Best Growth Stocks For 2017,Top Growth Stocks For 2017: March 2014

Monday, March 31, 2014

Tesla Motors Is Facing a Big Threat

Electric vehicles have been around for a very long time, but they were not popular because of various shortcomings like limited range and low speed. Tesla Motors (TSLA) was the first company to change all that, and as a result, it gained a lot of media attention and saw a massive jump in its share price in 2013.

However, many big and established automakers like Toyota Motor (TM) and Hyundai are looking for the next big technology to power tomorrow's cars and have bet on hydrogen fuel cells. Toyota is so confident that fuel cell electric vehicles, or FCEVs, will dominate the automobile market in the years to come and has even projected to sell 5,000-10,000 vehicles per year. Furthermore, Air Liquide SA is planning to expand its business by constructing filling stations for FCEVs as it foresees growing demand for such vehicles.

Tesla's CEO, Elon Musk, thinks that the technology is a dead end, but you'd expect him to talk down the competition as he is betting big bucks on EVs. The success of FCEVs will be bad for Tesla and its investors, and given the various advantages that FCEVs have over EVs, it may overshadow EVs and dominate the auto market in the long run. Let's take a quick look at these advantages.

Pollution-free myth

Tesla's Model S has a reputation for being eco-friendly because it does not emit harmful gases into the environment. However, manufacturing one battery for an EV releases between 10,000 and 40,000 pounds of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. Furthermore, the lithium required for the production of these lithium-ion batteries is mostly extracted through solar brines. And that's not all; the European Commission on Science for Environmental Policy claimed that the extraction of lithium from these brines causes a significant environmental, health, and social impact to the places where li-ion is located.

In addition to all that, batteries lose charge overtime and sooner or later it becomes useless. Thus, EV drivers will have to replace the battery or buy a new car. Therefore, driving Tesla cars may be eco-friendly, but overall, it isn't as green as it appears.

Top 5 Bank Stocks For 2014

In comparison, hydrogen-powered cars are more environment friendly as they use a mix of hydrogen and oxygen to create electricity. That results in zero emissions, and the car runs completely cleanly.

Abundance

It is a well-known fact that hydrogen is widely available, therefore there wouldn't be any kind of fuel shortage if FCEVs become highly popular in the future and automakers will not have to worry about depletion. On the contrary, Tesla has struggled to boost its sales due to battery shortage, and it doesn't look like that the situation is going to change any time soon. Not to forget that Tesla only sells around 22,000 cars annually, which means that it will really struggle to keep up with the rising demand and expand globally.

Price

Tesla cars are expensive because of the installed batteries, and it will be very difficult to bring down prices without compromising on quality or performance. Thus, it's evident that consumers will have to pay over the odds for buying a Tesla car. EV owners don't have to pay for refueling, so it does compensate for the high cost to an extent, but given that batteries lose charge overtime, replacing them further adds to the cost.

Fuel cells' drawbacks

For anyone wanting to accelerate quickly, FCEVs won't be satisfactory. Moreover, the range of a hydrogen car fuel vehicle is limited (around 250 miles). That makes it impossible to use for long trips until there's a network of hydrogen fuel stations. And setting up a network of fuel stations will require huge investment and the success of FCEVs largely depends on the solution of this problem.

Conclusion

The scale of production that Toyota and Hyundai have is a big threat for Tesla. They can easily ramp up production and bring down costs if FCEVs click in the mass market. In addition, they won't be constrained by things such as battery production. So, Tesla investors should definitely keep an eye on these developments in fuel cells as they are quite capable of hurting sales in the long run.

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Sunday, March 30, 2014

Meet Samsung's Steve Jobs

Everyone knows Steve Jobs. The Apple (NASDAQ: AAPL ) co-founder easily reached celebrity status by the time he died in 2011, uncommon for the CEO of a major tech company, particularly to the degree that the public exalted him. Jobs undeniably cemented his visionary status with a series of breakthrough products.

Along the way, Samsung emerged as the most credible threat to the Mac maker. The South Korean conglomerate's success in smartphones has been built on a multi-prong strategy involving product imitation, operational efficiency and agility, sheer size and scale, and a disproportionate marketing budget. Even though people may not know him as well as Steve Jobs, Samsung has a visionary leader of its own.

Source: AP.

Meet Samsung Chairman Lee Kun-hee.

A different kind of visionary
To be clear, Samsung's chairman is not a product visionary in the same way Jobs was. However, Lee is a corporate visionary in that he led the company's dramatic expansion over the past 25 years after becoming chairman, transforming Samsung into the largest electronics conglomerate in the world by total revenue. Samsung's total revenue has grown 39 times under his leadership.

Lee implemented the corporate culture of having Samsung in a perpetual state of crisis, even when it's succeeding. In this way, the company can fend off the tendency to become complacent and won't rest on its laurels. Six years after he took the helm, at a time when Samsung was a second-tier manufacturer, he held a famous corporate meeting in 1993 in a German hotel to unveil his grand transformational plan. It entailed learning an industry from the inside out by first becoming a supplier willing to devote capital expenditures to build up infrastructure, and then subsequently moving upmarket to compete. Smartphones and Apple are just the latest example; Samsung has previously executed the same strategy in LCD panels, TVs, flash memory, and hard drives, to name but a few.

He famously told Samsung executives to "change everything but your wife and children." The principles conveyed that day have been immortalized in a 200-page book that's given out to Samsung employees, and the company has transcribed more than 350 hours of Lee's lectures. Samsung even bought all the original furniture from the German hotel room to transplant it to South Korea. Recordings of Lee's teachings are played over loudspeakers.

That level of fanaticism is not unlike the loyalty that Steve Jobs inspired among Apple employees and customers.

Pardon me
Also like Jobs, Lee has run into his fair share of corporate scandals. Jobs was at the center of Apple's infamous options backdating scandal from the early 2000s, which the company ended up settling in 2010 for $16.5 million. However, that amount is paltry compared with some of Lee's alleged and proven transgressions.

Lee was convicted of embezzlement and tax evasion in 2008, with South Korean courts finding him guilty of skipping out on $39 million in taxes. Whistleblower Kim Yong-chul, Samsung's former chief legal counsel, also detailed how Samsung maintained a $200 million "slush fund" whose primary purpose was for bribing government officials and politicians. In a 2010 book Think Samsung, Kim alleged that Lee had embezzled more than $9 billion from Samsung and its subsidiaries.

At the height of the controversy, Lee resigned from Samsung shortly after his conviction. Lee would not serve any time in prison, though, as the following year South Korean President Lee Myung-bak would issue a pardon for Lee Kun-hee so that the executive could help lead a bid to host the 2018 Winter Olympics in the South Korean city of Pyeongchang. The move triggered even more controversy since critics viewed it as continued evidence of corruption. In January of this year, on his way out of office, President Lee pardoned 55 more people who were convicted of various charges.

Lee Kun-hee has also been embroiled in an inheritance dispute with his siblings over the family fortune. Siblings alleged that Lee hid assets to maintain control of various parts of the conglomerate. South Korean courts recently sided with Lee.

In 2010, Lee would return as Samsung's chairman, and he remains at the helm to this day. His only son, Lee Jae-yong, is next up to inherit the family business, much like how Lee Kun-hee inherited the role from his father, who founded the company in 1938 as just a trucking business.

Keeping it in the family
Samsung has become a global force to be reckoned with under Lee's leadership. While his tenure has been tarnished by numerous corporate scandals, it's also been marked by incredible growth.

In 2012, Samsung became No. 1 vendor of both smartphones and features phones by unit volumes, and it has played a large role in the proliferation of Google (NASDAQ: GOOG ) Android, particularly in emerging markets that Apple has historically had difficulty tapping into.

There's no doubt that Lee Jae-yong will become Samsung's next chairman, and he'll have some big shoes to fill.

Investors are dying to know whether Apple remains a buy. The Motley Fool's senior technology analyst and managing bureau chief, Eric Bleeker, is prepared to fill you in on both reasons to buy and reasons to sell Apple and what opportunities are left for the company (and your portfolio) going forward. To get instant access to his latest thinking on Apple, simply click here now.

Saturday, March 29, 2014

ETF Outlook for Friday, March 28, 2014 (EWZ, UNG, EWP)

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ETF Outlook for Friday, March 28, 2014

iShares MSCI Brazil Index ETF (NYSE: EWZ)

The breakout last week has continued for the Latin American ETF, with EWZ up 4.6 percent Thursday as it hit a new 2014 high. The ETF was led by a 7.7 percent gain in Petrobras, a major oil and gas company in the country. The ETF has now moved into an extreme overbought level with the RSI reading at 97. This suggests the ETF could be due for a short-term pullback, however when momentum is high an ETF can continue to rally with an overbought RSI for days if not weeks.

United States Natural Gas ETF (NYSE: UNG)

The cold weather continues to grip the Northeast and natural gas prices remain high. UNG pulled back to support at the $23.50 area this week before beginning to attract buyers again. The ETF was up 2.7 percent Thursday and closed at a new one-week high as volume picked up. Technically the chart is suggesting the ETF could continue its run to the $26 area based on the recent action.

Related: ETFs Shrugging Off The Selling (DHS, SMH, IGF, INTC)

The one concern that investors have is that once the winter is over will it lead to a major decline in natural gas prices? On the flip side, as more LNG leaves the country it will push up prices here at home. The key will be to watch the $23.50 support area for answers.

iShares MSCI Spain Index ETF (NYSE: EWP)

Overnight, a surprise fall in the inflation number out of Spain had a ripple affect across the region. The 0.2 percent annual rate decline in consumer prices was the weakest number since October 2009 and well below expectations. Borrowing costs for Spain and Italy fell to their lowest levels in three years and stocks were trading higher.

The mindset is that the inflation number will lead to more action from the European Central Bank that could lead to a weaker Euro and stronger stocks. The Euro traded down to the lowest level in three weeks after the number was announced. EWP will be a good gauge as to how stocks will react to deflation concerns in the region.

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Thursday, March 27, 2014

Citigroup: Where Did We Go Wrong?

JPMorgan Chase (JPM) got its capital plan approved. So did the Bank of New York Mellon (BK) and Capital One Financial (COF). Citigroup (C), however, was left out in the cold after the Fed rejected its capital plans because of its “deficiencies” in capital planning and despite passing the Fed’s stress test.

