Top 10 Paper Stocks To Invest In 2014

Below is the verbatim transcript of Roongta's interview with CNBC-TV18.

Caller Q: Need a clarification on the relation between debt funds and interest rates and whether it is a good idea to invest in debt funds?

A: The relationship between interest rates and the price of a bond is inversely related. These are very commonly used terms. However, I will explain this in simple words, for example if you have bought a five year bond of Power Finance Corporation with a face value of Rs 100 and the coupon rate being 10 percent so you earn Rs 10 as interest rate every year.

If interest rates in the market fall down to 8 percent and you wish to sell your bonds. You will not sell your bond at Rs 100 for the simple reason that the entitlement of interest on your bond is 10 percent but in the market it is 8 percent so you will command a premium, you will sell these bonds at Rs 108 so Rs 8 being your profit.

Similar is the function of a debt fund; the debt funds have two source of income, one is the accrual of interest on the paper that you are holding and the other is a capital gains, in case you make if the interest rates are falling. Considering the current situation wherein you have seen depreciation of the rupee, current account deficits; it is difficult to see that interest rate will soften from here immediately. So, the exceptional gains which debt funds have given over the last one year or two years may not repeat in the next six-eight months from now unless you see interest rate falling. Therefore, an advice to you and other investors who are looking to make money out of the interest rate movements by investing in debt funds, I think you should take a cautious view and concentrate on investing into debt funds only if your debt allocation permits you to do that.

Top 10 Diversified Bank Stocks To Invest In 2015: International Paper Co (IP)

International Paper Company (International Paper), incorporated on June 23, 1941, is a global paper and packaging company, with primary markets and manufacturing operations in North America, Europe, Latin America, Russia, Asia and North Africa. The Company operates in four segments: Industrial Packaging, Printing Papers, Consumer Packaging and Distribution. As of December 31, 2012, in the United States, the Company operated 28 pulp, paper and packaging mills, 187 converting and packaging plants, 18 recycling plants and three bag facilities. Production facilities as of December 31, 2012 in Europe, Asia, Latin America and South America included 11 pulp, paper and packaging mills, 65 converting and packaging plants, and two recycling plants. It distribute printing, packaging, graphic arts, maintenance and industrial products principally through over 88 distribution branches in the United States and 32 distribution branches located in Canada, Mexico and Asia. As of December 31, 2012, it owned or managed approximately 327,000 acres of forestland in Brazil and had, through licenses and forest management agreements, harvesting rights on government-owned forestlands in Russia. On July 2, 2012, it sold Ontario and Oxnard (Hueneme), California containerboard mills to New-Indy Containerboard LLC, and its New Johnsonville, Tennessee containerboard mill to Hood Container Corporation. On January 3, 2013, it acquired joint venture partner, Sabanci Holding.

Industrial Packaging

International Paper is a manufacturer of containerboard in the United States. Its production capacity is about 14 million tons annually. The Company�� products include linerboard, medium, whitetop, recycled linerboard, recycled medium and saturating kraft. About 80% of its production is converted domestically into corrugated boxes and other packaging by its 178 United States container plants. In addition, it recycles approximately one million tons of old corrugated containers (OCC) and mixed and white paper through ! our 20 recycling plants. In Europe, our operations include one recycled fiber containerboard mill in Morocco and 20 container plants in France, Italy, Spain, and Morocco. In Asia, its operations include 19 container plants in China and additional container plants in Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, and Thailand. Its container plants are supported by regional design centers, which offer total packaging solutions and supply chain initiatives.

Printing Papers

International Paper is a producer of printing and writing papers. Products in this segment include uncoated and coated papers, uncoated bristols and pulp. This business produces papers for use in copiers, desktop and laser printers and digital imaging. End use applications include advertising and promotional materials, such as brochures, pamphlets, greeting cards, books, annual reports and direct mail. Uncoated papers also produce a variety of grades that are converted by its customers into envelopes, tablets, business forms and file folders. Uncoated papers are sold under private label and International Paper brand names that include Hammermill, Springhill, Williamsburg, Postmark, Accent, Great White, Chamex, Ballet, Rey, Pol and Svetocopy. The mills producing uncoated papers are located in the United States, France, Poland, Russia, Brazil and India. The mills have uncoated paper production capacity of approximately five million tons annually.

Pulp products include fluff, and southern softwood pulp, as well as southern and birch hardwood paper pulps. These products are produced in the United States, France, Poland, Russia, and Brazil and are sold around the world. International Paper facilities have annual dried pulp capacity of about 1.7 million tons.

Consumer Packaging

International Paper is a producer of solid bleached sulfate board with annual United States production capacity of about 1.7 million tons. Its coated paperboard business produces coated paperboard for a variety of packag! ing and c! ommercial printing end uses. Its Everest, Fortress, and Starcote brands are used in packaging applications for everyday products, such as food, cosmetics, pharmaceuticals, computer software and tobacco products. Its Carolina brand is used in commercial printing end uses, such as greeting cards, paperback book covers, lottery tickets, direct mail and point-of-purchase advertising. Its United States capacity is supplemented by about 365,000 tons of capacity at its mills producing coated board in Poland and Russia and by its International Paper & Sun Cartonboard Co., Ltd. joint venture in China, which has annual capacity of 1.0 million tons. Its Foodservice business produces cups, lids, food containers and plates through three domestic plants and four international facilities.

Distribution

xpedx, the Company�� North American merchant distribution business, distributes products and services to a number of customer markets, including commercial printers with printing papers and graphic pre-press, printing presses and post-press equipment; building services and away-from-home markets with facility supplies; manufacturers with packaging supplies and equipment, and to a number of customers, it provides distribution capabilities, including warehousing and delivery services. xpedx is the wholesale distribution marketer in these customer and product segments in North America, operating 108 warehouse locations in the United States and Mexico.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By John McCamant, Editor, Medical Technology Stock Letter]

  SGMO continues to create strong intellectual property (IP), which is the core strength of the company. We also expect SGMO to continue translating their strong IP into solid revenue streams.

• [By Rich Duprey]

  Forestry products company International Paper (NYSE: IP  ) will pay a second-quarter dividend of $0.30 per share, the same rate it's paid for the past two quarters after it increased it 14% from $0.2625 per share, the company announced yesterday.

• [By Paul Vigna]

  International Paper Co.(IP) said its third-quarter revenue edged up 1.3% on strong sales in the North American industrial-packaging segment, though restructuring costs continued to hurt profit as the company expands into emerging markets.

Top 10 Paper Stocks To Invest In 2014: Crown Holdings Inc (CCK)

Crown Holdings, Inc., incorporated on February 7, 2003, is engaged in designing, manufacturing and sale of packaging products for consumer goods. Its business is organized within three divisions: Americas, Europe and Asia Pacific. Its segments within the Americas Division are Americas Beverage and North America Food. Its segments within the European Division are European Beverage and European Food. Americas Beverage includes beverage can operations in the United States, Brazil, Canada, Colombia and Mexico. North America Food includes food can and metal vacuum closure operations in the United States and Canada. European Beverage includes beverage can operations in Europe, the Middle East and North Africa. European Food includes food can and metal vacuum closure operations in Europe and Africa. Its Asia Pacific Division consists of beverage and non-beverage can operations, primarily food cans and specialty packaging. As of December 31, 2012, it acquired Superior Multi-Packaging Ltd.

The Company supplies beverage cans and ends and other packaging products to a range of beverage and beer companies, including Anheuser-Busch InBev, Carlsberg, Coca-Cola, Cott Beverages, Dr Pepper Snapple Group, Heineken, National Beverage and Pepsi-Cola, among others. The Company manufactures a range of food cans and ends, including two-and three-piece cans in numerous shapes and sizes, and sells food cans to food marketers, such as Bonduelle, Cecab, ConAgra, Continentale, Mars, Simmons Foods, Nestle, Princes Group and Stockmeyer, among others.

The Company offers a range of metal vacuum closures and sealing equipment. The Company�� customers for aerosol cans and ends include manufacturers of personal care, food, household and industrial products, including Colgate Palmolive, Procter & Gamble, SC Johnson and Unilever, among others. The Company�� customers for aerosol cans and ends include manufacturers of personal care, food, household and industrial products, including Colgate Palmolive, Procte! r & Gamble, SC Johnson and Unilever, among others.

Americas Division

The Americas Division includes operations in the United States, Brazil, Canada, the Caribbean, Colombia and Mexico. These operations manufacture beverage, food and aerosol cans and ends, specialty packaging and metal vacuum closures and caps. The Americas Beverage segment manufactures aluminum beverage cans and ends and steel crowns, referred to as bottle caps. The North America Food segment manufactures steel and aluminum food cans and ends and metal vacuum closures.

