Monday, March 31, 2014

Best Oil Service Stocks To Buy Right Now

If Heckmann changing its name wasn't confusing enough for investors, it appears as though Nuverra Environmental Solutions (NYSE: NES  ) will be venturing into a new business. The company just�purchased�a greenfield disposal facility that it will use for solid and oil waste from drilling operations. While the potential revenue for the company doesn't really move the needle for the company, the move is more important for the new image that Nuverra wants to reflect to its customers.�

Nuverra wants to be the one-stop shop for any waste-related business in the oil and gas industry, and this move is a step in that direction. In this video, Fool.com contributor Tyler Crowe looks at how this will fit into the company's business model and what investors in the company should watch for in the future.

No matter what niche product an oil services company may offer its clients, it's almost guaranteed that Halliburton is a main competitor. Halliburton, one of the top companies in the business, is one of the most complete oil services companies around, providing customers with a wide array of services. To access The Motley Fool's new premium research report on this industry stalwart, simply click here now and learn everything you need to know about how Halliburton is positioning itself both at home and abroad.

Best Oil Service Stocks To Buy Right Now: Outerwall Inc (OUTR)

Outerwall Inc, formerly Coinstar, Inc., incorporated on October 12, 1993, is a provider of automated retail solutions, which offers convenient products and services. the Company's offerings in automated retail include its Redbox business, where consumers can rent or purchase movies and video games from self-service kiosks (Redbox segment), and its Coin business, where consumers can convert their coin to cash or stored value products at self-service coin counting kiosks (Coin segment). Its New Ventures business (New Ventures segment) is focused on identifying, evaluating, building, and developing self-service concepts in the marketplace. On June 9, 2011, the Company completed the sale transaction of the Money Transfer Business to Sigue Corporation (Sigue). In June 2012, the Company�� wholly owned subsidiary, Redbox Automated Retail, LLC, acquired certain assets of NCR Corp's self-service entertainment DVD kiosk business. In October 2013, Jana Partners LLC acquired a 13.5% stake in Outerwall Inc.

Redbox

Within the Company�� Redbox segment, it operates 35,400 Redbox kiosks, in 29,300 locations, where consumers can rent or purchase movies and video games. Its Redbox kiosks are available in every state, as well as Puerto Rico and are installed at grocery stores, mass retailers, drug stores, restaurants and convenience stores, including Walgreens, Walmart and McDonalds. Its Redbox kiosks supply the functionality of a traditional video rental store, which occupy an area of less than 10 square feet. Consumers use a touch screen to select their titles, swipe a valid credit or debit card, and receive their movie or video game. The daily rental fee at a Redbox kiosk is a flat fee plus tax for one daily rental and, if the consumer chooses to keep the movie or video game for additional days, the consumer is charged for each additional day at the same daily rental fee. Its consumers can rent a movie or video game from one location and return their rental to any of its Redbox locations.! In addition, its consumers may reserve a movie or video game online or through a smart phone application and pick it up at the selected Redbox location.

The Company generates revenue through fees charged to rent or purchase a movie or video game, and it pays retailers a percentage of its revenue. Its content library consists of movies and video games available for rent or purchase. It obtains its movie and video game content through revenue sharing agreements and license agreements with studios and game publishers, as well as through distributors and other suppliers.

Coin

As of December 31, 2011, within the Company�� Coin segment, it owned and operated approximately 20,200 coin-counting kiosks (approximately 17,200, of which offer a range of stored value products to consumers) in 19,900 locations, where consumers feed loose change into the kiosks, which count the change and then dispense vouchers or, in some cases, issue stored value products, at the consumer�� election. Its Coin kiosks are available across the United States, where they provide service to retailers, such as Kroger and Walmart, and in Canada, Puerto Rico, Ireland and the United Kingdom. It generates revenue through transaction fees from its consumers and product partners. Each voucher lists the dollar value of coins counted, less its transaction fee. When consumers elect to have a stored value product issued, the transaction fee normally charged to the consumer is charged instead to the card issuers for the coin-counting services.

New Ventures

Within the Company�� New Ventures segment, it identifies, evaluates, builds and develops self-service concepts in the automated retail space. Its New Ventures segment consists of its coffee, refurbished electronics and photo self-service concepts. It generates revenue through fees charged for products and services offered to consumers in select test markets where it is testing business concepts.

Advisors' Opinion:
  • [By Will Ashworth]

    After six years of losses, insiders will gladly take the $40 million profit and build on the momentum. With higher average selling prices in all of its regions combined with healthier gross margins, it�� no wonder analysts are upping estimates seemingly on a monthly basis. I agree with Zacks. This is one of the best shorted stocks to buy now.

    Stocks to Buy – Outerwall (OUTR)

    Short interest: 40% of float

  • [By Rick Munarriz]

    The kiosk operator began trading as Outerwall (NASDAQ: OUTR  ) today, ringing the exchange's opening bell and announcing a significant acquisition.

  • [By Austin Smith]

    The Motley Fool is on the road in Seattle!�Recently we visited Coinstar -- now officially renamed�Outerwall� (NASDAQ: OUTR  ) --�to speak with CFO-turned-CEO Scott Di Valerio about the 22-year-old company's well-known coin-cashing machines, as well as its more recent acquisition of Redbox, and future initiatives to expand into other aspects of the automated retail market.

Best Oil Service Stocks To Buy Right Now: Siemens AG (SI)

Siemens AG (Siemens), incorporated on August 28, 1996, is a globally operating technology company with core activities in the fields of energy, healthcare, industry and infrastructure. Siemens business activities focus on four sectors, Energy, Healthcare, Industry and Infrastructure & Cities. These sectors form four of Siemens reportable segments. In addition to the four sectors, Siemens has two additional reportable segments: Equity Investments and Siemens Financial Services (SFS). The Energy sector comprises four divisions: Power Generation, Wind Power, Power Transmission and Energy Service. The Healthcare Sector includes four divisions: Imaging & Therapy Systems, Clinical Products, Diagnostics and Customer Solutions; and one sector-led Business Unit, Audiology Solutions. The Industry sector consists of three divisions: Industry Automation, Drive Technologies and Customer Services; and one sector-led Business Unit, Metals Technologies. The Infrastructure & Cities sector consists of five divisions: Rail Systems, Mobility and Logistics, Low and Medium Voltage, Smart Grid, and Building Technologies. In July 2013 Siemens sold its stake in the Nokia Siemens Networks (NSN) joint venture to Nokia and OSRAM Licht AG was spun off from Siemens.

Industry

The Industry Sector offers a broad spectrum of products, solutions and services that help customers use resources and energy. The Sector�� integrated technologies and holistic solutions primarily address industrial customers, particularly those in the process and manufacturing industries. The portfolio spans industry automation, industrial software, drive products and services, system integration, and solutions for industrial plant businesses. The Industry Sector consists of three Divisions: Industry Automation, Drive Technologies and Customer Services. The Sector also includes a sector-led Business Unit, Metals Technologies. In addition to its Sector-level financial results, Industry also breaks out financial results for the Indust! ry Automation Division and the Drive Technologies Division. The Industry Automation Division offers a range of standard products and system solutions for automation technologies used in the manufacturing and process industries. The Division�� offerings include automation systems and software, motor controls, machine-to- machine communication products, sensors, product and production lifecycle management products, and software for simulating and testing mechatronic systems. The Drive Technologies Division offers products and comprehensive systems across the entire drive train. These offerings are customized to the respective application and include numerical control systems, inverters, converters, motors (geared and gearless), drives and couplings. In addition, Drive Technologies supplies integrated automation systems for machine tools and production machines. The Division also offers integrated lifecycle solutions and services for industries such as shipbuilding, cement, mining, and pulp and paper. The Customer Services Division offers a comprehensive portfolio of services and supports industrial customers.

Energy

The Energy Sector offers a spectrum of products, solutions and services for generating and transmitting power, and for extracting, converting and transporting oil and gas. The Fossil Power Generation Division offers products and solutions for fossil-based power generation. The Division concentrates on products and solutions for gas and steam turbines, turbo generators, heat recovery steam generators including control systems, with an emphasis on combined-cycle power plants. It also develops solutions for instrumentation and control systems for all types of power plants and for use in power generation. The Wind Power Division manufactures wind turbines for onshore and offshore applications, including both geared turbines and direct drive machines. The product portfolio is based on four product platforms, two for each of the onshore and offshore applications. The Oil ! & Gas Div! ision has a comprehensive portfolio of rotating machinery (gas turbines, steam turbines, compressors with associated equipment) and electrical, instrumentation and telecommunication (EIT) solutions. The Power Transmission Division provides customers with turnkey power transmission solutions as well as discrete products, systems and related engineering and services. It covers high-voltage transmission solutions, power and distribution transformers, high-voltage switching and non-switching products and systems, and alternating and direct current transmission systems. The Energy Service Division offers comprehensive services for products, solutions and technologies, covering performance enhancements, maintenance services, customer trainings and consulting services for the Divisions Fossil Power Generation, Wind Power and Oil & Gas. The Wind Power Division is active in both the onshore and the offshore market segments globally. Power Transmission Division is expanding infrastructure in emerging countries, equipment replacement and modernization in mature economies, and integration of renewable energies.

Healthcare

The Healthcare Sector offers customers a comprehensive portfolio of medical solutions across the treatment chain-ranging from medical imaging to in-vitro diagnostics to interventional systems and clinical information technology systems-all from a single source. In addition, the Sector provides technical maintenance, professional and consulting services, and, together with Financial Services (SFS), financing to assist customers in purchasing the Sector�� products. The Healthcare Sector includes four Divisions: Imaging & Therapy Systems, Clinical Products, Diagnostics and Customer Solutions. The Sector also includes one sector-led Business Unit, Audiology Solutions. In addition to its Sector-level financial results, Healthcare also separately breaks out financial results for the Diagnostics Division.

