Top Canadian Stocks To Invest In Right Now

Canadian stocks rose to a two-week high, as precious metals producers rallied after U.S. labor data and comments from U.S. Federal Reserve Chairman nominee Janet Yellen signaled further stimulus.

B2Gold Corp. climbed 5.1 percent as the price of the metal halted a five-day losing streak. Pan American Silver Corp. jumped 7.8 percent as silver rallied. CGI Group Inc. (GIB/A), the company that has come under scrutiny for its work on the Obamacare health exchange, surged 4.3 percent after reporting fourth-quarter earnings that topped estimates.

The Standard & Poor��s/TSX Composite Index (SPTSX) climbed 60.72 points, or 0.5 percent, to 13,431.38 at 4 p.m. in Toronto, the highest since Oct. 30. The benchmark Canadian equity gauge has advanced 8 percent this year, the third-worst performance among global developed markets, ahead of Hong Kong and Singapore.

��It��s a green light, as that was the biggest fear, that the Fed would take away the punch bowl,�� said Ian Nakamoto, director of research with MacDougall MacDougall & MacTier Inc. in Toronto. The firm manages about C$4 billion ($3.8 billion). ��Definitely, the testimony is positive for the markets. She does have to contend with some hawks, and we��ll see whether she��s a compromiser, but right now it looks like no tapering until March.��

Top Paper Stocks To Own Right Now: (CG)

The Carlyle Group is an investment firm specializing in direct and fund of fund investments. Within direct investments, it specializes in management-led buyouts, divestitures, strategic minority equity investments, equity private placements, consolidations and buildups, leveraged finance, and venture and growth capital financings. The firm typically invests in agriculture, aerospace, defense, automotive, consumer, retail, industrial, infrastructure, energy, power, healthcare, software, technology, real estate, financial services, transportation, business services, telecommunications, and media sectors. Within the industrial sector, the firm invests in manufacturing, building products, packaging, chemicals, metals and mining, forestry and paper products, and industrial consumables and services. In consumer and retail sectors, it invests in food and beverage, retail, restaurants, consumer products, consumer services, personal care products, direct marketing, and education. W ithin aerospace, defense, business services, and government services sectors, it seeks to invest in defense electronics, manufacturing and services, government contracting and services, information technology, distribution companies. In telecommunication and media sectors, it invests in cable TV, directories, publishing, entertainment and content delivery services, wireless infrastructure/services, fixed line networks, satellite services, broadband and Internet, and infrastructure. The firm seeks to hold its investments for four to six years. In the healthcare sector, it invests in healthcare services, outsourcing services, companies running clinical trials for pharmaceutical companies , managed care, pharmaceuticals, pharmaceutical related services, healthcare IT, medical, products, and devices. It seeks to invest in companies based in Sub-Saharan Africa, Asia, Australia, Europe, Middle East, North America, and South America. The firm seeks to invest in food, financial, and healthcare industries in Western China. In the real estate! sector, the firm seeks to invest in Italy, the United Kingdom, and the United States with a target on Florida and Atlanta. It typically invests between $5 million and $50 million for venture investments and between $50 million and $1 billion for buyouts. It typically holds its investments for three to five years. Within automotive and transportation sectors, the firm seeks to hold its investments in for four to six years. The firm originates, structures, and acts as lead equity investor in the transactions. The Carlyle Group was founded in 1987 and is based in Washington, District of Columbia with additional offices across North America, Latin America, Asia, Africa, and Europe.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Zachary Tracer]

  NMI Holdings Inc. (NMIHZ), a mortgage insurer backed by funds tied to Carlyle Group LP (CG) and Kyle Bass, filed to sell shares in an initial public offering as investors bet on a housing-market rebound.

• [By Jesse Solomon]

  Michael Cavanagh, who many viewed as the most likely JPMorgan executive to one day take over for Dimon, left last month to take a job at private equity titan Caryle Group (CG).

• [By Tom Taulli]

  Actually, much of the private equity sector has had a nice run. Consider that the Blackstone Group (BX) is up 88% and Apollo Global Management (APO) has posted a gain of 76%. The only laggard is the Carlyle Group (CG), which is still beating the market at 28%.

Top Canadian Stocks To Invest In Right Now: Waste Management Inc.(WM)

Waste Management, Inc., through its subsidiaries, provides waste management services to residential, commercial, industrial, and municipal customers in North America. It offers collection, transfer, recycling, and disposal services. The company also owns, develops, and operates waste-to-energy and landfill gas-to-energy facilities in the United States. Its collection services involves in picking up and transporting waste and recyclable materials from where it was generated to a transfer station, material recovery facility, or disposal site; and recycling operations include collection and materials processing, plastics materials recycling, and commodities recycling. In addition, it provides recycling brokerage, which includes managing the marketing of recyclable materials for third parties; and electronic recycling services, such as collection, sorting, and disassembling of discarded computers, communications equipment, and other electronic equipment. Further, the company e ngages in renting and servicing portable restroom facilities to municipalities and commercial customers under the Port-o-Let name; and involves in landfill gas-to-energy operations comprising recovering and processing the methane gas produced naturally by landfills into a renewable energy source, as well as provides street and parking lot sweeping services. Additionally, it offers portable self-storage, fluorescent lamp recycling, and medical waste services for healthcare facilities, pharmacies, and individuals, as well as provides services on behalf of third parties to construct waste facilities. The company was formerly known as USA Waste Services, Inc. and changed its name to Waste Management, Inc. in 1998. Waste Management, Inc. was incorporated in 1987 and is based in Houston, Texas.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Damian Illia]

  During 2008, Republic Services and Allied Waste merged to create a strong company which could compete with number-one waste management company Waste Management Inc. (WM). It is true this industry has a rather constant nature, as trash volume increases with population growth, urban construction, industrial production and commercial activity. Still, the macroeconomic context during 2008 affected the recently-merged company, having to deal with lower waste volumes and intense price competition. Nevertheless, after this bumpy beginning, the company reached a good profitability. And, although it came to sustain average growth on both gross and operating margins, this tendency has recently decelerated with this margins underperforming in 2012 and 2013.

• [By Tom Rojas and Maria Armental var popups = dojo.query(".socialByline .popC"); ]

  Waste Management Inc.(WM) said its third-quarter earnings fell 7% as the trash hauler and recycler works to cut its corporate overhead costs amid tepid pricing.

• [By Jake L'Ecuyer]

  Waste Management (NYSE: WM) was down, falling 3.50 percent to $42.14 after the company reported weaker-than-expected Q4 results.

  Commodities
  In commodity news, oil traded up 1.01 percent to $101.36, while gold traded up 1.38 percent to $1,318.10.

Top Canadian Stocks To Invest In Right Now: (AMC)

AMC Entertainment Holdings, Inc., through its subsidiaries, operates as a theatrical exhibition company in the United States and internationally. As of June 30, 2011, it owned, operated, or had interests in 357 theatres and 5,098 screens in 31 states and the District of Columbia, and 4 countries outside the United States. The company was founded in 1920 and is headquartered in Kansas City, Missouri. As of August 30, 2012, AMC Entertainment Holdings, Inc. operates as a subsidiary of Dalian Wanda Group Corporation Ltd.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By DailyFinance Staff]

  The looming Fed taper has been the talk of Wall Street for months, but it still came as a surprise to investors when it actually happened. Stocks rallied Wednesday following the Fed's decision to cut its $85 billion a month purchase of bonds by $10 billion, beginning in January. Outgoing Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke said the economy continues to "make progress." The Dow Jones industrial average (^DJI) soared 292 points on the news, its third biggest one-day gain this year. The Dow also hit a closing high, as did the Standard & Poor's 500 index (^GPSC), which gained 29 points. And the Nasdaq composite (^IXIC) rose 46 points. Consider it Bernanke's final present to the market before he retires from his position atop the Fed. Among the big blue chip winners, 3M (MMM) rose 3 percent, while Exxon Mobil (XOM), Chevron (CVX) and Goldman Sachs (GS) all rose 2 percent. But Microsoft (MSFT) was flat, reflecting across the board weakness in tech stocks. Many of the biggest players on the Nasdaq lost ground despite the overall market rally. Apple (AAPL) and Twitter (TWTR) ended lower and Tesla (TSLA) lost nearly 3 percent. Part of the reason for the tech weakness was an earnings miss and a weak forecast from Jabil Circuits (JBL), a key maker of electronics. Its shares plunged 20 percent. But homebuilders were strong following a report showing that housing starts last month rose to highest level in nearly six years. Lennar (LEN), which also posted strong earnings, jumped 6 percent. William Lyon Homes rose 4 percent, KB Homes (KBH) and Toll Brothers (TOL) each rose 3.5 percent. Ford (F) shares skidded more than 6 percent after lowering its profit forecast for next year. The company also warned that it may not meet its target for 2015 and 2016. In part, Ford blames the high expenses tied its planned launch of a record number of new vehicles next year. Finally, the movie theater chain AMC Entertainment (AMC) rose 5 percent from its $18 a share IPO price. This is exp

• [By Jeremy Bowman]

  The three major movie theater companies. AMC Entertainment (NYSE: AMC  ) , Cinemark Holdings (NYSE: CNK  ) , and Regal Entertainment� (NYSE: RGC  ) are still solidly profitable, but revenues have declined along with ticket sales over the last year, as the chart below shows.

• [By Rick Aristotle Munarriz]

  Frederic J. Brown, AFP/Getty Images Moviegoers aren't heading out the multiplex the way they used to, but that doesn't mean that Hollywood is toast. AMC Entertainment (AMC) reported quarterly results Tuesday. The nation's leading exhibitor -- 345 theaters with 4,976 screens -- went public two months ago. The headline numbers are positive. Revenue increased a better than expected 2.3 percent to $713 million. Profitability also expanded nicely. However, revenue increased as a result of a 5.5 percent increase in ticket prices and a 3.7 percent uptick in concessions purchased by patrons. Obviously you don't see those kind of gains against a mere 2.3 percent lift in revenue without dealing with more empty seats, and that's just what happened. There was a 3.2 percent decline in attendance. AMC's ticket takers welcomed 50.4 million guests during the holiday quarter, well below the 52.1 million guests that it entertained a year earlier. That's bad, and what makes things worse is that it had fewer theaters -- from continuing operations -- a year earlier. It wouldn't be wise to hold out for a Hollywood ending. Customers Want Bigger and Better Things Apologists will argue that it wasn't a bumper crop of movies hitting theaters, but that's not accurate at all. Last year's biggest box office winner -- "The Hunger Games: Catching Fire" -- opened in November. Disney's "Frozen" also opened ahead of the holidays, and it's the family entertainment giant's biggest non-Pixar earner since 1994's "The Lion King." Moviegoers still come out for the big movies, and they're also willing to pay more for a premium setting. IMAX (IMAX) reported blowout quarterly results a few days earlier. IMAX screens rang up a record $244 million in ticket sales worldwide. IMAX is also closing out the year with a record backlog of 384 commercial theaters to deploy. RealD (RLD) is also holding up nicely as a leading provider of 3-D systems for exhibitors. It enjoyed a major boost with "Gravity," a

• [By Brian Nichols]

  Thanks to visionaries like Steve Jobs, Jeff Bezos, Reed Hastings, and Larry Page, the way we view, interact, and process data has changed and this includes all of the major industries within technology and entertainment. Today, it's a mobile world, yet the one industry that remains unchanged is very much the movie industry. According to DreamWorks Animation (NASDAQ: DWA  ) CEO Jeffrey Katzenberg, this could spell trouble, especially for the likes of Carmike Cinemas (NASDAQ: CKEC  ) , Regal Entertainment (NYSE: RGC  ) , and AMC Entertainment Holdings (NYSE: AMC  ) .

