Hong Kong stocks fall as bank earnings weigh

LOS ANGELES (MarketWatch) -- Chinese stocks opened lower Thursday, with banks mostly weaker after a slew of earnings results from the top mainland Chinese lenders. Hong Kong's Hang Seng Index (HK:HSI) fell 0.8% to 23,120.24, with the Hang Seng China Enterprises Index also 0.8% lower, while the Shanghai Composite (CN:SHCOMP) gave up 0.6% in early moves. Mostly disappointing earnings from some of the largest banks helped sink their shares. Industrial & Commercial Bank of China Ltd. (HK:1398) (IDCBF) dropped 1.7%, Bank of China Ltd. (HK:3988) (BACHY) retreated by 0.8%, and Bank of Communications Co. (HK:3328) (BKFCF) dropped 2.6% after all three posted lower profit growth than a year earlier, and with BoCom saying it could raise capital with a preferred-share issue. In other post-earnings reactions, China Minsheng Banking Corp. (HK:1988) (CMAKY) fell 3.2%, but Agricultural Bank of China Ltd. (HK:1288) (ACGBF) traded flat. In Shanghai, ICBC (CN:601398) lost 0.5%, Bank of China (CN:601988) fell 0.4%, BoCom (CN:601328) was down 1.6%, China Minsheng (CN:600016) tumbled 3.5%, and AgBank (CN:601288) retreated 0.8%. Among gainers, Lenovo Group Ltd. (HK:992) (LNVGF) rose 1.5% after the company launched its new Yoga tablet, with actor Ashton Kutcher to be involved in the device's marketing.

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Asia stocks mostly lower after Fed statement

Pfizer Inc. (PFE) Q3 Earnings Preview: What To Watch?

Pharma giant Pfizer, Inc. (NYSE: PFE) is expected to release its third-quarter financial results on Oct.29 and will host a conference call on the same day at at 10 a.m. EDT to discuss the operating performance and outlook.

New York-based Pfizer is expected to earn 56 cents a share, according to analysts polled by Thomson Reuters. In the same period last year, it earned 53 cents a share.

Earnings of Pfizer, one of the biggest pharmaceutical companies in the world, have beat thee street's view twice in the past four quarters. The consensus estimate has increased by a penny in the past 90 days with three analysts raising their earnings estimate in the last month.

Sales for the July to September period are estimated to fall 9,1 percent to $12.70 billion from $13.98 billion in the year-ago quarter. The sales could be weighed due to the loss of patent exclusivity of certain key drugs and forex headwinds.

"We expect revenue FX headwind of 1.5% primarily because of the weaker yen (-20% y/y) partly offset by the stronger euro (+6% y/y). However, we could see some upside to revenues because of bulky government purchases of Prevnar," BMO Capital Markets analyst Alex Arfaei wrote in a note to clients.

During the quarter, Pfizer has agreed to provide additional doses of Prevnar, the company's 13-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine, for use in infants and young children to help protect against pneumococcal disease in the world's poorest countries under the terms of the Advance Market Commitment (AMC). The company also recently got the European approval for label update regarding the use of Prevnar 13 in certain high-risk populations.

Other areas of focus will likely be on the sales of Xeljanz, which is approved for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Although, the drug still needed to be approved in Europe. Late July, The Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use (CHMP) of the European Medicines Agency (EMA) has confirmed its earlier opinion to recommend against ! approval of Xeljanz for the treatment of adult patients with moderate-to-severe active RA. After re-examination of the application as requested by Pfizer, the CHMP is of the opinion that Xelhanz does not demonstrate a favorable benefit:risk profile.

While the CHMP considered treatment with Xeljanz resulted in reduction in the signs and symptoms of RA and improvement in the physical function of patients, it has outstanding concerns on safety, including serious infections.

Investors would be eager to know the strategy of the company to get this drug in Europe. Market analysts expect the drug to fetch at least $2 billion estimate in 2020 sales and Europe could account for $500 million of that estimate.

The market is looking for the impact on share-count (which could be lower) because of the full impact of the Zoetis split and ongoing buybacks. The share-count has a bearing on EPS.

The Street would also focus on any update on 2013 outlook. For 2013, Pfizer still sees adjusted earnings per share of $2.10 to $2.20, and revenues in the range of $50.8 billion to $52.8 billion. Analysts project earnings of $2.16 a share, on $51.45 billion of revenues for 2013.

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"We expect Pfizer to narrow its 2013 revenue guidance to the lower half of the current range, e.g. $50.8-$51.8B, and finish the year at the top-end. However, current EPS guidance of $2.10-$2.20 is well within reach, and we expect Pfizer to finish the year at the top half," Arfaei noted.

Other key things to focus on the call include comments over the results from the Prevnar CAPiTA study and the phase-2 Palbociclib trial in breast cancer, both multi-billion opportunities with high probabilities of success, and internal segment reporting of the value and innovative businesses as of the first quarter 2014.

For the second quarter, Pfizer's net profit attributable to the company surged t! o $14.10 ! billion or $1.98 a share from $3.25 billion or 43 cents a share, in the year-ago period. Adjusted earnings per share were 56 cents. The firm's quarterly revenues totaled $12.97 billion, down 7 percent from last year's $13.97 billion.

Pfizer shares, which trade 13 times its 2014 consensus earnings view, are up 3 percent since the last quarterly report. They have gained 18 percent this year and traded between $23.55 and $31.15 during the past 52-weeks.

Chart of the Day: Rising Tide Fuels Rally

Individual stocks are getting swept up in this year’s rally.

Some 451 stocks within the S&P 500 are up for the year, tracking the second-highest total since 1980, according to Howard Silverblatt, senior index analyst at S&P Dow Jones Indices. In 2003, there were 458 stocks in the S&P 500 that finished the year in positive territory.

“The number is significant since it shows the depth of the recovery,” Mr. Silverblatt says.

The S&P 500 has rallied 23% in 2013 and finished Friday at a record high. The so-called momentum stocks, such as Netflix Inc.(NFLX) and Best Buy Inc.(BBY), have led the way. But a look at the rest of the market shows most stocks have also been coming along for the ride.

The pattern taking place today doesn’t always unfold during big rallies. The rally during the late 1990s proves this point. Back then, the tech bubble was forming and stocks were valued on “faith and hits as compared to sales and cash-flow,” Mr. Silverblatt says.

In 1998, the S&P 500 jumped 27%. And yet just 58% of stocks in the index rose that year. A similar pattern took place in 1999, when the S&P 500 jumped 20%, but only 48% of stocks finished the year higher.

This year has been quite a different story. About 90% of S&P 500 stocks are trading higher, with the average stock price up about 23% for the year.

Netflix and Best Buy have been the S&P 500′s biggest-gaining stocks this year, up by more than 200% apiece. There are seven stocks in the index that have more than doubled this year.

Conversely, there are only 18 stocks in the S&P 500 that are down by at least 10% this year. J.C. Penney(JCP) has been the biggest loser; the stock’s 65% drop has pushed the company’s market capitalization down $2.1 billion, the lowest in the index.

Newmont Mining Corp.(NEM) and Cliffs Natural Resources Inc.(CLF) are respectively down by more than 30% in 2013.

A combination of slowly growing earnings, a gradually improving economy and a highly accommodative Federal Reserve has driven the stock market to unchartered territory.

Mr. Silverblatt also suggests performance-chasing has played a role in the big rally and could continue through year-end.

“Chasing returns is not a good reason to invest, but when enough do it, the short-term impact is more buying and higher prices, which we may be getting close to if the market stays anywhere near its current level,” Mr. Silverblatt says.

Markets Soar And Investors Snore

If you haven't been paying close attention, or perhaps if you were taking a long nap, you may not have noticed that the stock market was up an astounding +5% in July (+78% if compounded annualized), pushing the S&P 500 index up +18% for the year to near all-time record highs. Wait a second…how can that be when that bald and grey-bearded man at the Federal Reserve has hinted at bond purchase "tapering" (see also Fed Fatigue)? What's more, I thought the moronic politicians were clueless about our debt and deficit-laden economy, jobless recovery, imploding eurozone, Chinese real estate bubble, and impending explosion of inflation – all of which are expected to sink our grandchildren's grandchildren into a standard of living not seen since the Great Depression. Okay, well a dash of hyperbole and sarcasm never hurt anybody.

This incessant stream of doom-and-gloom pouring over our TVs, newspapers, and internet devices has numbed Americans' psyches. To prove my point, the next time you are talking to somebody at the water cooler, church, soccer game, or happy hour, gauge how excited your co-worker, friend, or acquaintance gets when you bring up the subject of the stock market. If my suspicions are correct, they are more likely to yawn or pass out from boredom than to scream in excitement or do cartwheels.

You don't believe me? Reality dictates that the wounds from the 2008-2009 financial crisis are still healing. Panic and fear may have disappeared, but skepticism remains in full gear, even though stocks have more than doubled in price in recent years. Here is some data to support my case that there are more stock detractors than defenders:

Record Savings Deposits

(click to enlarge)

Source: Calafia Beach Pundit

Although there are no signs of an i! mpending recession, defensive cash hoarded in savings deposits has almost increased by $3 trillion since the end of the financial crisis.

Blah Consumer Confidence

(click to enlarge)

Source: Calafia Beach Pundit

As you can see from the chart above, Consumer Confidence has bounced around quite a bit over the last 30+ years, but there is no sign that consumer sentiment has turned euphoric.

15-Year Low Stock Market Participation

(click to enlarge)

Source: Gallup Poll

There has been a trickling of funds into stocks in 2013, yet participation in the stock market is at a 15-year low. Investors remain nervous.

Lack of Equity Fund Buying

(click to enlarge)

Source: ICI & Calafia Beach Pundit

After a short lived tax-driven purchase spike in January, the buying trend quickly turned negative in the ensuing months. Modest inflows resumed into equity funds during the first few weeks of July (source: ICI), but the meager stock fund investments represent < 95% of 2012 positive bond flows ($15 billion < $304 billion, respectively). Moreover, these modest stock inflows pale in comparison to the hundreds of billions in investor withdrawals since 2008. See also Fund Flows Paradox – Investing Caffeine.

Decline in CNBC Viewership

In spite of the stock market more than doubling in value from the lows of 2009, CNBC viewer ratings! are the ! weakest in about 20 years (source: Value Walk). Stock investing apparently isn't very exciting when prices go up.

