Top Bank Companies To Buy For 2014

Sallie Krawcheck, a former executive at Bank of America Corp. and Citigroup Inc., called government fines and charges levied on the largest U.S. banks a tax on excess profits.

“There is a cost of overearning in which some of that money gets paid back to the government in fines,” Ms. Krawcheck said Wednesday at The Year Ahead: 2014, a two-day conference sponsored by Bloomberg in Chicago.

The six biggest U.S. lenders have piled up more than $100 billion in legal costs since the financial crisis, including settlements and lawyers’ fees, data compiled by Bloomberg show. JPMorgan Chase & Co., which posted three years of record profit through 2012, reached a $13 billion settlement tied to mortgage bond sales yesterday. The firm still faces criminal probes that range from possible bribery in Asia to its relationship with Ponzi scheme operator Bernard Madoff.

Top 5 International Companies To Watch For 2015: National Australia Bank Ltd (NAB)

National Australia Bank Limited provides products, advice and services. In Australia, it operates through National Australia Bank, MLC and UBank. In the United Kingdom, it operates through Clydesdale Bank. In New Zealand, it operates through Bank of New Zealand. In the United States, it operates through Great Western Bank. Segments include Business Banking, Personal Banking, Wholesale Banking, UK Banking and NZ Banking, MLC and NAB and Great Western Ban. As of April 5, 2012, the Company and its associated entities ceased to be a substantial holder in BlueScope Steel Limited. On May 17, 2012, it ceased to be a substantial holder in Spark Infrastructure Group and Sandfire Resources NL. As of August 24, 2012, the Company and its associated entities ceased to be holder in Tabcorp Holdings Limited. In September 2012, the Company and its associated entities have ceased to be a substantial holder in Incitec Pivot Limited, as of August 30, 2012. Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Yoshiaki Nohara]

  Alacer Gold Corp. sank 4.1 percent in Sydney as the price of the precious metal declined. Honda Motor Co. (7267) lost 0.6 percent after Japan�� third-largest carmaker reported second-quarter profit that missed analysts��estimates amid slowing motorcycle sales in Southeast Asia. National Australia Bank Ltd. (NAB) retreated 2.3 percent as expenses climbed at the country�� largest lender by assets.

Top Bank Companies To Buy For 2014: Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group Inc (MTU)

Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group, Inc. (MUFJ), incorporated on April 2, 2001, is a holding company for The Bank of Tokyo-Mitsubishi UFJ, Ltd. (BTMU), Mitsubishi UFJ Trust and Banking Corporation (MUTB), Mitsubishi UFJ Securities Holdings Co., Ltd. (MUSHD), Mitsubishi UFJ Morgan Stanley Securities Co., Ltd.( MUMSS), Mitsubishi UFJ NICOS Co., Ltd. (Mitsubishi UFJ NICOS) and other companies engaged in a range of financial businesses. Its services include commercial banking, trust banking, securities, credit cards, consumer finance, asset management, leasing and fields of financial services. In May 2010, the Company and Morgan Stanley formed two joint ventures in Japan by integrating our respective Japanese securities companies engaged in investment banking and securities businesses. The Company converted the wholesale and retail securities businesses conducted in Japan by the former MUS into one of the joint venture entities, which is named MUMSS. Morgan Stanley contributed the investment banking operations conducted in Japan by its formerly wholly owned subsidiary, Morgan Stanley Japan Securities Co., Ltd. (MSJS) into MUMSS and converted the sales and trading and capital markets businesses conducted in Japan by MSJS into a second joint venture entity called Morgan Stanley MUFG Securities, Co., Ltd.

Integrated Retail Banking Business Group

The Integrated Retail Banking Business Group covers all domestic retail businesses, including commercial banking, trust banking and securities businesses, and enables the Company to offer a range of banking products and services, including financial consulting services, to retail customers in Japan. This business group integrates the retail business of BTMU, MUTB and MUMSS, as well as retail product development, promotion and marketing in a single management structure. Many of its retail services are offered through its network of MUFG Plazas providing individual customers with access to its financial product offerings of integrated commercial b! anking, trust banking and securities services.

The Company offers a range of bank deposit products, including a non-interest-bearing deposit account that is redeemable on demand and intended for payment and settlement functions, and is insured without a maximum amount limitation. It also offers a variety of asset management and asset administration services to individuals, including savings instruments, such as current accounts, ordinary deposits, time deposits, deposits at notice and other deposit facilities. MUFJ also offers trust products, such as loan trusts and money trusts, and other investment products, such as investment trusts, performance-based money trusts and foreign currency deposits.

The Company creates portfolios by combining savings instruments and investment products. It also provide a range of asset management and asset administration products, as well as customized trust products for high-net-worth individuals, as well as advisory services relating to the purchase and disposal of real estate and effective land utilization, and testamentary trusts. The Company provides a varied line up of investment trust products allowing its customers to choose products according to their investment needs through BTMU, MUTB and MUMSS, as well as kabu.com Securities, which specializes in online financial services. In the fiscal year ended March 31, 2010, BTMU offered a total of five investment trusts. As of the end of March 2010, BTMU offered its clients a total of 73 investment trusts.

The Company offers securities, including publicly offered stocks, foreign and domestic investment trusts, Japanese government bonds, foreign bonds and various other products. The Company offers housing loans, card loans and other loans to individuals. With respect to housing loans, in addition to housing loans incorporating health insurance for seven major illnesses, BTMU began offering in June 2009 preferential interest rates under its Environmentally Friendly Support program ! to custom! ers who purchase environment-conscious houses (like houses with solar electric systems), which meet specific criteria in response to increasing public interest in environmental issues. In September 2009, BTMU launched housing loans with home mortgage insurance, which BTMU jointly developed with the Japan Housing Finance Agency, a governmental agency under the Japanese government�� economic stimulus measures, under which the agency indemnifies BTMU for losses from housing loans.

The Company offers products and services through a range of channels, including branches, automated teller machines (ATMs) (including convenience store ATMs shared by multiple banks), Mitsubishi-Tokyo UFJ Direct (telephone, Internet and mobile phone banking), the Video Counter and postal mail. It offers integrated financial services combining its banking, trust banking and securities services at MUFG Plazas. These Plazas provide retail customers with integrated and flexible suite of services at one-stop outlets. As of March 31 2010, the Company provided those services through 47 MUFG Plazas. The Company offers MUTB�� trust related products and advisory services through its trust agency system not only for MUTB customers but also for BTMU and MUMSS customers. As of March 31, 2010, BTMU engaged in eight businesses as the trust banking agent for MUTB: testamentary trusts, inheritance management, asset succession planning, inheritance management agency operations, business management financial consulting, lifetime gift trusts, share disposal trusts, and marketable securities administration trusts.

Integrated Corporate Banking Business Group

The Integrated Corporate Banking Business Group covers all domestic and overseas corporate businesses, including commercial banking, investment banking, trust banking and securities businesses, as well as UnionBanCal Corporation (UNBC). UNBC is a wholly owned subsidiary of BTMU and a US bank holding company with Union Bank being its primary subsidiary. T! he Compan! y provides various financial solutions, such as loans and fund management, remittance and foreign exchange services. It also helps its customers develop business strategies, such as inheritance-related business transfers and stock listings.

It offers advanced financial solutions to companies through corporate and investment banking services. Product specialists globally provide derivatives, securitization, syndicated loans, structured finance and other services. It also provides investment banking services, such as merger and acquisition (M&A) advisory, bond and equity underwriting. It provides online banking services that allow customers to make domestic and overseas remittances electronically. It also provides a global cash pooling/netting service, and the Treasury Station, a fund management system for a multi-company group. The Company�� global Corporate and Investment Banking business (Global CIB), primarily serves companies, financial institutions, and sovereign and multinational organizations with a set of solutions for their financing needs.

Integrated Trust Assets Business Group

The Integrated Trust Assets Business Group covers asset management and administration services for products, such as pension trusts and security trusts by integrating the trust banking expertise of MUTB and the international strengths of BTMU. The business group provides a range of services to corporate and pension funds, including stable and secure pension fund management and administration, advice on pension schemes, and payment of benefits to scheme members. Its Integrated Trust Assets Business Group combines MUTB�� trust assets business, comprising trust assets management services, asset administration and custodial services, and the businesses of Mitsubishi UFJ Global Custody S.A., Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co., Ltd. and KOKUSAI Asset Management Co., Ltd.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Jim Jubak, Senior Markets Editor, MoneyShow.com]

  The one currency that is running against the weak dollar tide is the Japanese yen. The yen initially climbed on the Fed's no taper decision—rising to 97.75 on the news—but then fell all the way back to 99 yen to the dollar and finished yesterday at 99.42. (Remember that since the yen is quoted in yen to the dollar, a higher number is a sign of a weak yen and a smaller number means the yen is getting stronger.) The thinking seems to be that the recent Japanese trade deficit will push the Bank of Japan to further weaken the yen, in order to boost Japanese exports. I continue to think that the yen will finish 2013 at weaker levels than current trading, and that leads me to continue to hold positions in Japanese stocks such as Toyota Motor (TM) and Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group (MTU). Both stocks are members of my Jubaks Picks portfolio.

• [By Jeff Reeves]

  And though Mitsubishi UFJ Financial (MTU) has already tacked on an impressive 55% return since last November, there is still upside as Japan squeezes out a bit more growth and as the yen continues to trade at deep discounts to the Euro or the U.S. dollar.

• [By Jim Jubak]

  Shares of Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group (8306:JP) in Japan or (MTU) in New York, kept on tumbling yesterday, despite unexpectedly positive earnings for the third quarter. Net income climbed to 255 billion yen ($2.5 billion) in the three months ended on December 31. That was a 5.4% increase from the December quarter of 2012, and beat the average estimate of 200 billion yen, by analysts surveyed by Bloomberg. The bank is now 86% of the way to its profit target for fiscal year that ends on March 31, 2014.

Top Bank Companies To Buy For 2014: Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corp (FMCC)

Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation (Freddie Mac) conducts business in the United States residential mortgage market and the global securities market. The Company operates in three segments: Single-family Guarantee, Investments, and Multifamily. The Single-family Guarantee segment reflects results from the Company's single-family credit guarantee activities. The Investments segment reflects results from the Company's investment, funding and hedging activities. The Multifamily segment reflects results from the Company's investment (both purchases and sales), securitization, and guarantee activities in multifamily mortgage loans and securities. The Company conducts its operations in the United States and its territories.

Single-Family Guarantee Segment

In the Company�� Single-family Guarantee segment, it purchases single-family mortgage loans originated by the Company�� seller/servicers in the primary mortgage market. The Company uses the mortgage securitization process to package the purchased mortgage loans into guaranteed mortgage-related securities. The Company guarantees the payment of principal and interest on the mortgage-related security in exchange for management and guarantee fees. The Company�� customers are lenders in the primary mortgage market that originate mortgages for homeowners. These lenders include mortgage banking companies, commercial banks, savings banks, community banks, credit unions, Housing Finance Agency (HFAs), and savings and loan associations. The Company�� customers also service loans in its single-family credit guarantee portfolio.