Top Canadian Stocks To Invest In Right Now: Natural Gas(NG)

NovaGold Resources Inc., through its subsidiaries, engages in the exploration and development of mineral properties primarily in North America. The company primarily explores for gold, silver, copper, zinc, and lead ores. It holds interests in the Donlin Creek property covering 81,361 acres and the Ambler property comprising 90,614 acres located in Alaska; and the Galore Creek property comprising 293,838 acres located in northwestern British Columbia, Canada. The company was formerly known as NovaCan Mining Resources (1985) Limited and changed its name to NovaGold Resources Inc. in March 1987. NovaGold Resources Inc. was founded in 1984 and is based in Vancouver, Canada.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Holly LaFon]

  He increased his holdings in gold companies in the fourth quarter accordingly. Gold stocks he found attractive in the fourth quarter are: Novagold Resources (NG), Randgold Resources (GOLD), Iamgold Corp. (IAG), Barrick Gold Corp. (ABX), Agnico Eagle (AEM) and International Tower Hill (THM).

• [By Dan Caplinger]

  NovaGold Resources (NYSEMKT: NG  ) will give investors its quarterly report on Wednesday. But the mining company has already seen its stock plunge in the wake of crashing gold prices, and NovaGold earnings results aren't likely to give investors much good news barring a big surprise.

• [By Monica Gerson]

  NovaGold Resources (NYSE: NG) is expected to post a Q3 loss at $0.03 per share.

  Premier Exhibitions (NASDAQ: PRXI) is projected to post its Q2 earnings.

Top Canadian Stocks To Invest In Right Now: CapitalSource Inc (CSE)

CapitalSource Inc., through its subsidiaries, provides financial products to small and middle market businesses in the United States. It offers depository products and services, such as savings and money market accounts, individual retirement account products, and certificates of deposit. The company also provides senior secured real estate and asset-based loans, and cash flow loans, which have a first priority lien in the collateral securing the loan. Its asset-based loans are collateralized by specified assets of the client, primarily the client�s accounts/notes receivable, inventory, and machinery; and real estate loans are secured by senior mortgages on real property. The company focuses on providing equipment loans and leases; loans to healthcare providers; commercial real estate and multifamily real estate loans; loans secured by timeshare, auto, and other consumer receivables; student loans; traditional life insurance premium finance loans; and loans to technology companies, small businesses, dentists, physicians, pharmacists, and optometrists, as well as to companies in the physical security, government security, and public safety sectors. It operates through 21 retail bank branches in southern and central California, as well as lending offices in the United States. The company was founded in 2000 and is headquartered in Los Angeles, California.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Paul Ausick]

  PacWest Bancorp (NASDAQ: PACW) is a small cap regional bank that mainly serves southern California. A likely merger with CapitalSource Inc. (NYSE: CSE) enhances the outlook for the coming year, bringing the bank��s assets to more than $10 billion. The bank��s stock closed at $41.66 on Friday in a 52-week range of $24.27 to $42.69. Sterne Agee projects 2014 EPS of $2.80, up 43% compared with estimated 2013 earnings. The implied gain to the target price of $48.00 is about 15% and the forward P/E ratio is 14.9.

• [By Brian Pacampara]

  What: Shares of CapitalSource (NYSE: CSE  ) soared 20% today after bank holding company PacWest Bancorp (NASDAQ: PACW  ) agreed to acquire the financial services specialist in a deal valued at about $2.3 billion.

• [By Jon C. Ogg]

  The recently announced PacWest Bancorp (NASDAQ: PACW) and CapitalSource Inc. (NYSE: CSE) merger was called a beacon in an otherwise dim bank M&A landscape so far in 2013 as it was only a $2.3 billion deal total. So far, 2013 looks to register lower in banking M&A activity than the lean years of 2011 and 2012 at only about $9.1 billion in total so far, versus almost $17 billion for each of the past two years. There are only 13 pending transactions that exceed $100 million, and two of these are expected to close imminently.

• [By David Hanson and Matt Koppenheffer]

  In this segment of The Motley Fool's everything-financials show,�Where the Money Is, banking analysts Matt Koppenheffer and David Hanson discuss the recent announcement of PacWest Bancorp's (NASDAQ: PACW  ) intention to buy CapitalSource (NYSE: CSE  ) .

Top 5 Semiconductor Companies To Own For 2016

Top 5 Semiconductor Companies To Own For 2016: Applied Materials Inc.(AMAT)

Applied Materials, Inc. provides manufacturing equipment, services, and software to the semiconductor, flat panel display, solar photovoltaic (PV), and related industries worldwide. The company?s Silicon Systems Group segment offers a range of manufacturing equipment used to fabricate semiconductor chips or integrated circuits. This segment provides systems that perform primary processes used in chip fabrication, including atomic layer deposition, chemical vapor deposition, physical vapor deposition, electrochemical deposition, rapid thermal processing, chemical mechanical planarization, wet cleaning, and wafer metrology and inspection, as well as systems that etch or inspect circuit patterns on masks used in the photolithography process. Its Applied Global Services segment offers products and services designed to enhance the performance and productivity, and reduce the environmental impact of the fab operations of semiconductor, liquid crystal displays (LCDs), and solar P V manufacturers. The company?s Display segment provides products for manufacturing thin film transistor LCDs for televisions, personal computers (PCs), tablet PCs, smartphones, and other consumer-oriented electronic applications. Its Energy and Environmental Solutions segment offers manufacturing systems for the generation and conservation of energy, as well as manufacturing solutions for wafer-based crystalline silicon applications. This segment also provides roll-to-roll vacuum Web coating systems for deposition of a range of films on flexible substrates for functional, aesthetic, or optical properties; and roll-to-roll machine for depositing ultra-thin aluminum films for flexible packaging applications. The company serves manufacturers of semiconductor wafers and chips, flat panel LCDs, solar PV cells and modules, and other electronic devices. Applied ! Materials, Inc. was founded in 1967 and is headquartered in Santa Clara, California.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Tom Rojas and Maria Armental var popups = dojo.query(".socialByline .popC"); ]

  Applied Materials Inc.(AMAT) on Wednesday warned its long-gestating deal to buy Tokyo Electron Ltd.(8035.TO) may close later than initially expected as talks with regulators continue. Shares slipped 0.8% to $21.07 premarket.

• [By Jayson Derrick]

  Analysts at Bank of America upgraded Applied Materials (NASDAQ: AMAT) to Buy from Neutral with a $25 price target. Shares gained 0.47 percent, closing at $19.42.

source from Top Stocks For 2015:http://www.topstocksblog.com/top-5-semiconductor-companies-to-own-for-2016.html

Best Casino Companies For 2016

Best Casino Companies For 2016: MGM Resorts International(MGM)

MGM Resorts International, through its subsidiaries, primarily owns and operates casino resorts in the United States. The company?s resorts offer gaming, hotel, dining, entertainment, retail, and other resort amenities. It also owns and operates golf courses and a golf club. As of December 31, 2010, the company owned and operated 15 properties located in Nevada, Mississippi, and Michigan; and has 50% investments in 4 other casino resorts in Nevada, Illinois, and Macau. In addition, MGM Resorts International has an agreement with the Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Nation, which owns and operates a casino resort in Connecticut, to carry the ?MGM Grand? brand name. The company was formerly known as MGM MIRAGE and changed its name to MGM Resorts International in June 2010. MGM Resorts International was founded in 1986 and is based in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Bradley Seth McNew]

  Wynn Resorts has a dividend yield of 4.1%, the highest in the industry, ahead of the next closest Las Vegas Sands (NYSE: LVS  ) , at 3.5%, and MGM Resorts International (NYSE: MGM  ) , which doesn't pay a dividend. Wynn management has been steadily raising dividend payouts since 2010, and has consistently paid special dividends during the past five years. All of this looks great for Wynn as a dividend buy. However, the special dividend paid this year is far below that of previous years, and the high payout ratio, at around 95%, according to Yahoo! Finance, may not be sustainable as Wynn continues to struggle to maintain growth. Here are the two things dividend investors need to know before investing in Wynn based on its dividend.

• [By Bradley Seth McNew]

  Macau's gambling market has definitely seen less spectacular results this year than last. The major gambling companies there, including L! as Vegas Sands (NYSE: LVS  ) , MGM Resorts International (NYSE: MGM  ) , Wynn Resorts (NASDAQ: WYNN  ) , and Melco Crown (NASDAQ: MPEL  ) , have each felt the sting of lowered gross gambling revenue on the Chinese island during the past two quarters as the VIP segment of gamblers has declined there.

• [By Bradley Seth McNew]

  Las Vegas Sands (NYSE: LVS  ) has been the leader in its industry by a wide margin for the last few quarters when it comes to revenue and earnings, both actual and percent growth year over year. In Q2, Las Vegas Sands led the industry. It came in ahead of Wynn Resorts (NASDAQ: WYNN  ) and MGM Resorts International (NYSE: MGM  ) in earnings, just as it did in Q1 and throughout 2013. While Sands is the only one to have reported Q3 earnings so far, I expect its income growth will beat that of MGM and Wynn.
  

source from Top Stocks For 2015:http://www.topstocksblog.com/best-casino-companies-for-2016-2.html

Top Trucking Companies To Watch For 2016

Top Trucking Companies To Watch For 2016: Ishares Trust Dj Us Technology (IYW)

iShares Dow Jones U.S. Technology Sector Index Fund (the Fund) seeks investment results that correspond generally to the price and yield performance of the Dow Jones U.S. Technology Index (the Index). The Index measures the performance of the technology sector of the United States equity market. The Index includes companies in industry groups, such as software and computer services, and technology hardware and equipment. The Index is a subset of the Dow Jones U.S. Total Market Index and is capitalization weighted. The Index is reconstituted quarterly.

The Fund will concentrate its investments in a particular industry or group of industries to approximately the same extent as the Index is so concentrated. The Fund's investment advisor is Barclays Global Fund Advisors.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Selena Maranjian]

  The PowerShares QQQ ETF tracks the Nasdaq 100 Index, which is made up of 100 of the biggest stocks in the Nasdaq Stock Market based on market capitalization. It includes U.S. and international companies but excludes the financial industry and a few others. It's technology-heavy, featuring industries such as telecommunications, retail, biotechnology, and computer hardware and software. Compared to many other major technology-focused ETFs, such as the iShares US Technology ETF (NYSEMKT: IYW  ) , this one is bigger, charges less in fees, and has a more impressive performance record. Its expense ratio, or annual fee, is a very low 0.2%, comparing favorably with many peers. It doesn't offer much of a dividend, as many of its holdings don't pay them.

source from Top Stocks For 2015:http://www.topstocksblog.com/top-trucking-companies-to-watch-for-2016.html

Best Gas Companies To Buy For 2015

LONDON -- The shares of�Centrica� (LSE: CNA  ) climbed 4 pence to 384 pence during early London trade this morning after the FTSE 100 member announced the purchase of a package of natural gas fields in Canada.

Centrica, which operates six gas-fired power stations in England and Wales and supplies gas to 12 million households, said the assets would be held through a joint venture with Qatar International Petroleum.

The deal will cost a total of 拢650 million, with Centrica holding 60% of the assets and Qatar Petroleum the remaining 40%. The gas fields, which are located within Alberta and British Columbia, will be operated by Centrica. The company said the fields contained proven and probable gas reserves measuring 978 billion cubic feet.