The Hater's Index:

And if that is not enough, you can take a field trip to the hater's comment section of my most recent written Seeking Alpha article, The Most Hated Bull Market Ever. Apparently the stock market more than doubling creates some hostile feelings.

JOLLY & JOVIAL MEMO

Keeping the previous objective and subjective data points in mind, it's clear to me the doom-and-gloom memo has been adequately distributed to the masses. Less clear, however, is the dissemination success of the jolly-and-jovial memo. I think Ron Bailey, an author and science journalist at Reason.com (VIDEO), said it best, "News is always bad news. Good news is simply not news…that is our [human] bias." If you turn on your local TV news, I think you may agree with Ron. Nevertheless, there are actually plenty of happier news items to report, so here are some positive bullet points to my economic and stock market memo:

16th Consecutive Positive GDP Quarter*

(click to enlarge)

Source: Quartz.com

The broadest measure of economic activity, GDP (Gross Domestic Product), was reported yesterday and came in better than expected in Q2 (+1.7%) for the 16th straight positive reported quarter (*Q1-2011 was just revised to fractionally negative). Obviously, the economists and dooms-dayers who repeatedly called for a double-dip recession were wrong.

40 Consecutive Months & 7 Million Jobs

(click to enlarge)
Source: Calculated Risk

The economic recovery has been painfully slow, but nevertheless, the U.S. has experienced 40 consecutive month! s of priv! ate sector job additions, representing +7.2 million jobs created. With about -9 million jobs lost during the most recent recession, there is still plenty of room for improvement. We will find out if the positive job creation streak will continue this Friday when the July total non-farm payroll report is released.

Housing on the Mend

(click to enlarge)

Source: Calafia Beach Pundit

New home sales are up significantly from the lows; housing starts have risen about 40% over the last two years; and Case Shiller home prices rose by +12.2% in the latest reported numbers. The housing market foundation is firming.

Auto Sales Rebound

(click to enlarge)

Source: Calafia Beach Pundit

Auto sales remain on a tear, reaching an annualized level of 15.9 million vehicles, the highest since November 2007, and up +12% from June 2012. Car sales have almost reached pre-recessionary levels.

Record Corporate Profits

(click to enlarge)

Source: Dr. Ed's Blog

Optimistic forecasts have been ratcheted down, nonetheless corporate profits continue to grind to all-time record highs. As you can see, operating earnings have more than doubled since 2003. Given reasonable historical valuations in stocks, as measured by the P/E (Price Earnings) ratio, persistent profit growth should augur well for stock prices.

Bad Banks Bounce Back

As ba! nks around the country have repaired their debt-burdened balance sheets and sharpened their loan requirements, bank stock prices have rebounded significantly (the XLF SPDR Financial index is up +25% in 2013). Bill McBride at Calculated Risk has compiled an unofficial list of 729 problem banks, which is down significantly from the peak of 1,002 institutions in June 2011 (down -27%). There has been a significant reduction in problem banks, but the number is still elevated compared to the initial listing of 389 institutions in August 2009.

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Europe on the Comeback Trail

(click to enlarge)

Source: Calafia Beach Pundit

There are signs of improvement in the eurozone after years of recession. Talks of a European Armageddon have recently abated, in part because of Markit manufacturing manager purchasing statistics that are signaling expansion for the first time in two years.

Overall, corporations are achieving record profits and sitting on mountains of cash. The economy is continuing on a broad, steady recovery, however investors remain skeptical. Domestic stocks are at historic levels, but buying stocks solely because they are going up is never the right reason to invest. Alternatively, bunkering away excessive cash in useless, inflation depreciating assets is not the best strategy either. If nervousness and/or anxiety are driving your investment strategy, then perhaps now is the time to create a long-term plan to secure your financial future. However, if your goal is to soak up the endless doom-and-gloom and watch your money melt away to inflation, then perhaps you are better off just taking another nap.

Disclaimer: Sidoxia Capital Management ! (SCM&! #41; and some of its clients hold positions in certain exchange traded funds (ETFs), but at the time of publishing, SCM had no direct position in any other security referenced in this article. No information accessed through the Investing Caffeine (IC) website constitutes investment, financial, legal, tax or other advice nor is to be relied on in making an investment or other decision. Please read disclosure language on IC Contact page.

Source: Markets Soar And Investors Snore

The Washington Post Acquires Forney Corporation

The Washington Post (NYSE: WPO  ) has announced plans to acquire power plant and industrial systems provider, Forney Corporation. Both parties plan for the deal to close in early August.

David E. Graham, chief executive officer and chairman for the Washington Post Company, is confident that this new acquisition will help the Washington Post diversify and expand itself even further. In a statement to the press, Graham said the Forney acquisition is part of the Post's "ongoing strategy of investing in companies with demonstrated earnings potential and strong management teams attracted to our long-term investment horizon."

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Forney, a global leader in electric utility and industrial applications, is currently a part of the UTC Climate, Controls and Security branch of United Technologies Corporation. After the deal closes, Forney's general manager, Tom Demrick, and the company's original management team, will stay on board to operate the business. Neither party disclosed the price of the transaction.

Comcast Unbundles HBO — Sort of

In what can only be described as a move toward letting subscribers pick and choose which cable and broadcast networks they're willing to pay for (often called a la carte programming), Comcast Corp. (NASDAQ: CMCSA) is reportedly about to offer a package that includes Time Warner Inc.'s (NYSE: TWX) popular HBO channel and HBO Go, the channel's mobile app. Comcast's so-called "Internet Plus" package includes broadband Internet service, a basic group of about 10 or so cable channels that would include local channels, and Comcast's own streaming video offering, Streampix.

According to DSLreports.com the service would have an introductory monthly price of $40 to $50 for 12 months after which it would jump by $20 for six more months before settling at $70 to $80 a month. Comcast currently advertises its broadband Internet service with Streampix and HBO Go for $50 a month for 12 months. Adding HBO appears to be free at the beginning, but eventually will cost $20 to $30 a month.

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The Comcast/HBO deal is not really a la carte pricing, but it's a lot closer than anything else on the market. At the introductory price it looks like a decent deal if you want HBO. What remains to be seen is if subscribers will stick around after the price goes up in a year.

eBay On A Buying Spree

Recent reports released by Shopper Trak don’t offer a positive outlook for retailers this holiday season. According to the report, holiday sales this season will grow 2.4%, recording the slowest growth since 2009. The downturn in spending is already visible in other metrics. According to a comScore tracker, e-commerce sales in the US grew 13% in Q3 compared with 16% growth reported in Q2. Growth slowed in Q3 to just 13% growth from 16% growth in Q2.

eBay’s Financials

eBay’s (Nasdaq: EBAY) Q3 revenues grew 14% over the year to $3.89 billion, falling short of the Street’s expectations of $3.91 billion. EPS of $0.64 was marginally ahead of the Street’s projections of $0.63 for the quarter.

By segment, Marketplaces revenues grew 12% to $2 billion, with the number of active users growing 14% to 124 million. PayPal’s revenues grew 19% to $1.6 billion.

For the current quarter, eBay projects revenues of $4.5 billion-$4.6 billion with EPS of $0.79-$0.81. Analysts were looking for revenues of $4.64 billion and earnings of $0.83 per share. eBay attributed the weak outlook to depressed macro economy and the recent federal government shutdown, events which have caused consumers to be more cautious of their spending.

eBay expects to end the year with revenues of $16 billion-$16.5 billion with earnings of $2.70-$2.75 per share. Analysts were expecting revenues of $16.18 billion with EPS of $2.71 per share.

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eBay’s Acquisitions

As part of its efforts to speed up product delivery, earlier this week eBay announced the acquisition of London-based Shutl. Shutl is a startup that uses an efficient network of couriers to deliver products within an hour. Shutl operates the service in New York City and Chicago in the US, and it offers 24/7 service in more than 50 towns in the UK. Las! t quarter, eBay announced a service that lets users pay a fee of $5 for same-day delivery for purchases of at least $25 from either one or more participating local retailers. eBay plans to use Shutl to expand these operations into Chicago. Terms of the acquisition were not announced.

Earlier this month, eBay also acquired Braintree for an estimated $800 million. Chicago-based Braintree is known for its smartphone and tablet payment app, Venmo. Venmo enables single-click payment for transactions and does away with the need to re-enter payment details each time a user makes purchases on different mobile apps. Venmo also enables payments to friends using the social network. eBay will be able to leverage Venmo’s mobile payment processing capabilities to enhance PayPal’s offerings.

Last month, eBay also announced the acquisition of Seattle-based Decide.com. Decide.com is an online shopping research service that analyzes data to predict price movements for retail products like consumer electronics and housewares. eBay plans to deploy Decide’s tools on its platform to help consumers make smarter purchasing decisions.

Meanwhile, eBay continues to add site customization features, and as part of this effort, it announced the acquisition of Bureau of Trade for an undisclosed amount. San Francisco–based Bureau of Trade operates a curated online marketplace that offers unique products for men. As part of the acquisition, the company’s founder, Michael Phillips Moskowitz, will join eBay’s team to share his expertise and help eBay’s users discover products that are best suited to their tastes and preferences.

The stock is trading at $51.83 with a market capitalization of $67.1 billion. It touched a 52-week high of $58.04 in April 2013.

Source: eBay On A Buying Spree

Analyst Says Take Your Profits in Corning Now!

Corning Inc. (NYSE: GLW) is a stock that we have told readers is an incredible value and one with somewhat limited competition. Now we have a deal with Samsung, and one analyst has decided to use the 14% gain to take profits by issuing a downgrade right into the strength of the move based upon the closing price on Wednesday. Sterne Agee has just downgraded Corning to Neutral from Buy based upon the impact now being fully reflected in the stock price.

Sterne Agee Andrew Huang’s view is that the Samsung transaction makes sense financially due to immediate accretion and strategically given benefits of a long-term partnership. unfortunately, it also believes that investors have priced the favorable impact of the transaction into the stock.

Another risk is that the firm believes the full ownership of SCP gives Corning more exposure to weakening display fundamentals and excess glass capacity in Asia. It talked about Chinese TV demand weakening in September, as well as the October Golden Week holidays and panel maker’s inventories being at high levels. The firm thinks that display glass unit volumes and pricing in the December quarter may be weaker than expectations. The end result of the downgrade is that investors should use this opportunity to take profits.

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Assuming strong execution on synergies and accretion on core earnings of 20% in Sterne Agee’s pro-forma model for the Samsung transaction, the firm’s 2014 and 2015 EPS estimates would go to $1.70 from $1.42 and then up to $1.85 from $1.55.