Mortgage securitization is a process, by which the Company purchase mortgage loans that lenders originate, and pool these loans into mortgage securities that are sold in global capital markets. The United States residential mortgage market consists of a primary mortgage market that links homebuyers and lenders and a secondary mortgage market that links lenders and investors. The Company part! icipates in the secondary mortgage market by purchasing mortgage loans and mortgage-related securities for investment and by issuing guaranteed mortgage-related securities. In the Single-family Guarantee segment, it purchase and securitize single-family mortgages, which are mortgages that are secured by one- to four-family properties. The types of mortgage-related securities it issue and guarantee include PCs, REMICs and Other Structured Securities and Other Guarantee Transactions. The Company also issue mortgage-related securities to third parties in exchange for non-Freddie Mac mortgage-related securities. The non-Freddie Mac mortgage-related securities are transferred to trusts that were specifically created for the purpose of issuing securities, or certificates, in the Other Guarantee Transactions.

Investments Segment

In the Company�� Investments segment, it invests principally in mortgage-related securities and single-family performing mortgage loans, which are funded by other debt issuances and hedged using derivatives. In the Company�� Investments segment, it also provides funding and hedging management services to the Single-family Guarantee and Multifamily segments. The Company�� customers for its debt securities predominantly include insurance companies, money managers, central banks, depository institutions, and pension funds. The Company funds its investment activities by issuing short-term and long-term debt. The Company�� PCs are an integral part of its mortgage purchase program. The Company�� Single-family Guarantee segment purchases many of its mortgages by issuing PCs in exchange for those mortgage loans in guarantor swap transactions. The Company also issue PCs backed by mortgage loans that it purchased for cash.

Multifamily Segment

The Company�� multifamily segment issues Other Structured Securities, but does not issue REMIC securities. The Company multifamily segment also enters into other guarantee commitments for mult! ifamily H! FA bonds and housing revenue bonds held by third parties. The Company acquires a portion of its multifamily mortgage loans from several large seller/servicers.

The Company competes with Federal National Mortgage Association (Fannie Mae), Government National Mortgage Association (Ginnie Mae), Mae Federal Housing Administration/the United States Department of Veteran Affairs (FHA/VA) and Federal Home Loan Bank (FHLB).

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Anna Prior]

  MGIC Investment Corp.(MTG) and Radian Group Inc.(RDN) criticized proposed standards for private-mortgage insurers seeking to do business with Fannie Mae (FNMA) and Freddie Mac (FMCC), claiming the level of liquid assets insurers would need to hold is excessive. MGIC shares slumped 13% to $8.00 premarket, while Radian shares fell 6.5% to $13.60.

• [By Dan Caplinger]

  Interestingly, though, this analysis doesn't mention an important factor: Increasingly over the past decade, major mortgage lenders haven't held onto their loans but rather have sold them on to government-sponsored enterprises Fannie Mae (NASDAQOTCBB: FNMA  ) and Freddie Mac (NASDAQOTCBB: FMCC  ) . During the housing boom, mortgage lenders Bank of America (NYSE: BAC  ) and Citigroup (NYSE: C  ) didn't perform as well as they did because they were securing particularly high margins on their mortgage loans. Rather, they collected transaction-based income by immediately reselling conforming loans to Fannie and Freddie, often retaining streams of income from risk-free mortgage-servicing rights without keeping any liability for potential loan default. Even now, Wells Fargo (NYSE: WFC  ) relies on strength in mortgage-related income, and decreases in refinancing activity pose a threat to income growth in future quarters -- although unlike many of its peers, Wells has actually retained a good portion of its loans on its own books.

• [By Dimitra DeFotis]

  Investor Bill Ackman, who knows a thing or two about real estate, just made the case for reforming Fannie Mae (FNMA) and Freddie Mac (FMCC) but keeping them independent of government control.

Top Bank Companies To Buy For 2014: Morgan Stanley (INR)

Morgan Stanley, incorporated on January 10, 1981, is a global financial services company that, through its subsidiaries and affiliates, provides its products and services to a range of clients and customers, including corporations, governments, financial institutions and individuals. The Company is a financial holding company. The Company operates in three segments: Institutional Securities, Global Wealth Management Group and Asset Management. The Company provides financial advisory and capital-raising services to a group of corporate and other institutional clients worldwide. As of December 31, 2011, the Company�� Global Wealth Management Group had $1,649 billion in client assets. The Company�� Asset Management business segment offers clients an array of equity, fixed income and alternative investments and merchant banking services. In December 2013, the Company announced that it has sold the majority of its global physical oil trading operations to Rosneft' NK OAO.

Institutional Securities

The Company provides financial advisory and capital-raising services primarily through wholly owned subsidiaries that include Morgan Stanley & Co. LLC (MS&Co.), Morgan Stanley & Co. International plc and Morgan Stanley Asia Limited, and certain joint venture entities that include Morgan Stanley MUFG Securities Co., Ltd. (MSMS) and Mitsubishi UFJ Morgan Stanley Securities Co., Ltd. (MUMSS). The Company, primarily through these entities, also conducts sales and trading activities worldwide, as principal and agent, and provides related financing services on behalf of institutional investors. The Company manages and participates in public offerings and private placements of debt, equity and other securities worldwide. The Company is an underwriter of common stock, preferred stock and other equity-related securities, including convertible securities and American depositary receipts (ADRs). The Company is also an underwriter of fixed income securities, including investment-grade debt, non-i! nvestment-grade instruments, mortgage-related and other asset-backed securities, tax-exempt securities and commercial paper and other short-term securities.

The Company provides corporate and other institutional clients worldwide with advisory services on matters, such as mergers and acquisitions, divestitures, joint ventures, corporate restructurings, recapitalizations, spin-offs, exchange offers and leveraged buyouts and takeover defenses, as well as shareholder relations. The Company also provides advice concerning rights offerings, dividend policy, valuations, foreign exchange exposure, financial risk management strategies and financial planning. In addition, the Company provides advice and services regarding project financings and provides advisory services in connection with the purchase, sale, leasing and financing of real estate. The Company provides loans or lending commitments, including bridge financing, to selected corporate clients through its subsidiaries, including Morgan Stanley Bank, N.A (MSBNA).

The Company conducts sales, trading, financing and market-making activities on securities and futures exchanges and in over-the-counter (OTC) markets worldwide. The Company�� Institutional Securities sales and trading activities consists of Equity Trading; Fixed Income and Commodities; Clients and Services; Research, and Investments. The Company acts as principal (including as a market-maker) and agent in executing transactions worldwide in equity and equity-related products, including common stock, ADRs, global depositary receipts and exchange-traded funds. The Company�� equity derivatives sales, trading and market-making activities cover equity-related products worldwide, including equity swaps, options, warrants and futures overlying individual securities, indices and baskets of securities and other equity-related products. The Company also issues and makes a principal market in equity-linked products to institutional and individual investors.

The ! Company t! rades, invests and makes markets in fixed income securities and related products globally, including, among other products, investment and non-investment grade corporate debt, distressed debt, bank loans, the United States and other sovereign securities, emerging market bonds and loans, convertible bonds, collateralized debt obligations, credit, currency, interest rate and other fixed income-linked notes, securities issued by structured investment vehicles, mortgage-related and other asset-backed securities and real estate-loan products, municipal securities, preferred stock and commercial paper, money-market and other short-term securities. The Company is a dealer of the United States federal government securities and a member of the selling groups that distribute various the United States agency and other debt securities. The Company is also a dealer or market-maker of government securities in European, Asian and emerging market countries.

The Company trades, invests and makes markets globally in listed futures and OTC swaps, forwards, options and other derivatives referencing, among other things, interest rates, currencies, investment grade and non-investment grade corporate credits, loans, bonds, the United States and other sovereign securities, emerging market bonds and loans, credit indexes, asset-backed security indexes, property indexes, mortgage-related and other asset-backed securities and real estate loan products. The Company trades, invests and makes markets in foreign currencies, such as the British pound, Canadian dollar, euro, Japanese yen and Swiss franc, as well as in emerging markets currencies. The Company trades these currencies on a principal basis in the spot, forward, option and futures markets.

The Company advises on investment and liability strategies and assists corporations in their debt repurchases and tax planning. The Company invests and makes markets in the spot, forward, physical derivatives and futures markets in several commodities, including ! metals (b! ase and precious), agricultural products, crude oil, oil products, natural gas, electric power, emission credits, coal, freight, liquefied natural gas and related products and indices. The Company is a market-maker in exchange-traded options and futures and OTC options and swaps on commodities, and offers counterparties hedging programs relating to production, consumption, reserve/inventory management and structured transactions, including energy-contract securitizations and monetization. The Company is an electricity power marketer in the United States and owns electricity-generating facilities in the United States and Europe.

The Company owns TransMontaigne Inc. and its subsidiaries, a group of companies operating in the refined petroleum products marketing and distribution business, and owns a minority interest in Heidmar Holdings LLC, which owns a group of companies that provide international marine transportation and the United States marine logistics services. The Company provides financing services, including prime brokerage, which offers, among other services, consolidated clearance, settlement, custody, financing and portfolio reporting services to clients trading multiple asset classes. In addition, the Company�� institutional distribution and sales activities are overseen and coordinated through Clients and Services.

The Company�� research department (Research) coordinates worldwide across all of the Company�� businesses and consists of economists, strategists and industry analysts who engage in equity and fixed income research activities and produce reports and studies on the United States and global economy, financial markets, portfolio strategy, technical market analyses, individual companies and industry developments. The Company from time to time makes investments that represent business facilitation or other investing activities. From time to time, the Company may also make investments and capital commitments to public and private companies, funds and oth! er entiti! es. The Company�� Operations and Information Technology departments provide the process and technology platform that supports Institutional Securities sales and trading activity, including post-execution trade processing and related internal controls over activity from trade entry through settlement and custody, such as asset servicing.

Global Wealth Management Group

The Company�� Global Wealth Management Group, which includes the Company�� 51% interest in Morgan Stanley Smith Barney Holdings LLC (MSSB), provides financial services to clients. During the year ended December 31, 2011, the Company had a network of more than 17,500 global representatives in approximately 765 locations. Global Wealth Management Group professionals serve individual investors and small-to-medium sized businesses and institutions with focus on ultra-high-net-worth, high-net-worth and affluent investors. Global representatives are located in branches across the United States. Outside the United States, Global Wealth Management Group offers financial services to clients in Europe, the Middle East, Asia, Australia, Canada and Latin America.

