The difference between our parents' generation and ours has always been huge and on all parameters. This contrast has never been as stark as it is in today's corporate world, where the rules of the games have changed, the dynamics have entirely changed and so have the ways in which we deal with them.
Today, we are to meet a bunch of young single, smart and successful career women from the social networking website Ditto and we are going to find out how they manage to juggle all of this and still manage their money.
Raheja and Rustagi answers their questions regarding maximising and protecting wealth.
Here is the edited transcript of the interview on CNBC-TV18.
Q: When people start investing the first thing where they get confused is whether they should be doing it on a daily basis or whether they should do it, forget about it, review it on and off, what's the best advice for someone like these ladies?
Raheja: My fervent belief is that any asset class typically requires a period of time for maturing, for it to deliver returns. Equities as a vehicle has shown that if you give it time, if you take 10 years or a longer period of 15 years, the average compounded return from equities has been around 14-15%.
If you take any large corporate in India, from Reliance to any other corporate you would name, what was it 10 years ago and what is it today? We have typically seen in our research that whatever profits grow by market cap is a reflection of stock prices. It has grown by about 1.4-1.5 times the profits of the company.
Clearly, if you are an investor and you are invested in a good company it will give you returns. However, that does not mean you do not sit and review your portfolio from time to time. Especially, if you are invested in a lot of mid and small caps which have many emerging companies and emerging managements which have not yet proven itself, you cannot stop reviewing your portfolio from time to time.
Against that, if you have proven managements who have delivered numbers over extended period of time, there is no problem in sitting with them for a longer period.
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Tags: investment, mutual fund, equities, stocks, market, Nitin Raheja, Hemant Rustagi, WiseInvest Advisors, AQF Advisors
No intent to control capital; fund-raising door open: FM
No intent to control capital; fund-raising door open: FM
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Small cap hotel stock La Quinta Holdings Inc (NYSE: LQ) just had its IPO to raise a lower than expected $650 million after being priced below its expected range, meaning its worth taking a closer look at the stock which�is focused on the�mid-priced hotel market along with the performance of potential benchmarks like hotel stocks Marriott International Inc (NASDAQ: MAR), Choice Hotels International Inc (NYSE: CHH) and Wyndham Worldwide Corporation (NYSE: WYN). What is La Quinta Holdings Inc? Based in Dallas, Texas, small cap�La Quinta Holdings is one of the largest owners, operators and franchisors of select-service hotels in the United States. Specifically, La Quinta Holdings operates and provides franchise services to more than 800 hotels with approximately 84,000 rooms in the US, Canada and Mexico under the La Quinta Inns & Suites and La Quinta Inn brands. The company distinguishes itself by offering guests�free Bright Side Breakfaståº, free high-speed Internet and exclusive Bright Morning Bedsåº with a pillowtop mattress plus hotels offer business centers, flat-panel HDTVs, spacious, bright in-room work areas with ergonomic ��ask��chairs and swimming pools available at most locations. In addition, �La Quinta Holdings Inc has created an easy way to reserve a room�with the patent pending�LQ Instant Hold�⒙�hich allows�guests to hold a room instantly for up to four hours with just�a phone number. China Metro-Rural Holdings Limited, through its subsidiaries, primarily engages in the development and operation of agricultural logistics and trade centers in northeast China. It also involves in purchasing, processing, assembling, merchandising, and distributing pearls and jewelry products. The company markets its pearls and jewelry products to wholesale distributors and mass merchandisers in Europe, the United States, Hong Kong, and other parts of Asia. In addition, it develops, sells, and leases residential and commercial properties in Hong Kong and the People?s Republic of China. The company is based in Tsimshatsui, Hong Kong. Advisors' Opinion: - [By Katie Brennan]
Canadian National Railway Co. (CNR) added 0.9 percent to C$104.93 and Canadian Pacific Railway Ltd. rose 1.7 percent to C$131.73. Niko Resources surged 3.4 percent to $8.64 after the company entered an agreement for a $60 million loan that will be funded by a group of institutional investors. Net proceeds from the loan will be used to fund working capital requirements.
Hot Small Cap Companies To Own For 2014: OCZ Technology Group Inc(OCZ) OCZ Technology Group, Inc. designs, develops, manufactures, and distributes computer components for computing devices and systems worldwide. It primarily offers solid state drives, flash memory storage, memory modules, thermal management solutions, AC/DC switching power supply units, and computer gaming solutions. The company?s products are used in industrial equipment and computer systems; computer and computer gaming solutions; mission critical servers and high end workstations; personal computer (PC) upgrades to extend the useable life of existing PCs; high performance computing and scientific computing; video and music editing; home theatre PCs and digital home convergence products; and digital photography and digital image manipulation computers. OCZ Technology Group, Inc. offers its products to retailers, on-line retailers, original equipment manufacturers, systems integrators, and distributors. The company was founded in 2002 and is headquartered in San Jose, Califo rnia. Advisors' Opinion: Hot Small Cap Companies To Own For 2014: Hot Topic Inc.(HOTT) Hot Topic, Inc., together with its subsidiaries, operates as a mall- and Web-based specialty retailer in the United States. The company operates Hot Topic and Torrid store concepts, as well as an e-space music discovery concept, ShockHound. Its Hot Topic stores sell music/pop culture-licensed merchandise, including tee shirts, hats, posters, stickers, patches, postcards, books, novelty accessories, CDs, and DVDs; and music/pop culture-influenced merchandise comprising women?s and men?s apparel and accessories, such as woven and knit tops, skirts, pants, shorts, jackets, shoes, costume jewelry, body jewelry, sunglasses, cosmetics, leather accessories, and gift items for young men and women primarily between the ages of 12 and 22. The company?s Torrid stores sells casual and dressy jeans and pants, fashion and novelty tops, sweaters, skirts, jackets, dresses, hosiery, shoes, intimate apparel, and fashion accessories for various lifestyles for plus-size females primarily betw een the ages of 15 and 29. As of July 30, 2011, it operated 636 Hot Topic stores in 50 states, Puerto Rico, and Canada; 145 Torrid stores; and Internet stores, hottopic.com and torrid.com. The company was founded in 1988 and is headquartered in City of Industry, California. Advisors' Opinion: - [By Marshall Hargrave]
In May True Religion (TRGL) announced a buyout offer from TowerBrook Capital for $826 million. Also in May, Rue21 decided to sell itself to Apax Partners for $2.2 billion. Before that, in March, Hot Topic (HOTT) announced that Sycamore Partners was buying out it out for $600 million.
Hot Small Cap Companies To Own For 2014: bebe stores inc.(BEBE) bebe stores, inc. engages in the design, development, and production of women?s apparel and accessories. Its products include a range of separates, tops, dresses, active wear, and accessories in career, evening, casual, and active lifestyle categories. The company markets its products under the bebe, BEBE SPORT, bbsp, and 2b bebe brand names targeting 21 to 34-year-old woman. As of July 2, 2011, it operated 252 retail stores, and an online store at bebe.com in the United States, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, Japan, and Canada, as well as 60 international licensee operated stores in south east Asia, the United Arab Emirates, Israel, Russia, Mexico, and Turkey. The company was founded in 1976 and is headquartered in Brisbane, California. Advisors' Opinion: - [By Anna Prior]
Bebe Stores Inc.(BEBE) is exiting its value-oriented 2b concept and is cutting jobs as part of a cost-reduction program. The women’s apparel and accessories retailer said Friday that a workforce reduction affected about 9% of its nonstore employees, excluding the distribution center, and less than 1% of its store operations team. - [By Ben Levisohn]
Bebe Stores (BEBE) reported a loss of 14 cents a share, more than the 13 cent loss forecast by analysts, and said it would experience a loss in the low- to mid-teens during the current quarter. - [By Maria Armental and Anna Prior]
Bebe Stores Inc.(BEBE) said Chief Executive Steve Birkhold resigned and the board named Jim Wiggett, who has been advising the struggling retailer, as interim CEO. The women’s apparel and accessories retailer plans to begin the search for a permanent successor.
