Chrysler Expected To Dominate March Car Sale

U.S. car sales in March are expected to rise to 1,477,000 units, a 1.7% gain from a year ago . The pace is not the sort the industry came to expect in 2012 and 2013. However, the dealer traffic damage done by the poor winter weather has probably ended.

According to Edmunds, a small number of the major brands will account for the improvement. First among these is Chrysler Group LLC, the ownership of which is controlled by Italian manufacturer Fiat. It has been – and still is — the smallest of The Big Three. In March it is expected to well outperform its two rivals

Edmunds expects Chrysler sales to rise 11.1% from March 2013. It is the only one of the major brands which is predicted to have a double digit improvement. Unit sales are expected to reach 190,684. That will put its performance relatively close to Japanese juggernaut Toyota Motor Corp. (NYSE: TM), whose sales are expected at 207,531 units, up only 1.1%.  This March had 26 selling days compared to 27 in March 2013.

The top two spots will continue to be held by the traditional industry leaders. General Motors Co. (NYSE: GM) sales should rise 0.5% to 247,101. Ford Motor Co. (NYSE: F) sales are expected to rise 1.6% to 239,423. Industry laggard Volkswagen AG will continue to struggle with sales off 4.2% to 48,825. VW vies with GM and Toyota each year for the spot as the world’s largest car company by units sold. It is the leading car company in Europe, and competes for that title with China–the world’s largest car market. Without a strong foothold in the United States — the world’s second largest market – it will be nearly impossible to overtake either GM or VW.

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Chrysler’s improvement is especially impressive for two reasons. The first is the its does so poorly in customer satisfaction studies. In the latest J.D. Power 2014 U.S. Vehicle Dependability Study, Chrysler ranked well below average, and its Jeep and Dodge brands did even worse.

Chrysler also has a more modest model line than other large car companies. Its flagship division has two mainstays – -the 300 and 200. Jeep competes in a market packed with other SUVs. And its Dodge sports division competes with both U.S. sports line-ups and popular products from both Europe and Japan.

Despite these barriers, Chrysler’s growth in March will be the envy of the industry

Holding Out for a Bank Hero

Surprisingly, the fed rejected this bank's capital plan, and MoneyShow's Jim Jubak thinks that, in order to move past this hurdle and turn things around, the bank needs to admit culpability and be willing to change.

Ouch! On March 26, the Federal Reserve rejected Citigroup's (C) capital plan.

No dividend increase from a penny a quarter to 5 cents a share, as the bank had planned. No $6.4 billion stock buyback as Wall Street had calculated.

Investors were not amused. Shares of Citigroup fell to $47.75 on March 27 from $50.30 on March 25. That's a 5% drop.

The buy/sell/hold decision now rests on how serious you think the problems are that the Fed flagged. (Citigroup is a member of my Jubak's Picks portfolio.)

The Fed's rejection of the bank's capital plan came as a surprise to the market (and to me). Citigroup had passed Round one of the Fed's stress test of 30 big US banking operations. The bank's 6.5% Tier 1 capital ratio under the stress test scenario was, after all, above the Fed's 5% minimum.

So, Citigroup should have been allowed to go ahead with its capital plan, no?

Well, no.

The Fed rejected the bank's plan, not because Citigroup didn't have adequate capital under the conditions of the Fed's test, but because the Fed had serious reservations about the quality of the bank's ability to estimate revenue and the accuracy of the loss projections that the bank calculated for the stress test. The Fed particularly cited problems with projections in "material parts of the firm's global operations."

In other words, the Fed didn't object to the quantity of the bank's capital, but to the quality of the bank's management of its business.

The difference is huge for shareholders. It's relatively easy to fix a capital ratio problem. You sell off some assets to reduce the capital you need (and to raise the ratio), and you can also raise some capital in the markets. The path is very well explored. A bank doesn't need to invent anything from scratch.