Centrica also claimed the deal included more than 1 million acres of undeveloped land and "significant potential for reserves and production upside through the use of horizontal drilling and multi-stage fracturing."

10 Best Clean Energy Stocks To Invest In Right Now: Enduro Royalty Trust (NDRO)

Enduro Royalty Trust (the Trust) is a statutory trust. On May 13, 2011, the Trust was formed by Enduro Resource Partners LLC (Enduro Sponsor) to own a net profits interest representing the right to receive 80% of the net profits from the sale of oil and natural gas production from certain properties in the states of Texas, Louisiana and New Mexico (the Underlying Properties) held by Enduro Sponsor as of the date of the conveyance of the net profits interest to the trust. The business and affairs of the Trust will be managed by The Bank of New York Mellon Trust Company, N.A., as trustee (the Trustee). In addition, Wilmington Trust Company will act as Delaware trustee (the Delaware Trustee) of the Trust.

The Trust will enter into an administrative services agreement with Enduro pursuant to which Enduro will provide the Trust with certain accounting, bookkeeping, and informational services related to the Net Profits Interest. Enduro Sponsor is a privately-held limited liability company engaged in the production and development of oil and natural gas from properties located in Texas, Louisiana and New Mexico.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Rich Duprey]

  Statutory trust Enduro Royalty Trust (NYSE: NDRO  ) announced yesterday its July monthly distribution of $0.128817�per unit; it has paid a monthly dividend since November 2011. The distribution announced in May was $0.096825 per unit.

Best Gas Companies To Buy For 2015: WPX Energy Inc (WPX)

WPX Energy, Inc. (WPX Energy), incorporated on April 19, 2011, is an independent natural gas and oil exploration and production company engaged in the exploitation and development of long-life unconventional properties. The Company focuses on exploiting its natural gas reserve base and related NGLs in the Piceance Basin of the Rocky Mountain region, and on developing its positions in the Bakken Shale oil play in North Dakota and the Marcellus Shale natural gas play in Pennsylvania. Its other areas of domestic operations include the Powder River Basin in Wyoming and the San Juan Basin in the southwestern United States. In addition, it owns a 69% controlling ownership interest in Apco Oil and Gas International, Inc. (Apco), which holds oil and gas concessions in Argentina and Colombia. As of December 31, 2010, it had proved reserves of 4,473 Bcfe, 59% of which were proved developed reserves. Average daily production as of March 31, 2011 was 1,251 MMcfe/d.

Bakken Shale

The Company acquired 89,420 net acres in the Williston Basin in North Dakota that is prospective for oil in the Bakken Shale. It acquired all of this acreage in December 2010 through the acquisition of Dakota-3 E&P Company LLC. As of December 31, 2010, it had three rigs operating on the Bakken Shale acreage. Since acquiring this acreage, the Company has drilled 10 operated wells on the Bakken Shale properties; nine Middle Bakken formation wells and one Three Forks formation well. Six of these wells have been completed and connected to sales with initial 30 day production rates ranging from 750 Boe/d to 1,100 Boe/d.

Marcellus Shale

The Company�� 99,301 net acres in the Marcellus Shale were acquired through two key transactions and additional leasing activities. In July 2010, the Company acquired 42,000 net acres in Susquehanna County in northeastern Pennsylvania. As of December 31, 2010, the Company had five rigs operating in the Marcellus Shale.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Sean Williams]

  The final two big gainers didn't have any company specific news that sent them rocketing higher today, but instead, relied on a very big rally in natural gas for their ascent. Following yesterday's data, which showed a 94-billion cubic foot reduction in natural gas inventories, spot natural gas prices jumped higher by better than 4%. That was enough of a propellant to send natural gas-heavy independent E&P companies like Cabot Oil & Gas (NYSE: COG  ) and WPX Energy (NYSE: WPX  ) �higher by 5.1% and 5.2%, respectively.

• [By Tyler Crowe and Aimee Duffy]

  For all of you who may be afraid of natural gas prices, here is some encouraging news: WPX Energy (NYSE: WPX  ) intends to bring two more drilling rigs to its primary gas holdings in the Piceance Basin. This 40% jump in activity could be another sign that natural gas producers are ready to reverse course after a rough 2012.

• [By Claudia Assis]

  Among advancers, WPX Energy Inc. (WPX) rose 3.2%.

Best Gas Companies To Buy For 2015: Equal Energy Ltd (EQU)

Equal Energy Ltd. (Equal), incorporated on April 8, 2010, is an exploration and production company with oil and gas properties located principally in Alberta, and Oklahoma. Equal is engaged in the exploration for, and acquisition, development and production of, petroleum and natural gas with operations in western Canada and Oklahoma. During the year ended December 31, 2011, production averaged 10,142 barrel of oil equivalent per day and was consisted of approximately 47% natural gas, 23% crude oil and 30% natural gas liquids (NGLs). Equal Energy Production Partnership (EEPP) holds all of Equal�� Canadian oil and gas properties and associated assets. Equal and Equal Energy Partner Corp. (EEPC) are the partners in EEPP and respectively hold a 99.9957% and 0.0043% interest in EEPP. Equal Energy US Holdings Inc. (EEUSHI) is an indirect, wholly owned subsidiary of Equal. EEUSHI holds all of Equal�� Oklahoma oil and gas properties and associated assets through its wholly owned subsidiary, Equal Energy US Inc. On January 31, 2012, it sold Primate. During 2011, it sold non-core assets in Alberta and British Columbia. On October 15, 2012, it sold the Halkirk/Alliance/Wainwright/Clair Assets (HAWC) and all remaining Canadian non-producing assets. Effective October 1, 2012, the Company sold its Lochend Cardium assets.

The Company�� production comes from both its Canadian and United States based operations. The Canadian core areas lie in western Canada and include assets primarily in the province of Alberta. The United States area assets are located mainly in the Grant, Jefferson, Lincoln and Logan counties of Oklahoma. It also has an inventory of minor producing assets, minor royalty interests and various exploration and exploitation prospects on undeveloped lands in Alberta, Saskatchewan and Oklahoma.

Alberta

The Company�� assets include a 100% working interest in 7,360 gross (4,260 net) acres of land (1,220 net undeveloped acres), 16 producing wells, six water inj! ection wells, and a interest in an oil blending facility. Natural gas is conserved and processed at the Encana Sexsmith gas plant. Oil is delivered into the Pembina Peace Pipeline System. Oil and natural gas production is primarily from the Doe Creek (Dunvegan) formation. There is also natural gas production from one Charlie Lake well. As of December 31, 2011, average working interest production was 227 barrel per day of oil and 316 million cubic feet per day of natural gas.

Lochend is located approximately 20 kilometers northwest of Calgary. At Lochend, the Company holds 8,653 gross (7,996 net) acres of land with 5,970 net undeveloped acres, and 11 producing wells. Oil is produced into single or multi-well batteries and trucked to terminal facilities. Half of the solution gas is conserved at the TriOil Shiningbank gas plant by the third quarter majority of the gas should be conserved. Oil and natural gas production is from the Cardium formation. As of December 31, 2011, average working interest production was 330 barrel per day of oil and 69 thousand cubic feet per day of gas. The McDaniel Report has assigned total proved plus probable reserves of 1,621 thousand barrels of crude oil, 2.6 billion cubic feet of natural gas, and 64.8 thousand barrels of NGL to the Lochend property.

Oklahoma

In Oklahoma the principal producing horizon is the Hunton formation. The Hunton is a carbonate rock formation. As of December 31, 2011, average Hunton production in Oklahoma was 29.9 million cubic feet of natural gas per day of natural gas and 3,862 barrels of oil per day of crude oil and NGLs. The Haas Report has attributed total proved and probable reserves of 499 thousand barrels of crude oil, and 108 billion cubic feet of natural gas and 13,931 thousand barrels of NGLs to the Hunton.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Jake L'Ecuyer]

  Leading and Lagging Sectors
  In trading on Friday, energy shares were relative leaders, up on the day by about 0.06 percent. Among the leading sector stocks, gains came from Equal Energy (NYSE: EQU) and Niska Gas Storage Partners LLC (NYSE: NKA). Financial sector was the leading decliner in the US market today.

Best Gas Companies To Buy For 2015: QEP Resources Inc (QEP)

QEP Resources, Inc. (QEP), incorporated on May 17, 2010, is a holding company. The Company operates in three lines of business: gas and oil exploration and production, midstream field services, and energy marketing. It conducted through three principal subsidiaries: QEP Energy Company (QEP Energy) acquires, explores for, develops and produces natural gas, oil, and natural gas liquids (NGL); QEP Field Services Company (QEP Field Services) provides midstream field services, including natural gas gathering, processing, compression and treating services for affiliates and third parties; andQEP Marketing Company (QEP Marketing) markets affiliate and third-party natural gas and oil, provides risk-management services, and owns and operates an underground gas-storage reservoir. QEP operates in the Northern and Southern Regions of the United States and is headquartered in Denver, Colorado. Principal offices are located in Denver, Colorado; Salt Lake City, Utah; Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, and Tulsa, Oklahoma.

QEP�� exploration and production business is conducted through QEP Energy in two core regions, the Northern Region (including the states of Wyoming, Utah, Colorado, New Mexico and North Dakota) and the Southern Region (including the states of Oklahoma, Texas and Louisiana). QEP Energy has approximately 50,800 net acres of Haynesville Shale lease rights in northwest Louisiana and additional lease rights that cover the Hosston and Cotton Valley formations. The depth of the top of the Haynesville Shale ranges from approximately 10,500 feet to 12,500 feet across QEP Energy�� leasehold and is below the Hosston and Cotton Valley formations that QEP Energy has been developing in northwest Louisiana for over a decade. As of December 31, 2011, QEP Energy had three operated rigs drilling in the project area. QEP Energy�� Midcontinent properties cover all properties in the Southern Region except the Haynesville/Cotton Valley area of northwest Louisiana and are distributed over an area, including the ! Anadarko Basin of Oklahoma and the Texas Panhandle. QEP Energy has approximately 77,000 net acres of Woodford Shale lease rights in western Oklahoma. QEP Energy has approximately 38,700 net acres of Granite Wash/Atoka Wash lease rights in the Texas Panhandle and western Oklahoma and has been drilling vertical Granite Wash/Atoka Wash wells. The Company estimates that up to 1,100 additional wells will be required to fully develop its Pinedale acreage on a combination of 5 and 10-acre density. In addition to QEP Energy�� gross producing wells, QEP Energy had an overriding royalty interest in an additional 21 wells at Pinedale. QEP Energy owns interests in approximately 255,200 net leasehold acres in the Uinta Basin. The remainder of QEP Energy Northern Region leasehold interests, productive wells and proved reserves are distributed over a number of fields and properties managed as the Rockies Legacy division. Exploration and development activity during the year ended December 31, 2011, includes wells in the Powder River and Greater Green River Basins in Wyoming and the Williston Basin in North Dakota. QEP Energy has approximately 90,000 net acres of lease rights in the Williston Basin in western North Dakota, where the Company is targeting the Bakken and Three Forks formations.