Best Financial Stocks For 2015: Flagstar Bancorp Inc (FBC) Flagstar Bancorp, Inc. incorporated on October 28, 1993, is a savings and loan holding company. The Companys business is primarily conducted through its principal subsidiary, Flagstar Bank, FSB (the Bank), a federally chartered stock savings bank. At December 31, 2012, its total assets were $ $14.1 billion. The Banks wholly owned subsidiary is Flagstar Capital Markets Corporation (FCMC). The Company operates in two segments: Community Banking and Mortgage Banking. The Community Banking segment offers a line of financial products and services to individuals, small and middle market businesses, and mortgage lenders. Its Mortgage Banking segment originates, acquires, sells and services residential first mortgage loans on one-to-four family residences. The Banks Other segment include corporate treasury, tax benefits not assigned to specific operating segments, and miscellaneous other expenses of a corporate nature. Community Banking Communit y Banking segment includes Branch Banking, Commercial and Business Banking, Government Banking, and Warehouse Lending. Community Banking segment originates loans and deposits to consumer, business and mortgage lending customers through its Branch Banking, Business and Commercial Banking, Government Banking, and Warehouse Lending groups. Products offered include checking accounts, savings accounts, money market accounts, certificates of deposit, consumer loans, commercial loans and warehouse lines of credit. Other financial services available to consumer and commercial customers include lines of credit, revolving credit, customized treasury management solutions, equipment leasing, inventory and accounts receivable lending and capital markets services such as interest rate risk protection products. At December 31, 2012, Branch Banking included 111 banking centers located throughout Michigan. As of December 31, 2012, the commercial loans held-for-investment totaled $0.7 billi! on , and consisted of commercial real estate, commercial and industrial and commercial lease financing. At December 31, 2012, its commercial real estate loans held-for-investment totaled $640.3 million. Commercial and industrial held-for-investment loan facilities include lines of credit to its small or middle market businesses for use in normal business operations to finance working capital needs, equipment purchases and expansion projects. At December 31, 2012 its commercial and industrial held-for-investment loans totaled $90.6 million. Its commercial lease financing held-for-investment loan portfolio is comprised of equipment leased to customers in a direct financing lease. At December 31, 2012 its commercial lease financing held-for-investment loans totaled $6.3 million. The Company offers warehouse lines of credit to other mortgage lenders. As of December 31, 2012, there were 311 warehouse lines of credit to other mortgage lenders with an average size of $7.5 million. Mortgage Banking The Companys Mortgage Banking segment originates, acquires, sells and services one-to-four family residential first mortgage loans. Mortgage loans are originated through home lending centers, national call centers, the Internet, unaffiliated banks and mortgage brokerage companies. Also, the Mortgage Banking segment services mortgage loans for others and sells MSRs into the secondary market. In a home lending center transaction, loans are originated through a network of its loan origination centers, as well as referrals from its Banking segment and the national call center. At December 31, 2012, the Company maintained 31 loan origination centers. In a broker transaction, an unaffiliated bank or mortgage brokerage company completes the loan paperwork, but the loans are underwritten on a loan-level basis to its underwriting standards and it supplies the funding for the loan at closing thereby becoming the len der of record. As of December 31, 2012, the Company had! active b! roker relationships with over 1,700 banks, credit unions, and mortgage brokerage companies. In a correspondent transaction, an unaffiliated bank or mortgage company completes the loan paperwork and also supplies the funding for the loan at closing. As of December 31, 2012, the Bank had active correspondent relationships with over 1,300 companies, including banks, credit unions, and mortgage companies. Advisors' Opinion: - [By Jessica Alling]
Outside the Dow, insurer MBIA (NYSE: MBI ) is up 11.3% after settling a legal case with lender Flagstar Bancorp (NYSE: FBC ) over two mortgage-backed securities transactions. MBIA alleged that Flagstar misrepresented the securities, resulting in the insurer's payout of $165 million on the policies. Flagstar has agreed to pay MBIA $110 million to settle the case. This legal dispute is similar to the current battle between MBIA and Bank of America. The insurer recently lost its bid for a pretrial ruling on the case, driving the stock lower. - [By Brian Pacampara]
What: Shares of mortgage insurer MBIA (NYSE: MBI) climbed 10% today after settling its lawsuit against Flagstar Bancorp (NYSE: FBC), in which it accused the bank of misrepresenting the loan quality underlying $1.1 billion in mortgage-backed securities. source from Top Penny Stocks For 2015:http://www.seekpennystocks.com/best-financial-stocks-for-2015-2.html
Here are today's top news headlines from�Fool.com. Check back throughout the day as this list is updated, and follow us on Twitter at�TMFBreaking. Delta Air Lines Initiates Dividend, Stock Buyback Plan Apache Strikes Oil in Egypt GE Unveils 1.7 MW Wind Turbine; NextEra Orders 59 Microsoft Names New CFO Google Fiber Picks Another City Activists: Disney Can't Trademark Holidays Starbucks to Triple Products for GMCR's Keurig Obama to Launch Jobs Tour SeaChange CFO to Resign House to Vote to Prioritize U.S. Debt Payments Google Translate Adds 5 Languages Cyprus Keeps Limits on Money Flows NV Energy Keeps Quarterly Dividend at $0.19 Oil Below $96 per Barrel on Jobs, Stronger Dollar Tesla Model S Outscores Every Car in Consumer Reports Testing Facebook, Chicago Firm Settle Suit Engility to Participate in $400 Million USAID Clean Energy Project Nokia's Asha 501 Smartphone Shipping Next Month ICSGlobal Limited is an Australia-based company. The principal activities of the Company during the fiscal year ended June 30, 2012 (fiscal 2012), were the operations of a holding company in Australia with a 100% owned subsidiary providing medical billing services in the United Kingdom. As of June 30, 2012, the Company owned Medical Billing and Collections (MBC) in the United Kingdom. The Company has owned a number of operating companies in Australia, the United States and the United Kingdom. As of June 30, 2012, the Company is focused on new business opportunities. As of June 30, 2012, the Company�� subsidiaries included Thelma Pty Ltd, EziBill Pty Ltd and Thelma-EU Limited. Advisors' Opinion: - [By Magic Diligence]
Far from an electronic document company, PDF Solutions provides software, IP, hardware, and services designed to speed the process and lower the cost of designing and manufacturing custom integrated circuits (ICs), especially in the area of yield improvements. PDFS has booked solid 3-year average revenue growth of 18%, has exploded operating margins from 2% in 2010 to over 35% today, generates free cash flow in excess of net income, and has no debt with a nice cash cushion of $65 million. At under $13, the stock is more than 50% below its 52-week high and carries a bargain 12% earnings yield. - [By ovenerio]
In this article, let's take a look at Analog Devices, Inc. (ADI), a $15.79 billion market cap company, which is a company that manufactures high-performance integrated circuits (ICs) used in analog and digital signal processing applications. - [By Dividends4Life]
This week a few companies answered the call and rewarded their shareholders with higher cash dividends:
Consolidated Edison Inc. (ED) engages in regulated electric, gas, and steam delivery businesses. January 16th the company increased its quarterly dividend 2.4% to $0.63 per share. The dividend is payable March 15, 2014, to stockholders of record on February 12, 2014. The yield based on the new payout is 4.7%.
Cousins Properties Incorporated (CUZ), a real estate investment trust (REIT), owns, develops, and manages real estate portfolio, as well as performs certain real estate-related services. January 16th the company increased its quarterly dividend 66.7% to $0.075 per share. The dividend is payable February 24, 2014, to stockholders of record on February 10, 2014. The yield based on the new payout is 2.8%.
Wisconsin Energy Corporation (WEC) generates and distributes electric energy, as well as distributes natural gas. The company operates in two segments, Utility Energy and Non-Utility Energy. January 16th the company increased its quarterly dividend 2% to $0.3900 per share. The dividend is payable March 1, 2014, to stockholders of record on February 14, 2014. The yield based on the new payout is 3.8%.
BlackRock Inc. (BLK) is a publicly owned investment manager. The firm primarily provides its services to institutional, intermediary, and individual investors. January 16th the company increased its quarterly dividend 14.9% to $1.93 per share. The dividend is payable March 24, 2014, to stockholders of record on March 7, 2014. The yield based on the new payout is 2.4%.
ONEOK Inc. (OKE) operates as a diversified energy company in the United States. January 15th the company increased its quarterly dividend 5.3% to $0.40 per share. The dividend is payable February 18, 2014, to stockholders of record on February 10, 2014. The yield based on the new payout is 2.5%.
Omega Healthcare Investors Inc. (OHI) is a real es
Top Clean Energy Companies To Invest In 2014: Vanguard Consumer Staples Etf (VDC) Vanguard Consumer Staples ETF (the Fund), formerly known as Vanguard Consumer Staples VIPERs, is an exchange-traded share class of Vanguard Consumer Staples Index Fund. The Fund employs a passive management or indexing investment approach designed to track the performance of the Morgan Stanley Capital International (MSCI) US Investable Market Consumer Staples Index (the Index). The Index is an index of stocks of large, medium and small United States companies in the consumer staples sector, as classified under the Global Industry Classification Standard (GICS). This GICS sector is made up of companies whose businesses are less sensitive to economic cycles. It includes manufacturers and distributors of food, beverages and tobacco, as well as producers of non-durable household goods and personal products. It also includes food and drug retailing companies, as well as hypermarkets and consumer supercenters. The Fund attempts to replicate the Index by investing all, or substantially all, of its assets in the stocks that make up the Index, holding each stock in approximately the same proportion as its weighting in the Index. The Fund also may sample its target Index by holding stocks that, in the aggregate, are intended to approximate the Index in terms of key characteristics, such as price/earnings ratio, earnings growth and dividend yield. Advisors' Opinion: - [By Chris Versace, Editor, PowerTrend Brief and PowerTrend Profits]
That, to me, says they're going to favor inelastic goods over elastic ones, so when you think of the things that we need each and every day, toilet paper, toothpaste, deodorant, shampoo, household cleansers, that sort of thing, that's what brings me into (XLP) and (VDC).
