Mid-Morning Market Update: Markets Edge Lower; ConAgra Posts Lower FQ1 Profit

Following the market opening Thursday, the Dow traded down 0.13 percent to 15,656.72 while the NASDAQ declined 0.02 percent to 3,782.72. The S&P also fell, dropping 0.06 percent to 1,724.52.

Top Headline
ConAgra Foods (NYSE: CAG) reported a 42% drop in its fiscal first-quarter earnings.

ConAgra's quarterly profit fell to $144.3 million, or $0.34 per share, from $250.1 million, or $0.61 per share, in the year-ago period. Its earnings from continuing operations came in at $0.33 per share. Excluding one-time items, its earnings declined to $0.37 from $0.44 per share.

Its revenue surged 27% to $4.2 billion, missing analysts' estimates of $4.29 billion.

Equities Trading UP
Rite Aid (NYSE: RAD) shot up 12.94 percent to $4.19 after the company posted a profit in its fiscal second quarter.

Shares of GT Advanced Technologies (NASDAQ: GTAT) got a boost, shooting up 12.52 percent to $8.49. UBS upgraded the stock from Neutral to Buy.

Agilent Technologies (NYSE: A) was also up, gaining 6.42 percent to $52.49 after the company announced its plans to separate into two public companies.

Equities Trading DOWN
Shares of Pier 1 Imports (NYSE: PIR) were down 10.34 percent to $21.16 after the company reported a 32% drop in its fiscal second-quarter earnings and cut its full-year earnings forecast.

Popular (NASDAQ: BPOP) shares tumbled 5.54 percent to $27.48 after Morgan Stanley downgraded the stock from Equal-weight to Underweight.

Pacific Coast Oil Trust (NYSE: ROYT) down, falling 7.13 percent to $16.70 after the company priced a public offering by Pacific Coast Energy Company LP and other selling unitholders of 13,500,000 trust units at a price of $17.10 per unit.

Commodities
In commodity news, oil traded down 0.48 percent to $107.55, while gold traded up 4.18 percent to $1,362.20.

Silver traded up 7.35 percent Thursday to $23.15, while copper rose 2 percent to $3.34.

Eurozone
European shares were higher today. The Spanish Ibex Index gained 1.07 percent, while Italy's FTSE MIB Index rose 1.24 percent. Meanwhile, the German DAX gained 0.77 percent and the French CAC 40 rose 0.67 percent while U.K. shares surged 1.37 percent.

Economics
US jobless claims rose by 15,000 to 309,000 in the week ended September 14. However, economists were expecting claims to rise to 338,000.

US current-account deficit declined around 6% to $98.9 billion in the second quarter.

The Bloomberg Consumer Confidence Index rose to -29.40 in the week ended September 15, versus a prior reading of -32.10.

Existing-home sales climbed 1.7% to an annual rate of 5.48 million in August.

The Philadelphia Fed's manufacturing index surged to 22.3 in September, versus a reading of 9.3 in August.

The Conference Board's index of leading indicators climbed 0.7% to 96.6 in August.

The Treasury is set to auction 3-and 6-month bills. The Treasury will also auction 2-year, 5-year and 7-year notes.

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

European Stocks Advance Before Fed’s Decision on Stimulus

European stocks advanced, sending the Stoxx Europe 600 Index near a five-year high, as investors awaited the Federal Reserve's decision on reducing monthly bond purchases.

Siemens AG climbed to a two-year high after appointing a new chief financial officer and a supervisory-board member. HeidelbergCement AG added 1.4 percent after Goldman Sachs Group Inc. recommended the stock. Lanxess AG dropped 2.8 percent as investors weighed its cost-cutting plan.

The Stoxx 600 gained 0.4 percent to 313.28, closing less than 0.1 percent below a five-year high it reached on Sept. 16. The gauge has rallied 12 percent so far this year as central banks pressed on with their supportive policies.

"The whole environment for growth does seem to have deteriorated slightly since June when the Fed last really spoke to the market," Lucy MacDonald, chief investment officer for equities at Allianz Global Investors in London, told Mark Barton on Bloomberg Television. Her company oversees about $419 billion. "If they don't do anything at all that may raise questions and people will be more concerned about growth. Clearly we need to have the comfort that the economic recovery is still well underpinned."

A gauge of implied volatility in euro-area stocks, based on options prices, fell 4.3 percent today, the most in one week.

Fed Tapering

The Federal Open Market Committee wraps up a two-day policy meeting today, at which it will probably decide to lower its $85 billion of monthly bond purchases. Among 64 economists surveyed by Bloomberg News, 33 predicted the Fed will reduce its buying of Treasuries by $5 billion or less, with 31 projecting a cut of $10 billion or more.

Earlier this month, a Bloomberg News survey of 34 economists forecast a $10 billion reduction. In a July poll, half of the 54 respondents predicted a $20 billion cut.

The FOMC releases both its policy statement and forecasts for economic growth, inflation and unemployment at 2 p.m. New York time, after the European markets close. Chairman Ben S. Bernanke will hold a press conference half an hour later.

The Bank of England today released the minutes from its Sept. 4-5 meeting, which showed that officials unanimously concluded there was no need for additional stimulus given an improving outlook for the British economy.

Housing Starts

Top Undervalued Companies To Buy For 2014

In the U.S., housing starts climbed to a 891,000 annualized pace in August from a revised 883,000 rate the previous month, Commerce Department Data figures showed. That missed the median projection of 917,000 in a Bloomberg survey.

National benchmark indexes rose in 15 of the 18 western European markets today. Germany's DAX advanced 0.5 percent. The U.K.'s FTSE 100 slipped 0.2 percent. France's CAC 40 increased 0.6 percent.

Siemens gained 1.3 percent to 89.70 euros, the highest price since July 2011. Europe's biggest engineering company appointed SAP AG's co-Chief Executive Officer Jim Hagemann Snabe to its supervisory board and named Ralf Thomas CFO.

Snabe will take the place of Josef Ackermann, who is leaving, as director, while former Bayer AG Chief Executive Officer Werner Wenning will replace him as the deputy chairman.

HeidelbergCement gained 1.4 percent to 58.20 euros as Goldman Sachs raised its rating on the cement maker to buy from sell, saying increased spending will drive growth opportunities. The stock is trading at 16.6 times projected earnings, compared with 16.5 times for the Stoxx 600 Construction and Materials Index.

Smiths Dividend

Smiths Group Plc (SMIN) advanced 2.6 percent to 1,412 pence. The U.K. producer of security scanners increased its final dividend to 27 pence a share and announced an additional payout of 30 pence per share.

Lanxess AG fell 2.8 percent to 49.95 euros. The synthetic-rubber maker said it will cut 1,000 jobs and curb management bonuses as part of a plan to save about 100 million euros ($134 million) annually from 2015.

Citigroup Inc. said the proposal will put additional pressure on the company's cash flow in the short term. Goldman said investors may sell the stock in the absence of a more significant plan. Baader Bank AG analyst Norbert Barth, who has a sell rating on the stock, said Lanxess may lower its dividend from last year's 1 euro per share.

Aberdeen Asset Management Plc fell 3.5 percent to 367.3 pence. Morgan Stanley cut its projections for the company's 2014 and 2015 earnings by about 6 percent and 7 percent respectively, citing equity outflows and weak fund performance. Aberdeen will release a trading update on Sept. 23, according to its website.

Update: CEMIG to Reward Shareholders - Analyst Blog

Companhia Energetica de Minas Gerais (CIG), also known as CEMIG, recently announced the dates for the payment of the second installment of dividend for the year 2012.

The total disbursement, amounting to R$609.1 million, will be made in two tranches and will be completed by Dec 2013. Firstly, Cemig will pay roughly R$250 million (or R$0.293201967) to shareholders on Jul 18 while the remaining amount of R$359.1 million will be distributed by the year end 2013.

For shares, holders of record as on Apr 30, 2013 will be considered eligible for dividend distribution while for ADRs, holders of record as on May 6 will be entitled.

The above distribution was approved at Cemig's Ordinary and Extraordinary General Meetings of Stockholders held on Apr 30, 2013. The first instalment of the dividend, roughly R$609.1 million, for 2012 was paid on Jun 27, 2013. Additionally, the company also paid interest on equity of R$164 million or R$0.192340491 per share.

Regarding dividends, CEMIG will disburse roughly R$609.1 million (or R$ 0.714302738 per share) to shareholders of record as on Apr 30, 2013 and ADR holders of record as on May 6, 2013.

If we look into CEMIG's first-quarter 2013 financial results, we find that the company paid approximately R$1.9 billion as interest on equity and dividends.

CEMIG is one of the largest integrated electric utilities in Brazil with approximately 97% of the company's installed generation capacity being hydroelectric power.

The Zacks Consensus Estimate for 2013 and 2014 is pegged at $1.45 per ADR and $1.33 per ADR, respectively. These represent a year-over-year decline of 40.8% for 2013 and 8.1% for 2014.

CEMIG currently has a Zacks Rank #4 (Sell). Other stocks in the industry that are worth considering are Companhia Paranaense de Energia (ELP), Black Hills Corporation (BKH) and Integrys Energy Group, Inc. (TEG), each carrying a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy).

