Here are a few observations after reviewing the Stocks to Watch lists for January 23:

The power of Barron’s: Bill Alpert wrote an exposé piece titled “Smells Like Rotten Eggs” about SulphCo in this week’s issue. The stock opened at $17.80 in the pre-market and closed at $9.51 in the aftermarket.

Tribune showed up on the New Lows list, along with LEE Enterprises and Media General. I wrote a short post about TRB management the other day. It’s a mystery to me why people are bullish about the newspaper stocks. Here are some recent comments from Jack Shafer (via Howard):

“PRWeek: How do you envision the future of the newspaper industry?

Shafer: I see it as a long, steady, and profitable decline. And this is a decline that started in 1920 when radio arrived… the newspaper industry has gotten used to having quasi-monopoly positions in most of the major markets, and now that they have competition, they are screaming like spanked little children about their losses.

PRWeek: Where do you see it hitting a plateau?

Shafer: I don’t know. I’m really bad at predictions. Every prediction I’ve ever made has turned out to be false. But if you go back and you look, people said that radio was dead when TV arrived. And people said that AM radio was dead when FM arrived. And people said not long ago that the broadcast networks were dead because cable had arrived, and videotapes. And the fact is that every one of these mediums repositions itself, and retools itself, and refuses to die.”

Baidu finally fell below $60 which means that every single buyer of the stock is now underwater. Dreams still Don’t Come True on Blue Baidu.

The New Highs list once again is packed with Oil Services stocks. I noticed one name on the list that wasn’t energy, but alternative energy instead: Suntech Power. This recent issue has been on a tear, in part because it combines two magic words: photovoltaics and China. ;-)

“Suntech Power Co., Ltd. engages in the research, development, and sale of solar cells, solar modules, and photovoltaic systems in China. Its products are used in communication, broadcasting, transportation, maritime affairs, and military affairs. The company markets its products in Europe, America, the Middle East, Africa, and Asia. Suntech Power was founded in 2001 and is based in Wuxi, China.”

I urge all my readers who follow the US stock market to review my lists. They’re a unique, free resource, and your sense of the market will improve dramatically if you make it a daily habit to study the lists.