The Imaging & Therapy Systems Division provides large-scale! medical ! devices for diagnostic imaging and for image-guided therapies. Imaging equipment includes computed tomographs, magnetic resonance imaging equipment, angiography systems for diagnostics, and positron emission tomography. The Clinical Products Division mainly comprises the business with ultrasound and X-ray equipment including mammography. The Diagnostics Division offers products and services in the area of in-vitro diagnostics. The Division�� product portfolio represents a comprehensive range of diagnostic testing systems and consumables, including offerings for clinical chemistry and immunodiagnostics, molecular diagnostics, hematology, hemostasis, microbiology, point-of-care testing and clinical laboratory automation solutions. The Customer Solutions Division provides healthcare information technology (HIT) systems. It is responsible for the Sector�� service business and customer relationship management on a global level.

Equity Investments

The Equity Investments comprises equity stakes held by Siemens that are accounted for by the equity method, at cost or as current available-for-sale financial assets and for strategic reasons are not allocated to a Sector, SFS, Centrally managed portfolio activities, Siemens Real Estate (SRE), Corporate items or Corporate Treasury. Its main investments within Equity Investments are its stake of 50% in BSH Bosch and Siemens Hausgerate GmbH (BSH), its stake of 17% in OSRAM Licht AG (OSRAM) as well as its 49% stake in Enterprise Networks Holdings B.V. (EN).

Financial Services

Financial Services provides a variety of financial services and products to other Siemens units and their customers and to third parties. SFS has three strategic pillars: supporting Siemens units with finance solutions for their customers, managing financial risks of Siemens and offering third-party finance services and products. SFS��business can be divided into capital business and fee business. The Commercial Finance Business Unit offers! a compre! hensive range of solutions for equipment financing, leasing, rental and related financing for equipment supplied by Siemens or third-party providers. The Venture Capital Business Segment�� main task, together with Siemens��Sectors, is to identify and finance young companies worldwide. The Treasury Business Unit operates the global Corporate Treasury of the Siemens Group, with SFS employee�� thereby managing liquidity, cash and financial risks (interest, foreign exchange, commodities) on behalf of Corporate Treasury. The Financing & Investment Management Business Unit manages fee-based receivables and offers investment management services. The Insurance Business Unit acts primarily as an insurance broker for Siemens and external customers.

Infrastructure & Cities

The Infrastructure & Cities Sector offers a range of technologies for the sustainability of metropolitan centers and urban infrastructures worldwide, such as integrated mobility solutions, building and security systems, power distribution equipment, smart grid applications and low and medium-voltage products. The Sector consists of five Divisions: Rail Systems; Mobility and Logistics; Low and Medium Voltage; Smart Grid; and Building Technologies. The Rail Systems Division comprises Siemens��rail vehicle business, encompassing the entire spectrum of rolling stock-including high-speed trains, commuter trains, passenger coaches, metros, people movers, light rail vehicles, locomotives, bogies, traction systems and rail-related services. The Mobility and Logistics Division primarily provides products, solutions (including IT solutions) and services for rail transportation operating systems, such as central control systems, interlockings and automated controls. The Division also provides offerings for road traffic, including traffic detection, information and guidance systems.

Advisors' Opinion:
  • [By Dan Carroll]

    This all adds up to a risky bet for the German economy, which hangs on to growth by a thread. Leading German manufacturers are also in danger while exports are at risk. Siemens' (NYSE: SI  ) stock plunged more than 5% this week, as the global conglomerate's own Chinese business risks falling on the nation's downturn. Just a few years ago, Siemens' Chinese prospects were soaring, helped by the country's mass urbanization and need for manufactured goods and electronics. Now, however, the company's CEO says he sees "no momentum" from China, and the company has cut its sales outlook for this year. That's a bad omen for Germany from a diversified company often seen as a bellwether of the nation's economy.

  • [By Monica Gerson]

    Siemens AG (NYSE: SI) announced its plans to lower 15,000 jobs over the next year, according to news reports. Siemens shares fell 0.12% to close at $121.78 on Friday.

Top 5 Undervalued Companies To Watch For 2014: Fossil Inc.(FOSL)

Fossil, Inc. designs, develops, markets, and distributes fashion accessories worldwide. It offers a line of fashion watches under its proprietary brands, such as FOSSIL, MICHELE, RELIC, and ZODIAC; and through licensed brands, including ADIDAS, BURBERRY, DIESEL, DKNY, EMPORIO ARMANI, MARC BY MARC JACOBS, and MICHAEL KORS. The company designs, markets, and arranges for the manufacture of watches and accessories on behalf of certain mass market retailers, companies, and organizations as private label products or as premium and incentive items for use in various corporate events. It also provides various fashion accessories for men and women, including handbags, belts, small leather goods, jewelry, and sunglasses through company owned retail stores, department stores, and specialty retail stores, as well as over the Internet and through catalogs. In addition, the company sells a line of soft accessories, such as hats, gloves, and scarves, as well as a handbag collection. Furt her, it offers apparel comprising jeans, outerwear, fashion tops and bottoms, and tee shirts for men and women through company-owned stores, as well as over the Internet and through catalogs. Additionally, the company provides footwear products, including sport court sneakers, authentic casuals, dress classics, and boots for men, as well as fashionable flats, heels, wedges, and boots for women. Fossil, Inc., through a license agreement with the Safilo Group, manufactures, markets, and sells optical frames under the FOSSIL and RELIC brand names in the United States and Canada. As of August 9, 2011, it had approximately 360 company-owned and operated retail stores. The company was founded in 1984 and is headquartered in Richardson, Texas.

Advisors' Opinion:
  • [By Dan Caplinger]

    Still, some signs have pointed toward strong results for Kors this quarter. Earlier this month, Fossil (NASDAQ: FOSL  ) reported substantial growth in its watch business, raising its full-year earnings forecast by 2% to 3%. Although a big part of Fossil's gains came from its direct-to-consumer sales, the watchmaker also produces watches for Kors, and so some of Fossil's success is due to Kors' customers.

Best Oil Service Stocks To Buy Right Now: Reeds Inc.(REED)

Reed?s, Inc., together with its subsidiaries, engages in the development, manufacture, marketing, and sale of natural non-alcoholic and New Age beverages, candies, and ice creams primarily in the United States, Canada, Europe, and Asia. The company?s New Age beverages product line includes natural soda, fruit juices and fruit drinks, ready-to-drink teas, sports drinks, and water. It also offers six Reed?s Ginger Brew flavors, including extra, original, premium, cherry ginger, raspberry ginger, and spiced apple ginger; five Virgil?s beverages comprising root beer, cream soda, orange cream soda, black cherry cream soda, and real cola; four zero calorie Virgil?s versions; two China Cola regular and cherry beverages; and two Sonoma Sparkler sparkling juices. In addition, the company offers three types of ginger candies, including crystallized ginger, ginger chews, and peanut butter ginger chews; and three flavors of ginger ice cream comprising original, green tea, and cho colate. Further, it provides Reed?s Natural Energy Elixir, an energy drink; and Reed?s Nausea Releif, a ginger brews based product with added B vitamins. Reed?s, Inc. sells its products to specialty gourmet and natural food stores, supermarket chains, retail stores, and restaurants through a network of natural, gourmet, and independent distributors, as well as through a direct sales team and independent sales representatives. The company was formerly known as Original Beverage Corporation and changed its name to Reed?s, Inc. in 2001. Reed?s, Inc. was founded in 1987 and is based in Los Angeles, California.

Advisors' Opinion:
  • [By Tabitha Jean Naylor]

    Reed's (NYSE: REED)

    The story goes that Reed’s beverage company got its beginning when Chris Reed found a 100-year-old beverage recipe in the UCLA library, and decided to brew it as an experiment. The company sold its first beverages to the public in 1989, which included a Caribbean style “homebrewed” ginger soda.

  • [By John Udovich]

    If you are looking for the next small cap beverage stock that could turn into the next Monster Beverage Corp (NASDAQ: MNST), under the radar beverage�companies like small caps National Beverage Corp (NASDAQ: FIZZ), Reed's, Inc (NYSEMKT: REED) and Konared Corp (OTCBB: KRED) could be just what you are looking for. I should point out that the beverage space is often a battle between David and Goliath as everyone, and especially�smaller players, must fight for every inch of shelf space. Nevertheless, the following small cap beverage stocks are at least holding their ground and putting up a good fight leading to profits for investors:

Best Oil Service Stocks To Buy Right Now: Delta Air Lines Inc (DAL)

Delta Air Lines, Inc. (Delta) provides scheduled air transportation for passengers and cargo throughout the United States and around the world. The Company�� route network gives it a presence in every domestic and international market. Delta�� route network is centered around the hub system it operate at airports in Amsterdam, Atlanta, Cincinnati, Detroit, Memphis, Minneapolis-St. Paul, New York-JFK, Paris-Charles de Gaulle, Salt Lake City and Tokyo-Narita. Each of these hub operations includes flights that gather and distribute traffic from markets in the geographic region surrounding the hub to domestic and international cities and to other hubs. The Company�� network is supported by a fleet of aircraft that is varied in terms of size and capabilities.

Delta has bilateral and multilateral marketing alliances with foreign airlines to improve its access to international markets. These arrangements can include code-sharing, reciprocal frequent flyer program benefits, shared or reciprocal access to passenger lounges, joint promotions, common use of airport gates and ticket counters, ticket office co-location, and other marketing agreements. Its international code-sharing agreements enable it to market and sell seats to an expanded number of international destinations. The Company has international codeshare arrangements with Aeromexico, Air France, Air Nigeria, Alitalia, Aeroflot, China Airlines, China Eastern, China Southern, CSA Czech Airlines, KLM Royal Dutch Airlines, Korean Air, Olympic Air, Royal Air Maroc, VRG Linhas Aereas (operating as GOL), Vietnam Airlines, Virgin Australia and WestJet Airlines.

In addition to the Company�� marketing alliance agreements with individual foreign airlines, it is a member of the SkyTeam airline alliance. Delta also has frequent flyer and reciprocal lounge agreements with Hawaiian Airlines, and codesharing agreements with American Eagle Airlines (American Eagle) and Hawaiian Airlines. It has air service agreements with multiple do! mestic regional air carriers that feed traffic to its route system by serving passengers primarily in small-and medium-sized cities.

