Top 10 Bank Stocks To Watch Right Now

Top 10 Bank Stocks To Watch Right Now: Bank Of Mo ntreal (BMO)

Bank of Montreal, together with its subsidiaries, provides a range of retail banking, wealth management, and investment banking products and solutions in North America and internationally. It offers personal banking products and services to consumers and small businesses, including deposit and investment services, mortgages, consumer credit, small business lending, and other banking services; and commercial banking products and services to small business, medium-sized enterprise, and mid-market banking clients comprising lending, deposits, treasury management, and risk management services. The company also offers cards and payments services; investment and wealth advisory services; self-directed investing services; private banking services to high net worth and ultra-high net worth clients; investment fund solutions across a range of channels; pension plans; investment management services; and creditor insurance, and life insurance and annuity products and services. In add ition, it provides capital markets products and services, including equity and debt underwriting, corporate lending and project financing, mergers and acquisitions, restructurings and recapitalizations, balance sheet management, liquidity management, merchant banking, securitization, foreign exchange, derivatives, debt and equity research, and institutional sales and trading to corporate, institutional, and government clients. As of October 31, 2010, Bank of Montreal operated and maintained approximately 1,230 bank branches in Canada and the United States. The company was founded in 1817 and is headquartered in Toronto, Canada.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Ian Wyatt]

  Established in 1817, Bank of Montreal (BMO) was Canada's first bank. Nearly two centuries later, the bank is not only still standing—it's thriving.

• [By Will Ashwo! rth]

  Bank of Montreal (BMO) and National Bank (NTIOF) have already delivered their numbers, and the rest are expected to come tomorrow and Friday. The major Canadian bank stocks are expected to grow earnings between 5% and 7% over last year's fourth quarter, which is excellent.

• [By Dan Caplinger]

  Toronto-Dominion Bank (NYSE: TD  ) will release its quarterly report on Thursday, and in general, investors have been pleased with the Canadian bank's prospects over the past several months. But in light of surprisingly negative news from rival Bank of Montreal (NYSE: BMO  ) on Tuesday, Toronto-Dominion Bank will have to demonstrate that it's able to avoid the troubles that hurt its rival's results during the most recent quarter.

• [By Laura Brodbeck]

  Tuesday

  Earnings Expected From: Bank of Montreal (NYSE: BMO), United Natural Foods, Inc. (NASDAQ: UNFI), OmniVision Technology, Inc. (NASDAQ: OVTI), Universal Technical Institute, Inc. (NYSE: UTI) Economic Releases Expected: Chinese HSBC Services PMI, Australian GDP, Brazilian GDP, eurozone PPI, British construction PMI.

  Wednesday

source from Top Stocks Blog:http://www.topstocksblog.com/top-10-bank-stocks-to-watch-right-now.html

3 Stocks Rising on Unusual Volume

DELAFIELD, Wis. (Stockpickr) -- Professional traders running mutual funds and hedge funds don't just look at a stock's price moves; they also track big changes in volume activity. Often when above-average volume moves into an equity, it precedes a large spike in volatility.

>>5 Stocks With Big Insider Buying

Major moves in volume can signal unusual activity, such as insider buying or selling -- or buying or selling by "superinvestors."

Unusual volume can also be a major signal that hedge funds and momentum traders are piling into a stock ahead of a catalyst. These types of traders like to get in well before a large spike, so it's always a smart move to monitor unusual volume. That said, remember to combine trend and price action with unusual volume. Put them all together to help you decipher the next big trend for any stock.

>>5 Hated Earnings Stocks You Should Love

With that in mind, let's take a look at several stocks rising on unusual volume recently.

AOL

AOL (AOL) provides various digital brands, products and services to consumers, advertisers, publishers and subscribers worldwide. This stock closed up 3.7% to $43.83 in Wednesday's trading session.

Wednesday's Volume: 3.61 million

Three-Month Average Volume: 1.47 million

Volume % Change: 165%

From a technical perspective, AOL spiked higher here right above some near-term support at $41.71 with above-average volume. This move briefly pushed shares of AOL into breakout territory, after the stock flirted with some near-term overhead resistance levels at $44.34 and its 50-day moving average of $45.30. Shares of AOL hit an intraday high of $45.86 before closing below those breakout levels at $43.83. Market players should now look for a continuation move higher in the short-term if AOL manages to take out Wednesday's high of $45.86 with strong volume.

Traders should now look for long-biased trades in AOL as long as it's trending above Wednesday's low of $42.66 or above more support at $41.71 and then once it sustains a move or close above $45.86 with volume that hits near or above 1.47 million shares. If we get that move soon, then AOL will set up to re-test or possibly take out its next major overhead resistance levels at $48 to $52, or even its 52-week high at $53.28.

NXP Semiconductors

NXP Semiconductors (NXPI) provides high-performance mixed signal and standard product solutions for radio frequency, analog, power management, interface, security and digital processing products worldwide. This stock closed up 2% to $58.09 in Wednesday's trading session.

Wednesday's Volume: 5.04 million

Three-Month Average Volume: 3.24 million

Volume % Change: 56%

From a technical perspective, NXPI jumped notably higher here with above-average volume. This stock recently formed a double bottom chart pattern at $55.90 to $56.13. Following that bottom, shares of NXPI have started to uptrend and move within range of triggering a near-term breakout trade. That trade will hit if NXPI manages to take out Wednesday's high of $60.31 to its 52-week high at $60.48 with high volume.

Traders should now look for long-biased trades in NXPI as long as it's trending above Wednesday's low of $57.43 or above more support at $55.90 and then once it sustains a move or close above those breakout levels with volume that hits near or above 3.24 million shares. If that breakout gets underway soon, then NXPI will set up to enter new 52-week-high territory, which is bullish technical price action. Some possible upside targets off that breakout are $65 to $70.

Bio-Reference Laboratories

Bio-Reference Laboratories (BRLI) provides clinical laboratory testing services for the detection, diagnosis, evaluation, monitoring and treatment of diseases primarily in the greater New York metropolitan area. This stock closed up 3.6% at $28.26 in Wednesday's trading session.

Wednesday's Volume: 473,000

Three-Month Average Volume: 323,530

Volume % Change: 65%

From a technical perspective, BRLI jumped sharply higher here and broke out above some near-term overhead resistance at $27.89 with above-average volume. This move briefly pushed shares of BRLI back above its 200-day moving average of $28.32 before the stock closed just below that level at $28.26. Market players should now look for a continuation move higher in the short-term if BRLI manages to take out Wednesday's high of $29.02 with strong volume.

Traders should now look for long-biased trades in BRLI as long as it's trending above Wednesday's low of $27.39 or above its 50-day at $26.28 and then once it sustains a move or close above $29.02 with volume that's near or above 323,530 shares. If that breakout triggers soon, then BRLI will set up to re-fill some of its previous gap-down-day zone from last November that started near $35.

To see more stocks rising on unusual volume, check out the Stocks Rising on Unusual Volume portfolio on Stockpickr.

-- Written by Roberto Pedone in Delafield, Wis.

RELATED LINKS:

>>3 Hot Stocks to Trade (or Not)

>>Beat the S&P With the Stocks Everyone Else Hates

>>5 Big Tech Stocks to Trade for Gains

Follow Stockpickr on Twitter and become a fan on Facebook.

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

Roberto Pedone, based out of Delafield, Wis., is an independent trader who focuses on technical analysis for small- and large-cap stocks, options, futures, commodities and currencies. Roberto studied international business at the Milwaukee School of Engineering, and he spent a year overseas studying business in Lubeck, Germany. His work has appeared on financial outlets including

CNBC.com and Forbes.com. You can follow Pedone on Twitter at www.twitter.com/zerosum24 or @zerosum24.

Top Financial Stocks To Watch Right Now

As private equity’s attraction to the advisor industry stays strong, Genworth Financial Wealth Management and Cetera Financial Group both announced the completion of business sales on Tuesday.

Genworth Financial Wealth Management, located in Pleasant Hill, Calif., is moving forward as an independent company with the completion of its sale from Genworth Financial (GNW) to a partnership of two private equity firms, Aquiline Capital Partners and Genstar Capital.

Officials with the parent company said in March that the deal would take a $40 million after-tax loss, with $35 million recorded in the first quarter. Genworth Financial said proceeds from the deal would be used to address its debt due in 2014 or before. The company will continue to use the Genworth Financial Wealth Management name until it announces a new name later this year.

Gurinder Ahluwalia (left), president and CEO of Genworth Financial Wealth Management, said the firm’s new investment partners shared a belief in the importance of independent financial advice and a commitment to serving advisor clients.