3 Dividend Stocks To Calm A Nervous Investor

As the economy continues to improve, it's pretty clear that the Fed will curb its buying of securities to signal a change in interest rate policy.  The very mention of this has caused Treasury yields to increase, but let's not get ahead of ourselves.

Although interest rates have risen lately, we shouldn't project this trend to continue at the same rapid rate. I think the pace will slow, as the Fed takes specific action over the next several months.

Many investors have reacted to the possibility of higher rates by selling REIT stocks, bonds and dividend stocks. Apparently some think that higher rates obviate the need for holding income-related stocks. I couldn't disagree more. While the eventual market for higher yielding bonds may come, that does not take away the current attractiveness of high paying dividend stocks.

Top Biotech Stocks To Own Right Now

There are a number of rational, opportunistic ways investors should react to a Fed that may "take the foot off the gas" rather than "hit the brake."  (Remember the Fed has yet to change anything at this point. Bernanke has merely reminded us that he has the ability to accelerate, decelerate or make no changes at all in market purchases.)

A healthy way to react to this possible shift in Fed policy is to stay with your original program that you have presumably formulated with a long-term investment horizon in mind. Such a program should always allow you to tinker with the boundaries of your discipline.

For example, I continue to manage portfolios with the same discipline as always, but presently I have an additional eye toward some of my favorite dividend stocks that may go on sale as a result of the current confusion about the Fed's intentions. I've always liked stocks with high quality balance sheets that pay increasing dividends, and if I can buy them at reasonable prices, I usually jump right in.

Some investors are getting inappropriately caught up in the emotions of rising rates. If you've only bought dividend stocks to offset the very low income rates that bonds offered, you're only getting half the story. True, there was no other place to find higher income when rates were expected to remain low, but dividend stocks also offer the potential of a rising dividend.  Think of it as if each stock had its own "Fed" raising the dividend rate the company must pay out to shareholders.

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You should look for dividend paying stocks that have a rising trend and the financial strength to make the increases without causing the company additional financial stress. In addition, I suggest you run any dividend stock candidate through my dividend integrity index concept on Forbes. It is a useful check to see if the dividend payout ratio is compatible with the rate of dividend increases.

Here are several of my favorite portfolio holdings that are still attractive regardless of how high interest rates rise:

People's United Financial (PBCT). With a dividend yield of 4.2% this mid-sized New England based bank has raised its dividend for the past five years. The possibility of higher interest rates could be a positive for PBCT since it may allow the bank to increase its net interest margin. People's has been slowly growing its geographic footprint and may well be an acquisition target as big players may pursue banks like this to grow.

Another stock I like is Tronox Tronox. This spinoff from Kerr-McGee has had its warts, and emerged from bankruptcy back in 2011. TROX makes specialty chemical pigments that are used in everyday consumer applications such as paints and plastics. Although it doesn't have a long history of dividend payments, prospects for the company's products look bright as the economy continues to improve.  Best of all it is paying a hefty 4.6% yield.

Hot Growth Stocks To Watch Right Now

Some of you can undoubtedly think of dozens of different ways to occupy your weekend rather than watching supercharged, high-octane supercars travel around a track at 200-plus miles per hour for 100 or more laps.

For the rest of the nation, NASCAR auto racing remains one of the most-watched sports on television. Its growth during the early and mid-portion of last decade was phenomenal and rivaled that of football and baseball in the United States. Things changed, however, when the recession hit, as ticket sales sagged with the economy, and a recent rebound in gas prices has constrained the budgets of individuals who drive hundreds of miles to see a race.

Regardless of how you see NASCAR -- an endless parade of left turns or an exciting free-for-all of horsepower -- I see it as a perfect parallel to describe what investing is all about. Here are the first five of 10 ways that NASCAR can teach us about investing better.

Hot Growth Stocks To Watch Right Now: Crocs Inc.(CROX)

Crocs, Inc. and its subsidiaries engage in the design, development, manufacture, marketing, and distribution of footwear, apparel, and accessories for men, women, and children. The company primarily offers casual and athletic shoes, and shoe charms. It also designs and sells a range of footwear and accessories that utilize its proprietary closed cell-resin, called Croslite. The company?s footwear products include boots, sandals, sneakers, mules, and flats. In addition, it provides footwear products for the hospital, restaurant, hotel, and hospitality markets, as well as general foot care and diabetic-needs markets. Further, the company offers leather and ethylene vinyl acetate based footwear, sandals, and printed apparels principally for the beach, adventure, and action sports markets; and accessories comprising snap-on charms. The company sells its products through the United States and international retailers and distributors, as well as directly to end-user consumers th rough its company-operated retail stores, outlets, kiosks, and Web stores primarily under the Crocs Work, Crocs Rx, Jibbitz, Ocean Minded, and YOU by Crocs brand names. As of December 31, 2010, it operated 164 retail kiosks located in malls and other high foot traffic areas; 138 retail stores; 76 outlet stores; and 46 Web stores. Crocs, Inc. operates in the Americas, Europe, and Asia. The company was formerly known as Western Brands, LLC and changed its name to Crocs, Inc. in January 2005. Crocs, Inc. was founded in 1999 and is headquartered in Niwot, Colorado.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Matt Brownell]

  AOL When we spoke to Crocs (CROX) CEO John McCarvel back in January, we couldn't help but notice his choice of footwear: He wasn't wearing Crocs. But we couldn't really hold it against him. McCarvel was in town to accept an innovator award from the National Retail Federation, and Crocs didn't really make anything appropriate for the occasion. You can't wear Crocs with a suit, right? Well, that's not entirely true. As it turns out, Crocs now offers a number of shoes that are a bit more on the dressy side. They've got loafers, for instance, which could work at the country club. And for the office they've got the "Tummler" shoe, which combines the molded rubber clogs with a black leather slip-on dress shoe. As the website explains, it's meant to be a "work shoe you can live with." Around the same time we came across the Crocs dress shoe, we also became aware of another product that tries to combine stay-at-home comfort with office-appropriate wear: Dress pants-style sweatpants. These have all the comfort and warmth of a pair of sweatpants, but are designed like a pair of dress slacks, complete with back pockets, belt loops and pinstripes. Together, the Crocs dress shoes and sweatpants dress pants suggest a new paradigm for office wear: Dressy enough to pass muster with your boss, but comfortable enough that you can feel like you're having a pajama day working from home. But could you really pull this off in an office environment? To find out, I got a pair of each, then put them on and headed down to the offices of StyleList, Aol's fashion experts. I modeled my office wear for a panel of three StyleList editors: Ellen Thomas, Logan Sowa and Abby Silverman. Their first reaction was telling -- two of them didn't realize that I'd actually changed into the sweatpants. That, I thought, meant that I could get away with wearing sweatpants without anyone noticing. But on closer inspection, doubts started to emerge. "I don't think I'll ever be inclined to think this is

Hot Growth Stocks To Watch Right Now: TrueBlue Inc.(TBI)

TrueBlue, Inc. provides temporary blue-collar staffing services in the United States. It supplies on demand general labor to various industries under the Labor Ready brand; skilled labor to manufacturing and logistics industries under the Spartan Staffing brand; and trades people for commercial, industrial, and residential construction, and building and plant maintenance industries under the CLP Resources brand. The company also provides mechanics and technicians to the aviation maintenance, repair and overhaul, aerospace manufacturing, and assembly industries, as well as to other transportation industries under the Plane Techs brand; and temporary drivers to the transportation and distribution industries under the Centerline brand. It primarily serves small and medium-size businesses. The company was formerly known as Labor Ready, Inc. and changed its name to TrueBlue, Inc. in December 2007. TrueBlue, Inc. was founded in 1985 and is headquartered in Tacoma, Washington.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By idahansen]

  The entire demand labor industry should do well as the US Department of Labor just reported that 169,000 more jobs were added to the American economy. The more work there is, the more demand there is for the services of staffing solutions firms such as Labor SMART, Paychex (NASDAQ: PAYX), TrueBlue (NYSE: TBI), and Robert Half International (NYSE: RHI).

Hot Penny Stocks To Invest In 2014: Intuitive Surgical Inc.(ISRG)

Intuitive Surgical, Inc. designs, manufactures, and markets da Vinci surgical systems for various surgical procedures, including urologic, gynecologic, cardiothoracic, general, and head and neck surgeries. Its da Vinci surgical system consists of a surgeon?s console or consoles, a patient-side cart, a 3-D vision system, and proprietary ?wristed? instruments. The company?s da Vinci surgical system translates the surgeon?s natural hand movements on instrument controls at the console into corresponding micro-movements of instruments positioned inside the patient through small puncture incisions, or ports. It also manufactures a range of EndoWrist instruments, which incorporate wrist joints for natural dexterity for various surgical procedures. Its EndoWrist instruments consist of forceps, scissors, electrocautery, scalpels, and other surgical tools. In addition, it sells various vision and accessory products for use in conjunction with the da Vinci Surgical System as surgical procedures are performed. The company?s accessory products include sterile drapes used to ensure a sterile field during surgery; vision products, such as replacement 3-D stereo endoscopes, camera heads, light guides, and other items. It markets its products through sales representatives in the United States, and through sales representatives and distributors in international markets. The company was founded in 1995 and is headquartered in Sunnyvale, California.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Joseph Hogue]

  Enter Intuitive Surgical (Nasdaq: ISRG) and Da Vinci, a robotic arm that allows surgeons to operate with just a single incision less than an inch in size.