Top Clean Energy Companies To Invest In 2014: Barclays PLC (II) Barclays PLC (Barclays) is a global financial services provider engaged in retail banking, credit cards, wholesale banking, investment banking, wealth management and investment management services. The Company�� operations include its overseas offices, subsidiaries and associates. The Company operates in eight segments: UK Retail and Business Banking (UK RBB), Europe Retail and Business Banking (Europe RBB), Africa Retail and Business Banking (Africa RBB), Barclaycard, Barclays Investment Bank, Barclays Corporate Banking, Wealth and Investment Management, and Head Office and Other Operations. Advisors' Opinion: - [By Robert Abbott]
The company lists competitive factors this way, and in this order in its 10-K: "...(i) vendor and product reputation; (ii) product quality, performance and price; (iii) the availability of software products on multiple platforms; (iv) product scalability; (v) product integration with other enterprise applications; (vi) software functionality and features; (vii) software ease of use; (viii) the quality of professional services, customer support services and training; and (ix) the ability to address specific customer business problems." - [By Holly LaFon]
Performance data quoted represents past performance and is no guarantee of future results. Current performance may be lower or higher than the performance data quoted. Investment return and principal value will fluctuate so that an investor's shares, when redeemed, may be worth more or less than original cost. As stated in the current prospectus, the Fund�� Investor Class Share�� annual operating expense ratio (gross) is 1.28%. The Fund�� adviser has contractually agreed to waive a portion of its fee and/or reimburse Fund expenses to limit total annual operating expenses at 1.25%, which is in effect until October 31, 2015. Other share classes may vary. The Fund charges a 2.0% redemption fee on shares redeemed within six months of purchase. For the most recent month-end performance, please call (877)328-9437 or visit the Advisor�� website at www.auxierasset.com. The recent growth rate in the stock market has helped to produce short-term returns that are not typical and may not continue in the future.Spring 2014 Market CommentaryAuxier Focus Fund�� Investor Class returned a modest 0.25% for the quarter ended March 31, while Standard and Poor�� 500 Stock Index (S&P) rose 1.81%. The Fund ended the quarter with 70% in U.S. stocks, 16% foreign stocks, 1.7 % bonds and 12.3% cash. Since inception in 1999, the Fund�� equity exposure has averaged 72%. Our stockholdings in the healthcare industry generally gained for the quarter. But many of our multinational and foreign stocks were hurt by the threat of currency repercussions from geopolitical events in Russia and Ukraine. The foreign portion of the Fund is easily the most undervalued. Longer term, we see a very favorable risk/reward potential with our UK and European holdings. Some emerging market companies we follow are the cheapest in over twenty years. In allocating capital, we much prefer the gloom of down to flat markets and the corrective process that tempers exuberance. We remember that one of th - [By Todd Sullivan]
HHC has increased all our ownership percentage through the repurchasing of outstanding warrants. From the 13D/A
On December 31, 2013, certain of the Reporting Persons entered into swaps for the benefit of certain Pershing Square Funds. Under the terms of the swaps, (i) the relevant Pershing Square Funds will be obligated to pay to the bank counterparty any negative price performance of the 5,399,839 notional number of Common Shares subject to the swaps as of the expiration date of such swaps, plus interest rates set forth in the applicable contracts, and (ii) the bank counterparty will be obligated to pay the relevant Pershing Square Funds any positive price performance of the 5,399,839 notional number Common Shares subject to the swaps as of the expiration date of the swaps. During the term of the swaps, cash will be paid by the bank counterparty to the relevant Pershing Square Fund in an amount equal to the amount of notional distributions or dividends paid by the Issuer in respect of such notional number of Common Shares. All balances will be settled in cash. The Pershing Square Funds��counterparties for the swaps include entities related to Citibank, Nomura, Sociè
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rale and UBS. The swaps do not give the Reporting Persons direct or indirect voting, investment or dispositive control over any securities of the Issuer and do not require the counterparty thereto to acquire, hold, vote or dispose of any securities of the Issuer. Accordingly, the Reporting Persons disclaim any beneficial ownership of any Common Shares that may be referenced in the swap contracts or Common Shares or other securities or financial instruments that may be held from time to time by any counterparty to the contracts.
Top Clean Energy Companies To Invest In 2014: ADVA Optical Networking SE (ADV) ADVA Optical Networking SE is a Germany-based company that develops, manufactures and sells optical and Ethernet-based networking solutions to telecommunications carriers and enterprises to deploy, manage and deliver data storage, voice and video services in metropolitan areas. Its optical transmission solutions are based on wavelength division multiplexing (WDM) technology. Its Ethernet-optimized transmission solutions for fiber- or copper-based lines are used to provide access for enterprises into a carrier's network. Its systems are used by telecommunications services providers, companies, universities and government agencies worldwide. It sells its product portfolio both directly and through an international network of distribution partners. Its optical and Ethernet-based network solutions have been deployed by more than 250 carriers and more than 10,000 enterprises. As of December 31, 2012, the Company had 13 wholly owned subsidiaries across Europe, Asia, North and Latin America. Advisors' Opinion: - [By Holly LaFon]
We re-established an investment in CME Group, Inc. (CME) during the period. CME is the largest and most diversified derivatives marketplace in the U.S. Its exchanges support trading across a variety of asset classes, including interest rates, equity indexes, energy, agricultural commodities, foreign exchange and metals. We believe CME has the opportunity to significantly accelerate its growth rates due to the eventual normalization of interest rates and the attendant interest rate volatility. CME's interest rate trading volumes (ADV) have been depressed as a result of the Fed's zero interest rate policy and low interest rate volatility. For example, interest rate ADV was 4.8 million in 2012compared to 7.1 million in 2007, before the financial crisis. However, given the Fed's recent policy statements (discussed above), market participants are starting to anticipate an end to quantitative easing (QE). On May 30, CME experienced record volume for interest rate derivatives with ADV of 19.4 million. With the globalization of CME's business, a host of new products, and the regulatory requirement for interest rate swaps to be cleared on an exchange, we believe CME's interest rate volumes can surpass their prior peak, significantly driving earnings growth for the company. - [By Adrian Day]
Adrian Day: Yes, yes, I like the concept of looking up the secondary plays. I mean, you know we own Altius (ALS) for example, rather than Alderon (ADV). Altius owns 30% of Alderon, that is more diversified, has a better balance sheet. If Alderon succeeds, Atius will succeed.