European Division

The European Division includes operations in Eastern and Western Europe, the Middle East and North Africa. These operations manufacture beverage, food and aerosol cans and ends, specialty packaging and metal vacuum closures and caps. The European Beverage segment manufactures steel and aluminum beverage cans and ends. The European Food segment manufactures steel and aluminum food cans and ends, and metal vacuum closures.

Asia Pacific division

The Company's Asia Pacific Division consists of beverage can operations in Cambodia, China, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam and non-beverage can operations, primarily including food cans and specialty packaging in China, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam. As of December 31, 2012, the division operated 32 plants in six countries.

The Company competes with Ardagh Group, Ball Corporation, BWAY Corporation, Can-Pack S.A., Metal Container Corporation, Mivisa Envases S.A.U., Rexam PLC and Silgan Holdings Inc.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Lauren Pollock]

  Crown Holdings Inc.(CCK) cut its third-quarter earnings guidance on lower end-user demand in some of the food-and-beverage packaging company’s markets, including European food cans and North American beverage cans.

Top 10 Paper Stocks To Invest In 2014: Cornerstone Progressive Return Fund(CFP)

Cornerstone Progressive Return Fund is a closed-ended equity fund of fund launched and managed by Cornerstone Advisors, Inc. The fund invests funds investing in the public equity markets of the United States. It invests in stocks of companies operating across diversified sectors. Cornerstone Progressive Return Fund was formed on April 26, 2007 and is domiciled in the United States.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Dan Caplinger]

  But you can see in several places the consequences of the stampede toward high yield. Here are just a few:

  Closed-end funds Cornerstone Progressive (NYSEMKT: CFP  ) and Pimco High Income (NYSE: PHK  ) both make fixed payments back to fund shareholders on a monthly basis, and their distribution yields are truly extraordinary, at about 17% and 12%, respectively. Those dividends have enticed shareholders to pay $1.30 to $1.40 or more for each $1 of assets in the funds. Yet during most months, a substantial portion of those distribution payments has simply been a return of investor capital rather than true income from the funds' investments. A recent study discussed in The Wall Street Journal found that returns on a portfolio with a combined value and dividend-income strategy outperformed a strategy focused more exclusively on maximizing dividends by an average of 1.7 percentage points per year, a huge edge in long-run returns. In the dividend ETF arena, most funds tend to focus on maximizing yield. Although the popular Vanguard Dividend Appreciation (NYSEMKT: VIG  ) ETF bucks the trend by screening first for consistent dividend growth and only then looking at yield as a factor, many rival ETFs start with high-yielding stocks as their baseline and only then consider other desirable traits. Others focus solely on high-dividend niches of the market, such as iShares FTSE NAREIT Mortgage-Plus (NYSEMKT: REM  ) and its concentration on high-yield mortgage REITs.

  When dividend stocks get too popular, their prices get out of line with both their dividend income and the fundamentals of the businesses that underlie those stocks. In simpler terms, when dividend stocks become bad values, it's time to consider looking elsewhere for a margin of safety.

Top 10 Paper Stocks To Invest In 2014: Greif Inc (GEF)

Greif, Inc., incorporated on January 25, 1926, is a producer of industrial packaging products and services with manufacturing facilities located in over 50 countries. The Company offers a line of industrial packaging products, such as steel, fiber and plastic drums, rigid intermediate bulk containers, closure systems for industrial packaging products, transit protection products, water bottles and reconditioned containers, and services such as container lifecycle management, blending, filling and other packaging services, logistics and warehousing. It also produces containerboard and corrugated products for niche markets in North America. It sells timber to third parties from its timberland in the south-eastern United States. It has four segments: Rigid Industrial Packaging & Services, Flexible Products & Services, Paper Packaging and Land Management.

Rigid Industrial Packaging and Services

In the Rigid Industrial Packaging and Services, the Company is a provider of rigid industrial packaging products, including steel, fiber and plastic drums, rigid intermediate bulk containers, closure systems for industrial packaging products, transit protection products, water bottles and reconditioned containers, and services, such as container lifecycle management, blending, filling and other packaging services, logistics and warehousing. It sells industrial packaging products to customers in industries, such as chemicals, paints and pigments, food and beverage, petroleum, industrial coatings, agricultural, pharmaceutical and mineral, among others.

Flexible Products and Services segment

In the Flexible Products and Services segment, the Company is a producer of flexible intermediate bulk containers and a North American provider of industrial and consumer multiwall bag products. Its flexible intermediate bulk containers consist of a polypropylene-based woven fabric that is partly produced at its production sites, as well as sourced from strategic regional sup! pliers. Its industrial and consumer multiwall bag products are used to ship a range of industrial and consumer products, such as seed, fertilizers, chemicals, concrete, flour, sugar, feed, pet foods, popcorn, charcoal and salt, primarily for the agricultural, chemical, building products and food industries.

Paper Packaging segment

In the Paper Packaging segment, the Company sells containerboard, corrugated sheets and other corrugated products to customers in North America in industries such as packaging, automotive, food and building products. Its corrugated container products are used to ship such products as home appliances, small machinery, grocery products, building products, automotive components, books and furniture, as well as numerous other applications. Operations related to industrial and consumer multiwall bag products have been reclassified to Flexible Products and Services segment.

Land Management segment

In the Land Management segment, the Company is focused on the active harvesting and regeneration of the United States timber properties to achieve long-term yields. It also sells, from time to time, timberland and special use land, which consists of surplus land, HBU land and development land. As of October 31, 2013, it owned approximately 252,475 acres of timber property in the southeastern United States and approximately 10,300 acres of timber property in Canada.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Geoff Gannon]

  For those of you wondering if Greif Brothers Cooperage has any relation to Greif (GEF) ��yes. It has every relation. It�� the same exact company. And it�� still in pretty much the same business. They used to just make barrels. Now they make all kinds of different drums, containers, etc. That�� not a very big change for a company to make over 60 years or so.

Top 10 Paper Stocks To Invest In 2014: Meadwestvaco Corporation (MWV)

MeadWestvaco Corporation (MWV) provides packaging solutions to the healthcare, personal care and beauty, food, beverage, home and garden, tobacco, and commercial print industries worldwide. The company?s Packaging Resources segment produces bleached paperboard, Coated Natural Kraft paperboard, and linerboard. Its Consumer Solutions segment designs and produces multi-pack cartons and packaging systems primarily for the beverage take-home and tobacco market. In addition, it offers a range of converting and consumer packaging solutions, including printed plastic packaging and injection-molded products used for personal care, beauty, and pharmaceutical products; and dispensing and sprayer systems for personal care, beauty, healthcare, fragrance, and home and garden markets. In addition, this segment has a pharmaceutical packaging contract with a mass-merchant, and manufactures equipment that is leased or sold to its beverage and dairy customers to package their products. The c ompany?s Consumer & Office Products segment manufactures, sources, markets, and distributes school and office products, time-management products, and envelopes in North America and Brazil through both retail and commercial channels. Its Specialty Chemicals segment manufactures, markets, and distributes specialty chemicals derived from sawdust and other byproducts of the papermaking process in North America, South America, and Asia. Its products include activated carbon used in emission control systems for automobiles and trucks, as well as for water and food purification applications, and performance chemicals used in printing inks, asphalt paving, adhesives, and lubricants for the agricultural, paper, and petroleum industries. MWV?s Community Development and Land Management segment involves in real estate development, forestry operations, and leasing activities. MeadWestvaco Corporation was founded in 1888 and is based in Glen Allen, Virginia.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Ray Merola]

  International Paper Co Share Price versus Competitors RockTenn (RKT), MeadWestvaco Corp (MWV), Packaging Corporation of America (PKG), and S&P 500 (March 2009-to-date)

Top 10 Paper Stocks To Invest In 2014: Fibria Celulose SA (FIBR3)

Fibria Celulose SA, formerly Votorantim Celulose e Papel SA, is a Brazil-based company involved in the production and sale of short fiber pulp. The Company operates pulp manufacturing plants in Aracruz (Espirito Santo), Tres Lagoas (Mato Grosso do Sul), Jacarei (Sao Paulo) and Veracel (Bahia). Additionally, the Company is engaged in the cultivation of eucalyptus. It has plantations in the Brazilian states of Sao Paulo, Minas Gerais, Rio de Janeiro, Mato Grosso do Sul, Bahia and Espirito Santo. In 2011, the Company sold a business unit active in paper production. The Company has a number of subsidiaries in Brazil and abroad, including Normus Empreendimentos e Participacoes Ltda, Fibria Overseas Finance Ltd and Fibria Celulose (USA) Inc, among others. On October, 2013, the Company announced merger by incorporation of Normus Empreendimentos e Participacoes Ltda, a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Company, in order to simplify the corporate structure. Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Julia Leite]

  Fibria Celulose SA (FIBR3), the world�� largest pulp producer, climbed after settling a tax dispute with Brazil over profits at its foreign units. Iron-ore producer Vale SA (VALE5) gained before a report due this weekend forecast to show manufacturing is still expanding in China, the company�� main export market.