Hot Growth Stocks To Watch Right Now: Buffalo Wild Wings Inc.(BWLD)

Buffalo Wild Wings, Inc. engages in the ownership, operation, and franchise of restaurants in the United States. The company provides quick casual and casual dining services, as well as serves bottled beers, wines, and liquor. As of July 26, 2011, it had 773 Buffalo Wild Wings locations in 45 states in the United States, as well as in Canada. The company was founded in 1982 and is headquartered in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By CNBC]

  Tony Tribble, Invision/AP Forget about Bloomin' Onions or boneless wings, for many consumers, the choice of where to dine often comes down to a different factor: which restaurant has the best booze. "Alcoholic beverages can be a key driver of traffic, differentiation, and loyalty," said David Decker, president of Consumer Edge Insight. According to the firm, two factors that keep customers coming back are "selection" and "pricing." Consumer Edge Insight recently surveyed restaurant customers to find out which casual-dining spots generated the most loyalty with their alcoholic beverages. Taking the top spot for "selection" was Buffalo Wild Wings (BWLD), with 29 percent of those surveyed saying they were "most likely to visit it most often due to its good selection of alcoholic beverages." Applebee's (DIN) took the second spot, with 24 percent, and Outback Steakhouse (BLMN) and T.G.I. Friday's tied for third place with 22 percent each. Prices also keep customers coming back to Buffalo Wild Wings. When asked which casual-dining brand they were "most likely to visit most often due to its good prices of alcoholic beverages," Buffalo Wild Wings came out on top with 30 percent. Chili's (EAT) was No. 2 at 23 percent, and Ruby Tuesday (RT) was third with 22 percent. Buffalo Wild Wings has always made alcohol a part of its experience, even making it part of its tagline: "Wings.Beer.Sports." The chain is the No. 1 account for more than 50 different beer brands and recently launched Game Changer, a new beer in a partnership with Redhook Brewery. Priced between cheaper domestic lagers and pricier craft beers, Game Changer became the fourth-most-popular draft beer at company-owned locations within two weeks of its release. "Among casual-dining restaurants, Buffalo Wild Wings is seeing the greatest positive effect in terms of building customer loyalty with its alcohol offerings," Decker said. "There are many steps other restaurants can take to improve their alcoho

• [By AlphaStreetResearch]

  Buffalo Wild Wings (BWLD) has been a hot growth stock, but this company has plenty of room to run higher as the firm continues to execute its domestic and international growth strategy. This is a company with huge potential in Restaurant and Services sector as the company's customer base continues to grow and remain loyal. Below is our introduction into its business model, it's strengths, and the buying opportunity that currently exists for Buffalo Wild Wings. Wall Street has not yet realized the full potential of this company as it continues to be seen as a seasonality play in this space. The company continues to prove this stigma wrong. The company has a market cap of $2.06 Billion and reports the next quarter on October 21, 2013. With this in mind, we value Buffalo Wild Wings at $123.00 by year-end of 2013 and $138.00 by May 1, 2014, an increase of 28% from current levels. We strongly feel that this company has the potential to see major upside over the next year and we could see the stock continue to run like Chipotle (CMG) or Panera (PNRA) in recent history. Dining and entertainment demand is growing and Buffalo Wild Wings continues to take market share, as the company has some of the best customer retention rates and average ticket sales in the sector. We will later highlight:

Hot Growth Stocks To Watch Right Now: Eastern Insurance Holdings Inc.(EIHI)

Eastern Insurance Holdings, Inc., through its subsidiaries, provides workers compensation insurance and reinsurance products in the United States. The company?s Workers Compensation Insurance segment provides traditional workers compensation insurance coverage products, including guaranteed cost policies, policyholder dividend policies, retrospectively-rated policies, deductible policies, and alternative market products to employers. This segment distributes its workers? compensation products and services through its independent insurance agents primarily in Pennsylvania, Delaware, North Carolina, Maryland, Indiana, and Virginia. Its Segregated Portfolio Cell Reinsurance segment offers alternative market workers compensation solutions comprising program design, fronting, claims administration, risk management, segregated portfolio cell rental, asset management, and segregated portfolio management services to individual companies, groups, and associations. Eastern Insurance Holdings, Inc. is headquartered in Lancaster, Pennsylvania.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Lauren Pollock]

  ProAssurance Corp.(PRA) agreed to acquire Eastern Insurance Holdings Inc.(EIHI) for about $205 million, expanding the insurance company’s casualty insurance offerings. Eastern Insurance is a domestic casualty insurance group specializing in workers’ compensation products and services, among other things. ProAssurance plans to pay $24.50 in cash for each outstanding Eastern share, a 16% premium over Monday’s closing price.

Hot Growth Stocks To Watch Right Now: CNO Financial Group Inc. (CNO)

CNO Financial Group, Inc., through its subsidiaries, engages in the development, marketing, and administration of health insurance, annuity, individual life insurance, and other insurance products for senior and middle-income markets in the United States. The company markets and distributes Medicare supplement insurance, interest-sensitive and traditional life insurance, fixed annuities, and long-term care insurance products; Medicare advantage plans through a distribution arrangement with Humana Inc.; and Medicare Part D prescription drug plans through a distribution and reinsurance arrangement with Coventry Health Care. It also markets and distributes supplemental health, including specified disease, accident, and hospital indemnity insurance products; and life insurance to middle-income consumers at home and the worksite through independent marketing organizations and insurance agencies. In addition, the company markets primarily graded benefit and simplified issue life insurance products directly to customers through television advertising, direct mail, Internet, and telemarketing. It sells its products through career agents, independent producers, direct marketing, and sales managers. CNO Financial Group, Inc. has strategic alliances with Coventry and Humana. The company was formerly known as Conseco, Inc. and changed its name to CNO Financial Group, Inc. in May 2010. CNO Financial Group, Inc. was founded in 1979 and is headquartered in Carmel, Indiana.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By David Fried, Editor, The Buyback Letter]

  Insurance holding company CNO Financial Group (CNO) and its insurance subsidiaries��rincipally Bankers Life and Casualty Company, Washington National, and Colonial Penn Life Insurance Company��erve pre-retiree and retired Americans.

Hot Growth Stocks To Watch Right Now: Nordstrom Inc.(JWN)

Nordstrom, Inc., a fashion specialty retailer, offers apparel, shoes, cosmetics, and accessories for women, men, and children in the United States. It offers a selection of brand name and private label merchandise. The company sells its products through various channels, including Nordstrom full-line stores, off-price Nordstrom Rack stores, Jeffrey? boutiques, treasure & bond, and Last Chance clearance stores; and its online store, nordstrom.com, as well as through catalog. Nordstrom also provides a private label card, two Nordstrom VISA credit cards, and a debit card for Nordstrom purchases. The company?s credit and debit cards feature a shopping-based loyalty program. As of September 30, 2011, it operated 222 stores, including 117 full-line stores, 101 Nordstrom Racks, 2 Jeffrey boutiques, 1 treasure & bond store, and 1 clearance store in 30 states. The company was founded in 1901 and is based in Seattle, Washington.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Marshall Hargrave]

  Worth noting is that the average remaining tenure for the Calvin Klein licenses is eight to nine years. Other tailwinds for GIII include:

  The team sports business is now a $100 million business and was nonexistent 5 years ago. Sales makeup is 50% sportswear and 50% coats. We see this business continuing to grow as the overall popularity of sports teams continues.Dresses from Eliza J continue to be a top seller at Nordstrom's (JWN) and other high-end retailers.Ivanka Trump showrooms will be opening in Q4. The line will be launching dresses, suit separates and swimwear.The biggest business for GIII remains outerwear and the company started shipping product at the end of Q2. GIII has approximately 30 licensed, owned and private label brands and a covers the entire spectrum of retailers from mass market to luxury.Vilebrequin was acquired in August of last year and the addition helped grow non-licensed revenues to $70 million in Q2 compared to $48 million last year without Vilebrequin. Vilebrequin sells swimwear, resort wear and related accessories through a network of company-owned and franchised shops. To grow Vilebrequin, the company will be adding footwear to its shops, in particular flip-flops in all of the stores by November. The company is planning to grow Vilebrequin's presence in the U.S. and has been adding buildouts in key department stores. Furthermore, Vilebrequin's e-commerce site should be live in the next 60 days.

  GIII's entry into the footwear market is well in line with its long-term plans to become a men's and women's head-to-toe apparel maker.