Through the Company�� regional carrier program, it has contractual arrangements with 10 regional carriers to operate regional jet and, in certain cases, turbo-prop aircraft using its DL designator code. In addition to Delta�� wholly owned subsidiary, Comair, it has contractual arrangements with ExpressJet Airlines, Inc. and SkyWest Airlines, Inc., both subsidiaries of SkyWest, Inc.; Chautauqua Airlines, Inc. and Shuttle America Corporation, both subsidiaries of Republic Airways Holdings, Inc.; Pinnacle Airlines, Inc. and Mesaba Aviation, Inc. (Mesaba), both subsidiaries of Pinnacle Airlines Corp. (Pinnacle); Compass Airlines, Inc. (Compass) and GoJet Airlines, LLC, both subsidiaries of Trans States Holdings, Inc. (Trans States), and American Eagle.

The Company�� SkyMiles program allows program members to earn mileage for travel awards by flying on Delta, Delta�� regional carriers and other participating airlines. Mileage credit may also be earned by using certain services offered by program participants, such as credit card companies, hotels and car rental agencies. In addition, individuals and companies may purchase mileage credits. The Company reserves the right to terminate the program with six months advance notice, and to change the program�� terms and conditions at any time without notice.

SkyMiles program mileage credits can be redeemed for air travel on Delta and participating airlines, for membership in the Company�� Delta Sky Clubs and for other program participant awards. Mileage credits are subject to certain transfer restrictions and travel awards are subject to capacity controlled seating. During the year ended December 31, 2011, program members redeemed more than 275 billion miles in the SkyMiles program for more than 12 million award redemptions. During 2011, 8.2% of revenue miles flown on Delta were from a! ward trav! el.

The Company generates cargo revenues in domestic and international markets through the use of cargo space on regularly scheduled passenger aircraft. Delta is a member of SkyTeam Cargo, an airline cargo alliance. SkyTeam Cargo offers a network spanning six continents and provides customers an international product line.

The Company has several other businesses arising from its airline operations, including aircraft maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO); staffing services for third parties; vacation wholesale operations, and its private jet operations. Delta�� MRO operation, known as Delta TechOps, is an airline MRO in North America. In addition to providing maintenance and engineering support for its fleet of approximately 775 aircraft, Delta TechOps serves more than 150 aviation and airline customers. Its staffing services business, Delta Global Services, provides staffing services, professional security, training services and aviation solutions to approximately 150 customers. The Company�� vacation wholesale business, MLT Vacations, is the provider of vacation packages in the United States. Its private jet operations, Delta Private Jets, provides aircraft charters, aircraft management and programs allowing members to purchase flight time by the hour.

The Company competes with SkyTeam, United Air Lines, Continental Airlines, Lufthansa German Airlines, Air Canada, American Airlines, British Airways and Qantas.

Advisors' Opinion:
  • [By DAILYFINANCE]

    Joshua Trujillo, seattlepi.com/AP WASHINGTON -- The Federal Aviation Administration has accepted Boeing's revamped battery system for its beleaguered 787 Dreamliners and agreed to lift its grounding order, according to a congressional official. The order gives Boeing the go ahead to begin retrofitting planes with an enhanced lithium-ion battery system although the root cause of battery failures that caused a fire on one of the planes and smoke on another is still unknown. Boeing Co. (BA) intends to work on the retrofits over the weekend, and flights could resume within days to a week, the official said. The official requested anonymity because he wasn't authorized to speak publicly before the FAA's announcement. The FAA gave Boeing permission last month to test the revamped system, which includes additional insulation around each of the battery's eight cells to prevent a short circuit or fire in one of the cells from spreading to the others. The new system also includes enhanced venting of smoke and gas from inside the battery to outside the plane. A strengthened box to hold the battery is an effort to ensure that if a fire were to occur, it wouldn't escape to the rest of the plane. Boeing has completed 20 separate tests of the new system, FAA Administrator Michael Huerta told Congress earlier this week. The FAA's action directly affects United Airlines (UAL), which is the only U.S. airline with 787s in its fleet. But aviation authorities in other countries are expected to swiftly follow suit. Boeing had delivered 50 planes to eight airlines in seven countries when a fire erupted in a battery aboard a Japan Airlines 787 parked at Boston's Logan International Airport on Jan. 7. The FAA and other authorities grounded the entire fleet after a second incident nine days later led to an emergency landing by an All Nippon Airways 787 in Japan. Boeing has recently been readying replacement battery systems for installation in anticipation that the grounding order

Best Oil Service Stocks To Buy Right Now: Nuveen Preferred and Convertible Income Fund (JPC)

Nuveen Multi-Strategy Income & Growth Fund is a close-ended balanced mutual fund launched by Nuveen Investments Inc. The fund is co-managed by Nuveen Asset Management, Spectrum Asset Management, Tradewinds Global Investors, LLC, and Symphony Asset Management, LLC. It invests in the public equity and fixed income markets of the United States. The fund seeks to invest in the stocks of companies operating across diversified sectors. For the fixed income portfolio, it invests in the debt instruments, including high yield debt and senior loans. The fund benchmarks the performance of its portfolio against the Merrill Lynch Preferred Stock Hybrid Securities Index, Lehman Tier 1 Capital Securities Index, Merrill Lynch All U.S. Convertibles Index, and CSFB High Yield index. It was formerly known as Nuveen Preferred and Convertible Income Fund. Nuveen Multi-Strategy Income & Growth Fund was formed on March 26, 2003 and is domiciled in the United States.

Advisors' Opinion:
  • [By Douglas A. McIntyre]

    J.C. Penney (NYSE: JPC) and the KMart and Sears divisions of Sears Holdings (NASDAQ: SHLD) are supposes to be the losers among large U.S. retailers. Their stores are too old, their brands too badly damaged, and their balance sheet too frail for either to do well in the white hot competition for holiday sales. However, their stock prices say otherwise, which means there is some expectation that they will outperform forecasts.

Best Oil Service Stocks To Buy Right Now: YPF Sociedad Anonima(YPF)

YPF SOCIEDAD ANONIMA, an energy company, engages in the exploration, development, and production of crude oil, natural gas, and liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) in Argentina. The company also involves in refining, marketing, transportation, and distribution of oil and a range of petroleum products, petroleum derivatives, petrochemicals, LPG, and bio-fuels; and gas separation and natural gas distribution operations. As of December 31, 2010, it had proved reserves of approximately 531 million barrels of oil and 2,533 billion cubic feet of gas; and retail distribution network of 1,622 YPF-branded service stations for automotive petroleum products. The company?s crude oil transportation network includes approximately 2,700 kilometers of crude oil pipelines with approximately 640,000 barrels of aggregate daily transportation capacity of refined products; crude oil tankage of approximately 7 million barrels; and terminal facilities at 5 Argentine ports. In addition, it participates in 3 power stations with an aggregate installed capacity of 1,622 megawatts. The company was founded in 1977 and is based in Buenos Aires, Argentina. YPF SOCIEDAD ANONIMA is a subsidiary of Repsol YPF, S.A.

Advisors' Opinion:
  • [By Taylor Muckerman]

    This news is obviously great for a country that's been struggling with its ability to keep up with increased energy demand, along with some pretty serious bouts of inflation recently. But what does it mean for the energy companies that have been risking capital to explore for these reserves? Well, following the country's nationalization of YPF (NYSE: YPF  ) from Repsol last May, it needed some form of positive news to woo companies back.

  • [By Matt DiLallo]

    After lots of speculation, oil and gas giant Chevron (NYSE: CVX  ) has finally come to terms on a joint development agreement with Argentine national oil company YPF (NYSE: YPF  ) . The $1.24 billion deal will help further the development of oil and gas at Argentina's Vaca Muerta formation. Vaca Muerta, which in Spanish means "dead cow," holds more hope for both Chevron and Argentina than that name might imply, as it's estimated to hold 27 billion barrels of technically recoverable oil.

  • [By fedezaldua]

    Last year, the Argentinean government nationalized 51% of YPF (YPF) from Madrid based Repsol (REPYY), which still holds a 12.4% stake in Argentina's biggest oil and gas company. When the nationalization happened, Argentina's government argued that the Spanish group had not been investing enough in the country. Hence, the lack of investments had left Argentina without its very much appreciated external surplus in oil and gas. Even when its true that YPF's Capex investments were kept at a minimum level from 2003 to 2011, its also true that low Capex was a direct result of Argentina's (very) poor and unsustainable energy policies.

  • [By Jonathan Yates]

    That is very easy to fix, however. Investors should look at the recent example of YPF SA (NYSE: YPF), the Argentine oil giant. Actions by the government of Argentina drove down the share price. Since then, the country has worked to make YPF SA, and Argentia, more attractive to investors. As a result, YPF SA is up more than 90 percent for 2013. Much of the economic health of Brazil rests on the performance of Petrobras, so more beneficial actions from the Government of Brazil should be expected.

Best Oil Service Stocks To Buy Right Now: Garmin Ltd.(GRMN)

Garmin Ltd., together with its subsidiaries, designs, develops, manufactures, and markets global positioning system (GPS) enabled products and other navigation, communication, and information products for the automotive/mobile, outdoor, fitness, marine, and general aviation markets worldwide. The company offers a range of automotive navigation products, and various products and applications designed for the mobile GPS market; GPS enabled handheld products for hunters, hikers, geocachers, outdoors enthusiasts, cyclists, and golfers; dog tracking systems; tracker systems; and training assistants for athletes. It also provides handhelds, network products and multifunction displays, fixed-mount GPS/chartplotter products, instruments, fish finders, radars, autopilots, VHF radios, marine networking products, and sounder products. In addition, the company offers GPS-enabled navigation, VHF communications transmitters/receivers, multi-function displays, electronic flight instrumen tation systems, automatic flight control systems, traffic advisory systems and traffic collision avoidance systems, terrain awareness and warning systems, instrument landing system receivers, surveillance products, audio panels, and cockpit datalink systems. The company?s sells its products through a network of independent dealers and distributors, as well as through original equipment manufacturers. Garmin Ltd. was founded in 1990 and is based in Schaffhausen, Switzerland.