• [By Harry Suhartono]

  The Ibovespa dropped 1.8 percent as iron-ore producer Vale SA (VALE5), whose main export market is China, snapped a two-day gain. Pulp producer Fibria Celulose SA (FIBR3) retreated after posting quarterly earnings that trailed analysts��estimates. Brazil plans to sell dollar bonds due in 2025, creating a new benchmark security in international markets, and buy back notes maturing in as little as four years.

Top 10 Paper Stocks To Invest In 2014: TriStar Wellness Solutions Inc (TWSI)

TriStar Wellness Solutions, Inc., formerly Biopack Environmental Solutions Inc., incorporated on August 28, 2000, is engaged in developing, marketing and selling, NCP's Beaute de Maman product lines, which is a line of skincare and other products specifically targeted for pregnant women, as well developing the Soft and Smooth Assets. The Company supplied biodegradable food containers and industrial packaging products to multinational corporations, supermarket chains and restaurants located across North America, Europe and Asia. In May 2013, the Company acquired HemCon Medical Technologies Inc.

The Company�� priority direct-to-consumer target markets are focused on women�� health and wound care. The second core product area is directed at the Direct-to-Consumer (DTC) wound care market space. During the year ended December 31, 2012, the Company focused the sales and marketing resources for the Beaute de Maman brand on efficient Internet portals via the brand Website and selected Web-based retailers.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Peter Graham]

  Last Friday, small cap stocks Tristar Wellness Solutions Inc (OTCMKTS: TWSI) jumped 14.94% while Hybrid Coating Technologies (OTCBB: HCTI) and Bulova Technologies Group, Inc (OTCMKTS: BTGI) sank 23.53% and 13.04%, respectively. It should be mentioned that only one of these small cap stocks appears to be the subject of paid promotions or investor relations type activities. So what will these three small cap stocks do for investors this week? Here is a quick reality check to help you decide on a trading or investing strategy:

Top 10 US Stocks To Buy Right Now

In the same week that the Securities and Exchange Commission told advisers what kind of cybersecurity protections it wants them to implement, a government watchdog said the SEC should get its own house in order when it comes to defending against Internet threats.

In a report released Thursday, the Government Accountability Office said that SEC has not consistently protected itself from potential intrusions into its computer network. The GAO found weaknesses in the way the agency identified and authenticated users, authorized access and encrypted data, among other shortcomings.

The GAO study, conducted as part of GAO audits of the SEC's fiscal 2013 and 2014 financial statements, also found that the SEC did not exercise tight enough control over contractors working on its data system, failed to implement sufficiently strong password controls and poorly managed the migration of a key financial system to a new location.

10 Best Industrial Conglomerate Stocks To Watch For 2015: eBay Inc.(EBAY)

eBay Inc. provides online platforms, services, and tools to help individuals and merchants in online and mobile commerce and payments in the United States and internationally. Its Marketplaces segment operates ecommerce platform eBay.com; vertical shopping sites, such as StubHub, Fashion, Motors, and Half.com; and classifieds Websites, including Den Bl�Avis, BilBasen, Gumtree, Kijiji, LoQUo, Marktplaats.nl, mobile.de, Alamaula, Rent.com, eBay Anuncios, eBay Kleinanzeigen, and eBay Annunci, as well as provides advertising services. The company?s Payments segment offers payment and settlement services for consumers and merchants on and off eBay Websites and other merchant Websites. This segment operates PayPal, which enables individuals and businesses to send and receive payments online and through mobile devices; Bill Me Later that enables the United States merchants to offer, the United States consumers to obtain, credit at the point of sale for ecommerce and mobile tra nsactions; Zong, which allows users with mobile phones to purchase digital goods and have the transactions charged to their phone bill; and BillSAFE that enables customers pay for purchases upon receipt of an invoice. Its GSI segment offers an ecommerce services suite for enterprise clients that operate in general merchandise categories, including apparel, sporting goods, toys and baby, health and beauty, and home; and marketing services comprising full-service digital agency, enterprise email marketing, mobile advertising, affiliate marketing, advertisement retargeting, and in-depth analytics services. The company also offers X.commerce platform that provides software developers access to the company?s applications programming interfaces to develop functionality for various merchants; and Magento Connect, which allows developers to market and sell add-on functionality and solutions to merchants that use a Magento storefront. eBay Inc. was founded in 1995 and is headquarter ed in San Jose, California.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Damian Illia]

  As promised in a previous article, today I will look into the E-Commerce King: Amazon.com Inc. (AMZN) as an option to eBay Inc. (EBAY).

  Growing the Old-Fashioned Way

• [By reports.droy]

  Yet the facility is used by only 15% of the massive Indian population, which leaves a huge consumer band yet to be tapped. This potential has caught the attention not only of indigenous innovators and entrepreneurs but also the global big wigs like Amazon, Ebay (EBAY) and Alibaba (BABA). Let us take a closer look at the ongoing clash of the titans in this sector��the indigenous Flipkart against the global hero Amazon.

• [By Steve Heller]

  Under the rule of John Donahoe, eBay (NASDAQ: EBAY  ) has undergone a massive transformation. Between all of its segments, the company expects that by 2015, it will enable more than $300 billion in global commerce, which represents an increase of more than 70% from 2012 levels. But like every great growth story, there are obstacles to overcome. In this video, Fool contributor Steve Heller weighs in on what will keep eBay from meeting its aggressive goal.�

• [By Wallace Witkowski]

  Shares of eBay Inc. (EBAY) �dropped 4.1% to $51.33 on heavy volume after the company�� outlook for the fourth quarter disappointed.

Top 10 US Stocks To Buy Right Now: Central Securities Corp (CET)

Central Securities Corporation is a non-diversified, closed-end management investment company. The Company�� primary investment objective is growth of capital. Central Securities Corporation invests primarily in common stocks, but it may invest in bonds, convertible bonds, preferred stocks, convertible preferred stocks, warrants, options real estate, or short-term obligations of governments, banks and corporations.

The Company, from time to time, invests in securities, the resale of which is restricted. Central Securities Corporation invests in various sectors, including insurance, Semiconductor, Technology Hardware and Equipment, Diversified Industrial, Energy, Software and Services, Banking and Finance and other.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Joe Eqcome]

  Actionable Items:

  Highest Positive Spread: ING Emerging Markets High Dividend Equity Fund (IHD)Focus Stock: Central Securities Corporation (CET)Last Week's Focus Stock: Central Securities Corporation

  Junk Bonds Debacle: The $85 billion monthly bond-purchase program has produced a selloff for "junk" bonds. The U.S. Treasurys jumped 0.18% to 4.39% on Wednesday. The benchmark 10-Year Treasury note has risen 0.5% in the past month.

Top 10 US Stocks To Buy Right Now: iShares MSCI Philippines ETF (EPHE)

iShares MSCI Philippines ETF (the Fund), formerly iShares MSCI Philippines Investable Market Index Fund, is an exchange-traded fund (ETF). The Fund seeks investment results that correspond generally to the price and yield performance of the MSCI Philippines Investable Market Index (the Underlying Index). The Underlying Index is a free-float adjusted market capitalization weighted index designed to measure the performance of equity securities in the top 99% by market capitalization of equity securities listed on stock exchanges in the Philippines. Its sectors include financials, industrials, utilities, telecommunication services, consumer staples, consumer discretionary, materials, energy and S-T securities. Black Rock Fund Advisors acts as the Fund�� investment advisor. Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Tom Aspray]

  There is no question that it has been a rough few months for the Asian markets as since the October 9 low they have lagged behind the Spyder Trust (SPY), which is now up about 8.8%. Thailand (THD) has done the worst of the group, down over 13%, and the Philippines (EPHE) has also been weak since November.

Top 10 US Stocks To Buy Right Now: Auxilio Inc (AUXO)

Auxilio, Inc. (Auxilio), incorporated on August 29, 1995, is engaged in the business of providing fully outsourced print management services to the healthcare industry. The Company is engaged in the business of providing fully-outsourced managed print services to the healthcare industry, working exclusively with hospitals throughout the United States. It provides solutions, a program and savings. It helps hospitals and health systems reduce expenses and create manageable, dependable document image management programs by managing their back-office processes. The process is initiated through a detailed assessment. The assessment is a strategic, operational and financial analysis that is performed at the customer�� premises using a combination of processes and technology for data collection and report generation. The Company�� customers include hospitals and integrated health delivery networks (IDN). Its subsidiaries include Auxilio Solutions, Inc. and e-Perception Technologies, Inc.

