Steady paycheck or dream career? Have both

Try one of these paths to pursuing your dream career without going broke.

(Money Magazine) So the corporate club isn't quite what you imagined: 11-hour days, constant deadlines, never-ending meetings. Your one ray of sunshine? Biweekly direct deposit.

No wonder 80% of workers in their twenties said in a recent Harris survey that they'd like to change careers. Why don't they?

"Many young people are reluctant to pursue jobs they're passionate about because of financial constraints," says Ellen Gordon Reeves, author of Can I Wear My Nose Ring to the Interview?

Well, stop suffering. Here are three ways to go after your ideal career without resigning yourself to a lifetime of ramen.

Start on the side

Don't quit your day job; instead, test-drive your dream profession in your off-hours. A corporate worker eager to launch a business might dedicate weekends to devising a plan and researching potential investors (get help at score.org).

An aspiring comic could perform at open-mike nights after work, honing his craft without worrying about how to make the rent. Plus, staying longer in a stable job can prove useful.

"If you want to be an author, you'll benefit from gaining experience and building contacts," says Brad Karsh, author of Manager 3.0: A Millennial's Guide to Rewriting the Rules of Management.

Build a bridge

"Dream job, day job doesn't have to be an either/or proposition," says Reeves. If you can, merge the two. Maybe you're a financial analyst but you'd rather work in fashion; look for jobs in business development or accounting at a major fashion house. See it as a transition to your ideal job that will allow you to make connections and learn the inner workings of the industry. That way you're better prepared for an eventual full-on switch.

  Ben Bernanke's advice on careers and love

Take a well-planned leap

"Waiting tables in the hope you can land that acting gig is more feasible at 24 than 34," says Karsh. Before you give notice at your current job, though, set yourself up financially: Live on a pared-down budget for a few months to build savings, line up that part-time job in advance, move back with Mom and Dad for a while -- or at least see if you can go back on the family cellphone plan.

Once you do jump ship, set a timetable for assessing feasibility.

If you want to pursue acting, say, give yourself a year to land a small speaking role. The idea is not to spend so long away from your practical career that you can't pick up from where you left off if things don't work out.

Says Karsh: "If an employer asks about the gap in your résumé, you can honestly say: 'One of my dreams was to pursue acting. I'm glad I did it, but it wasn't enough to make a career out of, and I'm moving on to the next step.' "

Do you mainly depend on past performance before you invest?

Top Energy Stocks For 2015

While investing in stocks, bonds and mutual funds, past performance becomes a strong input in making investment decisions. Question, should keep on relying on it excessively or there are other indicators available to investors, on which they can rely on to make investment decisions.

While looking at past performance look at the future too...

However, for a lay investor, it will not be easy, as the famous economist, John Keynes had said, in the long run we are dead. As investment in stocks and mutual funds are normally long term, investors may use this indicator too to support their past performance data.

Past Performance is one of the factors to be considered before taking the investment decision and past performance is not the only factor to be considered. Are you relying mainly or only on the past performance?  It is like looking at the rear view mirror and driving. You are headed towards a fatal accident.

What are all the other factors to be considered before looking at the past performance?
Diversify your portfolio...
There is an old saying. Never put all your eggs in one basket. In today's risk management language it is called concentration risk. In fact in banks, concentration risk is considered one of the most important credit risk factors for the bank.

Reserve Bank of India, as a policy measure, have recommended banks to strictly follow exposure norms, i.e., not to lend a borrower or a group of borrower or in a particular industry or business or financial instrument or geographical location beyond a certain percentage of the capital of the bank.
Investors may take an important lesson from this guidance of the Reserve Bank while deciding on the composition of their investment portfolio. To spread the investment in to different segments of business, industry, types of instruments, and then may invest.

Have a judicious mix of equity, debt and precious metal in your portfolio...
If you are less than 40 years, you may have a mix of portfolio, where equity would be say 50%, Debt 30% precious metals and other investment 20%.

As you advance in age the equity portion will reduce and others should increase. In India, the returns on equities in the last 40 years have outstripped far higher compared to all other investment options. But, please remember, return on equity should be always expected in the long run.

Factor in time diversification

Market or business cycles vary from industry to industry, business to business. Also business cycles should be also factored in to for long term.. Longer the time period we take and more businesses or industries we diversify, the peaks and lows of business cycle even out.

Investors would definitely argue, if we only invest in the long run, what about short term fund requirements. For short term investment bank FDs, and income funds are the best instruments. For income funds you may check the duration of the income funds, and match the duration of the income fund with your investment time horizon.

Say if your investment time horizon is 1 year you may choose an income fund with duration of approximately 1 year.

You need to diversify your investments across different time horizons like long term, medium term, short term, and ultra short term.

So that your portfolio will participate in different stock market cycles and interest rate cycles and generate better return by reducing the overall risk.

To neutralise the over dependence on past performance of your stocks/ bonds/ mutual funds, the above options will be helpful to give a good return on your investments while minimsing the associated risks.

The author is Ramalingam K, CFP CM is the Chief Financial Planner at holisticinvestment.in, a leading Financial Planning and Wealth Management company.

Yahoo, AT&T shares decline after earnings

AFP/Getty Images

SAN FRANCISCO (MarketWatch) — Yahoo Inc. lost much of Tuesday's share-price gains in the extended session after the search company reported a greater-than-expected decline in display-ad revenue.

Yahoo (YHOO) shares fell 3.4% to $36.92 on very heavy volume, after initially being up as much as 2% after hours, as fourth-quarter display-ad revenue declined 6% from the year-ago period.

Yahoo, which was forecast to report fourth-quarter earnings of 40 cents a share on revenue of $1.2 billion, posted adjusted earnings of 46 cents a share on revenue of $1.2 billion. Shares of Yahoo closed up 4.3% at $38.22.

Follow MarketWatch's live blog of the Yahoo conference call with analysts.

The recent departure of COO Henrique de Castro throws even more pressure on Chief Executive Marissa Mayer to show if changes under her leadership are improving financials.

Shares of AT&T Inc. (T) , a Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJIA)  component, slid 1.5% to $33.21 on heavy volume. They had been up 1% after the release of results, and had closed 0.6% higher on the day.

AT&T reported adjusted fourth-quarter earnings of 53 cents a share on revenue of $33.16 billion. Analysts polled by FactSet had expected 51 cents a share on revenue of $33.1 billion.

The telecom giant sees revenue growing by 2% to 3% in 2014 with adjusted earnings per share rising in the "mid-single digit range." According to FactSet, analysts expect a 1.8% increase in revenue and a 7.7% increase in EPS.

Shares of Amgen Inc. (AMGN)  fell 0.7% to $119.90 on moderate volume even after the biotech reported adjusted earnings of $1.82 a share on revenue of $5.01 billion, while analysts expected earnings of $1.70 a share on revenue of $4.81 billion.

VMware Inc. (VMW)  shares dropped 2.5% to $92.61 on moderate volume even though quarterly results were largely in line with analysts' view of $1 a share on revenue of $1.48 billion.

Electronic Arts Inc. (EA)  shares declined 2.3% to $24.31 on heavy volume after the video game publisher cut its revenue outlook.

After hours, Turkey's central bank hiked overnight rates, causing the Turkish lira to jump and market ETFs to rally. Both the SPDR Dow Jones Industrial Average ETF (DIA)  and SPDR S&P 500 Index (SPY)  were up 0.4% following the announcement.

Also, the iShares MSCI Emerging Markets ETF (EEM)  rose 1.3% and the iShares MSCI Turkey ETF (TUR)  rose 3.2%.

More must-reads from MarketWatch:

Carl Icahn says sellers 'completely misinterpreted' Apple's results

Apple sees worst day in 12 months; Casablanca lifts Cliffs

Beware these IRA rollover mistakes

The Markets Were Getting Crushed This Morning -- What Do the Charts Say?

The markets were beat up Thursday and if Friday morning's pre-market numbers hold through the trading day, it's going to be another day of selling in the major U.S. indices.

The S&P 500 lost 0.9 percent to close at 1,828.46 Thursday. The Dow lost more than one percent or 175 points to close at 16,197.35 and the Nasdaq finished at 4,218.87—a loss of 0.6 percent. But one day doesn't mean much of anything unless we put it in the context of a larger chart.

Thursday's down day did no technical damage. The S&P closed well off of its intraday low after bouncing off the 1,820 low set back on January 13. Volume was high meaning that the selling came with conviction but looking at just Thursday's price action, there was little to be concerned about.

Related: #PreMarket Primer: Friday, January 24: Growth Fears Drag Down Emerging Markets

Overall, 2014 has seen volatility but the overall market can be characterized as sideways. The year started around 1,850, dipped to the 1,830 range, regained the 1,850 level and is now back to the 1,830 area. The markets are in a range with the occasional dip below only to quickly rebound as investors buy on the dips.

This morning, the markets are set for another big drop. Dow futures are indicated more than 80 points lower and S&P futures are down about 12 points.