Getty Images

Bernstein’s John McDonald and team express their disappointment:

Top Media Stocks To Own Right Now

The Federal Reserve’s surprise “qualitative” rejection of Citigroup’s capital plan raises questions about the company’s relationship with its regulators and the necessary next steps and timing to restore confidence. While we still believe Citi will build and eventually distribute an increasing amount of capital over the next several years, the starting point for return has clearly been pushed out and the pace of increase will be more gradual. The reduction of buybacks hits EPS estimates and makes it more challenging for Citi to reach its 2015 ROTCE target of 10%. While the stock is undoubtedly cheap, we have trouble seeing it outperform over the next 6-12 months with the capital return on hold, ROTCE stuck in the 8%-9% range for the next 2 years, and earnings power still in question as the company battles high legal/repositioning costs and now possibly higher regulatory expenses. We still see good long-term value, but suspect the shares will remain range-bound in the near to intermediate term amid lingering uncertainty. We move to a market-perform rating with a PT of $52, which equates to 9.5x our revised 2015 EPS estimate of $5.50.

Shares of Citigroup have dropped 4.3% to $47.98 at 10:26 a.m., while JPMorgan Chase has ticked up 0.1% to $59.97, Capital One Financial has gained 1.8% to $76.30 and Bank of New York Mellon has risen 0.5% to $35.31.

Wednesday, March 26, 2014

UBS Smokes Walter Energy, Alpha Natural Resources With Mass Coal Downgrade

We’ve all heard of strip mining. Well UBS stripped the majority of the coal companies it covers, including Walter Energy (WLT) and Alpha Natural Resources (ANR), of their Buy ratings today.

Other impacted stocks include Consol Energy (CNX), Peabody Energy (BTU) and Arch Coal (ACI).

Agence France-Presse/Getty Images

UBS analyst Kuni Chen explains the reason for the mass downgrades:

We expect met coal fundamentals to remain challenged and see downside risk to Street met coal forecasts. In general, we see a "muddle through" scenario for the year ahead as coal companies have cut capital spending to maintenance levels and are primarily focused on preserving/enhancing liquidity…

We do not recommend investors buy met coal levered names like [Alpha Natural Resources, Arch Coal and Walter Energy] at this time. Fundamentally, we are positive on [Peabody Energy and Consol Energy] but see both as fairly valued based on our valuation metrics and commodity price deck.

In terms of price targets, Walter Energy and Alpha Natural Resources took the biggest hits. Chen lowered the price target of Walter Energy to $8 from $25–he sees no “compelling reason to accumulate the shares”–while Alpha Natural Resources goes from $12 to $5 thanks to its “very levered balance sheet and…significant cash burn in 2014.”

Shares of Consol Energy have dropped 0.7% to $40.79 at 3:15 p.m. today, while Walter Energy has plunged 5.3% to $7.36, Peabody Energy has fallen 2.6% to $15.81, Arch Coal has declined 2.2% to $4.56 and Alpha Natural Resources is off 2% at $4.25.

Carnival Corporation Q1 Earnings Decline; Weak Outlook; Shares Fall (CCL)

Shares of Carnival Corporation (CCL) were down on Tuesday morning after the company reported lower earnings and a weak outlook.

CCL’s Earnings in Brief

CCL reported Non-GAAP earnings of $2 million, or $0.00 per share, compared to $67 million, or 8 cents per share a year ago. Analysts expected to see a loss of 8 cents per share. The company reported GAAP earnings of $37 million, or 5 cents per share. Revenue for the quarter was$3.6 billion, above analysts’ estimate of $3.51 billion. Looking ahead, CCL expects to see Q2 earnings between a loss of 2 cents and earnings of 2 cents. Analysts expect to see earnings of 7 cents per share. For FY2014, the company expects to see earnings in the range of $1.50-$1.70 per share, while analysts expect $1.73 per share in earnings.

Top 10 European Stocks To Watch For 2014

CEO Commentary

CEO Arnold Donald commented: “We see progress with our continental European brands and continue to be pleased with Carnival Cruise Lines’ pace of improvement. Exciting product innovations and strategic marketing initiatives at Carnival Cruise Lines have driven strong close-in demand resulting in sequential improvement in year-over-year quarterly ticket prices for the brand.”

CCL’s Dividend

CCL paid its last 25 cent dividend on March 14. We expect the company to declare its next dividend in April.

Stock Performance

Carnival Corporation shares were down $1.22, or 3%, during Tuesday morning trading.

CCL Dividend Snapshot

As of 10:30am on March 25, 2014

WMT dividend yield annual payout payout ratio dividend growth

Click here to see the complete history of CCL dividends.

Sunday, March 23, 2014

Oil Trader Gunvor Claims Business as Usual after U.S. Sanctions

When President Obama announced the second round of sanctions Thursday on 13 Russian individuals, the list included Gennady Timchenko, co-founder of Gunvor, the world's fourth-largest oil trading firm. To say the announcement sent jitters through the commodities trading world is more than a slight understatement.

But Gunvor appears to have dodged a bullet. Shortly after the sanctions were announced, Gunvor's CEO, Torbjorn Tornqvist, said that Timchenko had sold him the Russian's 43% stake in Gunvor for an undisclosed sum. Tornqvist now holds an 87% stake in the trading company.

The Financial Times reported that Tornqvist said the sale "was done on commercial terms and the shares had not been gifted to him." Tornqvist told the newspaper that gifting " would be impossible under Swiss law." Timchenko's stake was likely worth about $1.5 billion based on valuations of rival companies, according to the FT.

Tornqvist's announcement helped steady the oil market when it was announced. But the sale does not mean that everything is the same as it was before the sanctions were announced. Banks and financial institutions are unlikely simply to accept Tornqvist's assurances at face value.

Tornqvist told the FT that the company is not a target of the sanctions (true). If the firm is targeted, it will affect the company's investments in the United States and the European Union. Gunvor paid $400 million in 2011 for a stake in the Signal Peak coal mine in eastern Montana.

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When the U.S. put Timchenko on its list of sanctioned individuals, the Treasury Department claimed that Russian President Vladimir Putin "has investments in Gunvor and may have access to Gunvor funds." Gunvor has categorically denied that Putin is or ever was a stakeholder in the company or that he benefits in any way from its business.

Saturday, March 22, 2014

Hot Penny Companies For 2014

Hot Penny Companies For 2014: Cincinnati Bell Inc (CBB)

Cincinnati Bell Inc., together with its subsidiaries, provides telecommunications and technology services. The company?s Wireline segment provides local voice services, including local telephone service, switched access, and value-added services, such as caller identification, voicemail, call waiting, and call return; data services comprising high-speed Internet using digital subscriber line technology, fiber to the home, dial-up Internet access, network access, and gigabit Ethernet and asynchronous transfer mode data transport services. This segment?s services also comprise long distance and voice over Internet protocol (VoIP)services, such as long distance voice, audio conferencing, VoIP, and other broadband services; entertainment services that consist of television over fiber optic cable and coaxial cable in limited areas, and DirecTV commissioning over the company?s operating area; and other services consisting of security monitoring, inside wire installation for busi ness enterprises, rental revenue of space, public payphones, and clearinghouse services. It?s Wireless segment provides advanced digital wireless voice and data communications services through the wireless network in a licensed service territory, which includes Greater Cincinnati and Dayton, Ohio, and areas of northern Kentucky and southeastern Indiana. This segment offers postpaid and prepaid wireless subscription services; and wireless handset devices to customers to use its wireless services. The company?s Data Center Colocation segment provides data center colocation services to businesses. This segment operates 17 data centers with 639,000 square feet of total data center space in Texas, Ohio, Kentucky, Indiana, Michigan, and Illinois. It?s IT Services and Hardware segment offers a range of managed IT solutions, including managed infrastructure services, IT and telephony equipment sales! , and professional IT staffing services. The company was founded in 1873 and is base d in Cincinnati, Ohio.

Advisors' Opinion:

[By Paulo Santos]
The birth of CONE was non-effusive; it came from the spin-off and IPO of the datacenter unit of Cincinnati Bell (CBB). Perhaps one could believe that not being a green field company, people didn't go as gaga on it. It came from a telecom dinosaur, after all.
[By Mike Arnold]
Cincinnati Bell (CBB) ("CB" or "the company") is a storied, regional telecommunications player in Ohio undergoing considerable transformation, which began, in earnest, with the spin-off of its data warehousing business CyrusOne (CONE) ("Cyrus") in January 2013. CB still holds a ~69% economic interest in Cyrus, with the stated goal to monetize the asset over the next several years in order to pay down debt.
[By Jim Royal]
One of my favorite reasons to reinvest in stocks I already own is when an uncertain, but favorable catalyst occurs, but the stock does little. So my Special Situations portfolio is adding $1,000 to each of the following three stocks: Cincinnati Bell (NYSE: CBB ) , Bridgepoint Education (NYSE: BPI ) , and First Financial Northwest (NASDAQ: FFNW ) . Read on to see why.

source from Top Stocks Blog:http://www.topstocksblog.com/hot-penny-companies-for-2014.html

Friday, March 21, 2014

Wal-Mart will buy your used video games

Wal-Mart will let consumers trade in old video games for gift cards to use in its stores, on walmart.com and at Sam's Club stores.

NEW YORK (CNNMoney) Wal-Mart will soon let consumers trade in their old video games for gift cards that they can then use to shop for items in its stores or on walmart.com.

The world's largest retailer said its new video game trade-in service kicks off on March 26 and will roll out in more than 3,100 Wal-Mart (WMT, Fortune 500)discount stores nationwide.

The retailer said the service will accept unlimited number of games for popular consoles, including Sony (SNE) Playstation, Nintendo (NTDOF)'s Wii and Microsoft's XBOX as long as they aren't damaged and are in their original packaging.

After they bring in the games, consumers will get an eGift card which they can use to shop for groceries at Wal-Mart, jewelry on walmart.com or even for gas at Sam's Club locations.

The trade-in value of the games will vary from a few dollars to about $35, depending on their age. Some games considered to be too old will not be accepted. The service is available only to customers 18 and older.

Wal-Mart said it will refurbish the video games, label them as "Certified Pre-owned," and sell them later this year in stores and on its website.

Related Story: Wal-Mart to start iPad trade-in program

Wal-Mart wants to tap into the $2 billion pre-owned video game market, said Duncan Mac Naughton, Wal-Mart's chief merchandising and marketing officer. The retailer estimates that there are nearly 1 billion unused video games sitting in homes across the United States. "We're not part of it at all. We expect to grow the market even more now because of our entry into it," he said.

The latest trade in program follows Wal-Mart's other recent similar initiatives. Last fall it launched smartphone and ipad trade in programs.