The Company�� Global Wealth Management Group provides clients with an array of financial solutions, including products and services from the Company, Citigroup Inc. (Citi) and third-party providers, such as insurance companies and mutual fund families. Global Wealth Management Group provides brokerage and investment advisory services covering various types of investments, including equities, options, futures, foreign currencies, precious metals, fixed income securities, mutual funds, structured products, alternative investments, unit investment trusts, managed futures, separately managed accounts and mutual fund asset allocation programs. Global Wealth Management Group also engages in fixed income principal trading, which primarily facilitates clients��trading or investments in such securities. In addition, Global Wealth Management Group offers ! education! savings programs, financial and wealth planning services, and annuity and other insurance products.

Global Wealth Management Group offers its clients access to several cash management services through various banks and other third parties, including deposits, debit cards, electronic bill payments and check writing, as well as lending products through affiliates, such as Morgan Stanley Private Bank, National Association (MS Private Bank) and MSBNA, including securities-based lending, mortgage loans and home equity lines of credit. Global Wealth Management Group also provides trust and fiduciary services, offers access to cash management and commercial credit solutions to qualified small- and medium-sized businesses in the United States, and provides individual and corporate retirement solutions, including individual retirement accounts and 401(k) plans and the United States and global stock plan services to corporate executives and businesses. Global Wealth Management Group provides clients a variety of ways to establish a relationship and conduct business, including brokerage accounts with transaction-based pricing and investment advisory accounts with asset-based fee pricing.

Asset Management

The Company's portfolio managers located in the United States, Europe and Asia manage investment products ranging from money market funds to equity and fixed income strategies, alternative investment and merchant banking products in developed and emerging markets across geographies and market cap ranges. The Company offers a range of alternative investment, real estate investing and merchant banking products for institutional investors and high net worth individuals. The Company�� alternative investments platform includes funds of hedge funds, funds of private equity funds and portable alpha strategies. The Company�� alternative investments platform also includes minority interest in Lansdowne Partners, Avenue Capital Group and Traxis Partners LP. The Company�� real e! state and! merchant banking businesses include its real estate investing business, private equity funds, corporate mezzanine debt investing group and infrastructure investing group.

The Company acts as general partner of, and investment adviser to, its alternative investment, real estate and merchant banking funds. The Company provides investment management strategies and products to institutional investors worldwide, including corporations, pension plans, endowments, foundations, sovereign wealth funds, insurance companies and banks through a range of pooled vehicles and separate accounts. It also provides sub-advisory services to various unaffiliated financial institutions and intermediaries. The Company offers open-end and alternative investment funds and separately managed accounts to individual investors through affiliated and unaffiliated broker-dealers, banks, insurance companies, financial planners and other intermediaries. Closed-end funds managed by the Company are available to individual investors through affiliated and unaffiliated broker-dealers. The Company also distributes mutual funds through a range of retirement plan platforms. Internationally, the Company distributes traditional investment products to individuals outside the United States through distributors and distributes alternative investment products through affiliated broker-dealers and banks. The Company�� Operations and Information Technology departments provide or oversee the process and technology platform required to support its asset management business. Support activities include transfer agency, mutual fund accounting and administration, transaction processing and certain fiduciary services on behalf of institutional, intermediary and high net worth clients.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Jon C. Ogg]

  Market Vectors Indian Rupee/USD ETN (NYSEMKT: INR) and WisdomTree Indian Rupee (NYSEMKT: ICN) are both performing poorly as well in the currency exchange traded note (ETN) world, although their trading volume is too thin to monitor.

Hot Long Term Stocks To Own Right Now

Hot Long Term Stocks To Own Right Now: Intuit Inc.(INTU)

Intuit Inc. provides business and financial management solutions for small and medium-sized businesses, consumers, accounting professionals, and financial institutions primarily in the United States, Canada, India, Singapore, and the United Kingdom. The company offers QuickBooks financial and business management software and services, technical support, financial supplies, and Web site design and hosting services for small and medium-sized businesses; and payroll products and services, as well as merchant services comprising credit and debit card processing, electronic check conversion, and automated clearing house services for small businesses. It also provides TurboTax income tax preparation products and services for consumers and small business owners; Lacerte and ProSeries professional tax products and services; and QuickBooks Premier Accountant Edition and the QuickBooks ProAdvisor Program for accounting professionals. In addition, the company offers outsourced online financial management solutions for banks and credit unions; Quicken personal finance products and services; Mint.com online personal finance services; and Intuit Health online patient-to-provider communication solutions. It sells its products and services through various sales and distribution channels, including Websites, promotions, retail channels, and call centers, as well as through alliance partners, principally consisting of banks, credit unions, and securities and investment firms. The company was founded in 1983 and is headquartered in Mountain View, California.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Jayson Derrick]

  Analysts at Raymond James maintained a Strong Buy rating on Intuit (NASDAQ: INTU) with a price target raised to $100 from a previous $89. Also, analysts at Barclays maintained an Equal-Weight rating on Intuit with a price target raised to ! $90 from a previous $69. Shares hit new 52-week highs of $86.80 before turning negative and closing the day at $83.57, down 2.61 percent.

• [By Laura Brodbeck]

  Thursday

  Earnings Expected From: Salesforce.com (NYSE: CRM), Intuit (NASDAQ: INTU), Gap (NYSE: GPS), Dollar Tree (NASDAQ: DLTR), Hormel Foods (NYSE: HRL), Gamestop (NYSE: GME) Economic Releases Expected:  U.S. existing home sales, eurozone consumer confidence, U.S. manufacturing PMI, British retail sales, eurozone manufacturing PMI, eurozone services PMI, German manufacturing PMI, German services PMI, French manufacturing PMI, French services PMI

  Friday

• [By Melvin Backman]

  For example, Google (GOOGL, Tech30), Salesforce.com (CRM, Tech30) and Intuit (INTU) are in the top 10 companies to work for. The stocks of those three companies have all exceeded the overall stock market performance for the past year. Google is up more than 32% in the past year compared to a 15% return for the S&P 500.

• [By WWW.DAILYFINANCE.COM]

  David Ryder/Getty ImagesAmazon.com CEO Jeff Bezos NEW YORK -- Amazon.com (AMZN) is taking direct aim at mobile payment systems such as Square by introducing the Amazon Local Register, a credit-card processing device and mobile app designed to help small business owners accept payments through their smartphones and tablets. The move places the largest U.S. e-commerce retailer in competition with Square and other established mobile payment processing systems such as eBay's (EBAY) PayPal Here and Intuit's (INTU) GoPayment. Amazon's technology includes a card reader that attaches to a smartphone, Kindle or tablet. The reader processes credit or debit card payments via a secure Amazon network, the same one that processes Amazon.com purchases. The service is designed to serve on-the-go small business owners who might otherwise only accept cash or checks, including massage therapists, food truck operators and artists who sell their work ! at outdoo! r fairs. Small businesses can start using Local Register by creating an account at http://localregister.amazon.com. Businesses must buy Amazon's card reader for $10, and download the free mobile app from the Amazon app store, the Apple app store or Google (GOOG) Play. The app works on most smartphones and tablets, including the Kindle Fire. Similar to Amazon's strategy in many of its businesses, the company aims to compete on price in the mobile payment arena. For customers who sign up for the service by Oct. 31, Amazon will take as its fee 1.75 percent of each payment processed, or each "swipe" of the card, a special rate that will last until Jan. 1, 2016. For people who sign up after Oct. 31, Amazon will take a service fee of 2.5 percent of each payment processed. The first $10 in transaction fees will be credited back to the customer, essentially paying for the card reader. That's below most of its competitors' rates. Square takes a fee of 2.75 percent of each transaction. PayPal Here takes 2.7 percent of each tra

source from Top Stocks For 2015:http://www.topstocksblog.com/hot-long-term-stocks-to-own-right-now-2.html

Top Performing Stocks For 2014

I��e recently decided to go back and re-read a few classics on performing valuations and what value-based systematic strategies have� worked over the years.� One of the most impressive findings in the financial literature of the past 10 years is the now-famous book by Joel Greenblatt (Trades, Portfolio): "The Little�Book That Beats the Market."

This is based on the simple realization that ranking companies based on specific measures of return on capital and earnings yield and choosing the best ranked ones to construct a portfolio would have outperformed the S&P over any three-year period since the mid-1960s.

While I was a bit skeptical initially as to the merits of� a single formula to outperform the market, the back-testing provided was compelling, and I decided to take a closer look at how I could implement the formula while using the GuruFocus tools.

While it is not possible to rank the stocks based on any metric, the All-in-One screener allows us to screen for companies based on both ROC and earnings yield. I chose a slightly more restrictive approach to the Magic Formula by imposing stringent lower limits:

Top 5 China Companies To Watch For 2015: Marlin Business Services Corp.(MRLN)

Marlin Business Services Corp. provides commercial equipment financing solutions primarily to small and mid-sized businesses in the United States. It finances approximately 100 categories of commercial equipment, including copiers, security systems, computers and software, telecommunications equipment, and commercial and industrial equipment. The company offers its solutions through a network of independent commercial equipment dealers and lease brokers, as well as through direct solicitations. As of December 31, 2011, it serviced approximately 65,000 active equipment leases for approximately 55,000 small and mid-sized business customers. The company also operates as the holding company for the Marlin Business Bank, which is a state-chartered commercial bank. In addition, it is involved in reinsurance business activities. The company was founded in 1997 and is based in Mount Laurel, New Jersey.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By James Brumley]

  The ironic risk here is if the economy tanks so badly, even debt collectors struggle simply because the money to repay loans just isn’t in consumers’ hands, as was the case between 2006 and 2009. As long as the economy remains stable, however, Portfolio Recovery Associates is plenty capable of maintaining its double-digit earnings growth rate, qualifying it as one of the market’s better small-cap stocks.

  Marlin Business Services (MRLN)

  Marlin Business Services (MRLN) finances equipment purchase and equipment leases for small businesses — photocopiers, computers, and the like. It’s not a riveting business, but it’s a reliable business as long as the economy is humming like it is now.

Top Performing Stocks For 2014: Montalvo Spirits Inc (TQLA)

Montalvo Spirits Inc., incorporated on November 18, 2010, is a development-stage company. The Company develops, markets and distributes alcoholic beverages with initial offering being the Montalvo Tequila, primarily in the United States. The Company sells its products through a network of spirits distributors, who are licensed to distribute alcoholic beverages throughout the United States. The Company intends to focus on growing the market share of its initial products, the ultra-premium Montalvo line of tequilas, whose expressions include Plata, Reposado, Anejo and Extra-Anejo. The Company owns the Montalvo brand trademark and have exclusive worldwide master distribution rights to the brands.

The Company�� portfolio of alcoholic beverage brands includes additional spirits categories, as well as beer and wine, through additional importation and distribution contracts of existing brands. In addition, the Company may choose to develop new brands or acquire existing companies with their own brand portfolios. The Company�� subsidiary, Casa Montalvo, has an exclusive worldwide distribution agreement with Destilidora Huerta Real, S.A. de C.V., the producers of Montalvo Tequila. Montalvo, an ultra-premium tequila brand, is a handcrafted, formulated tequila produced from blue agave plants from the Lowlands of Jalisco, Mexico. Montalvo is available in four expressions: Plata, Reposado, Anejo and Extra-Anejo.