Advisors' Opinion:
  • [By Jake L'Ecuyer]

    Shares of Garmin (NASDAQ: GRMN) got a boost, shooting up 8.54 percent to $51.20 after the company reported upbeat fourth-quarter earnings.

    Signet Jewelers (NYSE: SIG) was also up, gaining 16.93 percent to $92.69 after the company announced its plans to acquire Zale for $21.00 per share.

  • [By Ben Levisohn]

    Those would be PulteGroup (PHM), which has gained 4% to $16.00, DR Horton (DHI), which has risen 3.9% to $18.47, and Lennar (LEN), which has advanced 4% to $32.88. Only Garmin (GRMN) has had a better day.

  • [By Eric Volkman]

    Garmin (NASDAQ: GRMN  ) has chosen a fixed spot on its map and pinned four dividend payments to it. In accordance with Swiss corporate law, the company's shareholders have approved a full year of quarterly distributions. Each will total $0.45 per share. The first will be paid on June 28 to shareholders of record as of June 18. The payment and record dates for the following three disbursements are Sept. 30 and Sept. 16, Dec. 31 and Dec. 16, and March 31 and March 17, 2014, respectively.

Best Oil Service Stocks To Buy Right Now: Varian Medical Systems Inc.(VAR)

Varian Medical Systems, Inc. designs, manufactures, sells, and services equipment and software products for treating cancer with radiotherapy, stereotactic radiotherapy, stereotactic body radiotherapy, stereotactic radiosurgery, and brachytherapy worldwide. Its Oncology Systems segment offers products, such as linear accelerators, brachytherapy afterloaders, treatment simulation and verification equipment, and accessories; and information management, treatment planning, and image processing software. This segment serves university research and community hospitals, private and governmental institutions, healthcare agencies, doctors? offices, and cancer care clinics. The company?s X-ray Products segment provides x-ray tubes for use in a range of applications, including computed tomography scanning, radiographic or fluoroscopic imaging, mammography, special procedures, and industrial applications; and flat panel digital image detectors for filmless x-ray imaging. It sells t hese products to imaging systems original equipment manufacturers that incorporate them into their medical diagnostic, dental, veterinary, and industrial imaging systems; independent service companies; and directly to end-users. The company also designs, manufactures, sells, and services Linatron x-ray accelerators, imaging processing software, and image detection products for security and inspection purposes, such as cargo screening at ports and borders, and nondestructive examination in various applications. In addition, it develops products and systems for delivering proton therapy; and technologies in the areas of digital X-ray imaging technology, volumetric and functional imaging, improved X-ray sources, and technology for security and cargo screening applications. The company was formerly known as Varian Associates, Inc. and changed its name to Varian Medical Systems, Inc. in April 1999. Varian Medical Systems, Inc. was founded in 1948 and is headquartered in Palo Alto , California.

Advisors' Opinion:
  • [By Seth Jayson]

    Basic guidelines
    In this series, I examine inventory using a simple rule of thumb: Inventory increases ought to roughly parallel revenue increases. If inventory bloats more quickly than sales grow, this might be a sign that expected sales haven't materialized. Is the current inventory situation at Varian Medical Systems (NYSE: VAR  ) out of line? To figure that out, start by comparing the company's inventory growth to sales growth. How is Varian Medical Systems doing by this quick checkup? At first glance, not so great. Trailing-12-month revenue increased 7.2%, and inventory increased 13.0%. Comparing the latest quarter to the prior-year quarter, the story looks decent. Revenue grew 6.7%, and inventory increased 13.0%. Over the sequential quarterly period, the trend looks healthy. Revenue grew 13.3%, and inventory grew 0.6%.

  • [By Ben Levisohn]

    Intuitive Surgical has fallen 4.4% to $381.39 today, but doesn’t seem to be having much of an impact on comparable companies. Hologic (HOLX) has ticked up 0.2% to $22.06, Danaher (DHR) has fallen -.4% to $72.05 and Varian Medical Systems (VAR) has gained 0.2% to $78.70.

Best Oil Service Stocks To Buy Right Now: Vista Gold Corp (VGZ)

Vista Gold Corp. (Vista), incorporated on November 28, 1983, is engaged in the evaluation, acquisition, exploration and advancement of gold exploration and potential development projects. The Company's holdings include the Mt. Todd gold project in Australia; the Guadalupe de los Reyes gold/silver project in Mexico; the Concordia gold project in Mexico; the Awak Mas gold project in Indonesia; the Long Valley gold project in California, and mining claims in Utah. On April 6, 2011, the Company announced the completion of the combination involving Midas Gold, Inc., Vista's wholly owned subsidiary, Vista Gold U.S. Inc. and its wholly owned subsidiary, Idaho Gold Resources, LLC., whereby each party contributed their respective gold assets in the Yellow Pine-Stibnite District in Idaho to a new Canadian private company named Midas Gold Corp. (Midas Gold). In October 2013, the Company announced that it has sold the Los Cardones gold project in Baja California Sur, Mexico, to the Invecture Group (Invecture) and RPG Structured Finance S.a r.l.

Mt. Todd Gold Project

The Company holds the Mt. Todd gold project through its wholly owned subsidiary, Vista Gold Australia Pty. Ltd. The project is located 56 kilometers by road northwest of Katherine, Northern Territory, Australia, and approximately 250 kilometers south of Darwin. On September 6, 2011, the Company announced the results of its mineral resource estimate for the Batman deposit at the Company�� Mt. Todd gold project in Northern Territory, Australia.

Guadalupe de los Reyes Gold/Silver Project

The Company�� Guadalupe de los Reyes project is located in the State of Sinaloa, in western Mexico, approximately halfway between the cities of Mazatlan and Culiacan. The property is held through 37 federal mining concessions totaling about 6,310.9 hectares. During the year ended December 31, 2011, the Company received the initial results of its Phase I surface sampling program completed at its Guadalupe de los Reye! s gold/silver project in Sinaloa, Mexico. In June 2011, it initiated the first phase of a two-phase exploration program. The initial results from Phase I confirmed the surface continuity of gold/silver bearing veins over a combined strike length of 14 kilometers. During October 2011, the Company received the permits for its planned drilling program at the Guadalupe de los Reyes gold/silver project, and drilling on a 12-hole core program had started.

Concordia Gold Project

The Concordia gold project is located 55 kilometers southeast of the city of La Paz, in the Mexican state of Baja California Sur. The project area covers over 3,710 hectares and is consists of 15 mining concessions. Vista holds the Concordia gold project through its wholly owned, Mexican subsidiary, Desarrollos Zapal, S.A. de C.V. (DZ Mexico). On February 7, 2012, the Company announced that the Company had entered into an Earn-in Right Agreement (the Earn-in Right Agreement) with Mexico-based Invecture Group, S.A. de C.V. (Invecture) with respect to Vista's Concordia gold project in Baja California Sur, Mexico.

Awak Mas Gold Project

The the Awak Mas gold project is held through its indirect wholly owned subsidiary, PT Masmindo Dwi. The Awak Mas property is situated on the southern side of the Central Sulawesi Metamorphic Belt within a 50-kilometer-long, north-northeast trending fault-bounded block of basement metamorphic rocks and younger sediments. On June 13, 2011, the Company�� wholly owned subsidiary, Vista Gold (Barbados) Corp. (Vista Barbados) entered into an additional option agreement (Additional Option Agreement) with Pan Asia Resources Corp. (Pan Asia). The Additional Option Agreement provides Pan Asia with the opportunity to earn an additional 20% interest in its Awak Mas gold project in Indonesia after it has earned a 60% interest in the project pursuant to the joint venture agreement between Vista Barbados and Pan Asia that was executed in December 2009. In September 20! 11, the A! dditional Option Agreement and JV Agreement were assigned from Pan Asia to Awak Mas Holdings Pty.

Long Valley Gold Project

The Long Valley gold project is located in the Inyo National Forest, about 7 miles east of the town of Mammoth Lakes, in Mono County, California. The property consists of 95 contiguous, unpatented mining claims that cover an area of approximately 1,963 acres. The Long Valley gold project is held through its indirect wholly owned subsidiary Vista Gold California LLC.

Advisors' Opinion:
  • [By Bryan Murphy]

    A couple of days ago when gold and the SPDR Gold Trust ETF (NYSEARCA:GLD) were getting back into a bullish groove, I advocated Randgold Resources Ltd. ADR (NASDAQ:GOLD) as the better way to play gold's rebound. GOLD had fought its way back above a key ceiling, and was poised to take off... much more so than GLD was. To tell you the truth though, Randgold Resources Ltd. wasn't actually my first choice. The gold mining name I wanted to suggest was a little smaller - Vista Gold Corp. (NYSEMKT:VGZ). In the meantime, VGZ has forged out enough of the bullish progress I saw brewing then to merit a mention now.

Sunday, March 30, 2014

Microsoft Hopes Anime Will Bring Power Users Back to Internet Explorer

Although Microsoft's (NASDAQ: MSFT  ) Internet Explorer is not a popular mobile browser -- Apple's (NASDAQ: AAPL  ) Safari dominates -- it remains the most popular desktop browser. According to Net Marketshare, Microsoft's Internet Explorer has more than 58% of the desktop market, which is hardly surprising, given the popularity of Microsoft's operating systems on traditional PCs.

But among power users, Internet Explorer is in the minority. Instead, Google's (NASDAQ: GOOG  ) Chrome is king, alongside Mozilla's Firefox. In a computing world that's ever more reliant on the Internet, browsers are becoming far more important. Can anime win the power users back?

Microsoft's weird new ad
Microsoft's new ad for Internet Explorer may, to the average person, seem strange. A big-eyed cartoon girl is harassed by evil, laser beam-shooting robots -- until she transforms in a burst of light, returning fire with lasers of her own, and crushing her attackers. But for those who watch anime regularly, the ad should seem familiar.

Anime -- or Japanese cartoons -- are filled with a number of cliches, many of which find their way into Microsoft's ad. What anime has to do with Internet Explorer remains a mystery, but it's clear that Microsoft was hoping its ad would appeal to anime fans, and maybe get some of them to consider coming back to Internet Explorer.