Top Financial Stocks To Watch Right Now: Urstadt Biddle Properties Inc. (UBA)

Urstadt Biddle Properties, Inc., a real estate investment trust (REIT), engages in the acquisition, ownership, and management of commercial real estate properties in the United States. Its properties primarily consist of neighborhood and community shopping centers, office buildings, and industrial properties in Fairfield County, Connecticut; Westchester and Putnam Counties, New York; and Bergen County, New Jersey. As of October 31, 2007, the company owned or had an equity interest in 39 properties containing approximately 3.7 million square feet of gross leasable area. As a REIT, it is not subject to federal income tax to the extent that it distributes at least 90% of its REIT taxable income to its stockholders. The company was founded in 1969 and is headquartered in Fairfield County, Connecticut.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Rich Smith]

  Urstadt Biddle Properties (NYSE: UBP  ) (NYSE: UBA  ) -- the real estate investment trust with two tickers -- now has two separate executives at the top of its corporate structure, as well.

Top Financial Stocks To Watch Right Now: Everest Re Group Ltd.(RE)

Everest Re Group, Ltd., together with its subsidiaries, underwrites reinsurance and insurance in the United States (the U.S.), Bermuda, and international markets. The company operates in five segments: U.S. Reinsurance, U.S. Insurance, Specialty Underwriting, International, and Bermuda. The U.S. Reinsurance segment writes property and casualty reinsurance, on both a treaty and facultative basis, through reinsurance brokers, as well as directly with ceding companies within the United States. The U.S. Insurance segment offers property and casualty insurance primarily through general agents, brokers, and surplus lines brokers in the U.S. The Specialty Underwriting segment writes accident and health, marine, aviation, and surety business within the U.S. and worldwide through brokers and directly with ceding companies. The International segment offers non-U.S. property and casualty reinsurance. The Bermuda segment provides reinsurance and insurance to worldwide property and cas ualty markets and reinsurance to life insurers through brokers and directly with ceding companies, as well as offers reinsurance to the United Kingdom and European markets. The company was founded in 1973 and is based in Liberty Corner, New Jersey.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By John Emerson]

  Last August, I purchased Everest Re (RE) when it fell within the value parameters outlined in today's article. I wrote an article about the stock titled: Everest Re: Low Risk High Reward http://www.gurufocus.com/news/143388/everest-re-low-risk-high-reward

• [By Marc Bastow]

  Reinsurance and insurance underwriters Everest Re Group (RE) raised its dividend 56% to 75 cents per share, payable on Dec. 18 to shareholders of record as of Dec. 4.
  RE Dividend Yield: 1.92%

Best Rising Stocks For 2014: Ishares Trust Russell (IWD)

iShares Russell 1000 Value Index Fund (the Fund) seeks investment results that correspond generally to the price and yield performance of the large-capitalization value sector of the United States equity market, as represented by the Russell 1000 Value Index (the Index). The Index is a subset of the Russell 1000 Index. The Index is a capitalization-weighted index and consists of those companies or portion of a company, with lower price-to-book ratios and lower forecasted growth within the Russell 1000 Index. The Index represents approximately 51% of the total market capitalization of the Russell 1000 Index.

The Fund invests in a representative sample of securities included in the Index that collectively has an investment profile similar to Index. iShares Russell 1000 Value Index Fund's investment advisor is Barclays Global Fund Advisors.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By James Brumley]

  It’s been especially untrue the last few years. Since this point in the year back in 2003, the iShares Russell 1000 Growth Fund (IWF) has advanced 81%, while the iShares Russell 1000 Value Fund (IWD) has only advanced 67%.

Top Financial Stocks To Watch Right Now: Fidus Investment Corp (FDUS)

Fidus Investment Corporation, incorporated on February 14, 2011, provides customized mezzanine debt and equity financing solutions to lower middle-market companies. The Company�� investment objective is to provide attractive risk-adjusted returns by generating both current income from its debt investments and capital appreciation from its equity related investments.

The Company seeks to maintain a diversified portfolio of investments in order to help mitigate the potential effects of adverse economic events related to particular companies, regions or industries. The Company�� investment advisor is Fidus Capital, LLC.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By BDC Buzz]

  Fidus Investment (FDUS) is one of the newer business development companies ("BDCs") but its stock performance has been strong with a steady climb to higher than average multiples. This is most likely due to its higher than average 'total return' of around 16%. Last quarter FDUS grew its net asset value ("NAV") per share more than any of the other 25 BDCs that I follow and announced a special dividend on top of its regular dividends which is currently yielding around 8%. The company announced that it received approval for a second SBIC license giving it access to cheap long-term growth capital to grow the portfolio and dividends. FDUS also reported realized gains in Q3 from exited investments that could provide for some large upcoming special dividends. I believe that investors should look beyond the current lower than average dividend yield and higher than average pricing multiples, and consider the potential total return for FDUS over the coming quarters. I will also address my key concerns for the company and some things to watch for through the end of the year.

Top Financial Stocks To Watch Right Now: Firstbank Corporation(FBMI)

Firstbank Corporation, through its subsidiaries, provides commercial banking products and services. It accepts checking, savings, and time deposits. The company also provides commercial, mortgage, agricultural, real estate, real estate mortgage, real estate construction, home improvement, automobile, and consumer loans. In addition, it offers trust, security brokerage, and title insurance services, as well as armored car services. The company operates 53 branch offices in central Michigan. Firstbank Corporation was founded in 1894 and is headquartered in Alma, Michigan.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Louis Navellier]

  A great example of these small banks with big potential is Firstbank Corp. (FBMI), a $155 million market-cap stock that operates 53 branch offices in central Michigan. Firstbank provides commercial banking products and services, including traditional deposit accounts and loans tailored to meet the needs of its business customers. FBMI also offers trust, security brokerage and title insurance services, and even armored car services. This bank stock has been rated an “A” all year, and the fundamentals just keep getting better. FBMI shares remain a “strong buy” at current prices.

Top Financial Stocks To Watch Right Now: New Century Bancorp Inc.(NC)

New Century Bancorp, Inc. operates as the holding company for New Century Bank that provides commercial and retail banking services to individuals and small to medium-sized businesses in southeastern North Carolina. Its deposit product line comprises checking, savings, NOW, and money market accounts, as well as certificates of deposit, and non-interest-bearing demand and time deposits. The company?s loan portfolio includes one-to-four family and multi-family residential loans; construction loans; home equity lines of credit; commercial real estate loans; commercial and industrial loans; and loans to individuals. It operates main office in Dunn; and branch offices in Clinton, Goldsboro, Lillington, Greenville, Fayetteville, Lumberton, Pembroke, and Raeford. The company is headquartered in Dunn, North Carolina.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Rich Duprey]

  Industrial conglomerate�NACCO Industries� (NYSE: NC  ) �announced yesterday�its second-quarter dividend of $0.25 per share, the same rate it paid in February, which reflected the spinoff of Hyster-Yale Materials Handling�last September.

Hot Financial Stocks To Invest In Right Now

Hot Financial Stocks To Invest In Right Now: iShares 1-3 Year Treasury Bond ETF (SHY)

iShares Lehman 1-3 Year Treasury Bond Fund (the Fund) seeks investment results that correspond generally to the price and yield performance of the short-term sector of the United States Treasury market as defined by the Lehman Brothers 1-3 Year U.S. Treasury Index (the Index). The Index includes all publicly issued United States Treasury securities that have a remaining maturity of between 1 and 3 years, are non-convertible, are denominated in United States dollars, are rated investment grade (Baa3 or better) by Moody's Investors Service, are fixed rate, and have $250 million or more of outstanding face value. Excluded from the Index are certain special issues, such as flower bonds, targeted investor notes (TINs), and state and local government bonds (SLGs), and coupon issues that have been stripped from assets already included in the Index.

The Index is a market capitalization-weighted index. The Fund invests in a representative sample of the securities in the Index, which has a similar investment profile as the Index. The Fund's investment advisor is Barclays Global Fund Advisor.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Donald van Deventer]

  Shorter-duration Treasury Exchange-Traded Funds: (SHY), (SHV), (IEI), (BIL), (TUZ), (FIVZ), (DTUL), (VGSH), (DTUS), (DFVS), (DFVL), (SST), (ISTB), (TBZ).

source from Top Stocks Blog:http://www.topstocksblog.com/hot-financial-stocks-to-invest-in-right-now.html

New Regulations for VeriSign Inc.

Top 5 Low Price Stocks To Buy For 2014

Based in California, VeriSign Inc. (VRSN) is an internet infrastructure services provider, which includes domain name registry services and infrastructure assurance services, responsible for top-level domains such as .com, .net, .tv, .edu, .gov and .name among others. The company also provides Registry services and Network Intelligence and Availability (NIA) services. Working with the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) and the U.S. Department of Commerce, the company can register exclusive domain names abiding these entities' terms. The company's relationships with these entities has been prospering full steam: ICANN approved the renewal of the agreement with VeriSign to serve as the authoritative registry operator for the .com registry, it got exclusive registry for the .tv and .cc country code top-level domains (ccTLDs), and has additionally started providing back-end systems for all .gov, .jobs and .edu domain names, as well as internationalized domain name (IDN) services that enable web-users to access websites in their local language.