Hot Growth Stocks To Watch Right Now: MEDIFAST INC(MED)

Medifast, Inc., through its subsidiaries, engages in the production, distribution, and sale of weight management and disease management products, and other consumable health and diet products in the United States. The company?s product lines include weight and disease management, meal replacement, and vitamins. It also operates weight control centers that offer Medifast programs for weight loss and maintenance, customized patient counseling, and inbody composition analysis. The company markets its products under the Medifast and Essential brand names, including shakes, appetite suppression shakes, women?s health shakes, diabetics shakes, joint health shakes, coronary health shakes, calorie burn drinks, calorie burn flavor infusers, antioxidant shakes, antioxidant flavor infusers, bars, crunch bars, soups, chili, oatmeal, pudding, scrambled eggs, hot cocoa, cappuccino, chai latte, iced teas, fruit drinks, pretzels, puffs, brownie, pancakes, soy crisps, crackers, and omega 3 and digestive health products. Medifast Inc. sells its products through various channels of distribution comprising Web, call center, independent health advisors, medical professionals, weight loss clinics, and direct consumer marketing supported via the phone and the Web; Take Shape for Life, a physician led network of independent health coaches; and weight control centers. The company was founded in 1980 and is headquartered in Owings Mills, Maryland.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Jon C. Ogg]

  Medifast Inc. (NYSE: MED) saw its stock down 5% in evening trading on Tuesday after the weight loss player had soft sales and guided expectations lower. Shares were still indicated down about 5%, but volume has not yet started.

Hot Companies To Invest In 2014

HanesBrands (NYSE: HBI  ) has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire Maidenform Brands (NYSE: MFB  ) , Hanes and Maidenform� announced today.

Hanes is to pay $23.50 per share in cash, a 30% premium over the last 30 days' average closing price. The enterprise value of the transaction, according to Hanes, is approximately $575 million.

Hanes expects the synergies produced by combining the two intimate apparel companies to approach full value within three years and provide more than $500 million more in annual sales, and earnings per share of $0.60.

Hanes said the combination of Maidenform's bra business and Hanes' panty business will presents long-term growth opportunities. The deal would add brands like Maidenform, Flexees, and Self Expressions to the HanesBrands roster that includes Playtex, Bali, Champion, Wonderbra, and its namesake Hanes. HanesBrands anticipates being able to potentially lower the costs of Maidenform products for retailers and consumers. Currently Maidenform sources its products from third-party manufacturers. With the acquisition, HanesBrands said Maidenform will now be able to take advantage of HanesBrands' company-owned manufacturing, which is supplemented by third-party manufacturers.

Hot Companies To Invest In 2014: Berry Plastics Group Inc (BERY)

Berry Plastics Group, Inc. (Berry), incorporated on November 18, 2005, is a provider of plastic consumer packaging and engineered materials. Berry owns 100% interest of Berry Plastics Corporation. Berry sells its solutions predominantly into end markets, such as food and beverage, healthcare and personal care. The Company operates in three segments: Rigid Packaging, Engineered Materials and Flexible Packaging. As of September 19, 2012, the Company supplied its customers through 82 manufacturing facilities throughout the United States (68 locations) and select international locations (14 locations). In June 2012, the Company acquired 100% interest of Frans Nooren Beheer B.V. and its operating companies (Stopaq). In September 2011, the Company acquired 100% interests of Rexam Closures Kentucky Inc., Rexam Delta Inc., Rexam Closures LLC, Rexam Closure Systems LLC, Rexam de Mexico S. de R.L. de C.V., Rexam Singapore PTE Ltd., Rexam Participacoes Ltda. and Rexam Plasticos do Brasil Ltda. (collectively, Rexam SBC). In August 2011, Berry acquired 100% interest of LINPAC Packaging Filmco, Inc.

Rigid Packaging

The Company�� Rigid Packaging business consists of containers, foodservice items, house wares, closures, over caps, bottles, prescription vials, and tubes. The end uses for these products are consumer-oriented end markets, such as food and beverage, retail mass marketers, healthcare, personal care and household chemical. The Company manufactures a collection of container products. The Company produces 32 ounce or thermoformed polypropylene (PP) drink cups and offers a product line with sizes ranging from 12 to 52 ounces. The Company�� products of house wares market is focused on producing semi-disposable plastic home and party and plastic garden products. The Company produces closures and over caps across several of its product lines, including continuous-thread and child-resistant closures, as well as aerosol over caps. The Company also provides a range of custom closure ! solutions including fitments and plugs for medical applications, cups and spouts for liquid laundry detergent, and dropper bulb assemblies for medical and personal care applications.

The Company competes with Airlite, Letica, Polytainers, Silgan, Aptar Group and Reynolds.

Engineered Materials

Berry�� Engineered Materials business primarily consists of pipeline corrosion protection solutions, specialty tapes and adhesives, polyethylene-based film products, and can liners served to a variety of end markets including oil, water and gas infrastructure, industrial and consumer-oriented end markets. The Company produces anti-corrosion products to infrastructure, rehabilitation and pipeline projects throughout the world. Products include heat-shrinkable coatings, single- and multi-layer sleeves, pipeline coating tapes, anode systems for cathodic protection and epoxy coatings. These products are used in oil, gas and water supply and construction applications.

Berry is the manufacturer of cloth and foil tape products. Other tape products include range of splicing and laminating tapes, flame-retardant tapes, vinyl-coated and carton sealing tapes, electrical, double-faced cloth, masking, mounting, original equipment manufacturer (OEM) medical and specialty tapes. These products are sold under the National, Nashua and Polyken brands in the United States. The Company manufactures and sells a portfolio of PE-based film products to end users in the retail markets. These products are sold under brands, such as Ruffies and Film-Gard. Its products include drop cloths and retail trash bags. The Company manufactures customized PP-based, woven and sewn containers for the transportation and storage of raw materials, such as seeds, titanium dioxide, clay and resin pellets.

The Company offers range of polyvinyl chloride (PVC) meat film and agricultural film. Berry�� products are used primarily to wrap fresh meats, poultry and produce for supermarket applic! ations. I! n addition, the Company offers a line of boxed products for food service and retail sales. Berry sells trash-can liners and food bags for offices, restaurants, schools, hospitals, hotels, municipalities and manufacturing facilities. The Company also sells products under the Big City, Hospi-Tuff, Plas-Tuff, Rhino-X and Steel-Flex brands. The Company produces both hand and machine-wrap stretch films, which are used by end users to wrap products and packages for storage and shipping. It sells stretch film products to distributors and retail and industrial end users under the MaxTech and PalleTech brands.

The Company competes with AEP, Sigma and 3M.

Flexible Packaging

The Company�� Flexible Packaging business consists of barrier, multilayer film products, as well as finished flexible packages, such as printed bags and pouches. Berry manufactures and sells a range of film products ranging from mono layer to coextruded films having up to nine layers, lamination films sold primarily to flexible packaging converters and used for peelable lid stock, stand-up pouches, pillow pouches and other flexible packaging formats. The Company also manufactures barrier films used for cereal, cookie, cracker and dry mix packages that are sold directly to food manufacturers like Kraft and Pepsico. It also manufactures films for industrial applications ranging from lamination film for carpet padding to films used in solar panel construction.

The Company supplies component and packaging films used for personal care applications. Berry is a converter of printed bags, pouches and roll stock. Its manufacturing base includes integrated extrusion that combines with printing, laminating, bagmaking, Innolok and laser-score converting processes. The Company is a supplier of printed film products for the fresh bakery, tortilla and frozen vegetable markets with brands, such as SteamQuick Film, Freshview bags and Billboard. The Company manufactures specialty coated and laminated produ! cts for a! range of packaging applications. Its products are sold under the MarvelGuard and MarvelSeal brands and are sold to converters who transform them into finished goods.

The Company competes with Printpak, Tredegar and Bemis.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By John Udovich]

  One of the most famous scenes in the cult classic, the Graduate, was when Mr. McGuire�took Dustin Hoffman�� character aside and said�"Ben, I want to say one word to you, just one word: Plastics"; but what about the Berry Plastics Group Inc (NYSE: BERY) and its performance verses that of the�iShares S&P 500 Index ETF (NYSEARCA: IVV), iShares Russell Midcap Index Fund ETF (NYSEARCA: IWR) and iShares S&P SmallCap 600 Index ETF (NYSEARCA: IJR)? I should mention that plastics and the Berry Plastics Group was not the place to be yesterday as the stock took a tumble on reduced guidance.

Hot Companies To Invest In 2014: Mediobanca(MDBI.MI)

Mediobanca S.p.A. provides lending and investment banking services to financial companies and private investors in Italy and rest of Europe. It offers consumer credit products, including personal and special purpose loans, credit cards, and salary-backed finance; corporate lending products, such as bilateral, club-deal, and syndicated loans; leveraged finance products comprising acquisition and LBO/MBO finance; structured finance products consisting of project, infrastructure, and real estate finance; and export finance products, including export credit, trade finance, L/C facilities, pre-export finance, commercial loans, untied loans, and Islamic finance. The company also provides finance leasing, mortgage lending, insurance products, deposits and current accounts, and investment products. In addition, it offers advisory services consisting of corporate finance; and fiduciary services, such as fiduciary administration of equity investments, and investments in market secur ity, as well as fiduciary services for issuers. Further, the company offers equity capital market products comprising IPOs, rights offerings, secondary offerings/accelerated book building, and equity-linked products; security brokerage services, such as equity research, equity distribution, and corporate broking services; strategic equity derivatives for equity holdings treasury shares management; direct investments and investments through fund stock units; equity-linked investments products; research services; and equity finance solutions consisting of securities lending, equity repo, and collateral financing. Additionally, it originates, structures, executes, and distributes bond issues; provides FI investor solutions, corporate solutions, private and retail solutions, and alternative advisory services; and offers private banking services, such as portfolio management, advisory and financing, and asset management services. The company was founded in 1946 and is headquarter ed in Milan, Italy.