10 Best Information Technology Stocks To Invest In Right Now: ACCO Brands Corp (ACCO) ACCO Brands Corporation, incorporated on October 26, 1970, is one of the suppliers of branded school and office products. The Company sells its products through many channels that include the office products resale industry as well as through mass retail distribution and e-tailers. It designs, develops, manufactures and markets a variety of traditional and computer-related office products, school supplies and paper-based time management products. Through a focus on research, marketing and innovation, it seeks to develop new products that meet the needs of its consumers and commercial end-users, and support its brands. ACCO Brands is organized into three business segments: ACCO Brands North America, ACCO Brands International and Computer Products Group. It sells its products primarily to markets located in the United States, Northern Europe, Canada, Brazil, Australia and Mexico. On May 1, 2012, it completed the merger (Merger) of the Mead Consumer and Office Products Busine ss (Mead C&OP) with a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Company. Its office, school and calendar product lines use name brands such as AT-A-GLANCE, Day-Timer, Five Star, GBC, Hilroy, Marbig, Mead, NOBO, Quartet, Rexel, Swingline, Tilibra, Wilson Jones and many others. Its products and brands are not confined to one channel or product category and are designed based on preference. It manufactures approximately half of its products, and specify and source approximately the other half of its products, mainly from Asia. Its office products, such as stapling, binding and laminating equipment and related consumable supplies, shredders and whiteboards, are used by businesses. These business end-users purchase their products from its customers, which include commercial contract stationers, retail superstores, mass merchandisers, wholesalers, resellers, mail order and Internet catalogs, club stores and dealers. It also supplies s! ome of its products directly to commer cial and industrial end-users. Its school products include n! otebooks, folders, decorative calendars, and stationery products. It distributes its school products primarily through traditional and online retail mass market, grocery, drug and office superstore channels. It also supplies private label products within the school products sector. Its calendar products are sold throughout all channels where it sells office or school products, and it also sell direct to consumers. ACCO Brands North America and ACCO Brands International ACCO Brands North America and ACCO Brands International manufacture, source and sell traditional office products, school supplies, calendar products and document finishing solutions. ACCO Brands North America comprises the U.S. and Canada, and ACCO Brands International comprises the rest of the world, principally Europe, Latin America, Australia, and Asia-Pacific. Its office, school and calendar product lines use name brands such as AT-A-GLANCE, Day-Timer, Five Star, GBC, Hilroy, Marbig, Mead, NOBO, Quartet, Rexel, Swingline, Tilibra, Wilson Jones and many others. Its office products, such as stapling, binding and laminating equipment and related consumable supplies, shredders and whiteboards, are used by businesses. These business end-users purchase their products from its customers, which include commercial contract stationers, mass merchandisers, retail superstores, wholesalers, resellers, mail order and Internet catalogs, club stores and dealers. It also supplies some of its products directly to commercial and industrial end-users. Its school products include notebooks, folders, decorative calendars, and stationery products. It distributes its school products primarily through traditional and online retail mass market, grocery, drug and office superstore channels. It also supplies private label products within the school products sector. Its calendar products are sold throughout ! all chann! els where it sells office or school products, and it also sells direct to consumers. ! Computer Products Group The Computer Products Group designs, distributes, markets and sells accessories for laptop and desktop computers and tablets and smartphones. These accessories primarily include security products, iPad covers and keypads, smartphone accessories, power adapters, input devices such as mice, laptop computer carrying cases, hubs, docking stations and ergonomic devices. The Computer Products Group sells mostly under the Kensington, Microsaver and ClickSafe brand names, with the majority of its revenue coming from the U.S. and Western Europe. All of its computer products are manufactured to its specifications by third-party suppliers, principally in Asia, and are stored and distributed from its regional facilities. Its computer products are sold primarily to consumer electronics retailers, information technology value-added resellers, original equipment manufacturers and office products retailers. The Company co mpetes with, 3M, Avery Dennison, Blue Sky, Carolina Pad, Dominion BlueLine, Esselte, Fellowes, Franklin Covey, Hamelin, House of Doolittle, Newell Rubbermaid, Smead, Spiral Binding, Belkin, Fellowes, Logitech and Targus. Advisors' Opinion: - [By Lisa Levin]
Office Supplies: This industry rose 2.80% by 11:40 am ET. The top performer in this industry was ACCO Brands (NYSE: ACCO), which gained 4.5%. On Thursday, ACCO Brands announced a $100 million share repurchase authorization.. - [By Will Ashworth]
While some might consider private equity firms to be at the high-end of the cycle, I see Fortress just now coming into its own. Fortress recently announced it took a paper loss on Bitcoin. Not to worry, FIG’s 2013 distributable earnings per share increased by almost 70% to $0.88, its highest level since its IPO. I see it moving higher than $10 in 2014. Cheap Stoc! ks to Buy! : ACCO Brands (ACCO) I dont know about you but I definitely use several of its products on a regular basis. In fact, right here on my desk beside my computer is a small, Five Star notebook for jotting down ideas. I grew up on Hilroy notebooks, a brand brought to the table in its 2012 merger with MeadWestvacos (MWV) Consumer and Office Products division. MWV shareholders received one-third of an ACCO share for every MWV share. Since the deal was completed, ACCO stock has lost 42% of its value. - [By Lisa Levin]
Office Supplies: The industry dropped 1.51% by 10:50 am. The worst performer in this industry was ACCO Brands (NYSE: ACCO), which declined 1.3%. ACCO Brands shares have gained 2.30% over the past 52 weeks, while the S&P 500 index has surged 21.67% in the same period. - [By John Kell]
Acco Brands Corp.(ACCO) expects its 2013 results to come in ahead of analysts’ estimates as the office-products supplier projected fourth-quarter revenue that beat expectations. Shares of the company, whose brands include Day-Timer, At-a Glance and Mead, rose 5.1% to $6.59 in light premarket trading. source from Top Stocks To Buy For 2015:http://www.topstocksforum.com/10-best-information-technology-stocks-to-invest-in-right-now-5.html
"There are those that see JSF as the last manned fighter. I'm one that's inclined to believe that." -- Adm. Mike Mullen, former chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff. When Admiral Mullen uttered those words a few years ago, it struck fear in the hearts of America's defense contractors -- well, those other than Lockheed Martin (NYSE: LMT ) , which builds the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter. A world without manned fighter jets, after all, promises to be a world that won't need to buy Lockheed Martin F-16s fighters, Boeing (NYSE: BA ) F/A-18 fighter bombers, or Northrop Grumman (NYSE: NOC ) EA-6B electronic warfare jets. A brave new world...
Earlier this week, that world came one step closer, when Northrop's new X-47B prototype -- an armed, pilotless drone combat aircraft -- conducted the first-ever unmanned landing on an aircraft carrier off the Virginia coast. It's starting to become apparent that we really will one day have entire squadrons of drone fighter jets patrolling the skies, without a pilot among them. 
X-47B takes off from aircraft carrier USS George H.W. Bush, Source: Wikimedia Commons
And yet, this poses a problem. Pilotless combat aircraft, unless they're given full autonomy to conduct missions on their own, a la Skynet... 
The Terminator, Source: Wikimedia Commons
...have a built-in Achilles' heel, in that to control them, one must maintain communication with them. This communications link, though, is vulnerable to hacking by bad guys. Presumably, the farther away the drone, the weaker the signal from "home" -- and the easier it will be for an enemy to disrupt our military's ability to control its drones. ...and how to survive in it
So, how does a military protect its unmanned aerial vehicles from hackers, and maintain control over pilotless drones in combat? The answer may be the solution to Lockheed's, Boeing's, and Northrop's problems. "Most studies indicate that we are a little overly invested in [drone] capabilities for permissive environments and perhaps under-invested in capabilities for the high-end fight," laments one U.S. Air Force report. While General Atomics' Predators and Reapers may operate fine "droning" along uncontested airspace in Afghanistan, most UAVs today would be vulnerable when operating in an "anti-access/area denial (A2/AD) environment" such as Chinese or Russian airspace. They'd be equally incapable of defending themselves from hostile anti-aircraft fire, and from hostile hackers, who may attempt to jam communication with, or even take over control of pilotless drones. According to a report on Flightglobal.com, USAF has been spending a lot of time lately thinking about how to run drones in such "contested environments". One solution to this problem might be upgrading air defense systems on drones, and hardening their communications to resist jamming and hacking. Another might be to build "optionally manned" aircraft -- full-size fighter jets that could be piloted, or pilotless, depending on the theater in which they're called upon to operate. A third option might be to send a sort of piloted "mothership" along with a squadron of drones, to control and protect them from longer-distance jamming attempts. And a fourth... might be to resign oneself to the possibility that drones may always be vulnerable to jamming -- and acknowledge that the world really hasn't changed all that much. Maintaining -- and building, and buying -- a mix of piloted, and pilotless aircraft may still be necessary. Therein may lie salvation for the revenue streams of the piloted fighter jet manufacturers. Although they may be the most obvious, defense contractors aren't the only companies struggling for world domination. In fact, the struggle for market share among consumer products companies may be just as fierce. But the good news is... we're winning here, too. If you want to know how (and who), then read The Motley Fool's free report on "3 American Companies Set to Dominate the World." Click here to get your free copy before it's gone.