"This is a new category for us. We're doing it because our customers have asked us for it," said Mac Naughton.

Thursday, March 20, 2014

Top Companies To Invest In Right Now

Top Companies To Invest In Right Now: TAL Education Group(XRS)

TAL Education Group, together with its subsidiaries, provides K-12 after-school tutoring services in the People?s Republic of China. It offers tutoring services to K-12 students covering various academic subjects, including mathematics, English, Chinese, physics, chemistry, and biology. The company provides tutoring services through small classes; personalized premium services, such as one-on-one tutoring; and online course offerings. As of May 31, 2011, it operated a network of 199 physical learning centers in Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Tianjin, Wuhan, Nanjing, Hangzhou, Chengdu, and Xi?an; and eduu.com, an online education platform for online courses. The company also offers education and management consulting services, as well as sells software. It operates under the Xueersi brand. The company was founded in 2003 and is headquartered in Beijing, China.

Advisors' Opinion:

[By Lisa Levin]
TAL Education Group (NYSE: XRS) shares rose 4.30% to $20.86. The volume of TAL Education Group shares traded was 318% higher than normal. TAL Education's PEG ratio is 1.14.

source from Top Stocks Blog:http://www.topstocksblog.com/top-companies-to-invest-in-right-now.html

Wednesday, March 19, 2014

Best Growth Companies To Buy For 2014

The markets are all green again today as the Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJINDICES: ^DJI ) continues its push into record highs. Despite poor economic data from across the Atlantic and another gloomy day for Hewlett-Packard's (NYSE: HPQ ) stock, the Dow has managed to post gains of 14 points as of 2:25 p.m. EDT. Most of the blue-chip index is headed higher, although the industrial sector is holding the markets back. Let's check out the big stories and movers you need to know about.

Europe drops the industrial sector
Europe kicked off the day in a bad way: The continent's GDP numbers continued their fall and extended the region's recession. France, one of Europe's top economies, officially fell into recession today after its economy contracted 0.2%. Germany�managed to eke out 0.1% economic growth for the quarter, but the minute gain from the eurozone's top economy doesn't bode well for Europe as a whole. Confidence is growing that the European Central Bank will lower interest rates again in an attempt to stave off further contraction, but Europe's still on shaky footing.

Best Growth Companies To Buy For 2014: Checkpoint Systms Inc.(CKP)

Checkpoint Systems, Inc. manufactures and markets identification, tracking, security, and merchandising solutions for the retail and apparel industry worldwide. The company operates in three segments: Shrink Management Solutions, Apparel Labeling Solutions, and Retail Merchandising Solutions. The Shrink Management Solutions segment provides shrink management and merchandise visibility solutions. It offers electronic article surveillance systems, such as EVOLVE, a suite of RF and RFID-enabled products that act as a deterrent to prevent merchandise theft in retail stores; and electronic article surveillance consumables, including EAS-RF and EAS-EM labels that work in combination with EAS systems to reduce merchandise theft in retail stores. This segment also provides keepers, spider wraps, bottle security, and hard tags, as well as Showsafe, a line alarm system for protecting display merchandise. In addition, it offers physical and electronic store monitoring solutions, incl uding fire alarms, intrusion alarms, and digital video recording systems for retail environments; and RFID tags and labels. The Apparel Labeling Solutions segment provides apparel labeling solutions to apparel retailers, brand owners, and manufacturers. It has Web-enabled apparel labeling solutions platform and network of 28 service bureaus located in 22 countries that supplies customers with customized apparel tags and labels. The Retail Merchandising Solutions segment offers hand-held label applicators and tags, promotional displays, and queuing systems. The company serves retailers in the supermarket, drug store, hypermarket, and mass merchandiser markets through direct distribution and reseller channels. Checkpoint Systems was founded in 1969 and is based in Thorofare, New Jersey.

Advisors' Opinion:

[By Rich Smith]
Three months after settling upon a new chief executive officer, it looks like Thorofare, N. J.-based Checkpoint Systems (NYSE: CKP ) will soon have itself a new CFO as well.
[By John Udovich]
Small cap Checkpoint Systems, Inc (NYSE: CKP) fights shoplifting or retail theft and other forms of�"shrink��that costs retailers over $112 billion worldwide last year (according to a study funded by the company), meaning it might be an interesting stock to take a closer look at and to compare its performance with that of SPDR S&P Retail ETF (NYSEARCA: XRT) and PowerShares Dynamic Retail ETF (NYSEARCA: PMR). Just how bad can shoplifting or shrink be for a retailer? Troubled retailer J.C. Penney Company, Inc (NYSE: JCP) has just reported that shoplifting took a full percentage point off the department store chain's profit margins during the quarter. Moreover and given that tens of millions of Americans are now facing higher health insurance costs thanks to Obamacare (which will likely impact consumer discretionary spending),�retailers�will need to find ways to shore up their margins and bottom lines by preventing�retail theft with solutions from company�� like Checkpoint Systems.
[By Lisa Levin]
Checkpoint Systems (NYSE: CKP) surged 17.73% to $14.21. The volume of Checkpoint Systems shares traded was 525% higher than normal. Checkpoint announced its intent to extend the filing date of its annual report.

Best Growth Companies To Buy For 2014: MEDIFAST INC(MED)

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

Advisors' Opinion:

[By Jon C. Ogg]
Medifast Inc. (NYSE: MED) saw its stock down 5% in evening trading on Tuesday after the weight loss player had soft sales and guided expectations lower. Shares were still indicated down about 5%, but volume has not yet started.
[By Monica Gerson]
Analysts expect Medifast (NYSE: MED) to post its Q4 earnings at $0.36 per share on revenue of $80.83 million. Medifast shares surged 2.19% to close at $26.08 on Friday.

Top Income Stocks To Own Right Now: Nordstrom Inc.(JWN)

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

Advisors' Opinion:

[By Marshall Hargrave]
Worth noting is that the average remaining tenure for the Calvin Klein licenses is eight to nine years. Other tailwinds for GIII include:
The team sports business is now a $100 million business and was nonexistent 5 years ago. Sales makeup is 50% sportswear and 50% coats. We see this business continuing to grow as the overall popularity of sports teams continues.Dresses from Eliza J continue to be a top seller at Nordstrom's (JWN) and other high-end retailers.Ivanka Trump showrooms will be opening in Q4. The line will be launching dresses, suit separates and swimwear.The biggest business for GIII remains outerwear and the company started shipping product at the end of Q2. GIII has approximately 30 licensed, owned and private label brands and a covers the entire spectrum of retailers from mass market to luxury.Vilebrequin was acquired in August of last year and the addition helped grow non-licensed revenues to $70 million in Q2 compared to $48 million last year without Vilebrequin. Vilebrequin sells swimwear, resort wear and related accessories through a network of company-owned and franchised shops. To grow Vilebrequin, the company will be adding footwear to its shops, in particular flip-flops in all of the stores by November. The company is planning to grow Vilebrequin's presence in the U.S. and has been adding buildouts in key department stores. Furthermore, Vilebrequin's e-commerce site should be live in the next 60 days.
GIII's entry into the footwear market is well in line with its long-term plans to become a men's and women's head-to-toe apparel maker.
[By Marc Bastow]
Fashion specialty retailer Nordstrom (JWN) raised its quarterly dividend 10% to 33 cents per share, payable March 25 to shareholders of record as of March 10.
JWN Dividend Yield: 2.15%
[By Mani]
[Related -Nordstrom, Inc. (JWN): Fundamental Stock Research Analysis]
Nordstrom EPS results have managed to top the street's view twice in the preceding four quarters while missing in the remaining two periods. Analysts have become bearish on earnings prospects of Nordstrom as the consensus estimate dropped by 8 cents (11 percent) in the past three months. However, one analyst raised the profit estimate in the last month.
[By Doug Ehrman]
As brick-and-mortar retailers continue to look for ways to level the playing field in terms of customers' data�relative to their online brethren like Amazon.com, they're experimenting with an increasing number of technologies. A recent New York Times article detailed how Nordstrom (NYSE: JWN ) recently ended such a test with Euclid Analytics that used customers' smartphones to track their movements within stores; in-store signs detailing the practice drew negative customer feedback, leading to the end of the experiment.

Best Growth Companies To Buy For 2014: Eastern Insurance Holdings Inc.(EIHI)

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

Advisors' Opinion:

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

Best Growth Companies To Buy For 2014: Buffalo Wild Wings Inc.(BWLD)

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

Advisors' Opinion:

[By Nickey Friedman]
Buffalo Wild Wings (NASDAQ: BWLD ) has an even better margin to shoot for, with its 18% restaurant margin. Though both Buffalo Wild Wings and Famous Dave's specialize in sauce-covered meat, Buffalo Wild Wings sells much more high-margin booze. It may be too tall of an order for Famous Dave's to match that margin.
[By Dan Caplinger]
Next Monday, Buffalo Wild Wings (NASDAQ: BWLD ) will release its latest quarterly results. The key to making smart investment decisions on stocks reporting earnings is to anticipate how they'll do before they announce results, leaving you fully prepared to respond quickly to whatever inevitable surprises arise. That way, you'll be less likely to make an uninformed, knee-jerk reaction to news that turns out to be exactly the wrong move.

Best Growth Companies To Buy For 2014: Thoratec Corporation(THOR)

Thoratec Corporation engages in the development, manufacture, and marketing of proprietary medical devices used for circulatory support. The company?s primary product lines include ventricular assist devices, such as HeartMate II, an implantable left ventricular assist device consisting of a rotary blood pump to provide intermediate and long-term mechanical circulatory support (MCS); and HeartMate XVE, an implantable and pulsatile left ventricular assist device for intermediate and longer-term MCS. Its ventricular assist devices also comprise Paracorporeal Ventricular Assist Device, an external pulsatile ventricular assist device, which provides left, right, and biventricular MCS approved for bridge-to-transplantation (BTT), including home discharge, and post-cardiotomy myocardial recovery; and Implantable Ventricular Assist Device, an implantable and pulsatile ventricular assist device designed to provide left, right, and biventricular MCS approved for BTT comprising hom e discharge, and post-cardiotomy myocardial recovery. The company also provides CentriMag, an extracorporeal full-flow acute surgical support platform that offers support up to 30 days for cardiac and respiratory failure. In addition, it offers PediMag and PediVAS extracorporeal full-flow acute surgical support platforms designed to provide acute surgical support to pediatric patients. The company sells its products through direct sales force in the United States, as well as through a network of distributors internationally. Thoratec Corporation was founded in 1976 and is headquartered in Pleasanton, California.

