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The Internet Retailer Online Retail Index gained 3% last week.

Most e-commerce stocks tracked in the Internet Retailer Online Retail Index posted gains last week.

Among the top gainers last week was Amazon.com Inc., whose stock rose after the e-retailer posted a 33.8% increase in first quarter revenue, going from $9.86 billion in Q1 2011to $13.19 billion. Amazons stock value climbed 19.4% last week over the prior week. Amazon is No. 1 in the Internet Retailer Top 500 Guide.

Daily deal provider Groupon Inc.s stock rebounded last week with a 7.6% gain. Since the markets close March 30 when Groupon announced it was restating its fourth quarter earnings, its stock had lost value each week until last week. Still, the stock has fallen from its March 30 closing price of $18.38 to $11.98, a 34.8% decrease.

Online jeweler and auctioneer Bidz.com Inc., No. 150, led the index with a 26.5% gain, going from 49 cents to 62 cents last week. Netflix Inc., No. 13, led the losers with a 21.1% decrease following a $4.58 million Q1 loss reported last week.

The Online Retail Index tracks 25 publicly traded e-retailers and e-commerce technology providers. Most20had gains last week, with four losing value and one, Coastal Contacts Inc., No. 117, flat.

Overall, the Online Retail Index increased 3.00% last week, ahead of the broader market. The Dow Jones Industrial Average increased 1.53% and the Standard & Poors 500 increased 1.80% last week.

Following are the best-performing stocks last week in the Online Retail Index and the percentage increase in stock price for each:

Bidz.com, 26.5%

Amazon, 19.4%

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E-commerce stocks outperform the broader market

After a topsy-turvy decade for stocks you might be finding it hard to stick to your investment plan. Perhaps youre tempted to take on more risk in an effort to make up for past losses. Maybe youre invested in only a few stocks, or those that appear to have supercharged growth prospects. Alternately, you might be cringing in fear after dumping your stocks. Problem is, taking an extreme stanceone way or the otheris likely to lead to disappointment in the long run.

Instead, a balanced approach is more likely to lead to a satisfactory outcome. When it comes to stocks, take a page out of Warren Buffetts book and try to invest in good stocks for the long term. Thats just the sort of approach that I recommend.

Let me show you how to construct a solid do-it-yourself stock portfolio. My goal is to start new investors out on the right path and provide a few useful pointers to more seasoned aficionados at the same time.

Before you begin

A few words of wisdom before we launch into the stock-picking advice. It makes little sense to build an investment portfolio if you dont have a solid fiscal foundation, so thrift and debt elimination should come first. You should pay off your credit cards, lines of credit, and other debts before starting to invest seriously.

After eliminating debt, sock away some cash in GICs or a high-interest savings account. If you lose your job, run into illness, or face some other calamity, you dont want this emergency fund to be in stocks. You should only turn to the markets with money that can be invested for many years.

Once youre ready to invest for the long term, how should you divvy up your portfolio? Should you put all of your long-term investments in stocks, or does it makes sense to hold bonds as well?

The yield generated by bonds these days is pitiful: at current inflation levels, bond investors are losing purchasing power. Taxes make the situation even worse. (Ideally bonds should be sheltered in RRSPs and TFSAs.) However, bonds are still a useful bulwark, because they offer some stability and, unlike stocks, theyre unlikely to plummet in value quickly. You probably wont make much money from bonds these days, but youre not likely to lose 50% either. Stocks cant make such promises.

In his book The Intelligent Investor, Benjamin Graham suggests starting with a half-and-half split between stocks and bonds in normal times. Should one or the other become attractively priced, then you might tilt the portfolio accordingly. But at a minimum, investors should have at least 25% in stocks and 25% in bonds.

You might also tilt your portfolio one way or the other based on personal preference. If youre aggressive, then you might want to go 75% stocks, while more conservative investors might lean to 75% bonds. Older investors with shorter time horizons might similarly opt for more bonds than the young. But these are rules of thumb and individual circumstances might call for different allocations.