Shares of Corning closed up 14% at $17.52 after hitting a 52-week high of $18.07 on the day. A whopping 85 million shares traded on Wednesday versus 11.5 million on an average day. Corning’s market cap is now $25.6 billion.

Do You Own These Blue-Chips? Sell Them!

BALTIMORE (Stockpickr) - Don't let your guard down. The S&P 500 may be poking holes in new all time highs and the nonsense on Capitol Hill may even be resolved, but that doesn't meant that you should keep hanging onto everything in your portfolio.

That's because even the biggest, "safest" blue-chips could be toxic to your performance in the final quarter of this year.

There's no question that the big indices are still in bull mode, but it's worth noting that the Dow Jones Industrial Average looks materially weaker than the S&P right now. The big names that tend to dominate the Dow are starting to show some cracks -- well, some of them are, anyway.

That's why we're taking a closer look at five "toxic" stocks you should be selling in October. To be fair, the companies I'm talking about today aren't exactly "junk."

By that, I mean they're not next up in line at bankruptcy court. But that's frankly irrelevant; from a technical analysis standpoint, they're some of the worst positioned names out there right now. For that reason, fundamental investors need to decide how long they're willing to take the pain if they want to hold onto these firms this summer. And for investors looking to buy one of these positions, it makes sense to wait for more favorable technical conditions (and a lower share price) before piling in.

For the unfamiliar, technical analysis is a way for investors to quantify qualitative factors, such as investor psychology, based on a stock's price action and trends. Once the domain of cloistered trading teams on Wall Street, technicals can help top traders make consistently profitable trades and can aid fundamental investors in better planning their stock execution.

So, without further ado, let's take a look at five toxic stocks you should be unloading.

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Corning

2013 has been a pretty strong year for Corning (GLW). Since the calendar flipped over to January, this $22 billion glassmaker has seen its shares rally more than 20%. And from a fundamental standpoint, I think that Corning still looks pretty attractive. But the technicals are telling a different story right now -- and investors would do well to listen.

That's because Corning is currently forming a descending triangle pattern, a price setup that's formed by a downtrending resistance level above shares coupled with a horizontal support line at the $14 level. Basically, as Corning bounces between those two technical prices, it's getting squeezed closer and closer to a breakdown below $14. When that breakdown happens, it's time to sell this stock.

Corning spent yesterday's session testing the top of resistance, a move that could potentially break the pattern. If that happens, the pressure's off this stock. But I think it's too early to call this bearish pattern kaput. Buyers looking for an entry should wait to see if Corning can still catch a bid first.

ADT

We're seeing the exact same setup in shares of security monitoring firm ADT (ADT) right now. The big difference is that ADT has shown investors some miserable relative strength in 2013. Unlike Corning, this stock has actually managed to lose 12% during a double-digit rally in the rest of the market. That weakness coming into the fourth quarter makes ADT look more likely to follow through with a breakdown.

In ADT's chart, the key support level comes in at $39. If shares can't hold that price level, it's time to hit the sell button. Whenever you're looking at any technical price pattern, it's critical to think in terms of those buyers and sellers. Triangles and other pattern names are a good quick way to explain what's going on in a stock, but they're not the reason it's tradable. Instead, it all comes down to supply and demand for shares.

That support level at $39 is a price at which there had been an excess of demand of shares; in other words, it's a place at which buyers were more eager to step in and buy shares at a lower price than sellers were to sell. That's what makes a breakdown below $39 so significant; the move would indicate that sellers are finally strong enough to absorb all of the excess demand above that price level. Wait for that trigger before you sell.

Lower highs in momentum add some extra confidence to the bear bias in ADT this fall.

Coca-Cola

Beverage giant Coca-Cola (KO) is a great example of relative weakness in a big-name blue-chip stock. Shares of Coke are down more than 9% from their late April highs. And you don't have to be an expert technical analyst to figure out why: Coke is currently bouncing lower in a textbook downtrending channel.

Coca-Cola's price channel has provided traders with a high-probability range for shares since the middle of the year. Despite the last five attempts at pushing through trendline resistance, KO has been swatted down on each attempt. Now there's little reason to believe that attempt number six will be any different this week. If you own Coke, a bounce off of trendline resistance is the ideal time to sell your shares (or short it).

Momentum, measured by 14-day RSI, has been corralled by a ceiling of its own over the course of the channel. With shares in a downtrend, 70 has been the upper bound of shares' momentum range. If Coke has any shot of making a turn for the better, we'll see it in RSI first, so keep a close eye on that momentum gauge.

Sanofi

French pharmaceutical firm Sanofi (SNY) is another stock that's been in a downtrending channel since the start of the summer. Even though health care stocks (especially biotechs) have posted standout numbers in 2013, Sanofi is only 6.8% higher than it was at the beginning of the year. Sure, that might be a decent return on a typical year, but when equity indices are seeing gains in the low 20% range, Sanofi's performance is horrific.

Just like Coke, Sanofi is testing trendline resistance this week. That means that it makes sense to sell the bounce lower off of that price ceiling. Selling the bounce makes sense for two key reasons: First, it's the place where the risk is the least (because you'll know you're wrong soonest if SNY moves through resistance), and it's also the spot with the most downside to trendline support for short sellers.

Buyers should stay away from SNY in October. There are plenty of better names in the healthcare space right now. Focus on relative strength winners instead.

Kraft Foods Group

Kraft Foods Group (KRFT) is looking "toppy" right now. Like a lot of the other names on our toxic stocks list, Kraft posted some strong performance at the start of the year, and it's been slugging along lower ever since. But it's the technical pattern forming in shares that should give traders pause in October.

Kraft is currently forming a head and shoulders top, a bearish reversal setup that indicates exhaustion among buyers. The setup is formed by two swing highs that top out around the same level (the shoulders), separated by a bigger peak called the head; the sell signal comes on the breakdown below the pattern's "neckline" level, which is right at $50 at the moment for KRFT. That's extra significant since $50 is a round number that's sure to get more attention from investors.

There have been more than a few head and shoulders pattern setting up in really big-name stocks in the last couple of months, which is a potentially ominous sign for equity indices unless the patterns get broken. I wouldn't discount the downside potential in KRFT until it's able to take out its previous high at $58.

To see this week's trades in action, check out the Technical Setups for the Week portfolio on Stockpickr.

-- Written by Jonas Elmerraji in Baltimore.

Top 5 Dividend Stocks To Invest In 2014

LONDON -- Dividend income accounts for around two-thirds of total returns, the actual rate of return taking into account both capital and income appreciation. Given that share prices are often volatile and unpredictable, the potential for plump dividends can give shareholders much-needed peace of mind for decent returns.

I am currently looking at the dividend prospects of�ARM Holdings� (LSE: ARM  ) (NASDAQ: ARMH  ) and assessing whether the company is an appetizing pick for income investors.

How does ARM Holdings' dividend history stack up?

�Metric

2009

2010

2011

2012

FY dividend per share

2.42 pence

2.9 pence

3.48 pence

4.5 pence

DPS growth

10.00%

Top 5 Dividend Stocks To Invest In 2014: Plum Creek Timber Company Inc.(PCL)

Plum Creek Timber Company, Inc. is a publicly owned real estate investment trust (REIT). The trust owns and manages timberlands in the United States. Its products include lumber products, plywood, medium density fiberboard, and related by-products, such as wood chips. The trust also focuses on mineral extraction and natural gas production, communication, and transportation. Plum Creek Timber Company was founded in 1989 and is based in Seattle, Washington.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Jonas Elmerraji]

  Plum Creek Timber (PCL) isn't your typical commercial REIT. Instead, the firm is a niche trust that operates in the timber business, one of the less conventional businesses allowed by the REIT Act signed in 1960. PCL owns 6.6 million acres of timberlands in 19 states.

  Only the timberland business falls under REIT rules, with logging operations treated as a traditional taxable corporation. For all intents and purposes, though, PCL's bread and butter remains its timberland; the firm earns more money through recreation, development, and conservation efforts than through logging. That could change as the housing market heats up, especially as supply constraints push timber prices higher. Either way, Plum Creek's combination of tax-advantaged REIT income and conventional business makes the firm a unique name to own right now...

  Financially, PCL is in strong shape, with more than $350 million in cash offsetting a reasonable $3 billion debt load. While PCL resorted to liquidating land to fund its dividend in the wake of the Great Recession, recent acquisitions should help calm investors' concerns. For the moment, this stock pays a 3.5% dividend yield. While Plum Creek isn't a conventional REIT by most measures, it does make a great non-core holding for income-seekers in 2013.

• [By Dan Caplinger]

  Ordinarily, price pressure might lead to decreased demand for housing, which could send Weyerhaeuser's cyclical prospects downward. But so far, that hasn't materialized, and Plum Creek Timber (NYSE: PCL  ) has seen greater investment in mills as well as expanded work-shifts at existing facilities. Furthermore, logging capacity has been under pressure, which could continue to support prices.

• [By Rich Smith]

  Someone's yelling "timber!" at Plum Creek
  Forest manager and forestry products seller Plum Creek Timber (NYSE: PCL  ) beat analyst estimates (with a stick, of course) Monday. Earnings for the first fiscal quarter came in at $0.35 per share, or close to 10% better than expected. Revenue of $340 million also topped estimates.

Top 5 Dividend Stocks To Invest In 2014: Triumph Group Inc.(TGI)

Triumph Group, Inc., through its subsidiaries, engages in the design, engineering, manufacture, repair, overhaul, and distribution of aircraft components. The company operates in two segments, Aerospace Systems and Aftermarket Services. The Aerospace Systems segment provides mechanical and electromechanical controls, such as hydraulic systems and components, main engine gearbox assemblies, and accumulators and mechanical control cables. It also involves in stretch forming, die forming, milling, bonding, machining, welding, and assembling and fabricating various structural components used in aircraft wings, fuselages, and other assemblies. In addition, this segment provides composite assemblies for floor panels, environmental control system ducts, non-structural cockpit components, and thermal acoustic insulation systems. The Aftermarket Services segment provides maintenance, repair, and overhaul services for commercial and military markets. This segment offers its services on auxiliary power units, and air frame and engine accessories, including constant-speed drives, cabin compressors, starters and generators, and pneumatic drive units; and on thrust reversers, nacelle components, and flight control surfaces, as well as supplies spare parts of cockpit instruments and gauges for a range of commercial airlines. The company serves the aerospace industry, including original equipment manufacturers of commercial, regional, business, and military aircraft and components, as well as commercial airlines, air cargo carriers, and military customers. Triumph Group, Inc. was founded in 1993 and is based in Wayne, Pennsylvania.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Eric Volkman]

  Triumph Group (NYSE: TGI) now holds a new asset following a deal inked with Precision Castparts (NYSE: PCP). Triumph has acquired Primus Composites from its counterpart. The terms of the deal were not disclosed.