Certainly, all fans of anime aren't power users, and all power users aren't anime fans. But anime -- along with Star Wars, Star Trek, and Lord of the Rings -- is a stereotypical nerd interest, spoofed in shows such as The Big Bang Theory.

Browsers are more important than ever before
But why does Microsoft care who uses Internet Explorer? It gives the browser away for free; it isn't earning any revenue from it directly.

In an era of cloud computing, browsers are becoming the centralized hub for web services. Google's Chrome browser, for example, is tied both to its search engine and to Gmail. If a user starts typing in Chrome's address bar, it will automatically do a Google search, while Chrome itself can be tied to a user's Gmail account, allowing for a seamless Internet experience across multiple devices (a feature Google emphasizes in its Chrome advertising). And if you're using Gmail, why not use Google's other services (Google Drive, Google Docs, Google+)?

It's even bigger than that: Google appears to be slowly transforming Chrome into a fully featured operating system. Indeed, Google's ChromeOS, the operating system that powers Chromebooks, is little more than the Chrome browser. Paired with Chrome Web Apps, Google's browser could eventually threaten Microsoft's Windows.

Apple's Safari dominates mobile devices
Despite the massive market share that Android -- Google's mobile operating system -- enjoys, Apple's browser, Safari, is as nearly as dominant on mobile as Internet Explorer is on the desktop. Net Marketshare reports that on mobile devices, Safari has almost 56% of the market. As with Microsoft's dominance of the desktop, Apple's dominance of mobile isn't particularly surprising -- as the default browser for Apple's iPhones and iPads, it would be more surprising if Safari was in the minority.

Still, while Apple's share of the mobile market might serve to highlight how poor of a job Microsoft is doing when it comes to mobile, Safari shouldn't be seen as a competitive threat. Unlike Google, Apple isn't a major player in Web services and isn't attempting to turn its browser into an operating system.

A war of Web services
Microsoft has a vested interest in getting power users back on Internet Explorer. The more they use Google's Chrome, the less likely they are to use Microsoft's Web services (Bing, Outlook, SkyDrive) and the more likely they are to use Google's. In the worst-case scenario, they might even find themselves so addicted to Chrome that they give up Microsoft's operating system altogether, switching over to Google's Chrome OS.

Will a two-minute anime-inspired video bring the power users back? Maybe not, but at least Microsoft is trying.

Want an iPad?
Apple's newest iPad Mini with Retina display might be hard to come by this quarter, given all the reports of supply constraints. Well, we're going to be sure to get a few -- and give them away! That's right: For the first time ever, The Motley Fool is hosting a contest where you can win a free iPad Mini with Retina display. All you have to do is tell us why you love The Motley Fool by clicking here! We'll pick the three most Foolish submissions to receive a free iPad Mini with Retina display.

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Saturday, March 29, 2014

6 Internet and Web Service Stocks to Buy Now

RSS Logo Portfolio Grader Popular Posts: 9 Oil and Gas Stocks to Buy Now7 Biotechnology Stocks to Buy Now10 Best “Strong Buy” Stocks — QIHU POWR UA and more Recent Posts: Hottest Healthcare Stocks Now – AEGR RDY HGR OMI Hottest Technology Stocks Now – IGTE HOLI SNDK SYMC Biggest Movers in Basic Materials Stocks Now – NG SWC IAG CLW View All Posts

The grades of six internet and web service stocks are on the rise this week on Portfolio Grader. Each of these stocks is rated an “A” (“strong buy”) or “B” overall (“buy”).

This week, Commtouch Software Ltd () is showing significant improvement as the company’s rating hops from a C (“hold”) to a B (“buy”). Commtouch Software provides messaging, antivirus, and Web security solutions to OEM customers, enterprises, and service providers primarily in Israel, North America, Europe, and Asia. In Portfolio Grader’s specific subcategory of Sales Growth, CTCH also gets an A. .

This week, Akamai Technologies, Inc.’s () ratings are up from a C last week to a B. Akamai Technologies provides services for accelerating and improving the delivery of content and applications over the Internet. .

IntraLinks Holdings, Inc. () improves from a C to a B rating this week. IntraLinks Holdings provides Software-as-a-Service solutions for managing content, exchanging business information and collaborating within and among organizations. .

Sohu.com, Inc. () is seeing ratings go up from a C last week to a B this week. Sohu.com is an Internet media company that serves as a daily source of information, communication and entertainment for millions of Chinese consumers. .

OpenTable, Inc. () earns a B this week, jumping up from last week’s grade of C. OpenTable provides free, real-time online restaurant reservations for diners through an online booking service. .

Jiayuan.com International Ltd. Sponsored ADR’s () ratings are looking better this week, moving up to a B from last week’s C. Jiayuan. com International is an online Chinese dating company. .

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

Friday, March 28, 2014

Best Construction Companies To Invest In 2014

Engineering, construction and technical services provider URS Corporation (URS) recently announced that it has received an indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity (ID/IQ) contract from the Naval Facilities Engineering Command, Atlantic, to accomplish global contingency construction projects worldwide. URS Corporation is one of the four awardees in this ID/IQ contract worth about $800 million.

The contract has a span of five years, comprising one base year with four one-year option periods. As per the terms of the contract, URS Corporation will either need to bid or will be awarded task orders by the U.S. Navy on behalf of the Department of defense and other federal agencies.

The task orders under the contract will include providing construction and engineering services related to natural disasters, humanitarian assistance, conflict, or other projects with similar features. Apart from major construction works, URS Corporation is also expected to occasionally provide base operating support services under specific task orders.

Best Construction Companies To Invest In 2014: Aegion Corp (AEGN)

Aegion Corporation, incorporated on August 17, 2011, is engaged in infrastructure protection, providing technologies and services to protect against the corrosion of industrial pipelines and for the rehabilitation and strengthening of sewer, water, energy and mining piping systems and buildings, bridges, tunnels and waterfront structures. The Company operates in five segments: Energy and Mining, North American Sewer and Water Rehabilitation, European Sewer and Water Rehabilitation, Asia-Pacific Sewer and Water Rehabilitation and Commercial and Structural. The Company�� business activities include manufacturing, distribution, installation, coating and insulation, cathodic protection, research and development and licensing. Its products and services are utilized and performed in more than 100 countries across six continents. The Company offers solutions for rehabilitating aging or deteriorating infrastructure and protecting new infrastructure from corrosion. In June 2013, Aegion Corporation announced that it has sold its 50% interest in Insituform Rohrsanierungstechniken GmbH (Insituform-Germany) to Per Aarsleff A/S. In July 2013, Aegion Corp announced that it has completed the acquisition of Brinderson, L.P.

In March 2012, the Company organized United Special Technical Services LLC (USTS), a joint venture located in the Sultanate of Oman between United Pipeline Systems and Special Technical Services LLC (STS), for the purpose of executing pipeline, piping and flow line high-density polyethylene lining services throughout the Middle East and Northern Africa. United Pipeline Systems holds a 51% equity interest in USTS and STS holds the remaining 49% equity interest. In November 2012, the Company acquired the shares of its joint venture partner, SPML Infra Limited (SPML), an unaffiliated Indian contractor, in Insituform Pipeline Rehabilitation Private Limited (Insituform-India) in order to continue to pursue business opportunities in India involving CIPP installations and third party tube! sales, as well as to promote its other products and services. In January 2012, the Company purchased Fyfe Group�� Latin American operations (Fyfe LA), which included all of the equity interests of Fyfe Latin America S.A., a Panamanian entity (and its interest in various joint ventures located in Peru, Costa Rica, Chile and Colombia), Fyfe Latin America S.A. de C.V., an El Salvadorian entity, and Fibrwrap Construction Latin America S.A., a Panamanian entity. In April 2012, the Company purchased Fyfe Group�� Asian operations (Fyfe Asia), which included all of the equity interests of Fyfe Asia Pte. Ltd, a Singaporean entity (and its interest in two joint ventures located in Borneo and Indonesia), Fyfe (Hong Kong) Limited, Fibrwrap Construction (M) Sdn Bhd, a Malaysian entity, Fyfe Japan Co. Ltd and Fibrwrap Construction Pte. Ltd and Technologies & Art Pte. Ltd., Singaporean entities.

Energy and Mining

The Company�� energy and mining operations provide rehabilitation and corrosion protection services for industrial, mineral, oil and gas piping systems and structures. The Company also offers products for gas release and leak detection systems. Its worldwide energy and mining operations are headquartered in Chesterfield, Missouri. These operations are conducted through its various subsidiaries (United Pipeline Systems based in Durango, Colorado, Bayou based in New Iberia, Louisiana, Corrpro based in Houston, Texas, CRTS based in Tulsa, Oklahoma and Hockway based in the United Arab Emirates). Certain of its energy and mining operations outside of the United States are conducted through its wholly owned subsidiaries in the United Kingdom, Portugal, Chile, Canada, Argentina, Brazil and the United Arab Emirates and through its joint ventures in Canada, Mexico, Oman, Singapore, Saudi Arabia and Morocco.

United Pipeline Systems performs pipeline rehabilitation services using its Tite Liner process. Its Bayou business performs internal and external pipeline coating, lini! ng, weigh! ting and insulation services, as well as specialty fabrication services for offshore deep water installations, including project management and logistics. Its Corrpro business performs fully-integrated corrosion prevention services including: engineering; product and material sales; construction and installation; inspection, monitoring and maintenance; andcoatings. Its CRTS business specializes in the application of internal and external corrosion coatings services and equipment for new pipeline construction projects. Its Hockway business performs cathodic protection, engineering and design, manufacturing, maintenance and installation services to the oil and gas markets.

Water and Wastewater Rehabilitation Operations

The Company�� sewer rehabilitation activities are conducted principally through installation and other construction operations performed directly by its subsidiaries. In certain geographic regions, the Company has granted licenses to unaffiliated companies. Its North American Water and Wastewater operations, including research and development, engineering, training and financial support systems, are headquartered in Chesterfield, Missouri. During the year ended December 31. 2012, tube manufacturing and processing facilities for North America were maintained in eight locations, geographically dispersed throughout the United States and Canada.