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Stocks that pay you back

(RTTNews.com) - After moving sharply lower at the open, stocks have seen continued weakness over the course of morning trading on Monday. The major averages are stuck firmly in negative territory after turning in a mixed performance last week.

Much of the weakness on Wall Street stems from renewed concerns about the global economy following the release of disappointing economic data from China and Europe.

Traders have also reacted negatively to news that French President Nicolas Sarkozy came in second in a first round of voting, losing to socialist Francois Hollande. Sarkozy is expected to face an uphill battle in a run-off election against Hollande on May 6th.

Reflecting the global economic concerns, steel stocks are posting particularly steep losses in late morning trading. The NYSE Arca Steel Index is down by 2.8 percent after hitting a three-month intraday low.

Gold stocks are also seeing substantial weakness on the day, resulting in a 2.7 percent drop by the NYSE Arca Gold Bugs Index. The weakness in the gold sector comes amid a notable decrease by the price of the precious metal.

Most of the major sectors have also shown notable moves to the downside on the day, with internet, networking, software, and housing stocks posting sharp losses.

The major averages have climbed off their worst levels of the day in recent trading but remain stuck in the red. The Dow is down 132.48 points or 1 percent at 12,896.78, the Nasdaq is down 46.97 points or 1.6 percent at 2,953.48 and the S&P 500 is down 15.69 points or 1.1 percent at 1,362.84.

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Stocks Remain Sharply Lower In Late Morning Trading - U.S. Commentary

If you've got ten bucks, I have some stock ideas for you.

I've been singling out attractive opportunities in low-priced stocks since my original "10 Stocks Under $10" column 10 years ago, and I've seen plenty of stocks with pocket-change prices generate incredible gains.

There are risks, and they are readily apparent given the recent volatility. There are often good reasons for stocks to be ignored or beaten down. However, a market rally can work wonders for the unloved with positive catalysts in their pockets.

Let's go over my five picks from March 2009 -- when low-priced stocks bottomed out -- to prove my point.

Company

April 20, 2012

March 13, 2009

Gain/Loss

*Bare Escentuals was acquired for $18.20 a share in 2010.

The average gain of 418% in a little more than three years is remarkable.

Read this article:
5 Stocks Under $10 Worth Buying

Maybank IB Research upgraded Malaysia's conglomerate UMW Holdings Bhd to buy with a higher target price of 8.35 ringgit per share as it saw potential recoveries at the latter's automotive and oil and gas sectors.

"With market already absorbing the anticipated weak first quarter of this year and its 2011 kitchen-sinking exercise, UM now offers a recovery play angle with modest growth and undemanding valuations, supported by a decent dividend yield of six percent," the broker said in a research note on Monday.

Maybank lifted its net earnings forecast on UM by 10-11 percent in 2012-2013, while it also upped UMW's dividend per share forecast to 41 sen in 2012 and 46 sen in 2013.

By 0210 GMT, UM shares rose 0.40 percent, outperforming the Malaysian benchmark stock index that dropped 0.54 percent.

(Reporting by Yantoultra Ngui in Kuala Lumpur; yantoultra.ngui@thomsonreuters.com) ****************************************************************

STOCKS NEWS MALAYSIA-Hong Leong ups Digi.com to hold

Hong Leong Investment Bank Research upgraded Digi.com Bhd to hold and raised its target price to 3.77 ringgit per share from 3.17 ringgit previously, citing positive outlook ahead for the country's No.3 telco.

"Mobile internet growth, margin improvements from its network sharing with Celcom and further capital management could see additional returns to shareholders," the broker said in a research note on Monday.

Hong Leong said Digi's network sharing with Celcom was executed well and the cost savings from the collaboration was expected to materialise more significantly in the second half of this year.

By 0147 GMT, Digi's shares rose 0.26 percent, outperforming the Malaysia's benchmark stock index that shed 0.32 percent.

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STOCKS NEWS MALAYSIA-Maybank raises UMW to buy