Avis Budget Group, Inc., together with its subsidiaries, provides car and truck rentals, and ancillary services to businesses and consumers worldwide. It supplies rental cars to the premium commercial and leisure segments of the travel industry under the Avis brand; and to the value-conscious segments of the industry under the Budget brand. The company operates or licenses the Avis car rental system that includes approximately 5,200 locations; and operates approximately 2,100 Avis car rental locations in on-airport and local rental markets; and operates or licenses the Budget vehicle rental system comprising approximately 3,050 car rental locations, and operates approximately 1,100 Budget car rental locations. It also operates local and one-way truck rental businesses, and operates a combined fleet of approximately 26,000 trucks, which are rented through a network of approximately 1,850 dealers and 300 company-operated locations in the continental United States serving the consumer and light commercial sectors. In addition, the company engages in the sale and rental of optional products and services, including loss damage waivers; insurance products, such as additional/supplemental liability insurance or personal accident/effects insurance; automobile towing equipment and other moving accessories consisting of hand trucks, furniture pads, and moving supplies; and products for driving convenience, such as where2 GPS navigation units, optional roadside assistance, fuel service options, and electronic toll collection, as well as other ancillary products and services comprising rental of satellite radio units and child safety seats. Its rental fleet comprises approximately 393,000 vehicles. The company was formerly known as Cendant Corporation. Avis Budget Group, Inc. was founded in 1946 and is headquartered in Parsippany, New Jersey. Advisors' Opinion: - [By Ben Levisohn]
Still, Agnew notes that another airline executive, Larry DeShon, who moved from United to Avis Budget (CAR) “made a very successful transition.” - [By Nickey Friedman]
As an example of uncertainty getting priced in, competitor Avis Budget Group (NASDAQ: CAR ) trades with a P/E of around 14 based on analyst estimates for fiscal 2015. Meanwhile, Hertz trades with a cheaper P/E of 12 based on estimates for the same timeframe, despite having higher growth expectations based on both revenue and sales. A return to certainty may result in a higher trading multiple, assuming analysts remain confident in their figures. source from Top Stocks For 2015:http://www.topstocksblog.com/top-clean-energy-stocks-to-invest-in-2015-2.html
You might be tired of hearing about the aging of the advisor population, but you shouldn’t be tired of hearing about your aging clients. That’s why a June report by the Census Bureau is so important. The report — 65+ in the United States: 2010, part of the Bureau’s Current Population Reports series of publications — is based on the 2010 census and sheds light on the changing nature of the over-65 population in the country. Here are some headline numbers: Internet Usage Between the prior census in 2000 and 2010, the percentage of the older population using the Internet rose from 14.3% to 44.8%. While lower than the 75.8% of Americans age 3 to 64 who reported using the Internet, the Bureau notes that the “31 percentage-point gap in Internet usage between the older population and the younger population in 2010 was smaller than in any year in the previous decade.” Of Internet users age 65 and older, 89% said they used it for email, 62% read news online and 40% did their banking online. The older population also had “the largest growth rate in the use of broadband between 2009 and 2010.” Xueda Education Group provides tutoring services for primary and secondary school students in the People?s Republic of China with a focus on offering personalized tutoring services. Its services include consultation and assessment, formulation of a customized study plan, personalized tutoring, and delivery of supporting services. The company also provides course offerings that cover various academic subjects taught in primary and secondary schools, such as mathematics, English, physics, Chinese, and chemistry; and self-designed courses beyond the standard curriculum in certain subjects, as well as in subjects not taught at public primary and secondary schools. As of December 31, 2010, its tutoring service network comprised 207 learning centers and approximately 9,650 full-time service professionals, serving customers located in 53 economically developed cities across 27 of China?s 31 provinces and municipalities. The company was founded in 2001 and is headquartered in Beij ing, the People?s Republic of China. Advisors' Opinion: - [By Garrett Cook]
Non-cyclical consumer goods & services shares fell 0.45 percent on Tuesday. Top losers in the sector included Diamond Foods (NASDAQ: DMND), down 3.4 percent, and Xueda Education Group (NYSE: XUE), off 2.6 percent. - [By Jake L'Ecuyer]
Leading and Lagging Sectors
In trading on Friday, non-cyclical consumer goods & services shares were relative leaders, up on the day by about 0.09 percent. Among the leading sector stocks, gains came from Rite Aid (NYSE: RAD) and Xueda Education Group (NYSE: XUE). Financial sector was the leading decliner in the US market today.
Top Sliver Stocks To Invest In 2014: Manhattan Associates Inc.(MANH) Manhattan Associates, Inc. develops, sells, deploys, services, and maintains supply chain software solutions for the planning and execution of supply chain activities. It offers Manhattan SCOPE and Manhattan SCALE, which are platform-based supply chain software solutions. The company?s Manhattan SCOPE is a portfolio of supply chain solution suites that include event and schedule tracking; alerts and notifications; inventory, order, and shipment visibility; cost monitoring and tracking; leading-edge analytics; and reporting with graphical depictions of critical supply chain performance metrics. Manhattan SCOPE also includes X-Suite solutions comprising flow management and extended enterprise management. The company?s Manhattan SCALE is a portfolio of logistics execution solutions that offer trading partner management, yard management, optimization, warehouse management, and transportation execution services. Manhattan Associates, Inc. also offers professional services, in cluding planning and implementation services; and customer support, software enhancement, and training services. In addition, it sells computer hardware, radio frequency terminal networks, radio frequency identification chip readers, bar code printers and scanners, and other peripherals. The company serves retailers, distributors, wholesalers, manufacturers, grocery stores, life sciences companies, government, and other organizations. It operates in the Americas, Europe, the Middle East, Africa, and the Asia Pacific. Manhattan Associates, Inc. was founded in 1990 and is headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia. Advisors' Opinion: - [By Seth Jayson]
Manhattan Associates (Nasdaq: MANH ) reported earnings on April 23. Here are the numbers you need to know. The 10-second takeaway
For the quarter ended March 31 (Q1), Manhattan Associates met expectations on revenues and beat expectations on earnings per share.
Top Sliver Stocks To Invest In 2014: Yelp Inc (YELP) Yelp Inc., incorporated on September 03, 2004, connects people with great local businesses. Its users have contributed a total of approximately 36.0 million cumulative reviews of almost every type of local business, from restaurants, boutiques and salons to dentists, mechanics and plumbers. Its platform provides local businesses with a range of free and paid services, which help them to engage with consumers at moment when they are deciding where to spend their money. The Company generates revenue from local advertising, brand advertising and other services. As of December 31, 2012, the Company was active in 53 Yelp markets in the United States and 44 Yelp markets internationally. Effective July 18, 2013, Yelp Inc acquired SeatMe Inc, which is a developer of restaurant and nightlife categories reservation applications. Local Business The Company enables businesses to create a free online business account and claim the page for each of their business locations. Business representatives can verify their affiliation with the business through an automated telephone verification process, which requires that they be reachable at the phone number, which is publicly displayed for their business listing on its platform. With their free business accounts, businesses can view business trends, message customers, update information and offer Yelp Deals. Its listing solution eliminates search advertising from the businesses��profile pages and allows them to incorporate a video clip or photo slide show on the pages. It allows local businesses to promote themselves as a sponsored search result on its platform or on related business pages. The Company�� Yelp Deals product allows local business owners to create promotional discounted deals for their products and services, which are marketed to consumers through its platform. Yelp Deals have a fee structure based solely on transaction volume with no upfront costs, and it earns a fee based on the discounted price of each deal so! ld. It processes all customer payments and remits to the business the revenue share of any Yelp Deal purchased. It offers both e-mail deals, which are focused on demand generation and deals on its platform that are focused on demand fulfillment where businesses can target intent-driven consumers who are specifically searching for a product or service on its platform. The Company�� Gift Certificates product allows local business owners to sell full price gift certificates directly to customers through their business profile page. The business chooses the price points to offer, and the buyer may purchase a Gift Certificate in one of those amounts. The Company earns a fee based on the amount of the Gift Certificate sold. The Company processes all consumer payments and remit to the business the revenue share of any Gift Certificate purchased. National/Brand Advertisers The Company offers its advertising solution for national brands that want to improve their local presence. These solutions consist of search and display ads (both graphic and text) on its Website, which are typically sold to advertisers on a per-impression basis. Its national advertisers include brands in the automobile, financial services, logistics, consumer goods and health and fitness industries. Transaction Partners The Company�� partnership, through a written agreement, with OpenTable provides consumers the ability to reserve seats directly on the business listing pages of restaurants, which participate in OpenTable�� network. Its partnership, through a written agreement, with Orbitz allows consumers to book rooms directly on the business listing pages of hotels, which affiliate with Orbitz. The Company competes with Google, Yahoo! and Bing. Advisors' Opinion: - [By Dan Gallagher]
Yahoo (YHOO) � shares were up 2.6% to $34.74. Yelp (YELP) �rose 1.8%. - [By Eric Volkman]
Yelp (NYSE: YELP ) is about to add a new asset to its portfolio. The company announced that is has inked an agreement to acquire SeatMe, which Yelp describes as "an exciting tech start-up that has developed a web and app-based solution to enable online reservations for restaurants and nightlife locations." The terms of the deal were not disclosed. - [By Alanna Petroff]
The site connects students with companies such as Xerox (XRX, Fortune 500), Kaplan and Yelp (YELP). Udemy, an online learning platform that uses the site to recruit, said it provided a better caliber of freelance candidate. - [By Dan Caplinger]
Beyond the Dow, social-media stocks performed well in light of strong earnings. Yelp (NYSE: YELP ) soared 25% after weighing in with a much narrower loss than last year's quarter. A jump in sales of more than two-thirds was much stronger than expected, and even though earnings missed expectations, investors chose to follow the established pattern of focusing on revenue and letting net income settle itself out over the longer run.
