billion to settle claims regarding bunk mortgage-backed securities it sold to investors. The stock reacted positively, indicating investors like the news. But on a dour note, that $8.5 billion exceeds the total profits posted by the bank since 2008, according to The Wall Street Journal.

2) Next?

Although Facebook is a private company, founder Mark Zuckerberg is still a very rich man. How rich? Well, as Forbes reports, Zuckerberg is now worth more than Google (GOOG) co-founders Sergey Brin and Larry Page. The only computer-tech royalty who can say they are richer than Zuckerberg are Bill Gates of Microsoft (MSFT) and Oracle (ORCL) boss Larry Ellison.

3) The Survey Says…

Granted this probably isn’t the most scientific of polls, but a survey on The Los Angeles Times website shows that nearly 89% of respondents believe Major League Baseball should seize the now bankrupt Los Angeles Dodgers.

4) Speaking of…

If one wants to figure out why the Dodgers are bankrupt, part of the reason lies in poor contract decisions with players, namely retired slugger Manny Ramirez. As the Boston Herald reports, Ramirez is owed $21 million from the Dodgers even though he hasn’t played an inning for the team since 2010.

5) A Free iPhone?

Well, maybe. RBC Capital Markets analyst Mike Abramsky said Apple (AAPL) could offer the iPhone 3Gs free of charge with a carrier contract when the fifth generation of the popular smartphone debuts later this year, Barron’s reports.

6) Bushels of Apple

The consensus estimate for third-quarter iPad sales is 10 million to 12 million. Research firm CLSA begged to differ last week, saying LCD shipment data indicates Apple could sell 14.4 million units of the hot tablet device in the third quarter, according to website BGR.

7) Don’t Make These Guys Angry

Research firm Muddy Waters has made quite a name for itself exposing varying degrees of chicanery at Chinese companies, causing nearly $5 billion in share losses for North America-listed Chinese companies, according to Bloomberg. Spreadtrum Communications (SPRD) is currently doing battle with Muddy Waters, and that may be one reason why its chart looks like this.

8) Free Money… Sort Of

The state of California is sitting on a windfall of $6.1 billion in unclaimed money from forgotten savings accounts, store credits and royalty payments, Bloomberg reports. Even Warren Buffett is owed $20. Good news for a state with a $10 billion budget shortfall, as Bloomberg notes.

9) Ugly

CNN Money posted a list of the 10 worst-performing stocks of 2011 and the worst offender on the list isn’t too surprising. Employment website Monster Worldwide (MWW) is down 43% year-to-date. With employers barely hiring, Monster is scary right now.

10) Pretty

National Semiconductor (NSM) is the top performer, surging 79% year-to-date, according to CNN Money. Nearly all of that gain is attributable to the $6.5 billion takeover by former rival Texas Instruments (TXN) in April.

by Paul Springer

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has minted a new series of health warnings to discourage cigarette smoking, a move that instigated a range of reactions spanning from hilarity to utter boredom.

While it may be ludicrous for the same government that allows for the sale of cigs to warn against their effects, there is definitely a place for graphic warnings in the world of investments.

OTC Markets led the first charge with its tier symbols, like the skull-and-crossbones for limited issuer disclosure.

A quick look around the investment community clearly indicates the need for graphic symbols to bolster the meaning of all the boilerplate warnings that no one pays attention to.

Here are some suggestions for new graphic warnings:

The dunce cap: This one goes on any investment scheme offering a supposedly “safe” return that is hundreds of basis points higher than anything legitimate, usually for some obscure asset like banana leaf futures or Russian sewer construction notes.

A picture of The Riddler in his question mark jumpsuit: This symbol needs to appear near the ticker for any leveraged exchange-traded fund with a structure that is so incomprehensibly baroque that the prospectus appears to be written in Ferengi – and reading it makes you want to take a huge position in Anheuser-Busch.

Sleeping homeless guy, cradling a 40-ounce like a baby: This should be stamped on Forex mini-account advertising that touts $250 minimum deposits and 200-to-1 leverage.

A pink, flying unicorn: This icon goes next to the half-dozen, China-based stocks that routinely jump up 10% to 20% every few days, seemingly defying gravity. Like the airborne unicorn, the stocks that go up all the time tend to exist mostly in the imagination.

Coffin: A symbol for labyrinthine and implausible pitches aimed at inveigling retirees to sell their safe assets and put the proceeds into age-inappropriate investments like currencies and commodities.

Light bulb inside a “universal no” symbol: For all the companies that have been using a bogus idea that has been “in development” for years to facilitate repeated stock offerings. Sure the personal commute catapult is a great idea, but it just never seems to get off the drawing board.

Joint with clouds of smoke: Put this one next to the stock symbol for companies whose only claim to fame is that they are planning on getting a piece of a multi-billion industry – usually one dominated by behemoths that will crush poorly capitalized entrants like a bug. These issuers and their buyers both need to self-medicate so they won’t feel the pain when the end comes.

1) Free Ketchup!

Some folks really take advantage of those condiment packets at fast-food. In fact, one man even enlisted the help of close family in an effort to save for his first house, according to Bankrate.

2) Self Haircuts

This one could result in self in mutilation if not done properly, or at least a few laughs at the office. The Frugal Dad estimates cutting his own hair saves him $200 a year. Rather than getting 12 haircuts a hair per year, why not just get fewer haircuts and keep letting the pros do it?