The company's revenues come from the fees charged for operating different domain names. Most domain names' fees are charged as per agreement terms with ICANN; however, fees received for operating the .gov registry are based on the terms of agreement with the U.S. General Services Administration (GSA). As of September 2013, revenues of $125.9 million came from active domain names ending with .com and .net. Even though the company has presence all over the globe, the U.S. contributes 64.8% of revenues, while Europe, the Middle East and Africa (EMEA) contribute 15.5%, Australia, China, India and other Asia Pacific countries (APAC), 15.0%, and other countries such as Canada or Latin American countries, contribute 4.7%. Competition is increasing, especially with Latin script ccTLD registries and IDN ccTLD registries, as well as with other name service providers such as Neustar Inc. (NSR) or ARI Registry Services, and search engine providers such as Google Inc. (GOOG) Microsoft, Corp. (MSFT).

VeriSign's Model

VeriSign's position within the global Internet infrastructure industry is enviable, as it currently has a sanctioned monopoly position, with control of two of the most popular domain names in the world: .com and .net, and running of two Internet root servers. With more than 15 years of flawless service, the U.S. Department of Commerce and the ICANN have continuously renewed their contract with VeriSign to provide domain registry services. Nevertheless, the fact that this strong position is based on the company's relationship with major regulating entities means it is subjected to its decisions and thus performs as essentially a regulated utility.

Yet, VeriSign has valuable intangible assets and has had an enviable performance over the last years. The company posted strong third-quarter 2013 results, with a growing generic top-level domain (gTLD) customer base, a global expansion through IDNs and a strong growth in the Network Intelligence and Availability (NIA) boosting revenues and profitability. Moreover, the firm has come to develop a profitable franchise system, with more than 50% share of the global top-level domains. The company is expected to continue its expansion within the network intelligence and new generic domains, as well as increasing their business profitability. Still, the popularity of .com and .net and he influx of new TLDs may come as a setback for the company, in addition to the concerning increase of competition in the NIA segment.

A Global Multi-Stakeholder Community?

It has been recently announced by the U.S. Commerce Department's National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) their intention to transition key internet domain name functions to a "global mulsistakeholder community." The main objective of this move seems to be the administration of root zone files and domain name systems, which, although it appears to keep unaffected VeriSign's top-level domain businesses, is still something that brings about some uncertainty regarding the company's future. Moreover, the company is in charge for some time of Internet Assigned Numbers Authority's (IANA) administrative functions, duties which, if were to be lost, might lead to de development of some transactional friction. In addition, this transition might lead to divestment of ICANN's responsibilities, and this could result in the loss of VeriSign's right of renewal of its core domains: .com, .net, .gov, .cc, and other gTLDs. Nevertheless, the process of relinquishing control is expected to take time, and therefore keep the company's results safe in the mid-term. Although these assumptions are yet to prove right, nevertheless, analysts think it is necessary to keep a close watch on this changing environment.

Final Thoughts

There's no doubt VeriSign is a premium company, and the renewal of their .com and .net domain contracts is likely to keep boosting top-line growth. The increase on the fees has represented an important part of their revenue and, although the ICANN has settled a fixed fee for .com until Nov 2018, it can still raise the .net domain fee, and keep presenting a growth opportunity for VeriSign. Furthermore, the company is expected to introduce new gTLDs, expanding as well through IDNs.

Still VeriSign faces competition from other domain-level registration services companies, and the possibility of an increase in the domain name availability in the marketplace could make users change their preferences and affect the business. The ICANN agreement, which restricts the pricing for some domains, doesn't apply to ccTLDs, but is still something that hinders the company's growth expectations. As of their balance sheet, it is significantly leveraged, and as of Sep 30, 2013, the company had a total debt obligation of $2.0 billion, which includes the new $750.0 million debt issuance and $1.25 billion subordinated convertible debenture. A higher interest rate on its debt might also affect profitability. Nevertheless, the company is committed on increasing shareholder value through share repurchases and dividends, and continues generating significant cash flow. VeriSign is a strong company, with high pricing power capable of handling the new terms of agreement with ICANN, and keeping its growth potentiality.

Disclosure: Damian Illia holds no position in any stocks mentioned.

About the author:Damian IlliaA fundamental analyst at Lonetreeanalytics.com constantly looking for value and income investments.

Visit Damian Illia's Website

Currently 5.00/512345 Rating: 5.0/5 (1 vote)

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Cheerfully Charitable at Schwab

Most financial advisors are well aware of donor-advised funds: You put your money in an investment pool of your choice, get an immediate tax deduction and you can take your time deciding when and how you want to ultimately disburse those charitable gifts.

Investors appreciate the ease and flexibility of such funds — it essentially allows you to operate your own charitable foundation with no more difficulty than investing in a mutual fund.

But what’s in it for advisors?

I got an unexpected insight into that question in meeting with Kim Laughton, the president of Schwab Charitable, one of the largest donor-advised fund firms in the industry.

Laughton was visiting Los Angeles for the Grantmakers for Effective Organizations (GEO) conference, a large annual gathering of charitable foundations and large donors, and she was noticeably relaxed and calm during our 45-minute talk.

What was noticed, specifically, was — a la Sherlock Holmes — the dog that didn’t bark, the absence of something that is a hallmark of investment executive interviews, namely: the intangible but ever-present tension of the asset gatherer.

Sure, investment executives are usually intelligent and articulate, and to greater or lesser degrees polite, humorous and insightful, but what doesn’t vary is that they are performing a job whose mandate includes championing their product, which is invariably the cleverest, most useful and beneficial of all similar products.

There was none of that in this conversation, and it was likely to due to more than the mellowness of the Texas transplant’s 18 years working with Schwab and living in leafy Northern California.

Rather, the different vibe stems from the fact that Laughton doesn’t see herself primarily as an asset gather but rather as a service provider. And that’s because Schwab Charitable is not currently nor is it expected ever to become a profit center for Schwab.

“We’re still paying back the loan” that funded Schwab Charitable’s establishment in 1999, Laughton says.

Indeed, the Schwab exec says the nonprofits she deals with especially tend to assume some self-interested motive in dealing with for-profit companies, but she insists that — to the contrary — for-profit Schwab has put far more funding into Schwab Charitable than it could ever recoup.

“There’s the original no-interest loan, our line of credit, the space we occupy, the administrative and trading support, the access to their systems, the millions of dollars a year of pro bono support,” Laughton lists. “Our fees, which are low, help to pay the salaries and costs of providing accounts.”

But Schwab Charitable is, as the name perhaps implies, not in it for the money.

“We are very much a service to Schwab clients,” says Laughton, whose staff will even meet with advisors and donors as subject experts who can advise on charitable planning issues.

The lessened pressure of a service offering as well as the cheerful nature of charitable giving make for pleasant day-to-day interactions with clients. But more is involved, from the client’s point of view, than just pleasantness.

“When people are giving money away, it’s a proud moment,” Laughton says.

And perhaps therein lies a message for advisors, and why they should and often do make charitable planning and community activity a focus of their practices perhaps out of proportion to philanthropy’s weight in clients’ finances.

“As an advisor you want to deepen relations with your clients. When you get to know a client, what they’re involved in as a volunteer has a lot to say about who they are,” Laughton says.

A particularly impressive illustration Laughton cites is Dr. Lester Thompson, a head and neck pathologist in Southern California, who stows large sums in his donor-advised fund with the goal of using the proceeds to dispense medical philanthropy in his retirement.

Reached by phone, Dr. Thompson told ThinkAdvisor he expects to amass between $1.5 and $1.7 million by the time he turns 58, his HMO’s early retirement age, and he intends to physically locate to the various places he donates money to ensure the efficacy of his gift.

So if there’s a location in Vietnam, for example, where they have difficulty in managing malaria, Thompson and his wife — he with his medical knowledge and she with her computer skills — can oversee and track health outcomes.

A native of Africa, Dr. Thompson has already visited 116 countries and is particularly keen on going to places like Eritrea, Tunisia, Somalia and Madagascar “to work with the local population to establish more effective health care resources.

Not only is Dr. Thompson providing medical expertise to those with more rudimentary health care systems, but he is working to magnify the impact by getting other local doctors involved.

He got his hospital to include a link to Schwab Charitable on its website’s employee retirement page, and he recently led a group of physician volunteers on a medical aid trip to Honduras, where his colleagues’ reaction was: “We just had no idea the impact we could have.”