• [By Seth Jayson]

  Calling all cash flows
  When you are trying to buy the market's best stocks, it's worth checking up on your companies' free cash flow once a quarter or so, to see whether it bears any relationship to the net income in the headlines. That's what we do with this series. Today, we're checking in on Triumph Group (NYSE: TGI  ) , whose recent revenue and earnings are plotted below.

• [By Rich Smith]

  On Friday, Triumph Group's (NYSE: TGI  ) Aerostructures-Vought Aircraft Division announced that it has been awarded the contract to design and build the center fuselage section III, rear fuselage section, and also the rudder and elevator components on the tail section on Embraer's second-generation family of E-Jets.

• [By Alex Planes]

  What: Shares of Triumph Group (NYSE: TGI  ) are down nearly 7%, and reached an intraday low of 10% beneath yesterday's close, after releasing an earnings report that pairs solid quarterly results with disappointing forward guidance.

Top 5 Stocks To Invest In Right Now: First Security Group Inc.(FSGI)

First Security Group, Inc. operates as the holding company for FSGBank that provides banking and financial products and services to various communities in eastern and middle Tennessee and northern Georgia. The company offers various deposit services, such as checking, savings, and money market accounts, as well as certificates of deposit. It offers commercial loans, including loans to smaller business ventures, credit lines for working capital, short-term seasonal or inventory financing, and letters of credit; real estate?construction and development loans to residential and commercial contractors and developers; and consumer loans to individuals for personal, family, and household purposes, including secured and unsecured installment and term loans. The company also offers commercial mortgage loans to finance the purchase of real property; commercial leasing for new and used equipment, fixtures, and furnishings to owner-managed businesses; and leasing for forklifts, heavy equipment, and other machinery to owner-managed businesses primarily in the trucking and construction industries. It also provides trust and investment management, mortgage banking, financial planning, and electronic banking services, such as Internet banking, online bill payment, cash management, ACH originations, wire transfers, direct deposit, traveler?s checks, safe deposit boxes, United States savings bonds, and remote deposit capture, as well as equipment leasing. The company operates 38 full-service banking offices and 1 loan and lease production office. Its market areas include in Bradley, Hamilton, Jackson, Jefferson, Knox, Loudon, McMinn, Monroe, Putnam, and Union counties, Tennessee; and Catoosa and Whitfield counties, Georgia. First Security Group was founded in 1974 and is headquartered in Chattanooga, Tennessee.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Roberto Pedone]

  First Security Group (FSGI) operates as the holding company for FSGBank, which provides banking products and services to various communities in Tennessee and Georgia. This stock closed up 6.5% to $2.29 in Tuesday's trading session.

  Tuesday's Range: $2.16-$2.30
  
  52-Week Range: $1.30-$7.45
  
  Tuesday's Volume: 80,000
  
  Three-Month Average Volume: 509,606

  From a technical perspective, FSGI ripped higher here right above some near-term support levels at $2.14 to $2.12 with lighter-than-average volume. This move is quickly pushing shares of FSGI within range of triggering a major breakout trade. That trade will hit if FSGI manages to take out some near-term overhead resistance levels at $2.38 to $2.52 and then once it clears its 200-day moving average at $2.80 with high volume.

  Traders should now look for long-biased trades in FSGI as long as it's trending above some key support levels at $2.14 to $2.12 and then once it sustains a move or close above those breakout levels with volume that hits near or above 509,606 shares. If that breakout triggers soon, then FSGI will set up to re-fill some of its previous gap down zone from June that started at $5.08.

• [By Ning Jia]

  The case for First Security Group (FSGI) is interesting. It is bank holding company that is obscure, cheap and unloved. As the company completed the recapitalization earlier this year, I think the market has been under-appreciating its potential to return to growth and profitability as a result of the much-needed recapitalization.

Top 5 Dividend Stocks To Invest In 2014: Cummins Inc.(CMI)

Cummins Inc. designs, manufactures, distributes, and services diesel and natural gas engines, electric power generation systems, and engine-related component products worldwide. It operates in four segments: Engine, Power Generation, Components, and Distribution. The Engine segment offers a range of diesel and natural gas powered engines under the Cummins and other customer brand names for the heavy-and medium-duty truck, bus, recreational vehicle, light-duty automotive, agricultural, construction, mining, marine, oil and gas, rail, and governmental equipment markets. This segment also provides new parts and service, as well as remanufactured parts and engines. The Power Generation segment offers power generation systems, components, and services, including diesel, natural gas, gasoline, and alternative-fuel electrical generator sets for use in recreational vehicles, commercial vehicles, recreational marine applications, and home stand-by or residential applications. This segment also provides components that make up power generation systems, such as engines, controls, alternators, transfer switches, and switchgears. The Components segment supplies filtration products, turbochargers, aftertreatment systems, intake and exhaust systems, and fuel systems for commercial diesel applications. This segment offers filtration and exhaust systems for on-and off-highway heavy-duty and mid-range equipment, as well as supplies filtration products for industrial and passenger car applications. This segment also develops after treatment and exhaust systems to help customers meet emissions standards and fuel systems. The Distribution segment provides parts and services, as well as service solutions, including maintenance contracts, engineering services, and integrated products. The company sells its products to original equipment manufacturers, distributors, and other customers. Cummins Inc. was founded in 1919 and is headquartered in Columbus, Indiana.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Sean Williams]

  This week, we'll turn our attention to a company that literally keeps America trucking, Cummins (NYSE: CMI  ) , and I'll show you why it and its dividend could drive your portfolio to big gains.

• [By Daniel Ferry]

  Another important development last week was the announcement that Trillium CNG, a division of Integrys Energy Group (NYSE: TEG  ) , would build 101 new compressed natural gas (CNG) refueling stations across the country by 2016. This would expand the existing infrastructure of publicly available CNG refueling stations by nearly 20%. This is good news for Westport because many of Westport's products run on CNG, including its bi-fuel WiNG system for light-duty Ford pickup trucks, as well as the medium-duty ISL G and heavy-duty ISX12 G engines it produces through Cummins Westport Incorporated, its manufacturing joint-venture with independent engine maker Cummins (NYSE: CMI  ) . Users of the ISL G and ISX12 G engines include long-haul truck manufacturers like PACCAR (NASDAQ: PCAR  ) , Volvo, and Daimler. Freight trucking is a critical growth industry for natural gas engines, because the long miles and heavy loads that freight trucks endure relative to passenger vehicles make them especially sensitive to fuel costs.

Top 5 Dividend Stocks To Invest In 2014: Resource Capital Corp.(RSO)

Resource Capital Corp. operates as a specialty finance company that focuses primarily on commercial real estate and commercial finance in the United States. The company?s commercial real estate-related investments include first mortgage loans, first priority interests in first mortgage real estate loans, subordinate interests in first mortgage real estate loans, mezzanine loans, and commercial mortgage-backed securities. It also invests in commercial finance assets, including senior secured corporate loans, other asset-backed securities, equipment leases and notes, trust preferred securities, and debt tranches of collateralized debt and loan obligations. The company qualifies as a real estate investment trust (REIT) for federal income tax purposes. As a REIT, it is not subject to federal corporate income tax to the extent that it distributes 90% of its REIT taxable income. The company was founded in 2005 and is based in New York, New York.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Wallace Witkowski]

  Shares of Resource Capital Corp. (RSO) �declined 3.8% to $5.82 in moderate volume after the real-estate investment trust said it would launch a $100 million offering in notes due 2018.

• [By Eric Volkman]

  Resource Capital (NYSE: RSO  ) is dipping into its coffers for another shareholder payout. The company has declared a dividend for its current quarter of $0.20 per share, which is to be paid on July 26 to shareholders of record as of June 28. That amount matches each of the company's previous five distributions, the most recent of which was paid in late April. Before that, Resource Capital was more generous, dispensing $0.25 per share.

The Battle Over Sprint and Clearwire Reaches Its End

The following video is from The Motley Fool's weekly Tech Review, in which host Chris Hill talks all things tech with Fool analysts Eric Bleeker and Lyons George.

The battle between DISH Network (NASDAQ: DISH  ) and Sprint Nextel (NYSE: S  ) over Clearwire (NASDAQ: CLWR  ) , a company owning a large amount of LTE-enabled broadband spectrum across the country, seems to be drawing to a close. In this segment, Lyons tells investors about Sprint's most recent offer for Clearwire and DISH's decision not to offer a counterbid, and what that will mean for Sprint going forward from here.

Want to get in on the smartphone phenomenon? Truth be told, one company sits at the crossroads of smartphone technology as we know it. It's not Nokia, or Verizon, or even Apple. In fact, you've probably never even heard of it. But it stands to reap massive profits no matter who ultimately wins the smartphone war. To find out what it is, click here to access the "One Stock You Must Buy Before the iPhone-Android War Escalates Any Further."

The relevant video segment can be found between 3:13 and 5:35.

For the full video of this edition of the weekly Tech Review, click here .

The Problem With Homebuilder, Financial ETFs

NEW YORK (ETF Expert) -- Americans are at it again. They are becoming wide-eyed at the prospect of real estate riches, convinced by media cheer-leading that the 2007-2009 collapse in home prices was a once-in-a-century anomaly.

Why shouldn't we be enthusiastic? Home values have been rising by double-digit percentages. Buyers are tripping over themselves to outbid one another. When the vast majority of participants still fail to understand leverage, they are easily persuaded by the promise of 100% paper gains on 20% down.

Yet, the stock market has a way of detecting problems long before they start. Take a look at 2007 -- a year when the stock market eked out a respectable gain on low volatility, but the SPDR Sector Select Financial Fund (XLF) had declined dramatically. In essence, the investment community had already sniffed out the flattening of real estate prices, the waning of housing affordability and the bursting of a mortgage bubble.

