We have seen great gains in the markets since last year. By now, I’m sure many investors are second guessing whether or not to hold onto those stocks that have brought them out of the troughs.

There is no great formula that we can use to determine whether or not a stock will continue on its upward journey or if it will begin its descent. As we all know, this market is a gamble. Our best defense is to stay in tune with the company’s current news, watch the trends in that sector and to scan for catalysts that will support further growth.

Take, for example, Priceline.com Inc. (PCLN). This company has been on fire for months now. The stock has gone from $173.32 to $561.88 over the last 52 weeks. Amazing gains for a consumer related, services stock. I have read numerous reports from the less than positive analysts