The Company helps hospitals and health systems to create image management programs by managing their back-office processes. The process is initiated through a detailed Image Management Assessment (IMA). The IMA is a strategic, operational and financial analysis that is performed at the customer�� premises using a combination of processes and Web-based technology for data collection and report generation. After the assessment and upon engagement, it charged the customer on a per print basis.

The Company competes with Xerox, Canon, Konica Minolta, Ricoh and Sharp.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By CRWE]

  Today, AUXO surged (+3.26%) up +0.030 at $.950 with�200 shares in play thus far (ref. google finance Delayed: 9:30AM EDT August 23, 2013).

  AUXILIO, Inc. previously reported financial results for its quarter ended June 30, 2013.

  For the three months ended June 30, 2013, AUXILIO reported that recurring service revenues increased by $1.4 million from new contracts closed between May 2012 and April 2013; however revenues were $9.8 million, a decrease of 8% when compared to revenues of $10.7 million in the same period of 2012, due to a drop in equipment revenue. Equipment sales were $800,000 as compared to $3.1 million for the same period in 2012. Cost of revenues were $8.2 million for the three months ended June 30, 2013, as compared to $9.3 million for the same period in 2012. This drop was due to the drop in equipment sales offset by additional staffing and service costs from the higher recurring service revenue. Gross profit for the second quarter of 2013 was $1.6 million, or 17% of sales, compared to $1.4 million, or 13% of sales, for the same period of 2012. This improvement is a direct result of the large growth in new facilities that we added in 2012 coupled with the reduction in costs as AUXILIO�� program matures within these new accounts.

Top 10 US Stocks To Buy Right Now: Vanguard Dividend Appreciation ETF (VIG)

Vanguard Dividend Appreciation ETF (the Fund) is an open-end investment company, or mutual fund. It seeks to track the performance of an index that measures the investment return of common stocks of companies that have a record of increasing dividends over time. Vanguard Dividend Appreciation ETF is an exchange-traded share class of Vanguard Dividend Appreciation Index Fund (the Fund), which employs a passive management or indexing investment approach designed to track the performance of the Dividend Achievers Select Index (the Index).

The Index is a subset of the Broad Dividend Achievers Index and is administered for Vanguard by Mergent, Inc. The Fund attempts to replicate the Index by investing all, or substantially all, of its assets in the stocks that make up the Index, holding each stock in approximately the same proportion as its weighting in the Index.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Brendan Conway]

  Editor�� note: This column is the latest update in our Best Stocks for 2014 contest. Brendan Conway’s pick for the contest is the Vanguard Dividend Appreciation ETF (VIG).
  

• [By Jon C. Ogg]

  5. Dividends, stock buy-backs, capex, and M&A all increase at a double-digit rate – This is led by a lot of cash flow, underleveraged balance sheets, and possible great places to use cash. The argument for higher cap-ex is as follows: “Pent-up demand and aging of plant, equipment and technology argue for increases in those key areas.”

  ETF Recommendation: Vanguard Dividend Appreciation ETF (NYSEArca: VIG) for dividend growers, and PowerShares Buyback Achievers (NYSEArca: PKW) for buyback stocks. Hint: the buyback ETF rose by 45.5% in 2013 after dividend adjustments versus 28.8% for the dividend growth ETF.

  6. The U.S. dollar appreciates as U.S. energy and manufacturing trends continue to improve.

• [By Dan Caplinger]

  Because of low bond yields, many retirees have turned to dividend-paying stocks for yield, but by doing so, they've also increased the risk that the 4% retirement rule won't work. Dividend ETFs Vanguard High Dividend Yield (NYSEMKT: VYM  ) and iShares Select Dividend (NYSEMKT: DVY  ) both offer yields between 3% and 4%, but the average earnings multiples of the stocks they own have gotten fairly pricey recently, trading at around 16 and 19 times earnings respectively. Even the more conservative dividend ETF Vanguard Dividend Appreciation (NYSEMKT: VIG  ) , which looks more at historical dividend growth rather than current yield in choosing stocks, has a multiple of 16 -- higher than you'd want from the slower-growth companies that often end up being the best dividend payers.

• [By Dan Caplinger]

  But you can see in several places the consequences of the stampede toward high yield. Here are just a few:

  Closed-end funds Cornerstone Progressive (NYSEMKT: CFP  ) and Pimco High Income (NYSE: PHK  ) both make fixed payments back to fund shareholders on a monthly basis, and their distribution yields are truly extraordinary, at about 17% and 12%, respectively. Those dividends have enticed shareholders to pay $1.30 to $1.40 or more for each $1 of assets in the funds. Yet during most months, a substantial portion of those distribution payments has simply been a return of investor capital rather than true income from the funds' investments. A recent study discussed in The Wall Street Journal found that returns on a portfolio with a combined value and dividend-income strategy outperformed a strategy focused more exclusively on maximizing dividends by an average of 1.7 percentage points per year, a huge edge in long-run returns. In the dividend ETF arena, most funds tend to focus on maximizing yield. Although the popular Vanguard Dividend Appreciation (NYSEMKT: VIG  ) ETF bucks the trend by screening first for consistent dividend growth and only then looking at yield as a factor, many rival ETFs start with high-yielding stocks as their baseline and only then consider other desirable traits. Others focus solely on high-dividend niches of the market, such as iShares FTSE NAREIT Mortgage-Plus (NYSEMKT: REM  ) and its concentration on high-yield mortgage REITs.

  When dividend stocks get too popular, their prices get out of line with both their dividend income and the fundamentals of the businesses that underlie those stocks. In simpler terms, when dividend stocks become bad values, it's time to consider looking elsewhere for a margin of safety.

Top 10 US Stocks To Buy Right Now: Mueller Water Products Inc (MWA)

Mueller Water Products, Inc., incorporated on September 22, 2005, is a manufacturer and marketer of products and services used in the transmission, distribution and measurement of water. The Company�� product portfolio includes engineered valves, fire hydrants, pipe fittings, water meters, leak detection and pipe condition assessment which are used by municipalities, as well as the residential and non-residential construction industries. The Company operates in two segments: Mueller Co. and Anvil. Mueller Co. The Company�� valve or fire hydrant products are specified for use in the 100 metropolitan areas in the United States.

Mueller Co.

Mueller Co. manufactures valves for water and gas systems, including iron gate, butterfly, tapping, check, plug and ball valves, as well as dry-barrel and wet-barrel fire hydrants and a of pipe repair products, such as clamps and couplings used to repair leaks. The Company offers residential and commercial metering products and systems and leak detection and pipe condition assessment products and services. Mueller Co. products are sold through waterworks distributors.

The Company�� fire hydrants consist of an upper barrel and nozzle section and a lower barrel and valve section that connects to a water main. In dry-barrel hydrants, the valve connecting the barrel of the hydrant to the water main is located below ground at or below the frost line, which keeps the hydrant upper barrel dry. It sells dry-barrel fire hydrants with the Mueller and U.S. Pipe Valve and Hydrant brand names in the United States and the Mueller and Canada Valve brand names in Canada. The Company also makes wet-barrel hydrants, where the valves are located in the hydrant nozzles and the barrel contains water at all times. It also makes wet-barrel hydrants, where the valves are located in the hydrant nozzles and the barrel contains water at all times.

Mueller Co. manufactures a variety of intelligent water technology products under the Mue! ller Systems and Hersey Meters brand names that are designed to help water providers accurately measure water usage. These products include water meters, advanced metering infrastructure systems and automated meter reading products, have the capability to measure water usage ranging from small residential flows to large commercial and industrial applications.

Mueller Co. offers leak detection and pipe condition assessment products and services under the Echologics brand name. Other products include pipe repair products, such as clamps and couplings used to repair leaks and municipal castings, such as manhole covers and street drain grates. It sells these products under the Mueller and Jones brand names.

The Company competes with McWane, Inc., American Cast Iron Pipe Company, The Ford Meter Box Company, Inc., A.Y. McDonald Mfg, Sensus, Neptune Technology Group, Inc., Badger Meter, Inc., Aclara LLC and Itron, Inc.

Anvil

Anvil manufactures and sources a range of products, includes fittings, couplings, hangers, valves and related products for use in many non-residential constructions for HVAC, fire protection, energy and oil and gas applications. Anvil's products are sold through distributors who then sell the products to a variety of end users. These distributors are serviced primarily through Anvil's distribution centers.

Fittings and Couplings manufactures threaded and grooved pipe fittings and couplings. Pipe fittings and couplings join two pieces of pipe together. The five categories of pipe fittings and couplings are cast iron fittings, malleable iron fittings and unions, grooved fittings, couplings and valves, threaded steel pipe coupling and nipples. Hangers, manufacture an array of pipe hangers and supports. Standard pipe hangers and supports are used in fire protection sprinkler systems and HVAC applications where the objective is to provide rigid support from the building structure.