Key levels to watch in the S&P today are the January 13 intra-day low of 1,815.52 and the 50-day moving average at 1,812.15. The January 13 level wouldn't indicate a catastrophic technical breakdown but closing below the 50 day would be cause for concern. The S&P hasn't dipped below its 50 day since October and any breakdown would likely trigger larger selling pressure.

A breakdown of the 50 day could set the S&P up for a challenge of 1,780—it's close from mid December.

But to be fair, investors are still in buy on the dip mode. Just looking at this year, they've clearly sat on the sidelines waiting for a buy point. When they find it, in the form of dips like one we're currently experiencing, they swoop in and buy en masse.

Before investors get alarmed, they'll have to see a period of sustained selling. That's something this market has seen in a long time.

Disclosure: At the time of this writing, Tim Parker was net long U.S. equities.

5 Best Industrial Conglomerate Stocks To Own Right Now

Posted-In: Dow Jones NASDAQ S&P 500Technicals Markets Trading Ideas Best of Benzinga

(c) 2014 Benzinga.com. Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved.

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U.S. Bancorp Beats Q4 EPS Views; Posts Record High FY Earnings (UBS)

U.S. Bancorp (USB) announced its Q4 and full year earnings before the opening bell on Wednesday, posting quarterly earnings results that came in slightly above what analysts were expecting.

USB’s Earnings in Brief

U.S. Bancorp reported net income for the fourth quarter of $1.456 billion, or 76 cents per diluted share, which was up from last year’s Q4 earnings of $1.42 billion, or 72 cents per share. The company’s EPS results came in 1 cent higher than analysts’ estimates of 75 cents. For the full year, USB reported a record high for EPS, which came in at $3.

CEO Commentary

Richard K. Davis, USB’s chairman, president and CEO, had the following comments about the companies earnings results: "Today U.S. Bancorp reported record earnings for full year 2013 of $5.8 billion, or $3.00 per diluted common share. The 2013 results included top-tier returns on average assets and average common equity of 1.65 percent and 15.8 percent, respectively, and an efficiency ratio of 52.4 percent. I am particularly proud to have achieved these results during a year marked by slow economic growth, a significant pullback in mortgage activity and continued regulatory and legislative change and uncertainty. Our results clearly demonstrate the benefits we derive from our diverse mix of businesses and conservative risk profile.”

No Change to Dividend

USB did not make any mention of a dividend change in its earnings release, which was to be expected as the company most recently raised its quarterly dividend from 20 cents to 23 cents this past June. UBS will most likely be declaring its next dividend in March.

Stock Performance

USB stock was in active in pre-market trading. YTD, the company’s stock is up 4.24%.

17 “Triple A” Stocks to Buy

Popular Posts: 9 Biotechnology Stocks to Buy Now3 Communications Equipment Stocks to Buy Now4 Pharmaceutical Stocks to Buy Now Recent Posts: 17 “Triple A” Stocks to Buy 17 “Triple A” Stocks to Buy 17 “Triple A” Stocks to Buy View All Posts

This week, 17 stocks get A’s (“strong buy”) in Portfolio Grader‘s three main grading categories, Total Grade, Overall Fundamental Grade and Quantitative Grade.

These are the best of the best in the entire Portfolio Grader database. This week, there are 4,279 stocks and only these 17 get top marks in all categories to make the elite “Triple A” stocks list. Here they are:

Aceto Corporation () is engaged in the sourcing, quality assurance, marketing, and distribution of pharmaceuticals and other chemical-based products in the health and crop production sectors. The price of ACET is up 3.6% since the first of the year. This is better than the Nasdaq, which has remained flat. .

American Equity Investment Life Holding Company () is a full service underwriter of fixed annuity and life insurance products through its wholly-owned life insurance subsidiaries. The stock’s trailing PE Ratio is 7.40. .

Anika Therapeutics, Inc. () develops, manufactures and commercializes therapeutic products for tissue protection, healing and repair. Since January 1, ANIK has risen 3.6%. .

Broadridge Financial Solutions, Inc. () provides investor communication, securities processing, and clearing and outsourcing solutions to the financial services industry. .

China Distance Education Holdings Ltd. Sponsored ADR () provides online and offline education services, and sells related products in the People's Republic of China. Stock prices have risen 11.5% since the first of the year. The volume of trades has grown significantly in the past week, up 249.7%. .

Edwards Group Ltd. ADR () is an industrial technology company that manufactures and sells vacuum products and abatement systems. .

Phoenix New Media Ltd. Sponsored ADR Class A () provides content on an integrated platform across Internet, mobile, and TV channels in the People's Republic of China. Shares of FENG have climbed 25.3% since January 1. .

Federal Signal Corporation () manufactures and supplies safety, signaling, and communications equipment. The stock has a trailing PE Ratio of 6.40. .

Huntington Ingalls Industries, Inc. () designs, builds, and maintains nuclear and non-nuclear ships for the United States Navy and Coast Guard. Since the start of the year, HII has soared 9.4%. .

Par Pharmaceutical () develops, manufactures, and distributes generic and branded pharmaceuticals in the United States. .

Questcor Pharmaceuticals, Inc. () develops and commercializes novel central nervous system-focused therapeutics that address significant unmet medical needs. QCOR is 11.3% higher since the beginning of the year. .

Qihoo 360 Technology Co., Ltd. ADR Class A () provides Internet and mobile security products in the People’s Republic of China. Shares of the stock have risen 13.3% since January 1. Trade volume has increased significantly over the past week, down 137.1%. .

SouFun Holdings Ltd. Sponsored ADR Class A () operates a real estate Internet portal, and a home furnishing and improvement Website in the People's Republic of China. Since the start of the year, SFUN has increased 12%. .

Santarus, Inc. () is a specialty pharmaceutical company focused on acquiring, developing and commercializing proprietary products that address the needs of patients treated by gastroenterologists and other targeted physicians. .

Constellation Brands, Inc. Class A () is primarily a wine company that also markets other alcoholic beverages. Since January 1, STZ has jumped 14.1%. The stock’s trailing PE Ratio is 8.50. .

Louis Navellier’s proprietary Portfolio Grader stock ranking system assesses roughly 5,000 companies every week based on a number of fundamental and quantitative measures. Stocks are given a letter grade based on their results — with A being “strong buy,” and F being “strong sell.” Explore the tool here.

Best Low Price Stocks To Invest In 2014

There's a multi-year high in demand from the jewelry sector and record demand for gold bars and coins, but slowing demand from central banks balanced it all out, writes MoneyShow's Jim Jubak, also of Jubak's Picks.

Gold spiked higher yesterday on news of more violence in the Middle East and an afternoon tumble in the dollar. Gold for December delivery is up 2.34% to $1364 an ounce. Gold stocks are up even more. Jubak's Picks portfolio members Goldcorp (GG) and Yamana Gold (AUY), for example, were up 5.94% and 5.55%, respectively, as of 2:45 PM New York time.

But the medium-term trends make me cautious here. The second quarter numbers from the World Gold Council, out yesterday, show a multi-year high in demand from the jewelry sector and record demand for gold bars and coins. But big outflows from gold ETFs and slowing demand from central banks more than balanced that out. Gold demand fell 12% in the quarter of a four-year low.

Of course, that's backwards looking. The one piece of data that makes me especially cautious looking forward is that a 6% year-over-year drop in gold supply in the quarter, which helped support gold prices, was almost totally due to a reduction in recycling, as individuals held onto gold jewelry rather than selling it because of low prices. Mine output increased by 4% in the quarter and supply from recycling fell 21% to 308.3 tons, the lowest since the third quarter of 2009. If gold supply from recycling picks up (or doesn't fall as much), that will remove some support for the price of gold, and if it picks up enough, it could lead to another round of production cuts from gold miners.

Best Low Price Stocks To Invest In 2014: Desert Energy Ltd(DSN.AX)

Desert Mines and Metals Limited engages in the exploration of uranium, iron ore, copper, gold, and nickel in Australia. It holds interest in the Camel Hills project through a joint venture with Aurora Minerals located in Western Australia. The company was formerly known as Desert Energy Limited and changed its name to Desert Mines and Metals Limited in December 2011. Desert Mines and Metals Limited is based in Belmont, Australia.

Best Low Price Stocks To Invest In 2014: Flextronics International Ltd.(FLEX)

Flextronics International Ltd. provides design and electronics manufacturing services to original equipment manufacturers. The company offers its services to a range of products in the infrastructure, mobile communication devices, computing, consumer digital devices, industrial, semiconductor capital equipment, clean technology, aerospace and defense, white goods, automotive and marine, and medical devices markets. Its services include design and engineering services, such as contract design, joint development manufacturing, and original design and manufacturing services in a range of technical competencies that include system architecture, user interface and industrial design, mechanical engineering, enclosure systems, thermal and tooling design, electronic system design, reliability and failure analysis, and component level development engineering; and systems assembly and manufacturing services, including enclosures, testing, and materials procurement and inventory mana gement services. The company also offers various component product solutions comprising rigid and flexible printed circuit board fabrication, display and touch solutions, optomechatronics, and power supplies; after market supply chain logistics services; and reverse logistics and repair services, such as returns management, exchange programs, complex repair, asset recovery, recycling, and e-waste management services for consumer and midrange products, printers, PDA's, mobile phones, consumer medical devices, notebooks, PC's, set-top boxes, game consoles, and infrastructure products. It has operations in Asia, the Americas, and Europe. Flextronics International Ltd. was founded in 1990 and is headquartered in Singapore.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Evan Niu, CFA]

  Which contract manufacturer will benefit? China's Economic Daily News pegs Flextronics (NASDAQ: FLEX  ) as a winner. Foxconn will no longer manufacture the Mac Pro, with Flextronics picking up the win, according to KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo.