Perhaps ironically, XLF maintained a modicum of relative strength over the broader market benchmark S&P SPDR Trust (SPY) in 2006. Yet, as higher mortgage rates and higher home prices combined to push affordability out of reach, even with the rosiest of loan underwriting assumptions, XLF demonstrated eye-popping relative weakness by 2007. The rest (2008-2009), as they say, was history. Flash forward to 2013. Over the last 10 weeks, XLF has gone from a remarkable outperformer to a definitive underperformer. Even the recent down tick in mortgage rates from roughly 4.75% for 30 years to 4.25% for 30 years has not served as comfort for big financial firms. Many of them have laid off workers in anticipation of ongoing weakness in financing and refinancing of real estate. Already, banks have been working overtime to put a terrific spin on upcoming earnings. They've lowered estimates in advance so that they might still beat "expectations" in third-quarter reports. Nevertheless, the extraordinary drop in mortgage volume challenges the ability of CEOs to provide strong guidance going forward. The Federal Reserve may still have the stock market's back, but will it be able to push financial stocks back into the lead? Right now, the only sector with worse performance over the prior three months is the consumer staples segment.

Top 10 Tech Companies To Invest In Right Now

Could history be serving as a guide here? In 2007, long before the broader S&P SPDR Trust (SPY) felt the sting of a global collapse, iShares U.S. Home Construction (ITB) fell into the proverbial toilet.

Not surprisingly, since the Federal Reserve discussed tapering its bond-buying policy back on May 22, higher mortgage rates have slammed the home construction segment. Whether the pain lasts or not may depend on how long and how much the Fed intends to manipulate rates going forward.

Bill Gross of Pimco fame has hinted that interest rates will be lower for far longer than the market has currently priced in. I can't say that I disagree with him. Japan has been able to snooker the world with quantitative easing (QE) for 12 years. To this day, Japan's economy cannot manage a clean exit from unconventional rate manipulation, and I am not convinced that the U.S. can either. Even when we exit unconventional policy, we're likely to stick with a 0% federal funds rate for most of the current decade. Even if we attempt to raise rates, we'll probably come right back down to 0% and usher in QE6, QE 7 and QE8. The question is, will Federal Reserve stimulus coupled with modest employment growth be able to support a housing recovery that can last, or will we see housing struggle with more frequent bouts of price deterioration? I think the latter is more probable. While I will not actively short financials or short the homebuilders, I see little reason to be excited by these ETFs -- at least not until "taper talk" shifts to extending QE3 or starting QE4. Follow @etfexpert This article was written by an independent contributor, separate from TheStreet's regular news coverage.

Disclosure Statement: ETF Expert is a website that makes the world of ETFs easier to understand. Gary Gordon, Pacific Park Financial and/or its clients may hold positions in ETFs, mutual funds and investment assets mentioned. The commentary does not constitute individualized investment advice. The opinions offered are not personalized recommendations to buy, sell or hold securities. At times, issuers of exchange-traded products compensate Pacific Park Financial or its subsidiaries for advertising at the ETF Expert website. ETF Expert content is created independently of any advertising relationships. You may review additional ETF Expert at the site. Gary Gordon reads: Real Clear Markets Jeff Miller indexuniverse Charles Kirk On Twitter, Gary Gordon follows: Jonathan Hoenig Doug Kass Hard Assets Investor

Top Warren Buffett Stocks To Buy Right Now

In this segment from Thursday's edition of The Motley Fool's everything-financials show, Where the Money Is, banking analysts Matt Koppenheffer and David Hanson discuss the growing concerns around former students being unable to repay loans and the potential reputational risk facing the big banks holding some of these loans.

While many of the biggest banks have scaled back student lending, some firms like Discover Financial Services have moved into the area more aggressively. Matt and David tell investors if they see this as a reason to be nervous about holding a big bank stock.

It's not just student loans...
Many investors are terrified about investing in big banking stocks after the crash, but the sector has one notable stand-out. In a sea of mismanaged and dangerous peers, it rises above as "The Only Big Bank Built to Last." You can uncover the top pick that Warren Buffett loves in The Motley Fool's�new report. It's free, so click here to access it now.

Top Warren Buffett Stocks To Buy Right Now: Carrols Restaurant Group Inc.(TAST)

Carrols Restaurant Group, Inc., through its subsidiary, Carrols Corporation, owns and operates quick-casual and quick-service restaurants. It operates restaurants under the Burger King, Pollo Tropical, and Taco Cabana names. As of January 1, 2012, the company owned and operated 547 restaurants, including 298 Burger King, 91 Pollo Tropical and 158 Taco Cabana restaurants in 17 states in the United States. It also franchised 36 restaurants in Puerto Rico, Ecuador, Honduras, Trinidad, the Bahamas, and Venezuela, as well as in college campuses in Florida. The company was formerly known as Carrols Holdings Corporation and changed its name to Carrols Restaurant Group, Inc. in November 2006. Carrols Restaurant Group, Inc. was founded in 1960 and is headquartered in Syracuse, New York.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By James Brumley]

  Larger restaurant chains can handle the lull. A less liquid small-cap name like Carrols Restaurant Group (TAST), however, feels the pain pretty intensely. That’s why shares are down about 8% this month.

Top Warren Buffett Stocks To Buy Right Now: S&P 500/Barra Value(SU)

Suncor Energy Inc., together with its subsidiaries, operates as an integrated energy company. The company involves in the development of petroleum resource basins in Canada's Athabasca oil sands; acquisition, exploration, development, production, and marketing of crude oil and natural gas in Canada and internationally; transportation and refining of crude oil; and marketing of petroleum and petrochemical products primarily in Canada. Its Oil Sands segment produces bitumen recovered from oil sands through mining and in-situ technology, and upgrades it into refinery feedstock, diesel fuel, and by-products. This segment?s products include gasoline and distillates. The company?s Natural Gas segment acquires, explores, develops, and produces natural gas, natural gas liquids, oil, and by-products from reserves located primarily in western Canada, the Northwest Territories, Alaska, and the Arctic Islands. Its International and Offshore segment engages in the exploration and pro duction of oil and gas in offshore Newfoundland and Labrador, in the North Sea, and in Libya and Syria. The company?s Refining and Marketing segment refines crude oil at Suncor's refineries in Edmonton, Alberta; Montreal, Quebec; and Sarnia, Ontario in Canada, as well as in Commerce City, Colorado into a range of petroleum and petrochemical products for sale to retail, commercial, and industrial customers. It also transports crude oil through pipelines in eastern and western Canada, as well as through wholly-owned pipelines in Wyoming and Colorado; and produces specialty lubricants and waxes. In addition, this segment operates retail sites in Canada under the Petro-Canada brand; and in Colorado under Phillips 66 and Shell brands. Suncor Energy Inc. also engages in third-party energy trading activities. The company was formerly known as Suncor Inc. and changed its name to Suncor Energy Inc. in April 1997. Suncor Energy Inc. was founded in 1953 and is headquartered in Calgary , Canada.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Selena Maranjian]

  Suncor Energy (NYSE: SU  ) shed 4%, and yields 1.8%. It's Canada's largest energy company, with expertise in deep oil sands. The company recently canceled its plans to upgrade its Voyageur plant in northern Alberta, due in part to competitive pressures. Thus, it will likely just ship more oil to refiners to do much of the processing work. The company is vulnerable to possible tightened regulations due to the recent pipeline oil spill in Arkansas. Some like its diversification beyond North America.

• [By Caiman Valores]

  But as highlighted earlier Whitecap's Canadian light sweet crude is not as heavily discounted as Canadian heavy oil or bitumen. This does not leave it exposed to the same price risks and volatility as those companies that have a significant portion of their production made up by Canadian heavy oil and Bitumen, such as Husky Energy (HUSKF.PK), Suncor (SU), Imperial Oil (IMO) and Canadian Natural Resources (CNQ).

Best Investments In 2014: Sypris Solutions Inc.(SYPR)

Sypris Solutions, Inc. provides of outsourced services and specialty products primarily in North America and Mexico. It offers a range of manufacturing, engineering, design, and other technical services under contracts with corporations and government agencies primarily in industrial manufacturing, and aerospace and defense electronics markets. The company supplies forged and machined components to the commercial vehicle, off highway vehicle, light truck, and energy markets, as well as produces drive train components, such as axle shafts, gear sets, differential cases, steer axle forgings, and other components. It also provides solutions in cyber security, secure communications, global electronic key management, Sypris Data Systems branded products, and product design and development to the United States Government, defense and civilian agencies, international government agencies, as well as worldwide defense and aerospace prime organizations. In addition, the company desi gns and builds information assurance products, including link encryptors, data recording products, and electronic key fill devices. Further, it offers electronic manufacturing services, including circuit card and full box build manufacturing; dedicated space and high reliability manufacturing; integrated design and engineering services; systems assembly and integration design for manufacturability; and design to specification works. The company was founded in 1954 and is based in Louisville, Kentucky.

Top Warren Buffett Stocks To Buy Right Now: Atlantic Power Cor Com Npv (ATP.TO)

Atlantic Power Corporation operates as a power generation and infrastructure company with a portfolio of assets in the United States and Canada. The net generating capacity of the company�s projects is approximately 2,140 megawatts consisting of interests in 31 operational power generation projects across 11 states in the United States and 2 provinces in Canada; one 53 megawatts biomass project under construction in Georgia; and an 84 mile, 500-kilovolt electric transmission line located in California. Atlantic Power Corporation also owns an interest in Rollcast Energy, a biomass power plant developer with various projects under development. The company was founded in 2004 and is headquartered in Boston, Massachusetts.

Top Warren Buffett Stocks To Buy Right Now: Yongye International Inc.(YONG)

Yongye International, Inc. engages in the research, development, manufacture, and sale of fulvic acid based crop and animal nutrient products for the agriculture and stock farming industry in the People?s Republic of China. It provides liquid crop nutrient products that consist of fulvic acid compound base and nutrients for the health of crops; and powder animal nutrient products, which include fulvic acid compound base and additional nutrients, and Chinese herbs that reduce inflammation for dairy cows The company markets its products under the Shengmingsu trade name through a network of county-level distributors and independently owned branded retailers. Yongye International, Inc. is based in Beijing, the People?s Republic of China.

CEO Closeup: Sabre’s Gilliland personalizes travel

Sam Gilliland didn't set out to become CEO of one of the most influential travel technology companies in the world.

He was an engineer by trade when he joined Sabre Holdings in 1988 as a software developer.

"I was hunkered down in a cubicle for quite a while in the early days of Sabre," he says.

A little bit of luck and a lot of hard work landed him in the top spot of the Dallas-based company in 2003, managing 10,000 people in 60 countries.