Advisors' Opinion:

[By Brian Pacampara]
What: Shares of medical device company Thoratec (NASDAQ: THOR ) sank 12% today after its quarterly results missed Wall Street expectations. �
[By Todd Campbell]
Competing for heart pump market share
Abiomed's products provide circulatory support for up to six hours and are designed for use in cardiac cath labs or during heart surgery, but competitors Thoratec (NASDAQ: THOR ) and Heartware (NASDAQ: HTWR ) target the intermediate- and long-term-use market instead.

Best Growth Companies To Buy For 2014: Waste Management Inc.(WM)

Waste Management, Inc., through its subsidiaries, provides waste management services to residential, commercial, industrial, and municipal customers in North America. It offers collection, transfer, recycling, and disposal services. The company also owns, develops, and operates waste-to-energy and landfill gas-to-energy facilities in the United States. Its collection services involves in picking up and transporting waste and recyclable materials from where it was generated to a transfer station, material recovery facility, or disposal site; and recycling operations include collection and materials processing, plastics materials recycling, and commodities recycling. In addition, it provides recycling brokerage, which includes managing the marketing of recyclable materials for third parties; and electronic recycling services, such as collection, sorting, and disassembling of discarded computers, communications equipment, and other electronic equipment. Further, the company e ngages in renting and servicing portable restroom facilities to municipalities and commercial customers under the Port-o-Let name; and involves in landfill gas-to-energy operations comprising recovering and processing the methane gas produced naturally by landfills into a renewable energy source, as well as provides street and parking lot sweeping services. Additionally, it offers portable self-storage, fluorescent lamp recycling, and medical waste services for healthcare facilities, pharmacies, and individuals, as well as provides services on behalf of third parties to construct waste facilities. The company was formerly known as USA Waste Services, Inc. and changed its name to Waste Management, Inc. in 1998. Waste Management, Inc. was incorporated in 1987 and is based in Houston, Texas.

Advisors' Opinion:

[By John Persinos]
One dominant company in the handling, treatment, and disposal of solid waste is Waste Management (WM). With this industry leader, investors are paying for market dominance, relative predictability, good dividends, and high cash flow.

Best Growth Companies To Buy For 2014: TrueBlue Inc.(TBI)

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

Advisors' Opinion:

[By Jonathan Yates]
For those looking to invest in real estate stocks, highly recommended is the Dr. Housing Bubble blog. In a recent posting, the "Dr." pointed out that there was a "Lost Generation" when it came to household income. That has not happened for those investing in staffing industry stocks such as Paychex (NASDAQ: PAYX), Robert Half International (NYSE: RHI), TrueBlue, Inc. (NYSE: TBI), and Labor SMART (OTCBB: LTNC).
[By Jonathan Yates]
Even though the stock market rallied on Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke's remarks with the Dow Jones Industrial Average (NYSE: DIA) and Standard & Poor's 500 Index (NYSE: SPY) surging, the long term winners will be stocks in the staffing industry such as Paychex(NASDAQ: PAYX), TrueBlue (NYSE: TBI), Robert Half (NYSE: RHI), and Labor SMART (OTCBB: LTNC).
[By idahansen]
The entire demand labor industry should do well as the US Department of Labor just reported that 169,000 more jobs were added to the American economy. The more work there is, the more demand there is for the services of staffing solutions firms such as Labor SMART, Paychex (NASDAQ: PAYX), TrueBlue (NYSE: TBI), and Robert Half International (NYSE: RHI).

Monday, March 17, 2014

Vodafone To Buy Ono For $10B

LONDON (The Deal) -- The U.K.'s Vodafone Group (VOD) confirmed on Monday, March 17, it has agreed to pay 7.2 billion EUROS ($10 billion) for private equity-backed Grupo Corporativo Ono SA, the Spanish leader in high-speed broadband, as the buyer continues its transformation from a wireless services provider into an integrated communications company.

The deal comes after Vodafone CEO Vittorio Colao convinced Ono owners including Thomas H. Lee Partners, Providence Equity Partners, CCMP Capital and Quadrangle Capital Partners to sell it the business rather than list the company in an IPO after the British company raised its offer from a bid a source said last week most recently stood at 6.7 billion euros. It follows Vodafone's 7.7 billion euro takeover of almost 80% of Kabel Deutschland Holding AG in October and reflects the buyer's push to consolidate its position in its mainland European markets by adding new ways of reaching consumers. The takeover is Vodafone's first since the $130 billion sale of its 45% stake in Verizon Wireless to Verizon Communications closed in February.

"What we are really doing is optimizing our spending," CEO Colao told analysts. "At the end of the day it is about value creation and about long-term strategic consistency with our vision for the future. It is another step in the evolution of a mostly mobile Vodafone to a unified communications player."

Vodafone said the Ono acquisition will generate cost and capital expenditure synergies of 240 million euros by the fourth full year before integration costs, and deliver revenue benefits of 1 billion euros. The takeover will boost adjusted earnings per share from the first full year, the Newbury, England company added. It is paying 7.5 times 2013 Ebitda for Ono, which serves 13 of Spain's 17 regions and whose high-speed network covers 7.2 million of Spain's 17.4 million households. It has 1.9 million customers. Ono's revenue in 2013 was 1.6 billion euros, which, when combined with the 4.3 billion euros in revenue Vodafone derived from Spain, will make the enlarged business Spain's second-largest integrated communications company behind Telefonica SA's Movistar, which had sales of 13 billion euros. Colao said the deal included a 200 million antitrust-related break fee but that he didn't expect any competition issues. The convergence of wireless services operators with cable companies has been gaining pace in recent years as companies seek to offer the full gamut of wireless and fixed-line telecoms, pay-TV and Internet and data services. Last week, Vivendi SA entered exclusive talks with cable company Numericable SA about selling it its SFR wireless services unit, which is France's No. 2 operator, in a deal which values the business at about 14.6 billion euros. In securing Ono, Vodafone is stealing a march over John Malone's Liberty Global Inc., which also approached Ono and was an unsuccessful bidder for Kabel Deutschland. The transaction is also seen as making a bid for Vodafone by purported suitor AT&T Inc. less likely. AT&T said in January it had no current plans to bid for the British company but appeared to leave itself the option to act in the future. Vodafone said it will finance the transaction from its existing cash resources and undrawn bank facilities, with the purchase taking its net debt to Ebitda ratio to just over 1.5 times, well below a 2 times ceiling that Vodafone CFO Andy Halford said it would be willing to breach temporarily if the right deal came along. The four buyout firms with a controlling stake in Ono have all been investors in the Spanish company since at least 2005, when they participated in a 1 billion capital increase to help finance Ono's 2.25 billion purchase of the fixed-line and cable operations of Grupo Auna. Quadrangle's Ono investment dates back to 2003. Shares in Vodafone were up 3.55 pence, or 1.6%. at 225.7 pence by late morning on Monday, valuing its equity at about £59.7 billion. Morgan Stanley is advising Vodafone, whose board is also taking advice from Robertson Robey Associates LLP. UBS is Ono's financial adviser.

Stock quotes in this article: VOD

Saturday, March 15, 2014

Best Bank Stocks To Watch For 2014

Best Bank Stocks To Watch For 2014: BancorpSouth Inc (BXS)

BancorpSouth, Inc., incorporated on February 17, 1982, is a financial holding company. Through its principal bank subsidiary, BancorpSouth Bank (the Bank), the Company conducts commercial banking and financial services operations in Mississippi, Tennessee, Alabama, Arkansas, Texas, Louisiana, Florida, Missouri and Illinois. As of December 31, 2012, the Company and its subsidiaries had total deposits of $11.1 billion. The Bank conducts a general commercial banking, trust and insurance business through 284 offices in Mississippi, Tennessee, Alabama, Arkansas, Texas, Louisiana, Florida, Missouri and Illinois. The Bank and its subsidiaries provide a range of financial services to individuals and small-to-medium size businesses. On July 2, 2012, the Company purchased certain assets of The Securance Group, Inc.

The Bank operates investment services and insurance agency subsidiaries, which engage in investment brokerage services and sales of other insurance products. The Bank's trust department offers a range of services, including personal trust and estate services, certain employee benefit accounts and plans, including individual retirement accounts, and limited corporate trust functions.

Lending Activities

The Bank's lending activities include both commercial and consumer loans. The Bank offers a range of commercial loan services including term loans, lines of credit, equipment and receivable financing and agricultural loans. A range of short-to-medium term commercial loans, both secured and unsecured, are made available to businesses for working capital (including inventory and receivables), business expansion (including acquisition and development of real estate and improvements), and the purchase of equipment and machinery. The Bank also makes construction loans to real estate developers for the acquisition, ! development and construction of residential subdivisions.

The Bank's lending ac tivities consists of the origination of fixed and adjustable! rate residential mortgage loans secured by owner-occupied property located in the Bank's primary market areas. In addition, the Bank offers construction loans, second mortgage loans and home equity lines of credit. The Bank finances the construction of individual, owner-occupied houses on the basis of written underwriting and construction loan management guidelines.

The Bank makes residential construction loans to individuals who intend to erect owner-occupied housing on a purchased parcel of real estate. The Bank sells its mortgage loans with terms of 15 years or more in the secondary market and either retains or releases the right to service those loans. Non-residential consumer loans made by the Bank include loans for automobiles, recreation vehicles, boats, personal (secured and unsecured) and deposit account secured loans. The Bank also issues credit cards.

Investment Activities

As of December 31, 2012, the Company's held-to-m aturity and available-for-sale securities included the United States Government agency securities, taxable obligations of states and political subdivisions, tax-exempt obligations of states and political subdivisions, government agency issued residential mortgage-backed securities, government agency issued commercial mortgage-backed securities, collateralized debt obligations and other securities. As of December 31, 2011, the Company's available-for-sale securities totaled $ 2.4 billion. Investments in tax-exempt securities totaled $455.1 million as of December 31, 2012.

Source of Funds

Deposits originating within the communities served by the Bank are the primary source of funding. As of December 31, 2012, the Company and its subsidiaries had total deposits of $ 11.1 million. The Bank offered deposits, such as noninterest bearing demand deposits, ! interest ! bearing demand deposits, savings deposits and other time deposits. The Company had federal f unds purchased and securities sold under agreement to repurc! hase of $! 414.6 million as of December 31, 2012.