Schwab Charitable’s Laughton describes Thompson’s story as one of many heartening scenarios.

“We have clients working on environmental causes — some at high end even sponsoring vessels working in oceans,” she says, adding K-12 charter school reform, overseas orphanages and civil rights — both at the grass roots and policy levels — as some of the many donor interests that touch lives, often with the involvement of advisors.

Less than 30% of Schwab’s clients work with advisors, but that small segment accounts for fully 70% of the assets. Account sizes range from $5,000 to nearly $700 million.

Of value particularly to such larger accounts — and a sign of the maturation of donor-advised funds — Schwab Charitable’s capabilities today extend beyond traditional cash and appreciated stock donations.

“We are able to accommodate large clients with complex assets—people who have highly appreciated land or shares in a privately held company; or a portfolio of hedge funds or private equity and they want to contribute a portion to charity. We work through the legal requirements and custody the assets ourselves,” Laughton says.

Your client wants to donate a Marc Chagall oil painting with vibrant colors and deep feelings? They can handle that too.

But more than just a gift, involvement in charitable planning opens up vibrant relationships and deep conversations with clients.

“Most advisors we speak to want that deeper interaction. It’s a wonderful way to open those conversations,” Laughton says.

And why are those conversations deeper?

“Because who you are and what you leave behind really trumps everything else,” she says.

Even in ruin, Detroit's Packard plant inspires…

DETROIT -- It's a place that has inspired world-class poets, blockbuster filmmakers, pioneering techno musicians, wildly inventive graffiti artists and, yes, chroniclers of ruin porn.

The old Packard Plant isn't just Detroit's largest decaying structure. It's a muse to thinkers around the world, who find anger, grief, astonishment and beauty in its decaying space.

The crumbling Motor City icon is explored in Packard: The Last Shift, which opened the newly launched Freep Film Festival on Thursday night.

Directed, produced, written and filmed by Detroit Free Press videographer Brian Kaufman, the documentary is the latest creative endeavor connected to the 40-acre swath of land that's both a monument to industry and an elegy to the declining fortunes of the city that forged America's middle class.

A southern California native, Kaufman wanted to "find the details" of what happened to the automotive plant that was designed by Albert Kahn in the early 1900s as a reinforced concrete marvel of construction.

"Most people who visit Packard probably have no idea why it looks the way it does today," says Kaufman. "I think there is the assumption that folks just left, but the site was used and viable until the late 1990s when a legal battle over ownership brought demolition and evictions, which resulted in scrapping, fire and weather-related destruction."

Along with exploring the Packard's past and potential future, the movie also looks at the plant's hold on high culture and the popular kind, too. Near the opening, Pulitzer Prize-winning poet Philip Levine reads his "The Last Shift," which begins with a glimpse of Packard and is dotted with apocalyptic symbols of death and loss.

At the Packard Plant in Detroit, Mich., two ! blended photographs show the plant as it stood in 1926 and 2012. The Albert Kahn-designed factory was the first industrial use of reinforced concrete in the world and is shown here in 1926 as Packard Six Sedans near the end of the assembly line. Years of emptiness, decay, fire and scrapping have dramatically altered the appearance of the plant, though its structure remains intact. Historic photograph courtesy of the National Automotive History Collection, Detroit Public Library.(Photo: Brian Kaufman, Detroit Free Press)

Levine, a former autoworker, never was employed at the Packard, but he passed it often as a boy on Sunday trips to Belle Isle in the summer. "It looked so magnificent to me and powerful," he recalls.

That mix of grandeur and arrogance felt something like an attempt to put ordinary people in their place, according to Levine, who's renowned for his poetry about urban working people.

"I think I chose that factory for that poem because I was so impressed by its looks. It's not only part of industry, it's part of the way Detroit looks, the definition of the city. ... If I'm going to end the world, and I'm kind of ending everything in that poem, let's do it there. Let it happen in a place that can last forever but won't outlive us," he says.

As the Packard has declined and emptied, it has been repopulated, in a sense, by both artists and curiosity seekers.

The documentary shows how graffiti artists continue to use the structure as their blank canvas. Tourists and professional photographers are still flocking there to take the bleak images of urban dereliction known as ruin porn.

In the 1980s and 1990s, the Packard Plant was home to late-night rave parties that transformed the site into a grassroots magnet for electronic music. As techno artifact collector Logan Siegel says in the film, "It's the stuff of myth and legend. These parties are still talked about as the pinnacle of Detroit's techno legacy."

The movie features the music of Windsor native Rich! ie Hawtin! , a world-renowned electronic music artist known for staging underground dance music parties at Packard in the mid-'90s. There also are snippets of music videos, from Eminem's Beautiful to a video by a Korean boy band called B.A.P.

Browse the web and you'll find Packard is the backdrop for the 2010 video The Drug by Royksopp, a Norwegian electronic music duo. You're also likely to bump into videos of skiers performing jumps and tricks at the plant and more recent footage of a dirt bike ride.

Artists have been exploring the dilapidated complex for decades. Social media have helped fuel the influx of casual visitors. The economic downturn has brought the rise in scrappers seeking metal to sell.

The thread that holds them together is opportunity, according to artist Scott Hocking, whose 2009-11 installation on the Packard rooftop, Garden of the Gods, used concrete columns and wooden television consoles to represent the gods of the classical Greek pantheon.

"Scrappers see it as an opportunity to strip metal and salvage waste. Photographers might see it as an opportunity to capture history and monumental decay. Musicians might see it as a gritty, tough background. 'Urban explorers' see it as the most sprawling and massive complex, where you can roam freely and have a sense of adventure or discovery. It's a gigantic place, and it can be a lot of different things for different people," said Hocking via e-mail.

Fire damage hints at the cause of a roof collapse in building #12 at the Packard Plant in Detroit. In the days of automobile production, this floor was used for paint mixing and storage. Photo taken on Wednesday, Nov. 11, 2010.(Photo: Brian Kaufman Detroit Free Press)

The Packard's lure for artists drew globally fam! ous graff! iti artist Banksy and led to the current controversy over the 555 Nonprofit Gallery and Studios' plan to put one of his pieces up for sale. The piece, excavated from the plant four years ago and weighing in at 1,500 pounds, could sell for several hundred thousand dollars.

Visits to the Packard Plant are a jaw-dropping experience for out-of-town journalists trying to grasp its scale and history. Professor Thomas Klug, director of Marygrove College's Institute for Detroit Studies, experienced that reaction when he helped guide a woman from Austrian public radio and her crew to Detroit landmarks.

"The Packard was clearly one of the top items on her list. She was just fascinated and enthralled with it," says Klug.

Art and commerce intersect at the site, in ways small and huge. You can buy a $20 bracelet on Etsy supposedly made with materials recovered from the plant. Or you can watch 2011's "Transformers: Dark of the Moon," the third installment of director Michael Bay's hit action film series, which used the Packard Plant for a derailed train scene.

The Michigan location manager for Transformers: Dark of the Moon, David Rumble, says the plant is a constant draw for Hollywood visitors.

"Even if we're not going to film there, people always want me to take them there," he says. "It's mind-boggling for people from out of state that there's a building this size that's just decaying and in such shape."

While the "Transformers" train scene took just a few days to film, it required two months of preparation for safety and privacy concerns, according to Rumble. Even with the crew's best efforts to seal off access to the spot that would be used for filming, "there were always people popping out of weird nooks and crannies."

What's next for the plant site? Packard: The Last Shift has footage of new owner Fernando Palazuelo touring the place and vowing that he'll live there one day.

The future is uncertain, but for now, artists continue to find life at Packard, a defianc! e to the ! decay that fits with Eminem's lines from Beautiful: "Nobody asked for life to deal us/With these (profanity) hands we're dealt/We gotta take these cards ourselves/And flip 'em, don't expect no help."

Says Hocking, "I think artists and musicians know they'll never find another place or opportunity quite like the Packard complex — for whatever their interests are — good intentions or bad. And it won't last forever. Let's talk again in 2029."

Get to Know an MLP: OCI Partners

2014 Methanol Policy Forum

This Tuesday I will be in in Washington DC at the 2014 Methanol Policy Forum. I will be presenting slides and participating on a panel called "Unlocking Our Vehicles to Methanol." Notable speakers at the forum include former National Security Advisor Robert C. McFarlane, former Louisiana Senator and Senate Energy Committee Chairman J. Bennett Johnston, and former President of Shell Oil North America John Hofmeister.

Also speaking will be the leaders of some of the world's leading methanol producers. Among them will be Egyptian billionaire Nassef Sawiris, the CEO of Orascom Construction Industries (OCI N.V.), a Netherlands-listed chemicals, fertilizer and construction conglomerate. OCI also happens to be the sponsor of OCI Partners (NYSE: OCIP), a master limited partnership (MLP) producing methanol and ammonia at a single plant on the Texas Gulf coast. The facility was mothballed in 2004 amid high natural gas prices, and restarted in 2012 by OCI N.V.

