Stock markets are caught between two temptations, fear and trembling over uncertainties over economies, politics, and (most of all) health, and FOMO, fear of missing out. The result is heavy but directionless trading, alternating between gains and losses.

There is one exception however, a stock I tipped in my note Monday about Barron's recommendations published over the weekend. I collected a gaggle of ideas for buying bargains. One of them has fizzled out today because its good news is ambiguous and its bad news obvious.

Banks

*The stock I am ashamed to have backed is Santander, the Spanish bank. It re-declared for October 1 its dividend for 2019 which had been blocked in transit by the European Union in March over the corona-virus. This was greeted with olés today in Madrid where SAN gained over 3%, and by an essentially anonymous unknown outfit called Galt Research on seeking-alpha.com.

However, SAN fell 4.16% on Wall Street because of another move by the group over its Santander Chile sub, separately listed in the US. As part of the planned partial divestiture of its Latin American subs, SAN is spinning off to its Chilean sub directors services businesses there, without bidding. This kind of insider deal turns US investors off. Parent SAN today is at $1.84, an even bigger bargain than yesterday. Note that Santander B preferred shares, SAN-B, are up, meaning the problem is not about solvency or debt, but perception.

*Today both Japanese trading companies fell, Mitsubishi (MSBHF) and Sumitomo Mitsui (SMFG). Poor Buffett.

*Greencore GNCGY, the UK bank successor to our Virgin Money VRGDF, is sinking in the mire as insiders sell their shares, my worst pick in the 21^st century.

Healthy stocks

*In competition with Tesla's TSLA battery day, Swiss Roche produced a huge report on its diagnostics business, RHHBY plans to double its reagents output for testing this month to 80 mn.

*NNOX fell after short-seller “Muddy Waters” (Carson Block cast doubt on its chest X-ray business and its claimed link to Jerusalem's Hadassah Hospital, with un-muddy Chagall stained glass windows. It rallied later in part because Block is under attack from his interviewer Wilfred Frost of CNBC over Nicola for saying sell-side analysts need to be bullish to get access to management for their institutions.

*Teva TEVA fell some more. Eisai gained some more. Trends matter. ESALY is our play on Alzheimer's disease as it is a partner of Biogen for Acuanumab which is getting FDA priority review. There are more oldies in Japan than in the USA.

*More insider selling at Beigene, BGNE, the Chinese drug licensee, off 1.2%.

*Novo Nordisk has already used half the shares for its buyback program in August, meaning it has less fire-power going forward. This came in a report to our SEC. NVO stock is off 0.2%.

*Compugen, CGEN, the Israeli startup, gained a few pennies.

*However Zymeworks fell some more. ZYME gets more options trading.

*Glaxo GSK adjuvants will be part of the Canadian supply deal for 72 mn doses of vaccine from Sanofi SNY.

Energy

*Royal Dutch Shell B, BP plc, and Schlumberger gained because they are players in cutting carbon. Shell will build on its alliance with Microsoft to cut carbon emissions by supplying renewable energy to MSFT. Both are up. SLB was recommended by Barrons' as a fracking stock. RDS-B, BP, SLB.

*But Azure Power AZRE of Mauritius which sells solar generators to India collapses by 5.9%, the worst performer today. It produced the longest report I ever read and initially this boosted its share, but then reality hit.

Tech

*US Qualcomm (QCOM) purchased to get our hands on an Israeli distance diagnosis firm, is up 0.25%. It recently won a federal appeals court ruling overriding a lawsuit over its royalty rates being anti-competitive and is rated 2 for timeliness by Value Line and is an institutional investor favorite.

*Tencent raised EMB 10 bn, ~$2.5 bn in Shanghai to buy electric vehicle-maker WM Motors. Yandex is buying Tinkoff (TKS) of Cyprus. Both are holdings of our Naspers and Prosus, NPSNY, PROSY.

*Mercado Libre of Argentina is up 2.99%, our best performer so far today. MELI.

*Runner up is Nio NIO, the Chinese electric car-maker, up 2.4%, tipped by 5 analysts says Thomson-1stcall.

*Nokia is a hard call, up by a third YTD on higher earnings and gross margins and new management. Despite momentum favoring NOK the Finn is rated neutral by Value Line.

*Vodafone with Comcast CMCSA, a US share I own, is aiming to get Italy to create single broadband for Sky and VOD systems. VOD obviously is not getting roaming fees in Europe outside the UK with the virus threat and has a lot of debt, much more than its cash of $14.6 bn, probably $23.5 bn according to Value Line which likes the 10%+ yield, arguing that the sale of towers will cover the payout. I like the fact that it cut its Indian fines seriously. But how much it will earn going in 2021 is a tough call.

Industrials

*Kirkland Lake Gold fell despite being tipped for growth and yield. KL fell with the price of gold.

*Cemex SA de CV (CX) was tipped by 5 analysts says Thomson 1stcall.

*BAE Systems, the British military supplier, delivered unmanned undersea vehicles made by its recently acquired Riptide sub to US clients. The midsize versatile vehicles collect signals and acoustics for underwater warfare. BAESY shares fell 1% despite this.