The Company competes with Ward Man! ufacturin! g L.L.C., malleable iron fittings, Victaulic Company, Tyco International Ltd., ERICO International Corporation, Cooper Industries plc and Carpenter & Paterson, Inc.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Travis Hoium]

  What: Shares of Mueller Water Products (NYSE: MWA  ) jumped as much as 17% today after the company released earnings.

  So what: Fiscal-second-quarter revenue jumped 12.6% to $283.1 million and net income was $6.2 million, or $0.05 per share. Analysts only expected revenue to be $270.8 million and earnings of $0.02 per share so this was well ahead of estimates. �

Top 10 US Stocks To Buy Right Now: Capstone Turbine Corporation(CPST)

Capstone Turbine Corporation develops, manufactures, markets, and services turbine generator sets and related parts for use in stationary distributed power generation applications. Its stationary distributed power generation applications include cogeneration combined heat and power (CHP), integrated (CHP), resource recovery, and secure power, as well as combined cooling, heat, and power; and its products are used as battery charging generators for hybrid electric vehicle applications. The company primarily offers microturbine units, subassemblies, and components. It also provides various accessories, including rotary gas compressors with digital controls, heat recovery modules for CHP applications, dual mode controllers that allow automatic transition between grid connect and stand-alone modes, batteries with digital controls for stand-alone/dual-mode operations, power servers for multipacked installations, and protocol converters for Internet access, as well as frames, ex haust ducting, and installation hardware. Further, it remanufactures microturbine engines; and provides after-market parts and services, scheduled and unscheduled maintenance, and factory and on-site training services. The company?s microturbines can be fueled by various sources, including natural gas, propane, sour gas, landfill or digester gas, kerosene, diesel, and biodiesel. It primarily sells its products directly to end users, as well as through distributors in North America, Asia, Australia, Europe, the Russian Federation, and South America. Capstone Turbine Corporation was founded in 1988 and is based in Chatsworth, California.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Dan Caplinger]

  On Thursday, Capstone Turbine (NASDAQ: CPST  ) will release its latest quarterly results. But lately, investors have already anticipated some huge results from the company, having bid the shares up by about 50% in just the past several weeks. Can Capstone deliver on what investors want to see?

• [By Rick Munarriz]

  Capstone Turbine (NASDAQ: CPST  ) -- $1.30
  Things are finally starting to happen for the microturbine maker. Revenue is growing at a healthy clip, and analysts see Capstone finally turning a quarterly profit later this year.

Top Airline Stocks To Own Right Now

Top Airline Stocks To Own Right Now: China Eastern Airlines Corp Ltd (CEA)

China Eastern Airlines Corporation Limited (China Eastern), incorporated on April 14, 1985, is an air carriers operating in the Peoples Republic of China. As of December 31, 2010, the Company served a route network that covers 182 domestic and foreign cities in 30 countries. It operates from Shanghais Hongqiao International Airport and Pudong International Airport. During the year ended December 31, 2010, its flights accounted for 52.2% and 37.9% of all the flight traffic at Hongqiao International Airport and Pudong International Airport, respectively. During 2010, it accounted for approximately 31.1% of the total passenger traffic volume and 19% of the total freight volume on routes to and from Shanghai. As of December 31, 2010, it had a fleet of 355 aircraft, including 337 passenger jets each with a seating capacity of over 100 seats and 18 freighters.

Passenger Operations

During 2010, the Company operated approximately 9,600 scheduled fl ights per week, excluding charter flights, serving a route network that covers 182 domestic and foreign cities in 30 countries. During 2010, its domestic routes generated approximately 71.5% of its passenger revenues. Its heavily traveled domestic routes link Shanghai to the commercial and business centers of the Peoples Republic of China, such as Beijing, Guangzhou and Shenzhen. During 2010, it also operated approximately 361 flights per week to and from Hong Kong, originating from Shanghai and 16 major cities in eastern, northern and western the Peoples Republic of China. During 2010, it operated approximately 103 flights per week between mainland China and Taiwan. During 2010, its regional routes accounted for approximately 5.4% of its passenger revenues. During 2010, it operated approximately 1,079 international flights per week, serving 60 cities in 29 countries, linking Shanghai to cities in Asian and Southeast Asian countries, such as Japan, Korea! , India, Singap ore, Thailand and Bangladesh and locations in Europe, the United States and Australia.

During 2010, the Company re-started its Shanghai to London and Shanghai to Moscow routes. During 2010, revenues derived from its operations on international routes accounted for approximately 23.2% of its passenger revenues. During 2010, revenues derived from its operations to and from Japan accounted for approximately 7.7% of its passenger revenues and approximately 33.4% of its international passenger revenues. Its international and regional flights and a portion of its domestic flights either originate or terminate in Shanghai, the central hub of its route network. Its operations in Shanghai are conducted at Hongqiao International Airport and Pudong International Airport. On March 16, 2010, it moved its operations at Hongqiao International Airport to the terminal two of Hongqiao International Airport. It operates its flights through three hubs located in eastern, northwest ern and southwestern China, namely Shanghai, Xian and Kunming, respectively.

Cargo and Mail Operations

The Companys cargo and mail business utilizes the same route network used by its passenger airline business. It carries cargo and mail on its freight aircraft, as well as in available cargo space on its passenger aircraft. Its cargo and mail routes are international routes. As of December 31, 2010, it had seven MD-11F, four B777F and two B757-200F freight aircraft under operating leases for cargo and mail operations. It also has three Airbus A300-600R aircraft, as well as two Boeing 747-400ER freighters for its cargo operations.

The Company competes with Air China Limited, China Southern Airlines Company Limited, Hong Kong Dragon Airlines Limited, Cathay Pacific Airways, Thai Airways International, Singapore Airlines, Delta Air Lines, United Airlines, American Airlines, Air Canada, Delta, Alitalia, Air France-KLM Group, Asiana Ai rlines, Korean Air, Virgin Atlantic Airways, ! British A! irways, Lufthansa German Airlines, Aeroflot and Qantas Airways.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Belinda Cao]

  The Bloomberg China-US Equity Index (CH55BN) of the most-traded Chinese companies in the U.S. slumped 3.4 percent last week to a seven-month low of 89.04. The gauge traded at 13.5 times estimated earnings, 3.6 percent below the S&Ps valuation, data compiled by Bloomberg show. China Southern Airlines Co. (ZNH) and China Eastern Airlines Corp. (CEA) lost more than 6 percent April 5, while Home Inns & Hotels Management Inc. (HMIN) tumbled 16 percent in the week.

source from Top Stocks To Buy For 2015:http://www.topstocksforum.com/top-airline-stocks-to-own-right-now-3.html

10 Best Consumer Service Stocks To Buy Right Now

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When you own a firearm, you want to have confidence in both your ability to use it properly in an emergency situation, and in that firearm�� ability to perform without malfunctioning. Similarly, when you��e at the helm of a company, you want to have confidence that your stock is going to continue to perform.

Hot Consumer Stocks To Own Right Now: Ausdrill Ltd (ASL)

Ausdrill Limited is a mining and energy services company providing exploration, mine development, surfacing and underground mining, manufacturing, energy and infrastructure services globally. The Company operates in five segments: Mining Services Australia, which includes the provision of mining services, including drilling and blasting, in-pit grade control, exploration drilling, earthmoving, waterwell drilling, energy drilling, equipment hire, equipment parts and sales and mineral analysis in Australia; Contract Mining Services Africa, which includes the provision of mining services, including drilling and blasting, in pit grade control, exploration drilling and earthmoving in Africa; Manufacturing, which includes manufacture of drilling rods and consumables, drill rigs and dump truck tray bodies; Supply and Logistics, which includes the provision of mining supplies and logistics services and Other, which includes its central functions like treasury, financing and administration. Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Adam Haigh]

  Toyota Motor Corp. (7203), the world�� biggest carmaker, lost 1.3 percent in Tokyo after its net-income forecast fell short of analyst estimates. Ausdrill Ltd. (ASL) slumped 29 percent in Sydney after the drilling contractor said its expects a lower profit. GungHo Online Entertainment Inc. gained 2.5 percent as Japan Exchange Group Inc. and Nikkei Inc. said the Internet-game maker will be included in their new index.