The Company competes with Diageo PLC, Pernod Ricard S.A., Bacardi Limited, Brown-Forman Corporation, Beam Inc., Remy Cointreau S.A. and Constellation Brands, Inc.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By CRWE]

  Today, TQLA surged (+10.80%) up +0.042 at $.431 with 1,344,844 shares in play thus far (ref. google finance Delayed: 1:09PM EDT� September 24, 2013).

  Montalvo Spirits, Inc. previously reported they have entered into a sales and marketing agreement with Prestige International Exports, LLC (“Prestige”). Prestige will represent the Montalvo Spirits portfolio brands in certain international markets, as well as provide sales and marketing support for Montalvo Tequila and Broken Heart Gin throughout the state of California, and will assist the Company in attempting to secure distribution in additional markets in the U.S.

Top Performing Stocks For 2014: DexCom Inc.(DXCM)

DexCom, Inc., a medical device company, focuses on the design, development, and commercialization of continuous glucose monitoring systems for ambulatory use by people with diabetes, and for use by healthcare providers in the hospital for the treatment of both diabetic and non-diabetic patients. The company offers FDA approved SEVEN, which includes a disposable sensor that can be inserted by a patient and used continuously for up to seven days; a transmitter; and a small handheld receiver. Its SEVEN system also received CE Mark approval for commercialization in the European Union and the countries in Asia and Latin America that recognize the CE Mark. The company also provides the SEVEN PLUS, which incorporates additional user interface and algorithm enhancements that are intended to make its glucose monitoring function customizable. Its SEVEN PLUS has FDA and CE Mark approvals. DexCom has a collaboration agreement with Edwards Lifesciences LLC to develop products for conti nuously monitoring blood glucose levels in patients hospitalized for various conditions. It also has development agreement with Insulet Corporation to integrate its continuous glucose monitoring technology into Insulet?s wireless, handheld OmniPod System Personal Diabetes Manager; and a joint development agreement with Animas Corporation to integrate its continuous glucose monitoring technology into Animas insulin pumps. The company was founded in 1999 and is headquartered in San Diego, California.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Sean Williams]

  Where's the beef, DexCom?
  Sometimes a company's products make a lot of sense on paper, but the practical application doesn't go nearly as smoothly. This is how I'd describe medical monitoring device maker DexCom (NASDAQ: DXCM  ) , which has an array of glucose monitoring devices to help diabetes patients better manage their disease. Make no mistake about it; the number of diabetes diagnoses in this country is rising in accord with our obesity rate. Therefore, a company like DexCom, which makes the DexCom G4 System monitor, could be a big hit, and certainly has a wide enough audience to cater to.

Top Performing Stocks For 2014: Aqua America Inc.(WTR)

Aqua America, Inc., through its subsidiaries, operates regulated utilities that provide water or wastewater services in the United States. The company serves residential, commercial, fire protection, industrial, and other water and wastewater customers in Pennsylvania, Texas, North Carolina, Ohio, Illinois, New Jersey, New York, Florida, Indiana, Virginia, Maine, Missouri, and Georgia. It also provides water and wastewater services through operating and maintenance contracts with municipal authorities and other parties, as well as sludge hauling, septage and grease services, and backflow prevention services. The company was formerly known as Philadelphia Suburban Corporation and changed its name to Aqua America, Inc. in 2004. Aqua America, Inc. was founded in 1968 and is based in Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By David Dittman]

  Answer: Our favorite water utilities–American Water Works, Aqua America Inc (NYSE: WTR), Connecticut Water Service Inc (NSDQ: CTWS)–are solid dividend growers throughout the cycle, and they all have pretty good growth prospects because of the abundance of small-scale municipal water utilities in their footprints.

• [By Vita Nelson]

  Our latest featured dividend reinvestment idea is Aqua America (WTR). Founded in 1968, and headquartered in Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania, Aqua America operates regulated utilities that provide water or wastewater services in the United States.

Top Performing Stocks For 2014: Integrated Electrical Services Inc.(IESC)

Integrated Electrical Services, Inc. provides electrical infrastructure services in the United States. The company?s Communications segment offers various services, including the design, installation, and maintenance of network infrastructure for the financial, medical, hospitality, government, manufacturing, educational, and information technology industries; design and installation of audio/visual, telephone, fire, wireless, and intrusion alarm systems, as well as design/build, servicing, and maintenance of data network systems. Its Residential segment offers electrical installation services for single-family housing and multi-family apartment complexes, and CATV cabling installations for residential and commercial applications. This segment also installs residential solar power, smart meters, electric car charging stations, and stand-by generators. The company?s Commercial and Industrial segment provides electrical contracting services, which include the design of ele ctrical systems in a building or complex; procurement and installation of wiring and connection to power sources; end-use equipment and fixtures; and contract maintenance services. It also provides service, maintenance, and renovation and upgrade work services; and services for various projects, including high-rise residential and office buildings, power plants, manufacturing facilities, data centers, chemical plants, refineries, wind farms, solar facilities, municipal infrastructure, and health care facilities, as well as residential developments. In addition, this segment offers utility services consisting of overhead and underground installation and maintenance of electrical and other utilities transmission and distribution networks; installation and splicing of high-voltage transmission and distribution lines; substation construction; and substation and right-of-way maintenance. Integrated Electrical Services, Inc. was founded in 1997 and is based in Houston, Texas.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By GuruFocus]

  Integrated Electrical Services Inc. (IESC): President and CEO James M. Lindstrom Bought 1,901 Shares
  
  President and CEO of Integrated Electrical Services Inc. (IESC) James M. Lindstrom bought 1,901 shares on 09/25/2013 at an average price of $4.08. Integrated Electrical Services Inc. has a market cap of $73.0559 million; its shares were traded at around $4.08 with and P/S ratio of 0.13.

Top Performing Stocks For 2014: Donegal Group Inc.(DGICB)

Donegal Group Inc., through its subsidiaries, offers personal and commercial lines of property and casualty insurance to businesses and individuals in the United States. The company?s personal lines of insurance products include private passenger automobile insurance, which provides protection against liability for bodily injury and property damage arising from automobile accidents, and protection against loss from damage to automobiles owned by the insured; and homeowners insurance that offers coverage for damage to residences and their contents from a range of perils, including fire, lightning, windstorm, and theft, as well as covers liability of the insured arising from injury to other persons or their property. Its commercial lines of insurance products comprise commercial automobile policies that provide protection against liability for bodily injury and property damage arising from automobile accidents, and protection against loss from damage to automobiles owned by the insured; commercial multi-peril policies, which offer protection to businesses against various perils primarily combining liability and physical damage coverages; and workers? compensation policies that provide benefits to employees for injuries sustained during employment. Donegal Group Inc. markets its insurance products through a network of approximately 2,200 independent insurance agencies. As of December 31, 2010, it wrote business in 22 states of the United States. The company was founded in 1986 and is headquartered in Marietta, Pennsylvania.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Jake L'Ecuyer]

  Shares of Donegal Group (NASDAQ: DGICB) got a boost, shooting up 16.24 percent to $23.22 after Gregory Shepard offered $33-$37 per share for Donegal Group.

• [By Luke Jacobi]

  Donegal Group (NASDAQ: DGICB) closed up 14.86 percent to $23.95 after Gregory Shepard offered $33-$37 per share for Donegal Group.

  The ExOne (NASDAQ: XONE) gained 4.13 percent to closed at $48.32 as 3D printing stocks once again were spotlighted for today's trading session.

Top Performing Stocks For 2014: Sprint Corp (S&LS)

Sprint Corporation, incorporated on May 10, 2012, offers a range of wireless and wireline communications services to consumers, businesses and government users. On July 10, 2013, the Company, SoftBank Corp. and Sprint Nextel Corporation (Sprint Nextel) completed the merger. In the Merger, Sprint Corporation was merged into Sprint Nextel, New Sprint became the parent company of Sprint Nextel, with Sprint Nextel becoming its direct wholly owned subsidiary, and Sprint Nextel changed its name to Sprint Communications, Inc.

The Company develops, engineers and deploys technologies, including the first wireless fourth generation (4G) service from a national carrier in the United States; offering mobile data services, prepaid brands, including Virgin Mobile USA, Boost Mobile, and Assurance Wireless; instant national and international push-to-talk capabilities, and a global Tier 1 Internet Service. The Company also offers unlimited data services.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Holly LaFon]

  Since Wilmers & Co. took over M&T Bank in 1983 the bank has acquired 23 banks and Savings and Loans (S&Ls) ��expanding from a single state to seven ��and assets have grown from $2 billion to $110 billion. M&T's branch count has grown from 60 to over 870. The bank currently boasts a customer base of over 2 million retail household customers and nearly 220,000 commercial customers.

Top 5 US Stocks For 2014

Although business headlines still tout earnings numbers, many investors have moved past net earnings as a measure of a company's economic output. That's because earnings are very often less trustworthy than cash flow, since earnings are more open to manipulation based on dubious judgment calls.

Earnings' unreliability is one of the reasons Foolish investors often flip straight past the income statement to check the cash flow statement. In general, by taking a close look at the cash moving in and out of the business, you can better understand whether the last batch of earnings brought money into the company, or merely disguised a cash gusher with a pretty headline.

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 checking in on Prestige Brands Holdings (NYSE: PBH  ) , whose recent revenue and earnings are plotted below.

Top 10 Integrated Utility Companies To Watch In Right Now: Silver Standard Resources Inc(SSRI)

Silver Standard Resources Inc. engages in the exploration, development, and production of mineral resource properties in Argentina, Australia, Canada, Chile, Mexico, Peru, and the United States. The company primarily explores for silver, gold, tin, zinc, lead, and copper deposits. Its principal projects include Pirquitas project located in the Province of Jujuy, Argentina; San Luis project in central Peru; Pitarrilla and San Agustin projects in Durango State, Mexico; and Diablillos project in Salta Province, Argentina. The company was formerly known as Consolidated Silver Standard Mines Limited and changed its name to Silver Standard Resources Inc. on April 9, 1990. Silver Standard Resources Inc. was founded in 1946 and is headquartered in Vancouver, Canada.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Tim Melvin]

  Once again, rather than making a wish on burning match bets, I prefer to buy out of favor companies at a steep discount to their asset and business value. And a�look at the silver miners shows deep discounts to the value of corporate assets that could lead to significant profits.

  Pan American Silver (PAAS) trades at just 65% of book value and has fallen by about 75% over the past few years. Couer Mines (CDE) is fetching just 54% of book and has fallen by around 80% since 2006. Silver Standard Resources (SSRI) trades at 55% of book and for less than the value of the cash the company has in the bank.

  In reality, silver just needs to stop falling in price for these stocks to start to recover. If the analysts are right and silver hits a new high in the next decade, these could easily be the best investments you ever make in your lifetime.