Meeting the Fed's challenge to improve management isn't nearly as easy. Remember that the current CEO at Citigroup, Michael Corbat, took over in 2012, when investors lost patience with the pace of efforts to restructure the bank under then-CEO Vikram Pandit. And remember that the Fed's criticism comes hard on the heels of an investigation into a $400 million fraud involving Citigroup's Mexican unit, Banamex. The New York Times has also reported that federal prosecutors are looking into internal controls at Citigroup's international payment business. The worry is that the bank's internal controls aren't sufficiently tight to prevent money laundering.

All this has led for calls for change, as limited as replacing the bank's current chief financial officer, to as major as breaking up the bank as "too big to manage."

So far—and it's been only a couple of days, I grant you—I haven't found CEO Corbat's response to the Fed's veto to be particularly encouraging to me as a shareholder. The bank's initial response—and it's in keeping with the response to the Fed's stress test for big US banks in general—has been to blame the Fed and fault the process. A quote in the Financial Times from an unnamed Citigroup executive sums up this attitude: "Every year the Fed has to pick on someone and this year it was us—it seems, because of our global complexity."

Yeah, like there aren't real problems with that "global complexity."

I think it's pretty clear that if it comes down to a contest between the Fed and Citigroup, that Citigroup will be the loser—especially since the bank begins any contest with that Banamex fraud case hanging around its neck.

Will Citigroup move past this "poor me" response to change its structure and organization in ways that let the bank prove that it's not too big to manage and that it's not a grab bag of businesses put together by former CEOs? The bank has under-invested in businesses, such as its credit card unit in recent years, as it fought its way out of it's post-global fiscal crisis hole. That's the big promise in Citigroup's future, but to get there, the bank has to admit its current structural problems (and they're not limited to those flagged by the Fed).

I'd like to see Corbat lay out a plan for doing that. I'm willing to give him some time to do that. But not forever. Until I hear that from the bank's CEO, I'd call this a hold.

Full disclosure: I don't own shares of any of the companies mentioned in this post in my personal portfolio. When in 2010 I started the mutual fund I manage, Jubak Global Equity Fund, I liquidated all my individual stock holdings and put the money into the fund. The fund may or may not now own positions in any stock mentioned in this post. The fund did not own shares of Citigroup as of the end of December. For a full list of the stocks in the fund see the fund's portfolio here.

Fat-blocking diet pill recalled after tampering

Obesity experts say the recall of the over-the-counter fat-blocking diet pill Alli is a setback for dieters.

The maker of Alli (pronounced AL-eye) is voluntarily recalling all the weight loss products from U.S. and Puerto Rico retailers because the company believes that some packages of the product were tampered with and may contain product that is not authentic.

GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) Consumer Healthcare said it received inquiries from consumers in seven states about bottles of Alli that contained tablets and capsules that were not the weight-loss product. Alli, a non-prescription version of the drug orlistat, prevents about 25% of fat from being absorbed by the intestines.

This is a real setback for patients and doctors who are trying to manage weight to improve health, says obesity researcher Donna Ryan, professor emeritus at the Pennington Biomedical Research Center in Baton Rouge. "From a patient perspective, it is a loss. Patients say the medication works. It helps them avoid tempting high-fat meals and snacks.

"From a doctor's perspective, this is the only over-the-counter medication that had evidence published in peer-reviewed journals to support efficacy and safety," Ryan says. "Everything else on the shelf next to it has simply a claim and almost all have no effect whatsoever. There is four-year data to support this medication as being effective in preventing weight regain."

GSK is conducting an investigation of the tampered products and is working with the Food and Drug Administration on the retailer-level recall. "Safety is our first priority," said Deborah Bolding, a spokeswoman for the company. "We want people to look at the Alli they have at home on their medicine shelf and make sure it's authentic.

"If they think they have a product that has been tampered with, we'd like them to call us at 800-671-2554 and get the product back to us. We'll make it easy for them to get it back to us. If that product has in fact been tampered with, it will be part of the i! nvestigation," Bolding says.

Alli is a turquoise blue capsule with a dark blue band imprinted with the text 60 Orlistat, she says. It is packaged in a labeled bottle that has an inner foil seal imprinted with the words: "Sealed for Your Protection." Consumers should confirm any Alli in their possession matches this description. Pictures of the product are available on the company's website, www.myalli.com.