Sabre, a global technology company, plays a role in all aspects of the travel industry, from giving travelers the tools to find the best airfares to helping hotels fill rooms to making travel agencies more efficient.

In March 2011, President Obama appointed him to the President's Management Advisory Board. He is also vice chair of the U.S. Commerce Department's Travel and Tourism Advisory Committee to the Secretary of Commerce.

Gilliland, 51, is no longer CEO, having stepped down from that role in August to to spend more time with his family, but remains on the company's board of directors, where he still plays a role in shaping the company's direction. (He has been succeeded by Tom Klein.) Gilliland's 10 years running the company taught him a thing or two about managing people — and customers' expectations.

10 Best Penny Stocks To Invest In Right Now

He says he's had a "sensational appetite to understand more about the customer and what they wanted."

"I got a huge appreciation for their needs," he says.

Their needs are constantly changing in a world where they have access to so much information online.

And that's what Sabre, which owns Travelocity, helps airlines, hotels, rental car agencies, travel agencies and pretty much any travel company do: Present choices to travelers in an approachable way.

"As a consumer you can spend a lot of time shopping and researching," he says. "How do you … turn ! those choices into something that is easily consumable?"

The name of the game in travel these days is personalization, and Sabre is helping travel services companies and others figure out how to make consumers think their individual needs are being met.

They're doing so by collecting data and determining people's shopping and buying behavior.

Gilliland says companies can do that by "collecting information on that last experience or last set of experiences. "

"Personalization can mean delighting customers on the next trip because maybe they had a less-than-satisfactory experience the last time," he says. "Or understanding what their shopping and buying behavior was when on your site the last four times … and making an offer that is relevant to him or her."

The best piece of advice he ever got when starting out, he says, is to "stay close to the customer."

That's why he spent much of his time monitoring customer feedback on Twitter.

"You have this opportunity to get instantaneous feedback now that you couldn't get five to 10 years ago," he says. "We have this opportunity as we roll out products, a particular model … we get a lot of immediate feedback, and it helps us understand what those customers want."

But he also made it a point to get face time with customers, even if the feedback was not all positive.

"While those may be more painful meetings than visiting the happy customer, they're the ones that give me the opportunity and visibility into where we need to improve," he says.

Gilliland believes any CEO of a travel company also has to address the problems facing the entire industry.

"Unfortunately, since 9/11, the duration of travel has grown very dramatically. So you see getting from point A to point B from your doorstep to someone else's has increased dramatically," he says. "There's lot of friction points in between, and we need to figure out how do we maintain security at levels we've enjoyed in the last 12 years or so but al! so improv! e that process?"

He's spent much time pushing for programs to expedite the entry process into the USA, such as visa waivers for travelers from certain developed countries and Global Entry for registered international travelers to speed though customs.

He also supports government investment in the Next Generation air-traffic control system, which will make routes more precise and reduce congestion in the air by tracking planes with a satellite global-positioning system.

"I'm not sure the CEO has to stand out," he says. "The way I view the CEO's role, in many respects, we can be advocating for the industry."

Teva Lays Off 5,000; Stock Surges On The News

Teva Pharmaceutical Industries (TEVA), the world's leading generic drug maker with global sales of over $20 billion and a product portfolio of more than 1,000 molecules, just announced that it is accelerating its cost- reduction program and reducing its global work force by 10%.

Teva expects the decision will realize $2 billion in annual cost savings by the end of 2017, compared to the previously guided range of $1.5 to $2 billion. Teva estimates that $1 billion, or 50% of the annual cost savings, will be realized by the end of 2014, and 70% by the end of 2015.

(click to enlarge)

Initial market reaction was positive and Teva's shares jumped 2.2% on the news. Teva estimates total pre-tax costs of restructuring at approximately $1.1 billion, 75% in cash and 25% in non-cash accelerated depreciation and impairment of assets.

The reductions are part of a worldwide restructuring program introduced in December 2012, and included actions to divest non-core assets, increase organization effectiveness, improve manufacturing efficiency and reduce excess capacity.

The decision is likely to affect approximately 5,000 employees worldwide, out of a total workforce of 46,000 people. The majority of the workforce reductions are expected to be completed before the end of 2014.

Teva expects to reinvest part of the initial savings in high-potential programs. These investments will include the development of the company's complex generics and specialty pharmaceutical pipeline, which includes more than 30 late-stage programs.

Teva is also planning to expand its presence in emerging markets and to broaden its portfolio, especially in its specialty medicines and OTC divisions.

Teva expects to achieve $20 billion for the year, midpoint of its original 2013 guidance range, and non-GAAP diluted earnings per share of $4.85 to $5.15.

Source: Teva Lays Off 5,000; Stock Surges On The News

Disclosure: I have no positions in any stocks mentioned, and no plans to initiate any positions within the next 72 hours. I wrote this article myself, and it expresses my own opinions. I am not receiving compensation for it (other than from Seeking Alpha). I have no business relationship with any company whose stock is mentioned in this article. (More...)

Panel seeks economic solutions to climate change

Energy efficiency has more potential to reduce greenhouse gas emissions than any other single current option, the World Bank's former chief economist Lord Nicholas Stern said Friday in co-launching a global panel to find cost-effective solutions to climate change.

Boosting efficiency could provide 30% to 40% of needed carbon reductions while also lowering energy bills for businesses, governments and homes, Stern told reporters. He said there's also plenty of new energy technologies, including tidal power and smaller nuclear power plants, that have emerged since his landmark 2006 "Stern Report," which warned that rising temperatures could cost the world up to 20% of its economic output.

Stern joined Mexico's former president Felipe Calderon at a press briefing in Washington, D.C., to describe their effort to develop a win-win road map for curbing heat-trapping emissions while promoting economic growth. Their Global Commission on the Economy and Climate plans to put its best ideas forward in a September 2014 report — prior to the next major United Nations climate change conference in Paris in 2015.

Calderon, the panel's chairman, said the world's scientists have presented the latest and best research on climate change in the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change's Fifth Assessment Report, the first part of which was released last month. The report said with heightened certainty that human influence has been the dominant cause of global warming since the mid-20th century.

"Now it's time for the economists to make their case," said Calderon, former chairman of state oil producer Petroleos Mexicanos. He said many policymakers assume that reducing emissions will erode economic growth but said that's not the case, adding the panel will analyze the costs and financial savings of fighting climate change.

"This is all about risk management," said Stern, the panel's vice chairman, noting that the IPCC's report shows how global warming will soon result in historically extreme cli! mates. As a result, "We have to de-carbonize energy by the end of this century," he said, citing the need for energy such as solar, wind or nuclear that doesn't emit carbon dioxide.

"This looks to be a radical change, but an exciting one," he said. While he pointed to both energy-efficiency gains and the solar industry's plummeting prices, he said: "There's no single technology we should bet on."

Stern and Calderon acknowledge there are challenges ahead, not the least of which is U.S. politics. Congress hasn't been able to pass even a bi-partisan energy-efficiency bill backed by both environmental and business groups, because Senate Republicans recently sought to attach a provision thwarting President Obama's Affordable Health Care Act.

The commission's $9 million "New Climate Economy" study was commissioned by seven countries: Columbia, Ethiopia, Indonesia, South Korea, Norway, Sweden and the United Kingdom. It will be undertaken by seven research groups on five continents, including the Washington-based World Resources Institute, which hosted the media briefing.

BlackRock's Fink expects poor 4Q on debt talks

Laurence D. Fink Bloomberg News

Laurence D. Fink, whose BlackRock Inc. is the largest shareholder in companies from Apple Inc. to General Electric Co., said the United States will have a “very poor” fourth quarter even if lawmakers reach a compromise and extend the nation's borrowing authority.

“It will hurt retail sales and American CEOs in terms of how they deal with their quarter,” Mr. Fink, who is BlackRock's chief executive officer, said Friday at the 2013 Institute of International Finance annual membership meeting in Washington. The political uncertainty, coupled with the focus of many CEOs on short-term results, means companies won't invest in research, development and technology, said Fink, whose firm is the world's largest money manager with $3.86 trillion in assets.

Consumer sentiment in the U.S. fell in October to a nine- month low, and jobless claims rose to the highest level in six months, reports this week showed, as the government's partial shutdown and the debt-ceiling debate weighed on the world's largest economy. House Speaker John Boehner yesterday proposed a short-term debt limit increase to postpone a potential U.S. default.

Failure by the world's largest borrower to pay its debt -- unprecedented in modern history -- would devastate global markets, money managers including Mohamed El-Erian, chief executive officer of Pacific Investment Management Co., have said.

'Unacceptable Conversation'

“I think this is why it should be understood in this country by the men and women we put in our office that this is just an unacceptable conversation,” Mr. Fink said Friday.

The Thomson Reuters/University of Michigan preliminary consumer sentiment index decreased to 75.2 this month from 77.5 in September, a report today showed. Economists in a Bloomberg survey projected a drop to 75.3, according to the median estimate. Applications for unemployment benefits jumped by 66,000 in the week ended Oct. 5 to 374,000, the Labor Department said yesterday.

President Barack Obama and House Republican leaders are discussing a potential agreement even as Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid said he doesn't like the idea of extending the deadline for a potential default. Reid said today he is open to hearing Republican proposals.

Top 10 Casino Stocks To Own Right Now

Job Creation

The most important thing countries need to focus on is job creation for the middle class as technology replaces workers who earn lower wages, said Mr. Fink.

“Everywhere in the world we are beginning to see a hollowing out of job creation,” he said. “I do believe it's structural.”

BlackRock, co-f

Day Trading Gabelli

The next big thing in the $1.5 trillion exchange-traded funds business is being cooked up in a small office sharing an entrance with a beauty salon in the bucolic town of Bedminster, N.J. There, in a loftlike space outfitted with whiteboards, comfy chairs and a pool table, the four principals of Precidian Investments run what amounts to a lab for designing and patenting new forms of ETFs. Few investors have heard of them, but to mutual fund firms like Fidelity and American Funds, Precidian may well be the messiah of new growth.

Precidian has devised a new structure that would essentially enable old-school mutual fund companies to offer ETF versions of their existing actively managed funds. Despite the growth of indexing, actively managed stock-picking funds still dominate the mutual fund business. Firms like Fidelity, Franklin Templeton, American Funds and Dodge & Cox, and stock pickers like Mario Gabelli, Will Danoff and Ron Baron, have yet to be invited to the ETF party.

