Sam Collins
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Dollar Tree (NASDAQ: DLTR) has more than 3,500 stores that sell its inventory of toys, durable housewares, candy, seasonal goods, and so on for a $1. Its other stores, operating as Deal$, sell most of its inventory at $5 or less.

This deep-discount retailer is generally considered to be the leader of its class and is rated a "buy" (four stars) by S&P with a target of $59.

The stock executed a major long-term bullish breakout at around $45. Technically this breakout is major and targets the stock at over $65.

The SPDR S&P Homebuilders ETF (NYSE: XHB) bottomed in March and made a direct run to the 200-day moving average by the end of April.

In mid-July, it executed a gold cross, which indicated that its long-term trend was about to change. By early August, it had broken the high of July, establishing an uptrend.

Since then it has been trading within a bull channel, but recently broke the 50-day moving average (blue line) suggesting that XHB will head for the support line and 200-day moving average at around $12.50.

Bank of America (NYSE: BAC) traded above $50 a share in December 2006, but the international financial crisis drove the sector to extreme lows, and BAC fell to below $3 in March.

With the crisis abated and recent management changes to take effect at the end of this year, BAC has picked up positive research opinions from many analysts.

Technically the stock has made a solid advance along its bullish support line and the 50-day moving average.

Avnet Inc. (NYSE: AVT) is one of the largest distributors of semiconductors and computer-related products in the world.

After falling from more than $40 in 2007, its common stock bottomed in October 2008, well before the bear market low in March. Since then, it has been trading in a bull channel with a top around $29 and low at $23.

The long-term trend of this favored blue chip is up, but recent profit-taking has driven it below $25 and could even result in a test of the support line at $23. S&P rates this stock as a strong buy (five stars) with a price objective of $33. From a technical standpoint, the chart's objective is also $33.

AT&T (NYSE: T) fell from a high of almost $43 to less than $22 in a little over a year. T formed a long-term bottom, finally breaking out at $27 after executing a gold cross (confirmation of a long-term bull market).

But profit-taking in the past two weeks has caused a retrenchment back to support at $26.50.

The stock could pull back more, but its high quality and visibility make this the bluest of blue chip stocks, with a dividend yield of more than 6% and a strong buy recommendation by S&P (five stars).

The U.S. dollar continues to show weakness, and oil will likely continue to be a good hedge against its further deterioration.

Apache Corp. (NYSE: APA), which is a large oil and natural gas exploration and production company, should continue to benefit from the dollar's fall.

APA fell from almost $150 in May 2008, to $51 in March. Energy prices improved, and so did this stock as it built a base on a double cup-and-handle formation.

When selecting which stocks to buy, ratings from agencies like Standard & Poor's can be useful in creating a balanced portfolio.

But did you know technical analysis is the most accurate way to predict where a stock -- or the market for that matter -- is going?

Technical analysis is more of an art than a science, but when used correctly it can boost your profits to new heights. I took a look at stocks that S&P has a four- or five-star rating on and analyzed their charts to come up with six great technical trades for you.

Honeywell International Inc. (NYSE: HON) is a diversified technology and manufacturing company. The stock tripled in price from late 2002 to early 2007.

But in June 2008, the stock broke support and plunged. By November, it was trading for less.

Vanguard FTSE All-World ex-US ETF (NYSE: VEU) seeks to track the performance of the FTSE All-World ex-US Index, which is made up of approximately 2,200 stocks of companies located in 46 countries.

Sometimes we see a chart that technically seems to have it all, and this is one.

United Technologies Corp. (NYSE: UTX) provides technology products and services to the building systems and aerospace industries.

Its stock has built a strong base that began in October 2008. In early July, UTX flashed a bullish gold cross. Then, in mid-August, it broke out from a quadruple-top.

Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd. (NASDAQ: TEVA) engages in the development, production, and sale of a range of generic and branded pharmaceuticals, biogenerics, and active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) worldwide.

The long-term chart shows a stock that has never been in a bear market.

The recent resistance line is merely a pause in its long-term upward march, and it was broken by heavy buying in April. Teva ran to a new all-time high above $55, and then pulled back on profit-taking.

Family Dollar Stores Inc. (NYSE: FDO) operates a chain of discount retail stores. As one of the great "dollar stores," it often leads the retail group.

The chart is loaded with bullish technical signals, including a gold cross, a new buy signal from the stochastic, and a build up of buying volume.

Worldwide offshore oil and gas drilling contractor Diamond Offshore Drilling Inc. (NYSE: DO) has formed a massive bottom known as a cup-and-handle, which is a very bullish formation.

Coupled with a gold cross (also bullish), DO recently flashed a buy signal from the Moving Average Convergence/Divergence (MACD) indicator.

If you're looking for the most accurate way to predict the direction a stock or the market is headed, technical analysis is it.

Of course, no chart pattern is accurate all of the time (which is why technical analysis is more of an art than a science), but it's the closest you're going to get to a sure thing in the stock market.

So I'm offering up six technical trades today. Each of these stocks' charts are giving off extremely bullish signals and look ready to run higher.

Even if prices appear to be clawing their way through the overhead supply at around Dow 8,000 and S&P 500 825 to 875, the going is getting tougher.

The highest that the S&P has achieved so far was the high of Thursday, April 2, at 846, before it was turned aside on a minor reversal this Tuesday. Volume has been on the low side on both advances and declines, but this week that was no doubt due to the impending holiday weekend.