25 Momentum Stocks for the Gambler in You

Editor's note: Jon D. Markman writes a weekly column for CNBC on MSN Money that is republished here on TheStreet.com. He's also a regular contributor to RealMoney, TheStreet.com's subscription site. If you'd like to see all of Jon Markman's RealMoney commentary, click here for information about a free trial.

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Stock market got you down? Are all of those can't-miss financial stocks, consumer product stocks and technology stocks in your portfolio missing in action? Is your broker droning on about how he can't make you any money in this "low-volatility environment," whatever that is, and maybe you'd be interested in some municipal bonds or a certificate of deposit paying 2%? Brother, can you spare an annuity?

Well then, if you have the stomach for it, it's time to step into the casino. Throw away your cares about fiscal responsibility and enter the world of stock speculation circa 1999. This is a world where volatility is in the house, where momentum is not just another eight-letter word.

Yes, let's turn to our annual end-of-October list of the stocks that have blown away the competition this year with gains of 100% or more.

Stocks for the Stretch Drive

Longtime readers will recall that these stocks often do really well into year-end, then fall apart in the next calendar year. They do well in the stretch drive of the fourth quarter, apparently, because all of the portfolio managers who have scoffed at their gains all year finally wake up and smell the alpha. These babies are improvised explosive devices with lit fuses, and after the recent unpleasantness in the broader market, many appear ready to blow the pockets off short-sellers' khakis.

The primary criteria for this list are that the companies must have market capitalizations greater than $50 million, prices above $2 and trading volume of more than 25,000 shares a day. Last year, that would have netted us hundreds of companies. This year, there are only 100.

To make sure that we are looking at stocks that are still in uptrends and aren't round-tripping from being up 300% to flat, I have added criteria that the stocks must have been up in the past three months and the current price must be above its average price of the past 10 weeks and 50 weeks. That gets us down to 82 incredible names. The following table lists the top 15 through Oct. 24.

Markman's Big Gainers List for 2004 These companies have little in common except huge upside moves this year
Company	Industry	Market Cap	% Rise YTD	Oct. 25 Price	StockScouter Ranking
Travelzoo (TZOO:Nasdaq)	Internet	$960 million	559.2%	$65.14	3
Air T (AIRT:Nasdaq)	Air delivery	75 million	452.0	27.73	1
Cenuco (ICU:NYSE)	Education services	71 million	445.5	6.00	4
W.R. Grace (GRA:NYSE)	Chemicals	772 million	361.9	11.62	4
QSound Labs (QSND:Nasdaq)	Electronics	53 million	342.8	6.92	3
Terra Nitrogen (TNH:NYSE)	Chemicals	400 million	333.5	21.38	4
Jupitermedia (JUPM:Nasdaq)	Internet	627 million	322.6	20.31	5
Novatel Wireless (NVTL:Nasdaq)	Business services	583 million	305.7	24.57	5
Riviera Holdings (RIV:NYSE)	Casinos	72 million	288.2	21.00	5
Viewpoint (VWPT:Nasdaq)	Multimedia software	162 million	280.0	3.07	3
Kmart Holding (KMRT:Nasdaq)	Discount stores	8.1 billion	273.2	90.28	6
Isonics (ISON:Nasdaq)	Chemicals	76 million	270.1	3.65	3
Elan (ELN:NYSE ADR)	Drug delivery	9.7 billion	267.5	24.92	3
Vaalco Energy (VEIX:Nasdaq)	Indep. oil & gas	156 million	263.6	5.04	5
NitroMed (NTMD:Nasdaq)	Drug manufacturers	577 million	206.0	23.65	3
Source: MSN Money