Subsidiary Activities

The Bank's insurance service subsidiary serves as an agent in the sale of title insurance, commercial lines of insurance and a full line of property and casualty, life, health and employee benefits products and services and operates in Mississippi, Tennessee, Alabama, Arkansas, Texas, Louisiana, Missouri and Illinois. The Bank's investment services subsidiary provides brokerage, investment advisory and asset management services and operates in certain communities in Mississippi, Tennessee, Alabama, Arkansas, Louisiana, Texas, Florida and Missouri.

Advisors' Opinion:

[By Todd Campbell]
Now, thanks to rebounding home prices, those same banks are back in growth mode again, suggesting an investment opportunity in market share leaders, such as BancorpSouth, Inc. (BXS).

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

Tuesday, March 11, 2014

Top 5 Value Stocks For 2015

Top 5 Value Stocks For 2015: Tupperware Corporation(TUP)

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

Advisors' Opinion:

[By Johanna Bennett]
Corporate earnings took a back seat today to the Fed's latest policy decision. Still, quarterly financial results, and other news sent shares of McCormick & Co. (MKC) and Tupperware (TUP), falling during regular ma! rket hours Here's a rundown of several of today's moves:
[By John Kell]
Among the companies with shares expected to actively trade in Wednesday’s session are Dow Chemical Co.(DOW), Tupperware Brands Corp.(TUP) and Yahoo Inc.(YHOO)
[By Ben Levisohn]
Shares of Herbalife have gained 0.9% to $79.51 this morning in pre-open trading. Its shares have gained 139% this year, a nice gain, but lagging Nu Skin Enterprises 271% rise. Avon Products (AVP), another multi-level marketer, has gained 21% so far this year, while Tupperware Brands (TUP) has risen 49%.
[By Monica Gerson]
Tupperware Brands (NYSE: TUP) is expected to report its Q3 earnings at $1.03 per share on revenue of $623.34 million.

Varian Medical Systems (NYSE: VAR) is projected to post its Q4 earnings at $1.12 per share on revenue of $779.02 million.

source from Top Stocks Blog:http://www.topstocksblog.com/top-5-value-stocks-for-2015-2.html

Sunday, March 9, 2014

Time to worry about your 2014 taxes

If you, like most Americans, are spending the next few weekends slaving over a hot tax form, you're probably wondering: Can I claim my dog as a dependent, and if I do, would she be able to get Social Security, too?

The answers are no, and no. Also, you should probably not take up a life of crime. There's precious little you can do — legally — to reduce your 2013 taxes. But cheer up. You can do things now to reduce your 2014 taxes.

By and large, the opportunity to reduce your 2013 tax bill went away at midnight on Dec. 31. The exception: You may be able to make a deductible IRA contribution for the 2013 tax year.

The key factor is whether you have a retirement plan at work. Retirement plans include 401(k) plans and other plans you contribute to, as well as pension plans. Box 13 on your W-2 form will let you know whether you're covered in a retirement plan.

Don't even think about deducting her.(Photo: John Waggoner, USA TODAY)

If you're not covered by a retirement plan at work, you can make a deductible IRA contribution no matter what your income. But there are income limits if you're married and your spouse is covered by a retirement plan. In that case, you'll need a modified adjusted gross income of $178,000 or less to make a fully deductible contribution. If your AGI was between $178,000 and $188,000, you can get a partial deduction for your contribution.

It's more difficult to deduct an IRA contribution if you are covered by a retirement plan. In that case, if you're a single filer, and your AGI is less than $59,000, you can make a fully deductible IRA contribution. If your AGI was more than $59,000 and less than $69,000, you can make a partial deduction. For people who are married and filing jointly, the limits! are $95,000 for a fully deductible contribution and $95,000 to $115,000 for a partially deductible contribution.

If you're eligible, you can contribute up to $5,500, and $6,500 if you're 50 or older. What else can you do to make 2014 a happier tax time?

Top Casino Stocks To Buy For 2015

• Invest in index funds. If you own stock funds in a taxable account, you'll always owe taxes on gains when you sell. But many actively managed funds distribute capital gains to shareholders each year. For example, Fidelity Blue Chip Growth paid out $1.29 per share in long-term capital gains for the 2013 tax year. If you owned 1,000 shares, you had a capital gains payout of $1,290, on which you would owe capital gains taxes. Most taxpayers pay a 15% capital gains tax, so you'd owe $193.50 in extra taxes.

Index funds do relatively little trading, and thus usually pay out very little in the way of capital gains. Fidelity's Spartan 500 Index fund, for example, had no capital gains distribution in 2013. Of course, if you're investing in a retirement fund, you don't have to worry about capital gains distributions. But index funds usually have lower ongoing costs than actively managed funds, too.

• Switch to municipal bonds. Interest from munis is free from federal and, in some cases, state income taxes. Right now, thanks to the woes of places like Detroit and Puerto Rico, muni yields are unusually high. A 30-year municipal bond yields 3.88% now, according to Bloomberg, vs. 3.64% for a 30-year Treasury bond. A person in the highest tax bracket (39.6%) would have to earn nearly 6% to get the same amount of interest after taxes as a muni bond that yields 3.60%.

• Sell your losers. Losing money on a stock is about as much fun as gout. But tax losses are extremely valuable. Let's say you have a $5,000 long-term capital loss, meaning you sold a stock or mutual fund for a loss after holding it for a year o! r longer.! You can use that loss to wipe out up to $5,000 in long-term gains, such as those gnarly ones your mutual funds dole out. If you have more losses than gains, you can deduct up to $3,000 in losses from your income. And if you still have losses left over, you can carry them into the next tax year.

• Add to your retirement account. If you've got Daddy's Trust to see you through retirement, you don't need a retirement fund. Most of us, though, have to save for retirement, so contribute to your company's 401(k) plan. You'll reduce your income, which, in turn, reduces your taxable income. And, of course, you'll have money in retirement.

• Take the retirement savings contribution tax credit. A deduction reduces the amount of income you pay taxes on. If you're in the 25% tax bracket, a $1,000 deduction will reduce your tax by $250. But a tax credit reduces your taxes dollar for dollar. The saver's tax credit was made to encourage low-income people to save for retirement. If you meet the criteria and you put $1,000 into your employer's 401(k) plan, you not only reduce your taxable income, but you get a $500 tax credit.

The drawback, of course, is that people who meet the income guidelines for the retirement savings contribution tax credit rarely have enough income to save for retirement. "I've found few who qualify and who have the money," says Melissa Labant, director of tax advocacy at the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants.

Finally, keep an eye to where you hold your investments. Bonds, bank CDs and other investments that throw off lots of income should be in a tax-deferred retirement account. Stocks and other investments that are taxed at lower capital gains rates should be kept in taxable accounts, when possible.

Once you've done your taxes, you probably feel like you should deduct all your pets and a couple of the neighbor's kids, too. Try to resist that. But with a little work, you can reduce 2014 taxes.

Friday, March 7, 2014

Is McDonaldâ€™s Setting Investors Up to Hike Wages for Employees?

When McDonald's Corp. (NYSE: MCD filed its Form 10-K with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission on Thursday, the company listed a new risk factor to its business.

The company said that its ability to increase sales and grow profits "depends largely" on how well it can execute its latest initiatives. The quality of that execution depends on a number of factors, including this one:

The impact on our margins of labor costs that we cannot offset through price increases, and the long-term trend toward higher wages and social expenses in both mature and developing markets, which may intensify with increasing public focus on matters of income inequality…

An analyst at research firm IBISWorld told Al Jazeera that McDonald's may be using this SEC filing to warn investors that the company intends to raise its minimum wage this year and get out ahead of the continuing calls for higher wages for low-wage workers. The IBISWorld analyst, Andy Brennan, also said that any negative impact on McDonald's share price has likely already been priced into the stock and that the impact on the stock price should be minimal.

That does not take into account the impact of a wage hike on McDonald's franchisees. While wages for franchise workers are not set by McDonald's or other franchisors, the parent companies do set prices for virtually everything else, from ketchup packets to remodelling costs. As one policy analyst puts it, " The corporations set wages by setting everything but wages."

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Franchisees have no choice but to pay these costs, and on the thin margins in the fast-food industry, raising wages could well mean no profits for the franchise holders. A change in the financial relationship between franchisors and franchisees is likely the only solution to raising wages for workers in the fast-food industry. And the corporations are likely to fight such a restructuring till the end of time.

Shares of McDonald's stock are down about 0.6% today at $95.02 in a 52-week range of $92.22 to $103.70.

Top Stocks To Buy For 2014: Brown-Forman Corp (BFB)

Brown-Forman Corporation, incorporated on October 19, 1933, primarily manufactures, bottles, imports, exports, markets, and sells a variety of alcoholic beverage brands. The Companyâ€™s principal brands are Jack Danielâ€™s Tennessee Whiskey, Jack Danielâ€™s Tennessee Whiskey, Pepe Lopez Tequilas, Jack Danielâ€™s Single Barrel, Woodford Reserve Bourbons, Jack Danielâ€™s Ready-to-Drinks, Canadian Mist Blended Canadian Whiskies, Jack Danielâ€™s Tennessee Honey, Chambord Liqueur, Jack Danielâ€™s Winter Jack Chambord Vodka, Gentleman Jack, Collingwood Canadian Whisky, Southern Comfort, Early Times Bourbon, Southern Comfort Ready-to-Drinks, Early Times flavored line extensions, Southern Comfort flavored line extensions, Early Times Kentucky Whisky, Finlandia Vodkas, Korbel California Champagnes, Finlandia Ready-to-Drinks, Little Black Dress Vodkas, Antiguo Tequila, Maximus Vodkas, el Jimador Tequilas, Old Forester Bourbon, el Jimador New Mix Ready-to-Drinks, Sonoma-Cutrer Wines, Herradura Tequilas, and Tuaca Liqueur.

The Companyâ€™s products are sold in more than 150 countries around the world. The Companyâ€™s international markets include Australia, the United Kingdom, Mexico, Germany, Poland, France, Russia, Japan, Turkey, Canada, Spain, Czech Republic, South Africa, Brazil and Italy.

The Company competes with Bacardi Limited, Beam Inc., Davide Campari-Milano S.p.A., Diageo plc, LVMH Moet Hennessy Louis Vuitton S.A., Pernod Ricard S.A., and Remy Cointreau S.A.