The Company also conducts Insituform CIPP process rehabilitation operations worldwide through its wholly owned subsidiaries and through direct and indirect joint venture relationships. The results from these operations are included in its European Water and Wastewater and Asia-Pacific Water and Wastewater operating segments, as appropriate. The Company utilize multifunctional robotic devices developed by its French subsidiary in connection with the inspection and repair of pipelines. The Company also maintain a manufacturing facility in Wellingborough, United Kingdom to support European operations and through wh! ich the C! ompany sell liners to third parties.

Commercial and Structural Operations

The Company�� commercial and structural operations perform rehabilitation and strengthening of pipelines, buildings, bridges, tunnels and waterfront structures throughout the United States and Canada through Fibrwrap Construction Services, headquartered in Ontario, California, in its Asian markets through Its wholly owned subsidiaries and through Its joint ventures in Borneo and Indonesia and in its Latin American markets through its joint ventures in Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica and Peru. Through Fyfe Co., headquartered in San Diego, California, the Company designs and manufactures the FRP composite systems used in these applications. It�� wholly owned Fyfe entities located in El Salvador, Singapore, Japan, Malaysia and Hong Kong and its Fyfe joint ventures in Borneo and Indonesia, provide product and engineering services throughout Latin America and Asia-Pacific. Its licensee in Greece provides product and services throughout the Middle East and Europe.

Advisors' Opinion:
  • [By Rich Duprey]

    Infrastructure protection specialist Aegion (NASDAQ: AEGN  ) announced yesterday that it was acquiring maintenance, contraction, and engineering firm�Brinderson for $150 million and that the deal will close on July 1.

  • [By CRWE]

    Aegion Corporation (Nasdaq:AEGN) reported the award today of two subcontracts for its Malaysian subsidiary, Insituform Linings Asia Sdn Bhd, with a total value of approximately $9.3 million (USD).

  • [By Alexis Xydias]

    The ISEQ Index (ISEQ) in Ireland and the ASE Index in Greece, the first two nations to receive European Union-led bailouts, have soared more than 28 percent this year to lead gains among 18 national benchmarks in western Europe. Dublin-based Independent News & Media Plc (INM) and Athens-based Aegean Airlines SA (AEGN) rose the most, with jumps of more than 180 percent. Germany�� DAX Index (DAX) has advanced 18 percent in 2013, reaching a record.

Best Construction Companies To Invest In 2014: Baoye Group Co Ltd (BKG)

Baoye Group Company Limited is engaged in the provision of construction service, manufacture and distribution of building materials and development and sale of properties. The Company three segments: construction, which includes provision of construction services; property development, which includes development and sale of properties, and building materials, which includes manufacture and distribution of building materials. Its subsidiaries include Zhejiang Baoye Construction Group Co., Ltd., Zhejiang Baoye Curtain Wall Decoration Co., Ltd., Zhejiang Baoye Infrastructure Construction Co., Ltd., Zhejiang Guangyi Construction and Decoration Co., Ltd., Zhejiang Baoye Real Estate Group Co., Ltd., Shaoxing Baoye Four Seasons Garden Real Estate Co., Ltd., Zhejiang Baoye Building Materials Industrialisation Co., Ltd., Zhejiang Baoye Steel Structure Co., Ltd. and others. During the year ended 31 December 2011, the Company acquired three parcels of new land in Wuhan, Shanghai, and Henan. Advisors' Opinion:
  • [By Inyoung Hwang]

    Berkeley Group Holdings Plc (BKG) surged 8.3 percent after saying first-half profit rose 22 percent. London Stock Exchange Group Plc (LSE) climbed 2.4 percent after Bank of America Corp.�� Merrill Lynch unit recommended buying the stock. Givaudan SA (GIVN) lost 1.3 percent after Nestle SA said it will sell $1.27 billion of shares in the world�� largest flavorings maker.

Top 10 Oil Companies To Invest In Right Now: Assa Abloy AB (ASAZY.PK)

Assa Abloy AB is a Sweden-based company engaged in the secure door opening solutions. It is organized into five divisions: Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA), North and South America (Americas), Asia, Australia and New Zealand (Asia Pacific), Global Technologies and Entrance Systems. The EMEA, Americas and Asia Pacific divisions manufacture mechanical and electromechanical locks, security doors and hardware in their respective geographical markets. The Global Technologies division operates in the product areas of access control systems, secure card issuance, identification technology and hotel locks. The Entrance Systems division is a supplier of entrance automation products and services. The Company�� subsidiaries include ASSA Sverige AB, Timelox AB and ABLOY Holdings Ltd., among others. In November 2013, it acquired Ameristar Fence Products Inc, a manufacturer of ornamental fences and gates. In January 2014, it acquired IdenTrust. In February 2014, it acquired Lumidigm. Advisors' Opinion:
  • [By Weighing Machine]

    Domiciled in Sweden, Assa Abloy (ASAZY.PK) is the largest lock maker in the world with a global market share of nearly 12%. While the construction market has been difficult since the financial crisis, Assa has continued to increase revenue and operating profit every year since 2010 and is on track to do so again in 2013. While commercial construction has been subdued, the aftermarket (which represents ~70% of the total lock market) is driven by changes in tenancy, renovation, and extensions have not been very cyclical and provides the company with a steady stream of profits. Assa has been cobbled together through 150+ acquisitions since the early 1990s and while management has done a good job of rationalizing facilities, there remain opportunities to increase manufacturing efficiencies. Similarly, the company's back office is still running dozens of IT systems (as a result of acquisitions) but management plans to consolidate these over the next few years. Further, Assa remains an active consolidator of the locks industry - it should be able to add 5% per year to sales via acquisitions (as an aside, those interested in micro-caps should have a look at Securidev in France which trades at less than half the private market value Assa has paid for lock makers on average over the past decade). Having the highest margins in the industry, Assa is able to achieve significant synergies on acquired businesses and earn good returns on capital for its shareholders through M&A. Thus even in a difficult economy, we expect Assa will continue to grow its operating profit given its steady after market revenue, opportunity to improve results through cost cutting, and through value accretive M&A. While its shares are not cheap, at 19x earnings, shares could offer investors with a five year holding period and an 8-10% annualized return.

Best Construction Companies To Invest In 2014: Walter Bau AG (WTB)

Walter Bau AG is an international construction group based in Augsburg, southern Germany. The Company's core construction-related services are planning, financing, project development and facilities management. It is active in the fields of turnkey construction, civil engineering, international construction and transportation infrastructure. Its subsidiary, DYWIDAG-Systems International markets the Company's products and systems worldwide, particularly in the field of post-tensioning and geotechnics, as well as special civil engineering processes. Walter Bau also provides operation and financing solutions, as well as developing commercial and residential real estate projects. Facilities Management is offered by DYWIDAG Service GmbH. Its Logistics Competence Center in Augsburg bundles the Company's Germany-wide activities as a general contractor in the planning, construction and support of distribution centers. The Company commenced insolvency proceedings in April 2005. Advisors' Opinion:
  • [By Sofia Horta e Costa]

    Whitbread Plc (WTB) added 4.1 percent to 3,114 pence, its largest advance since September 2012. Oriel Securities Ltd. raised its rating on the shares to buy from hold, citing improvement in the U.K. hotel market.

  • [By Namitha Jagadeesh]

    BHP Billiton Ltd. (BHP) and Rio Tinto Group, the world�� biggest mining companies, fell at least 3 percent. Whitbread Plc (WTB) dropped 2.8 percent after UBS AG downgraded the owner of the Costa Coffee chain. British Land Co., the U.K.�� second-largest real estate investment trust, advanced 1.2 percent after saying it bought commercial property in London for 470 million pounds ($707 million).

Best Construction Companies To Invest In 2014: Chicago Bridge & Iron Company NV (CBI)

Chicago Bridge & Iron Company N.V. (CB&I) is one of the integrated engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) services providers and process technology licensors, delivering solutions to customers primarily in the energy, petrochemical and natural resource industries. CB&I consist of three business sectors: Steel Plate Structures, Project Engineering and Construction, and Lummus Technology. Through these business sectors, the Company offers services both independently and on an integrated basis.

As of December 31, 2012, the Company had more than 900 projects in process in more than 70 countries. On February 13, 2013, it acquired The Shaw Group Inc. (Shaw).

Steel Plate Structures

Steel Plate Structures provides engineering, procurement, fabrication and construction services, including mechanical erection services, for the hydrocarbon, water and nuclear industries. Projects include above ground storage tanks, elevated storage tanks, Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) tanks, pressure vessels, and other specialty structures, such as nuclear containment vessels. Customers include international energy companies, such as Chevron, ConocoPhillips, ExxonMobil and Shell; national energy companies, such as ADNOC (Abu Dhabi), CNOOC (China) and Saudi Aramco (Saudi Arabia); and regional energy companies, such as Kinder Morgan (United States) and Suncor (Canada).

Project Engineering and Construction

Project Engineering and Construction provides engineering, procurement, fabrication and construction services for upstream and downstream energy infrastructure facilities. Projects include LNG liquefaction and regasification terminals, gas processing plants, refinery units, petrochemical complexes and a wide range of other energy-related projects. Customers include international energy companies, such as British Petroleum, Chevron, ConocoPhillips, ExxonMobil and Shell; national energy companies, such as Ecopetrol (Colombia) and ORPIC (Oman); and regio! nal energy companies, such as Dominion (United States), Gazprom (Russia), Nexen (United Kingdom), and Woodside (Australia).

Lummus Technology

Lummus Technology provides licenses, services, catalysts and equipment for the hydrocarbon refining, petrochemical, and gas processing industries. Customers include international energy companies, such as Chevron and Shell; national energy companies, such as Pemex (Mexico), Petrochina (China), Rosneft (Russia) and Sabic (Saudi Arabia); and regional refiners and chemical and gas processing companies, such as China Coal (China), IRPC (Thailand), Kazakhstan Petrochemical (Kazakhstan), and Williams Energy Services (United States).