Top Sliver Stocks To Invest In 2014: ML Capital Group Inc (MLCG) ML CAPITAL GROUP. INC., incorporated on September 27, 2009, is an exploration-stage company. The Company was engaged in conducting assistance with financing needs of MicroCap corporations. The Company is focused on research on line, attend trade shows and contact its associates in several industries. As of September 7, 2011, the Company had not generated revenue. Advisors' Opinion: - [By Peter Graham]
Small cap marijuana stocks IMD Companies Inc (OTCMKTS: ICBU), Tauriga Sciences Inc (OTCMKTS: TAUG), ML Capital Group Inc (OTCBB: MLCG) and Lexaria Corp (OTCMKTS: LXRP) are aiming to give investors a high with their latest news. However, only one of these small cap marijuana stocks appears to be the subject of minor paid promotion or investor relations type of activities. So will investors and traders alike get a high off of these small caps? Here is a quick reality check:
Top Sliver Stocks To Invest In 2014: Thinspace Technology Inc (THNS) Thinspace Technology Inc., formerly Vanity Events Holding, Inc., incorporated on November 22, 2006, is a holding company. Utilizing their licensed trademark of America's Cleaning Company, Vanity established a cleaning company offering residential and commercial cleaning services. In October 2012, the Company acquired fineartlender.com. In October 2012, the Company acquired additional URLS, which include Weddinggownlender.com; Suitlender.com and Bridalpartylender.com. The Company seeks out, licenses, develops, promotes, and brings to market various consumer and commercial products. The Company markets products directly to the consumer and marketplace through one of its own properties www.ThereIsAProductForThat.com. The Company competes with Rent the Runway, Inc., Rent-A-Center, Inc., Bag, Borrow or Steal, Inc., Aaron��, and Gilt Groupe, Inc. Advisors' Opinion: - [By Peter Graham]
Small cap tech or media stocks Thinspace Technology Inc (OTCMKTS: THNS), Beamz Interactive Inc (OTCBB: BZIC) and Hannover House Inc (OTCMKTS: HHSE) have been getting some extra attention lately, but it appears that only one of these stocks has been the subject of a paid promotion. Nevertheless, all three stocks have been busy with press releases trying to get the attention of investors or traders. So are these three small cap tech or media stocks worth your attention? Here is a closer look along with a reality check: Thinspace Technology Inc (OTCMKTS: THNS) Was Recently Busy With Press Releases Small cap Thinspace Technology Inc is a global provider of reliable, scalable and affordable application delivery, virtualization and cloud client technology to public and private sector companies and organizations of all sizes. On Monday, Thinspace Technology Inc rose 2.80% to $0.330 for a market cap of $30.24 million plus THNS is down 82.6% over the past year and down 89.8% over the past five years according to Google Finance. - [By Peter Graham]
Last Friday, small cap biotech or tech stocks Amanasu Techno Holdings Corp (OTCMKTS: ANSU), Bio Matrix Scientific Group Inc (OTCMKTS: BMSN) and Thinspace Technology Inc (OTCBB: THNS) surged 44.74%, 42.31% and 14%, respectively, with only one of these small caps appearing to be the subject of some sort of small paid promotions or investor relations campaign. Given the lack of a big pump from promoters or IR people, will these three small caps keep surging or will the tide go out again this week? Here is a quick reality check to help you decide on a trading or investing strategy:
Top Sliver Stocks To Invest In 2014: AspenBio Pharma Inc.(APPY) AspenBio Pharma, Inc. operates as an emerging biomedical company focused on obtaining the United States FDA clearance for its lead product, AppyScore. Its research and development activities primarily focus on a human appendicitis blood-based test. The company?s lead product candidate, AppyScore, is a blood-based diagnostic test to help physicians manage patients who enter emergency rooms complaining of abdominal pain and suspected of having acute appendicitis. It is also developing animal healthcare products focusing on reproduction. The company was formerly known as AspenBio, Inc. and changed its name to AspenBio Pharma, Inc. on September 26, 2005. AspenBio Pharma, Inc. was founded in 2000 and is based in Castle Rock, Colorado. Advisors' Opinion: - [By James E. Brumley]
To tell the truth, I'm not the least bit surprised that I'm chiming in on Venaxis Inc. (NASDAQ:APPY) today. It was a stock I dissected just two days ago (on Tuesday - here's that chat), pointing out how all the telltale signs of bullishness were brewing. Sure enough, APPY popped on Wednesday, and as a result has gone from a mere potential big mover to an actual mover. - [By Wallace Witkowski]
Venaxis Inc. (APPY) �shares fell 12% to $2.38 on light volume after the medical diagnostics company said it planned to launch an secondary offering of an unspecified number of shares. - [By Monica Gerson]
Venaxis (NASDAQ: APPY) soared 22.83% to $3.33 in the pre-market trading on positive top-line results from pivotal study of APPY1 test. Plug Power (NASDAQ: PLUG) shares gained 11.18% to $7.56 in the pre-market after the company reported fourth-quarter results. Plug Power posted a quarterly loss of $0.08 per share, versus the estimated loss of $0.08 per share.
Top Sliver Stocks To Invest In 2014: 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 WWW.DAILYFINANCE.COM]
Back in 2012, I wrote a piece titled, "Five Trends Driving Traditional Retail Towards Extinction." Looking back, I'm generally happy to see that the trends I examined are still valid, though "extinction" might be a little strong. Living in New York provides a firsthand view into the petri dish that many of these companies use to experiment. So almost two years later, I've revisited the space to focus on three more trends that are changing the way we shop. (I'm leaving out an exploration of mobile for the moment, since it's probably worth its own post.) The Macro View First, a brief look at the bigger picture. Last month marked Amazon's (AMZN) 20th anniversary, which is kind of amazing to think about since e-commerce seems both very new and indispensable at the same time. Either way, the world has had plenty of time to digest the trend. It makes some sense then that the pace of e-commerce growth appears to be decelerating in both the developed and developing worlds. I should note that a deceleration in the developing world means going from say, 94 percent year-over-year growth in China in 2012, to 64 percent in 2014. Those are still monster numbers, and there's still plenty of land to grab, but the peak growth rates appear to be in the rearview. In the U.S., the pace of growth is a more stately 14 percent. The sector attracts a healthy sum of sum of venture money -- nearly $1 billion in Q1 of 2014, according the National Venture Capital Association. But all of that strength doesn't mean that the future of shopping is as simple as buying everything online. Consider our first trend: Location-Based Technology for Stores For online retailers, it's always been relatively easy to gather data about customers. If you run a Web company you can track all kinds of information about shoppers who visit your site -- where they're located, how they reached your page, what they look at and where they get held up during the shopping process. This helps e-commerce companie - [By Steve Symington]
What's more, competitors like Macy's (NYSE: M ) and Nordstrom (NYSE: JWN ) �seemed to be firing on all cylinders last quarter�by�increasing�same-store sales, boosting dividends, and instituting huge share repurchase programs. - [By Grace L. Williams]
The hits keep coming at high-end retailer Nordstrom (JWN). Bloomberg After reporting a decline in fourth-quarter earnings and weak sales, shares traded down 0.3% to $59.24 today. And Sterne, Agee & Leach�� Charles Grom, while acknowledging that the fourth quarter was ��K,��warned that there were issues developing underneath. He explains: Beneath the surface, there are two disturbing trends emerging that shouldn�� go unnoticed, including: 1) a more promotional environment/gross profit margin risk (as Nordstrom price matches); and 2) full line cannibalization (via e-commerce), which structurally compresses Nordstrom�� top-line algo. All told, the Nordstrom experience is one of the best in retail, but the stock is dead money for the foreseeable future, in our view. Grom accentuated a few positives that included a rise in same-store sales by 2.6% and decent earnings. A rise in inventory levels and lower EPS guidance were some of the negatives, Grom said. Nordstrom’s pain didn’t cause stand in the way of gains for some other department store stocks. Dillard’s (DDS) gained 1.5% to $89.33, while Macy’s (M) rose 0.5% to $53.71. Even J.C. Penney (JCP) had a better day. It finished down just 0.2% at $5.64. - [By Robert Martin]
Deutsche Bank�(DB) analysts, for example, expect the department store space overall to struggle this holiday season in the face of declining mall traffic and overall spending that is lackluster. That means they expect stronger stores like�Macy’s�(M)�and�Nordstrom�(JWN) to post even lower earnings, and flailing JCPenney to post an even wider loss.