• [By Vladimir Zernov]

  If a miner has only one producing mine, this mine must deliver stable performance. This was the case for Silver Standard Resources (NASDAQ: SSRI  ) , which had only one producing mine, Pirquitas in Argentina, in the first quarter. However, the company has completed its acquisition of Marigold mine from Goldcorp (NYSE: GG  ) and Barrick Gold (NYSE: ABX  ) at the beginning of April, so it started the second quarter with two producing mines.

• [By Roberto Pedone]

  An under-$10 basic materials player that's starting to move within range of triggering a near-term breakout trade is Silver Standard Resources (SSRI), which engages in the acquisition, exploration, development and operation of silver-dominant resource properties principally in the Americas. This stock has been hammered by the bears so far in 2013, with shares off by 59%.

  If you take a look at the chart for Silver Standard Resources, you'll notice that this stock has been uptrending modestly for the last few weeks, with shares moving higher from its low of $5.47 to its recent high of $6.27 a share. During that uptrend, shares of SSRI have been making mostly higher lows and higher highs, which is bullish technical price action. That move has now pushed shares of SSRI within range of triggering a near-term breakout trade.

  Market players should now look for long-biased trades in SSRI if it manages to break out above some near-term overhead resistance levels at $6.27 to $6.38 a share with high volume. Look for a sustained move or close above those levels with volume that hits near or above its three-month average action of 1.75 million shares. If that breakout hits soon, then SSRI will set up to re-test or possibly take out its next major overhead resistance levels at $7.55 to its 200-day moving average at $7.81 a share.

  Traders can look to buy SSRI off weakness to anticipate that breakout and simply use a stop that sits right below some near-term support at $5.47 a share. One can also buy SSRI off strength once it clears those breakout levels with volume and then simply use a stop that sits a comfortable percentage from your entry point.

Top 5 US Stocks For 2014: GT Advanced Technologies Inc (GTAT)

GT Advanced Technologies Inc., incorporated on September 27, 2006, is diversified technology company with crystal growth equipment and solutions for the global solar, light emitting diode (LED) and electronics industries. The Company operates in three segments: its polysilicon business, its photovoltaic (PV), business and its sapphire business. The Company's principal products are Silicon Deposition Reactors (SDR) and related equipment used to produce polysilicon, the key raw material used in silicon-based solar wafers and cells; Advanced sapphire crystallization furnaces (ASF) which are used to crystallize sapphire boules, and Directional solidification (DSS) furnaces and related equipment used to cast multicrystalline and MonoCast crystalline silicon ingots. On January 7, 2013, the Company announced the idling of its HiCz pilot manufacturing facility in Hazelwood, Missouri. On November 8, 2012, the Company acquired certain assets of Twin Creeks Technologies, Inc. (Twin Creeks). In May 2013, the Company acquired the business of Thermal Technology LLC.

PV Business

The focus of the Company's PV business is the development, manufacture and sales of crystallization growth furnaces to produce silicon ingots used in the production of solar wafers. The Company's principal product line has been the DSS family of casting furnaces that are used to produce multicrystalline ingots and MonoCast ingots. As of December 31, 2012, the Company shipped approximately 3,300 DSS crystallization furnaces. The ingots are used to make photovoltaic (PV) solar wafers and cells. HiCz, or continuous Czochralski (Cz) growth process, produces monocrystalline ingots that are designed to produce more efficient wafers. The Company�� DSS furnace is a specialized furnace used to melt polysilicon and cast multicrystalline ingots. Multicrystalline ingots are used to produce solar wafers, which ultimately become solar cells. The Company markets its DSS crystallization furnaces under the names DSS450HP and DSS6! 50. The Company's largest capacity DSS furnace, the DSS650, is capable of producing ingots that weigh up to 650 kilograms using standard silicon feedstock. In January 2012, the Company introduced its MonoCast silicon casting technology that uses the DSS furnace architecture to produce ingots comprised of a high percentage of monocrystalline material. The Company is markets MonoCast technology under the name DSS450 MonoCast.

The Company�� ancillary equipment provides operators with material handling assistance during the preparation of the crucible before it is loaded with silicon and during the loading and unloading of the crucible into the DSS furnace chamber at the start of the growth process and out of the DSS furnace chamber at the conclusion of the ingot growth process. The Company's ancillary equipment includes crucible coating stations, crucible manipulators, loaders/unloaders, extraction tools and other material handling systems required to safely transport material during the ingot growth process. The Company sells replacement parts and consumables used in its DSS furnaces and other PV equipment.

Polysilicon Business

The Company's polysilicon business offers Silicon Deposition Reactors, which utilize the chemical vapor deposition process, and related trichlorosilane (TCS) technology and equipment along with engineering services to existing polysilicon producers and new market entrants. The Company's polysilicon business focuses on product design, quality control, engineering services, project management and process development related to the production of polysilicon. It markets its SDR reactors under the names SDR300, SDR400, SDR 500 and SDR 600. The Company provides equipment, technology and engineering services for the production and purification of TCSand silane. This hydrochlorination technology eliminates the need for silicon tetrachloride converters which are required when using certain other polysilicon production technology. The Company also pr! ovides an! cillary equipment and technologies for producing seed rods used in its SDR reactors and for handling and processing the polysilicon rods into a finished product.

Sapphire Business

The Company's sapphire business markets and sells of the Company's ASF systems to customers to enable them to produce sapphire material. The Company also produces sapphire material, on a limited basis, for the LED and other specialty markets at its sapphire pilot production facility in Massachusetts. Its ASF systems produce monocrystalline sapphire material, referred to as sapphire boules. The sapphire boules are used to make sapphire wafers, a substrate for manufacturing LEDs, as well as sapphire blanks and windows for such applications as medical devices and watch crystals. The Company's ASF technology is based on the heat exchanger method (HEM), which is a directional solidification technique, which crystallizes the sapphire meltstock material during the growth process. The Company also uses the facility as a research and development (R&D) center to test new technology developments prior to commercial release. The Company markets and sells its ASF systems under the name ASF100. The Company also provides engineering and product design, quality control, process engineering, engineering services and field services related to the operation of its ASF furnaces. The Company produces sapphire material on a limited basis at its pilot production facility in Massachusetts. The Company sells this material to customers in the LED and other markets, such as the aerospace, defenses and medical device.

The Company manufactures and sells two principal types of sapphire materials: hems Sapphire Material and Titanium-doped Sapphire (Ti:Sapphire) Material. Using the material derives from the sapphire boule generated with its ASF furnaces, the Company cut the sapphire material in a number of different dimensions and crystal orientations, in form factors such as cores, rods, blanks, windows and tubes. The! Company ! generates sapphire boules that are doped with titanium. The Company provides certain finishing and polishing for its Ti:Sapphire material.

The Company competes with ALD Vacuum Technologies AG, JYT Corporation, Ferrotec Corporation, PVA TePla AG, Centrotherm Elektrische Anlagen GmbH & Co., Jing Gong Technology, Zhejiang Jingsheng Mechanical & Electrical Co., Ltd, MSA Apparatus Construction for Chemical Equipment Ltd, Centrotherm Elektrische Anlagen GmbH & Co., Morimatsu Industry Co. Ltd., Poly Plant Project, Inc., Hemlock Semiconductor Corporation, Wacker Chemie AG, MEMC Electronic Materials, Inc., Renewable Energy Corporation ASA, Thermal Technology LLC, Advanced Renewable Energy Company, LLC, Rubicon Technology, Inc., Sapphire Technology Co. Ltd. (Korea), Kyocera International Inc., Saint-Gobain, Gavish Inc., and Monocrystal.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By John Udovich]

  However, shares of Corning Incorporated were slipping in early November after sapphire and polysilicon maker GT Advanced Technologies Inc (NASDAQ: GTAT) announced that it had made a multi-year supply agreement to supply sapphire to Apple who currently uses sapphire materials in the fingerprint sensor�on its�new iPhone 5S while�both LG and Apple also�use sapphire for lens covers in their smartphone cameras. The tough and scratch-resistant nature of the material would make it potential choice to cover an entire smartphone or tablet screen - the current sweet spot for Corning Incorporated�� Gorilla Glass.�In fact, Andrew Huang of Sterne Agee thinks the announcement� increases the likelihood that Apple will replace Gorilla Glass with sapphire, a negative for�Corning Incorporated. But it�should also be noted that�does not break out precise revenue figures for Gorilla Glass.

• [By Garrett Cook]

  Shares of GT Advanced Technologies (NASDAQ: GTAT) were down 13.81 percent to $16.85 after UBS downgraded the stock from Buy to Hold.

  Peabody Energy (NYSE: BTU) shares tumbled 14.07 percent to $16.80 after Deutsche Bank downgraded the stock from Buy to Hold and lowered the price target from $23.00 to $19.00.

• [By Travis Hoium]

  It's been a long road for GT Advanced Technologies (NASDAQ: GTAT  ) and there are a lot of questions the company faces going forward. When will its technology take off? When will revenue pick up? And when can investors expect to see a profit.

Top 5 US Stocks For 2014: Redcliffe Resources Ltd (RCF)

Redcliffe Resources Limited, formerly Pacrim Energy Limited, is engaged in gold exploration. The Company own 100% interest in Redcliffe Gold Project. The Redcliffe Gold Project lies northeast of the mining town of Leonora, which is 230 kilometer north of Kalgoorlie in Western Australia. The Project covers approximately 45 kilometers of strike length of the Mertondale Shear Zone (MSZ) along with parallel and associated structures. The Golden Terrace South (GTS) deposit lies within a granted mining lease in the southern portion of the Redcliffe Gold Project. The 727 Prospect is located less than five kilometer south east of Golden Terrace. The Kelly Prospect lies along the Mertondale Shear Zone some three to four kilometer north of Golden Terrace South. Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Tom Stoukas]

  Teleperformance SA (RCF) climbed 2.9 percent to 35.10 euros. Societe Generale SA raised its recommendation on the French operator of call centers to buy from hold. The brokerage said the shares��recent decline provides a buying opportunity. The stock has fallen 14 percent since its high on July 18.

Top 5 US Stocks For 2014: Global X China Energy ETF (CHIE)

Global X China Energy ETF (the Fund) seeks to provide investment results that correspond generally to the price and yield performance, before fees and expenses, of the S-BOX China Energy Index (the Underlying Index). The Underlying Index is a free float adjusted, liquidity tested and market capitalization-weighted index that is designed to measure performance of the investable universe of companies in the Energy sector of the Chinese economy, as defined by Structured Solutions AG. Global X Management Company, LLC serves as the investment adviser to the Fund. Advisors' Opinion:

• [By pamatlarge]

  Investors looking to short a particular sector can choose from several Global X long ETFs. The Global X China Consumer ETF (CHIQ) concentrates its investments in consumer cyclical goods and consumer defense goods. The Global X China Energy ETF (CHIE) primarily holds stocks in coal, oil and utility companies. The Global X China Financials ETF (CHIX) only invests in financial services companies and real estate companies. The Global X China Industrials ETF (CHII) holds stocks in industrial companies and basic materials companies. The Global X China Materials ETF (CHIM) invests in basic materials stocks. The Global X China Technology ETF (CHIB) holds technology stocks as the core of its investments. All of these ETFs are particularly sensitive to sector downturns and general economic contractions.