Top 10 Heal Care Stocks To Invest In Right Now: Timberline Resources Corporatio(TBR.V)

Timberline Resources Corporation engages in the exploration and development of mineral properties in the western United States. It primarily explores for gold, silver, and copper. The company?s principal property includes Lookout Mountain Project located in Nevada. It also owns other projects at various stages of exploration in the Battle Mountain/Eureka gold trend in north-central Nevada. The company was formerly known as Silver Crystal Mines, Inc. and changed its name to Timberline Resources Corporation in February 2004. Timberline Resources Corporation was incorporated in 1968 and is headquartered in Coeur D?Alene, Idaho.

Best Low Price Stocks To Invest In 2014: BERKELEY GROUP HLDGS UNITS(EACH COMP NEW ORD & B SHS)

Berkeley Group Holdings plc, through its subsidiaries, engages in residential-led property development focusing on urban regeneration and mixed-use developments in the United Kingdom. It is involved in the acquisition, planning, designing, building, and marketing of land properties. The company builds and develops new homes, contemporary urban apartments, refurbished historic buildings, traditional family homes, and innovative mixed use schemes. It operates primarily under the brand names of Berkeley, St James, St Edward, St George, Berkeley First, and Berkeley Commercial. Berkeley Group Holdings plc was founded in 1976 and is based in Cobham, the United Kingdom.

Best Low Price Stocks To Invest In 2014: IXYS Corporation(IXYS)

IXYS Corporation, an integrated semiconductor company, engages in the development, manufacture, and marketing of power semiconductors, advanced mixed signal integrated circuits (ICs), application specific integrated circuits (ASICs), microcontrollers, and systems and radio frequency semiconductors. It offers power metal oxide silicon field effect transistors; insulated gate bipolar transistors; and thyristors and rectifiers, including fast recovery epitaxial diodes. The company?s power semiconductors are used primarily in controlling energy in motor drives; power conversion systems, including switch-mode and uninterruptible power supplies; medical electronics; and renewable energy sources. It also provides ICs, such as solid state relays for telecommunications applications; power management and control ICs comprising current regulators, motion controllers, digital power modulators, and drivers; microcontrollers, including embedded flash microcontrollers, core 8-bit microc ontrollers, and microprocessors; and line card access switch and data access arrangement integrated products. The company?s mixed signal ICs are used in telecommunications products, central office switching equipment, customer premises equipment, set top boxes, remote meter reading equipment, security systems, flat displays, medical electronics, and defense aerospace systems. In addition, it manufactures and sells laser diode drivers, high voltage pulse generators and modulators, high power subsystems/modules/stacks, and direct copper bond substrates. Its radio frequency power devices are used in wireless infrastructure, industrial radio frequency applications, medical systems, and defense and space electronics. It sells its products principally in the United States, Europe and the Middle East, and the Asia Pacific through direct sales personnel, independent representatives, and distributors. IXYS Corporation was founded in 1987 and is headquartered in Milpitas, California.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Lisa Levin]

  IXYS (NASDAQ: IXYS) surged 5.70% to $14.66. The volume of IXYS shares traded was 1097% higher than normal. IXYS' PEG ratio is 0.55.

  Posted-In: volume moversNews Intraday Update Markets Movers

Best Low Price Stocks To Invest In 2014: FMC Corporation (FMC)

FMC Corporation, a chemical company, provides solutions, applications, and products for agricultural, consumer, and industrial markets. The company operates in three segments: Agricultural Products, Specialty Chemicals, and Industrial Chemicals. The Agricultural Products segment develops, markets, and sells a portfolio of crop protection, pest control, and lawn and garden products. It produces insecticides, herbicides, and fungicides to protect crops, including cotton, sugarcane, rice, corn, soybeans, cereals, fruits, and vegetables from insects and weed growth; and for non-agricultural applications, including pest control for home, garden, and other specialty markets, as well as for turf and roadside applications. The Specialty Chemicals segment focuses on food ingredients, pharmaceutical excipients, biomedical technologies, and lithium products. It produces microcrystalline cellulose that is used as drug dry tablet binder and disintegrant, and food ingredient; carrageena n, which is used as food ingredient for thickening and stabilizing; encapsulant for pharmaceutical and nutraceutical applications; alginates that are used as food ingredients, and for pharmaceutical excipient, wound care, orthopedic uses, and industrial uses; and lithium that is used in pharmaceuticals, polymers, batteries, greases and lubricants, air conditioning, and other industrial applications. The Industrial Chemicals segment produces inorganic materials, such as soda ash for glass, chemicals, and detergents; specialty peroxygens for pulp and paper, chemical processing, detergents, antimicrobial disinfectants, environmental applications, electronics, and polymers; and zeolites and silicates for detergents, car tires, pulp, and paper. It has operations in North America, Latin America, the Asia Pacific, Europe, the Middle East, and Africa. The company was founded in 1884 and is headquartered in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Rich Duprey]

  Just as Monsanto is enjoying a surge in sales of Roundup, pesticide makers are witnessing greater sales of pesticides to combat these superbugs. Revenues at Sygenta (NYSE: SYT  ) rose 1.5% to $4.2 billion, FMC's (NYSE: FMC  ) sales were 5% higher, and American Vanguard's (NYSE: AVD  ) surged 39% last quarter. The three companies account for three-quarters of all ground pesticides sold in the United States.

Top 5 Dividend Companies To Invest In Right Now

USA TODAY markets reporter Matt Krantz answers a different reader question every weekday. To submit a question, e-mail Matt at mkrantz@usatoday.com.

Q: Can companies afford to keep upping dividends?

A: Investors love money for nothing, and dividends are about the closest thing to that dream.

Dividends are getting even better, as companies boost them while corporate profits continue to grow. U.S. companies boosted their dividends 475 times during the third quarter of 2013, up 8.2% from the number of increases in the same period of 2012, says Howard Silverblatt of S&P Dow Jones Indices. Meanwhile, the dividend rate increases amounted to $11.9 billion during the quarter, up 36%.

But while dividends have already been marching higher, they can likely rise further still, Silverblatt says. The number of dividend payers could rise, as some of the 16% of the companies in the Standard & Poor's 500 that aren't paying dividends could theoretically decide to start.

Top 5 Dividend Companies To Invest In Right Now: Pitney Bowes Inc(PBI)

Pitney Bowes Inc. provides mail processing equipment and integrated mail solutions worldwide. It offers a suite of equipment, supplies, software, services, and solutions for managing and integrating physical and digital communication channels. The company?s Small & Medium Business Solutions group engages in the sale, rental, and financing of mail finishing, mail creation, and shipping equipment and software; provision of supply, support, and other professional services; and provision of payment solutions. Its Enterprise Business Solutions group sells, supports, and offers other professional services for high-speed production mail systems, and sorting and production print equipment; and sells and provides support services for non-equipment-based mailing, customer relationship and communication, and location intelligence software. This group also offers facilities management services; secure mail services; reprographic document management services; and litigation support and eDiscovery services, as well as provides presort mail services and cross-border mail services; and direct marketing services. Pitney Bowes Inc. markets its products and services through its sales force, direct mailings, outbound telemarketing, and independent distributors and dealers to various business, governmental, institutional, and other organizations. The company, formerly known as Pitney Bowes Postage Meter Company, was founded in 1920 and headquartered in Stamford, Connecticut.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Chuck Saletta]

  Watch that dividend quality
  Similarly, by putting quality controls around a company's dividend and ability to pay it, the iPIG portfolio was able to miss one of the largest recent dividend blow-ups, Pitney Bowes (NYSE: PBI  ) . The company slashed its dividend in half last week, but before that cut, it had a 30-year history of regularly raising its dividend.