Advisors' Opinion:

[By Laura Brodbeck]Wednesday
Earnings Expected From: Christopher & Banks Corporation (NYSE: CBK), Brown Forman Corporation (NYSE: BFB), Express, Inc. (NYSE: EXPR), Avago Technologies (NASDAQ: AVGO) Economic Releases Expected: US nonfarm employment change, US trade balance, Canadian trade balance, US new home sales, US ISM non-manufacturing PMIThursday
[By Seth Jayson]Brown-Forman (NYSE: BFB ) reported earnings on June 5. Here are the numbers you need to know.
The 10-second takeaway
For the quarter ended April 30 (Q4), Brown-Forman met expectations on revenues and beat expectations on earnings per share.

Wednesday, March 5, 2014

Exxon to Cut Capex, Even as Production Costs Rise

Exxon Mobil Corp. (NYSE: XOM) said Wednesday morning that capital spending in 2014 will decrease from $42.5 billion in 2013 to $39.8 billion, a drop of 6.3%. Excluding any acquisitions, capex is expected to average less than $37 billion a year from 2015 to 2017.

Liquids production is slated to rise, however, by 2% this year and by 4% annually from 2015 to 2017. Liquids and liquids linked natural gas are expected to account for 69% of Exxon’s total production by 2017. New projects coming online are expected to add a million barrels of oil equivalent production by 2017.

It is a safe bet that consumers are unlikely to see a drop in the price they pay at the pump. The CEO of Chevron Corp. (NYSE: CVX) told a gathering of energy industry executives in Houston that labor and capital costs have doubled in the past 10 years and that “the new reality for our industry is that costs have caught up to revenues for many classes of products.” Here’s the money quote:

Best Oil Companies To Buy For 2015

Essentially, for a company like mine and many others, $100 a barrel is becoming the new $20 in our business.

The result: higher costs for the industry mean higher costs for consumers. If $100 is in fact the new $20, then consumers will have to pay more at the pump.

And that additional million barrels that Exxon is projecting? The company did not estimate either its per barrel costs nor a barrel’s likely price. But if Chevron’s exec is correct, consumer prices will need to rise sharply if the big oil companies are going to make a profit on production.

Shares of Exxon traded down 2.9% mid-afternoon Wednesday, at $93.72 in a 52-week range of $84.79 to $101.74. That is the largest one-day stock price drop since November of 2012.

Monday, March 3, 2014

Top 5 Chemical Stocks To Watch For 2015

Early on Friday, The Dow Chemical Company (DOW) announced that it has signed a definitive agreement to divest its global Polypropylene Licensing & Catalysts business to W.R. Grace & Co. for a sale price of $500 million.

Dow had previously announced its plans to divest the business in March 2013, as part of its plan to be proactive in its commitment to divest nearly $1.5 billion in assets by mid to late 2014.

The proceeds from the sale will go to pay to shareholders, reduce debt, and fund growth. The transaction is expected to close by the end of 2013.

��oday’s announcement is another clear demonstration of Dow’s rigorous focus on selectively shifting our portfolio away from assets that are no longer a strategic fit and optimizing their value,��said Andrew N. Liveris, Dow’s chairman and chief executive officer. ��ur accelerated strategy is focused on narrowing our market participation and preferentially funding our select growth businesses with strong competitive positions in attractive markets such as electronics, water, packaging and agricultural sciences. We are planning further proactive divestments in the next 12 months in our relentless pursuit of rewarding shareholders.��/p>

Top 5 Chemical Stocks To Watch For 2015: Rentech Nitrogen Partners LP (RNF)

Rentech Nitrogen Partners, L.P. is a provider of clean energy solutions and nitrogen fertilizer, to own, operate and grow its nitrogen fertilizer business. The Company primarily produces anhydrous ammonia, or ammonia, and urea ammonium nitrate solution (UAN), at the Company�� facility, using natural gas as its primary feedstock. In November 2012, the Company acquired Agrifos LLC.

The Company�� facility is located in the center of the Mid Corn Belt. The Mid Corn Belt includes the States of Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Missouri, Nebraska and Ohio. The Company considers its market to be consisted of the States of Illinois, Iowa and Wisconsin.

Advisors' Opinion:

[By Neha Chamaria]
That being said, hedging remains inevitable. After all, it is better to be safe than sorry. And it's not just CF that believes so. Rentech Nitrogen (NYSE: RNF ) , a smaller but pure-nitrogen player, has already locked in 43% of its full-year gas requirements at an average cost of $4 per MMBtu. Rentech paid $3.98 per MMBtu of gas this past quarter. As for CF, it has hedged 90% of requirements through July. So investors shouldn't panic if gas prices rise.

Top 5 Chemical Stocks To Watch For 2015: American Soil Technologies Inc (SOYL)

American Soil Technologies, Inc., incorporated on January 09, 1997, develop, manufacture on an outsourced basis and market advanced products that decrease the need for water and improves the soil in the Green Industry consisting of agriculture, turf and horticulture. The Company manufactures three products: Agriblend, a soil amendment developed for agriculture; Soil Medic, a slow release liquid fertilizer, and NutrimoistL, developed for homes, parks, golf courses and other turf related applications. The Company markets its products primarily in the United States.

The Company owns a wholly owned subsidiary, Smart World Organics, Inc. (Smart World). Smart World provides organic and sustainable fertilizers to commercial and residential customers worldwide. Smart World also provides custom-formulated products built to suit unusual growing conditions and environments. The product line includes homogenized fertilizers, non-toxic insect controls, plant protectants, seed, soil and silage inoculants.

Advisors' Opinion:

[By Peter Graham]
What�� the Catch With SOHM Inc? According to various disclosures, transactions of $1.5k and $15k have or will occur to mention SOHM Inc in various investment newsletters. Last Thursday, SOHM Inc announced it had launched a unique protein supplement I-Prolec��in India. The press release says this supplement will help people who have protein deficiency as well as athlete and sports persons who have need of extra proteins. Otherwise and back in June, SOHM Inc announced the financial results for the fiscal first quarter where revenue came in at $1,005,410 verses revenue of $375,741 for the same quarter of 2012. Not mentioned in the press release was a net loss of $236k along with net losses of $259k, $213k and $267k for the past four reported quarters. At the end of March, SOHM Inc had $138k in cash to cover $1,697k in current liabilities and $2,956k in long-term debt. Those full financials are not exactly great, but they are also not exactly terrible if the income statement�� top line continues to grow and the company turns a profit.
American Soil Technologies, Inc. (OTCMKTS: SOYL) Has Been Very Quiet
Small cap American Soil Technologies engages in developing, marketing and selling polymer and other soil amendments to the agricultural turf and horticulture industries primarily in the United States. The company�� principal products include Agriblend, a soil amendment for agriculture; Soil Medic, a slow release liquid fertilizer for homes, parks, golf courses, and other turf related applications; and The Agro Tower for vertical farming. American Soil Technologies also provides homogenized fertilizers, non-toxic insect controls, plant protectants, seeds and soil and silage inoculants to commercial and residential customers worldwide. On Friday, American Soil Technologies fell 9.52% to $0.0770 for a market cap of $5.24 million plus SOYL is up 1,141.9% over the past year and up 28.3% over the past five years according to Googl

5 Best US Stocks To Own For 2015: Calgon Carbon Corp (CCC)

Calgon Carbon Corporation is a provider of products, services, and solutions for purifying water and air. The Company operates in three reportable segments: Activated Carbon and Service, Equipment, and Consumer. The Activated Carbon and Service segment manufactures granular and powdered activated carbon for use in applications to primarily remove organic compounds from water, air and other liquids and gases. The service aspect of the segment consists of reactivation and the leasing, monitoring and maintenance of carbon adsorption equipment. The Equipment segment provides solutions to customers��air and water purification problems through the design, fabrication, installation, and sale of equipment systems that utilize a combination of the Company�� enabling technologies: carbon adsorption, ultraviolet light (UV), Ballast Water Treatment (BWT), and advanced ion exchange separation (ISEP). The Consumer segment primarily consists of the manufacture and sale of carbon cloth. On March 31, 2011 the Company completed the acquisition of Calgon Carbon Japan KK (CCJ).

Activated Carbon and Service

The sale of activated carbon is the principle component of the Activated Carbon and Service business segment. Activated carbon is a porous material that removes organic compounds from liquids and gases by a process known as adsorption. In adsorption, unwanted organic molecules contained in a liquid or gas are attracted and bound to the surface of the pores of the activated carbon as the liquid or gas is passed through. The primary raw material used in the production of the Company�� activated carbons is bituminous coal which is crushed, sized and then processed in low temperature kilns followed by high temperature furnaces. The Company also markets activated carbons from other raw materials, including coconut shell and wood. The Company produces and sells a range of activated, impregnated or acid washed carbons in granular, powdered or pellet form. Granular activated carbon (GAC) particl! es are irregular in shape and generally used in fixed filter beds for continuous flow purification processes.

Another component of the Activated Carbon and Service business segment are the optional services associated with supplying the Company�� products and systems required for purification, separation, concentration, taste and odor control. The Company offers a variety of treatment services at customer facilities, including carbon supply, equipment leasing, installation and demobilization, transportation and spent carbon reactivation. Other services include feasibility testing, process design, performance monitoring and maintenance of Company-owned equipment. The central component of the Company�� service business is reactivation of spent carbon and re-supply. The Company provides reactivation/recycling services in packages ranging from a 55 gallon drum to truckload quantities.

Equipment

Along with providing activated carbon products, the Company has developed a portfolio of standardized, pre-engineered, adsorption systems capable of treating liquid flows from 1 gallons per minute to 1,400 gallons per minute, which can be delivered and installed at treatment sites. These self-contained adsorption systems are used for vapor phase applications, such as volatile organic compound (VOC) control, air stripper off-gases, and landfill gas emissions. Liquid phase equipment systems are used for applications of potable water, process purification, wastewater treatment, groundwater remediation and de-chlorination. The Company produces a range of odor control equipment, which typically utilizes catalytic activated carbon to control odors at municipal wastewater treatment facilities and pumping stations. The Company�� variety of equipment systems treats the odors that emanate from municipal wastewater treatment facilities and the sewage collection systems that bring the waste to the treatment plant.

The ISEP (Ionic Separator) continuous ion exchange units ! are used ! for the purification and recovery of many products in the food, pharmaceutical, and biotechnology industries. The ISEP Continuous Separator units perform ion exchange separations using countercurrent processing. The ISEP and CSEP (chromatographic separator) systems are used at over 300 installations worldwide in more than 40 applications in industrial settings, as well as in environmental applications, including perchlorate and nitrate removal from drinking water. The Hyde GUARDIAN System was developed as a chemical-free, International Maritime Organization (IMO) type approved, ballast water management solution. The system is designed to meet the needs of ship owners to install treatment system.