10 Best Consumer Service Stocks To Buy Right Now: Cypress Semiconductor Corporation (CY)

Cypress Semiconductor Corporation designs, develops, manufactures, and markets mixed-signal programmable solutions, specialized semiconductor memories, and integrated semiconductor solutions. The company�s Memory Products division designs and manufactures static random access memory (SRAM) products and nonvolatile SRAMs used to store and retrieve data in networking, wireless infrastructure and handsets, computation, consumer, automotive, industrial, and other electronic systems, as well as offers general-purpose programmable clocks. Its Data Communications division focuses on universal serial bus (USB) controllers, WirelessUSB peripheral controllers, and module based solutions for trackpads and other user interface applications used in PC and peripheral, industrial automation imaging, security camera, and in consumer devices, such as mobile handsets and set-top boxes. The company�s Programmable Solutions division designs and develops programmable product offerings, inclu ding Programmable System-on-Chip (PSoC) devices, as well as CapSense and TrueTouch touch-sensing/touch screen products; and automotive products. This segment�s PSoC products are used in various industrial applications, mass storage, household appliances, laptop computers, and toys; TrueTouch touch screen products are used in mobile phones, tablets, e-readers, GPS, automobiles, digital cameras, and other mobile systems; and CapSense devices are used in various applications that employ buttons or sliders, including handsets and various other consumer, industrial, and automotive applications. Its Emerging Technology division provides foundry services, as well as other development stage activities. The company sells its semiconductor products through distributors, manufacturing representative firms, and its sales force to direct original equipment manufacturers and their manufacturers worldwide. Cypress Semiconductor Corporation founded in 1982 and is headquartered in San Jose, California.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Eric Volkman]

  Cypress Semiconductor (NASDAQ: CY  ) continues to reward its stockholders. The company has declared a quarterly dividend of $0.11 per share of its common stock, to be paid on July 18 to shareholders of record as of June 27. This amount is in line with Cypress Semiconductor's previous five distributions, the most recent of which was handed out in mid-April.

• [By Tim Melvin]

  The following is a list of stocks to sell or avoid, as they could be in for a negative double whammy.

  Stocks to Sell: Cypress Semiconductor (CY)

  I was almost disappointed to see that Cypress Semiconductor (CY) was up near the top of the double danger list. I am a big fan of CEO T.J. Rodgers but he is one of the largest sellers of Cypress shares. Five insiders have sold stock in the past month, and in all, they have sold 346,000 shares for more than $3.3 million since the first week of March.

10 Best Consumer Service Stocks To Buy Right Now: iShares Russell 2000 Index Fund (IWM)

iShares Russell 2000 Index Fund (the Fund) seeks investment results that correspond generally to the price and yield performance of the Russell 2000 Index (the Index). The Index measures the performances of the small capitalization sector of the United States equity market. The Index includes approximately 8% of the market capitalization of all publicly traded United States equity securities.

The Index is a subset of the Russell 3000 Index, and serves as the underlying index for the Russell 2000 Growth and Value Index series. The Index is a capitalization-weighted index of the approximately 2000 smallest companies in the Russell 3000 Index. The Fund uses a representative sampling strategy in seeking to track the Index. iShares Russell 2000 Index Fund's investment advisor is Barclays Global Fund Advisors.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Tom Lydon]

  Over the past three months, the iShares Russell 2000 (IWM) has gained 7.4%, compared to the broad market SPDR S&P 500 (SPY) that has added 4%. It has been noted that small-cap stocks tend to outperform large-caps during an economic recovery. Overall, this asset class also tends to add value to a portfolio, and reduces overall risk.

10 Best Consumer Service Stocks To Buy Right Now: NovaDx Ventures Corp (NDX)

NovaDX Ventures Corp. (Novadx) is a Canada-based mining investment company, engaged in investing in the North American junior resource exploration and mining sector. In January, 2012 a higher capacity auger machine was delivered to the Rosa Mine. During August 2012, the Company sold the small auger and paid off the higher capacity auger machine. On October 16, 2012,the Company announced that it, along with Sandstorm, have entered into a Letter of Intent to acquire certain coal properties and assets located in Campbell and Scott Counties, Tennessee. The Company�� wholly owned subsidiary MCoal Corporation (MCoal) operates the Rosa mine located in Blount Count, Alabama, which produces coal for the metallurgical and activated carbon coal markets. In January 2013, Sandstorm Metals and Energy Ltd together with the Company acquired Mine 12, the Turley Rail Load-Out, and the Smokey Junction Preparation Plant located in Campbell and Scott Counties, Tennessee. Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Jim Jubak]

  However, in all fairness, shares of Qualcomm have indeed lagged the Nasdaq 100 (NDX) over the past year. But despite that fact, Qualcomm is still currently rated a buy by a large percentage of analysts who continue to follow the stock. As Hendershot points out, perhaps that is because ��ualcomm believes the company can generate double-digit compound average growth for revenues and earnings for, at least, the next five years.��/p>

10 Best Consumer Service Stocks To Buy Right Now: Omnicare Inc (OCR)

Omnicare, Inc. (Omnicare) is a healthcare services company. The Company operates in two primary businesses: Long-Term Care Group (LTC) and Specialty Care Group (SCG). Through LTC, Omnicare provides pharmaceuticals and related pharmacy and ancillary services to long-term care facilities, as well as chronic care facilities and other settings. SCG provides commercialization services for the biopharmaceutical industry in addition to end-of-life pharmaceutical care management for hospice care agencies. At December 31, 2011, LTC provided its pharmacy services in 47 states in the United States, the District of Columbia and in Canada. In September 2012, Five Star Quality Care, Inc. sold its pharmacy business to Omnicare.

Long-Term Care Group

Omnicare operates the institutional pharmacy business in North America. LTC's customers consist of skilled nursing facilities (SNFs), assisted living facilities (ALFs), independent living communities, hospitals, correctional facilities, and other healthcare service providers. LTC consisted of approximately 83% of the Company�� total net sales during the year ended December 31, 2011 and dispensed approximately 115.1 million prescriptions. The Company provides pharmacy consulting, including monthly patient drug therapy evaluations, assist in compliance with state and federal regulations and provide clinical and health management programs (utilizing outcomes-based algorithm technology). LTC also provides a range of technology solutions based on its Omniview Web-based platform.

LTC also provides a range of other products and services, including intravenous medications and nutrition products (infusion therapy products and services), respiratory therapy services, medical supplies and equipment (including billing the Medicare Part B program for eligible patients) and clinical care planning. It also provides pharmaceutical case management services for retirees, employees and dependents. The Company purchases, repackages and dispenses presc! ription and non-prescription medication in accordance with physician orders and deliver such prescriptions to long-term care facilities for administration to individual residents (by the facilities��nursing staff for SNFs).

The Company services long-term care facilities typically within a radius of approximately 150 miles of its pharmacy locations and maintain an around-the-clock, seven-day per week, on-call pharmacist service for emergency dispensing and delivery, and for consultation with the facility's staff or attending physician. The Company utilizes a unit-of-use drug distribution system. This means that its prescriptions are packaged for dispensing in individual doses. The Company�� range of technologies allow Web-based access to electronic medical records, automated pharmacy billing, online medication refills and returns processing, census tracking, pre-admission medication assessment and access to the Omnicare Guidelines.

Specialty Care Group

SCG serves the needs of biopharmaceutical manufacturers, physicians, nurses, caregivers and patients. Its services are based on five platforms: brand support services, third party logistics, patient assistance programs, specialty pharmacy and disease management for end-of-life care. In the Company�� specialty pharmacy platform, it provides dispensing of specialized pharmaceuticals. These specialized drugs deal primarily with specific categories of drugs and disease states, such as rheumatoid arthritis, multiple sclerosis, oncology and growth hormones. In its end-of-life care platform, Omnicare provides hospice care pharmaceutical management. SCG accounted for approximately 17% of the Company�� total net sales during 2011.

Omnicare competes with PharMerica Corporation.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Grace L. Williams]

  Finally insiders bought at Omnicare (OCR), a long-term care pharmacy provider. Now CEO/former COO Nitin Sahney bought 10,000 shares for $584,900 and CFO Robert Kraft bought 1,500 shares for $90,000. InsiderScore writes that Sahney�� buy was the largest in at least 10 years at Omnicare and Kraft�� purchase was his first on record.

• [By John Kell]

  Omnicare Inc.(OCR) swung to an unexpected fourth-quarter loss on write-downs related to its hospice pharmacy business and certain certain retail operations that have been classified as discontinued operations. Results missed expectations, sending shares down 5.5% to $61 premarket.

• [By Marc Bastow]

  Healthcare services provider Omnicare (OCR) raised its quarterly dividend 43% to 20 cents per share, payable on Dec. 24 to shareholders of record as of Dec. 16.
  OCR Dividend Yield: 1.36%

10 Best Consumer Service Stocks To Buy Right Now: Titan Machinery Inc (TITN)

Titan Machinery Inc., incorporated in 1980, owns and operates a network of agricultural and construction equipment stores in the United States and Europe. The Company is a retail dealer of Case IH Agriculture equipment and a retail dealer of New Holland Agriculture, Case Construction and New Holland Construction equipment in the United States. It operates in two segments: Agriculture and Construction. The agricultural equipment, which it sells and services includes machinery and attachments for uses ranging from large-scale farming to home and garden use. The construction equipment it sells and services includes heavy construction and light industrial machinery for commercial and residential construction, road and highway construction and mining. On February 28, 2011, it acquired certain assets of Tri-State Implement, Inc. On March 31, 2011, the Company acquired interest in Schoffman's Inc. In July 2012, the Company acquired Curly Olney��, Inc. and opened two Case IH dealerships in Cluj and Roman, Romania. In November 2012, the Company acquired Falcon Power Inc. In December 2012, the Company acquired VAIT D.o.o. In February 2013, it acquired Tucson Tractor Company. In March 2013, it acquired Adobe CE, LLC, consisting of one Case Construction equipment dealership located in Albuquerque, New Mexico.