QEP Energy Company

QEP Energy is actively involved in several of North America�� hydrocarbon resource plays. QEP�� exploration and production activities are conducted through QEP Energy. P Energy operates in two core regions: the Northern Region (including the states of Wyoming, Utah, Colorado, New Mexico and North Dakota) and the Southern Region (including the states of Oklahoma, Texas and Louisiana). The Southern Region contributed approximately 56% of 2011 production while the Northern Region contributed the remaining 44%. QEP Energy reported 3,614 billion cubic feet of natural gas equivalent of estimated proved reserves as of December 31, 2011. Of those estimated proved reserves, approximately 64%! , or 2,31! 2 billion cubic feet of natural gas equivalent, were located in the Northern Region at December 31, 2011. The remaining 36%, or 1,302 billion cubic feet of natural gas equivalent at December 31, 2011, were located in the Southern Region. QEP Energy has an inventory of identified development drilling locations, primarily on the Pinedale Anticline in western Wyoming; the Haynesville/Cotton Valley area in northwestern Louisiana; the Midcontinent area with properties primarily in Oklahoma and Texas; the Uinta Basin in eastern Utah, and the Rockies Legacy, which includes the Bakken/Three Forks area in western North Dakota and other properties in Wyoming.

QEP Field Services Company

QEP invests in midstream (gathering, processing and treating) systems to complement its natural gas, oil and natural gas liquids (NGL) operations in regions where QEP Energy has production. In addition, QEP�� midstream business also provides midstream services to third-party customers, including independent producers. QEP Field Services owns various natural gas gathering, treating and processing facilities in the Northern and Southern Regions as well as 78% of Rendezvous Gas Services, LLC, (RGS), a partnership that operates gas gathering facilities in western Wyoming. The FERC-regulated Rendezvous Pipeline Co., LLC (Rendezvous Pipeline), a wholly owned subsidiary of QEP Field Services, operates a 21-mile, 20-inch-diameter pipeline between QEP Field Services��Blacks Fork gas-processing plant and the Muddy Creek compressor station owned by Kern River Gas Transmission Co. (Kern River Pipeline). RGS gathers natural gas for Pinedale Anticline and Jonah Field producers for delivery to various interstate pipelines. QEP Field Services also owns 38% of Uintah Basin Field Services, LLC (UBFS) and 50% of Three Rivers Gathering, LLC (Three Rivers). These two partnerships operate natural gas gathering facilities in eastern Utah.

QEP Marketing Company

QEP Marketing provides wholesale market! ing and s! ales of affiliate and third-party natural gas, oil and NGL. As a wholesale marketing entity, QEP Marketing concentrates on markets in the Rocky Mountains, Pacific Northwest and Midcontinent that are either close to affiliate reserves and production or accessible by pipelines. QEP Marketing contracts for firm-transportation capacity on pipelines and firm-storage capacity at Clay Basin, a baseload-storage facility. QEP Marketing, through its subsidiary Clear Creek Storage Company, LLC, owns and operates an underground gas-storage reservoir in southwestern Wyoming. QEP Marketing uses owned and leased storage capacity together with firm-transportation capacity.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Daniel Gibbs]

  Strong forward growth prospects
  Towards the end of 2013, Vanguard announced�that it is spending $581 million to acquire a stake in two of the most prolific natural gas fields in the United States. These two fields are the Pinedale Anticline and Jonah fields located in southwestern Wyoming. The fields currently contain 2,000 producing wells between them, but Ultra Petroleum (NYSE: UPL  ) and QEP Resources (NYSE: QEP  ) , the operators for the fields and Vanguard's partners in the development of these fields, plan to drill another 970 wells, which will obviously substantially increase Vanguard's production from the fields going forward.

Top Regional Bank Companies To Invest In 2016

Top Regional Bank Companies To Invest In 2016: Provident New York Bancorp(PBNY)

Provident New York Bancorp operates as the bank holding company for Provident Bank that provides commercial, community business, and retail banking products and services to businesses, individuals, and municipalities in New York and New Jersey. It offers various deposit products, such as savings accounts, NOW accounts, checking accounts, money market accounts, club accounts, certificates of deposit, commercial checking accounts, IRAs, and other qualified plan accounts. The company?s loan portfolio includes commercial real estate, commercial business, and one-to four-family real estate loans; acquisition, development, and construction loans; and consumer loans, including homeowner, home equity lines of credit, new and used automobile loans, and personal unsecured loans, such as fixed-rate installment loans and variable lines of credit. In addition, it provides services, including cash management, sweep accounts, insurance agency, investment advisory, asset and investment m anagement, and Internet banking services. As of September 30, 2011, Provident New York Bancorp operated 30 retail branches and 7 commercial banking centers in the Hudson Valley region. The company was formerly known as Provident Bancorp, Inc. and changed its name to Provident New York Bancorp in June 2005. Provident New York Bancorp was founded in 1888 and is headquartered in Montebello, New York.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Jon C. Ogg]

  The M&T Bank Corp. (NYSE: MTB) and Hudson City Bancorp Inc. (NASDAQ: HCBK) transaction is the only pending deal of 2012 vintage due to various regulatory concerns. MTB currently has 9% short interest outstanding and PACW 15%. Another merger covered is the deal between Provident New York Bancorp (NASDAQ: PBNY) and Sterling Bancorp (NYSE: STL), and the balance are simply too small for us! to warrant effort.

source from Top Stocks For 2015:http://www.topstocksblog.com/top-regional-bank-companies-to-invest-in-2016.html

Top 5 Forestry Stocks To Buy Right Now

NEW YORK (AP) -- Don't expect major changes to how you access your favorite websites and services despite a federal appeals court's decision to set aside rules meant to ensure equal access to entertainment, news and other online content.

Major cable providers already have pledged not to do the kinds of things the rules were designed to ban. And the rules didn't apply fully to wireless providers anyway, even as Americans are increasingly using mobile devices to access Internet content.

Under so-called net neutrality rules adopted in 2010 by the Federal Communications Commission, wired broadband providers such as Comcast, Time Warner Cable and Verizon were barred from prioritizing some types of Internet traffic over others. That means a cable company couldn't hinder access to Hulu and other Internet video services, even though they compete with the company's own TV services. Under some interpretations, a broadband provider also couldn't charge services such as YouTube and Facebook for preferential treatment, such that users could reach those services faster than those that don't pay.

Top 5 Machinery Companies To Watch For 2016: Fifth Street Finance Corp (FSC)

Fifth Street Finance Corp. is a specialty finance company that lends to and invests in small and mid-sized companies in connection with investments by private equity sponsors. The Company�� investment objective is to maximize its portfolio's total return by generating current income from its debt investments and capital appreciation from its equity investments. As of September 30, 2011, 90.9% of its portfolio consisted of debt investments that were secured by first or second priority liens on the assets of its portfolio companies. As of September 30, 2011, it held equity investments consisting of common stock, preferred stock or other equity interests in 27 out of 65 portfolio companies. It is managed and advised by Fifth Street Management LLC. In June 2013, Fifth Street Finance Corp. announced that it has closed its portfolio company acquisition of Healthcare Finance Group, LLC (HFG).

Investments

The Company tailors the terms of its debt investments to the facts and circumstances of the transaction and prospective portfolio company. As of September 30, 2011, it directly originated a majority of its debt investments. It is focusing its origination efforts on first lien, second lien and subordinated loans. Its first lien loans have terms of four to six years, provide for a variable or fixed interest rate, contain prepayment penalties and are secured by a first priority security interest in all existing and future assets of the borrower. Its first lien loans may take many forms, including revolving lines of credit, term loans and acquisition lines of credit. Its second lien loans have terms of four to six years, provide for a fixed interest rate, contain prepayment penalties and are secured by a second priority security interest in all existing and future assets of the borrower. Its second lien loans often include payment-in-kind (PIK), interest, which represents contractual interest accrued and added to the principal that generally becomes due at maturity. Its unsecured inve! stments have terms of five to six years and provide for a fixed interest rate. It may make unsecured investments on a stand-alone basis, or in connection with a senior secured loan, a junior secured loan or a one-stop financing. Its unsecured investments may include payment-in-kind (PIK), interest, which represents contractual interest accrued and added to the principal that becomes due at maturity, and an equity component, such as warrants to purchase common stock in the portfolio company.

In addition, the Company from time to time non-control, equity co-investments in connection with private equity sponsors. It structures equity investments, such as direct equity co-investments, to provide the Company with minority rights provisions and event-driven put rights. The Company make investments in the private equity funds of certain of its equity sponsors. It makes these investments where it has a long term relationship and is comfortable with the sponsor�� business model and investment strategy. As of September 30, 2011, it had investments in six private equity funds, which represented less than 1% of the fair value of its assets as of such date.

Portfolio Management

As a business development company, the Company offers managerial assistance to its portfolio companies and to provide it if requested. It monitors the financial trends of each portfolio company to assess the appropriate course of action for each company and to evaluate overall portfolio quality. It has several methods of evaluating and monitoring the performance of its investments, which includes review of monthly and quarterly financial statements and financial projections for portfolio companies; periodic and regular contact with portfolio company management; attendance at board meetings; periodic formal update interviews with portfolio company management, and assessment of business development, including product development, profitability and the portfolio company�� overall adherence to its busine! ss plan.

In addition to various risk management and monitoring tools, the Company uses an investment rating system to characterize and monitor the credit profile and expected level of returns on each investment in itd portfolio. It uses a five-level numeric rating scale. In the event that it determines that an investment is underperforming, or circumstances suggest that the risk associated with a particular investment has significantly increased, it monitors the effected portfolio company.

Valuation of Portfolio Investments

As a business development company, the Company invests in illiquid securities, including debt and equity investments of small and mid-sized companies. The Company perform valuations of its debt and equity investments on an individual basis, using market, income, and bond yield approaches as appropriate. Under the market approach, it estimates the enterprise value of the portfolio companies, in which it invests. To estimate the enterprise value of a portfolio company, it analyze various factors, including the portfolio company�� historical and projected financial results. It requires portfolio companies to provide annual audited and quarterly and monthly unaudited financial statements, as well as annual projections for the upcoming fiscal year.

Under the income approach, the Company prepares and analyze discounted cash flow models based on projections of the future free cash flows of the business. Under the bond yield approach, it uses bond yield models to determine the present value of the future cash flow streams of its debt investments. It reviews various sources of transactional data, including private mergers and acquisitions involving debt investments with similar characteristics, and assess the information in the valuation process.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Bryan Perry] Popular Posts: Trade of the Day: Groupon (GRPN)Lloyds (LYG): A Sweet Stock Across the PondDoes Fifth Street Finance (FSC) Deserve a Spot in Your Portfolio? Recent Posts: Does Fifth Street Finance (FSC) Deserve a Spot in Your Portfolio? Trade of the Day: Groupon (GRPN) Trade of the Day: U.S. Steel (X) View All Posts

  If you’re holding Fifth Street Finance (FSC), criticism that it’s not covering its dividend with net investment income and is not projected to do so in 2014 might have you second-guessing its place in your lineup.

Top 5 Forestry Stocks To Buy Right Now: Guided Therapeutics Inc (GTHP)

Guided Therapeutics, Inc., incorporated on October 27, 1992, is a medical technology company focused on developing medical devices. The Company�� primary focus is the development of its LuViva non-invasive cervical cancer detection device and extension of its cancer detection technology into other cancers, especially esophageal. Its technology, including products in research and development, primarily relate to biophotonics technology for the non-invasive detection of cancers. LuViva is a non-invasive cervical cancer detection product, based on the Company's biophotonic technology. The device is designed to identify cervical cancers and precancers painlessly, non-invasively and at the point-of-care by scanning the cervix with light, then analyzing the light reflected or emanating from the cervix.

The Company's product, in addition to detecting the structural changes attributed to cervical cancer, is also designed to detect the biochemical changes that precede the development of visual lesions. The product is expected to incorporate a single-use, disposable calibration and alignment component.