The Methanol and Ammonia Markets

Before discussing OCIP, a brief overview of methanol and ammonia is in order. These topics, along with a detailed look at OCIP and a specific recommendation, were covered by MLP Profits chief investment strategist Igor Greenwald in last month's issue.

The global market fundamentals for methanol and ammonia have changed drastically since a wave of chemical plant closures in the US 15 years ago painfully consolidated both industries. Methanol is a petrochemical commodity used to make formaldehyde, adhesives, resins, solvents and transportation fuels. Methanol is once again in short supply and demand is growing, with prices escalating more than 25 percent over the last year.

Ammonia has received a big boost from the US mandate for expanded use of ethanol, since the primary use of ammonia is for nitrogen fertilizers used to grow corn. (See last September's article The Sweet ! Smell of Decay for an overview of fertilizer MLPs).

The primary input and the main cost factor in the manufacture of both methanol and ammonia is natural gas. The surplus of cheap gas from new shale basins has given the surviving US chemicals producers a major cost advantage and spurred a wave of new construction projects that won't crest for several more years.

Methanol demand is closely linked with global industrial production, which was on an upswing before the recent panic in emerging markets. Two-thirds of recent methanol output has gone into the production of formaldehyde and other basic petrochemical building blocks, with the rest used in energy-related applications.

Energy applications are becoming increasingly important growth drivers, especially in China, because blending methanol into gasoline can produce significant savings for refiners. Methanol can also be turned into a very clean-burning transportation fuel known as dimethyl-ether (DME), or used to economically replace crude-derived naphtha in the production of olefins, as has been happening increasingly in China.

Source: Methanex corporate presentation

Global demand has compounded at a 5 percent annual rate since 2000 and some expect it to accelerate to 7 percent annually over the next three years. China accounts for more than 40 percent of global consumption as well as production, and its expensive methanol derived from coal has set a price floor for lower-cost producers elsewhere.

Production capacity is increasing too, of course, but is constrained by a shortage of cheap inputs in most overseas locations. Meanwhile, the frantic expansion now under way in the US is not expected to fully satisfy domestic demand as late as 2016, even though the US recently accounted for less than 10 percen! t of glob! al methanol consumption.

OCI Partners

What does all this global bullishness mean for OCI Partners? It means that a major capacity expansion due to be completed late this year at the Texas plant is expected to recoup the investment within at most three years.

In fact, the partnership could end up earning quite a lot, barring an unforeseen market upheaval. In the year ended June 30, which included not quite nine months of production at the current maximum rate, OCI Partners earned enough to distribute $1.74 per unit. That's forecast to increase to $2.15 per unit for the 12 months through Sept. 30, 2014, despite the expected 40-day shutdown associated with the de-bottlenecking late this summer.

In the fourth quarter of 2014, expansion of the methanol production capacity by 25 percent and of the ammonia capacity by 15 percent is forecast to boost the distribution to $0.868 per unit.  Boiling all of this down, based on the March 14 closing price of $24.88, the prospective yield is 8.6 percent  for the year through September of this year, and 14 percent annualizing the expected fourth-quarter payout after the de-bottlenecking is completed.

OCI Partners is scheduled to make its first quarterly report March 19 before the market open.

There are special risks, which is the case with most variable distribution MLPs. They start with full exposure to the price movements of methanol, ammonia and natural gas, none of which OCI Partners appears to have hedged. Its delivery contracts also don't lock in any price protection. An increase in the price of natural gas of $1 per million British thermal units would cost OCIP an additional $31 million a year, about what the partnership stands to gain from a methanol price increase of $43/ton. As a result, OCIP is one of those variable-distribution MLPs that does not guarantee any distribution whatsoever, only promising to pay out what it earns minus a small set-aside for routine maintenance.

Conclusions

The business of makin! g methano! l in the US looks promising enough that OCI N.V. now plans to build a new plant in Beaumont with nearly twice the capacity of OCIP's facility, which would make it the largest methanol plant in the US. Other producers are following its lead by restarting older plants mothballed during the last decade.  But gains in global demand should swamp those increases in capacity, and OCIP appears well positioned to benefit from the growing methanol market.

(Follow Robert Rapier on Twitter, LinkedIn, or Facebook.)

5 Solar Stocks Shining Bright in 2014

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To say solar power has been a red-hot area in recent months wouldn’t do justice to the run solar stocks have had. The Guggenheim Solar ETF (TAN) is up 41% for the year so far, versus a basically flat market for 2014. Add that 41% gain to 2013′s 131% rally for TAN, and there’s little to complain about when it comes to the performance of solar stocks.

Better still, with installations projected to grow by 20% this year, it looks like solar power stocks are positioned to dole similar rewards for the foreseeable future, not that solar panels are getting their second wind. If you’re an investor looking for a growing trend, solar stocks are one of the best places to be, right now. And there’s no shortage of stocks to pick from.

Which solar power stocks are the proverbial picks of the litter, though? Here are the first five a newcomer might want to consider.

ReneSola Ltd. (SOL)

While most solar stocks have done incredibly well so far in 2014, ReneSola (SOL) wasn’t one of them. In fact, SOL stock is a bit unusual in that it’s trading well under its October high of $6 per share. That’s not a bad thing, though. In fact, it may work to your advantage because it gives new buyers a chance to scoop up ReneSola shares at a bargain price before their next big run-up.

What’s going to spark such a run-up from SOL stock at some point in 2014? Aaron Levitt offered details in his commentary on ReneSola, but the short version is that the panel maker has developed a strong name for itself as a supplier for small, independent power producers that are more cost-conscious than bigger players.

Sunedison (SUNE)

10 Best Long Term Stocks To Watch Right Now

While Sunedison (SUNE) is a name that occasionally surfaces during discussions of the market’s top solar stocks, it’s not always part of the debate.

SUNE stock is rarely placed anywhere near the top of the food chain because the organization has to divide its attention among a handful of non-solar-related divisions. Investors may want to watch for a much sharper focus from Sunedison in the near future, however, as it’s going to spin off its semiconductor division within the next few months.

That narrowed focus may just be the shot in the arm SUNE stock needs.

SolarCity Corporation (SCTY)

Technically speaking, SolarCity (SCTY) is a bit of an anomaly among solar stocks. The company is an installer and a financer of solar panel installations, which makes it fundamentally different from the other solar stocks on this list.

For every system it sets up at a home, SCTY generates 20 years’ worth of revenue by securing the right to sell the excess electricity that system generates. It’s a win for the homeowner because utility bills are lowered and expensive solar panel systems are financed, and it’s a win for SolarCity because recurring revenue is guaranteed.

One of the chief concerns the market has voiced regarding SCTY stock is that the company isn’t actually profitable, and it could take years until it has enough installations under its belt to turn a profit. Fair enough. But the wait may not be all that long. SolarCity reported earnings on Wednesday, and topped per-share earnings estimates by a dime. That’s a good start for SCTY stock.

SunPower Corporation

The dominant name is solar power stock is SunPower Corporation (SPWR), and rightfully so. Its panels are the most efficient in the industry, and everybody wants their product.

Demand is so great, in fact, that the panel maker was sitting on an 18-month/$1 billion backlog as of the end of last year … and it was still getting bigger. The clincher is that SPWR stock had a huge earnings rebound in 2013, earning an operating profit of $1.68 per share, reclaiming the profits seen during its glory days between 2007 and 2010.

Odds are good that SPWR stock will blow 2014′s earnings estimates of $1.19 out of the water too, as it’s finally adding 350 MW of much-needed production capacity.

Canadian Solar

Relative to its size, Canadian Solar (CSIQ) is the most overlooked of these solar stocks.

Depending on the year in question, the company ranks anywhere from being in the top five to the top three suppliers in the world. And it supplies the whole world, with big, equitable demand from the United States, China, and Japan … three nations with lots of their own solar panel manufacturers, and a bent for protectionism. Canadian Solar simply muscles its way into key markets, generating sales growth of 27% in 2013.

That’s not the reason an investor would want to own CSIQ stock, however. The reason Canadian Solar is one of the most worthy solar stocks is its swing back to profitability in the third quarter of last year, and 2014 earnings estimates that price CSIQ stock at a very affordable (and very plausible) forward-looking P/E of 8.5.

As of this writing, James Brumley did not hold a position in any of the aforementioned securities.

