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Welcome to the weekend, one and all, yet once again it looks like at least some of you are going to kick off the weekend with a little snow. Ugh. Stupid groundhog. Let's see... six more weeks of winter following Groundhog Day on February 2nd would put the end of winter at March 16th. Yeah, I'm pretty sure my cabin fever will push me over the proverbial edge before that date. If the newsletter starts getting weird between now and then, you'll know why.

Either way, there are a couple of housekeeping items we need to take care of before we get into the stock-related stuff.

First and foremost, don't forget today is Valentine's Day. Hopefully most of you already took care of what you need to get, or buy, or do for your sweethearts, but if you didn't, you're not alone. There were a bunch other guys standing in the card aisle with me at the store last night, and the clerk said they'd be absolutely swamped - mostly by guys - today, just like every other year. Don't forget to pick something up ASAP if you read this sometime Friday afternoon and still don't have a gift to give.

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OK folks, the bulk of today's newsletter is going to be on our hypothetical portfolio's holdings, and specifically, the two additions we're going to add to it. Well, there's only one addition we're making for sure. The other one is a trade we're going to try to get into, but we'll need to shop around a little for the right price before getting in.

First things first. Let's go ahead and step into water pipe maker Northwest Pipe (NWPX).

If the name seems familiar, it may be because we actually traded Northwest Pipe last year, and did pretty well with it too. We ended up banking a 20% gain in about three months on it, but it looks like the right opportunity has popped up again.

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Well, that was a quick end to a pretty good rally. Just when the market didn't have any more major hurdles in its path, all the recent buyers got cold feet.

Honestly, though the rally that unfurled over the prior four days clearly lacked follow-through on the fifth, it's too soon to assume the market can't or won't keep chugging higher. On the flipside, today's doji bar - a session with amazingly low volume - could very easily become the pivot point for a pullback. We'll just have to wait and see, which we talk about in detail below. First, let's talk about the left turn that fourth quarter's earnings season took a few days ago.

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Howdy, fellow traders and market fanatics. Did we all have a good weekend, which is to say, did we all survive whatever inclement weather was thrown our way? Looks like things weren't as dramatic on the weather front as The Weather Channel was suggesting they would be. That's a good thing. And better still, it looks like our friends on the West Coast finally got some much-needed precipitation.

Whatever the case, trading is back in full swing today, so we are too. We've even got a new stock pick to prove it. Of course - and as always - we've got an updated look at the market for you in today's newsletter. Let's just say stocks confirmed our suspicions with today's action, or lack thereof. Let's start with the new pick.

We Have Too Much Junk, & This Company Loves It

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Anybody got big weekend plans? The Weather Channel says most of my weekend plans beyond my front door would involve a snow shovel and an ice scraper, so I'm inclined to spend the next couple of days parked at home. Hopefully things are a little nicer in your neck of the woods, though from what I can see on the nationwide weather map, not too many people are going to escape this next round of winter misery.

The show must go on though, so let's just pick up where we left on Thursday, kicking off with a COMPLETE look at the employment picture (not the half-report you get from the media), and then the look at Twitter I promised to you in yesterday's newsletter.

Employment is Better, But Still Not "Good"