Houston Wire & Cable Company, incorporated in 1997, provides wire and cable and related services to the United States market. The Company offers its customers with a single-source solution for wire and cable, hardware and related services. The Company offers products in categories of wire and cable, including continuous and interlocked armor cable, control and power cable, electronic wire and cable, flexible and portable cords, instrumentation and thermocouple cable, lead and high temperature cable, medium voltage cable, premise and category wire and cable, wire rope and wire rope slings, as well as nylon slings, chain, shackles and other related hardware. It also offers private branded products, including its brand LifeGuard, a low-smoke, zero-halogen cable. On January 1, 2011, the acquired companies were merged into HWC Wire & Cable Company. The Company's products are used in repair and replacement, also known as maintenance, repair and operations (MRO), a nd related projects, larger-scale projects in the utility, industrial and infrastructure markets and a diverse range of industrial applications, including communications, energy, engineering and construction, general manufacturing, mining, construction, oilfield services, infrastructure, petrochemical, transportation, utility, wastewater treatment, marine construction and marine transportation. During the year ended December 31, 2011, the Company served approximately 6,000 customers. Advisors' Opinion: - [By Seth Jayson]
Calling all cash flows
When you are trying to buy the market's best stocks, it's worth checking up on your companies' free cash flow once a quarter or so, to see whether it bears any relationship to the net income in the headlines. That's what we do with this series. Today, we're checki! ng in on Houston Wire & Cable (Nasdaq: HWCC ) , whose recent revenue and earnings are plotted below. source from Top Stocks For 2015:http://www.topstocksblog.com/top-10-communications-equipment-stocks-to-buy-for-2015.html
Top 10 Growth Companies For 2015: Crocs Inc.(CROX) Crocs, Inc. and its subsidiaries engage in the design, development, manufacture, marketing, and distribution of footwear, apparel, and accessories for men, women, and children. The company primarily offers casual and athletic shoes, and shoe charms. It also designs and sells a range of footwear and accessories that utilize its proprietary closed cell-resin, called Croslite. The company?s footwear products include boots, sandals, sneakers, mules, and flats. In addition, it provides footwear products for the hospital, restaurant, hotel, and hospitality markets, as well as general foot care and diabetic-needs markets. Further, the company offers leather and ethylene vinyl acetate based footwear, sandals, and printed apparels principally for the beach, adventure, and action sports markets; and accessories comprising snap-on charms. The company sells its products through the United States and international retailers and distributors, as well as directly to end-user consumers th rough its company-operated retail stores, outlets, kiosks, and Web stores primarily under the Crocs Work, Crocs Rx, Jibbitz, Ocean Minded, and YOU by Crocs brand names. As of December 31, 2010, it operated 164 retail kiosks located in malls and other high foot traffic areas; 138 retail stores; 76 outlet stores; and 46 Web stores. Crocs, Inc. operates in the Americas, Europe, and Asia. The company was formerly known as Western Brands, LLC and changed its name to Crocs, Inc. in January 2005. Crocs, Inc. was founded in 1999 and is headquartered in Niwot, Colorado. Advisors' Opinion: - [By Ben Eisen and Saumya Vaishampayan]
Crocs Inc. (CROX) rose 2.2%. The shoe company was said to be in discussions with buyout firms, including Blackstone Group LP, according to Bloomberg, which cited anonymous sources. The talks appeared to be focused on the firm taking a minority stake in Crocs via! which Blackstone could help map out a turnaround strategy. source from Top Penny Stocks For 2015:http://www.seekpennystocks.com/top-10-growth-companies-for-2015-2.html
Top 5 India Stocks To Buy Right Now: Tata Motors Ltd(TTM) Tata Motors Limited, an automobile company, engages in the manufacture and sale of commercial and passenger vehicles primarily in India. The company offers cars, utility vehicles, trucks, buses and coaches, and defense vehicles, as well as develops electric and hybrid vehicles for personal and public transportation. It also involves in distributing and marketing cars; and financing the vehicles sold by the company. In addition, the company engages in the provision of engineering and automotive solutions, as well as machine tools and factory automation solutions; construction equipment manufacturing; automotive vehicle components manufacturing and supply chain activities; tooling and plastic and electronic components for automotive and computer applications; and automotive retailing and service operations. It offers its products and services through its dealership, sales, services, and spare parts network. The company also markets its commercial and passenger vehicles in Eu rope, Africa, the Middle East, South East Asia, South Asia, and South America. The company was formerly known as Tata Engineering and Locomotive Company Limited and changed its name to Tata Motors Limited in July 2003. Tata Motors Limited was founded in 1945 and is based in Mumbai, India. Advisors' Opinion: - [By Paul Ausick]
Among car makers, the Cadillac brand from General Motors Co. (NYSE: GM), the Lincoln brand from Ford Motor Co. (NYSE: F), and Toyota Motor Corp.’s (NYSE: TM) Lexus brand make the list, as does Jaguar, which is owned by India’s Tata Motors Ltd. (NYSE: TTM). - [By Justin Loiseau]
Tesla's good fortune mirrors that of Tata Motors (NYSE: TTM ) in 2008, when the Indian automaker bought Ford's (NYSE: F ) floundering Jaguar Land Rover company for a paltry $2.3 billion. And just like Tata, Tesla is hoping to maximize sales in the luxury vehicle department. In! April alone, Jaguar sales clocked in at 4,710 units while Land Rover roared ahead with 23,790 units sold. Sales are up 12.2% year over year, and the company enjoyed more than 30% growth in the UK and Asia Pacific. - [By Alanna Petroff]
The auto manufacturer, which is owned by India's Tata Motors (TTM), revealed its hiring plans Monday in Detroit. The Jaguar F-PACE, which is expected to go on sale in 2016, is based off a concept car that debuted last year. - [By CFA Institute Contributors]
Tata Motors (TTM) Damodaran doesn't use standard regression betas. Instead, he uses an average of all the betas in a given industry. In this case, the law of large numbers is on the analyst's side. The standard error in a regression beta is typically too large to make any individual beta meaningful. In the case of Tata Motors, using an average of 111 publicly traded companies in the auto industry reduces the standard error of the beta by 90%, he said. source from Top Penny Stocks For 2015:http://www.seekpennystocks.com/top-5-india-stocks-to-buy-right-now.html
The New York-based information technology juggernaut, IBM Corp. (IBM), made two announcements on Tuesday that resonated well among shareholders. First, the company’s board of directors approved an additional $15 billion to be used for stock repurchases. This brings the total amount designated for share buybacks to over $20 billion, seeing as how there were approximately $5.6 billion left at the end of September 2013 from the prior repurchase authorization. According to company officials, IBM expects to request another repurchase authorization at the October board meeting in 2014. Aurubis AG is a Germany-based company engaged in the production of primary copper and precious metals, the recycling of secondary raw materials and the processing of copper into final products. It operates through three business segments: Primary Copper that unifies activities related to the production of marketable copper cathodes from the primary raw material, copper concentrates, as well as the production and marketing of sulfuric acid; Recycling/Precious Metals, engaged in the production of copper cathodes from a variety of recycled raw materials and such by-metals and co-products as gold, silver, platinum and tin, among others, and Copper Products that includes the provision of such copper products as cast wire rod from cathodes, strips, shaped wires and others. The Company operates also through subsidiaries located in Germany, Sweden, the United States, Hong Kong, Russia and Bulgaria, among others. Advisors' Opinion: - [By Ruth David]
Block sales in western Europe reached $31.8 billion in the three months through September as Groupama SA sold shares in Societe Generale (GLE) SA and Sweden exited a stake in Nordea Bank (NDA) AB, data compiled by Bloomberg show. At the same time, investors poured about $22.2 billion into the region�� stock funds in the 15 weeks through Oct. 9, according to data from research firm EPFR Global Inc. - [By Corinne Gretler]
Nordea (NDA) dropped 2.6 percent to 77.15 kronor, the biggest decline in four weeks. Sweden sold 284 million shares for 76 kronor each, valuing the 7 percent stake at 21.6 billion kronor ($3.4 billion).
5 Best Information Technology Stocks For 2014: Mesabi Trust (MSB) Mesabi Trust operates as a royalty trust in the United States. The company produces iron ore pellets. It holds interest in the Peter Mitchell mine located in the Mesabi Iron Range near Babbitt, Minnesota. The company holds various agreements with the Northshore Mining Company that mines iron ore, which is in the form of taconite, crushes it, separates the iron particles from the non-metallic, and forms the resulting concentrate into pellets that are shipped for use in steel-producing blast furnaces of customers of CCI, a mining company that produces iron pellets in North America. Mesabi Trust was founded in 1919 and is based in New York, New York. Advisors' Opinion: - [By Selena Maranjian]
Patience, Grasshopper
For starters, imagine that you invested in Mesabi Trust (NYSE: MSB ) about a year ago and you're down some 20% on your investment. Your holding might be looking to you like an answer to the question, "What is investment panic, Alex?" But don't be so hasty. Ask yourself why you bought it. Mesabi Trust is a royalty trust that receives and then pays out to shareholders a portion of the proceeds from iron mined by a�Cliffs Natural Resources�subsidiary. Some might avoid it because royalty trusts often have expiration dates, but it's worth noting that Mesabi's is rather�far away. But slowdown in demand�for ore is a concern, one that has been�an issue for Cliffs, too.