Top 5 Safest Stocks To Own For 2014

Top 5 Safest Stocks To Own For 2014: CombiMatrix Corporation(CBMX)

CombiMatrix Corporation, a molecular diagnostics company, operates primarily in the fields of genetic analysis and molecular diagnostics in the United States. The company, through its wholly owned subsidiary, CombiMatrix Diagnostics, operates a diagnostics reference laboratory that provides DNA-based clinical diagnostic testing services to physicians, hospitals, and other laboratories in two primary areas, including prenatal and postnatal developmental disorders, and oncology. It offers a suite of developmental disorder array tests on the prenatal and postnatal application of array-comparative genomic hybridization in diagnosing genomic syndromes associated with developmental delays, autism spectrum disorders, dysmorphic features, and/or birth defects. The company also provides DNAarray?Heme Profile test to address various common hematological malignancies, including chronic lymphocytic leukemia; DNAarray?HER2 PRO test for breast cancer; and DNAarray?Tumor Profile test for the analysis of solid tumors, including breast, colon, lung, prostate, and brain tumors. In addition, it focuses on developing a series of drug compounds to address various oncology-related diseases. CombiMatrix Corporation was founded in 1995 and is based in Irvine, California.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Bryan Murphy]

  Looking for a couple of long (bullish) trading ideas on a day when the market is dragging pretty much everything lower? There are two names that fit the bill...CombiMatrix Corp. (NASDAQ:CBMX) and Banro Corporation (NYSEMKT:BAA). CBMX is an "almost" small cap stock that deserves a place on your watchlist while we wait for it to do one more thing. Meanwhile, BAA is something worth going ahead and taking a swing on now, not despite the market's tumble, but because of it.

• [By Roberto Pedone]

  One stock that'! s starting to trend within range of triggering a near-term breakout trade is CombiMatrix (CBMX), which operates a diagnostics reference laboratory that provides DNA-based clinical diagnostic testing services to physicians, hospitals, clinics and other laboratories in the areas of prenatal and postnatal development disorders, and hematology/oncology genomics. This stock hasn't done much over the last three months, with shares up by just 1.4%.

  If you take a look at the chart for CombiMatrix, you'll notice that this stock has been uptrending over the last few weeks, with shares moving higher from its low of $2.14 to its recent high of $2.90 a share. During that move, shares of CBMX have been making mostly higher lows and higher highs, which is bullish technical price action. That uptrend has now pushed shares of CBMX within range of triggering a near-term breakout trade.

  Traders should now look for long-biased trades in CBMX if it manages to break out above some near-term overhead resistance levels at $2.90 to $2.92 a share, and then once it clears its 200-day moving average at $2.96 to more near-term overhead resistance at $3.20 a share with high volume. Look for a sustained move or close above those levels with volume that hits near or above its three-month average volume of 823,656 shares. If that breakout triggers soon, then CBMX will set up to re-test or possibly take out its next major overhead resistance levels at $3.70 to $4.44 a share.

  Traders can look to buy CBMX off any weakness to anticipate that breakout and simply use a stop that sits right below its 50-day moving average at $2.57 a share or just below more support at $2.20 to $2.14 a share. One can also buy CBMX off strength once it starts to take out those breakout levels with volume and then simply use a stop that sits a comfortable percentage from your entry point.

source from Top Stocks Blog:http://www.topstocksblog.com/top-5-safest-stocks-to-own-for-20! 14.html

Best Warren Buffett Companies To Watch In Right Now

Best Warren Buffett Companies To Watch In Right Now: Helios Advantage Income Fund Inc. (HAV)

Helios Advantage Income Fund, Inc. is a close ended fixed income mutual fund launched and managed by Brookfield Investment Management Inc. The fund invests in the fixed income markets of the United States. It invests a majority of its assets in below investment grade debt securities, which are bonds rated Ba1 or lower by Moody's Investors Service, Inc., BB+ or lower by Standard & Poor's Ratings Group. The fund benchmarks the performance of its portfolio against the Barclays Capital U.S. Corporate High Yield Index and the Barclays Capital Ba U.S. High Yield Index. It was formerly known as RMK Advantage Income Fund, Inc. Helios Advantage Income Fund, Inc. was formed on November 8, 2004 and is domiciled in the United States.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Tom Stoukas]

  Havas SA (HAV) surged 6 percent to 5.82 euros, its largest rally in 14 months. The French advertising company reported first-half profit of 58 million euros ($77 million), beating the average analyst estimate of 55.9 million euros.

• [By Namitha Jagadeesh]

  Havas SA (HAV) lost 1.6 percent to 5.78 euros. Barclays Plc downgraded the French advertising company to equal weight, similar to neutral, from overweight, citing the need to "pause for breath" after its strong performance over the past three months. Havas climbed 28 percent from a June 24 low through yesterday's close.

source from Top Stocks Blog:http://www.topstocksblog.com/best-warren-buffett-companies-to-watch-in-right-now.html

Best Blue Chip Stocks To Invest In Right Now

Best Blue Chip Stocks To Invest In Right Now: Apple Inc.(AAPL)

Apple Inc., together with subsidiaries, designs, manufactures, and markets personal computers, mobile communication and media devices, and portable digital music players, as well as sells related software, services, peripherals, networking solutions, and third-party digital content and applications worldwide. The company sells its products worldwide through its online stores, retail stores, direct sales force, third-party wholesalers, resellers, and value-added resellers. In addition, it sells third-party Mac, iPhone, iPad, and iPod compatible products, including application software, printers, storage devices, speakers, headphones, and other accessories and peripherals through its online and retail stores; and digital content and applications through the iTunes Store. The company sells its products to consumer, small and mid-sized business, education, enterprise, government, and creative markets. As of September 25, 2010, it had 317 retail stores, including 233 stores in the United States and 84 stores internationally. The company, formerly known as Apple Computer, Inc., was founded in 1976 and is headquartered in Cupertino, California.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Rahul Chattaraj]

  The mighty Apple (AAPL) has greatly reaped benefits from its epic innovation –iPhone. Smartphones have been around us in various forms since early 2000. But, right from its introduction in 2007, till the present day Apple has made millions by revolutionizing the smartphone experience, the latest and the greatest contribution being made by the iPhone 5S.

• [By Andrew Tonner]

  On the surface this seems slightly absurd. How could a market that began less than five years ago with Apple's (NASDAQ: AAPL  ) introduction of the iPad in 2010 be approaching mass-market saturation? Fast forward to today ! and both Apple and Google (NASDAQ: GOOG  ) have carved out dominant portions of what's now become a truly global market.

• [By Tim Beyers, Nathan Alderman, and Ellen Bowman]

  Google (NASDAQ: GOOG  ) wants Android in everything.  Will Apple (NASDAQ: AAPL  ) respond with iOS-powered scarves? Who stands to profit more from the release of the highly anticipated Xbox One game, Titanfall? And does Lady Sif's ratings-boosting appearance on Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. mean we'll see more Asgardians soon? Ellen Bowman, Nathan Alderman, and Tim Beyers have these stories and more in this week's episode of 1-Up on Wall Street!

• [By Ishfaque Faruk]

  A company's move to buy back substantial amounts of its own stock can create a lot of value for long-term shareholders. Apple (NASDAQ: AAPL  ) , Viacom (NASDAQ: VIAB  ) , and Yahoo! are doing just that, which will aid earnings-per-share growth by lowering the outstanding share count. Companies that bet heavily on their own stock tend to be good investments, as management -- which very likely has better information about the operation than outside investors -- is showing confidence in the organization.

source from Top Stocks Blog:http://www.topstocksblog.com/best-blue-chip-stocks-to-invest-in-right-now-2.html

Best Value Stocks To Own For 2014

Best Value Stocks To Own For 2014: Tupperware Corporation(TUP)

Tupperware Brands Corporation operates as a direct seller of various products across a range of brands and categories through an independent sales force. The company engages in the manufacture and sale of kitchen and home products, and beauty and personal care products. It offers preparation, storage, and serving solutions for the kitchen and home, as well as kitchen cookware and tools, children?s educational toys, microwave products, and gifts under the Tupperware brand name primarily in Europe, Africa, the Middle East, the Asia Pacific, and North America. The company provides beauty and personal care products, which include skin care products, cosmetics, bath and body care, toiletries, fragrances, nutritional products, apparel, and related products principally in Mexico, South Africa, the Philippines, Australia, and Uruguay. It offers beauty and personal care products under the Armand Dupree, Avroy Shlain, BeautiControl, Fuller, NaturCare, Nutrimetics, Nuvo, and Swissgar de brand names. The company sells its Tupperware products directly to distributors, directors, managers, and dealers; and beauty products primarily through consultants and directors. As of December 26, 2009, the Tupperware distribution system had approximately 1,800 distributors, 61,300 managers, and 1.3 million dealers; and the sales force representing the Beauty businesses approximately 1.1 million. The company was formerly known as Tupperware Corporation and changed its name to Tupperware Brands Corporation in December 2005. The company was founded in 1996 and is headquartered in Orlando, Florida.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Jonathan Berr]

  Multilevel marketing (MLM) groups such as Herbalife operate through independent sales representatives, who earn money both through the sales of product and by recruiting other people to join their team. This bu! siness model — which is used by scores of companies, including Pampered Chef, which is owned by Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway (BRK.B), Tupperware (TUP) and Mary Kay Cosmetics — is legal provided that actual products are sold.