On April 1, 2011, the Company acquired certain assets of ABC Rental & Equipment Sales. On May 13, 2011, the Company acquired certain assets of Carlson Tractor & Equipment, Inc. On May 31, 2011, the Company acquired certain assets of St. Joseph Equipment Inc. On September 2, 2011, the Company acquired certain assets of Virgl Implement Inc. On September 2, 2011, the Company acquired certain assets of Victors Inc. On November 1, 2011, the Company acquired certain assets of Van Der Werff Implement, Inc. On December 1, 2011, the Company acquired certain assets of Jewell Implement Company, Inc. On December 23, 2011, the Company, through a newly formed subsidiary, Titan Machinery Romania, S.R.L., ac! quired certain assets of AgroExpert Capital S.R.L. On February 27, 2012, the Company acquired certain assets of the Colorado division of Adobe Truck & Equipment, LLC. On March 5, 2012, the Company acquired certain assets of Rimex 1-Holding EAD. On March 30, 2012, the Company acquired certain assets of Haberer's Implement, Inc. On April 2, 2012, the Company acquired certain assets of East Helena Rental, LLC.

Equipment Sales

The Company sells agricultural and construction equipment manufactured under the CNH family of brands, as well as equipment from a variety of other manufacturers. The used equipment it sells is from inventory acquired through trade-ins from its customers and selective purchases. The agricultural equipment, which it sells and services includes application equipment and sprayers, combines and attachments, hay and forage equipment, planting and seeding equipment, precision farming technology, tillage equipment and tractors. The construction equipment, which the Company sells and services includes articulated trucks, compact track loaders, compaction equipment, cranes, crawler dozers, excavators, forklifts, loader/backhoes, loader/tool carriers, motor graders, skid steer loaders, telehandlers and wheel loaders. The Company also sells used equipment through its outlet stores.

Parts Sales

The Company sells a range of maintenance and replacement parts on equipment that it sells, as well as other types of equipment. It maintains an in-house parts inventory to provide parts, and repair and maintenance support to its customers.

Repair and Maintenance Services

The Company provides repair and maintenance services, including warranty repairs, for its customers equipment. In addition, the Company provides customer service by maintaining service histories for each piece of equipment owned by its customers, maintaining around-the-clock service hours, providing on-site repair services, scheduling off-season maintenance acti! vities wi! th customers, notifying customers of periodic service requirements and providing training programs to customers.

Equipment Rental and Other Business Activities

The Company rents equipment to its customers on a short-term basis for periods ranging from a few days to a few months. In addition, the Company provides ancillary equipment support activities, such as equipment transportation, global positioning system (GPS) signal subscriptions in connection with precision farming and reselling CNH Capital finance and insurance products.

The Company competes with RDO Equipment Co., Butler Machinery, Ziegler Inc. and Brandt Holdings Co.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Rich Duprey]

  Clash of the titans
  Where Wal-Mart got a boost from its earnings, Titan Machinery (NASDAQ: TITN  ) was slashed as a result of its financial report as profits narrowed in the fourth quarter and it missed by a wide mark analyst expectations.�Even though it beat top line estimates as revenues jumped 29% from the year-ago period, Titan's per-share earnings came in at just $0.73, a $0.19 miss from what Wall Street was anticipating.

• [By Roberto Pedone]

  Titan Machinery (TITN) owns and operates a network of service agricultural and construction equipment stores in the U.S. and Europe. This stock closed up 3.1% to $17.65 in Thursday's trading session.

  Thursday's Volume: 1.71 million
  
  Three-Month Average Volume: 366,688
  
  Volume % Change: 377%

  From a technical perspective, TITN ripped higher off its intraday low of $15.89 with heavy upside volume. Shares of TITN are now starting to move within range of triggering a near-term breakout trade. That trade will hit if TITN manages to take out some near-term overhead resistance at $18.60 and then once it takes out its 50-day at $18.91 with high volume.

  Traders should now look for long-biased trades in TITN as long as it's trending above that low at $15.89 and then once it sustains a move or close above those breakout levels with volume that hits near or above 366,688 shares. If that breakout hits soon, then TITN will set up to re-test or possibly take out its next major overhead resistance levels at $21 to its 200-day moving average at $23.43 a share.

10 Best Consumer Service Stocks To Buy Right Now: Netflix Inc.(NFLX)

Netflix, Inc. provides Internet subscription services for TV shows and movies in the United States and internationally. The company offers its subscribers to watch unlimited TV shows and movies streamed over the Internet to their TVs, computers, and mobile devices. It also provides standard definition DVDs and Blu-ray discs to its subscribers. The company was founded in 1997 and is headquartered in Los Gatos, California.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Tim Beyers]

  Later tests with Apple TV and my iPhone featuring other TV and movie content produced similar results, proving that iCloud is now syncing in much the same way Netflix (NASDAQ: NFLX  ) does. It's a brilliant move that offers two clues about the iEmpire's thus-far enigmatic TV strategy:

• [By Sam Mattera]

  AFP/Getty Images TVs stand out as one of the premiere, big-ticket items of Black Friday. Even Kohl's (KSS), a store known for its clothing (not electronics), will have a few in stock that day, in an attempt to lure in a few extra bargain hunters. With so many different stores running specials, and all the different models on sale, there are literally dozens of different Black Friday TVs to choose from. While there are plenty of great deals available, a few stand out as being particularly noteworthy. Head to Walmart for the All-Around Cheapest Flat-Screen TV Walmart (WMT) will be selling a 32-inch LED Funai for just $98, making it one of the very cheapest TVs on sale this year. Discriminating buyers, however, should likely stay away -- Funai isn't in the same league as Sony (SNE) or Panasonic (PCRFY) when it comes to picture quality, and this particular set is just 720p (in contrast to full-HD 1080p). If you've never heard of Funai, the company generally sells its TVs under the Sylvania and Magnavox brands, two budget names not exactly known for their quality. Nevertheless, $98 for a 32-inch LED is hard (perhaps impossible) to beat. Shoppers looking for the cheapest flat-screen they can get their hands on should plan to be at Walmart Thanksgiving night. For a Great Deal on a Quality Samsung, Hit h.h. gregg At h.h. gregg (HGG), they'll also be offering a 32-inch LED, but unlike Walmart's Funai deal, this is on a model known for its quality. The set, Samsung's UN32EH5300, was declared one of the best 32-inch LCD TVs you can buy by LCD TV Buying Guide for 2012. It sports full-HD 1080p, and comes equipped with Samsung's smart TV suite -- owners can access digital content from sites like Netflix (NFLX) and Youtube. h.h. gregg will sell the TV for $299.99, what it claims is a 33 percent discount. Right now, Amazon (AMZN) is charging about $330 for the TV as part of its "Countdown to Black Friday" sale, making the h.h. gregg discount closer to 10 percent. (O

• [By Ben Levisohn]

  Only the Nasdaq Composite showed the true destruction: It fell 2.6% to 4,127.73 on Friday and finished off 0.7% on the week. Among the big losers: E*Trade Financial (ETFC), which plunged 9.6% to $20.43 on concerns about its “pay for order flow” practices, Akamai Technologies (AKAM), which fell 6.7% to $54.35, Netflix (NFLX), which dropped 6% to $337.31 despite the fact that it might get a boost from Amazon’s (AMZN) new set-top box. Regeneron Pharmaceuticals (REGN) dropped 4.9% to $285.34 as biotech stocks got drubbed.

10 FTSE 100 Shares to Soar in a Market Revival

LONDON -- You don't need to be investing for long to understand that some shares are a wilder ride than others. There is a statistical measure for this: the "beta." This encapsulates how volatile a share has been compared with the index.

Here are the FTSE 100's 10 largest high-beta shares.

Company

Price (pence)

Beta

Yield (forecast, %)

P/E (forecast)

Market Cap (million pound)

Lloyds Banking  (LSE: LLOY  )	61	2.2	0.0	13.5	43,595
Barclays  (LSE: BARC  )	298	2.5	2.5	8.1	38,293
Royal Bank of Scotland  (LSE: RBS  )	316	2.6	0.0	14.4	35,430
Anglo American	1426	1.8	3.8	11.1	19,875
Legal & General  (LSE: LGEN  )	171	1.8	5.0	11.1	10,106
Antofagasta	904	1.8	2.7	13.1	8,912
ITV	137	1.8	2.4	13.4	5,379
GKN	302	2.3	2.6	11.3	4,933
Weir  (LSE: WEIR  )	2162	1.7	1.9	14.2	4,607
Vedanta Resources	1212	2.7	3.1	10.0	3,230

I expect that each of the five shares below will continue exaggerating the market's movements and produce big gains if the bull market resumes.

