Welcome to the weekend, folks. We hope your holiday-shortened trading week was a good one. The bulls did what they could today to end things on a high note, but Friday's small gain didn't even come close to undoing Thursday's drubbing. You know what though? We've got bigger fish to fry right now than handicapping the market. We need to take a look at our open trading ideas. The last two days haven't been particularly kind to any of them, so much so that we need to go ahead and dump one of our stocks. Don't worry though - we're replacing it with a new pick. Just as a reminder, our current open picks are Group 1 Automotive (GPI), Fred's (FRED), Skyworks Solutions (SWKS), and Silicon Image (SIMG). Let's go ahead and shed the Group 1 Automotive trade. It's not that we're in any kind of real trouble with GPI. It's just that we don't have ay kind of profit cushion with the trade, and if the market tanks next week it's going to take Group 1 Automotive with it. Besides, the 100-day moving average line was already proven to be insurmountable when GPI tested it as resistance last week. I'm not interested in picking a fight I'm not sure I can win. As for Fred's, Skyworks Solutions, and Silicon Image, while the marketwide pullback hasn't helped, I'm willing to hang onto them for the time being. Remember, we had some profits to play with for each of them, so we may as well use that leeway. And, we've also got mental stop-losses in place for all three that will protect us if things get hairy in the coming week. Yes, Skyworks Solutions shares took a pretty big hit on Thursday, falling under the key 20-day moving average line at $27.90 en route to a 4.0% loss. The buyers were digging in again today though, so I'll give it the benefit of the doubt until it's clear we can't afford to do so. The stop level remains at $26.60. Still no news from, or about, discount retailer Fred's, but boy did the stock pay the price for the big runup right in front of Christmas. But, I'm not really sweating it yet. Our stop-loss level here is still $17.60, which was a ceiling just a couple of weeks ago. The 20-day moving average line has moved to that value in the meantime, so there's a very good chance a reversal could be sparked there. The downside is, Fred's may actually have to pull all the way back to the $17.60 to begin the rebound effort. [This is why we like to use mental stops rather than firm "set it with your broker' stops... we want to make a judgment call when the stock gets to a key line in the sand rather than get flushed out by a little volatility.] That leaves Silicon Image, which has also had a rough go of things these past few days. We can't blame all of that on a cruddy market environment though. Much of this week's lull is the result of the red-hot runup during the latter half of December. Even with this week's weakness, SIMG is still our biggest current winner. The last time we put a mental stop in place for Silicon Image, we set it at $5.80. Let's leave it there for the time being. The 20-day moving average line is going to be there soon, and I've got a hard time believing SIMG will need to give up that much ground before getting back in its bullish groove. With all of that being said, I'll admit I'm torn here. I feel like the broad market is due for something of a correction at this point in time, and given the calendar and what I know about market psychology, it wouldn't take much for a small dip to turn into a major plunge. Yet, I can't help but point out another stock I like well enough to officially add to the completely-unofficial SCN portfolio. It's First Cash Financial Services (FCFS). There's nothing particularly riveting about the company. It's just one of several payday lenders and pawn shops. I do like the chart, however, and better still, I like the fact that the chart's long-term pattern says we're probably at the onset of a pretty strong near-term run. Simply put, FCFS has a history of taking three or four steps forward and one step back, and then repeating the process over and over again. The dips and subsequent rallies to higher highs aren't carbon copies of one another, but the ebb and flow is pretty reliable - First Cash Financial Services is very much a "buy on the dip" kind of stock. Take a look. There's something else you'll see on our chart, however. First Cash Financial Services is an earnings-growth machine. It's never been red hot, but income growth has been hyper-reliable. There's no reason I can see that should change anytime soon. Point being, we don't see any earnings-based stumbles on the horizon. The biggest reason I like FCFS here, however, is neither the chart nor the fundamentals. It's the fact that First Cash Financial Services moves and trades very independently of the rest of the market. Makes sense. Pawn shops and payday lenders are always in demand whether we're in a recession or in the midst of an economic boom. When the overall market is strong, that consistency doesn't really do payday stocks a lot of good. When investors are freaking out and looking for a sure thing though, pawn brokers and short-term non-bank lenders are one of the first places they look. And, the market's probably one more bad day away from freaking out. I'll go ahead and take a swing on this trade, as even if the overall market recovers, First Cash Financial Services shares have a shot at holding up. Ironically though, FCFS would do better if the broad market was performing poorly. It's all about maximizing the reward and minimizing the risk. FCFS is only being entered as a short-term idea for now, but I'm going to do my best to make it a long-term play. We had some great trades last year, but a couple of them went on to much higher prices after we bailed out. I'm going to try and be a little more patient for you guys in 2014. Oh, and just a heads-up - I'm pretty sure I'll have another pick for you next week. The one I'm thinking about is most definitely a short-term trade, and nothing like a long-term investment (and no chance of ever becoming a long-term holding). As for the market itself, I'm going to hold off on any discussion about it until next week when we can get a little more clarity on what traders are really thinking here. I tell you what though... I really like the idea(s) the guys over at the SmallCap Network Elite Opportunity floated to their readers today. Like First Cash Financial Services, it's one of those stocks that doesn't really need the market's cooperation to move higher - it moves independently of the broad market. I wish I could tell you what it is, but it's too soon, and telling you now wouldn't be fair to the folks who are subscribers to the SCN EO service. I will show you the chart though. Look to your right. That's it. It doesn't take any stretch of the imagination to see the low hit last week was something of a capitulation, and that the bulls are now itching to get a rebound underway. Heck, the rebound may have even started today. Regardless of when it starts, there's a ton of upside potential brewing up here. If you want to know which stock it is, the best way to find out is with the free two-week trial to the SmallCap Network Elite Opportunity service. Here's how. Or, copy and paste the following link in your browser: http://www.smallcapnetwork.com/?vmpd_ckstr[click_track]=SCN+Newsletter&vmpd_ckstr_redirect=/pages/SCNEO/v1/ That's it for today, ladies and gents. Have a great (and warm) weekend.