Consumer

The primary product offered in the Consumer segment is carbon cloth. Carbon cloth, which is activated carbon in cloth form, is manufactured in the United Kingdom and sold to the medical, military, and specialty markets. Zorflex Activated Carbon Cloth can be used in numerous additional applications, including sensor protection; filters for ostomy bags; wound dressings; conservation of artifacts, and respiratory masks.

The Company competes with Norit, N.V., Mead/Westvaco Corporation, Siemens Water Technologies, Trojan Technologies, Inc., Xylem, Wedeco Ideal Horizons, Panasia, Alfa Lavel Tumba AB, Hyde Marine, Inc. and Wartsila.

Advisors' Opinion:

[By Inyoung Hwang]
Computacenter Plc (CCC) slipped 4.5 percent to 543 pence, its biggest drop since June. UBS AG lowered the technology-services provider to neutral from buy, citing its valuation. The shares have climbed to 13.18 times estimated earnings from 11.81 times at the end of last year, according to data compiled by Bloomberg.

Top 5 Chemical Stocks To Watch For 2015: Tronox Ltd (TROX)

Tronox Limited, incorporated on September 21, 2011, is engaged in production and marketing of titanium bearing mineral sands and titanium dioxide pigment (TiO2). The Company�� TiO2 products are critical components of everyday applications, such as coatings, plastics, paper and other applications. The Company�� mineral sands business consists primarily of two product streams: titanium feedstock and zircon. The Company operates in three segments: mineral sands, pigment and corporate and other. The corporate and other include its electrolytic manufacturing business. It has operations in North America, Europe, South Africa and the Asia-Pacific region. The Company operates three TiO2 facilities at the locations in Hamilton, Mississippi, Botlek, The Netherlands, and Kwinana, Western Australia, representing approximately 465,000 tons of annual TiO2 production capacity. In addition, it operates three separate mining operations: KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) Sands located in South Africa, Namakwa Sands located in South Africa and the Tiwest Joint Venture located in Western Australia, which has a combined annual production capacity of approximately 723,000 tons of titanium feedstock and approximately 265,000 tons of zircon. On June 15, 2012, the existing business of Tronox Incorporated was combined with the mineral sands business under Tronox Limited.

Mineral Sand segment

The Company's minerals segment includes the exploration, mining and beneficiation of mineral sands deposits. These operations produce titanium feedstock, including ilmenite, chloride slag, slag fines and rutile, as well as zircon, pig iron and activated charcoal. Titanium feedstock is used primarily to manufacture TiO2. Zircon is a mineral which is primarily used as an opacifier in ceramic glazes for tiles, plates, dishes and industrial products.

Pigment segment

The Company's pigment segment primarily produces and markets TiO2, and has production facilities in the United States, Australia, and the! Netherlands. TiO2 is used in a range of products due to its ability to impart whiteness, brightness and opacity. TiO2 is used in the manufacture of coatings, plastics and paper and in a range of other applications, including inks, fibers, rubber, food, cosmetics and pharmaceuticals. TiO2 is a critical component of everyday consumer applications due to its superior ability to cover or mask other materials effectively and efficiently relative to alternative white pigments and extenders.

Corporate and other

Corporate and other is comprised of corporate activities and businesses that are no longer in operation, as well as its electrolytic manufacturing and marketing operations, all of which are located in the United States. It�� electrolytic and other chemical products operations are focused on advanced battery materials, sodium chlorate and specialty boron products.

Advisors' Opinion:

[By Robert Rapier]
The “drop” mentioned in this question referred to the correction in the prices of many domestic oil producer shares that I had warned was likely during our November web chat. But on Dec. 14, just two days after our latest chat, Anadarko Petroleum (NYSE: APC) suffered a far more worrisome drop. On that day a judge ruled that Anadarko is responsible for at least $5 billion and perhaps up to $14 billion of cleanup costs related to Tronox (NYSE: TROX), which was spun out of Kerr-McGee in 2005 and subsequently declared Chapter 11 bankruptcy in 2009.
[By Dan Caplinger]
Another source of potential problems is the titanium dioxide market. DuPont has made substantial investments in boosting TiO2 production based on the extremely high demand seen a couple of years ago, but buyers stockpiled substantial amounts of the chemical in order to avoid paying ever-higher prices. DuPont joined competitors Huntsman (NYSE: HUN ) and Tronox (NYSE: TROX ) in implementing TiO2 price increases, with DuPont's effective July 1, but the question remains whether the paint makers that need the chemical will keep buying or continue to seek cheaper substitutes.
[By John Udovich]
Kronos Worldwide, Inc. Since 1916, Kronos Worldwide has been producing titanium dioxide pigments (TiO2), the world's primary pigment for providing whiteness, brightness and opacity. Kronos Worldwide also owns the�world�� largest mining operation of ilmenite, the raw material used for titanium products such as white pigment titanium oxide and titanium metal products. Citi analyst�James Finnerty told clients in a note Monday that Kronos Worldwide�could be a target for�Tronox Ltd (NYSE: TROX)�as the�combined entity would account for 19% of global titanium dioxide capacity. Moreover, a buyout�offer could be partially funded by a seven-year $1.5 billion term loan that Tronox Ltd secured in March, with around $700 million used to pay down existing debt. On Monday, Kronos Worldwide rose 7.96% to $18.58 (KRO has a 52 week trading range of $14.44 to $20.52 a share) for a market cap of $2.15 billion plus the stock is down 4.7% since the start of the year and up 273.1% over the past five years. Kronos Worldwide has no P/E and has a forward dividend of $0.60 for a dividend yield of 3.5%.

Top 5 Chemical Stocks To Watch For 2015: Koppers Holdings Inc (KOP)

Koppers Holdings Inc. (Koppers), incorporated on November 12, 2004,is a global provider of carbon compounds and commercial wood treatment products and services. The Company's products are used in a variety of niche applications in a diverse range of end-markets, including the aluminum, railroad, specialty chemical, utility, concrete and steel industries. The Company serves its customers through a global manufacturing and distribution networks, with manufacturing facilities located in the United States, Australia, China, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands and Denmark. The Company operates in two business segments: Carbon Materials & Chemicals and railroads & Utility Products.

The Company's operations are, to a substantial extent, vertically integrated. Through the Company's Carbon Materials & Chemicals business, the Company processes coal tar into a variety of products, including carbon pitch, creosote, naphthalene and phthalic anhydride, which are intermediate materials necessary in the production of aluminum, the pressure treatment of wood, the production of high-strength concrete, and the production of plasticizers and specialty chemicals, respectively. Through the Company's Railroad & Utility Products business, the Company believes that the Company is thesupplier of railroad crossties to the North American railroads.

Carbon Materials & Chemicals

Carbon pitch, naphthalene, and creosote are produced through the distillation of coal tar, a by-product generated through the processing of coal into coke for use in steel and iron manufacturing. Coal tar distillation involves the conversion of coal tar into a variety of intermediate chemical products in processes beginning with distillation. During the distillation process, heat and vacuum are utilized to separate coal tar into three primary components: carbon pitch (approximately 50%), chemical oils (approximately 20%) and creosote (approximately 30%).

The Company's Carbon Materials & Chemicals business! (CM&C) manufactures principal products, including carbon pitch, a critical raw material used in the production of aluminum and steel; naphthalene, used for the production of phthalic anhydride and as a surfactant in the production of concrete; phthalic anhydride, used in the production of plasticizers, polyester resins and alkyd paints, and creosote and carbon black feedstock, used in the treatment of wood or as a feedstock in the production of carbon black. The Company also uses naphthalene as a feedstock in the manufacture of phthalic anhydride. The primary markets for phthalic anhydride are in the production of plasticizers, unsaturated polyester resins and alkyd resins. The Company is a producer of carbon pitch for the aluminum industry.

Creosote is used as a commercial wood treatment chemical to preserve railroad crossties and lumber, utility poles and piling. The majority of the Company's domestically produced creosote is sold to its Railroad & Utility Products business. In Australia, China and Europe, creosote is sold primarily into the carbon black market for use as a feedstock in the production of carbon black. In Europe and China creosote is also sold to wood treaters. The Company's wood treating plants in the United States purchase substantially all of their creosote from the Company's tar distillation plants.

Other products include the sale of refined tars, benzole and specialty chemicals. The Company's CM&C business manufactures its primary products and sells them directly to the Company's global customer base under long-term contracts or through purchase orders negotiated by its regional sales personnel and coordinated through its global marketing group in the United States. The Company's nine coal tar distillation facilities including joint ventures and four carbon materials terminals give the Company the ability to offer customers multiple sourcing and a consistent supply of products.

Railroad & Utility Products

The Company's Railroad ! & Utility! Products business (R&UP) sells treated and untreated wood products, rail joint bars and services primarily to the railroad and public utility markets in the United States and Australia. The Company also produces concrete crossties, a complementary product to its wood treatment business, through a joint venture in the United States.

Railroad products include procuring and treating items such as crossties, switch ties and various types of lumber used for railroad bridges and crossings. Railroad products also include manufacturing and selling rail joint bars, which are steel bars used to join rails together for railroads. Utility products include transmission and distribution poles for electric and telephone utilities and piling used in industrial foundations, beach housing, docks and piers. The R&UP business operates 13 wood treating plants, one rail joint bar manufacturing facility, one co-generation facility and 13 pole distribution yards located throughout the United States and Australia. The Company's network of plants is strategically located near timber supplies to enable the Company to access raw materials and service customers effectively. In addition, the Company's crosstie treating plants are typically adjacent to its railroad customers' track lines, and its pole distribution yards are typically located near its utility customers.

In the United States, hardwood lumber is procured by the Company from hundreds of small sawmills throughout the northeastern, midwestern and southern areas of the country. The crossties are shipped via rail car or trucked directly to one of the Company's crosstie treating plants, all of which are on line with a railroad. The crossties are either air-stacked for a period of six to twelve months or artificially dried by a process called boultonizing. Once dried, the crossties are pressure treated with creosote, a product of the Company's CM&C business.