The Company competes with Qiagen, MediSpectra, Inc., Merck & Co., Inc., and GlaxoSmithKline PLC.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By CRWE]

  Today, GTHP remains (0.00%) +0.000 at $.710 with 44,700 shares in play thus far (ref. google finance Delayed: 11:42AM EDT August 21, 2013).

  Guided Therapeutics, Inc. previously reported its operating results for the second quarter and six months ended June 30, 2013.

  Revenue and other income for the second quarter of 2013 was approximately $338,000, including $116,000 in sales of LuViva庐 devices and disposables associated with its European launch, with the remainder of revenue representing contract and grant income. This compares to revenue of approximately $944,000 in the second quarter of 2012, which was comprised almost solely of contract and grant income. Revenue for the first six months of 2013 was $637,000, including $248,000 in sales of LuViva device and disposables. Revenue in the first six months of 2012 was $1.6 million, which was comprised almost solely of contract and grant income. The year over year decline in contract and grant income for both periods was primarily due to bringing the worldwide rights to the Company�� esophageal cancer detection technology back in house.

Top 5 Forestry Stocks To Buy Right Now: Nintendo Co Ltd (NTDOY.PK)

Nintendo Co., Ltd. is a Japan-based company mainly engaged in the leisure machine business. The Company operates in two business segments. The Leisure Machine segment is engaged in the development, manufacturing and sale of portable and console game machines as well as game software. The Others segment is engaged in the manufacture and sale of poker cards and karuta (Japanese-style playing cards), the sale of Pokemon (a Japanese animation character) goods, the management of intellectual property rights and the provision of electronic registration services of home use console machines, among others.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Sneha Shah]

  6) Xbox 720 - Microsoft will announce the new version of its blockbuster Xbox game console next month. Its main competitors, Sony (SNE) and Nintendo (NTDOY.PK), have already announced their new game consoles. Xbox has been a tremendous success for Microsoft and has allowed it to gain millions of subscribers for its Xbox LIVE service.

• [By Philip Saglimbeni]

  The good news for Microsoft is that consumers are a fickle bunch and can be swayed rather quickly. The upcoming E3 conference in June is a perfect time for Microsoft to announce a barrage of new games for Xbox One and to provide potential customers with a better understanding of what they can expect at launch for the new system. With Nintendo Co. Ltd. (NTDOY.PK) having backed out of the premiere game conference, it will be Microsoft and Sony facing off directly. In an atmosphere filled with nothing but gamers, big expectations and the potential for even bigger headlines, it won't be much of a competition unless Microsoft chooses to battle Sony in the actual video game department. I expect Microsoft will soon come out swinging with popular blockbuster series announcements but as of right now the console is not effectively convincing the gaming masses and is losing valuable time in its increasingly short release window. Microsoft, you're on notice, put your game face on!

Top 5 Forestry Stocks To Buy Right Now: Ishares Msci Switzerland (EWL)

iShares MSCI Switzerland Index Fund (the Fund) seeks to provide investment results that correspond generally to the price and yield performance of publicly traded securities in the aggregate in the Swiss market, as measured by the MSCI Switzerland Index (the Index). The Index seeks to measure the performance of the Swiss equity market. The Index is a capitalization-weighted index that aims to capture 85% of the (publicly available) total market capitalization. Component companies are adjusted for available float and must meet objective criteria for inclusion in the Index. The Index is reviewed quarterly.

The Fund invests in a representative sample of securities included in the Index that collectively has an investment profile similar to the Index. The Fund�� investment advisor is Barclays Global Fund Advisors.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Carlton Delfeld]

  The iShares Switzerland (EWL) is a wonderful way to gain exposure to a basket of Switzerland's leading multinationals and has an expense ratio of only 0.59%. In addition, while a rising Swiss franc puts pricing pressure on Swiss exporters, a strong Swiss franc supercharges returns for investors in EWL.

• [By Mark Salzinger]

  iShares MSCI Germany (EWG) and iShares MSCI Switzerland (EWL) continue to have relatively attractive valuations.

  EWG recently sported an average price/earnings (P/E) ratio on 2013's projected earnings of 12.6 and a price/book value (P/B) of just 1.4.

Top 5 Prefered Stocks To Watch Right Now

Some of my readers have a huge desire for income stocks. Not enough, they should have a good payout in terms of initial yields and offer you a great opportunity with price hikes.

It�� hard to find the perfect dividend stock that delivers you a great return at a low risk and the higher the initial yield, the bigger the risk seems.

Today I would like to introduce you some of the highest yielding stocks at the stock market with current buy or better ratings by brokerage firms.

At the market are around a hundred stocks with double-digit dividend yields but most of them, 78 percent, are small capitalized. I don�� like stocks with a small market cap because of the low diversification and high sensitivity when trading volume comes into the stock. In my current screen, I observe only stocks with a USD 2 billion or more capitalization. Below is a list of the 9 highest yielding stocks with a buy or better rating.

These are the biggest stocks from the screen:

VimpelCom (VIP) has a market cap of $22.25 billion. The company employs 58,184 people, generates revenue of $23.061 billion and has a net income of $1.982 billion. VimpelCom�� earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization (EBITDA) amounts to $9.768 billion. The EBITDA margin is 42.36% (the operating margin is 18.09% and the net profit margin 8.59%).

Top Consumer Service Companies To Watch For 2016: Edwards Lifesciences Corporation (EW)

Edwards Lifesciences Corporation provides products and technologies to treat structural heart disease and critically ill patients worldwide. The company offers surgical heart valve therapy products, such as tissue heart valves and repair products, which are used to replace or repair a patient�s diseased or defective heart valve; and produces pericardial and porcine valves. Its surgical heart valve therapy products include Carpentier-Edwards PERIMOUNT pericardial valve that comprise PERIMOUNT Magna Ease valves for aortic and mitral replacement; ThruPort systems that enable minimal incision valve surgery; and protection cannulae used during cardiac surgery in venous drainage, aortic perfusion, venting, and cardioplegia delivery. The company also provides transcatheter heart valves portfolio that includes technologies designed to treat heart valve disease using catheter-based approaches, as well as critical care products, such as hemodynamic monitoring systems to measure a p atient�s heart function in surgical and intensive care settings; Swan-Ganz line of pulmonary artery catheters and PreSep continuous venous oximetry catheters for measuring central venous oxygen saturation; VolumeView sensor-catheters; FloTrac continuous cardiac output monitoring system, a minimally invasive cardiac monitoring technology for goal-directed fluid optimization; and EV1000 clinical monitoring platform, which displays a patient's physiologic status. Its critical care products also include disposable pressure monitoring devices and closed blood sampling systems to help protect both patients and clinicians from the risk of infection; and products used to treat endolumenal occlusive disease, including balloon-tipped, catheter-based embolectomy products, surgical clips, and clamps. The company distributes its products through direct sales force and independent distributors. Edwards Lifesciences Corporation was founded in 1999 and is headquartered in Irvine, Californi a.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Teresa Rivas]

  Shares of Edward Lifesciences (EW) were climbing as high as 15% in Monday morning trading, after a federal court late Friday sided with the firm in its patent infringement lawsuit against Medtronic�(MDT). The decision stipulated an injunction against the sale of Medtronic�� Transcatheter valves, although the firm plans to appeal the ruling. (Medtronic, by contrast, was falling 4.2%.)

  Analysts were weighing in on the decision today. Canaccord Genuity�� Jason Mills and Jeffery Chu reiterated a Buy rating and $84 price target on the stock, calling the court victory surprising and important:

  While we believe EW has a better chance than we previously thought of being granted a permanent injunction against MDT, we still expect EW to ultimately cash in via other forms of equitable relief in lieu of a final injunction: (1) lump-sum future damages; and (2) continuing royalties. Importantly, none of these potential outcomes are factored into our forward model.

  What�� more, EW will have at least one more shot at winning further concessions from MDT, as EW filed a motion seeking a permanent injunction against MDT following a mid-January finding that MDT willfully infringed EW�� Cribier TAVR patent. A jury awarded EW $393M at that time in this case. We had expected this award to be tied up in appeals for several years; however, EW could use its increased leverage to push MDT to pay sooner.

  Stifel Nicolaus�� Robert Wise and his team were more cautiously positively: While maintaining a Buy rating and $75 price target on the stock, they note that they don�� want to adjust their numbers, as the saga of appeals and counterappeals will likely drag on through the court system for some time (although, if upheld, they note that Friday�� victory would help Edward LIfesciences maintain greater-than-expected market share).

  Their thoughts on the two names:

  MDT Next Steps: Seeking Emergency Stay and Decision Appeal.Medtronic will see

• [By Ben Levisohn]

  Each month, Credit Suisse’s small-cap strategists ask the firm’s analyst to name their favorite small- and mid-cap stocks. This month, six new stocks made the list: RPM International (RPM), SunCoke Energy (SXC), Zions Bancorp (ZION), Signature Bank (SBNY), Edwards Lifesciences (EW) and�Rexnord (RXN).

• [By Eric Volkman]

  Edwards Lifesciences (NYSE: EW  ) is now in the hunt for a new CFO. The company announced that the existing officeholder, Thomas Abate, is to retire later this year. The 59-year-old will step down once his successor is in place.

• [By Jake L'Ecuyer]

  Medtronic (NYSE: MDT) shares tumbled 2.23 percent to $57.88 on Federal District Court ruling preventing the company from selling its CoreValve System in the US as a result of Edwards Lifesciences (NYSE: EW) patent infringement verdict.

Top 5 Prefered Stocks To Watch Right Now: CVS Corporation(CVS)

CVS Caremark Corporation operates as a pharmacy services company in the United States. The company?s Pharmacy Services segment provides a range of pharmacy benefit management services, including mail order pharmacy services, specialty pharmacy services, plan design and administration, formulary management, and claims processing; and drug benefits to eligible beneficiaries under the Federal Government?s Medicare Part D program. This segment primarily serves employers, insurance companies, unions, government employee groups, managed care organizations and other sponsors of health benefit plans, and individuals. As of December 31, 2010, it operated 44 retail specialty pharmacy stores, 18 specialty mail order pharmacies, and 4 mail service pharmacies located in 25 states, Puerto Rico, and the District of Columbia. This segment operates business under the CVS Caremark Pharmacy Services, Caremark, CVS Caremark, CarePlus CVS/pharmacy, CarePlus, RxAmerica, Accordant, and TheraCom names. The company?s Retail Pharmacy segment sells prescription drugs, over-the-counter drugs, beauty products and cosmetics, seasonal merchandise, greeting cards, and convenience foods through its pharmacy retail stores and online, as well as offers film and photo finishing, and health care services. This segment operated 7,182 retail drugstores located in 41 states, Puerto Rico, and the District of Columbia; and 560 retail health care clinics in 26 states and the District of Columbia under the MinuteClinic name. It has a strategic alliance with Alere, L.L.C. for the management of disease management program offerings that cover chronic diseases, such as asthma, diabetes, congestive heart failure, and coronary artery disease. CVS Caremark Corporation was founded in 1892 and is based in Woonsocket, Rhode Island.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Holly LaFon]

  Mario Gabelli (Trades, Portfolio)'s CIO Howard Ward likes Luxottica (LUX), Novo Nordisk (NOVO), Diageo (DEO), Apple (AAPL) and CVS (CVS).

  �

• [By Adam Levine-Weinberg]

  Nevertheless, Rite Aid's relatively strong fiscal year 2013 results were driven by a number of one-time or short-term benefits. These items helped mask the company's fundamental competitive disadvantages vis-a-vis larger rivals Walgreen (NYSE: WAG  ) and CVS Caremark (NYSE: CVS  ) . While Rite Aid could generate impressive stock returns in a best-case scenario, the company's poor competitive positioning creates substantial long-term risk for shareholders. Therefore, I still think investors would be wise to avoid the stock.