Top 5 Dividend Companies To Invest In Right Now: Xcel Energy Inc.(XEL)

Xcel Energy Inc., through its subsidiaries, engages in the generation, purchase, transmission, distribution, and sale of electricity to residential, commercial, and industrial customers, as well as to public authorities in the United States. The company generates electricity using coal, nuclear, natural gas, hydro, wood, diesel, and wind energy. It also engages in the purchase, transportation, distribution, and sale of natural gas to residential, commercial, and industrial customers. The company serves customers in portions of Colorado, Michigan, Minnesota, New Mexico, North Dakota, South Dakota, Texas, and Wisconsin. As of December 31, 2010, it provided electricity services to 3,391,611 customers; and natural gas services to 1,893,250 customers. Xcel Energy, through its joint venture interests in WYCO Development LLC, develops and leases natural gas pipeline, storage, and compression facilities. The company was founded in 1909 and is based in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Rich Smith]

  Schadenfreude's in season
  Not everyone's opposed to the law, necessarily. For example, Xcel Energy (NYSE: XEL  ) is already working to expand its portfolio of wind-generated power in the state, and two years ago, it put into operation a 19-megawatt solar farm in cooperation with SunPower (NASDAQ: SPWR  ) . As a so-called "investor-owned utility," Xcel is already subject to a target of 30% renewables use by 2020 -- so a law making its rural rivals hit a 20% target probably didn't upset Xcel all that much.

• [By Sara Murphy]

  Cleetus discusses a new breed of energy companies that are working to incorporate and promote renewables. She specifically praises Xcel Energy (NYSE: XEL  ) for its investment in wind power. Just today, Xcel announced a new 200 megawatt wind farm project in Minnesota.

Top Value Companies To Buy For 2014: P.T. Telekomunikasi Indonesia Tbk.(TLK)

Perusahaan Perseroan (Persero) PT Telekomunikasi Indonesia Tbk provides telecommunication and network services worldwide. The company?s Fixed Wireline segment offers local, domestic long-distance, international telephone services, and other telecommunications services, including leased lines, telex, transponder, satellite, and very small aperture terminal (VSAT), as well as ancillary services. Its Fixed Wireless segment provides local and domestic long-distance code division multiple access-based telephone services, as well as other telecommunication services within a local area code. Perusahaan Perseroan?s Cellular segment offers mobile cellular telecommunication services. Its network services comprise satellite transponder leasing, satellite broadcasting, VSAT, audio distribution, and terrestrial and satellite-based leased lines. The company?s data and Internet services include short messaging service for fixed wire line, fixed wireless, and cellular phones, dial-up and broadband Internet access, virtual private network (VPN) frame relay, Internet protocol (IP) VPN, voice over IP for international calls, integrated services digital network connections, and other multimedia services. The company also provides information services, such as billing, directory assistance, and content services; and wireless application protocol, Web portal, ring back tones, voicemail, and building management services. In addition, it offers consultancy services, as well as constructs and maintains telecommunications facilities; interconnection services; telephone directory production services; and cable and pay television services. As of December 31, 2010, the company served 120.5 million customers, including 8.3 million fixed wireline telephone subscribers, 18.2 million fixed wireless telephone subscribers, and 94.0 million cellular telephone subscribers. Perusahaan Perseroan (Persero) PT Telekomunikasi Indonesia Tbk was founded in 1884 and is headquartered in Bandung, Indonesia.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By GuruFocus]

  Telekomunikasi Indonesia (TLK) Reached the 52-Week Low of $34.35

  The prices of Telekomunikasi Indonesia (TLK) shares have declined to close to the 52-week low of $34.35, which is 33.3% off the 52-week high of $50.61. Telekomunikasi Indonesia is owned by five Gurus we are tracking. Among them, two have added to their positions during the past quarter. Two reduced their positions.

• [By GuruFocus]

  Telekomunikasi Indonesia (Persero) Tbk (TLK) Reached the 52-Week Low of $34.63

  The prices of Telekomunikasi Indonesia (Persero) Tbk (TLK) shares have declined to close to the 52-week low of $34.63, which is 33.3% off the 52-week high of $50.61. Telekomunikasi Indonesia (Persero) Tbk is owned by five Gurus we are tracking. Among them, two have added to their positions during the past quarter. Two reduced their positions.

Top 5 Dividend Companies To Invest In Right Now: Dreyfus Municipal Income Inc.(DMF)

Dreyfus Municipal Income, Inc. is a close ended mutual fund launched and managed by The Dreyfus Corporation. It invests in the fixed income markets. It primarily invests in municipal bonds. Dreyfus Municipal Income, Inc. is domiciled in United States.

Top 5 Dividend Companies To Invest In Right Now: PPL Corporation(PPL)

PPL Corporation, an energy and utility holding company, generates and sells electricity; and delivers natural gas to approximately 5.3 million utility customers primarily in the northeastern and northwestern U.S. The company operates in four segments: Kentucky Regulated, International Regulated, Pennsylvania Regulated, and Supply. The Kentucky Regulated segment engages in the generation, transmission, distribution, and sale of electricity; and the distribution and sale of natural gas to approximately 1.3 million customers in Kentucky, Virginia, and Tennessee. The International Regulated segment owns and operates electricity distribution businesses in the United Kingdom that deliver electricity to 7.7 million customers. The Pennsylvania Regulated segment delivers electricity to approximately 1.4 million customers in eastern and central Pennsylvania. The Supply segment owns and operates power plants to generate electricity using coal, uranium, natural gas, oil, and water res ources; markets and trades electricity and other purchased power to wholesale and retail markets; and acquires and develops domestic generation projects. It controls or owns a portfolio of generation assets of approximately 11,000 megawatts in Montana and Pennsylvania. As of December 31, 2010, the company?s distribution system included 649 substations with a capacity of 25 million kVA, 28,838 circuit miles of overhead lines, and 24,131 cable miles of underground conductors in the United Kingdom. It also operated 377 substations with a capacity of 31 million kVA, 33,122 circuit miles of overhead lines, and 7,368 cable miles of underground conductors in Pennsylvania. The company was founded in 1920 and is headquartered in Allentown, Pennsylvania.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Richard Stavros]

  Among those companies that are winding down their spending programs, NextEra Energy Inc (NYSE: NEE) accounts for almost 30 percent of the projected $10 billion decline in annual spending from 2013 to 2015. Other larger-cap companies with projected 2015 budgets that are below their 2013 levels include: CenterPoint Energy Inc (NYSE: CNP), Dominion Resources Inc (NYSE: D), PPL Corp (NYSE: PPL), Public Service Enterprise Group Inc (NYSE: PEG), and Southern Company (NYSE: SO).

ETF Asset Report for First Half of 2013: Japan Wins, ...

Hot Undervalued Companies To Watch For 2014

While the ETF industry has hauled in plenty of money so far in 2013, riding on the uptrend in developed markets such as the U.S. and Japan, total asset creation slackened from the year-ago level. Per the data from IndexUniverse, the biggest declines came from dampened investor interest towards physical assets and emerging market ETFs.

In such a scenario, we pick the top-and-bottom five asset generators in the first half of 2013. Japan-based funds along with the U.S. financial sector ETF were the star performers in terms of asset gathering in the first half, but in particular, these five saw the most inflows:

Top Gainers in 1H13 ($, Million)

Ticker	Fund	1H13 Inflows	AUM ($, M)
DXJ	WisdomTree Japan Hedged Equity	8,127.5	9,936.0
EWJ	iShares MSCI Japan	4,938.3	10,938.2
XLF	Financial Select SPDR	3,412.3	14,446.1
IVV	iShares Core S'P 500	3,277.53	42,943.5
BSV	Vanguard Short! -Term Bond	3,238.1	12,404.1

*Source: Indexuniverse

Top Winners and Why

On the other side of the world, Japan's target of 2% inflation backed by an easy monetary policy sent Japanese stocks on a six-month-long rally which had suffered low growth and deflation for a long time.

The pace of inflow into Japanese stock ETFs this year is already more than double the levels seen in 2012 and 2011. However, June has seen significant volatility (and losses) for the Japanese equity market which may lead to a trend reversal in the second half asset report (Read: Winning ETF Strategies For the Second Half).

In the entire first half though, the WisdomTree Japan Hedged Equity (DXJ) tracking the Japan Hedged Equity Index was the top asset gatherer, pulling in around $8.3 billion and amassing around $9.9 billion. Since the beginning of the year, Japan was a top market although the Japanese equities lost their winning momentum at the onset of the second half, owing to firmness in yen against the US dollar in the first week of June.

With as many as 315 stocks in its holdings, DXJ charges 48 bps in fees. The fund has considerable exposure in Industrials, Consumer Discretionary and Information Technology (Read: DXJ--Best ETF to Play the Japan Rally).

Another Japan-oriented fund, the iShares MSCI Japan Index Fund (EWJ) took the spot of the runner-up which accumulated $4.9 billion assets in the last six months to reach a total of $10.9 billion.

In the entire first half, the SPDR Financial Select Fund (XLF) – the third most popular ETF for inflows – saw fresh capital of around $3.4 billion. This fund tracks the SPDR Financial Select Sector Index. XLF manages an asset base of around $14.4 billion and charges 18 bps in fees and expenses.

Part of the reason for this surge in interest has been the soaring financial sector this year. Banks have shown an impressive comeback followin! g a serie! s of hedging losses and scandals, surging almost 200% over the span of last four years.

This outperformance was attributable to sound balance sheets, an uptick in mortgage activity, and lower loss provisions. In such a scenario, XLF was a good bet for investors thanks to a low expense ratio.