Power provides a range of services, including design, EPC, technology and consulting services, primarily to the fossil and nuclear power generation industries. Plant Services provides electric power refueling outage maintenance, turnaround maintenance, routine maintenance, offshore maintenance, modifications, capital construction, off-site modularization, fabrication, reliability engineering, plant engineering, plant support and specialty services. Additionally, it provides services to restore, rebuild, repair, renovate and modify industrial and electric power generation facilities, and offers predictive and preventive maintenance services. Environmental & Infrastructure (E&I) provides full-scale environmental and infrastructure services for government and private-sector clients. These services include program and project management, design-build, engineering and construction, sustainability and energy efficiency, remediation and restoration, science and technology, facilities management and emergency response and disaster recovery. Fabrication and Manufacturing is a worldwide supplier of fabricated piping systems primarily to the electric power, petrochemical and refinery industries, supporting both external clients and other Shaw business sectors.

Advisors' Opinion:
  • [By Rich Smith]

    Also, Chicago Bridge & Iron (NYSE: CBI  ) subsidiary Shaw Environmental won a $10 million modification to a previously awarded cost-plus-fixed-fee contract to provide remediation and excavation services at the Maywood Superfund site in New Jersey.

Best Construction Companies To Invest In 2014: Forge Group Ltd (FRGXF)

Forge Group Limited is engaged in construction, commercial building, engineering, maintenance and workshop fabrication. Forge is the holding company of Cimeco Pty Ltd, Webb Construction West Africa Ltd, Abesque Engineering Ltd (Abesque) and CTEC Pty Ltd, which provide a range of engineering and construction services to a diverse range of clients particularly to the resource and oil and gas sectors through its operating entities. Cimeco provides construction services across a range of disciplines, including, commercial building, civil, concrete, structural, mechanical, piping, tanks and electrical. Webb specializes in structural, mechanical and pipe installation, tank fabrication and erection. Abesque specializes in the provision of engineering design, project management services to the resources sector, including base metals, gold and iron ore. In January 2014, Forge Group Limited announced that BlackRock Inc. and subsidiaries had ceased to be the substantial holder of the Company. Advisors' Opinion:
  • [By MARKETWATCH]

    LOS ANGELES (MarketWatch) -- Australia stocks started solidly lower Tuesday, weighed by large losses on Wall Street, with the S&P/ASX 200 (AU:XJO) retreating 0.8% to 5,248.90. Globally sensitive stocks were among the leading decliners after a 1.3% pullback for the S&P 500 (SPX) in the U.S., with financial major Macquarie Group Ltd. (AU:MQG) (MCQEF) falling 2.2%, News Corp. (AU:NWS) (NWS) -- the parent of MarketWatch, publisher of this report -- off 1.4%, and construction-material firm James Hardie Industries SE (AU:JHX) (JHIUF) 1.2% lower. Miners came under pressure, with BHP Billiton Ltd. (AU:BHP) (BHP) down 0.9% and Oz Minerals Ltd. (AU:OZL) (OZMLF) dropping 1%, while Forge Group Ltd. (AU:FGE) (FRGXF) tumbled 12.8% after issuing a profit warning. On the upside, mild gains overnight for Comex gold futures helped the fortunes of some gold extractors, helping Newcrest Mining Ltd. (AU:NCM) (NCMGF) and Evolution Mining Ltd. (AU:EVN) (CAHPF)

Best Construction Companies To Invest In 2014: Boral Ltd (BLD)

Boral Limited (Boral), is engaged in the manufacture and supply of building and construction materials in Australia, the United States and Asia. The Company�� operating segments include Construction Materials & Cement, Building Products, Boral Gypsum, and Boral USA. The Construction Materials & Cement is engaged in quarries, concrete, asphalt, transport, landfill, property, cement and concrete placing. The Building Products segment is engaged in Australian bricks, roof tiles, masonry, timber products and windows. The Boral Gypsum involves Australian and Asian plasterboard. The Boral USA is engaged in Bricks, cultured stone, roof tiles, fly ash, concrete and quarries. Advisors' Opinion:
  • [By Eric Lam]

    Ballard Power (BLD), which designs and manufactures hydrogen fuel cells, slumped 15 percent to C$1.42, the biggest decline since March. The company yesterday said it will sell about 9 million units at $1.40 a unit for proceeds of about $12.6 million. The cash generated will be used to fund working capital, support growth and general corporate purposes, the company said.

Best Construction Companies To Invest In 2014: Griffon Corp (GFF)

Griffon Corporation (Griffon), incorporated on December 29, 1970, is a diversified management and holding company that conducts business through wholly owned subsidiaries. Griffon oversees the operations of its subsidiaries and provides direction and assistance to its subsidiaries in connection with acquisition and growth opportunities as well as in connection with divestitures. Griffon conducts its operations through three businesses: Home and Building Products, consists of two companies, Ames True Temper, Inc and Clopay Building Products; Telephonics Corporation, designs, develops, manufactures, sells, and provides logistical support for aircraft intercommunication systems, radar, air traffic management, identification friend or foe equipment, Integrated Homeland Security Systems and custom, mixed-signal, application-specific, integrated circuits, and Clopay Plastic Products produces, develops specialty plastic films and laminates for a variety of hygienic, health care and industrial applications. Effective December 31, 2013, the Company announced that its subsidiary, Ames True Temper acquired Northcote Pottery.

Home and Building Products

HBP consists of two companies, Ames True Temper, Inc (ATT) and Clopay Building Products (CBP). ATT is a global provider of non-powered landscaping products that make work easier for homeowners and professionals. ATT�� brand portfolio includes Ames, True Temper, Ames True Temper, Garant, Hound Dog, Westmix, Dynamic Design and Southern Patio, as well as contractor-oriented brands, including UnionTools, Razor-Back Professional Tools and Jackson Professional Tools. Some of the products include Long Handle Tools, Wheelbarrows, Snow Tools, Planters and Lawn Accessories, Striking Tools, Pruning and Garden Hose and Storag. CBP is a manufacturer and marketer of residential, commercial and industrial garage doors to professional installing dealers and home center retail chains. CBP offers garage doors made primarily from steel, plastic composite ! and wood, and also sells related products, such as garage door openers, manufactured by third parties. The majority of CBP�� sales are for home remodeling and renovation, with the balance for the new residential housing and commercial building markets.

Telephonics Corporation

Telephonics specializes in advanced electronic information and communication systems for defense, aerospace, civil, industrial, and commercial applications for the United States (U.S.) and international markets. Telephonics designs, develops, manufactures, sells, and provides logistical support for aircraft intercommunication systems, radar, air traffic management, identification friend or foe equipment, Integrated Homeland Security Systems and custom, mixed-signal, application-specific, integrated circuits. Telephonics is also a provider of advanced systems engineering services supporting air and missile defense programs, as well as other threat and situational analysis requirements. Telephonics is a supplier of airborne maritime surveillance radar and aircraft intercommunication management systems, the segment�� two product lines. Telephonics is a first-tier supplier to prime contractors in the defense industry, such as Lockheed Martin, Boeing, Northrop Grumman, General Dynamics, MacDonald Dettwiler, Sierra Nevada Corporation and Sikorsky Aircraft, and is at times a prime contractor to the United States Department of Defense and the United States Department of Homeland Security (Homeland Security). On April 22, 2013, Telephonics signed a definitive agreement to form a Joint Venture (JV) with Mahindra & Mahindra Ltd to provide the Indian Ministry of Defense and the Indian Civil sector with radar and surveillance systems, identification friend or foe devices and communication systems.

Clopay Plastic Products

lopay Plastic Products produces and develops specialty plastic films and laminates for a variety of hygienic, healthcare and industrial uses in the United States and cert! ain inter! national markets. Products include thin gauge embossed and printed films, elastomeric films, laminates of film and non-woven fabrics, and perforated films and non-wovens. Plastics have two manufacturing facilities in Germany from which it sells plastic films throughout Europe and the Middle East and Africa.

The Company competes with Fiskars Corporation, Truper Herramientas S.A. de C.U., Suncast Corporation, Colorite Waterworks, Swan and Techniplex.

Advisors' Opinion:
  • [By CRWE]

    Griffon Corporation (NYSE:GFF) will present at Deutsche Bank�� 20th Annual Leveraged Finance Conference to be held at The Phoenician Hotel in Scottsdale, AZ at 8:50 a.m. local time on Wednesday, October 10th.

Best Construction Companies To Invest In 2014: Stanley Black & Decker Inc.(SWK)

Stanley Black & Decker, Inc. manufactures tools and engineered security solutions worldwide. The company?s Security segment provides a range of mechanical and electronic security products and systems, as well as various security services consisting of security integration systems, software, and related installation, maintenance, monitoring services; automatic doors, door closers, and exit devices; healthcare storage and supply chain solutions; patient protection products; hardware; and locking mechanisms. This segment sells its products to retailers; educational, financial, and healthcare institutions; and commercial, governmental, and industrial customers through direct sales forces and third party distributors. Its Industrial segment offers mechanics tools and storage systems, including wrenches, sockets, electronic diagnostic tools, tool boxes, and industrial storage and retrieval systems; engineered healthcare storage and retrieval systems; hydraulic tools and accessor ies; plumbing, heating, and air conditioning tools; assembly tools and systems; and specialty tools. This segment sells its products to industrial customers through third party distributors and direct sales forces. The company?s Construction & Do-It-Yourself segment manufactures hand tools, including measuring and leveling tools, planes, hammers, demolition tools, knives and blades, saws, chisels, and consumer tackers; consumer mechanics tools; storage units comprising plastic and metal tool boxes; and pneumatic tools and fasteners for use in construction, remodeling, furniture making, pallet and manufacturing applications. This segment sells its products to professional end users and consumers through retailers, including home centers, mass merchants, hardware stores, and retail lumber yards. The company was formerly known as The Stanley Works and changed its name to Stanley Black & Decker, Inc. in March 2010. Stanley Black & Decker was founded in 1843 and is based in New B ritain, Connecticut.

Advisors' Opinion:
  • [By Monica Gerson]

    Stanley Black & Decker (NYSE: SWK) is estimated to report its Q3 earnings at $1.38 per share on revenue of $2.82 billion.