Top Chemical Stocks To Own For 2014

Things have been relatively quiet over at JPMorgan Chase (NYSE: JPM  ) lately, after an especially turbulent time during which it looked as if CEO Jamie Dimon might lose a crown or two over the bruising London Whale debacle. Things resolved themselves nicely there, but now I see that JPMorgan has gotten itself in trouble again -- and it went all the way to Hollywood to do so.

Sounds like a movie...
The big bank was mentioned, though not named, in a lawsuit brought by Paramount Pictures against Content Partners, LLC. There is a long-standing dispute between these two parties, which has resulted in suits and counter-suits regarding the equitable sharing of profits on a passel of films produced by the studio.

This latest salvo is basically in response to Content Partner's 2010 lawsuit, alleging stinginess on Paramount's part when it came to parceling out profits on films like The Truman Show. Now, the studio says that Content Partners conspired with JPMorgan to steal trade secrets, take unearned profits, and generally beat up poor Paramount. JPMorgan's involvement stems from loans it made, as Chemical Bank, to investors in film projects. The loans were insured, and the banks were named as beneficiaries. Getting the picture?

5 Best Computer Hardware Stocks To Invest In Right Now: Balchem Corp (BCPC)

Balchem Corporation incorporated on Jan 30, 1967, is engaged in the development, manufacture and marketing of specialty performance ingredients and products for the food, nutritional, feed, pharmaceutical and medical sterilization industries. The Company operates in three segments: Specialty Products, Food, Pharma & Nutrition and Animal Nutrition & Health. The Company sells its products through its own sales force, independent distributors and sales agents. The Company operates five wholly owned domestic subsidiaries, such as BCP Ingredients, Inc., Aberco, Inc., Balchem BV, Balchem Trading BV and Balchem Italia Srl.

Food, Pharma & Nutrition

The Food, Pharma & Nutrition (FPN) segment provides microencapsulation solutions to a variety of applications in food, pharmaceutical and nutritional ingredients to enhance performance of nutritional fortification, processing, mixing, and packaging applications and shelf-life. Major product applications are baked goods, refrigerated and frozen dough systems, processed meats, seasoning blends, confections, and nutritional supplements. The Company also markets human grade choline nutrient products through this segment for wellness applications.

Specialty Products

The Company's Specialty Products segment operates in industry as ARC Specialty Products. Ethylene oxide, at the 100% level, is sold as a sterilant gas, primarily for use in the health care industry. It is used to sterilize a wide range of medical devices because of its versatility and effectiveness in treating hard or soft surfaces, composites, metals, tubing and different types of plastics. The Company's 100% ethylene oxide product is distributed in uniquely designed, recyclable, double-walled, stainless steel drums. Contract sterilizers, medical device manufacturers, and medical gas distributors are the Company's principal customers for this product. In addition, the Company also sells single use canisters with 100% ethylene oxide for uses in medical dev! ice sterilization.

The Company markets and sells propylene oxide as a fumigant to aids in the control of insects and microbiological spoilage and to reduce bacterial and mold contamination in shell and processed nut meats (except peanuts), processed spices, cacao beans, cocoa powder, raisins, figs and prunes. The Company distributes its propylene oxide product primarily in recyclable, single-walled, carbon steel cylinders The Company also sells propylene oxide to customers seeking smaller quantities and whose requirements include utilization in various chemical synthesis applications, to make paints more durable and for manufacturing specialty starches and textile coatings.

Animal Nutrition & Health

The Company's Animal Nutrition & Health (ANH) segment provides the animal nutrition and health markets with products derived from the Company's microencapsulation, chelation, and basic choline chloride technologies. Commercial sales of REASHURE Choline, a microencapsulated choline, NITROSHURETM, a microencapsulated urea, and NIASHURETM, the Company's microencapsulated niacin for dairy cows, boosts health and milk production in transition and lactating dairy cows, delivering nutrient supplements that survive the rumen and are biologically available, providing required nutritional levels. The Company's AMINOSHURE-L product, a rumen-protected lysine for use in dairy rations, gives nutritionists and dairy producers a precise and consistent source of rumen-protected lysine. The Company also markets chelated mineral supplements for uses in animal feed throughout the world. ANH also manufactures and supplies basic choline chloride, an essential nutrient for animal health, predominantly to the poultry and swine industries. The ANH segment also includes choline and certain derivatives manufactured and sold into various industrial applications, predominately as a component for hydraulic fracturing of shale natural gas wells, and methylamines which are a primary building block fo! r the man! ufacture of choline products and are also used in a wide range of industrial applications.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Jake L'Ecuyer]

  Equities Trading UP
  Balchem (NASDAQ: BCPC) shares shot up 15.27 percent to $60.08 after the company announced its plans to acquire SensoryEffects for $567 million.

Top Chemical Stocks To Own For 2014: LyondellBasell Industries NV(LYB)

LyondellBasell Industries N.V. manufacturers and sells chemicals and polymers, refines crude oil, produces gasoline blending components, and develops and licenses technologies for production of polymers. The company?s Olefins and Polyolefins segment offers olefins, including ethylene, propylene, and butadiene; aromatics, such as benzene and toluene; polyolefins, which comprise polypropylene (PP), high-density polyethylene, low-density polyethylene, and linear low-density polyethylene; specialty polyolefins, including catalloy process resins, PP compounds, and polybutene-1 resins; and ethylene derivatives, which comprise ethanol. Its Intermediates and Derivatives segment provides propylene oxide (PO); PO co-products, including styrene monomers and TBA derivative isobutylene; PO derivatives, such as propylene glycol, propylene glycol ethers, and butanediol; acetyls, such as methanol, acetic acid, and vinyl acetate monomers; ethylene derivatives, which comprise ethylene oxide , ethylene glycol, and ethylene glycol ethers; and flavor and fragrance chemicals. The company?s Refining and Oxyfuels segment offers gasoline and components, ultra low sulfur diesel, jet fuel, and lube oils; diesel, feedstock, fuel oil, gasoline, and bitumen; and gasoline blending components, including methyl tertiary butyl ether, ethyl tertiary butyl ether, and alkylate. Its Technology segment develops and licenses polyolefin and other process technologies. This segment also develops, manufactures, and sells polyolefin catalysts, as well as provides technology services, which comprise safety reviews, training and start-up assistance, engineering services for process and product improvements, and manufacturing troubleshooting. LyondellBasell Industries N.V. has operations in the Americas, Europe, Asia, and internationally. The company was founded in 2005 and is based in Rotterdam, Netherlands. LyondellBasell Industries N.V. is a subsidiary of Prochemie GmbH.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Tyler Crowe]

  This cheap feedstock has sent production up over one-third in the past five years, and has given a nice pad to chemical company earnings. LyondellBassell (NYSE: LYB  ) reported that 2012 was a record year in terms of earnings despite a 6% drop in revenue. These kinds of results have resulted in a mad rush to increase�capacity. The entire industry has plans to spend about $30 billion in new plants to take advantage of cheap feedstock. Dow personally is looking to invest $1.7 billion to build what would be the company's largest ethylene facility and would increase the company's ethylene capacity by 1.5 million tons per year. With so much invested in cheap natural gas, it should come as no surprise that the company will look to protect that position for as long as possible.�

• [By Luke Jacobi]

  Moving opposite of technology, basic materials shares rose 0.19 percent in trading on Friday. Top gainers in the sector included DRDGOLD (NYSE: DRD), up seven percent, and LyondellBasell Industries NV (NYSE: LYB), up 4.3 percent.

• [By Garrett Cook]

  Basic materials shares gained 0.10 percent in trading on Friday. Meanwhile, top gainers in the sector included DRDGOLD (NYSE: DRD), up 8.2 percent, and LyondellBasell Industries NV (NYSE: LYB), up 4.79 percent.

Top Chemical Stocks To Own For 2014: American Vanguard Corp (AVD)

American Vanguard Corporation, incorporated on January 2, 1969, operates as a holding company. The Company is primarily a chemical manufacturer that develops and markets products for agricultural and commercial uses. The Company manufactures and formulates chemicals for crops, human and animal protection. The Company conducts its business through its subsidiaries, AMVAC Chemical Corporation (AMVAC), GemChem, Inc. (GemChem), 2110 Davie Corporation (DAVIE), Quimica Amvac de Mexico S.A. de C.V. (AMVAC M), AMVAC de Costa Rica Sociedad Anonima (AMVAC CR), AMVAC Switzerland GmbH (AMVAC S), AMVAC do Brasil Representacoes Ltda (AMVAC B), AMVAC Chemical UK Ltd. (AMVAC UK), AMVAC CV (AMVAC CV), AMVAC Netherlands BV (AMVAC BV), and Envance Technologies, LLC (Envance). In July 2012, the Company completed the restructuring of the International Sales & Marketing function of its principal operating subsidiary, AMVAC Chemical Corporation. On November 30, 2012, AMVAC and TyraTech, Inc. formed Envance Technologies, LLC, in which the Company owns 60% of the equity interest. In July 2012, the Company formed AMVAC CV and AMVAC BV.

AMVAC is a chemical manufacturer that develops and markets products for agricultural and commercial uses. It manufactures and formulates chemicals for crops, human and animal health protection. These chemicals, which include insecticides, fungicides, herbicides, molluscicides, growth regulators, and soil fumigants, are marketed in liquid, powder, and granular forms. AMVAC owns and/or operates the Company�� domestic manufacturing facilities and is also the parent company for all its foreign companies. DAVIE owns real estate for corporate use.

GemChem is a national chemical distributor. GemChem, in addition to purchasing key raw materials for the Company, also sells into the pharmaceutical, cosmetic and nutritional markets. GemChem is a wholly owned subsidiary of AVD.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Travis Hoium]

  What: Shares of specialty chemical maker American Vanguard (NYSE: AVD  ) jumped 10% today after the company released earnings.

  So what: First-quarter revenue jumped 39% to $121.5 million and adjusted earnings per share nearly doubled to $0.59. Analysts only expected $115.4 million in revenue and earnings of $0.46 per share so the company easily beat on both the top and bottom line. �

• [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 checking in on American Vanguard (NYSE: AVD  ) , whose recent revenue and earnings are plotted below.

• [By Seth Jayson]

  Margins matter. The more American Vanguard (NYSE: AVD  ) keeps of each buck it earns in revenue, the more money it has to invest in growth, fund new strategic plans, or (gasp!) distribute to shareholders. Healthy margins often separate pretenders from the best stocks in the market. That's why we check up on margins at least once a quarter in this series. I'm looking for the absolute numbers, so I can compare them to current and potential competitors, and any trend that may tell me how strong American Vanguard's competitive position could be.