Another ETF, iShares Core S&P 500 Fund (IVV) was among the top winners in the first half, as $3.3 billion flocked into the fund. The S&P 500 Index is considered the mirror image of the broader U.S. equity market and we know the U.S. equities market has displayed great resilience recently, despite significant global headwinds.

The fifth spot goes to the Vanguard Short-Term Bond (BSV), which gained money owing to its less interest rate sensitivity/shorter duration profile amid a rising rate scenario (Read: Buy These ETFs to Profit from The Great Duration Rotation).

Top Losers

Discussed below are the products investors avoided in the first half of 2013. The table lists funds which lost assets considerably during the said period.

Biggest Losers 1H13 ($, Million)

Ticker	Name	Outflows	AUM ($, M)
GLD	SPDR Gold	-18,175.30	37,137.6
EEM	iShares MSCI Emerging Markets	-8,189.07	34,935.12
TIP	iShares Barclays TIPS Bond	-4,707.49	16,011.71
! SPY!	SPDR S&P 500	-4,551.56	133,335.51
LQD	iShares iBoxx $ Investment Grade Corporate Bond	-4,393.89	19,463.22

*Source: Indexuniverse

The SPDR Gold Shares (GLD) tracking Gold Bullion saw around $18 billion in outflows and stood at $37.1 billion at the end of the first half of 2013. The product has been beaten down significantly since the beginning of the year thanks to a number of factors.

Growing optimism surrounding the U.S. economy and some remedial measures taken in the Euro zone shifted investors' attention from physical asset ETF to equity markets (Read: Have We Seen the Bottom in Gold ETFs?).

iShares MSCI Emerging Markets (EEM) fund tracking the MSCI Emerging Markets Index, saw asset drainage of about $8.2 billion to $34 billion in the initial half of 2013. Focus on domestic recovery along with concerns of slower growth in some emerging markets like China, Brazil and India might have resulted in assets gushing out of the fund.

After that comes the iShares Barclays TIPS Bond ETF (TIP) which witnessed $4.7 billion worth of redemptions. These instruments are primarily aimed at generating real returns by protecting a fixed income portfolio from inflation risk.

However, with the higher yields on the U.S. Treasury 10-year note (2.63% as of July 10th, 2013, compared with 1.68% at the end of April), and the lack of an increase in inflation risks, investors might have turned their focus away from the TIPS bond for now (Read: Long-Term Treasury Bond ETF Investing 101).

iShares iBoxx $ Investment Grade Corporate Bond (LQD) shared the same fate. Investors are beginning to limit their bond ETF purchases as worries are creeping over bigger losses in ! this corn! er of the market, pushing investors into ultra-low duration securities, or even equities, for better exposure.

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Best Canadian Companies To Buy For 2014

Former New Mexico governor Bill Richardson vowed Saturday to fight a federal ruling that will allow U.S. horse slaughterhouses to operate for the first time since 2007.

On Friday, U.S. District Judge Christina Armijo tossed a lawsuit by the Humane Society and animal protection groups seeking to block horse slaughter, contending that federal officials had failed to assess the environmental impacts of slaughterhouses. Her ruling could allow Roswell, N.M.-based Valley Meat, Responsible Transportation of Sigourney, Iowa, and Rains Natural Meats of Gallatin, Mo., to slaughter horses and ship meat to countries where it's consumed by humans or used as animal feed.

Currently, most domestic horses destined for slaughter are shipped to Canadian and Mexico processing plants.

The hot-button issue has split animal rights activists, ranchers and Indian tribes for years. Richardson and actor Robert Redford have been the animal rights groups' most visible supporters, saying the slaughter of an iconic animal is cruel and inhumane.

Best Canadian Companies To Buy For 2014: Tim Hortons Inc.(THI)

Tim Hortons Inc. develops, franchises, and operates quick service restaurants primarily in Canada and the United States. Its restaurants serve coffee and other hot and cold beverages, baked goods, sandwiches, soups, and other food products. As of April 03, 2011, the company and its restaurant owners operated 3,169 restaurants in Canada and 613 restaurants in the United States under the Tim Hortons name; and had 274 primarily self-serve licensed locations in the Republic of Ireland and the United Kingdom Tim Hortons Inc. was founded in 1964 and is based in Oakville, Canada.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Charles Carlson]

  If you are new to DRIP investing, treat yourself to a few DRIPs this holiday season. Trust me��t'll change your life.

  American Water Works (AWK)��ielding 2.7% with a DRIP minimum of $100
  
  Cincinnati Financial (CINF)��ielding 3.2% with a DRIP minimum of $25
  
  CVS Caremark (CVS)��ielding 1.4% with a DRIP minimum of $100
  
  Dominion Resources (D)��ielding 3.4% with a DRIP minimum of $40
  
  Domino's Pizza (DPZ)��ielding 1.2% with a DRIP minimum of $65
  
  Eaton (ETN)��ielding 2.3% with a DRIP minimum of $100
  
  Flowserve (FLS)��ielding 0.8% with a DRIP minimum of $100
  
  Kellogg (K)��ielding 3.0% with a DRIP minimum of $50
  
  New Jersey Resources (NJR)��ielding 3.7% with a DRIP minimum of $100
  
  Quest Diagnostics (DGX)��ielding 2.0% with a DRIP minimum of $100
  
  Tim Hortons (THI)��ielding 1.7% with a DRIP minimum of $25
  
  

  Subscribe to Dow Theory Forecasts here��/p>

Best Canadian Companies To Buy For 2014: CommonWealth REIT (CWH)

CommonWealth REIT is a real estate investment trust launched and managed by Reit Management & Research LLC. The fund invests in the real estate markets of the United States. It seeks to invest in office buildings, industrial buildings, and leased industrial land. CommonWealth REIT was founded in 1986 and is domiciled in United States.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Tess Stynes]

  CommonWealth REIT sa(CWH)id Monday that it had invited activist investor Keith Meister of Corvex Management LP to join its board as the company also appointed two independent directors to the board.

• [By Eric Volkman]

  CommonWealth REIT (NYSE: CWH  ) is keeping the dividend taps open. The real estate investment trust has declared its latest quarterly common and preferred stock distributions. For the former, the company will hand out $0.25 per share "on or about" Aug. 23 to shareholders of record as of July 26. CommonWealth's series D and E preferred stockholders will receive $0.4063 and $0.4531 per share, respectively. Both distributions will be made "on or about" Aug. 15 to holders of record as of Aug. 1.

• [By Chris DeMuth Jr.]

  So you do not have to wait, here's the punch line…

  The recent 2Q 2013 earnings announcement validated the belief that management continues to lay out exactly what they are going to do and then effectively execute on those plans.The current stock price of roughly $4.00 offers a discount to the intrinsic value of the company, which I model to be about $4.80 today, with the potential to be worth between $7.50 and $9.00 per share after cash deployment and the issuance of $100M of new equity capital.The incentive structure for the Gramercy management is very tightly aligned to the common shareholders in contrast to some other REITs, such as CommonWealth REIT (CWH), which is the current poster child for non-alignment.The REIT structure forces management to return cash to shareholders and not hold it to spend on growth projects. Growth capital must be justified to common shareholders every time it is requested.

  The REIT Legal Requirements Favor Common Shareholders over Company Management

Hot Financial Stocks To Own Right Now: UniSource Energy Corporation(UNS)

UniSource Energy Corporation engages in the electric generation and energy delivery businesses. The company?s TEP segment generates, transmits, and distributes electricity to approximately 403,000 retail electric customers, including residential, commercial, industrial, and public sector customers in southeastern Arizona. It also sells electricity to other utilities and power marketing entities. As of December 31, 2010, this segment owned or leased 2,245 MW of net generating capacity, as well as owned or participated in electric transmission and distribution system consisting of 512 circuit-miles of 500-kV lines; 1,087 circuit-miles of 345-kV lines; 379 circuit-miles of 138-kV lines; 478 circuit-miles of 46-kV lines; and 2,621 circuit-miles of lower voltage primary lines. TEP segment generates electricity from coal, gas, oil, and solar sources. The company?s UNS Gas segment distributes gas to approximately 146,500 retail customers in Mohave, Yavapai, Coconino, and Navajo c ounties in northern Arizona, as well as Santa Cruz County in southeastern Arizona. As of December 31, 2010, this segment?s transmission and distribution system consisted of approximately 30 miles of steel transmission mains, 4,211 miles of steel and plastic distribution piping, and 136,439 customer service lines. The company?s UNS Electric segment transmits and distributes electricity to approximately 91,000 retail customers consisting of residential, commercial, and industrial customers in Mohave and Santa Cruz counties. As of December 31, 2010, UNS Electric?s transmission and distribution system consisted of approximately 56 circuit-miles of 115-kV transmission lines, 271 circuit-miles of 69-kV transmission lines, and 3,599 circuit-miles of underground and overhead distribution lines. This segment also owns the 65 MW Valencia plant, as well as 39 substations having an installed capacity of 1,788,050 kilovolt amperes. The company was founded in 1902 and is based in Tucson, Arizona.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Lauren Pollock]

  Fortis Inc.(FTS.T) agreed to acquire UNS Energy Corp.(UNS) for about $2.5 billion, as the Canadian utility moves to boost exposure within the U.S. by acquiring a firm with a presence in the U.S. southwest. Shares of UNS jumped 30% to $59.02 premarket.