    Bank of America (NYSE: BAC) is projected to report its Q3 earnings at $0.18 per share on revenue of $22.03 billion.

  • [By Louis Navellier]

    Stanley Black and Decker�� (SWK) shares have had a nice year and have been red hot in the last quarter. The stock has jumped ahead by about 18% in the last three months, bringing the year to date return up to 22%. However, earnings this year are down compared to 2012, and consumer spending is losing steam at the same time the housing recovery is stalling. The stock was downgraded to a “D” ranking in Portfolio Grader this week and will remain a “sell” until fundamentals improve to match the story.

Thursday, March 27, 2014

The Big Move From U.S. Geothermal Has Left the Tank Empty.... For Now (HTM)

By most accounts, it's an all-American dream come true. U.S. Geothermal Inc. (NYSEMKT:HTM), working hard - for years - to make something out of nothing can finally see the light at the end of the tunnel. HTM has swung to a profit, and is strong enough now that it's probably going to remain in the black in perpetuity. Shareholders who got into U.S. Geothermal anytime during or after 2012 have finally been handsomely rewarded, with most of that reward materializing in just the past three weeks. Regardless of when an investor got into a position in HTM though, there's just one thing left to do at this point.... get out. Lock in your gain and walk away, at least for a little while.

Say what? Why let go of one of the market's hottest stocks when things have never been better? Because, between the chart and the news and the euphoria surrounding the whole shebang, there's just something a little suspicious about HTM at these levels, and a significant pullback may be nigh.

First and foremost, there's a valuation problem. As it stands right now, U.S. Geothermal Inc. is a $96 million company that did $27.4 million worth of revenue last year. Granted, that's far better than 2012's top line of $9.8 million, and besides, you own a stock for where it's going rather than where it's been. While that's completely true, where HTM is going in 2014 should be revenue of only about $29 million. That translates into a price/sales ratio of 3.3 versus the market norm of about 2.4.

The valuation conundrum is even more alarming when you're talking about profits. While U.S. Geothermal has fought its way into the black, 2014's projected net income for this year is only $5.5 million at the high end. That translates into a best-case scenario forward-looking P/E of 17.4, which is palatable, though not exactly cheap. And remember, that's the high-end estimate. The low-end is a projected profit of $2.5 million, which translates into a forward-looking P/E of 38.4 for HTM.

This is likely the point where fans and supporters of the company will counter with the notion that one can't value a budding growth story the way more established and older companies are valued. This reporter couldn't agree more.  Indeed, this reporter thinks U.S. Geothermal Inc. is one of the most compelling stories out there for 2014 and 2015. Thing is, this reporter has also seen hundreds of stocks get well ahead of themselves relative to earnings, and though in the long run corporate results and the stock's price find an equitable equilibrium, in the short run, investors tend to not want to wait it out. Instead, traders realize it could be a couple of years before the stock's current price can be justified, and decide not to wait it out, dumping their shares looking for the next big hit. HTM isn't immune to that hot/cold pattern rooted in the fact that the market is amazingly fickle.

That being said, the chart is already in the midst of the process of hitting a top and pivoting lower.

The first clue to that end is today's volume. Although the volume so far isn't anything remarkable (we saw greater volume on the 13th and 24th), we're also only about an hour into today's session as of the time of this writing, and we're already to the halfway point of the volume we saw those two days. So, barring the market closing early, we WILL see a volume spike today, which tend to materialize at pivot points. They're the proverbial last hurrah for rallies and pullbacks, suggesting the last of any would-be buyers are rushing in. Past this point, there aren't apt to be any buyers left... only sellers.  The fact that HTM opened near its high today and has spent the better part of the session so far selling off - and is currently right at its low for the day - further suggests that the crowd has become one of profit-takers rather than buyers. Once that ball gets rolling, it's tough to stop.

The other clue that says we're headed for a deeper pullback from U.S. Geothermal is a little more blatant - it's overbought, and the market doesn't let things stay overbought very long.

Don't misunderstand. U.S. Geothermal Inc. is a great company, and HTM will rebound from whatever setback it suffers over the course of the next few days. There's no need for current shareholders to suffer as well, however. Anybody who locks in their gain today can still buy it back later, at what should be a considerably better price.

For more trading ideas and insights like these, be sure to sign up for the free SmallCap Network newsletter. You'll get stock picks, market calls, and more, every day. Here's what you've missed recently.

Wednesday, March 26, 2014

Where Has All the Silver Gone?

Investing legend Mark Skousen wonders why he hasn't seen any of those silver dollar coins around, and encourages their reintroduction back into circulation.

TERRY:  I'm Terry Savage from moneyshow.com talking with the always fascinating Mark Skousen, who just handed me this.  What is this?  It's a silver dollar, but not one of the old-fashioned kind.  It doesn't feel too heavy.  Mark, what is this? 

MARK:  That's actually a 1-ounce American Eagle silver dollar.  It's legal tender, and 40 million of those were minted last year, and I ask you:  Where are they?  This is the first time you've seen one of these, right? 

TERRY:  Yeah, absolutely. 

MARK:  Yet this is a legal tender coin, and since 1986, when Ronald Reagan signed a bill called the Gold and Silver Act, creating the American Eagle 1-ounce gold coins… 

TERRY:  Those I've seen. 

MARK:  …and 1-ounce silver coins, and 40 million of these beautiful coins that have Lady Liberty on them, the rising sun—Ben Franklin's favorite symbol of America, In God We Trust, the eagle.  It's got everything in there. 

TERRY:  These must be coll—they're an ounce of silver, correct? 

MARK:  That's correct. 

TERRY:  It's alloyed.  It must be. 

MARK:  It'll cost you $25 to buy one of these. 

TERRY:  Exactly.  Based on the price of one ounce of silver. 

MARK:  Right. 

TERRY:  Nobody's going to give this as a tip to the doorman who brings the car around. 

MARK:  Au contraire.  I encourage people in my newsletter all the time to use them as gifts, anniversaries… 

TERRY:  Oh, right.  But not as a dollar. 

MARK:  …when you graduate.  These are wonderful coins that people should hold on as good luck pieces. 

TERRY:  Yes, exactly.  You're just not, in other words, going to buy a dollar's worth of goods with this because it's worth… 

MARK:  No.  No. 

TERRY:  …whatever the price of silver. 

MARK:  That's the problem.  Because of Gresham's law…    

TERRY:  But where are they, Mark? 

MARK:   …we spend the one-dollar, the one-dollar bill… 

TERRY:  The paper, yep. 

MARK:  …and we keep—we put the silver dollar in our pocket… 

TERRY:  Of course. 

MARK:  …or in our safety deposit box, but I am encouraging people to circulate them.  We need to remember these are what coins used to be like.  The silver dollars that used to go in the slot machines in Las Vegas, and we used to all have in our pockets beautiful coins.  Now we have these tinty (SP?) little quarters that nobody wants to carry. 

TERRY:  Yeah, but the point is, if I'm buying a Coke in a vending machine, I'd never put a silver dollar in there. 

Top Food Stocks To Own For 2014

MARK:  No, no.  But here's another thing:  These are superior inflation hedges now… 

TERRY:  Okay. 

MARK:  …because this was equal to $1 in 1960 and now in real terms is worth three or four times that, so that's pretty impressive. 

TERRY:  Okay, so where do you—by the way, do you buy these through the U.S. Mint or any coin dealer? 

MARK:  Any coin dealer, right.  You can't buy directly from the U.S. Mint at this time. 

TERRY:  Okay.  There's probably a slight premium to the price of silver. 

MARK:  Yes, there is because silver's at 20, and these are selling for $23 or $24 each. 

TERRY:  So, both the collectability of them and the very fact that it's nice to hold real silver… 

MARK:  It's beautiful. 

TERRY:  …and the fact that silver prices may go up.  Before we leave you:  Gold—ahh!  It's been a terrible bear market for the last year, but it's been a great bull market for a long time.  What do you think? 

MARK:  Well, we gave a sell signal in November of 2011.  That was a really good lucky call because gold has basically drifted downward ever since.  I have not given a buy signal for gold, but I do recommend people accumulate them and squirrel them away and that sort of thing because it is real money.  Who knows what the government's—they're going to inflate more.  Yellen is very much in favor of inflation and waiting for the unemployment rate to drop.  It's unlikely with our generous welfare system and raising the minimum wage is going to put a lot of teenagers out of work.  I'm quite assured that inflation is going to be the number one problem we're going to be facing… 

TERRY:  Down the road. 

MARK:  Yeah. 

TERRY:  At these levels, silver around $20 and gold somewhat over $1200; you're a buyer of coins. 

MARK:  I am, of the coins, but not in my regular IRA portfolio.  I'm not owning any gold or silver at the present time, or even the mining shares, because they're showing weakness as well… 

TERRY:  Oh, more weakness. 

MARK:  …but that could change at any time, so I will be alert to any increase in mining shares. 

TERRY:  Mark, thank you very much.  You can find out more at markskousen.com.  I'm Terry Savage from moneyshow.com

Tuesday, March 25, 2014

Active managers win the bull market

stocks, midcap, large cap, small cap, s&p, market, active, passive

At the end of 2010, the Eventide Gilead Fund was ranked in the 87th percentile in its Morningstar Inc. category — midcap growth — trailing not just its competitors but its benchmark too.

But by the end of last year, the actively managed fund didn't just beat most of its competitors, it also achieved another distinction — beating its benchmark, the S&P MidCap 400, by more than 20 percentage points.

Active managers made hay in last year's bull market, with many who were focused on growth picks beating their benchmarks, according to a new report looking at their performance.

Comparable benchmarks beat active managers only 42.6% of the time in large-cap-growth funds and 36.7% in midcap-growth funds, according to the annual S&P Indices Versus Active Funds U.S. Scorecard, which is produced by a McGraw-Hill unit that licenses services to index fund sponsors.

(Look who's going active.)

Still, advocates of passive fund management said the funds' topsy-turvy performance dispersion could mean that that trend may be as fleeting as your