• [By Victor Selva]

  As we can see, the firm has a lower ROE than Abbott Laboratories (ABT), Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc. (TMO) and CVS Caremark Corporation (CVS).

  Final Comment

• [By Sue Chang and Saumya Vaishampayan]

  CVS Caremark Corp. (CVS) �shares fell 0.9%. CVS said it would stop selling cigarettes and tobacco products in stores by Oct. 1. The change is estimated to cost the company $2 billion in annual revenues or 17 cents a share, but CVS said it won�� affect its 2014 per-share earnings guidance.

Top 5 Prefered Stocks To Watch Right Now: Quad Graphics Inc(QUAD)

Quad/Graphics, Inc., together with its subsidiaries, engages in the provision of print and related products and services in North America, Latin America, and Europe. It offers print solutions, including catalogs, consumer magazines, special interest publications, direct mail, packaging and other commercial and specialty printed products, retail inserts, books, and directories. The company also provides media solutions comprising creative, digital imaging, video, photography, workflow solutions, mobile and social media, and response data analytics services. In addition, it offers logistics services, such as mailing, distribution, logistics, and data optimization and hygiene services; and printing-related auxiliary equipment for original equipment manufacturers and printing companies, as well as provides ink. The company markets its products and services to various companies that operate in a range of industries and serve businesses and consumers consisting of retailers, pub lishers, and direct marketers. Quad/Graphics, Inc. was founded in 1971 and is headquartered in Sussex, Wisconsin.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Brian Stoffel]

  Quad/Graphics (NYSE: QUAD  )
  This Wisconsin-based company has contracts to print magazines for many of the country's biggest customers -- including magazines from Hearst (Redbook, Cosmopolitan, Esquire, etc.) and Meredith (Better Homes and Gardens) -- as well as for clothiers such as J.Crew, L.L. Bean, and American Eagle Outfitters.

Top 5 Prefered Stocks To Watch Right Now: Parametric Sound Corp (PAMT)

Parametric Sound Corporation (Parametric Sound), incorporated on June 2, 2010, is a technology company focused on delivering audio solutions through its HyperSound (HSS(r)) technology platform, which consists of the practical application of parametric acoustic technology for generating sound along a directional ultrasonic column. In addition to its commercial product business, the Company is targeting its technology for new uses in consumer markets including computers, video gaming, televisions and home audio along with other commercial markets including casino gaming and cinema. The Company is also researching and developing health applications for persons with hearing loss. The Company's principal markets for its products are North America, Europe and Asia. In October 2012, the Company formed HyperSound Health, Inc. (HHI) as wholly owned subsidiary. In January 2014, Parametric Sound Corp completed its merger with privately-held Turtle Beach.

Its commercial product line, HSS-3000, delivers directed audio solutions to customers primarily for digital signage, point-of-purchase, in-store network and related applications. Its commercial HSS-3000 HyperSound Audio System consists of a HSS-3000 Amplifier and one or more HSS-3000 Emitters. The HSS-3000 Emitter features a 5-inch by 10-inch emitter surface and is separate from the amplifier, offering varied installation options. It offers a variety of supporting installation hardware for customers.

The Company competes with Harmon International Industries, Bose, Klipsch, Polk Audio, Pioneer, Sony, Boston Acoustics, LG, Samsung, Brown Innovations, Inc. Panphonics and Holosonic Research Labs, Inc.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Jason Shubnell]

  Leading and Lagging Sectors
  Technology stocks gained Friday, with Parametric Sound (NASDAQ: PAMT) leading advancers after the company provided post merger update and outlook. Among the leading sector stocks, gains came from 21Vianet Group (NASDAQ: VNET), BlackBerry (NASDAQ: BBRY), Canadian Solar (NASDAQ: CSIQ), and Veeco Instruments (NASDAQ: VECO).
  In trading on Friday, utilities shares rose by just 0.06 percent. Among the sector stocks, Exterran Partners LP (NASDAQ: EXLP) was down more than 4.8 percent, while PG&E (NYSE: PCG) tumbled around 3.75 percent.
  Top Headline
  BlackBerry (NASDAQ: BBRY) posted a narrower-than-expected fourth-quarter loss.
  BlackBerry posted a quarterly net loss of $423 million, or $0.80 per share, versus a year-ago profit of $98 million, or $0.19 per share. Its loss from continuing operations came in at $423 million, or $0.80 per share, compared to a year-ago profit of $94 million, or $0.18 per share. BlackBerry�� adjusted loss from continuing operations came in at $0.08 per share.
  Its revenue slipped 64% to $976 million. However, analysts were estimating a loss of $0.56 per share on revenue of $1.17 billion. BlackBerry sold around 3.4 million smartphones in the quarter.
  Equities Trading UP
  Finish Line (NASDAQ: FINL) shares shot up 3.64 percent to $27.44 after the company posted better-than-expected fourth-quarter earnings.

• [By John Udovich]

  Yesterday after the market closed, small cap audio stock Skullcandy Inc (NASDAQ: SKUL) reported earnings and began rising in after hours trading, meaning its worth taking a closer look at the stock along with the performance of other audio stocks like mid cap Harman International Industries Inc (NYSE: HAR) and small caps Koss Corporation (NASDAQ: KOSS) and Parametric Sound Corp (NASDAQ: PAMT). I should mention that in�late 2012, Skullcandy had the dubious distinction of being the market�� most shorted stock (see: Long Live the Shorts or the Short Squeeze? SKUL, AM & UBNT) with short�interest of 86.47% and there would still be a lot of shorts out there who might start feeling the squeeze (Note: SKUL is at least no longer on the HighShortInterest.com list)

Hot Cheap Companies For 2016

Hot Cheap Companies For 2016: Whole Foods Market Inc.(WFM)

Whole Foods Market, Inc. engages in the ownership and operation of natural and organic food supermarkets. The company offers produce, seafood, grocery, meat and poultry, bakery, prepared foods and catering, coffee and tea, nutritional supplements, and vitamins. It also provides specialty products, such as beer, wine, and cheese; body care and educational products, such as books; and floral, pet, and household products. As of February 9, 2011, the company operated 302 stores in the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom. Whole Foods Market, Inc. was founded in 1978 and is headquartered in Austin, Texas.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By John Udovich]

  Just two years ago, small cap grocery store stock SUPERVALU Inc (NYSE: SVU) was struggling as the most shorted grocery stock on the market and underperforming potential peers like large caps Whole Foods Market, Inc (NASDAQ: WFM) and Kroger Co (NYSE: KR) plus mid cap Safeway Inc (NYSE: SWY). However, SUPERVALU Inc reported another good earnings report for the fiscal third quarter 2015 that seems to indicate the turnaround begun by the CEO two years ago is succeeding, and yet shares still ended the day right where they started. Here are some key takeaway's from the Wednesday morning earnings report and/or earnings call (the transcript is available here on Seeking Alpha):

• [By reports.droy]

  The U.S. organic foods firm, Whole Foods Market (WFM), is currently facing intense competition from rivals which has been driving its comparable store sales on a downhill ride in the fiscal year 2014. In the entire year, same-store sales stood at 4.3%, down from 6.9% reported in the previous fiscal year. Hence, as a venture to boost sales in the next fiscal years the Fortune 500 company is ready to invest around $20 million on a national ad campaign. So, what is the ca! mpaign all about and how is the company expecting it to rejuvenate the slack in sales? Will it really aid the company in achieving the goal to improve its sales? Let's take a peek into the details of the campaign to understand how it can actually pull up the comparable store sales as well as the stock which has already plunged around 30% year to date. Investors are also highly concerned with the drop in the chain's sales growth amid increased organic grocery competition.

• [By smartinvestments]

  Peer Whole Foods Market (WFM) also reported a great quarter recently. Its top line grew 9% as comp sales grew 3.1% during the quarter. Its earnings also jumped 9.4% to $0.35 per share despite measures such as lowering the price of the products in order to attract customers. Whole Foods Market is an upscale organic food retailer and therefore caters to the affluent customers on

source from Top Stocks For 2015:http://www.topstocksblog.com/hot-cheap-companies-for-2016.html

Top US Stocks For 2016

Top US Stocks For 2016: Silver Standard Resources Inc(SSRI)

Silver Standard Resources Inc. engages in the exploration, development, and production of mineral resource properties in Argentina, Australia, Canada, Chile, Mexico, Peru, and the United States. The company primarily explores for silver, gold, tin, zinc, lead, and copper deposits. Its principal projects include Pirquitas project located in the Province of Jujuy, Argentina; San Luis project in central Peru; Pitarrilla and San Agustin projects in Durango State, Mexico; and Diablillos project in Salta Province, Argentina. The company was formerly known as Consolidated Silver Standard Mines Limited and changed its name to Silver Standard Resources Inc. on April 9, 1990. Silver Standard Resources Inc. was founded in 1946 and is headquartered in Vancouver, Canada.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Roberto Pedone]

  An under-$10 basic materials player that's starting to move within range of triggering a near-term breakout trade is Silver Standard Resources (SSRI), which engages in the acquisition, exploration, development and operation of silver-dominant resource properties principally in the Americas. This stock has been hammered by the bears so far in 2013, with shares off by 59%.

  If you take a look at the chart for Silver Standard Resources, you'll notice that this stock has been uptrending modestly for the last few weeks, with shares moving higher from its low of $5.47 to its recent high of $6.27 a share. During that uptrend, shares of SSRI have been making mostly higher lows and higher highs, which is bullish technical price action. That move has now pushed shares of SSRI within range of triggering a near-term breakout trade.

  Market players should now look for long-biased trades in SSRI if it manages to break out above some near-term overhead resistance levels at $6.27 to $6.38 a share with high volume. Look for a sustained move or close above those levels with volume that hits near or above its ! three-month average action of 1.75 million shares. If that breakout hits soon, then SSRI will set up to re-test or possibly take out its next major overhead resistance levels at $7.55 to its 200-day moving average at $7.81 a share.

  Traders can look to buy SSRI off weakness to anticipate that breakout and simply use a stop that sits right below some near-term support at $5.47 a share. One can also buy SSRI off strength once it clears those breakout levels with volume and then simply use a stop that sits a comfortable percentage from your entry point.

• [By Vladimir Zernov]

  If a miner has only one producing mine, this mine must deliver stable performance. This was the case for Silver Standard Resources (NASDAQ: SSRI  ) , which had only one producing mine, Pirquitas in Argentina, in the first quarter. However, the company has completed its acquisition of Marigold mine from Goldcorp (NYSE: GG  ) and Barrick Gold (NYSE: ABX  ) at the beginning of April, so it started the second quarter with two producing mines.

source from Top Penny Stocks For 2015:http://www.seekpennystocks.com/top-us-stocks-for-2016.html

Top 10 Integrated Utility Stocks To Watch Right Now

While the media continues to call SINA� (NASDAQ: SINA  ) Weibo China's main Twitter-like service, saying it doesn't make it so. Digging deeper into the numbers and looking at the broader social networking market, it seems like SINA stock will continue its two-year-and-counting decline.

In the video below, Fool contributor Kevin Chen details five reasons why SINA may be forever doomed:�

SINA Weibo's daily active users may be exaggerated. Its registered users lag that of competitor Tencent� (NASDAQOTH: TCEHY  ) Weibo. Its penetration rate trails Tencent Weibo. Its geographic make-up isn't poised for China's economic growth. Meanwhile, Tencent Weibo is. Renren� (NYSE: RENN  ) , the "Facebook of China," and gaming portal�NetEase� (NASDAQ: NTES  ) threaten SINA Weibo's viability as a social network.�

So before you try to profit from the growing microblogging market in China, watch the video below to learn more about the five things Wall Street overlooks when analyzing SINA.