Top 5 Casino Companies For 2014: TriQuint Semiconductor Inc.(TQNT)

TriQuint Semiconductor, Inc. provides radio frequency (RF) solutions and technology for communications, defense, and aerospace companies worldwide. The company designs, develops, and manufactures RF solutions with gallium arsenide (GaAs), gallium nitride, bipolar high electron mobility transistor, surface acoustic wave (SAW), temperature compensated surface acoustic wave, bulk acoustic wave (BAW), copper flip, and wafer level packaging technologies. The company offers an array of filtering, switching, and amplification products for RF, microwave, and millimeter-wave applications. It sells electronic components for mobile phones, including transmit modules, RF filters, power amplifiers and power amplifier modules, duplexers, switches, other RF devices, and integrated products to mobile device manufacturers. The company also offers signal amplification and filtering products, including a portfolio of GaAs microwave monolithic integrated circuits and transistors, and SAW and BAW filter components that support the transfer of voice, data, and video across wireless or wired infrastructure. Its network products comprise millimeter wave power amplifiers, frequency converters, and voltage controlled oscillators. In addition, the company provides defense and aerospace devices, including packaged products, die-level integrated circuits (ICs), microwave monolithic ICs, and multi-chip modules to military contractors serving the U.S. government for use in various communications and phased array radar programs, such as ship-based, airborne, and battlefield systems, as well as sat-com, electronic warfare, and guidance applications. Further, TriQuint Semiconductor, Inc. offers foundry services. The company sells its products through independent manufacturers? representatives, independent distributors, and direct sales staff. TriQuint Semiconductor, Inc. was founded in 1981 and is headquartered in Hillsboro, Oregon.

Hot Companies To Invest In 2014: Total System Services Inc.(TSS)

Total System Services, Inc. provides electronic payment processing and other services to card-issuing and merchant acquiring institutions. The company offers issuer account solutions, including processing the card application, initiating service for the cardholder, processing each card transaction for the issuing retailer or financial institution, and accumulating the account's transactions; fraud management services; and other services, such as customized communications to cardholders, and information verification associated with granting credit, debt collection, and customer service. It also provides merchant processing and related services that comprise processing various payment forms, such as credit, debit, prepaid, electronic benefit transfer, and electronic check; authorization and capture of transactions; clearing and settlement of transactions; information reporting services related to transactions; merchant billing services; and point-of-sale equipment sales and service. In addition, the company offers issuer and merchant card solutions. Total System Services, Inc. provides its services through online accounting and electronic payment processing systems. It operates primarily in the United States, Europe, Canada, Japan, Mexico, the Caribbean, the Asia Pacific, and Brazil. The company was founded in 1982 and is based in Columbus, Georgia.

Hot Companies To Invest In 2014: Cobra Venture Corporation (CBV.V)

Cobra Venture Corporation engages in the acquisition, exploration, development, and production of petroleum and natural gas interests in western Canada. The company holds a 27% net working interest in the Pembina Area; a 80% working interest in an oil well located in the Willesden Green area; and option to acquire a 13.5% working interest in the Davey Lake area located in Alberta, Canada. It also holds interests in approximately 15.78 acres of land located in the Municipal District of Rocky View No. 44, in the Province of Alberta, Canada. The company was incorporated in 1998 and is headquartered in West Vancouver, Canada.

Hot Companies To Invest In 2014: PVF Capital Corp.(PVFC)

PVF Capital Corp. operates as the holding company for Park View Federal Savings Bank that provides various banking products and services in Ohio. Its deposit products include checking, money market, and regular savings accounts, as well as certificates of deposit. The company?s loan portfolio comprises commercial real estate and business loans, commercial non-real estate business loans, residential and commercial construction loans, consumer loans, land loans, and equity line of credit loans; fixed and adjustable-rate mortgage loans for the acquisition or refinancing of single-family residential homes; and permanent mortgage loans on condominiums, multi-family, and nonresidential properties. It also engages in land acquisition and real estate leasing activities. PVF Capital Corp. operates through 17 offices located in Cuyahoga, Summit, Medina, Lorain, Lake, Portage, and Geauga Counties in Ohio. The company was founded in 1920 and is headquartered in Solon, Ohio.

Understanding The Impact Of Legalized Recreational Marijuana On State Tax Revenue

Writing in today's sissified, politically correct environment ain't easy. In the old days, you could just tell it like it was, and if people got mad, so be it. But now, make a comment about one certain group of individuals, and it's immediately, "Boo-Hoo, I'm being repressed."  Constantly crying discrimination, these people have become so hyper-sensitive that they will twist the most innocuous comment in order to brand me a bigot.

I'm talking, of course, about pot smokers. Who did you think I was referring to?

See, every time I write about the tax implications of the recent recreational marijuana revolution – with Washington and my home state of Colorado becoming the first states to approve the sale and use of the drug for non-medicinal purposes – my obligatory slew of tired, predictable pothead jokes are met with a backlash that is far more intense than one would expect from what should be a laid-back weed-smoking community.

The argument goes like this: "Why do you have to perpetuate the same tired clichés by painting cannabis users as futon-dwelling watchers of inane television? Do a little bit of research, and you'll find that there are millions of cannabis users who are high functioning members of society:  lawyers, teachers, politicians and yes, even doctors."

Well, Spicolli, I've got three things to say to you.

First, stop calling its cannabis. It's weed. The rest of your day you call it weed, so don't start calling it cannabis when you want to establish some sort of legitimacy. You're not fooling anyone.

Second, maybe upstanding members of society are smoking weed all the time, but society as a whole isn't ready to process that just yet. There are certain people in positions of trust and power that we want, nay, need, to believe simply don't dabble. Not just in weed, but in totally legal and socially acceptable booze. Trust me, as a guy who's endured brain surgery, I welcome the idea of my neurosurgeon blowing off steam by ripping bong hits no more than I welcome the idea of him knocking back a handle of Jack. Doctors should live squeaky clean, or stop being doctors.

Finally, let's get serious. There's no way that many people really smoke weed, do they?

/googles

I stand corrected.

According to this study, it is anticipated that 665,000 Coloradans will use recreational marijuana in 2014 now that it's legal. This number does not include those that continue to buy black market weed because 1) they want the rush that comes from tasting forbidden fruit, or 2) they're morons.

No matter how you split it, that's a lot of pot *ahem* cannabis users. The study then estimates that the average user will smoke 3.53 ounces in 2014. This puts total anticipated consumption at 2.3 million ounces for 2014.

Of course, the projected use of recreational marijuana is important for reasons aside from proving me an idiot. One of the primary arguments for legalizing weed has been to regulate and tax the hell out of it in a time when most states are struggling to stay in the black, and that's exactly what Colorado intends to do. Back in May, Colorado Governor John Hickenlooper signed Proposition AA, which would assess a three-tiered series of hefty taxes on the new industry. This November, voters will head to the booths to either approve or shoot down the proposal.

Under the taxing structure, an excise tax of 15% would first be levied on all wholesale sales of marijuana from the grower to a retail operation.

Next Next, a special 15% sales tax would be levied on all retail sales from stores to the ultimate consumer. This was originally set at 25% before being lowered prior to finalization of the legislation.

Lastly, the state's existing 2.9% sales tax would also apply on the retail sales, as would any local sales taxes.

That amounts to a staggering 32.9% in excise and sales taxing on a single life-cycle of weed as it makes the journey from seed to Von Miller's lungs. Based on an estimated total market for recreational marijuana of $605 million, the various taxes would produce over $130 million in revenue in 2014 alone.

Investors Warm to UAE Stocks

Investor interest in the UAE has increased at a rapid rate, ever since the announcement of a number of coming IPOs, writes Hadeel al Sayegh, of The National.

A flurry of initial public offerings is planned for the coming months amid ripe valuations and investor appetite for UAE stocks.

This month, the Bank of London & The Middle East announced an intent to list its shares on the Nasdaq Dubai in October, the bourse's first listing in almost five years.

The news was then followed by two IPO revelations this week—Just Falafel is considering a 25% listing of the food chain's shares on the Nasdaq Dubai and Damac Properties is eyeing a London share sale.

The renewed confidence among UAE companies illustrates a marked change in attitude towards raising capital from equity markets.

"More investors are turning to investment banks to take their companies public," said Mohammed Ali Yasin, the managing director at National Bank of Abu Dhabi's brokerage arm. "Valuations have become much more interesting and give room for founders to realize good value from selling their companies."