• [By Jake L'Ecuyer]

  Equities Trading UP
  UNS Energy (NYSE: UNS) shot up 27.75 percent to $58.56 after the company agreed to be acquired by Fortis Utility Group for $60.25 per share in cash.

Best Canadian Companies To Buy For 2014: Celadon Group Inc.(CGI)

Celadon Group, Inc., through its subsidiaries, provides transportation services between the United States, Canada, and Mexico. It offers a range of truckload transportation services, including long-haul, regional, less-than-truckload, intermodal, and logistics services. The company transports various types of freight comprising tobacco, consumer goods, automotive parts, home products and fixtures, lawn tractors and assorted equipment, light bulbs, and various parts for engines. It also operates an e-commerce business that provides discounted fuel, tires, insurance, and other products and services to small and medium-sized trucking companies through its website, www.truckersb2b.com. In addition, the company provides warehousing and trucking services, as well as freight brokerage services. Celadon Group, Inc. was founded in 1985 and is based in Indianapolis, Indiana.

Best Canadian Companies To Buy For 2014: Canadian National Railway Company(CNI)

Canadian National Railway Company, together with its subsidiaries, engages in the rail and related transportation business in North America. It provides transportation for various goods, including petroleum and chemicals, grain and fertilizers, coal, metals and minerals, forest products, and intermodal and automotive products. The company operates a network of approximately 20,600 route miles of track that spans Canada and mid-America, from the Atlantic and Pacific oceans to the Gulf of Mexico. It serves the ports of Vancouver, Prince Rupert (British Columbia), Montreal, Halifax, New Orleans, and Mobile (Alabama), as well as metropolitan areas of Toronto, Buffalo, Chicago, Detroit, Duluth (Minnesota)/Superior (Wisconsin), Green Bay (Wisconsin), Minneapolis/St. Paul, Memphis, and Jackson (Mississippi), with connections to various points in North America. The company was founded in 1922 and is headquartered in Montreal, Canada.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Sean Williams]

  Notable railroads that could be hit by a slowdown in oil transports because of a declining spread include Canadian National Railway (NYSE: CNI  ) , Union Pacific (NYSE: UNP  ) , and Berkshire Hathaway�subsidiary BNSF.

Best Canadian Companies To Buy For 2014: Grupo Televisa S.A.(TV)

Grupo Televisa, S.A.B., together with its subsidiaries, operates as a media company in Mexico and internationally. It operates in seven segments: Television Broadcasting, Pay Television Networks, Programming Exports, Publishing, Sky, Cable and Telecom, and Other Businesses. The Television Broadcasting segment engages in the production of television programming and broadcasting of channels 2, 4, 5, and 9; and production of television programming and broadcasting for local television stations in Mexico and the United States. The Pay Television Networks segment provides programming services for cable and pay-per-view television companies in Mexico, as well as other countries in Latin America, the United States, and Europe. The Programming Exports segment offers international licensing of television programming. The Publishing segment primarily publishes Spanish-language magazines in Mexico, the United States, and Latin America. The Sky segment provides direct-to-home broadcas t satellite pay television services in Mexico, Central America, and the Dominican Republic. The Cable and Telecom segment operates a cable and telecommunication system in the Mexico City metropolitan area. This segment provides data and long-distance services solutions to carriers and other telecommunications service providers through its fiber-optic network in Mexico and the United States; basic and premium television, pay-per-view, and telephone services. The Other Businesses segment engages in sports and show business promotion, soccer, feature film production and distribution, Internet, gaming, radio, and publishing distribution operations. The company was founded in 1990 and is headquartered in Mexico City, Mexico.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [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 Grupo Televisa (NYSE: TV  ) , whose recent revenue and earnings are plotted below.

• [By Daniel Cross]

  Grupo Televisa (NYSE: TV) is a broadcasting company that is set to take advantage of growth in several areas. The increase in the United States' Hispanic population means there are 53 million potential users of Spanish-language networks like Univision. Grupo Televisa receives royalties from licensing its programs to Univision, and revenue is expected to top $270 million this year. The emergence of Mexico as a manufacturing powerhouse means that the middle class should see a boost as well. Pay TV is popular in Mexico, as seen by a 12% rise in that segment's revenues from last year. Operating margins are improving as well, increasing from 17% in 2011 to 26% as of the most recent quarter.

• [By Michael J. Carr]

  Grupo Televisa (NYSE: TV) provides programming and cable and satellite services to viewers in the U.S., Mexico, the Dominican Republic and other countries. The company reported more than $5.5 billion in revenue over the past 12 months and earnings of more than $680 million, or $1.10 per share. Cash flow per share doubled in the past 12 months.

• [By Monica Wolfe]

  Grupo Televisa (TV)

  Over the past quarter the most gurus held on to Grupo Televisa S.A.B. There were twelve guru owners with seven gurus making buys last quarter and eight making sells. These gurus hold a combined weighting of 7.07%.

Wall Street Wants to Help You Help Your Favorite Charity

Damon Dahlen, AOL Last month, I sat down with my kids to watch that staple of holiday stop-motion specials, "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer." One of my favorite parts is when Rudolph and Hermey, Santa's shy elf who dreams of becoming a dentist, visit the Island of Misfit Toys, where outcast toys like a water pistol that shoots jelly and a cowboy who rides an ostrich have been exiled. A couple of years ago, another group of misfits, rejects and malcontents that went by the name Occupy Wall Street garnered the national spotlight with their accusations of greed run amok in America's financial community.

The remnants of Occupy Wall Street would do well to take a lesson from their bête noire ...

Despite the opportunity of a lifetime, these lovable losers -- who really weren't that lovable, or clean or articulate -- squandered their moment in the sun by performing endless drum circles instead of affecting real change. The only legacy they left was the tab to clean up their mess, which ran into the millions, and was picked up by you and me, the taxpayers. Meanwhile, the Fat Cats of Wall Street whom they railed against have continued to quietly give back to society. A case in point is the Robin Hood Foundation, a charity started by legendary hedge fund manager Paul Tudor Jones. Since its founding in 1988, Jones' foundation has distributed more than $1.25 billion to programs that help the neediest segments of New York's population. All administrative costs for the organization are paid for by its board of directors, which means 100 percent of the donations it receives go directly toward helping people. By the way, Robin Hood's board runs the gamut politically, with heavy hitters from the left such as Miramax founder Harvey Weinstein, and from the right, such as hedge fund star David Einhorn. Another relatively new charitable organization, Portfolios With Purpose, is also getting backing from some of the brightest minds and best investors on Wall Street, and is giving the public the ability to participate, as well. Its concept is simple: First you create a "fantasy" portfolio composed of five stocks -- long or short -- with a $1 billion minimum market cap. Then you choose a charity from its pre-vetted list that you want to compete on behalf of. There are hundreds of charities to chose from, including the Wounded Warrior Project, the Alzheimer's Foundation and St. Jude Children's Research Hospital. There are two categories in which the public can compete: "novice," which requires a $100 donation, and "professional," which requires a $1,000 donation. There's also an invitation-only "master" category, which requires a $10,000 donation and is a veritable "Who's Who" of Wall Street, with participants such as Einhorn, Leon Cooperman, Daniel Loeb, Karen Finerman and Kyle Bass. The contest is now under way and runs through the end of the year. The top three winners in each category will have a portion of the total entry fees donated to their chosen charity. The winners in both of the public categories also get the opportunity to attend a private lunch with the Master Class player of their choice, and all participants are invited to the organization's networking events, where select professionals share their market views. The remnants of Occupy Wall Street would do well to take a lesson from their bête noire as to how to create something like Portfolios With Purpose, which is both interesting and educational, engages the public, and actually does something good for people.

Stocks to Watch: Tesla, Humana, Hospira

Among the companies with shares expected to actively trade in Wednesday’s session are Tesla Motors Inc.(TSLA) Humana Inc.(HUM) and Hospira Inc.(HSP)

Electric car maker Tesla Motors Inc. reported a narrower third-quarter net loss of $38 million and said it plans to expand production of its Model S sedans to meet rising demand in the U.S. and overseas. Though adjusted profit and revenue beat expectations, shares fell 11% to $157.25 in premarket trading as some had hoped for a bigger beat. The stock, meanwhile, has surged this year.

Humana’s third-quarter earnings fell 14% as the Medicare-focused insurer logged an increase in health-care and operating expenses, though membership continued to increase. Results beat expectations, but the company issued downbeat earnings guidance for 2014. Shares dropped 4.2% to $90 premarket.

Hospira’s third-quarter earnings rose 58% as the provider of injectable drugs and infusion technologies reported improved margins and higher sales for its Precedex sedative. Shares jumped 7.4% to $42.96 in light premarket trading as results topped Wall Street estimates.