What Precidian has figured out (and patented as ActiveShares) is a process that keeps most of the low-cost and tax-efficient benefits of an ETF while disclosing holdings only quarterly, as active managers now do. If ActiveShares' "nontransparent" ETF structure is SEC-approved, you may soon be able to log on to your e-broker any time of day to trade into and out of the portfolios of great managers like Donald Yacktman and Bruce Berkowitz.

"It's clear that funds are ready to leap into the next generation of products," says Precidian CEO Daniel J. McCabe. "Several of the world's largest asset managers have already embraced our structure." McCabe isn't saying who, but SEC filings indicate he is most likely talking about BlackRock BlackRock and State Street State Street.

Precidian's ActiveShares brings several innovations to the ETF world that could attract stock-picking funds. The most important is the publication of intraday indicative values every 15 seconds, a standard for all ETFs but a hurdle for traditional active mutual funds, which publish prices only once a day, after the market closes.

Those values, matched with a fund's benchmark, should give ETF marketmakers enough information to hedge their trading throughout the day in the futures market, a key to keeping the ETF price in line with its net asset value (NAV) and giving all investors the opportunity to buy the fund at a fair price. But portfolio managers would not be required to disclose their holdings daily as most other ETFs are required to do by the SEC.

Another Precidian innovation involves tax efficiency. Its new structure establishes blind trusts for authorized participants, who act as a filter to bring cash into the ETF or receive and liquidate securities on redemption. The tax consequences of this trading are borne by the blind trust, not the investor.

Cracking the code on actively managed ETFs is a big deal because the $6.8 trillion market for managed stock mutual funds dwarfs the index ETF business, whose growth has slowed. SEC approval of "nontransparent" ETFs could open the ETF world to dozens of fund families.

It could also create a big payday for the founders of Precidian, which earns small license fees based on fund expense ratios. Currently most of its revenue comes from the fees it earns on Guggenheim's nine CurrencyShares ETFs ($1.5 billion in assets) and its own $130 million ETF, the Maxis Nikkei 225 Index Fund.

McCabe, 49, and partners J. Stuart Thomas, Paul Kuhnle and Mark Criscitello are veterans of Wall Street trading floors and back offices who specialized in structured products and derivatives operations. All but one is a college dropout. But what they lack in book learning they make up for with deep Wall Street connections, trading experience and, most important, market savvy.

McCabe, who is fond of wearing Prada loafers sans socks in the office, headed up NYSE and Amex trading firm Bear Hunter Structured Products, a subsidiary of specialist firm Bear Wagner, which was owned by Bear Stearns. Kuhnle, 50, studied quantitative analysis at Penn State before dropping out, later landing a Wall Street IT job. He worked with McCabe at Bear Hunter, as did Criscitello, 52, Precidian's finance officer.

The three met Thomas, 47, formerly in equity sales at Morgan Stanley, when he was helping the World Gold Council create the U.S. entity that would become State Street's SPDR Gold Trust, the world's largest gold ETF, with $38 billion in bullion. Most investors know the ubersuccessful ETF by its ticker symbol, GLD.

Launching the firm in 2006 was a midlife gamble for the group. At a time when other Wall Streeters tried to cash in on the ETF boom by launching their own funds, Precidian's partners stuck to product design, in a model similar to that of microchip IP firm ARM Holdings.

"Thinking creatively about building products with protected intellectual property has a different return profile than launching me-too ETFs," says Michael Brown, general partner of Waltham, Mass.' Battery Ventures, which took a stake in Precidian in 2007. The me-too ETF business, he adds dismissively, has simply been a race to the bottom.

Not surprisingly, Precidian isn't the only one trying to create a viable ETF structure for active mutual funds. Eaton Vance, Guggenheim and T. Rowe Price have filed their own SEC applications. Vanguard already has a process for creating ETF share classes of its passive index funds.

As they await an SEC ruling on ActiveShares, the Precidian crew is floating another ETF innovation aimed at the ravenous market for income. According to SEC filings, Precidian is the brains behind a proposed WisdomTree S&P 500 Managed Distribution ETF. Like an annuity, the fund promises a fixed 6% annual payout in all markets, despite the fact the underlying S&P 500 offers only a 2% dividend yield. Precidian's patented formula incorporates the possibility of returning capital as part of the annual payout. Given the recent boom in indexed annuity sales it's likely to be a winner, if approved.

Top 5 Energy Stocks To Watch For 2014

"Precidian brings a level of expertise that provides for their ideas to advance," says William Belden, Guggenheim Funds' head of product development. "They're not just throwing things against the wall."

10 Best Clean Energy Stocks To Buy Right Now

U.S. - the world�� largest consumer of energy- faced an unlikely situation quite recently. It was in April last year that the natural gas prices hit an all time low at under $2 per million British thermal credits. Many believed this to be an immutable and uncomfortable reality. Though this was only a partial reality, Shares of natural gas engine designer- Westport Innovation (WPRT) nearly doubled in four months as did clean energy fuels (CLNE), a company that builds refueling stations. The NAT GAS Act, passed by the congress, was aimed at promoting the usage of cleaner fuels. It provided subsidies to vehicles which used alternative fuels rather than going the conventional way.

The Obama administration laid stress on the fact that it would always be beneficial to use the clean fuels produced within the nation�� boundaries. To further the initiative he announced an investment of $1 billion in the gas infrastructure. All this was way back in April 2012. Now, coming to the present scenario, the gas pieces have doubled than what they originally were which now puts them at $4/mmBtu price tag. The congress is nowhere in the scene now amending bills that would encourage the use of natural gas vehicles. This had ramifications in the stock market as the stocks, as those of Westport and Clean Energy, that were peaking have now fallen down to almost half their value.

10 Best Clean Energy Stocks To Buy Right Now: NuFarm Ltd(NUF.AX)

Nufarm Limited, together with its subsidiaries, operates as a crop protection company worldwide. The company engages in the manufacture and supply of agricultural chemicals, including turf and ornamental, glyphosate, insecticide, fungicide, and non-glyphosate herbicides. It also operates a seeds business focusing on canola, sorghum, and sunflower seeds, as well as offers seed treatment products. The company supplies its products to farmers to protect crops from damage caused by weeds, pests, and diseases. Nufarm Limited sells its products in 100 countries. The company is headquartered in Laverton, Australia.

10 Best Clean Energy Stocks To Buy Right Now: Symax Lift (HOLDING)

Symax Lift (Holding) Co. Ltd. develops, manufactures, and sells elevators, escalators, and stair lifts in China and internationally. It offers a line of standardized products, which include passenger elevators, goods/freight elevators, villa elevators, panorama elevators, hospital elevators, residential and commercial escalators, and moving walkways; and customized elevator products. The company also provides after-sales services, including installation, repair, and maintenance services. It sells its products through a network of agents and distributors. The company is based in Richmond, Canada.

Top 10 Safest Stocks To Own For 2014: RealD Inc(RLD)

RealD Inc., together with its subsidiaries, licenses stereoscopic 3D technologies in the United States, Canada, and internationally. The company designs, manufactures, licenses, and markets its RealD Cinema Systems that enable digital cinema projectors to show 3D motion pictures and alternative 3D content to consumers wearing the company?s RealD eyewear. It also offers RealD Display, active and passive eyewear ,and RealD Format technologies to consumer electronics manufacturers, and content producers and distributors to enable the delivery and viewing of 3D content on high definition televisions, laptops, and other displays. In addition, the company sells CrystalEyes eyewear, monitors, digital light processing television kits, polarizer films, emitters, and linear polarizing systems to companies, government agencies, academic institutions, and research and development organizations for applications in piloting the Mars Rover and in theme park installations. RealD Inc. was founded in 2003 and is headquartered in Beverly Hills, California.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Rick Munarriz]

  IMAX (NYSE: IMAX  ) announced a deal on Monday to add 35 new screens to China and South Korea. It's a smart move, especially with RealD (NYSE: RLD  ) taking a hit last week after announcing a sequential decline in ticket sales for June.

• [By Dan Caplinger]

  On Thursday, RealD (NYSE: RLD  ) will release its latest quarterly results. With its stock having jumped sharply throughout the past year or so, investors should look closely to make sure its fundamentals are keeping up with its share price.

• [By Travis Hoium]

  What does this mean for the big screen?
  It's not only the small screen where 3-D has struggled. The big screen saw an explosion of 3-D content after the success of Avatar in 2010, as IMAX and RealD (NYSE: RLD  ) expanded their offerings. But, since then, the industry has been more selective about how it uses 3-D. Batman director Christopher Nolan shunned 3-D, and hits like The Hunger Games and Skyfall weren't made in 3-D, meaning just one of last year's top four films were 3-D.�

10 Best Clean Energy Stocks To Buy Right Now: OXiGENE Inc.(OXGN)

OXiGENE, Inc., a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company, develops novel therapeutics to treat cancer and eye diseases in the United States. It primarily focuses on the development of vascular disrupting agents (VDAs) that disable and destroy abnormal blood vessels, which provide solid tumors a means of growth and survival, as well as associate with visual impairment in various ophthalmological diseases and conditions. The company?s products include ZYBRESTAT, which is in fosbretabulin in anaplastic cancer of the thyroid (FACT) trial?Phase 2/3 study for the treatment of anaplastic thyroid cancer; in fosbretabulin in advanced lung oncology (FALCON) trial?Phase 2 randomized and controlled study to treat non-small cell lung cancer; in Phase 2 Simon two-stage design study for the treatment of platinum-resistant ovarian cancer; and in Phase 2 randomized controlled study to treat platinum-relapsed but platinum sensitive ovarian cancer. Its products also comprise OXi4503 that is in Phase 1 dose-escalation study for the treatment of acute myelogenous leukemia and myelodysplastic syndromes; Phase 1b dose-ranging study to treat solid tumors with hepatic tumor burden; and Phase 1 dose-escalation study for the treatment of refractory solid tumors. In addition, the company?s products consist of ZYBRESTAT, which is in Phase 2 randomized, double-masked, placebo-controlled, single-dose study for proof-of-mechanism study in polypoidal choroidal vasculopathy. OXiGENE has a strategic collaboration agreement with Symphony Capital Partners, L.P. to support the advancement of ZYBRESTAT for oncology and ophthalmology, and OXi4503. The company was founded in 1988 and is headquartered in South San Francisco, California.