The Company's R&UP business' customer base is the North American Class I railroa! d market,! which buys approximately 80% of all crossties produced in the United States and Canada. The Company also has relationships with many of the approximately 550 short-line and regional rail lines. This also forms the customer base for the Company's rail joint bar products. The railroad crosstie market is a mature market with approximately 23 million replacement crossties (both wood and non-wood) purchased during 2012. The Company supplies all seven of the North American Class I railroads and have contracts with six of them. The Company treats poles with a variety of preservatives, including pentachlorophenol, copper chrome arsenates and creosotes .In the United States the market for utility pole products is characterized by a number of small producers selling into a price-sensitive industry. The utility pole market is fragmented domestically, with over 200 investor-owned electric and telephone utilities and 2,900 smaller municipal utilities and rural electric associations.

Advisors' Opinion:

[By Jeremy Bowman]
What: Shares of Koppers Holdings (NYSE: KOP ) were looking rusty today, falling as much as 12% after the company cut its outlook for the current quarter.

Top 5 Chemical Stocks To Watch For 2015: Intrepid Potash Inc (IPI)

Intrepid Potash, Inc.( Intrepid), incorporated on November 19, 2007, is a producer of muriate of potash (potassium chloride or potash) in the United States and are engaged the production and marketing of potash and langbeinite (sulfate of potash magnesia), another mineral containing potassium, magnesium, and sulfate, that is produced from langbeinite ore and as Trio when it refers to sales and marketing. Its Carlsbad assets consist of underground mining operations, which are supported by surface processing facilities. It is also operators of solar solution mining operations, as its Moab and Wendover facilities both utilize these techniques for recovering potash. Its revenues are generated from the sale of potash and Trio. As of December 31, 2011, the Company owned five potash production facilities, three in New Mexico and two in Utah. Its two products are potash and langbeinite, which is marketed as Trio.

Potash

The Company derives revenues and gross margin are derived from the production and sales of potash. Its potash is marketed for sale into three primary markets: the agricultural market as a fertilizer, the industrial market as a component in drilling and fracturing fluids for oil and gas wells, and the animal feed market as a nutrient. Its sales of potash tend to focus on agricultural areas and feed manufacturers in central and western United States, as well as oil and gas drilling areas in the Rocky Mountains and the greater Permian Basin area.

Trio

Trio is marketed into two primary markets, the agricultural market as a fertilizer and the animal feed market as a nutrient. It markets Trio internationally through an exclusive marketing agreement with PCS Sales (USA), Inc. (PCS Sales) for sales outside the United States and Canada and through a non-exclusive agreement for sales into Mexico.

Advisors' Opinion:

[By Ben Levisohn]
Intrepid Potash (IPI) has fallen 1.3% to $16.00 after it was downgraded to Underweight from Equal Weight at Morgan Stanley.

Shares of Potbelly (PBPB) rose 129% $32 on their first day of trading.

Top 5 Chemical Stocks To Watch For 2015: Uralkaliy OAO (URALL.PK)

Uralkaliy OAO (Uralkali OJSC) is a Russia-based company, which is engaged in the chemical industry. The Company specializes in the production of potash fertilizers. Its product portfolio comprises pink muriate of potash (PMOP), white muriate of potash (WMOP) and granular (GMOP). The Company is active through representative offices, located in Moscow and Beijing, as well as numerous subsidiaries, located countrywide and in Panama, Belarus, Singapore, Brazil and others. Uralkaliy OAO operates on the potassium and magnesium deposits located in Berezniki, Perm and Saint Petersburg. Its production assets include seven plants and five mines. Uralkaliy OAO sells its products domestically, as well as abroad in over 40 countries, including the United States, China, Brazil, India and South-East Asia, among others. Advisors' Opinion:

[By Tim Gallagher]
The potash spat continues to get uglier, as Belarus investigators reportedly intend to seize property and assets of Russia's Uralkali (URALL.PK) following the collapse of the joint Russian-Belarussian potash venture.
[By Chris Damas]
This morning Russian potash giant OJSC Uralkali (URALL.PK) presented first half 2013 financial and operating results and more importantly, much anticipated comments on the strategy of the company and the state of the international potash industry, the latter blind-sided by the leading potash company's split with marketing partner JSC Belaruskali of Belarus.

Top 5 Chemical Stocks To Watch For 2015: MagnaChip Semiconductor Corporation (MX)

MagnaChip Semiconductor Corporation designs and manufactures analog and mixed-signal semiconductor products for high-volume consumer applications. It operates in three segments: Display Solutions, Power Solutions, and Semiconductor Manufacturing Services. The Display Solutions segment offers source and gate drivers, and timing controllers that cover a range of flat panel displays used in liquid crystal displays (LCDs), light emitting diodes (LEDs), 3D and organic light emitting diode televisions and displays, notebooks, and mobile communications and entertainment devices. The Power Solutions segment develop, manufactures, and markets power management solutions, including metal oxide semiconductor field effect transistors, power modules, analog switches, LED drivers, DC-DC converters, voice coil motor drivers, and linear regulators. This segment offers its products for a range of devices, including LCD, LED, 3D televisions, smartphones, mobile phones, desktop PCs, notebooks , tablet PCs, and other consumer electronics, as well as for industrial applications, such as power suppliers, LED lighting, and home appliances. The Semiconductor Manufacturing Services segment manufactures various products comprising display drivers, LED drivers, audio encoding and decoding devices, microcontrollers, touch screen controllers, RF switches, park distance control sensors for automotives, electronic tag memories, and power management semiconductors. This segment offers semiconductor manufacturing services to fabless analog and mixed-signal semiconductor companies. MagnaChip Semiconductor Corporation provides its products and services to consumer electronics OEMs, subsystem designers, and contract manufacturers through a direct sales force, as well as through a network of authorized agents and distributors in the United States, Korea, Taiwan, China, Japan, Hong Kong, and Macau. The company is headquartered in Seoul, South Korea.

Advisors' Opinion:

[By Brian Pacampara]
Based on the aggregated intelligence of 180,000-plus investors participating in Motley Fool CAPS, the Fool's free investing community, consumer gadget chip maker MagnaChip Semiconductor (NYSE: MX ) has earned a coveted five-star ranking.

Top 5 Chemical Stocks To Watch For 2015: OCI Resources LP (OCIR)

Oci Resources LP, incorporated on April 22, 2013, is a limited partnership formed by OCI Holdings to operate the trona ore mining and soda ash production business of OCI Wyoming. The Company owns a controlling 40.98% general partner interest and 10.02% limited partner interest in OCI Wyoming, serving a global market from its facility in the Green River Basin of Wyoming. As of March 31, 2013, OCI Wyoming had proven and probable reserves of approximately 267.1 million short tons of trona, which is equivalent to 145.5 million short tons of soda ash. During the year ended December 31, 2012, OCI Wyoming mined approximately 3.87 million short tons of trona and produced approximately 2.45 million short tons of soda ash.

Trona, a naturally occurring soft mineral, is also known as sodium sesquicarbonate and consists primarily of sodium carbonate, or soda ash, sodium bicarbonate and water. The Company process trona ore into soda ash, which is an essential raw material in flat glass, container glass, detergents, chemicals, paper and other consumer and industrial products. The majority of the world's trona reserves are located in the Green River Basin.

Advisors' Opinion:

[By Renaissance Capital IPO Research]
The following IPOs are expected to price this week:

OCI Resources LP (OCIR), a north American soda ash production business of Korea's OCI Chemical, plans to raise $100 million by offering 5.0 million shares at a price range of $19.00 to $21.00. At the midpoint of the proposed range, OCI Resources LP would command a market value of $399 million. OCI Resources LP, which was founded in 1962, booked $446 million in sales over the last 12 months. The Atlanta, GA-based company plans to list on the NYSE under the symbol OCIR. Citi and Goldman Sachs are the joint bookrunners on the deal.
[By Robert Rapier]
OCI Resources (NYSE: OCIR) is a subsidiary of Atlanta-based OCI Chemical, which operates the trona ore mining and soda ash production business of one of the largest and lowest cost natural soda ash producers in the world. The partnership debuted on Sept. 13 and had the worst opening day of any MLP IPO since 2010. On the first day of trading, units closed down more than 5 percent. They have since recovered, and now trade 6 percent above the IPO price. Beginning with the quarter ending Dec. 31, 2013, OCIR intends to distribute at least the minimum quarterly distribution of $0.5000 per unit, or $2 on an annualized basis. At the recent unit closing price of $19.91, this corresponds to a prospective annual yield of 10 percent.

Top 5 Chemical Stocks To Watch For 2015: Air Products and Chemicals Inc. (APD)

Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. provides atmospheric gases, process and specialty gases, performance materials, equipment, and services worldwide. The company?s Merchant Gases segment sells atmospheric gases, such as oxygen, nitrogen, and argon; process gases, including hydrogen and helium; and medical and specialty gases for the metal, glass, chemical processing, food processing, healthcare, steel, general manufacturing, and petroleum and natural gas industries. This segment also offers respiratory therapies, home medical equipment, and infusion services primarily in Europe. Its Tonnage Gases segment provides hydrogen, carbon monoxide, nitrogen, oxygen, and syngas to the energy production and refining, chemical, and metallurgical industries; and produces dinitrotoluene used in the manufacture of a precursor of polyurethane foam. The company?s Electronics and Performance Materials segment offers nitrogen trifluoride, silane, arsine, phosphine, white ammonia, silicon tetra fluoride, carbon tetrafluoride, hexafluoromethane, critical etch gases, and tungsten hexafluoride; and tonnage gases, specialty chemicals, and services and equipment for the manufacture of silicon and compound semiconductors, thin film transistor liquid crystal displays, and photovoltaic devices. This segment also provides performance materials for a range of products, including coatings, inks, adhesives, civil engineering, personal care, institutional and industrial cleaning, mining, oil refining, and polyurethanes. Its Equipment and Energy segment designs and manufactures cryogenic equipment for air separation, hydrocarbon recovery and purification, natural gas liquefaction, and helium distribution; and offers plant design, engineering, procurement, and construction management services for the chemical and petrochemical manufacturing, oil and gas recovery and processing, and steel and primary metals processing industries. The company was founded in 1940 and is based in All entown, Pennsylvania.

Advisors' Opinion:

[By David Smith]
According to�Air Products and Chemicals (NYSE: APD ) , while the use of nitrogen is about 15% more expensive than hydraulic fracturing, that difference is largely offset by an 11% increase in the estimated ultimate recovery of natural gas. Further, amid spreading drought conditions across much of the U.S., along with increasing requirements that drillers treat, recycle, and reuse flowback water, the use of nitrogen in fracking is surging.
[By Rich Smith]
Maybe the world is running out of helium. Maybe it isn't. But global leader in helium production Air Products (NYSE: APD ) isn't taking any chances.