Time Warner Inc.(TWX)'s third-quarter earnings jumped 44% as the media company’s cost cutting and asset gains helped make up for essentially flat revenue. The bottom line easily topped expectations, but the company kept its guidance for the year intact. Shares rose 2.2% to $69.75 premarket.

Abercrombie & Fitch Co.(ANF) appears to be in for a blue Christmas as the teen-apparel retailer reported a double-digit drop in sales for the fiscal-third quarter and expects the same for the upcoming holiday period. In premarket trading, the stock dropped 6.7% to $35.75.

BioTelemetry Inc.'s(BEAT) third-quarter loss narrowed slightly as the wireless medical technology company logged volume growth in its patient services segment, in part due to its contract with UnitedHealth Group Inc.(UNH) Shares jumped 12% to $10.12 premarket as the company reported a surprise adjusted profit.

Chesapeake Energy Corp.(CHK) swung to a profit in the third quarter as the natural-gas company posted improved oil and natural gas liquids production and a decrease in expenses. Revenue beat estimates, pushing shares up 2.9% to $28.95 premarket.

Devon Energy Corp.(DVN) swung to a third-quarter profit as the exploration and production company reported improved prices for oil and gas sold, helping push revenue significantly higher. The bottom line beat estimates, pushing shares up 1.6% to $64.79 in light premarket trading.

M/A-COM Technology Solutions Holdings Inc.(MTSI) agreed to acquire semiconductor manufacturer Mindspeed Technologies Inc.(MSPD) in a deal valued at $272 million, expanding the company’s markets to include enterprise applications. Mindspeed shares surged 70% to $5.04 premarket.

Molson Coors Brewing Co.'s(TAP) third-quarter earnings fell 39% as the beer company’s results were hurt by a write-down tied to two European brands and revenue weakened slightly. Results were mixed as the bottom line beat views and the top line missed. Shares edged up 1.8% to $55 in light premarket trading.

Skin-health company PhotoMedex Inc.(PHMD) issued a dour third-quarter report as it didn’t log any consumer sales to its Japanese distributor, which changed its business model and affected other companies besides PhotoMedex. Unless it generates revenue from Japan, the company’s current-quarter sales are poised to fall short of consensus views. Shares dropped 10% to $11.47 premarket.

Renewable Energy Group Inc.(REGI) swung to a third-quarter profit due to strong sales of biodiesel, news that sent shares sharply higher as the results easily exceeded Wall Street’s expectations. The strong earnings report pushed shares up 14% to $13.45 in premarket trading.

Shares of Tangoe Inc.(TNGO) slipped after the software and services provider issued weak outlook targets for the fourth quarter and trimmed full-year expectations. Tangoe’s stock slid 13% to $16.50 premarket. Investors appeared to ignore the company’s third-quarter results, as profit more than doubled on rising revenue and gross margins.

Netflix Is Bigger Than Albania

"Albania takes it up a notch," Netflix (NASDAQ: NFLX  ) CEO Reed Hastings posted on Facebook this morning, shortly after House of Cards and Arrested Development locked up a dozen Emmy nominations between them.

If producers taking their television shows to streaming services in lieu of traditional broadcast outlets needed any kind of validation -- and it didn't, let's be honest -- this would be it. If a show is good, it's good, and viewers have become platform agnostic.

The Albania comment may need a little fleshing out for those unaware of what Time Warner (NYSE: TWX  ) CEO Jeffrey Bewkes said three years ago, dismissing the threat of Netflix's rising popularity.

"Is the Albanian army going to take over the world?" he said in addressing the challenge of the fast-growing video service. "I don't think so."

It's not the first time that Hastings has taken to Facebook to rub things in Bewkes' face. When Time Warner's HBO decided to offer HBO Go without a pay TV subscription in Scandinavia -- breaking from the premium movie service's practice of requiring costly cable and satellite television plans for access -- Hastings went to the Albanian well.

Hot High Tech Companies To Watch In Right Now

"Excited to see HBO join us in offering stand-alone streaming service in Scandinavia," he posted last summer. "What about the USA? We thought the first match-up would be in Albania."

To be fair, HBO scored a whopping 108 Emmy nominations this morning. Real bragging rights may come in two months when the Emmy awards are actually dished out. If Netflix wins -- and it may very well come out ahead in some of the categories where House of Cards is being considered -- there's good money to be made on Hastings hitting up Facebook again with another Albanian entry.

Then again, he did pass up the opportunity for an easy Albania comment when Netflix's streaming service nabbed more than 3 million net streaming subscribers worldwide during this year's first quarter. That's essentially the population of the small yet proud Albanian nation right there. Yes, Netflix is adding an Albania every three months!

Netflix didn't need this morning's nominations to redeem its costly gambles in paying up for magnetic exclusive content. The service has already established itself as a viable platform with a healthy pipeline of first-run programming on the way, and the healthy subscriber growth says it all. However, it's still nice to be recognized by Hollywood's tastemakers.

The next war
The television landscape is changing quickly, with new entrants like Netflix and others disrupting traditional networks. The Motley Fool's new free report "Who Will Own the Future of Television?" details the risks and opportunities in TV. Click here to read the full report!

This Stock Is Leading the Dow's Charge

The Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJINDICES: ^DJI  ) is making big gains following some mixed reports on the economy. As of 1:20 p.m. EDT the Dow was up 134 points, or 0.88%, to 15,426. The S&P 500 (SNPINDEX: ^GSPC  ) is up 1.01% to 1,669.

There were two U.S. economic releases today.

Report

Period

Result

Previous

Initial unemployment claims	June 30 to July 6	360,000	344,000
Import price index	June	(0.2%)	(0.7%)

Source: MarketWatch U.S. Economic Calendar.

The unemployment claims report is the one to make note of. Unemployment claims rose this week by 16,000 to 360,000, well above analyst expectations of a rise to 349,000. The four-week moving average rose 6,000 to 351,750.

US Initial Claims for Unemployment Insurance data by YCharts.

Nevertheless, unemployment claims are steadily trending below last year's average of 360,000 to 370,000 and are well below the levels of the past three years. The economy is improving, albeit slowly.

Investors would do well to remember that the economy is not the same as the market. Both are being supported by the Federal Reserve's low federal-funds rate, as well as its monthly purchases of $85 billion worth of long-term assets. Today the market has found encouragement in the minutes of the June meeting of the Federal Open Market Committee, released yesterday. The minutes showed that the Federal Reserve will continue its quantitative easing for the time being, spurring on the economy and the market. The question investors need to ask themselves is whether this information is priced into the level the market is trading for. Investors pay a high price when things are going well and everyone is excited. This week's American Association of Individual Investors sentiment survey showed that 49% of those surveyed are bullish, above the long-term average of 39%, while only 18% are bearish, below the long term average of 30%.

Today's Dow leader is Intel (NASDAQ: INTC  ) , up 2.5%. Intel's stock got hit hard earlier in the week after it was downgraded by Evercore and Citigroup, who believe the chip maker will struggle as PC sales continue to weaken. PC sales experienced their worst quarterly drop in history in the first quarter of this year. This has been attributed to both the rise in mobile and consumers' discontent with Microsoft's new Windows 8 user experience. Intel is heavily dependent on the PC market, as its mobile offerings lag those of competitors in the field. While Intel is making major investments to catch up to the likes of ARM and Qualcomm, it remains to be seen who will win the race to dominate chip sales for the mobile market.

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Mid-Day Market Update: U.S. Stocks Turn Red; Bed Bath & Beyond Shares Decline On Weak Q3 Earnings

Midway through trading Thursday, the Dow traded down 0.31 percent to 16,411.07 while the NASDAQ tumbled 0.44 percent to 4,147.12. The S&P also fell, dropping 0.23 percent to 1,833.23.

Top Headline
Family Dollar Stores (NYSE: FDO) reported a drop in its first quarter profit.

Family Dollar's quarterly profit declined to $78.0 million, or $0.68 per share, versus a year-ago profit of $80.3 million, or $0.69 per share. Its revenue climbed 3.2% to $2.50 billion from $2.42 billion. However, analysts were estimating earnings of $0.69 per share on revenue of $2.51 billion.

Family Dollar expects Q2 earnings range of $0.85 to $0.95 per share, versus analysts' estimates of $1.21 per share. It also lowered its FY14 earnings outlook to $3.25 to $3.55 per share versus its earlier forecast of $3.80 to $4.15 per share.

Equities Trading UP
Shares of Intercept Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ: ICPT) got a boost, shooting up 289.85 percent to $282.21 after the company reported that the FLINT trial of obeticholic acid has been stopped early and the NASH primary endpoint has been met.

Sangamo Biosciences (NASDAQ: SGMO) shot up 29.01 percent to $17.61 after the company and Biogen Idec (NASDAQ: BIIB) announced the global collaboration to develop treatments for hemoglobinopathies.

Macy's (NYSE: M) was also up, gaining 7.77 percent to $55.87 after the company announced its plans to lower 2,500 jobs and shut five Macy's stores. It also reported a 3.6% rise in its comparable sales in November and December. The retailer also issued upbeat outlook for 2014. BMO Capital upgraded the stock from Market Perform to Outperform and lifted the target price from $53 to $70.