UAE shares traded at 10 times earnings about a year ago. For a company to go public, they would have to be valued at five to seven times earnings, "which is not exciting or interesting for founders of those companies", said Mr. Yasin.

Today, the ratio is 12 to 13 times earnings. "That means IPOs can come to the market with 10 times earnings. It gives the founders incentive to spin off their shares."

Equity markets have rallied over the past year, as the nation's laggard stocks have come to better reflect the UAE's strong economic fundamentals.

The Abu Dhabi Securities Exchange General Index has gained about 45% this year. The Dubai Financial Market General Index has risen almost 65%.

There have been few new listings from UAE companies in recent years, as low valuations and thin trading volumes deterred companies from going public.

"Since the 2008 global financial crisis, there was no market at all for IPOs," said Fathi Ben Grira, the chief executive at Mena Corp in Abu Dhabi. "We reached a bottom when trading values touched Dh15 million per day. How can you launch an IPO with that? You can't sell it."

In the wider region, investors are considering reductions in their holdings of Asiacell, Iraq's publicly listed mobile services operator, as a second telecoms share sale in the country catches their attention.

The initial public offering of Zain Iraq, which the company hopes will raise "north of US$1 billion", is expected to take place next year. Oman's Sembcorp Salalah Power & Water Company said it would close its IPO, in which it is selling 35% of the company, on this Thursday.

Saudi Arabia's Prince Alwaleed bin Talal said he would hold his stake in Twitter when it goes public, which he said he expected to take place later this year or early next year.

Read more from The National here…

The Deal: Frontier Airlines Stuck on the Runway

NEW YORK (The Deal) -- Republic Airways Holdings (RJET ) on Tues., Sept. 17, further delayed the long-running auction of its Frontier Airlines discount unit, extending exclusive negotiations with a potential buyer until Sept. 30.

Indianapolis-based Republic, which has had Frontier on the block since November 2011, in July signed a nonbinding term sheet with an unnamed party interested in acquiring the discounter. Industry sources say the would-be buyer is private equity firm Indigo Partners, which this summer liquidated its stake in discounter Spirit Airlines Inc. ahead of a potential Frontier bid.

Republic acquired Frontier out of bankruptcy in 2009 for $108.75 million and added Midwest Air Group Inc. soon after in an attempt to build a viable discount brand, but the Frontier unit has been a distraction to Republic's core business providing small jet service under other airline brands, and has lost money during much of the time Republic has owned it.

Republic chairman and CEO Bryan Bedford in a statement said "we have made substantial progress towards reaching a definitive agreement with the buyer," saying that "we believe providing the additional time will allow for the process to be completed." Sources have said to expect Frontier to be sold for little cash, with the buyer instead assuming a significant amount of debt and Republic possibly holding onto a sliver of equity. If Indigo is indeed the buyer, the private equity firm is likely to accelerate the transformation of Frontier into a so-called ultra-low cost carrier similar to Spirit, which is known for its low fares and fees for specific services like carry-on bags and beverage service. The extension comes on the same day that Republic's board was set to meet, with some sources familiar with the company predicting a sale announcement as soon as Tuesday following a board vote. It is unclear whether the Republic board had objected to some aspect of the proposed deal, or if the delay is just a formality. "The hope among workers is that this is resolved soon," a source said. -- Written by Lou Whiteman

Deutsche Bank Sees Technology Networking Giants Grabbing Even More Market Share

The Deutsche Bank technology analysts did plenty of networking at the recent VMworld 2013 conference and came away with some pretty solid conclusions. A key insight from analysts information technology (IT) conversations at VMworld was that their thesis that market leaders in networking are well positioned to capture a growing percentage of IT software capital expenditure (capex) dollars appears to be spot on.

With an expected $350 billion to be spent in data center IT equipment, according to McKinsey data, the Deutsche Bank team is focused on the names that are poised to grab the largest share of the budgets. Here are the top stocks to buy that they expect to be the winners.

Ciena Corp. (NASDAQ: CIEN) reported solid earnings yesterday morning as expected. The company benefited from the strong optical upgrade cycle and is on track for a very good year. Deutsche Bank has a $22 price target for the stock. The Thomson/First call estimate is at $22.50.

Cisco Systems Inc. (NASDAQ: CSCO) got hit hard when it reported earnings in mid August, and investors have an outstanding chance to own the stock at a good entry point. With a huge focus on data center networking products, the tech giant is launching its Insieme platform near the end of this year. Deutsche Bank has a $28 price target for the stock, and the consensus target is $28 as well. Investors are paid a solid 2.9% dividend.

F5 Networks Inc. (NASDAQ: FFIV) has been all over the board in the past year, trading in an almost 45 point range. Analysts around Wall Street in addition to Deutsche Bank are very positive on core growth accelerating in the second half of 2013 as data center orders build. Deutsche Bank has a $100 price objective, and the consensus target is $96.

Peregrine Semiconductor Corp. (NASDAQ: PSMI) is a lesser known name that is a top stock to buy at Deutsche Bank. The company recently released a new radio frequency (RF) switch specifically designed for broadband cable systems. With HD content exploding, this could be a huge home run for the company. Deutsche Bank has a $14 price target for the stock, the same as the consensus target.

Top Safest Companies To Watch In Right Now

Qualcomm Inc. (NASDAQ: QCOM) rounds out the list of top tech stocks to buy at Deutsche Bank. The company still has a dominant position in the mobile chip industry and has benefited largely because of its first mover advantage in the smartphone revolution. The company’s performance has been spectacular in the past two years, with revenue and profits averaging 32% and 29%. While not leveraged to networking, their dominance makes the stock a core holding. The Deutsche Bank price target is $78, and the consensus target is $75. Investors are paid a 2.1% dividend.

The Deutsche Bank analysts feel that the networking theme, in tandem with big data and data center proliferation, is a long-scale proposal with no end in sight soon. The tremendous growth of data and content will only continue as more and more items are digitized. Investors looking for tech growth need to look at areas where commoditization is less of a threat. This may be just the area.

Is Green Mountain Still an Outperform?

With shares of Green Mountain Coffee Roasters (NASDAQ:GMCR) trading at around $78.39, is GMCR an OUTPERFORM, WAIT AND SEE, or STAY AWAY? Let's analyze the stock with the relevant sections of our CHEAT SHEET investing framework:

C = Catalyst for the Stock's Movement

Green Mountain was given an OUTPERFORM rating here on March, 26, 2013, at $54.96. But is it still an OUTPERFORM after its impressive run? This stock has a large short position of 37.90 percent, but shorts have been torched so far. However, many of them are maintaining their positions due to fundamentals. Then again, are the fundamentals really that bad?

Margins are solid, free cash flow is expected to increase, there are no debt issues, costs have decreased, revenue has been strong, and earnings have been steady. In addition to those factors, guidance is strong, the deal with Starbucks Corporation (NASDAQ:SBUX) has been extended for five years, and analysts like the stock: 9 Buy, 4 Hold, 1 Sell.

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From a bearish perspective, sales growth has been declining, sales guidance has declined to 11-14 percent from 15-20 percent, and Keurig brewer sales have declined 9 percent. On the surface, it would look as though there is a strong bear case due to slowing growth, but Green Mountain works in clever ways. For instance, if it looks as though the next quarter is going to be a disappointment, then the company may find a way to release positive news in order to overshadow the negatives. If it has been done once, then it's likely to happen again. Green Mountain doesn't have a ton of cash, so the options are somewhat limited, but Green Mountain's creativity shouldn't be underestimated.

A look at a company's culture can provide an important an inside look at the operation. According to Glassdoor.com, Green Mountain employees have rated their employer a 3.4 of 5, which is above average. Two other stats are also above average: 75 percent of employees would recommend the company to a friend, and 83 percent of employees approve of Lawrence J. Blanford.

The chart below compares fundamentals for Green Mountain, Farmer Brothers Co. (NASDAQ:FARM), and Starbucks.

	GMCR	FARM	SBUX
Trailing P/E	30.16	N/A	32.28
Forward P/E	21.96	17.36	24.24
Profit Margin	9.74%	-3.58%	10.80%
ROE	17.82%	-19.95%	28.97%
Operating Cash Flow	712.31M	24.94M	2.55B
Dividend Yield	N/A	N/A	1.30%
Short Position	37.90%	5.80%	1.20%

Let's take a look at some more important numbers prior to forming an opinion on this stock.

T = Technicals Are Strong

Green Mountain has outperformed its peers for every time frame listed below.

	1 Month	Year-To-Date	1 Year	3 Year
GMCR	36.47%	89.62%	211.9%	210.0%
FARM	-15.81%	-2.56%	101.1%	-25.02%
SBUX	7.86%	19.29%	20.16%	150.9%

At $78.39, Green Mountain is trading well above its averages.

50-Day SMA	58.80
200-Day SMA	45.64

 

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E = Equity to Debt Ratio Is Strong

The debt-to-equity ratio for Green Mountain is stronger than the industry average of 0.80. Debt isn’t a concern at the moment.

