Cover Your Costco Shorts

Last month, we kicked off a regular survey of how our readers are doing. I was heartened that most were actually doing a bit better than the averages, and I'm hoping for a similar result this month.

As a reference, the New York Stock Exchange to date is up 1.54%, the Dow Jones Industrial Average is up 5.63% and the Nasdaq is down 4.69%. The most encompassing measure, however, might be the Wilshire 5000, which is up 0.56% year to date, so we'll use that as a baseline.

Through March 4, I am ... Down more than 5% Down 1% to 5% Flat to up 4% Up 5% to 10% Up more than 10% See Results

Today, the Nasdaq, Home Depot (HD - commentary - Cramer's Take), Autodesk (ADSK - commentary - Cramer's Take), Aurora Foods (AOR - commentary - Cramer's Take), A.G. Edwards (AGE - commentary - Cramer's Take), Michaels Stores (MIK - commentary - Cramer's Take) and Costco Wholesale (COST - commentary - Cramer's Take).

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And that is the final word from the Ed Sullivan Theater, where I think David Letterman is pretty funny, but I haven't stayed up to watch him live in more than 15 years. Frankly, I'm wondering how anyone with a daytime job does.

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Gary B. Smith is a freelance writer who trades for his own account from his Maryland home using technical analysis. At time of publication, he held no positions in any securities mentioned in this column, although holdings can change at any time. Under no circumstances does the information in this column represent a recommendation to buy or sell stocks. Smith writes a daily technical analysis column for RealMoney.com and produces a daily premium product for TheStreet.com called The Chartman's Top Stocks. While he cannot provide investment advice or recommendations, he invites you to send your feedback to Gary B. Smith.