5 Best Construction Stocks To Watch Right Now: Red Robin Gourmet Burgers Inc.(RRGB)

Red Robin Gourmet Burgers, Inc., together with its subsidiaries, develops, operates, and franchises casual-dining restaurants in the United States and Canada. As of February 16, 2012, the company operated 465 Red Robin restaurants, including 328 company-owned restaurants and 137 restaurants operating under franchise agreements. Its restaurants offer gourmet burgers, as well as various salads, soups, appetizers, entrees, desserts, and signature Mad Mixology alcoholic and non-alcoholic specialty beverages Red Robin Gourmet Burgers, Inc. was founded in 1969 and is headquartered in Greenwood Village, Colorado.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Steve Symington]

  Remember, last year�Red Robin Gourmet Burgers (NASDAQ: RRGB  ) partnered with Boston Beer Company�to eliminate the need for diners to choose between beer and a shake with their Sam Adams Oktoberfest Milkshake. Putting aside the potential negative post-dinner repercussions of mixing beer with a shake -- oof, I'm breathing heavy just thinking about it -- this was still a pretty fun collaborative idea which meshed well with Red Robin's atmosphere.

Top 10 Integrated Utility Stocks To Watch Right Now: BP p.l.c.(BP)

BP p.l.c. provides fuel for transportation, energy for heat and light, retail services, and petrochemicals products. Its Exploration and Production segment engages in the oil and natural gas exploration, field development, and production; midstream transportation, and storage and processing; and marketing and trading of natural gas, including liquefied natural gas (LNG), and power and natural gas liquids (NGL). This segment has exploration and production activities in Angola, Azerbaijan, Canada, Egypt, Norway, Russia, Trinidad and Tobago, the United Kingdom, and the United States, as well as in Asia, Australasia, South America, North Africa, and the Middle East. This segment also owns and manages crude oil and natural gas pipelines; processing facilities and export terminals; and LNG processing and transportation, as well as NGL extraction facilities. BP p.l.c. has interests in the Trans-Alaska pipeline system, the Forties pipeline system, the Central Area transmission sys tem pipeline, the South Caucasus Pipeline, and Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan pipeline, as well as in LNG plants located in Trinidad, Indonesia, and Australia. The company?s Refining and Marketing segment involves in the supply and trading, refining, manufacturing, marketing, and transportation of crude oil, petroleum, and petrochemicals products and related services to wholesale and retail customers primarily under the BP, Castrol, ARCO, and Aral brands. Its Other Businesses and Corporate segment produces and markets rolled aluminum products, as well as generates energy through wind, solar, biofuels, hydrogen, and carbon capture and storage sources; and engages in shipping activities. The company was founded in 1889 and is headquartered in London, the United Kingdom.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Claudia Assis]

  U.S.-listed shares of BP PLC (BP) �rose 0.6%, one of the few energy stocks to rise on Thursday. A federal appeals court late Wednesday handed the company a partial victory in its fight to contest terms of a settlement in the 2010 Deepwater Horizon explosion and oil spill.

Top 10 Integrated Utility Stocks To Watch Right Now: UBS AG (UBS)

UBS AG, incorporated on February 28, 1978, is a client-focused financial services company that offers a combination of wealth management, asset management and investment banking services on a global and regional basis. UBS AG is the parent company of the UBS Group (Group).The operational structure of the Company consists of the Corporate Center and four business divisions: Wealth Management & Swiss Bank, Wealth Management Americas, Global Asset Management and the Investment Bank. As of December 31, 2011, the Company operated about 877 business and banking locations worldwide, of which about 42% were in Switzerland, 42% in the Americas, 11% in the rest of Europe, Middle East and Africa, and 5% in Asia-Pacific. During the year ended December 31, 2011, it completed acquisitions in Global Asset Management and in the equities business of the Investment Bank. In November 2011, investment management responsibility for a private equity fund of funds was transferred to Global Asset Management from Wealth Management & Swiss Bank. In October 2011, Global Asset Management acquired ING Investment Management Limited business in Australia. In July 2011, the infrastructure and private equity fund of funds businesses were transferred from its alternative and quantitative investment area to its infrastructure investment area. In January 2011, investment management responsibility for a multi-manager alternative fund was transferred to Global Asset Management from Wealth Management & Swiss Bank.

Wealth Management

Wealth Management provides wealthy private clients with financial advice, products and tools to fit their individual needs. As of December 31, 2011, Wealth Management had presence in over 40 countries and approximately 200 wealth management and representative offices, half of which are outside Switzerland, mostly in Europe, Asia Pacific, Latin America and the Middle East. During 2011, the Company had CHF 750 billion of invested assets. The Company offers products and services to private! clients, focusing in particular on the ultra-high-net-worth (clients with investable assets of more than CHF 50 million) and high-net-worth client segments (clients with investable assets between CHF 2 million and CHF 50 million). In addition, it also provides wealth management solutions, products and services to financial intermediaries. Wealth Management has a presence in over 40 countries and approximately 200 wealth management and representative offices, half of which are outside Switzerland, mostly in Europe, Asia Pacific, Latin America and the Middle East.

The Company�� Global Financial Intermediaries (Global FIM) business serves approximately 1,700 asset managers. It provides its clients with the financial advice, products and tools. The Company�� clients can trade a range of financial instruments from single securities, such as equities and bonds, to various investment funds, structured products and alternative investments. Additionally, it offers structured lending, corporate finance and wealth planning advice on client needs, such as funding for education, inheritance and succession. For its ultra high net worth clients, it offers institutional-like servicing that provides access to its Investment Bank and Global Asset Management offerings. Wealth Management also gives clients access to the knowledge, and product and service offerings from Global Asset Management and the Investment Bank, complemented by an open product platform providing access to an array of products from third-party providers.

The Company competes with Credit Suisse, Julius Bar, HSBC, Deutsche Bank, JP Morgan, Citigroup, Barclays and Unicredit.

Retail & Corporate

The Company delivers financial products and services to its retail, corporate and institutional clients. The Retail & Corporate unit is a core element of UBS Switzerland�� universal bank delivery model. As of December 31, 2011, the Company had a network of around 300 branches, 1,250 automated teller machines! , self-se! rvice terminals and customer service centers, alongside e-banking and mobile banking. The Company�� retail clients have access to offering, including cash accounts, payments, savings and retirement solutions, investment fund products, residential mortgages, as well as life insurance and advisory services. It provides financing solutions to its corporate clients, offering access to capital markets (equity and debt capital), syndicated and structured credit, private placements, leasing and traditional financing. The Company�� transaction banking offers solutions for payments and cash management services, trade and export finance, receivable finance, as well as global custody solutions to institutional clients.

The Company competes with Credit Suisse, Raiffeisen and PostFinance.

Wealth Management Americas

Wealth Management Americas provides advice-based relationships through its financial advisors, who deliver a range of wealth management solutions. On December 31, 2011, the business division had CHF 709 billion in invested assets. Wealth Management Americas consisted of branch networks in the United States, Puerto Rico and Canada, with 6,967 financial advisors as of 31 December 2011. Most corporate and operational functions of the business division are located in the home office in Weehawken, New Jersey. In the United States and Puerto Rico, Wealth Management Americas operates through direct and indirect subsidiaries of UBS AG. Securities and operations activities are conducted primarily through two broker-dealers, UBS Financial Services Inc. and UBS Financial Services Incorporated of Puerto Rico. Its banking services in the United States include those conducted through the UBS AG branches and UBS Bank USA, a federally regulated Utah bank, which provides Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) insured deposit accounts. It includes the domestic US business, the domestic Canadian business and international business booked in the United States.

Ca! nadian we! alth management and banking operations are conducted through UBS Bank (Canada). The Company�� include wealth accumulation and preservation, income generation and portfolio diversification. The Company�� advisors work closely with internal consultants in areas, such as wealth planning, portfolio strategy, retirement and annuities, alternative investments, managed structured products, banking and lending, equities, and fixed income accounts, structured products, banking and lending, equities, and fixed income retirement and annuities, alternative investments, managed accounts, structured products, banking and lending, equities, and fixed income. It also offers lending and cash management services, such as securities-backed lending, the resource management account, FDIC-insured deposits, mortgages and credit cards. For corporate and institutional clients, it offers a range of solutions, including equity compensation, administration, investment consulting, defined benefit and contribution programs and cash management services. It offers a range of equity and fixed income instruments.

The Company competes with Bank of America, Morgan Stanley and Wells Fargo.

Global Asset Management

The Company serves third-party institutional and wholesale clients and the clients of UBS�� wealth management businesses. The Company�� fund services unit, a global fund administration business, provides professional services, including legal fund set-up, accounting and reporting. Invested assets totaled CHF 574 billion and assets under administration were CHF 375 billion on December 31, 2011. Global Asset Management serves third-party institutional and wholesale clients, and the clients of UBS�� wealth management businesses. Global Asset Management�� business lines include traditional investments (equities, fixed income and global investment solutions); alternative and quantitative investments; global real estate; infrastructure and private equity, and fund services.

Global ! investment solutions offer asset allocation, currency, multi-manager, structured solutions, risk advisory and strategic investment advisory services. Alternative and quantitative investments has two primary business lines-Alternative Investment Solutions (AIS) and O��onnor. AIS offers a range of hedge fund solutions and advisory services, including multi-manager strategies. O��onnor is a provider of single-manager global hedge funds. Global real estate manages real estate investments globally and regionally within Asia, Europe, Switzerland and the United States. Infrastructure and private equity manages direct infrastructure investment and multi-manager infrastructure and private equity strategies for both institutional and high net worth investors. Infrastructure asset management manages direct investments in core infrastructure assets worldwide. Fund services, the global fund administration business, provides professional services, including legal set-up, reporting and accounting for retail and institutional investment funds, hedge funds and other alternative products.

The Company competes with Fidelity Investments, AllianceBernstein Investments, BlackRock, JP Morgan Asset Management and Goldman Sachs Asset Management.

Investment Bank

The Investment Bank provides a range of products and services in equities, fixed income, foreign exchange and commodities to corporate and institutional clients, sovereign and government bodies, financial intermediaries, alternative asset managers and UBS�� wealth management clients. The Investment Bank has three business areas: equities, fixed income, currencies and commodities (FICC), and the investment banking department. The Company operates through branches and subsidiaries of UBS AG. Securities activities in the United States are conducted through UBS Securities LLC, a broker-dealer. Securities research provides investment analysis across a range of asset classes of more than 3,400 companies worldwide.

The ! Company p! articipates in the primary and secondary markets for cash equity and equity-related products, including listed options, structured products, equity-linked securities, swaps, futures and over-the-counter (OTC) derivative contracts. Cash equities provide clients with liquidity, investment advisory, trade execution and related consultancy services. It offers trade execution for single stocks and portfolios, including capital commitment, block trading, small-cap execution and commission management services. In addition, it also provides clients with a range of electronic trading algorithms and analytical tools. Derivatives and equity-linked provides a range of flow, structured, synthetic and equity-linked products with worldwide access to primary and secondary markets.