	Debt-To-Equity	Cash	Long-Term Debt
GMCR	0.15	221.17M	350.75M
FARM	0.49	26.29M	32.93M
SBUX	0.10	1.70B	549.60M

Top 5 Financial Companies To Watch In Right Now

 

E = Earnings Have Been Steady

Earnings and revenue have consistently improved on an annual basis.

Fiscal Year	2008	2009	2010	2011	2012
Revenue ($) in billions	0.500	0.786	1.36	2.65	3.86
Diluted EPS ($)	0.1933	0.45	0.58	1.31	2.28

When we look at the last quarter on a year-over-year basis, we see an increase in revenue and earnings. Revenue and earnings have also improved on a sequential basis.

Quarter	Dec. 31, 2011	Mar. 31, 2012	Jun. 30, 2012	Sep. 30, 2012	Dec. 31, 2012
Revenue ($) in billions	1.16	0.885	0.869	0.947	1.34
Diluted EPS ($)	0.66	0.58	0.46	0.5808	0.70

Now let's take a look at the next page for the Conclusion. Is this stock an OUTPERFORM, a WAIT AND SEE, or a STAY AWAY?

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Conclusion

Green Mountain's growth might be slowing, but with a strong management team in place, innovation and finding creative ways to move the stock price are possibilities. Of course, long-term investors would prefer to see innovation for more sustainable results.

Eleven Countries with Soaring Inflation

While inflation has been relatively tame in the United States and Europe, several large nations have struggled with rising prices. Sadly, most instances are simply stagflation, where prices are rising but the economic growth is substandard. A high inflation rate jeopardizes a country’s economic stability and the well-being of its people. 24/7 Wall St. reviewed the nations with the highest inflation rates around the world and it was in many cases shocking to see which nations were on the list.

As was the case in the United States, even a modest increase in health care costs of a few percentage points had major repercussions for the population as lower-income residents stopped affording many services. In developing and emerging economies, rising prices can cause much more severe problems as most of the benefits of economic growth are being absorbed by a higher cost of living. Unlike much of the developed world, many nations do not have formal health care systems. And with prices of other necessities increasing as well — from food to heating to gasoline to clothing — there is less to spend on everything.

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Higher inflation can be crippling for economic development. A 10% increase in income compared to the prior year when prices are stable allows for a higher disposable income and higher savings rates. However, if prices rise 10% while economic growth slows down to 2%, then real purchasing power has eroded.

If the countries that suffer from high inflation rates and slower economic growth also have high unemployment rates, low economic mobility and low job openings, the situation can quickly deteriorate. That is when the risk of stagflation becomes real. Three of the high-growth, emerging market BRIC nations — Brazil, Russia, India and China — are among the nations suffering from high inflation.

In several of the high inflation nations, the reported unemployment rate remains quite high. Four nations had a higher unemployment rate than the U.S.’s 7.4% as of July. In South Africa, more than 25% of the workforce was unemployed as of the second quarter of 2013. Egypt, currently embroiled in a massive political crisis, has an unemployment rate of more than 13%.

Many of these nations also have trade deficits, meaning they are massive net importers. Just four of these nations — Argentina, Brazil, Russia and Vietnam — have had exports exceed imports over the most recently available 12 months. India's trade deficit was the second highest in the world behind only the United States, at nearly $200 billion for the 12 months through the second quarter of 2012.

Countries with high inflation also face high government borrowing costs as a result, since lenders need to be compensated for the loss of their investments' buying power. Each of the seven nations for which 10-year government bond interest rates were available had one of the eight highest interest rates in the world. To borrow for 10 years, Pakistan's government must pay a quoted rate of 12%.

Based on the 57 nations considered by the Economist, 24/7 Wall St. identified the nations with the highest inflation rates measured by year-over-year increases in consumer prices. We reviewed figures on output, unemployment, trade, budgets and interest rates, also from the Economist. Population data are from the CIA's World Factbook. We excluded Hong Kong from the rankings because it is a Special Administrative Region of China and not a fully independent nation. Similarly, while Zimbabwe and Iran are both struggling with high inflation, they were not considered by the Economist, likely due to the countries’ unreliable economic data.

These are the countries with the highest inflation rates.

Will Sirius XM See an Explosive Move Higher?

With shares of Sirius XM (NASDAQ:SIRI) trading around $3.50, is SIRI an OUTPERFORM, WAIT AND SEE, or STAY AWAY? Let's analyze the stock with the relevant sections of our CHEAT SHEET investing framework:

T = Trends for a Stock’s Movement

Sirius XM broadcasts its music, sports, entertainment, comedy, talk, news, traffic, and weather channels in the United States on a subscription fee basis through its two satellite radio systems. Subscribers can also receive its music and other channels over the Internet, including through applications for mobile devices. Audio entertainment has always pleased consumers and is a medium that is here to stay. Sirius XM is looking to expand its audio entertainment channels to every audio medium possible which will surely translate to rising profits. As consumers continue to adopt this technology, look for Sirius XM to gain market share.

T = Technicals on the Stock Chart are Strong

Sirius XM stock has seen an explosive move higher after establishing lows during the 2008 Financial Crisis. The stock is currently trading at multi-year highs and seems to want to keep plowing higher. Analyzing the price trend and its strength can be done using key simple moving averages. What are the key moving averages? The 50-day (pink), 100-day (blue), and 200-day (yellow) simple moving averages. As seen in the daily price chart below, Sirius XM is trading above its rising key averages which signal neutral to bullish price action in the near-term.

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(Source: Thinkorswim)

Taking a look at the implied volatility (red) and implied volatility skew levels of Sirius XM options may help determine if investors are bullish, neutral, or bearish.

	Implied Volatility (IV)	30-Day IV Percentile	90-Day IV Percentile
Sirius XM Options	35.33%	53%	52%

What does this mean? This means that investors or traders are buying a significant amount of call and put options contracts, as compared to the last 30 and 90 trading days.

	Put IV Skew	Call IV Skew
June Options	Flat	Average
July Options	Flat	Average

As of today, there is an average demand from call buyers or sellers and low demand by put buyers or high demand by put sellers, all neutral to bullish over the next two months. To summarize, investors are buying a significant amount of call and put option contracts and are leaning neutral to bullish over the next two months.

On the next page, let’s take a look at the earnings and revenue growth rates and the conclusion.

E = Earnings Are Increasing Quarter-Over-Quarter

Rising stock prices are often strongly correlated with rising earnings and revenue growth rates. Also, the last four quarterly earnings announcement reactions help gauge investor sentiment on Sirius XM’s stock. What do the last four quarterly earnings and revenue growth (Y-O-Y) figures for Sirius XM look like and more importantly, how did the markets like these numbers?

	2013 Q1	2012 Q4	2012 Q3	2012 Q2
Earnings Growth (Y-O-Y)	0%	104.8%	-50%	1500%
Revenue Growth (Y-O-Y)	11.52%	13.87%	13.74%	12.51%
Earnings Reaction	5.86%	1.26%	0.35%	4.54%

Sirius XM has seen increasing earnings and revenue figures over most of the last four quarters. From these figures, the markets have been excited about Sirius XM’s recent earnings announcements.

P = Average Relative Performance Versus Peers and Sector

How has Sirius XM stock done relative to its peers, Pandora (NYSE:P), Cumulus Media (NASDAQ:CMLS), Dialogic (NASDAQ:DLGC), and sector?

	Sirius XM	Pandora	Cumulus Media	Dialogic	Sector
Year-to-Date Return	21.80%	80.50%	41.57%	-36.22%	19.33%

Sirius XM has been an average relative performer, year-to-date.

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Conclusion

Sirius XM provides audio entertainment services through growing mediums to consumers of any age. The stock has been exploding higher over the last few years and is now trading at multi-year high prices. Earnings and revenue have been increasing over most of the last four quarters, which has really excited investors. Relative to its strong peers and sector, Sirius XM has been an average year-to-date performer. Look for Sirius XM to OUTPERFORM.

5 Foreign Stocks to Trade for Gains

BALTIMORE (Stockpickr) -- Foreign stocks have been struggling in 2013, but that isn't stopping a handful of names from looking tradable this week.

Since the calendar flipped over to 2013, the S&P 500 has rallied 15%. Other countries haven't had quite the same upside over the course of this rally: the Euro Stoxx 50 is up a meager 4.8%; Korea's KOSPI is down 3.2%; India's Sensex has dropped 6%; Brazil's BOVESPA has sunk more than 15%.

One of the few exceptions has been Japan, with a 34% rally in the Nikkei 225 year-to-date.

According to the latest data released on Tuesday morning from the OECD, emerging economies are showing more sluggish economic recovery than more established countries are. A quick look at market performance anytime this year would've told you the same exact thing.

But that shouldn't stop you from trading foreign stocks in 2013. That's why we're taking a technical look at five foreign stocks to trade for gains this week.

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 technical setups worth trading now.

Canadian National Railway

It's been a pretty lackluster year for shares of Canadian National Railway (CNI). The $40 billion rail transport stock has treaded water for most of 2013, gaining just under 4% in these last eight months. But that sideways churn is exactly what makes this stock tradable right now. Here's what I mean.