• [By Johanna Bennett]

  Corporate earnings took a back seat today to the Fed's latest policy decision. Still, quarterly financial results, and other news sent shares of McCormick & Co. (MKC) and Tupperware (TUP), falling during regular market hours Here's a rundown of several of today's moves:

source from Top Stocks Blog:http://www.topstocksblog.com/best-value-stocks-to-own-for-2014.html

What the Social Security COLA means to seniors

Despite a narrow brush with a new reduction to Social Security benefits, seniors will not see the proposed move to a more conservative cost-of-living adjustment, or COLA, in 2014.

President Barack Obama's announcement on Feb. 2 that he was scrapping the earlier proposal preserves the status quo for seniors -- for now. The grand budget compromise it was supposed to prompt did not materialize.

The back and forth on COLAs, however, is not resolved. It is deeply linked to larger issues of what we mean when we talk about inflation and expenses for the elderly. Let's look at the landscape, as it stands, and what hasn't yet been addressed when it comes to COLAs and seniors' costs.

COLA: What actually (almost) happened -- CPI-W versus chained CPI

Obama originally sought last year to link Social Security's COLAs to a more conservative measure of inflation. Currently, Social Security is pegged to a consumer price index known as the CPI-W. It's a broad measure of merchandise costs, and it's categorized by a demographic that includes urban wage-earners and clerical workers. It measures many goods, sold in many places, over time. The idea is that the COLA given under Social Security changes to keep pace with trends in the costs of these goods under this index.

There is, however, more than one consumer price index. And the president proposed a switch from CPI-W to the "chained" CPI. It's called "chained" because while it's linked to shifts in the prices of different kinds of goods, it often refocuses to lower-cost (and perhaps lower-quality) goods to account for the fact that consumers tend to buy cheaper goods in an inflationary environment. One upshot of this difference is that the chained CPI can suggest a lower rate of inflation than the CPI-W.

And that's no small change.

The Center for Economic and Policy Research put it this way: If we start measuring the growth of inflation by the smaller numbers of the chained CPI, the average worker retiring at age 65 would see a redu! ction in benefits of about $650 each year by age 75. The reduction grows to roughly $1,130 annually by the time you reach age 85.

What's at stake: Seniors and the cost of health care

For now, there will be no downward change in the COLA for Social Security. A deeper problem looms, however. Are we measuring how we allocate Social Security COLAs to seniors in a way that makes good sense, in light of the things they pay for the most?

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the goods people over the age of 62 buy are different from what people in their 20s and 40s tend to purchase. Consider, for example, the weight of health care in the equation.

Rather than rank medical services' relative importance at about 6%, as the CPI-W does, CPI-E tells us that for seniors it should be considered nearly 15% of total expenditures.

Typical Social Security benefits of $1,269 per month don't take you very far in paying for doctors and hospitals. A lifetime of health care for an average recipient living to 95 can rise as high as $318,800.

And, generally speaking, that number represents what's paid after Medicare covers its part of the bill -- with seniors' private health insurance or other resources helping to cover the rest. And then there are the Part B and Part D premiums to consider.

Money for medical services clearly has to come from somewhere other than just Social Security -- the benefits of which account for at least 50% of annual income for two-thirds of seniors, and for 90% among one-third of them. So, private health insurance, savings, investments -- these are important factors as well. There might, however, be a better way to represent how COLAs augment those resources that seniors do have: the CPI-E.

Rather than peg COLAs to the cost of goods that people in their 20s and 40s buy, the still-experimental consumer price index for the elderly emphasizes the importance of the kind of goods and services that seniors use most. Like health care.

So why don't ! we use it! ?

One does find the CPI-E lurking, now and then, in proposed bills. A recent inclusion: Senator Mark Begich (D-Alaska) made CPI-E part of his Protecting and Preserving Social Security Act, in 2013. The legislation has been sitting in subcommittee since April 2013.

Some might tell you that fiscally conservative politicians are more interested in cutting benefits programs than expanding them. Others could point to the CPI-E's experimental status -- suggesting that until the Bureau of Labor Statistics receives the funding to fully build out the index, uncertainty about its effectiveness remains.Whatever the nature of the process, however, it doesn't alter what is at the core of the CPI-E option: More accurately measure the consumer behaviors of the demographic receiving benefits that are attached to inflation, and you'll allocate their COLAs with more accuracy as a result.

And that would remove some of the pressure from seniors when it comes to proposals such as Obama's recent plan, which would give them less to pay for the things they use the most, all because less significant purchases are still the standard by which their cost of living is measured.

Dividend stocks can make you rich. It's as simple as that. While they don't garner the notoriety of high-flying growth stocks, they're also less likely to crash and burn. And over the long term, the compounding effect of the quarterly payouts, as well as their growth, adds up faster than most investors imagine. With this in mind, our analysts sat down to identify the absolute best of the best when it comes to rock-solid dividend stocks, drawing up a list in this free report of nine that fit the bill. To discover the identities of these companies before the rest of the market catches on, you can download this valuable free report by simply clicking here now.

The Motley Fool is a USA TODAY content partner offering financial news, analysis and commentary designed to help people take control of their financial lives. Its content is! produced! independently of USA TODAY.

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Hot Canadian Stocks To Buy Right Now

Hot Canadian Stocks To Buy Right Now: Mad Catz Interactive Inc(MCZ)

Mad Catz Interactive, Inc. designs, manufactures, markets, sells, and distributes accessories for videogame platforms and personal computers (PC), as well as for iPod and other audio devices. Its products include videogame, PC, and audio accessories, such as control pads, video cables, steering wheels, joysticks, memory cards, light guns, flight sticks, dance pads, microphones, car adapters, carry cases, mice, keyboards, and headsets. It markets its products primarily under the Mad Catz, Saitek, Cyborg, Eclipse, Joytech, GameShark, Tritton, and AirDrives brands. The company also develops flight simulation software; operates flight simulation centers under its Saitek brand; operates a videogame content Website under its GameShark brand; publishes games under its Mad Catz brand; and distributes games and videogame products for third parties. It distributes its products through retailers in the United States, Europe, and Canada, as well as in Australia, Japan, Korea, New Zeal and, and Singapore. The company was founded in 1989 and is headquartered in San Diego, California

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Bryan Murphy]

  If the name Mad Catz Interactive, Inc. (NYSEMKT:MCZ) rings a bell, it might be because yours truly penned some bullish thoughts on the video-gaming hardware (joysticks, control pads, headsets, etc.) back on August 20th. Neither MCZ nor my write-up were received as anything partially special at the time - it was just another stock dissected by just another guy, and you may or may not have given it a second thought. The 37% rally in the meantime, however, may garner a little more attention.

source from Top Stocks Blog:http://www.topstocksblog.com/hot-canadian-stocks-to-buy-right-now-2.html

Benzinga's Top #PreMarket Losers

Related HZNP Earnings Scheduled For March 13, 2014 Horizon Pharma Reports Inducement Grants Under NASDAQ Listing Rule 5635(c)(4) Related DG UPDATE: Dollar General Posts Downbeat Q4 Sales #PreMarket Primer: Thursday, March 13: Chinese Data Misses The Mark

Arotech (NASDAQ: ARTX) dipped 7.50% to $4.07 in pre-market trading after dropping 2.22% on Wednesday.

ModusLink Global Solutions (NASDAQ: MLNK) fell 6.95% to $4.55 in pre-market trading after the company announced a proposed $75 million convertible senior notes offering.

Horizon Pharma (NASDAQ: HZNP) shares dropped 5.29% to $12.90 in pre-market trading after the company reported Q4 results. Horizon Pharma posted a quarterly loss of $0.04 per share on revenue of $30.10 million. However, analysts were expecting a loss of $0.08 per share on revenue of $32.18 million.

Dollar General (NYSE: DG) shares fell 1.99% to $58.10 in the pre-market trading after the company reported downbeat Q4 sales.

Stock Building Supply Holdings (NASDAQ: STCK) dipped 1.53% to $19.95 in the pre-market session after the company prices 5.6 million shares at $19.50 per share by selling shareholders.

Top Bank Companies To Buy For 2014

Posted-In: PreMarket LosersNews Movers & Shakers Pre-Market Outlook Markets

© 2014 Benzinga.com. Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved.

