Whether this week was a disappointment or not depends on the way you look at it. The major indices all lost ground over the past five sessions after jumping by more than 2% last week. However, stocks had to deal with two of their biggest concerns this week: rising rates and trade. Yet, there were no 1000-point plunges in the Dow or concerns about a faltering bull like in early February. Instead, the NASDAQ slipped about 0.7% this week while the Dow and S&P each dipped about 0.5%. That’s nothing to write home about…but its far from the hemorrhaging we saw before. On Friday, the Dow broke even, but was technically up 0% (or 1.11 points) to 24,715.1. The NASDAQ slipped 0.38% to 7354.3 and the S&P was down 0.26% to 2713. But the Russell hit another new high for the third straight day, gaining 0.08% to 1626.6. Earlier this week, the 10-year Treasury note soared past 3% and continues to hang around its highest point in nearly 7 years. A few months ago when the note hit 2.88%, the major indices sold off by about 4% on one day. So its looks like the market may have gotten used to higher rates…or at least it’s not as petrified as before. We also got mixed messages this week on the trade negotiations with China. President Trump was downright pessimistic yesterday when saying that he doubted the talks could be successful, though there was a more optimistic tone from the Director of the U.S. Economic Council Larry Kudlow today. And in addition to all this, North Korea threatened to pull out of next month’s summit. While all this was happening, the editors were busy trading. They’ve gotten more bullish in the past couple of weeks after this strong earnings season and are looking to find companies that will take off in the next leg higher. On Friday, Counterstrike and Surprise Trader each added two names, while Momentum Trader, Technology Innovators and Options Trader each added once. OT also had a triple digit winner. Learn all about it below: Today's Portfolio Highlights: Options Trader: As stated yesterday, the three bull call spreads in Dollar General (DG) are fully in the money, so all the stock had to do was close at or above $95 today for the portfolio to get the maximum profit. Well…it did! DG actually closed over $96 today, so those spreads went off the board with a 174% gain! Meanwhile, a large head and shoulders (potential failure) pattern usually signals a sharp upside breakout. That’s exactly what Kevin is seeing on the chart for Packaging Corp of America (PKG), the fourth largest producer of containerboard and corrugated packaging products. In anticipation of that breakout, the editor established a position by buying to open 2 October 125.00 Calls in PKG. The company recently reported a positive earnings surprise and has a Zacks VGM Score of “A”. Get a lot more specifics on this new move in the full write-up. Momentum Trader: Shares of Cryolife (CRY) are close to their 52-week high after a solid quarter with a positive earnings surprise. Also, revenue is expected to grow 31% this quarter and 48% next quarter. Dave likes where this medical device manufacturer is going, so he added it on Friday with a 12.5% allocation. The editor also sold Urban Outfitters (URBN) for a return of 10.2% in a little over a month. The complete commentary has more on both of these moves. Counterstrike: The portfolio is almost fully invested after taking small positions in a couple of names on Friday. Firstly, shares of Baidu (BIDU) dropped about 10% today on news that its COO is stepping down. However, Jeremy doesn’t think that one guy is going to take down “The Google of China”. Therefore, this slide is a great buying opportunity for a stock that saw EPS beat expectations by 50% last time. The editor added a small 5% allocation in BIDU with plans of adding more on any move to $245. The other buy was Dana (DAN), an automotive equipment maker that’s down almost 30% this year. However, it recently became a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy) after a nice quarter in late April. Jeremy thinks its soft guidance is already priced in, so he bought a 4% position in DAN. If the stock breaks through its 50-day at $25.30, then it could spark a rally to the 200-day at $28. Read the full commentary for more on these new buys, including a look at their charts. Surprise Trader: Earnings season may be winding down…but it’s not over. Dave added two names on Friday that are reporting next week. NetApp (NTAP) releases results after the bell on Wednesday. This Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy) provider of hybrid cloud data services has a positive Earnings ESP for the upcoming quarter and is part of a space (Computer – Storage Devices) that’s in the top 3% of the Zacks Industry Rank. The other buy needs no introduction. Best Buy (BBY) reports before the bell on Thursday and it too has a positive Earnings ESP. The company announced a big beat last time and is near its 52-week high. The editor added these names with 12.5% allocations each. Read the full commentary for more on all of today’s moves. Technology Innovators: Whenever possible, Brian Bolan likes to buy a quarter ahead of a stock's expected profitability swing to ensure his position. That’s what he did with today’s addition of Twilio (TWLO), a provider of cloud communications platforms. The company is coming off a strong quarterly beat that included an increase to full-year estimates. However, it is still reporting losses…though the editor thinks that could change soon. Once it does, he expects investors to get interested in the name. Read the full write-up for more. Have a Great Weekend, Jim Giaquinto Recommendations from Zacks' Private Portfolios: Believe it or not, this article is not available on the Zacks.com website. 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