Sure, CNI has spent the year sideways, but what's key is that this stock has spent the year sideways in a tight, well-defined range with resistance at $102 and support down at $94. CNI's setup is called a rectangle pattern. It gets its name because it essentially "boxes in" shares in between those two price levels. Now, with shares testing support, fast-paced traders can buy the bounce on up to $102 -- or wait for a breakout to the top-side of the pattern through $102.

Either way, a dip through $94 is a sell signal for this stock. If buyers can't support this stock anymore, a failure at $94 is going to be the first sign in a long fall. Consider it a sell (or short) signal.

Nippon Telegraph & Telephone

The strength in Japanese stocks is evident in Nippon Telegraph & Telephone (NTT), the $60 billion telco in the Land of the Rising Sun. Shares of NTT are up close to 22% since the first trading session in January -- and now, a technical setup points to even higher ground in the month ahead.

That's because NTT is currently forming an ascending triangle pattern, a bullish price setup that's formed by horizontal resistance above shares at $27 and uptrending support to the downside. Basically, as NTT bounces in between those two technical levels, it's getting squeezed closer and closer to a breakout above resistance. When that move above $27 happens, traders have their buy signal.

At first glance, the abundance of gaps on NTT's chart may be alarming. But those gaps, called suspension gaps, are just the rest of off hours trading on the Tokyo and London exchanges. From a technical standpoint they're irrelevant, but they're common in foreign traded names that are dual-listed overseas.

Costamare

Thinks aren't looking quite so auspicious for shares of small-cap Greek shipping stock Costamare (CMRE). Greek equities enjoyed some buoyancy this year, the result of getting oversold due to headline risk during the economic crisis in the Eurozone. But this stock's down days don't look behind it yet.

That's because Costamare is currently forming the bearish opposite of the bullish pattern in NTT: a descending triangle. CMRE's setup is formed by downtrending resistance above shares and horizontal support down at $16.75 that shares are getting pushed down into. A move through $16.75 is the signal to sell this stock.

Whenever you're looking at any technical price pattern, it's critical to think in terms of buyers and sellers. Triangles, rectangles, and other price pattern names are a good quick way to explain what's going on in this stock, but they're not the reason it's tradable. Instead, it all comes down to supply and demand for shares.

That support line at $16.75 is a price where there's an excess of demand of shares; in other words, it's a place where buyers have been more eager to jump in and buy at lower levels than sellers have been to unload them. That's what makes the move below it so significant -- a breakdown indicates that sellers are finally strong enough to absorb all of the excess demand below that price level. Wait for that signal to happen before you bet against CMRE.

BT Group

You don't have to be an expert technical analyst to figure out what's going on in shares of UK-based BT Group (BT). This chart has been moving up and to the right all year long, bouncing its way higher in a tight-range. So even though shares of BT have already made their way 38% higher since the start of the year, this stock is well positioned to keep its trajectory going.

BT has had the same trendline support level in place since all the way back in November, a level that held when the S&P broke its own similarly-positioned uptrend. That's a considerable sign of strength. Now the ideal time to be a buyer in BT comes on a bounce off of that support level.

Buying off a support bounce makes sense for two big reasons: it's the spot where shares have the furthest to move up before they hit resistance, and it's the spot where the risk is the least (because shares have the least room to move lower before you know you're wrong). While BT could stand to pull back some before it makes sense to jump in, the strength of this channel makes it worth watching now.

If you decide to jump in, I'd recommend keeping a protective stop in place at the 50-day moving average.

KB Financial Group

Korean bank KB Financial Group (KB) has a chart that's looked a whole lot less attractive year-to-date than most of the other names on this list. But with shares pointing to some early signs of a major reversal, traders need to watch KB closely this week.

KB is currently forming an inverse head and shoulders setup, a bullish reversal pattern that indicates exhaustion among sellers. The inverse head and shoulders is formed by two swing lows that bottom out at approximately the same price level (the shoulders), separated by a deeper swing low (the head). The buy signal comes when shares push through the neckline that's acted as resistance over the course of the pattern. Since this setup has been forming in the long-term, the upside implications are long-term once it triggers.

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At the time of publication, author had no positions in stocks mentioned.

Jonas Elmerraji, CMT, is a senior market analyst at Agora Financial in Baltimore and a contributor to TheStreet. Before that, he managed a portfolio of stocks for an investment advisory returned 15% in 2008. He has been featured in Forbes , Investor's Business Daily, and on CNBC.com. Jonas holds a degree in financial economics from UMBC and the Chartered Market Technician designation.

 

Follow Jonas on Twitter @JonasElmerraji

 

When RIA Zombies Attack, Money Manager Has Survival Guide

Are you an RIA or a ZIA—zombie investment advisor? That is the question, or challenge at least, put forward by one third-party money manager trying to get your attention and maybe even partner with you in managing client assets.

Niemann Capital Management, which provides separately managed ETF portfolios following a variety of popular strategies, can fairly boast some eye-peeling performance. Those numbers, both short and long term, are astutely included on the Northern California-based firm’s RIA Zombie Survival Guide, recently posted on the firm’s blog.

The marketing campaign, created by Reno, Nev.-based O’Connor Marketing, targets RIAs with some familiar marketing messages that managed money firms typically make, dressed up in blood-spattered animated corpse style.

The message is that advisors should avoid Wall Street’s walking dead, i.e., advisors who assume the risk of purveying their own rather than professional money management of the kind Niemann can provide.

For example, if you make portfolio decisions for your clients that underperform, “you get infected by zombies and fired by your clients," Niemann’s guide advises. "If a hired money manager underperforms for long, they get bitten and you keep the AUM.”

Allying with a third-party money manager, who will perform better than an RIA, will help “stave off zombie infiltration” and allow advisors to concentrate on raising assets and serving clients, the guide adds.

While these are all stock-in-trade arguments for the SMA industry, Niemann’s chief strategy officer, Charles Halliday, says the zombie metaphor serves to “distill boring financial language in simple terms.”

Noting that we live in an “entertainment culture,” Nieman told AdvisorOne in a phone interview that investment ideas that are conveyed in an entertaining and fun way help to differentiate his firm.

“The jury is out regarding the SEC in terms of how they see some of this,” he added. But entertainment-based communications, social media and blogging are “a reality that big firms are embracing, and this allows us to be competitive.”

O’Connor Marketing’s CEO, Patrick O’Connor, author of the campaign, says the campaign has gone viral, an inference he makes from the fact that the campaign is getting more hits than the number of advisors he sent it to in a test.

“Everyday language is very clinical, very dry,” O’Connor told AdvisorOne. “By putting entertainment into it you get people to join the discussion.”

Niemann’s message is that advisors should not be tempted to think they can claim extra fees through money management but rather through gathering assets and leveraging a third-party money manager. Aside from investment performance, that manager can aid the advisor’s communication with clients through periodic investment updates, blogs and social media, as well as videos, podcasts and webcasts.

FINRA Alert: Brokerage Imposters Do It Old-Fashioned Way

Step aside, Internet schemers, the newest imposters on the block are phony phone callers from fake brokerage firms.

The Financial Industry Regulatory Authority in its most recent investor alert warns that old-fashioned cold calls by brokerage firm imposters have caught on as the latest phishing trend.

“Recently, FINRA has received reports that scamsters are posing as employees of at least one well-known brokerage firm to obtain personal information,” FINRA reported. “In a new twist to Internet phishing schemes, which use spam email to lure you into revealing everything from Social Security numbers to financial account information, it appears that some fraudsters may be resorting to a time-tested method — the telephone call.”

Fraudsters using the scam start by cold-calling potential victims and posing as associates of a well-known brokerage firm. In some cases, people who have received these calls are actually customers of the legitimate brokerage firm, FINRA warns.

The fraudsters claim to offer information about certificates of deposit, citing yields well above the best market rates, according to the FINRA alert. “The imposters say their supervisor will follow up with more details about the CDs, and sometimes send potential victims applications and forms to transfer funds in an effort to collect additional information. Armed with this information, the fraudsters may attempt to steal the person's identity or money from an account.”

Investors should never give personal information or authorize a transfer of funds to an unknown person who phones. To determine whether the caller is legitimate, FINRA advises investors to take these steps:

Call the customer service center or compliance office of the firm the caller claims to work for. Use the number on the firm's website or in a publicly available telephone directory. Verify the caller's identity and the legitimacy of the recommended investment.

If you have an account at the firm, check caller ID (if you have it) for the firm's name and telephone number. Be wary of “unavailable” or unfamiliar phone numbers. Keep in mind that sophisticated fraudsters can deliberately falsify a phone number for caller ID purposes (known as “caller ID spoofing”), which makes it all the more important to call the firm directly.

Best Stocks To Watch For 2014

If you believe you're a victim of a scam, act quickly. Contact your financial institution immediately to report a loss or theft of funds through an electronic funds transfer. If you believe your identity has been stolen, follow the Federal Trade Commission's Identity Theft action plan. FINRA also encourages investors to file a complaint using the online Complaint Center or send a tip to FINRA's Office of the Whistleblower.

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Read SEC, FINRA Warn of Email ‘Pump-and-Dump’ Stock Schemes at ThinkAdvisor.