5 Best Information Technology Stocks For 2014: American Railcar Industries Inc.(ARII) American Railcar Industries, Inc. designs, manufactures, and sells hopper and tank railcars in North America. Its Manufacturing Operations segment manufactures general service and specialty hopper railcars that are used to transport, load, and unload grains, cement, plastic pallets, and bulk products, as well as to transport heavy ore mineral loads; and non-pressure and high pressure tank railcars used to handle various commodities, including petroleum products, ethanol, asphalt, vegetable oil, corn syrup, other food products, chlorine, anhydrous ammonia, liquid propane, and butane. This segment also manufactures custom and standard railcar components that comprise tank railcar components and valves, tank heads, discharge outlets for hopper railcars, manway covers and valve body castings, outlet components and running boards for industrial and railroad customers, and hitches for the intermodal market; and aluminum and special alloy steel castings for the trucking, construc tion, mining, and oil and gas exploration markets, as well as finished machined aluminum castings and other custom machined products. The company?s Railcar Services segment provides repair and refurbishment services that include full cleaning, interior and exterior coating, heavy repair/rebuilding, and non-destructive testing; engineering services, such as failure analysis, retrofit drawings, procedure preparation, regulatory compliance assistance, trouble shooting, and railcar inspections; and fleet management services comprising maintenance planning, project management, tracking and tracing, regulatory compliance, mileage audit, rolling stock taxes, and online service access. It sells its products through catalogs and sales force to leasing, industrial, and other non-rail companies, as well as to railroads. The company was founded in 1988 and is headquartered in St. Charles, Missouri. As of January 15, 2010, American Railcar Industries, Inc. operates as subsidiary of Icah n Enterprises L.P. Advisors' Opinion: - [By John Divine]
Finally, shares of American Railcar Industries, (NASDAQ: ARII ) , which makes, services, and leases railcars, shed 4.9% on Thursday. Of the 15 publicly traded railroad stocks in the U.S., 13 fell today, though American Railcar Industries' investors took the worst hit. The Surface Transportation Board held a two-day hearing this week on the issue of competitive switching, which the National Industrial Transportation League said would increase competition. Investors didn't see the merit in the proposal, which could hurt the $1.4 billion American Railcar Industries. McDonald's has issues defending itself at the top of the food chain, but J.C. Penney (NYSE: JCP ) would kill to have those dilemmas. "Mo' money, mo' problems" doesn't apply to the corporate world, where companies tend to run across mo' problems in the very effort to acquire mo' money. Even though J.C. Penney doesn't have much money -- it has "liquidity concerns" in Wall Street-speak -- the stock tacked on 2.3% today. The retailer is in much better shape than it was last year after raising cash, taking out a $2.25 billion loan, and closing locations, but my colleague Adam Levine-Weinberg thinks J.C. Penney may need to issue more shares to meet its cash goals in 2014.
5 Best Information Technology Stocks For 2014: Euro FX(P) Ecopetrol S.A. operates as an integrated oil company in Colombia, Peru, Brazil, and the U.S. Gulf Coast. The company engages in the exploration, development, and production of crude oil and natural gas. As of December 31, 2010, its proved reserves of crude oil and natural gas consisted of 1,714.0 million barrels of oil equivalent. The company also transports crude oil, motor fuels, fuel oil, and other refined products, as well as mixture of diesel and palm oil. It owns transportation network consisting of 3,003 kilometers of crude oil pipeline directly, as well as an additional 2,178 kilometers of crude oil pipeline with its business partners; and 3,017 kilometers of multi-purpose pipelines for transportation of refined products from refinery to wholesale distribution points. As of the above date, Ecopetrol S.A. owned 58 stations with a nominal storage capacity of 19 million barrels of crude oil and 6 million barrels of refined products. In addition, the company owns and o perates refineries that produce a range of refined products, including gasoline, diesel, kerosene, jet fuel, aviation fuel, liquefied petroleum gas, sulfur, heavy fuel oils, motor fuels, and petrochemicals, including paraffin waxes, lube base oils, low-density polyethylene, aromatics, asphalts, alkylates, cyclohexane and aliphatic solvents, and refinery grade propylene, as well as provides industrial services to third parties. Further, it markets various refined and feed stock products, including regular and high octane gasoline, diesel fuel, jet fuel, natural gas, and petrochemical products. The company was formerly known as Empresa Colombiana de Petroleos and changed its name to Ecopetrol S.A. in June 2003. Ecopetrol S.A. was founded in 1948 and is based in Bogota, Colombia. Advisors' Opinion: - [By Rick Munarriz]
The stock dipped below $3 on an intraday basis for the first time since late February, but there was more going on beyond share-price gyrations. The media giant also announced a couple of special concerts for Sirius XM subscribers. Auto sales were strong in March, leading a major tracker to boost its outlook for 2013. A study also shows that Pandora (NYSE: P ) and streaming music may be more popular than we think. - [By Roberto Pedone]
One potential earnings short-squeeze candidate is Internet radio player Pandora Media (P) which is set to release numbers on Thursday after the market close. Wall Street analysts, on average, expect Pandora Media to report revenue of $174.76 million on earnings of 6 cents per share. Just recently, Piper Jaffray raised its price target on Pandora Media to $37 from $27, noting improving mobile monetization and a more benign competitive landscape now that all the major players have entered the market Piper reiterated its overweight rating on the stock, saying it remains bullish on the name. The current short interest as a percentage of the float for Pandora Media is pretty high at 13.4%. That means that out of the 137.07 million shares in the tradable float, 23.51 million shares are sold short by the bears. If the bulls get the earnings news they're looking for, the shares of P could explode sharply higher post-earnings as a solid short-covering rally takes hold. From a technical perspective, P is currently trending above both its 50-day and 200-day moving averages, which is bullish. This stock has been uptrending strong for the last six months, with shares soaring higher from its low of $13.95 to its recent high of $31.94 a share. During that uptrend, shares of P have been consistently making higher lows and higher highs, which is bullish technical price action. That move has now pushed shares of P within range of triggering a big breakout trade post-earnings. If you're bullish on P, then I would wait until after its report and look for long-biased trades if this stock manages to break out above its all-time high at $31.94 a share with high volume. Look for volume on that move that hits near or above its three-month average action of 11.57 million shares. If that breakout hits, then P will set up to enter new all-time high territory, which is bullish technical price action. Some possible upside targets off that breakout are $45 to $50 a
Mindray Medical International Limited, through its subsidiary, Shenzhen Mindray Bio-Medical Electronics Co., Ltd., develops, manufactures, and markets medical devices worldwide. It operates in three segments: Patient Monitoring and Life Support Products, In-Vitro Diagnostic Products, and Medical Imaging Systems. The Patient Monitoring and Life Support Products segment offers patient monitoring devices that track the physiological parameters of patients, such as heart rate, blood pressure, respiration, and temperature. This segment?s patient monitoring devices are suitable for adult, pediatric, and neonatal patients and are used principally in hospital intensive care units, operating rooms, and emergency rooms. This segment provides single and multiple-parameter monitors, mobile and portable multifunction monitors, central stations that could collect and display multiple patient data on a single screen, and an electro-cardiogram monitoring device; veterinary monitoring devi ces; and anesthesia machines, as well as defibrillators, surgical beds, and surgical lights. The In-Vitro Diagnostic Products segment offers data and analysis on blood, urine, and other bodily fluid samples for clinical diagnosis and treatment. This segment also provides semi-automated and fully-automated in-vitro diagnostic products for laboratories, clinics, and hospitals. In addition, this segment offers hematology analyzers and biochemistry analyzers, and reagents. The Medical Imaging Systems segment provides ultrasound systems, which are employed in medical fields consisting of urology, gynecology, obstetrics, and cardiology; digital radiography systems; and a magnetic resonance imaging system. The company serves distributors, original design manufacturers, original equipment manufacturers, and hospitals and government agencies. Mindray Medical International Lim! ited was founded in 1991 and is headquartered in Shenzhen, the People?s Republic of China. Advisors' Opinion: - [By John Udovich]
China is set to ease the one child policy, something that could benefit Chinese stocks in general but be especially beneficial to insurance stocks like China Life Insurance Company Ltd (NYSE: LFC) and CNinsure Inc (NASDAQ: CISG) plus health care stocks like Mindray Medical International Ltd (NYSE: MR) and Concord Medical Services Hldg Ltd (NYSE: CCM). First, let's be clear that China is NOT abolishing the one child policy as the changes will merely allow married couples to have two children if one spouse is an only child plus it will be up to China's 34 province-level administrations to revise their laws and put the new policy into effect. Moreover, China's family-planning bureaucracy employs more than 500,000 full-time workers and six million part-time workers all the way down to the village level to collect billions of dollars in fines and these bureaucrats have fought for years against policy changes – meaning they could throw up roadblocks if not placated. With that said, the insurance and health care sectors are two sectors with publicly Chinese stocks that look set to take advantage of the coming changes. - [By Keith Speights]
It's easy to place too much attention on the immediate negatives and too little attention on the bigger positives. I made this mistake in 2011 after buying shares in Mindray Medical (NYSE: MR ) . I ended up selling my shares for a loss when the stock fell due to weaker-than-expected demand for its medical devices in Europe and the U.S. - [By Rich Duprey]
Medical device manufacturer Mindray Medical (NYSE: MR ) announced this morning that it has appointed a co-CEO for the company. Cheng Minghe, who currently serves as the company's chief strategic officer -- a position he will maintain -- will join company President Li Xi! ting in l! eading the device maker. source from Top Stocks For 2015:http://www.topstocksblog.com/top-10-logistics-stocks-for-2015-2.html
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