• [By Travis Hoium]

  What: Shares of specialty chemical maker American Vanguard (NYSE: AVD  ) fell 17% today after cautioning about second-quarter earnings.

Top Chemical Stocks To Own For 2014: BioAmber Inc (BIOA)

BioAmber Inc. (BioAmber), incorporated on October 15, 2008, is a chemical company. The Company manufactures its bio-succinic acid in a facility using a commercial scale 350,000 liter fermenter in Pomacle, France. During the year ended December 31, 2011, the Company produced 487,000 pounds, or 221 metric tons, of bio-succinic acid at this facility. Succinic acid is used to manufacture a range of products used every day, including plastics, food additives and personal care products, and can also be used as a building block for a range of derivative chemicals. The Company produces and sells bio-succinic acid using its process for petroleum-derived succinic acid. It also has additional bio-based products under development with partners including bio-succinic acid derivatives, such as BDO, and applications of bio-succinic acid, such as plasticizers, polyurethanes and de-icing solutions. During 2011, the Company created a wholly owned subsidiary, BioAmber International, S.a.r.l.

The Company develops bio-succinic acid for a range of markets, such as personal care products and food additives, plasticizers, polyurethanes, resins and coatings. The applications for bio-succinic acid include plasticizers, polyurethanes, personal care products, de-icing solutions, resins and coatings, food additives, lubricants and other products. Plasticizers are organic esters that are primarily used to make flexible polyvinyl chloride. Adipic acid is used in polyester polyols, which are used to make polyurethanes. Polyurethanes are used in, among other things, soles for footwear, molded foams for automotive applications, such as car seats and arm rests, and non-foam applications such as coatings, adhesives and sealants. Other applications of bio-succinic acid that are developed and tested by potential customers, which include anti-freeze solutions, solvents, water treatment chemicals and effervescence agents such laundry tablets and bath salts.

The Company competes with Gadiv Petrochemical Industries ! Ltd., Mitsubishi Chemical, DSM, Anqing Hexing Chemical Co Ltd, Anhui Sunsing Chemicals Co., Ltd., Genomatica, Inc., Myriant Corporation and Roquette Freres S.A.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Markus Aarnio]

  BioAmber (BIOA) is a sustainable chemicals company. Its proprietary technology platform combines industrial biotechnology and chemical catalysis to convert renewable feedstock into chemicals for use in a wide variety of everyday products including plastics, resins, food additives and personal care products.

• [By Maxx Chatsko]

  He believes several companies have set the bar precipitously low to start the year despite targeted developments expected to occur before the start of 2014. Watch the following video for his thoughts on potential positive surprises awaiting investors in�Amyris� (NASDAQ: AMRS  ) ,�BioAmber� (NYSE: BIOA  ) ,�Codexis� (NASDAQ: CDXS  ) , and�Solazyme� (NASDAQ: SZYM  ) .

• [By Matt Jarzemsky]

  Out of the 2013 vintage, some of the best performers so far this year have been early-stage healthcare firms like BioAmber Inc.(BIOA), up 86% year-to-date through Thursday, and Kindred Biosciences Inc.(KIN), up 82%. A number of high-flying tech startups have also continued to soar. Cybersecurity firm FireEye Inc.(FEYE) has gained 67% since the start of the year. Online coupon company RetailMeNot Inc.(SALE) is up 48%.

Top Chemical Stocks To Own For 2014: Syngenta AG (SYNN)

Syngenta AG is a Switzerland-based company engaged in production of products for crop productivity. The Company's businesses include herbicides, insecticides and fungicides for crop protection, field crops, vegetables and flower seeds, seed care products and turf, garden, home care and public health products. The Company diversifies its operations into four geographical segments (Europe, Africa and Middle East; North America; Latin America and Asia Pacific), which represent the integrated Crop Protection and Seeds business areas, as well as a separate global segment Lawn and Garden. The Crop Protection business is active in herbicides, insecticides and fungicides manufacture. The Seeds business produces and sells seeds for growing corn, soybeans, sunflower, and sugar beet, among others. The Lawn and Garden business offers a range of products for use in the flower genetics, ornamentals, consumer lawn and garden, and Turf and landscape markets. Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Sofia Horta e Costa]

  Volvo AB (VOLVB) advanced the most in 10 months after the world�� second-largest truckmaker reported second-quarter earnings that beat forecasts. EasyJet climbed 3.7 percent after saying quarterly sales rose 11 percent on higher capacity utilization and revenue per seat. Syngenta (SYNN) AG fell 4 percent after posting first-half profit and revenue that trailed forecasts.

Top Chemical Stocks To Own For 2014: Enzymotec Ltd (ENZY)

Enzymotec Ltd., incorporated on March 08, 1998, is engaged in manufacturing of ingredients and medical foods company. Its technologies, research, and clinical validation process enables the Company to develop differentiated solutions across a variety of products. The Company markets its product portfolio primarily to established global consumer companies and target large and growing consumer health and wellness markets. Its clinically validated products include bio-functional lipid-based compounds designed to address dietary needs, medical disorders and common diseases. The Company operates in two segments: Nutrition and VAYA Pharma. In addition to its existing products, the Company has several other products to address additional indications in the development phase. enzyme processes; lipid modification; lipid analysis; and process technology and development.

Nutrition

The Company�� Nutrition segment develops and manufactures nutritional ingredient products based on lipids, such as phospholipids, which form the structural basis of cell membranes and are easily recognized, incorporated and used by the body. Its customer base for this segment includes formula and nutritional supplement companies such as Biostime and IVC. Its two selling nutritional ingredient products are InFat, a clinically-proven fat ingredient for infant formula, and krill oil. Its other products in this segment are targeted at improving brain health and providing benefits in memory, learning abilities and concentration.

VAYA Pharma

VAYA Pharma, develops, manufactures and sells branded, prescription-only medical foods for the dietary management of patients with certain medical conditions or diseases having special, medically determined nutrient requirements. Although medical foods must be safe and effective as demonstrated in human clinical studies, they do not require the same expensive and time consuming regulatory approval process typical of prescription drugs. In addition to! its existing products, it has several other products to address additional indications in the development phase.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Victor Selva]

  Finally, as opposed to what we just discussed, the firm is currently Zacks Rank # 4��ell, and it also has a longer-term recommendation of ��eutral�� A Sell rating indicates that the stock, over the next 1 to 3 months, will perform at an annualized rate of 4.8%, which is not attractive for investors. For investors looking for a Strong Buy Rank, BioLife Solutions, Inc. (BLFS) and Enzymotec Ltd. (ENZY) could be the options.

Best China Companies To Buy For 2014

In most developed countries, the past decade has undoubtedly been the hardest time to build financial wealth since the Great Depression. Aspiring wealth builders have been hit with a cluster bomb of stagnating economic growth and wages, high unemployment, poor career advancement opportunities, soaring living costs, paltry fixed income investment returns, and increasingly volatile financial markets.

Unfortunately, my research has found that it will become even harder to build financial wealth in the next ten to fifteen years or so because the Global Financial Crisis is far from over despite the desperate efforts of institutions such as the media and government to convince the public otherwise. Rather than encouraging a sustainable economic recovery, central banks have created what I call a ��ubblecovery��or bubble-driven recovery by inflating a series of dangerous, but temporary growth-boosting bubbles around the entire world, from Canada to China to the U.S. stock market. The inevitable ending of this Bubblecovery will finish where the 2008 Crisis left off, causing living standards to plummet even further and depressing the value of common investments for a very long time.

Top 10 Shipping Stocks To Invest In Right Now: Renesola Ltd.(SOL)

ReneSola Ltd, together with its subsidiaries, engages in the manufacture and sale of solar wafers and solar power products. It offers virgin polysilicons, monocrystalline and multicrystalline solar wafers, and photovoltaic cells and modules. The company also provides cell and module processing services. Its products are used in a range of residential, commercial, industrial, and other solar power generation systems. The company sells its solar wafers primarily to solar cell and module manufacturers. It principally operates in Mainland China, Singapore, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Korea, India, Australia, Germany, Italy, Spain, Belgium, France, the Czech Republic, and the United States. The company was founded in 2003 and is based in Jiashan, the People?s Republic of China.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Gary Bourgeault]

  Other companies of note that will be hurt will be LDK Solar (LDK), Suntech Power (STP), JA Solar Holdings Co., Ltd. (JASO) and Renesola (SOL) among others. Some these are already hanging on by a thread because of taking on too much debt and defaulting on bonds.

• [By Travis Hoium]

  There will be winners, though. Shares of polysilicon maker Renewable Energy fell 7% in trading immediately after the announcement because the company will likely see either lower prices or lower demand. But shares of GCL Poly, who manufactures in China and is the biggest polysilicon maker in the world, jumped 4% on Friday after the news was announced.�Renesola� (NYSE: SOL  ) and LDK Solar� (NYSE: LDK  ) also have lots of unused polysilicon capacity that will likely experience more demand because of the move. The question is if they have sufficient quality to supply the industry.

Best China Companies To Buy For 2014: Qihoo 360 Technology Co. Ltd.(QIHU)

Qihoo 360 Technology Co. Ltd. provides Internet and mobile security products in the People's Republic of China. Its principal products include 360 Safe Guard, an Internet security product for Internet security and system optimization; 360 Anti-Virus, an anti-virus application to protect users? computers against trojan horses, viruses, worms, adware, and other forms of malware; and 360 Mobile Safe, a security program for the Google Android, Apple iOS, and Nokia Symbian smartphone operating systems. The company?s platform products comprise 360 Safe Browser, a Web browser; 360 Personal Start-up Page, a default homepage of 360 Safe Browser and a key access point to popular and preferred information and applications; 360 Application Store, a key access point to securely obtain and manage software and applications; and 360 Safebox, a solution that protects users against thefts of personal account information. It also provides online advertising services, including online marketi ng services and search referral services; and Internet value-added services comprising the operation of Web games developed by third-parties, remote technical support, and cloud-based services. The company was formerly known as Qihoo Technology Company Limited and changed its name to Qihoo 360 Technology Co. Ltd. in December 2010. Qihoo 360 Technology Co. was founded in 2005 and is based in Beijing, the People?s Republic of China.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Rick Munarriz]

  China's leading search engine has come under fire after the surprising success of Qihoo 360's� (NYSE: QIHU  ) �rival platform, which debuted last summer.

• [By Brian Nichols]

  Baidu continues to lose PC market share
  In China, Baidu is the leader of Internet search with a 54.5% share of the market in PCs, according to Chinese statistics site CNZZ. While good, Baidu's share has shrunk from a high of nearly 80% in late 2012 and 67.7% last year. The beneficiaries of Baidu's loss are Qihoo 360 (NYSE: QIHU  ) and Sohu (NASDAQ: SOHU  ) .