Prime services offer brokerage business, including clearing and custody, capital consultancy, financing, securities lending and equity swaps execution. The FICC business area delivers products and solutions to corporate, institutional and public-sector clients in all markets, as well as to private clients via targeted intermediaries. Macro consists of the foreign exchange, money market and interest rate sales and trading businesses, as well as cash and collateral trading. It provides a range of foreign exchange, precious metals, treasury, and liquidity management solutions to institutional and private clients via targeted intermediaries. Credit sales and trading consists of the origination, underwriting, trading and distribution of cash and synthetic products across the credit spectrum - bonds, derivatives, notes and loans.

The investment banking department provides advice and a range of capital markets execution services to corporate clients, financial institutions, financial sponsors, sovereign clients and hedge funds. The Company also provides liquidity in local markets across foreign exchange, credit, rates and structured products. The advisory group assists in acquisitions and sale processes, and also advises on! reviews ! and corporate restructuring solutions. Global capital markets is a joint venture with the securities business. It offers financing and advisory services that cover all forms of capital raising, as well as risk management solutions. Global leveraged finance provides event-driven (acquisition, leveraged buyout) loans, and bond and mezzanine leveraged finance to corporate clients and financial sponsors.

The Company competes with Bank of America/Merrill Lynch, Barclays Capital, Citigroup, Credit Suisse, Deutsche Bank, Goldman Sachs, JP Morgan Chase and Morgan Stanley.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Rich Smith]

  When it comes to big, publicly owned investment management companies, there's little doubt which one investors love best:�Blackrock� (NYSE: BLK  ) �is top of the heap. Rated "four stars" by The Motley Fool's�CAPS supercomputer, Blackrock easily eclipses smaller rival�State Street� (NYSE: STT  ) , rated three stars, and larger rival�UBS� (NYSE: UBS  ) �-- an anemic two stars. But why?

• [By Alanna Petroff]

  "There's a fundamental earnings recovery story in Europe that U.S. investors find quite compelling," said Gareth McCartney, a London-based managing director at UBS (UBS).

• [By Virginia Harrison]

  The global foreign exchange market has grown steadily over the last three years and is worth $5.3 trillion a day. Deutsche Bank (DB), Citigroup (C, Fortune 500), Barclays (BCLYF) and UBS (UBS) are among the biggest players in the market. Spokespeople for the banks declined to comment on the investigations.

Top 10 Integrated Utility Stocks To Watch Right Now: Gray Fox Petroleum Corp (GFOX)

Gray Fox Petroleum Corp., incorporated on September 22, 2011, is a domestic oil and gas exploration and development company. The Company focuses on the acquisition and exploration of oil and natural gas properties in the Western United States.

The Company has 100% working interest and an 82% net revenue interest in the 32,723 acre West Ranch Prospect. The Company�� West Ranch Prospect is located in the Butte Valley Oil Play Region of north central Nevada in Elko and White Pine Countries, which has produced over 50 million barrels of oil in Nevada from structures and reservoir horizons similar to those under the West Ranch Prospect. The prospect consists of 22 Federal leases in the Butte Valley Oil Play Region.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Peter Graham]

  On Friday, small cap mining stocks Maverick Minerals Corp (OTCMKTS: MVRM) and Liberty Coal Energy Corp (OTCMKTS: LBTG) plus oil stock Gray Fox Petroleum Corp (OTCBB: GFOX) sank 30.9%, 16.67% and 11.2%, respectively. However, only one of these stocks appears to have been the subject of some kind of paid promotion in the form of an investment in some shares. So will these three small cap mining or oil stocks keep coming up empty for investors this week? Here is a closer look:

Top 10 Integrated Utility Stocks To Watch Right Now: Republic Bancorp Inc.(RBCAA)

Republic Bancorp, Inc. operates as the holding company for Republic Bank & Trust Company and Republic Bank, which provides banking, tax refund solutions, and mortgage banking services to individuals and businesses in the United States. The company offers a range of deposit products, including demand deposits, money market accounts, brokered and Internet money market accounts, savings deposits, individual retirement accounts, time deposits, and certificates of deposit. It also provides single family residential real estate loans; commercial loans; residential construction real estate loans; and consumer loans, which consists of home improvement and home equity loans, as well as secured and unsecured personal loans. In addition, the company offers private banking services; treasury management services, such as lockbox processing, remote deposit capture, business online banking, account reconciliation, and automated clearing house processing services; Internet banking service s and products through its Website, republicbank.com; and trust, title insurance, and other financial institution related products and services. Further, it provides tax refund solutions that include the payment of federal and state tax refunds through third party tax preparers. The company facilitates the payment of these tax refunds through refund anticipation loans, electronic refund checks, and electronic refund deposits. Its mortgage banking activities comprise origination and sale of loans in the secondary market, and the servicing of loans for others. As of December 31, 2009, the company had 44 banking centers, including 35 located in Kentucky; 5 located in metropolitan Tampa, Florida; 3 located in southern Indiana; and 1 located in metropolitan Cincinnati, Ohio. Republic Bancorp, Inc. was founded in 1974 and is headquartered in Louisville, Kentucky.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Holly LaFon]

  In the fourth quarter, he bought 32 new stocks. The largest new buys are: Air Lease (AL), Colfax (CFX) and Republic Bancorp Inc. (RBCAA).

  Air Lease (AL)

Top 10 Integrated Utility Stocks To Watch Right Now: Allot Communications Ltd.(ALLT)

Allot Communications Ltd. engages in developing, selling, and marketing Internet protocol service optimization and revenue generation solutions in Europe, the Middle East, Africa, the Americas, Asia, and Oceania. Its solutions are used to create policies to monitor network applications, enforce quality of service policies that guarantee mission-critical application performance, mitigate security risks, and leverage network infrastructure investments. The company offers traffic management systems, including Service Gateway platform for broadband service control and optimization based on DPI; and NetEnforcer traffic management system that inspects, monitors, and controls network traffic by application and by user. Its network management application suites comprise NetXplorer that provides service providers and enterprise customers a view of traffic on the network; and Subscriber Management Platform, a system that helps service providers build an intelligent service network d esigned to deliver the quality of experience. The company also offers ServiceProtector, which ensures service continuity, and guards network integrity against known and unknown threats, as well as enables surgical mitigation through immediate identification of denial of service attacks, zero day attacks, worms, zombie, and botnets. In addition, it provides MediaSwift that caches and accelerates popular Internet video. The company markets and sells its products to carriers, mobile operators, cable operators, educational institutions, governments, and enterprises, as well as wireless, wireline, and satellite Internet service providers. It sells it products through distributors, resellers, OEMs, value added resellers, and system integrators, as well as through direct sales. The company was formerly known as Ariadne Ltd. and changed its name to Allot Communications Ltd. in September 1997. Allot Communications Ltd. was founded in 1996 and is based in Hod-Hasharon, Israel.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Evan Niu, CFA]

  What: Shares of Allot Communications (NASDAQ: ALLT  ) have popped today by as much as 10% after the company scored a big contract.

  So what: Allot said it landed a $6.5 million order from a "Tier-1" mobile operator in Europe, the Middle East, and Africa for Intelligent Steering and Value-Added Service licenses. The company added that the contract is a licensing expansion of an existing deployment. The customer will add functionalities to the current Allot Service Gateways deployment.

Top 10 Integrated Utility Stocks To Watch Right Now: Alexandria Real Estate Equities Inc. (ARE)

Alexandria Real Estate Equities, Inc., a real estate investment trust (REIT), engages in the ownership, operation, management, development, acquisition, and redevelopment of properties for the life sciences industry. Its properties consist of buildings containing scientific research and development laboratories, and other improvements. The company offers its properties for lease primarily to universities and independent not-for-profit institutions; and pharmaceutical, biotechnology, medical device, life science product, service, biodefense, and translational research entities, as well as governmental agencies. As of December 31, 2006, it had 159 properties, including 156 properties located in 9 states in the United States and 3 properties located in Canada. As a REIT, the company is not subject to federal income tax to the extent that it distributes 100% of its taxable income to its stockholders. The company was founded in 1993 and is based in Pasadena, California.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Markus Aarnio]

  Owens Realty Mortgage's competitors include American Assets Trust (AAT), Alexandria Real Estate Equities (ARE) and Boston Properties (BXP). American Assets Trust has seen five insider buy transactions and four insider sell transactions this year. American Assets Trust has a dividend yield of 2.78%. Alexandria Real Estate Equities has seen 14 insider sell transactions this year. Alexandria Real Estate Equities has a dividend yield of 4.10%. Boston Properties has seen one insider buy transaction and four insider sell transactions this year. Boston Properties has a dividend yield of 2.43%.

• [By Bill Stoller]

  After a banner 2013, the overall market has had a challenging start to 2014. However, these four companies have been crushing it: Alexander Real Estate (NYSE: ARE  ) , BioMed Realty Trust (NYSE: BMR  ) , CommonWealth REIT (NYSE: CWH  ) , and Sun Communities (NYSE: SUI  ) early on in 2014 vs. the S&P 500. Their relative out-performance can also be seen when compared to the Vanguard REIT Index ETF (NYSEMKT: VNQ  ) a good yardstick to measure sector performance.

• [By GuruFocus]

  George Soros (Trades, Portfolio) just reported his first quarter portfolio. He buys Citrix Systems Inc, Baker Hughes Inc, Comcast Corp, Spansion Inc, etc during the 3-months ended 03/31/2014, according to the most recent filings of his investment company, Soros Fund Management LLC. As of 03/31/2014, Soros Fund Management LLC owns 305 stocks with a total value of $10.1 billion. These are the details of the buys and sells.New Purchases: BHI, CODE, CTRP, CLI, AVB, COMM, CNQ, AGO, AUY, ATML, ASH, BXMT, CSTM, AEM, CMA, ARE, CHKP, AUQ, BEAV, CX, ADSK, AALCP, BLK, AIG, BIIB, ADEP, AMRI, ARWR, ATHX, BALT, BCRX, BEAT, CFX, CLFD, CUR, CODE,Added Positions: CTXS, CMCSA, CNP, ALTR, BRCD, CBS, CRM, CHTR, CCJ, CIEN, BIDU, ALLE, ABT, CDNS, ACT,Reduced Positions: AAPL, CCI, AMT, ABBV, AAL, BITA, AL, ANGI, ARIA, CBST, BA, BIRT, EXAR,Sold Out: C, BAC, CRI, AMZN, AGN, CF, BRCM, COTY, BMY, AMCX, CAR, A, ADBE, AFL,For the details of George Soros (Trades, Portfolio)'s stock buys and sells, go to http://www.gurufocus.com/StockBuy.php?GuruName=George+SorosThis is the sector weightings of his portfolio:Technology18.9%Energy14%Healthcare8.3%Consumer Defensive8.2%Communication Services8.1%Consumer Cyclical5.4%Industrials5.1%Basic Materials4.9%Financial Services2.5%Real Estate1.9%Utilities0.5%These are the top 5 holdings of George Soros (Trades, Portfolio)1. Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd (TEVA) - 10,310,041 shares, 5.4% of the total portfolio. Shares added by 10.67%2. Herbalife Ltd (HLF) - 4,901,337 shares, 2.8% of the total portfolio. Shares added by 52.9%3. EQT Corp (EQT) - 2,573,814 shares, 2.5% of the total portfolio. Shares added by 3.27%4. Adecoagro SA (AGRO) - 25,915,076 shares, 2.1% of the total portfolio.5. Halliburton Co (HAL) - 3,596,353 shares, 2.1% of the total portfolio. Shares reduced by 20.73%New Purchase: Baker Hughes Inc (BHI)George Soros (Trades, Portfolio) initiated holdings in Baker Hughes Inc. His purchase prices were between $51.82 and $65.27, with an estimated