Equities Trading DOWN
Shares of Pier 1 Imports (NYSE: PIR) were down 12.33 percent to $20.45 after the company reported weak December sales and lowered its outlook.

Bed Bath & Beyond (NASDAQ: BBBY) tumbled 13.33 percent to $69.06 after the company reported weaker-than-expected fiscal third-quarter earnings and lowered its guidance. Analysts at Credit Suisse downgraded the stock from Outperform to Neutral and lowered the target price from $85 to $78.

Family Dollar Stores (NYSE: FDO) was down, falling 6.80 percent to $61.83 after the company reported a drop in its first quarter profit and issued a weak outlook.

Commodities
In commodity news, oil traded down 0.27 percent to $92.08, while gold traded up 0.02 percent to $1,225.80.

Silver traded down 0.43 percent Thursday to $19.46, while copper fell 1.51 percent to $3.29.

Eurozone
European shares were mostly lower today. The Spanish Ibex Index fell 0.39 percent, while Italy's FTSE MIB Index surged 0.20 percent. Meanwhile, the German DAX tumbled 0.85 percent and the French CAC 40 fell 0.86 percent while U.K. shares dropped 0.55 percent.

Economics
U.S. initial jobless claims declined by 15,000 to 330,000 in the week ended January 4. However, economists were expecting claims to total 335,000 in the week.

Announced job cuts dropped 32% to 30,623, outplacement firm Challenger, Gray & Christmas reported.

Supplies of natural gas dropped 157 billion cubic feet for the week ended January 3, the U.S. Energy Information Administration reported. However, analysts were expecting a decline of 148 billion cubic feet to 152 billion cubic feet.

Data on money supply will be released at 4:30 p.m. ET.

Posted-In: Earnings News Guidance Eurozone Futures Forex Global Econ #s Economics Intraday Update Markets Movers Tech

(c) 2014 Benzinga.com. Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved.

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The iPad Takes Flight

The iPad is Apple's (NASDAQ: AAPL  ) fastest-growing new product category, outpacing both the iPod and iPhone in early adoption. Even though it's just three years young, the iPad still has a plethora of potential global opportunities ahead of it as it finds its way into a wide range of niche sectors like health care and education, among others.

Another incremental opportunity has always been in airplanes, but due to an intense regulatory environment hasn't materialized thus far -- until now.

American Airlines has now announced that it is the first airline to roll out a comprehensive Electronic Flight Bag program, where pilots will use tablets in the cockpit instead of old-fashioned paper manuals. Late last year, American scored FAA approval to use Apple's device during all phases of flight on all of the current Boeing aircraft models in its fleet.

Instead of lugging around 35 pounds of paper in their carry-on kitbags, pilots will just tote around a 1.35-pound iPad.

Source: AA.com.

American estimates that the weight reduction will translate into saving 400,000 gallons of fuel annually, or $1.2 million based on current fuel prices. That's in addition to the 24 million pages of paper documents that are no longer needed. The digital format allows for faster updating also.

American's program alone won't necessarily move the needle for Apple. The airline has now deployed over 8,000 iPads within its fleet -- a drop in the bucket relative to the 19.5 million iPads sold last quarter. At 1.35 pounds, these appear to be older iPad 2 models that American has deployed, translating into $3.2 million to $4.2 million in sales depending on whether or not they're cellular-equipped models. Again, hardly a game-changing sum for Cupertino.

Instead, the potential lies within broader adoption throughout the airline industry, which could represent more meaningful upside. American is just the first, and the estimated fuel savings will pay for the hardware costs in a few short years. Other airlines will inevitably follow suit, although they could potentially opt for rival devices. Airlines that go with the iPad will also have periodic upgrade cycles.

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Airline adoption is just one of numerous sectors that the iPad is infiltrating. Combined with all of the other incremental opportunities, the iPad is still just beginning to take flight.

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Editor's note: A previous version of this article stated American would save $12 million annually on fuel costs. This has been corrected to $1.2 million. The Fool regrets the error.

Can TD AMERITRADE Make Money From Record-High Markets?

On Tuesday, TD AMERITRADE (NYSE: AMTD  ) will release its latest quarterly results. The key to making smart investment decisions on stocks reporting earnings is to anticipate how they'll do before they announce results, leaving you fully prepared to respond quickly to whatever inevitable surprises arise. That way, you'll be less likely to make an uninformed knee-jerk reaction to news that turns out to be exactly the wrong move.

Discount brokers have become increasingly popular as a low-cost way to invest, and TD AMERITRADE is a big player in the discount brokerage space. But competition has become fierce, and even with markets at new highs, some investors have been reluctant to put their money to work ever since the bear market of 2008. Let's take an early look at what's been happening with TD AMERITRADE over the past quarter and what we're likely to see in its quarterly report.

Stats on TD AMERITRADE

Analyst EPS Estimate	$0.26
Change From Year-Ago EPS	4%
Revenue Estimate	$676.3 million
Change From Year-Ago Revenue	0.5%
Earnings Beats in Past 4 Quarters	3

Source: Yahoo! Finance.

Are things looking up for TD AMERITRADE?
Analysts have gotten more optimistic about TD AMERITRADE's earnings prospects over the past few months. They've boosted their earnings-per-share estimates for the just-ended quarter by a penny, and full-year fiscal 2013 estimates have risen by a nickel per share. The stock has also performed well, jumping more than 11% since early January.

TD AMERITRADE and its discount peers offer low-cost trading for stocks, ETFs, and other financial products. By offering services at a fraction of the cost of full-service brokers, discount brokers have grown substantially over the years, broadening their product lines and offering new services such as banking.

But the industry has gotten fiercely competitive, especially as trading activity has fallen in recent years. TD AMERITRADE has answered by joining the big fee fight over exchange-traded funds, with its offering more than 100 ETFs from various fund families at no commission. Yet archrival Schwab (NYSE: SCHW  ) answered back with its ETF OneSource offering earlier this year, with a suite of 105 ETFs one-upping TD AMERITRADE's list.

Competition is also coming from other corners. Leveraging its purchase of Merrill Lynch during the financial crisis, Bank of America (NYSE: BAC  ) has reupped its efforts to attract new customers through its Merrill Edge discount-brokerage unit in an attempt to gain the opportunity to cross-sell clients into B of A banking and other financial products.

In TD AMERITRADE's quarterly report, be sure to see how the broker's ETF business is faring against Schwab and other competitors. If its attempt to draw in assets has been successful, then the move could continue paying dividends for TD AMERITRADE well into the future.

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More delays as UPS staggers under holiday crush

Holiday spirit turned to rage today as irritated consumers dealt with a third day of broken promises while UPS, the world's largest package delivery company, staggered to recover from a holiday crush that caught the service unprepared and left thousands of people short of gifts under their Christmas trees.

UPS sorters worked Christmas afternoon and evening to load planes at UPS' air hub in Louisville. Even so, UPS said, some packages that were promised to arrive before Christmas wouldn't arrive until Friday.

"We have our drivers out delivering today. We're making every effort to get all the packages delivered," UPS spokeswoman Natalie Godwin said Thursday.

Godwin said "nearly all" the delayed packages would be delivered Thursday.

The company, which delivers more than 16 million packages a day to 220 countries, had expected an 8% increase for the peak holiday season.

"Demand was much greater than forecast," Godwin said.

Online retailers nationwide lured customers to buy holiday gifts just two days before Christmas with promises that their purchases would arrive by Christmas Eve.

Retailers have been pushing their delivery deadlines so close to Christmas that it gave consumers a "false sense of security," says retail brand strategy expert Ken Nisch.

The snafus will make consumers think twice next holiday season about relying on late deliveries and could boost the popularity of "buy online, ship to store" options that many stores offer, says Nisch, chairman of JGA, a retail design and strategy firm that represents clients including Macy's, Godiva and The North Face.

Retailers will have to reconsider next year whether to make delivery promises that they can't control, Nisch said.

Meanwhile, retailers scrambled to track their customers' delayed packages.

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"We are working with FedEx and UPS to understand the situation," M! acy's spokesman Jim Sluzewski said. "So far, it appears only a small number of Macy's deliveries were affected."

Amazon, the No. 1 online retailer in the week before Christmas as measured by Experian Marketing Services, said it fulfilled its end of the bargain by packing its shipments and delivering them to the carriers "on time for holiday delivery," spokeswoman Mary Osako said.

"We are reviewing the performance of the delivery carriers," Osako said.

Amazon refunded shipping charges for the delayed packages and offered customers a $20 gift card for the inconvenience, she said.

Godwin said she could not comment on how many packages the company failed to deliver on time or how many packages would be delayed an additional day. She said consumers should refer to the company's online tracking notification system.

Customers reported that UPS repeatedly missed the delivery dates shown on the tracking system. About 6 million UPS customers subscribe to a notification system called UPS My Choice.

"If their update says it's going to get delivered on Friday, then it's going to get delivered on Friday," Godwin said.