10 Best Clean Energy Stocks To Buy Right Now: Compania Mina Buenaventura S.A. (BVN)

Compania de Minas Buenaventura S.A.A., a precious metals company, engages in the exploration, mining, processing, and development of gold, silver, and other metals in Peru. It also explores for zinc, lead, and copper. The company operates the Orcopampa mine located in the province of Castilla in the department of Arequipa; the Uchucchacua mine located in the province of Oyon in the department of Lima; the La Zanja mine located in the district of Pulan in the province of Santa Cruz; the Antapite mine located in the province of Huaytara in the department of Huancavelica; the Julcani mine located in the province of Angaraes in the department of Huancavelica; and the Recuperada mine located in the province of Huancavelica in the department of Huancavelica. It also holds controlling interests in the Colquijirca and Marcapunta Norte mines located east of the city of Lima; and the Shila-Paula mines located in the province of Castilla in the department of Arequipa. In addition, th e company owns interests in various other mining companies. Further, it offers electric power transmission services; and geological, engineering, design, and construction consulting services to the mining sector. Compania de Minas Buenaventura S.A.A. was founded in 1953 and is headquartered in Lima, Peru.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Seth Jayson]

  Compa帽铆a de Minas Buenaventura S.A.A. (NYSE: BVN  ) is expected to report Q2 earnings around July 26. Here's what Wall Street wants to see:

• [By Sally Jones]

  Buenaventura Mining Company Inc. (BVN)

  Down 70% over 12 months, Buenaventura Mining Company Inc. has a market cap of $2.95 billion, and trades with a P/E of 6.70.

10 Best Clean Energy Stocks To Buy Right Now: Cal Bay International Inc (CBYI)

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10 Best Clean Energy Stocks To Buy Right Now: Tiex Inc.(TIX.V)

Tiex Inc. engages in the acquisition, exploration, and development of mineral resource properties. The company primarily explores for gold and copper porphyry deposits. It has 100% interest in the Cariboo goldfield property, which consists of 86 claims covering a total area of approximately 95,559 hectares in the Cariboo Mining Division located in south-central British Columbia. The company is based in Kelowna, Canada.

10 Best Clean Energy Stocks To Buy Right Now: DryShips Inc (DRYS)

DryShips Inc. (DryShips), incorporated in September 2004, is a holding company engaged in the ocean transportation services of drybulk cargoes and crude oil worldwide through the ownership and operation of drybulk carrier vessels and oil tankers and offshore drilling services through the ownership and operation of ultra-deepwater drilling units. As of December 31, 2011, DryShips owned and operated two fifth generation ultra-deepwater, semi-submersible offshore drilling rigs, the Leiv Eiriksson and the Eirik Raude, and four sixth generation, advanced capability ultra-deepwater drillships, the Ocean Rig Corcovado, the Ocean Rig Olympia, the Ocean Rig Poseidon and the Ocean Rig Mykonos. As of December 31, 2011, the Company owned and operated four Aframax tankers, Saga, Daytona, Belmar, and Calida, and one Suezmax tanker, Vilamoura. On August 24, 2011, DryShips acquired all of their shares of OceanFreight Inc. On October 5, 2011, DryShips completed the partial spin off of Ocean Rig UDW Inc. (Ocean Rig UDW). On November 3, 2011, the merger of Pelican Stockholdings Inc. (Pelican Stockholdings), its wholly owned subsidiary, and OceanFreight, was completed. In January 2013, it sold two of its tankers under construction at Samsung Heavy Industries, Esperona and Blanca.

As of December 31, 2011, DryShips operated its tankers under pooling arrangements that are managed by Heidmar Inc. As of March 6, 2012, the Company owned, through its subsidiaries, a fleet of 36 drybulk carriers, consisting of nine Capesize, 25 Panamax and two Supramax vessels, which have a combined deadweight tonnage of approximately 3.53 million deadweight tonnage and an average age of approximately eight years; six drilling units, comprised of two modern, fifth generation, advanced capability ultra-deepwater semisubmersible offshore drilling rigs and four sixth generation, advanced capability ultra-deepwater drillships, and five tankers, comprised of four Aframax and one Suezmax tankers.

The Company�� drybulk flee! t principally carries a variety of drybulk commodities, including major bulk items, such as coal, iron ore, and grains, and minor bulk items, such as bauxite, phosphate, fertilizers and steel products. During the year ended December 31, 2011, DryShips sold the drybulk vessel Primera; contracted for and completed the sale of the drybulk vessels La Jolla, Conquistador, Brisbane, Samsara and Toro; took delivery of its four sixth-generation, ultra-deepwater advanced capability sister drillships constructed by Samsung Heavy Industries Co. Ltd. (Samsung), the Ocean Rig Corcovado, the Ocean Rig Olympia, the Ocean Rig Poseidon and the Ocean Rig Mykonos; took delivery of three newbuilding Aframax tankers, Saga, Daytona and Belmar, and one newbuilding Suezmax tanker, Vilamoura, and acquired four Capesize vessels, MV Robusto, MV Cohiba, MV Montecristo and MV Partagas, two Panamax vessels, the MV Topeka and the MV Helena. DryShips contracted for and completed the sale of the drybulk vessels Avoca and Padre, which were delivered to their new owners, on February 14, 2012 and February 24, 2012, respectively.

Drybulk Operations

The Company manages the deployment of its drybulk fleet between long-term and short-term time charters. A time charter is a contract to charter a vessel for a fixed period of time at a specified or floating daily or index-based daily rate and can last from a few days to several years. A spot charter refers to a voyage charter or a trip charter or a short-term time charter. Under a bareboat charter, the vessel is chartered for a stipulated period of time, which gives the charterer possession and control of the vessel, including the right to appoint the master and the crew.

Offshore Drilling Operations

In January 2012, following the completion of the contract with Tullow Oil plc (Tullow Oil) contract, discussed below, the Eirik Raude commenced a contract with Anadarko Cote d��voire Company (Anadarko) for the drilling of two wells offshore West ! Africa. I! ts offshore drilling operations consist of the Ocean Rig Corcovado, the Ocean Rig Olympia, the Ocean Rig Poseidon and the Ocean Rig Mykonos. As of December 31, 2011, the Ocean Rig Corcovado was employed under a three-year contract, plus a mobilization period, with Petroleo Brasileiro S.A. (Petrobras Brazil) for drilling operations offshore Brazil. The Ocean Rig Olympia is operating under contracts to drill a total of five wells for exploration drilling offshore Ghana and the Ivory Coast. The Ocean Rig Poseidon commenced a contract with Petrobras Tanzania, a company related to Petrobras Oil & Gas B.V. (Petrobras Oil & Gas).

The Ocean Rig Mykonos commenced a three-year contract, plus a mobilization period, with Petrobras Brazil, on September 30, 2011, for drilling operations offshore Brazil. DryShips�� wholly owned subsidiary, Ocean Rig AS, provides supervisory management services, including onshore management, to its operating drilling rigs and drillships. DryShips also has contracts to provide offshore drilling services and drilling units.

Tanker Operations

The Company employs its Aframax tankers Saga, Daytona, Belmar and Calida, in the Sigma tanker pool, which consists of 46 Aframax tankers, with fourteen different pool partners. It employs its Suezmax tanker, Vilamoura, in the Blue Fin tanker pool, which consists of 18 Suezmax tankers with eight different pool partners.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By John Del, Vecchio,]

  Shipping services are all fairly standard: The materials are loaded, shipped, and unloaded. Therefore it is difficult for a company to differentiate itself based on quality of service, so other avenues such as rate competitiveness and cost efficiency become big factors in a company's success. A great example of a company doing just this is DryShips (NASDAQ: DRYS  ) .

• [By Michael Vodicka]

  And one of my favorites is DryShips, Inc. (DRYS). The company is a global leader in the dry goods shipping industry, owning a fleet of more than 42 dry-bulk carriers and a fleet of 10 drill rigs through a majority owned subsidiary.

• [By Dan Caplinger]

  Finally, beyond the Dow, DryShips (NASDAQ: DRYS  ) has fallen more than 6% as investors anticipate the shipping company's earnings release after today's close. Recent optimism has spurred greater interest in DryShips and its peers, but it'll take a long time for anticipated improvement in economic conditions to make their effects felt among shippers. With its ongoing financial challenges, DryShips needs to give encouraging guidance for its future if it wants to keep investors assured that the stock is a good investment.

• [By MTF Investing]

  Why is it that every time I try and defend a company that I feel good about, they go and do something frustrating for investors like dilute shareholder value? For the record, I am a fan of DryShips, Inc (DRYS), and have written several articles about the company, and the turnaround in the Dry Shipping industry. So was this a smart move or just another way that George Economou has used the company as a way to rob share holders of value?

10 Best Clean Energy Stocks To Buy Right Now: Symmetricom Inc.(SYMM)

Symmetricom, Inc. provides timekeeping technologies, instruments, and solutions worldwide. Its Communications business unit provides timing technologies and services for communications infrastructure. The Communications business unit products comprise primary reference sources; edge clocks and distribution products for synchronization outside the network core; building integrated timing supply and sync supply unit for the central office; the PackeTime product suite; data over cable service interface specifications timing interface systems; network management and monitoring software; and embedded hardware and software solutions for integration with various elements of the communications ecosystem, such as silicon, routers, switches, microwave backhaul, and base stations. The company?s Government business unit offers time technology products for aerospace/defense, IT infrastructure, power infrastructure, and science and metrology applications. The Government business unit p roduct portfolio comprises timescale clock sources; network time servers; network time displays; time code generators; bus level timing cards; primary reference standards, such as rubidium and cesium oscillator standards; high stability masers; chip-scale atomic clocks; ruggedized crystal oscillators; and custom time and frequency systems. It offers timekeeping in GPS satellites, national time references, and national power grids, as well as in critical military and civilian networks, which enable data, voice, mobile, and video networks and services. The company sells its products through distributors, systems integrators, and manufacturer sales representatives. It serves various markets, including communications service providers; network equipment manufacturers; silicon suppliers; aerospace/defense; power utility infrastructure; IT infrastructure; underwater exploration and navigation; and science and metrology. The company was founded in 1956 and is headquartered in San J ose, California.

10 Best Clean Energy Stocks To Buy Right Now: J. Alexander's Corporation(JAX)

J. Alexander?s Corporation operates casual dining restaurants in the United States. The company?s restaurants offer American menu. As of March 16, 2012 it operated 33 J. Alexander?s restaurants in Alabama, Arizona, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Michigan, Ohio, Tennessee, and Texas. J. Alexander?s Corporation was founded in 1970 and is headquartered in Nashville, Tennessee.