3) Jerry Seinfeld Would Love This

In order to get the best price possible, Alison Storm recommends buying cereal you don’t need right now and stashing it away for a later date (). Two things: You could wind up with cabinets that look like Jerry Seinfeld’s and cereal does go stale. Not to mention the free buffet you might offer a wide variety of six-legged houseguests. And yes, they can chew through the box and the plastic bag material inside, which can lead to more than just the toy surprise landing in your child’s cereal bowl in the morning.

4) This Can’t Be Safe

Making your own cleaning supplies seems like a good idea on the surface and it is good for the environment, but beyond mixing some vinegar and water, aren’t some dangerous chemicals necessary to make most household cleaners. More often that not, chemical burns and permanently discolored floors, countertops and upholstery is the result. Plus Procter & Gamble (PG), one of the largest stocks in the Dow, loses business.

5) Gross, Just Gross…

The Lending Club offers what must be the most pause-inducing recommendation – flushing your toilet less to save on your monthly water  bill. Seriously?

6) Sleep At The Office

There was a time that the end of the work day meant being able to leave the office, but for the truly thrifty among us, sleeping at the office is a great way to save some coin. If it’s good enough for as many as 50 congressmen, according to CBS News, it should be good enough for the rest of us, right? Right?

7) Find Someone To Rob You

Is your place starting to look like an episode of “Hoarders?” Bargaineering recommends actually soliciting someone to rob you. Ridiculous. Not to mention illegal.

8) The Placebo Effect

As The New York Times notes, the placebo effect can be a powerful force in the world of medicine. This isn’t the worst idea in the world, but one has to be convinced that one is taking real medicine and that requires a doctor to get in on the act. Still, fake pills are cheaper than the real deal.

9) Binge Drinking At Happy Hour

Thrifty drinkers know to load up at happy hour, but the hole in this strategy is that liver surgery almost certainly costs more than the cumulative drinks, happy hour price or otherwise, that required it.

10) This Is Just Mean

Making your kids pay for dinner may sound like a great way to save money and teach the young ones the value of a dollar. It’s also highly abnormal and the therapy bills you could be faced with will probably be much higher than the dinner tab with which you stuck the kids.

by Todd Shriber

There are environments that are conducive to stock picking, and then there are times when the endeavor is a real challenge. This year is proving to be a royal pain for three of the best-known stock pickers in the business: Bruce Berkowitz, Ken Heebner and Bill Miller.

Funds run by Berkowitz of Fairholme Capital Management, Heebner of Capital Growth Management, and Miller of Legg Mason are the three worst performers among large diversified U.S. mutual funds in 2011, Bloomberg reported, citing Morningstar.

Those guys aren’t the only ones having to deal with some rough picks this year. Let’s a have a look at 10 stocks that have proven to be drags for some Wall Street studs (in no particular order):

1) Alcoa (AA):

As a Dow stock, Alcoa has no shortage of institutional ownership, but that also means some indigestion for plenty of fund managers with a chart that is marred by a clear series of lower highs and lower lows.

2) American International Group (AIG):

The one-time Dow component turned poster child for “too big to fail,” AIG is one name Berkowitz remains bullish on, as Bloomberg reports. But when a stock’s chart looks like this, it’s hard to say it’s a screaming buy.

3) Bank of America (BAC):

If it’s not one thing, it’s another for the largest U.S. bank by assets. This one is another problem for Berkowitz and John Paulson’s Paulson & Co.

4) Citigroup (NYSE: C)

See above, because both Berkowitz and Paulson held chunks of this turkey at the end of the first quarter as well. The well-documented, 1-for-10 reverse split engineered by Citi earlier this year has done little to generate enthusiasm for the stock

5) The Knot (KNOT):

The Knot, which has made a name for itself serving the wedding and pregnancy markets, caught the eye of Kian Ghazi’s Hawkshaw Capital Management in the first quarter, according to Seeking Alpha, but it has also been one of the hedge fund’s laggards.

6) National Oilwell Varco (NOV)

A Heebner favorite and an oil services name that plenty of others in the smart money crowd like as well, National Oilwell Varco was a big disappointment in the first quarter with a tumble of more than 11%, according to tickerspy.com data.

7) Enterprise Products Partners (EPD):

Enterprise Products, the largest U.S. master limited partnership, is a favorite among scores of money managers, due in large part to its robust dividend yield. And while not as offensive as some of the other names on this list, the stock has been locked in a tight range in recent weeks, perhaps weighing on traders who were looking for some more upside in this name.

8) Cisco Systems (CSCO):

For some reason, this former tech darling is still a favorite with fund managers. And you wondered why most of them can’t beat the S&P 500? Love affairs with stocks like Cisco explain why.

9) US Bancorp (USB):

One of the not-so-bad names when it comes to bank stocks, few institutions own more US Bancorp shares than Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway (BRK.A, BRK.B). This may prove to be another big Buffett winner in the future, but this stock is being polluted by the stench of other bank stocks.

10) Research In Motion (RIMM):

Like Cisco, the fact that RIM remains a favorite with fund managers explains serial under performance. And like Cisco, the BlackerBerry maker has a decrepit chart.