• [By Robert Martin]

  Top holdings include internet companies Qihoo 360 Technology (QIHU) and Baidu (BIDU) — both about 8% — as well as Chinese media giant Sina (SINA) at 6.6%. More than half of PGJ is dedicated to tech stocks, with another 20% allocated in consumer discretionary. This makes a good play for China�� burgeoning tech industry, with a side dish of consumer stocks for the country�� enormous population.

• [By Louis Navellier]

  Qihoo 360 Technology Co. Ltd (QIHU) �is a stock I have mentioned a few times in the past few weeks. The company provides Internet and mobile security products in the People’s Republic of China and is growing a very high rate. In the most recent quarter this company had sales growth of over 100% and earnings surged by more than 200% year over year. They are now the undisputed leader in smart phone security in China with over 70% market share.

Best China Companies To Buy For 2014: Sina Corporation(SINA)

SINA Corporation provides online media and mobile value-added services (MVAS) in the People?s Republic of China. It provides advertising, non-advertising, and free services through SINA.com, Weibo.com, and SINA Mobile. SINA.com offers free interest-based channels that provide region-focused format and content, including news, sports, automobile-related news, finance, entertainment, luxury, technology, digital, tools, collectibles, video, music, and wireless application protocol, as well as interactive platform for fashion-conscious users to share comments and ideas on a range of topics, such as health, cosmetics, and beauty. The company's microblogging platform, Weibo.com, enables its users to follow the hottest topics being discussed online, as well as discussions related to people they know. Weibo accounts consist of celebrities, commercial enterprises, government entities, and grass root Internet users. Its SINA Mobile service allows users to receive news and informatio n, download ring tones, mobile games and pictures, and participate in dating and friendship communities. The company also offers SINA Game, which serves as an interactive platform that provides users with downloads and gateway access to popular online games; SINA eReading, a shop for book reviews; SINA.net, an enterprise solutions platform to assist businesses and government bodies; and SINA Mall, an online shopping Website. In addition, it provides a platform for Chinese bloggers; photo-sharing platform; free email, VIP mail, and corporate email for enterprise users; audio and video-based instant messaging tools; proprietary search technology; and classified advertising services, as well as hosts topic-specific discussion forums in Chinese language; and creates user-maintained and supported online communities. The company has strategic cooperation agreement with China Unicom (Hong Kong) Limited. SINA Corporation was founded in 1997 and is headquartered in Shanghai, the Peop le?s Republic of China.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Vera Yuan]

  So far this year, our holdings in this area did not work well and the overall IT sector performance was dragged down especially by two small-cap companies��ina Corp (SINA) and Digital China Holdings. Sina, one of China�� most popular web portals, came under selling pressure due to market concerns that its Twitter-like online communications services Weibo, may be losing its growth momentum to a main competitor. However, we continue to hold Sina as we believe the target market for its competitor is different from Weibo and we also believe Sina�� current valuation does not reflect its other attractive underlying assets.From Matthews China Fund (Trades, Portfolio)�� Second Quarter 2014 Commentary.Also check out: Matthews China Fund Undervalued Stocks Matthews China Fund Top Growth Companies Matthews China Fund High Yield stocks, and Stocks that Matthews China Fund keeps buying Currently 0.00/512345

  Rating: 0.0/5 (0 votes)

• [By Anna Prior]

  Chinese Internet company Sina Corp.(SINA) said it was hit by a $815,000 fine and received notices from the government that certain licenses would be revoked over “unhealthy and indecent content.” The company separately said it expects first-quarter revenue and adjusted per-share earnings that topped analysts’ expectations. Shares fell 3.4% premarket.

• [By Paul Ausick]

  Over the past 12 months, shares of Qihoo 360 are up more than 200%, compared with gains of about 46% at Sina Corp. (NASDAQ: SINA) and about 20% at Baidu Inc. (NASDAQ: BIDU), two other booming Chinese Internet players.

Best China Companies To Buy For 2014: CNOOC Limited(CEO)

CNOOC Limited, through its subsidiaries, engages in the exploration, development, production, and sale of crude oil, natural gas, and other petroleum products. The company?s oil and natural gas properties are located in offshore China, which include Bohai Bay, western south China Sea, eastern south China Sea, and east China Sea, as well as in Indonesia, Iraq, and other regions in Asia; and Oceania, Africa, North America, and South America. As of December 31, 2010, the company had net proved reserves of approximately 2.99 billion barrels-of-oil equivalent, including approximately 1.92 billion barrels of crude oil and 6,458.3 billion cubic feet of natural gas. It also provides bond issuance services; and has a joint venture with Bridas Energy Holdings. CNOOC Limited was founded in 1982. The company is headquartered in Central, Hong Kong, and is considered a Red Chip company due to its listing on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange. CNOOC Limited is a subsidiary of China National Of fshore Oil Corporation.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Monica Wolfe]

  These four insiders made their buys during the public offering for $6 per share, and since their buys the price per share is down about -0.83%.� Highlighted below are the insiders��individual buys:

  Timothy Keating (CEO):� Bought 8,000 shares for $48,000.� Now holds 98,000 shares of KIPO stock. Taylor Simonton (D):� Bought 3,000 shares for $18,000. Now holds 13,000 shares of KIPO stock. Kyle Rogers (CIO):� Bought 3,072 shares for $18,432.� Now holds 8,096 shares of company stock. Frederic Schweiger (CFO/COO):� Bought 8,000 shares for $48,000.� Now holds on to 26,700 shares of KIPO stock.

• [By MARKETWATCH]

  LOS ANGELES (MarketWatch) -- Hong Kong stocks inched lower early Friday, with mainland Chinese banks and energy shares among the weak spots. The Hang Seng Index (HK:HSI) lost 0.1% to 22,824.44, with the Hang Seng China Enterprises Index down 0.4%, even as the Shanghai Composite (CN:SHCOMP) rose 0.1%. Concerns about the fiscal health of the top mainland lenders loomed again over the shares, with Bank of China Ltd. (HK:3988) (BACHY) down 0.9%, Bank of Communications Co. (HK:3328) (BKFCF) 1.3% lower, and China Construction Bank Corp. (HK:939) (CICHF) off 0.7%. In the energy sector, Cnooc Ltd. (HK:883) (CEO) gave up 0.9% after posting a 17% gain in third-quarter revenue but not reporting its profit for the period. Its peers also lost ground, as China Petroleum & Chemical Corp. (HK:386) (SNP) and PetroChina Co. (HK:857) (PTR) fell 1% apiece. On the upside, China Unicom Hong Kong Ltd. (HK:762) (CHU) added 1.6% after announcing a gain of more than 50% for its quarterly profit compared to a year earlier. Rival China Mobile Ltd. (HK:941

Best China Companies To Buy For 2014: China Mobile(Hong Kong)

China Mobile Limited, an investment holding company, provides mobile telecommunications and related services primarily in the Mainland China. It offers various services comprising local calls, domestic long distance calls, international long distance calls, domestic roaming, and international roaming. The company also provides voice value-added services, including caller identity display, caller restrictions, call waiting, call forwarding, call holding, voice mail, and conference calls; customer-to-customer messages and corporate short message services; and mobile Internet access services. In addition, it engages in other data businesses, which primarily include multimedia messaging services; color ring services that enable users to customize the answer ring tone from various selection of songs, melodies, sound effects, or voice recordings; and mobile reading, mobile gaming, mobile video, mobile payment/wallet, mobile TV, mobile market, and Internet data center services. F urther, the company offers telecommunications network planning, design, and consulting services; roaming clearance services; technology platform development and maintenance services; and mobile data solutions, and system integration and development services, as well as operates a network and business coordination center. Additionally, China Mobile Limited sells mobile phone handsets and devices. As of March 31, 2011, it served approximately 600.8 million customers. The company was formerly known as China Mobile (Hong Kong) Limited and changed its name to China Mobile Limited in May 2006. China Mobile was founded in 1997. The company is based in Central, Hong Kong, and is considered a Red Chip company due to its listing on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange. China Mobile Limited is a subsidiary of China Mobile Hong Kong (BVI) Limited.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By GuruFocus]

  China Mobile Ltd. was incorporated under the laws of Hong Kong on Sept. 3, 1997, as a limited liability company under the name China Telecom (Hong Kong) Limited. China Mobile Ltd. has a market cap of $194.9 billion; its shares were traded at around $48.48 with a P/E ratio of 9.70 and P/S ratio of 2.20. The dividend yield of China Mobile Ltd. stocks is 4.20%. China Mobile Ltd. had an annual average earnings growth of 16.60% over the past 10 years. GuruFocus rated China Mobile Ltd.�the business predictability rank of 3.5-star.

Best China Companies To Buy For 2014: ATA Inc.(ATAI)

ATA Inc., through its subsidiaries, provides computer-based testing services in the People?s Republic of China. It offers services for the creation and delivery of computer-based tests utilizing its test delivery platform, proprietary testing technologies, and testing services; and provides logistical support services relating to test administration. The company?s computer-based testing services are used for professional licensure and certification tests in various industries, including information technology (IT) services, banking, securities, teaching, and insurance. Its e-testing platform integrates various aspects of the test delivery process for computer-based tests ranging from test form compilation to test scoring, and results analysis. ATA also provides career-oriented educational services, such as single course programs, degree major course programs, and pre-occupational training programs focusing on preparing students to pass IT and other vocational certification tests; test preparation and training programs and services to test candidates preparing to take professional certification tests in securities, futures, banking, insurance and teaching industries; online test preparation and training platform for the securities and banking industries; and test preparation software for the teaching industry. In addition, the company offers HR select employee assessment solution, an online system that utilizes its proprietary software and an inventory of test titles to help employers improve the efficiency and accuracy of their employee recruitment process. As of March 31, 2010, it had contractual relationships with 1,988 ATA authorized test centers. The company serves Chinese governmental agencies, professional associations, IT vendors, and Chinese educational institutions, as well as individual test preparation services. ATA Inc. was founded in 1999 and is based in Beijing, the People?s Republic of China.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Jake L'Ecuyer]

  Leading and Lagging Sectors
  Industrials stocks gained Friday, with ATA (NASDAQ: ATAI) leading advancers. Meanwhile, gainers in the sector included Plug Power (NASDAQ: PLUG), with shares up 22 percent, and Korn/Ferry International (KFY), with shares up 12 percent. In trading on Friday, basic materials shares were relative laggards, down on the day by about 1.36 percent.

• [By Jake L'Ecuyer]

  Leading and Lagging Sectors
  Industrials stocks gained Friday, with ATA (NASDAQ: ATAI) leading advancers. Meanwhile, gainers in the sector included Plug Power (NASDAQ: PLUG), with shares up 22 percent, and Korn/Ferry International (KFY), with shares up 12 percent. In trading on Friday, basic materials shares were relative laggards, down on the day by about 1.36 percent.