Barclays
After starting the year at 262 pence, Barclays shares rose to a high of 333 pence when the FTSE 100 peaked in May. Since then, the shares have dropped back to 297 pence.

It is often argued that Barclays shares are a geared play on the success of the market. Price movement so far this year would seem to bear this out. However, Barclays could generate big returns for shareholders even in a lackluster market.

That is because, at less than 300 pence, Barclays shares are very cheap. Barclays is forecast to make 36.6 pence of EPS (earnings per share) in 2013. That puts the shares on a 2013 P/E of 8.1. The average FTSE 100 stock trades on a P/E of 13.6. Earnings and dividends are forecast to rise further this year and next.

Royal Bank of Scotland
The market was shocked recently by the announcement of RBS boss Stephen Hester's planned departure. Before the news broke, the shares traded at 326 pence. Two days later, they closed at 315 pence.

Hester has been key to the bank's rehabilitation. As a shareholder in RBS, I am very disappointed to be losing his talents. Now, RBS needs to find another experienced bank boss that the market has confidence in. You don't find those on Craigslist...

Shareholders will be hoping that the conduct of the board and government does not prevent RBS finding a capable banker that is willing to take the job.

RBS is forecast to make 31.4 pence of EPS in 2014. That equates to a 2014 P/E of just 10.1.

Lloyds Banking Group
Lloyds shares have remained at around their peak despite recent market falls. On Friday, the shares closed at 61.3 pence, hardly moved from their recent two year high of 63 pence.

Lloyds is much closer to privatization than RBS. Its business is also considered less dependent on investment banking revenues than Barclays. Perhaps as a result, its shares trade at a higher rating.

Lloyds shares are today available at 13.5 times forecasts for 2013, falling to 10.4 times the expected number for 2014. As its balance sheet improves, Lloyds also looks increasingly likely to begin paying shareholder dividends.

Unlike RBS and Barclays, Lloyds shares are trading at a premium to the company's net tangible asset value.

Weir Group
Glasgow-based Weir Group provides engineering services to the mining, oil and gas, and power industries. Customers in these sectors have little control of the price that they receive for their product. As a result, Weir is supplying to a customer base that must trade its way through market boom and bust. This impacts market perceptions of Weir's own prospects. The result is a high-beta share price.

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A quick look at Weir's five-year record suggests that the market may not be giving the company due credit. Weir is one of those exceptional companies that has managed to grow sales, profits, and dividends year on year for the last five years.

More growth is expected in the next two years, leaving the shares on a 2014 P/E of 12.9.

Legal & General
Shares in Legal & General have lost 10% since the recent market peak. The company owns a substantial investment management business. As such, the market often bids up the L&G share price during market rises and rushes to sell when the FTSE steps back.

That seems unfair, given the company's robust track record. Even in the depth of the financial crisis, L&G continued to pay a dividend. Only in 2008 did the company record a material decline in earnings.

At 171 pence, Legal & General is selling at 11.1 times broker forecasts for 2013. Further growth is expected the next year, pushing that P/E down to 10.4. A dividend of 8.5 pence per share is forecast this year, meaning a prospective yield of 5%.

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How Fannie and Freddie Became the Greatest Stock Story of the Year

Something very strange has been happening. Housing, in all regards, is actually turning around. Home prices are up. Housing starts are improving. Granted, this improvement leaves the housing market looking up at the pre-crash peak, but in relative terms and compared to earlier recessionary lows, it's been more than enough for optimism.

Source: Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis.

Plenty of housing stocks have reaped the rewards of this recovery, such as it is:

XHB Total Return Price data by YCharts.

And this is just a small sample of the stocks you could have bought into during the great post-crash housing recovery. Investors have had no shortage of opportunities, from the materials going toward constructing and improving homes for sale, to homebuilders themselves, to the banks offering loans to prospective homeowners. However, one (well, two) of the most important links in the American housing chain remained locked to the ground, unmoving -- until this spring.

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FNMA Total Return Price data by YCharts.

While the rest of the market was freaking out about solar stocks and electric cars, the common stocks of America's two most notable housing government-sponsored enterprises (GSEs) languished. Of course, this was almost certainly because both Fannie Mae (NASDAQOTCBB: FNMA  ) and Freddie Mac (NASDAQOTCBB: FMCC  ) were placed in conservatorship as the economy melted down in 2008, which has left common shareholders without a means of redress or indeed without any expectation of sharing in the fruits of recovery. But come March, the stocks began shooting up, and they've shot up again this month. What's going on?

The government owns about 80% of each GSE, which it obtained in 2008 in exchange for an influx of $187.5 billion in bailout funds. These two factors have kept the stocks depressed from the takeover until this spring, when Fannie Mae reported the expectation of "significant net income." That income turned out to be truly significant -- at more than $58 billion(most accrued through tax benefits), and Freddie Mac's $4.6 billion profit turned out to be the second-largest in its history as well. As a result of the great quarter, both GSEs are now closer than ever to bringing the government's net bailout cost down to zero:

GSE

Bailout 

Total Dividends Paid*

Net Bailout Cost

Fannie Mae	$116.2 billion	$95.0 billion	$21.2 billion
Freddie Mac	$71.3 billion	$36.6 billion	$35.0 billion
Total	$187.5 billion	$131.6 billion	$56.0 billion

Source: Reuters and Propublica.
*Includes announced second-quarter payments.

Make no mistake: This is still a hefty chunk of change. But it is far, far lower than the $128.4 billion net cost that Propublica reported earlier this year. Now that both Fannie and Freddie have been profitable for several consecutive quarters (and by all regards appear to be on track for more profitability), we can see roughly how long it'll be before these two GSEs provide the government a profit on the bailout -- an event that's sure to bring a righteous firestorm of investor lobbying to bear on returning shares to the public.

The latest quarter was deliberately left off this graph to present a clearer picture of how much each GSE returned to the Treasury under "normal" circumstances. And what exactly are "normal" circumstances now? Let's take a look at pre-tax profits over the same time frame, while including the most recent quarter for a picture of progress closer to the present:

The GSEs have been making solid progress, and a trend toward greater profitability is becoming clear. Since the start of 2012, Fannie and Freddie's average quarterly pre-tax profits have been $5.1 billion and $3.4 billion, respectively. Under these new "normal" circumstances, the GSEs have been paying out substantially all (about 90% in Fannie's case and over 100% in Freddie's case) of their profit to the Treasury, which is more or less how the new conservatorship structure works.

If these averages hold up (under 90% payouts), Fannie Mae would be able to pay approximately $4.6 billion per quarter from here on out, and Freddie would be able to pay $3.1 billion. Based on the current level of outstanding bailout debt, this rate would reduce Fannie's net bailout cost to zero in just five quarters, and Freddie's in 12 -- in either case, far faster than a reported 10-year timetablefor full repayment set by the Obama administration. That's even if you count a hoped-for $50 billion profit, which would take another seven quarters of repayment between the two GSEs.

It should therefore come as no surprise that a number of major hedge funds are now taking up positions in Fannie and Freddie's shares and are lobbying hard for the government to spin off its stake, again making Fannie and Freddie the publicly traded companies they once were. Even erstwhile presidential campaigner (and GSE stockholder) Ralph Nader is up in arms at the government's apparent dalliance over returning a cash cow to private ownership. With at least one writer now claiming that the Federal Housing Finance Agency (the GSEs' conservator) has breached its fiduciary dutyto shareholders, it seems likely that the Fannie and Freddie situation must be resolved far sooner than the government had hoped -- quite possibly in court, should Fannie and/or Freddie zero out their debts in the next two years or so.

Thanks to stricter lending requirements, higher fees, and a lack of real competition, Fannie and Freddie appear headed for record profitability, even when discounting the impact of tax charges. We're highly unlikely to see these two enterprises vanish from the American housing picture, considering that the vast majority of American mortgages now bear the Fannie or Freddie guarantee. If they do, there's a massive amount of assets (more than $5 trillion) to be wound down first and thus accrue to shareholders -- though preferred shareholders would get first crack -- another reason why institutional investors like the GSE story right now.

After an incredible rally, the remaining upside in Fannie and Freddie shares will depend largely on how effective large shareholders are in lobbying for the results they want. Fannie and Freddie didn't have the same strident voices in their favor as did the financial industry in 2008. Now they appear to. You might not like Wall Street, but do you really want to bet against it when it smells a good deal?

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