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Top Asian Companies To Buy For 2014

Top Asian Companies To Buy For 2014: Vivendi SA (VIVHY)

Vivendi SA (Vivendi), incorporated on December 18, 1987, is a communications and entertainment company. As of December 31, 2009, the Company had six business segments: Activision Blizzard, Universal Music Group, SFR, Maroc Telecom Group, GVT (Holding) S.A. (GVT) and Canal+ Group. Activision Blizzard develops, publishes and distributes interactive entertainment software, online or on other media (such as console and personal computer (PC)). Universal Music Group is engaged in the sale of recorded music (physical and digital media), exploitation of music publishing rights, as well as artist services and merchandising. SFR is engaged in the phone services (mobile, broadband Internet and fixed) in France. Maroc Telecom Group is a telecommunication operator (mobile, fixed and Internet) in Africa, principally in Morocco, as well as in Mauritania, Burkina Faso, Gabon and Mali. GVT is a Brazilian fixed and broadband operator. Canal+ Group is engaged in publishing and distribution of pay-television mainly in France, in both analog and digital (terrestrially, via satellite or ADSL), as well as film production in Europe. In July 2013, Vivendi SA and Universal Music Group announced the completion of the sale of Parlophone Label Group to Warner Music Group Corp.

On November 13, 2009, Vivendi acquired an aggregate of 29.9% of GVT's outstanding voting shares from Swarth Investments LLC, Swarth Investments Holdings LLC and Global Village Telecom (Holland) BV. In addition, Vivendi acquired from third parties an additional 8% interest in GVT's outstanding shares. On December 28, 2009, Canal+ Group, Vivendi's subsidiary, acquired TF1's 9.9% interest in the capital of Canal+ France. On July 31, 2009, Maroc Telecom acquired 51% controlling interest in Sotelma. On August 27, 2009, CID, a company 40% owned by SFR and 60% by other financial investors, acqu! ired the 62% interest in 5 sur 5.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Demitrios Kalogeropoulos]

  Activision Blizzard (NASDAQ: ATVI  ) is striking out on its own. The company reached a purchase agreement with Vivendi (NASDAQOTH: VIVHY  )  to transfer enough shares so that it will become an independent company, one that's majority-owned by public investors rather than a single corporation.

source from Top Stocks Blog:http://www.topstocksblog.com/top-asian-companies-to-buy-for-2014.html

Hot Low Price Stocks To Buy For 2015

Hot Low Price Stocks To Buy For 2015: Cloud Peak Energy Inc(CLD)

Cloud Peak Energy Inc., through its subsidiaries, engages in coal mining operations in the Powder River Basin of the United States. It produces sub-bituminous steam coal with low sulfur content for electric utilities and industrial customers. The company owns and operates Antelope surface coal mine located to the south of Gillette, Wyoming; the Cordero Rojo surface coal mine located to the south of Gillette, Wyoming; and the Spring Creek surface coal mine located in Montana. It also owns a 50% interest in the Decker surface coal mine located in Montana. As of December 31, 2010, it had approximately 970 million tons of proven and probable reserves. The company was founded in 1993 and is headquartered in Gillette, Wyoming.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Aaron Levitt]

  Simply put, the coal stocks trio of Peabody Energy (BTU), Alpha Natural Resources (ANR) and Cloud Peak Energy (CLD) could be some of the biggest bargains out all energy stocks.

• [By Reuben Brewer]

  A ready supplier
  Malaysia, which is a coal export powerhouse, is going to be there to help fill the void. However, Cloud Peak Energy (NYSE: CLD  ) notes that Malaysian coal is at the lower end of the quality spectrum, particularly compared to its U.S. Powder River Basin coal. That's a positive sign for Cloud Peak's export hopes, particularly as China looks to clean up the most obvious pollution problems related to coal. Right now, Cloud Peak exports about 5% of its coal, but it plans to increase that as U.S. ports increase their capacity.

• [By Ben Levisohn]

  Cloud Peak Energy (CLD) has gained 3.1% to %15.03 after it was upgraded to Buy from Hold at Stifel.

  Novatris (NVS) has dropped 1.2% to $74.48 after it was downgraded to Neutral from Overweight at JP Morgan.

source from Top Stocks Blog:http://www.topstocksblog.com/hot-low-price-stocks-to-buy-for-2015.html

First Solar, Inc. (FSLR) Q4 Earnings Preview: What To Expect?

First Solar, Inc. (NASDAQ: FSLR) will report financial results for the fourth quarter and full-year ended December 31, 2013 after the market closes on Tuesday, Feb. 25, 2014. The company will hold its quarterly conference call to discuss these results at 4:30 p.m. ET.

First Solar is a leading global provider of comprehensive photovoltaic (PV) solar systems which uses its advanced module and system technology. The company's results would be helped by Desert Sunlight and ABW projects.

Wall Street expects First Solar to earn 99 cents a share, according to analysts polled by Thomson Reuters. The consensus estimate implies a decrease of 51.5 percent from $2.04 a share in the same quarter last year.

[Related -General Electric Company (GE) Q4 Earnings Preview: Feeling The January Effect]

The company's earnings have topped Street view twice in the past four quarters while it came in below the estimates in the remaining two periods. The consensus view has gained a penny in the past 90 days.

Quarterly revenue is expected to fall 10.2 percent to $965.38 million from $1.08 billion in the same quarter last year.

Bookings growth remains a key metric for First Solar. As of the end of the third quarter, First Solar booked 860 MW of new business while shipping 406 MW, equaling a book-to-bill ratio over two-to-one. The company's potential new booking opportunities total around 7.7 GW. The Street will look for comments over its progress in converting these opportunities into new orders.

[Related -First Solar, Inc. (FSLR) Q3 Earnings Preview: International Growth, Cost Improvements In Focus]

Among the key developments in the fourth quarter, First Solar has signed power purchase agreements (PPA) with member cities of the Southern California Public Power Authority (SCPPA) for electricity to be generated at the 40 megawatt (MW) AC Kingbird photovoltaic solar power plant.

In November, First Solar and JX Nippon Oil & Energy announced that they have signed an agreement for the distribution of First Solar's high efficiency solar photovoltaic modules in Japan through April 2015. The company will invest approximately $100 million in Japan to develop solar power plants.

Japan is expected to become one of the key solar markets due to its significant energy demand, with a government-set target to install 28GW by 2020. Solar PV plants can be built quickly and safely, providing robust solutions to idled nuclear power. The market will want updates on the company's expansion in Japan.

Margins would be another focus point for investors as the company claims it is a low cost producer. For the third quarter, the company reported gross margins of 28.8 percent and an upside to this number would be welcomed.

During the fourth quarter, the company incurred project pipeline costs in new countries, expenses over new equipment and processes to increase module conversion efficiency significantly. These costs may impact margins.

The average efficiency of their solar panels is being closely monitored. In its last quarterly report, the metric rose to 13 percent from 12.6 percent a year ago. Any improvement on this front will also be welcomed.

Investors could watch production numbers. First Solar is expected to produce about 1.6-1.7 GW of solar modules in 2013 compared to a manufacturing capacity of 2.2 GW. Higher production may indicate stronger demand for their product while a lower number may signal that customers are going to competitors for their solar requirements.

The Street should be looking for updates on the company's thin-film business as it is considered as in thin-film manufacturing via its acquisition of TetraSun. The business offers First Solar the opportunity to get into the residential market, and it expects TetraSun modules is supposed to start in the second half of 2014. Any color on that front is pretty much anticipated.

Meanwhile, the market could closely watch the firm's progress in further expanding the systems business into international markets and Latin America in particular. Its strategy towards Chile (with the acquisition of a PV developer in the country) could be watched as Chile is considered as an attractive market for unsubsidized solar power given the high cost of energy. Any updates on the Middle East markets such as Dubai would also be watched.

The Street may also focus on updates over the recent acquisition of all of GE's (NYSE: GE) cadmium telluride (CdTe) solar intellectual property and entry of a technology collaboration agreement with GE, with the intent to advance thin-film solar cells and modules

In addition, investors will be curious to see how First Solar's modules business is faring, especially the focus being on the third party module sales. However, the company needs to cut production costs as silicon-based panels more efficient than First Solar's thin film panels (GE deal should help on this front). Production costs should be the key focus point for the investors.

The sales, margin and earnings outlook for the first quarter will be the next key thing to watch in the print.

For the third quarter, the Tempe, Arizona-based company First Solar's profit rose to $195.0 million or $1.94 a share from $87.9 million or $1.00 a share last year. Adjusted earnings for the quarter were $2.28 a share. Sales climbed to $1.27 billion from $839.1 million last year.

Shares of FSLR have gained 12 percent since its last quarterly report and 70 percent in the last year. They trade 16.8 times its forward earnings and have traded between $24.46 and $65.99 during the past 52-weeks.