Alli diet pills. Alli capsules are a new clinically proven over-the-counter weight loss aid produced by GlaxoSmithKline.(Photo: Carl Court, AP, for GlaxoSmithKline)

A range of tablets and capsules of various shapes and colors were reported to be found inside bottles, Bolding says, and some bottles inside the outer carton were missing labels and had tamper-evident seals that were not authentic. These tampered products were purchased in retail stores.

Alli is offered in a 60-milligram dose and is supposed to be taken up to three times a day with meals. Those meals should contain no more than 15 to 20 grams of fat or the dieter risks side effects such as urgent need to go to the bathroom, gas or loose stools.

Motivated dieters who are eating better and exercising can expect to drop a little more weight if they take the drug. The Alli label says that for every 5 pounds a person loses on his or her own, Alli will increase that loss by another 2 to 3 pounds. The medication costs between $50 to $70, depending on the pill count of the package.

Orlistat is sold in a larger dose by prescription as Xenical by Roche Holding AG.

Shares of GlaxoSmithKline were up 0.6% to $54.26 in morning trading.

EU-US Summit: Transatlantic Trade, Russia Sanctions Top Agenda

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NEW YORK (TheStreet) -- Reducing Europe's dependence on Russian gas is one of the aims of a free-trade accord discussed at today's EU-US summit in Brussels, President Barack Obama's first visit to the EU capital.

He met with European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso and EU President Herman Van Rompuy to discuss ways to strengthen transatlantic ties - economically, politically, and even militarily - as tensions remain high over Russia's annexation of Crimea.

"Events in Ukraine and elsewhere go to show that there are many unsettling uncertainties, and that's why the solid certainty of the transatlantic relationship is so crucial," Van Rompuy told journalists after the summit, which lasted just over an hour. "It is the bedrock to face these challenges, a bond of friendship tested by history, and that bond is shock-proof. Cooperation among our countries is unrivaled."

President Obama, who attended the summit after paying tribute to American World War I veterans in Flanders, north of Brussels, underscored that Europe and the 28-nation EU is the "cornerstone of America's engagement around the globe." "We are more secure and we are more prosperous, the world is safer, and more just," he said, "when Europe and America stand as one." The two sides recently launched talks on a free-trade treaty the EU says can boost its economy by 119 billion Euros ($164.2 billion) a year and that of the United States by 95 billion Euros a year. Besides slashing tariffs for all sectors, the aim is to tackle barriers at the customs border -- like differences in technical regulations, standards and approval procedures - to make it easier for companies big and small to export in either direction. Currently, when a car is approved as safe in the EU, it still has to go through a new approval procedure in the U.S. under similar safety standards. A free trade pact is expected to boost EU car exports to Europe by as much as 149%, boosted by the already strong two-way trade in parts and components. That could give an added boost to Germany's Volkswagen, Mercedes-Benz and BMW, already among the top-selling foreign brands in the U.S. As for other industrial sectors, the EU predicts a 12% rise in metal exports to the U.S. post-treaty, 9% in processed foods and in chemicals, 6% in other manufactured goods and 6% in transportation equipment unrelated to cars. On Wednesday, both sides gave reassurances that they won't push for a pact at the price of sacrificing environmental standards or consumer protections. "I have fought my entire political career and as president to strengthen consumer protections," Obama said. "I have no intention of signing legislation that would weaken those protections." Nor does the Commission's negotiating mandate on behalf of the EU's 28 member states allow for any kind of weakening of standards, said Commission President Barroso. Freer trade is also seen as a way to reduce Europe's dependence on natural gas from Russia, all the more urgent in the wake of the Ukraine crisis. Obama said freer trade should make it easier for the U.S. to export liquefied natural gas to Europe, "something that's obviously relevant in today's geopolitical climate." Already, the U.S. has authorized the export of as much natural gas as Europe uses every day, he said. He also urged Europe to look for other sources of energy, cautioning that, "just as there's no easy, free simple way to defend ourselves, there's no perfect, free, ideal, cheap energy sources." At the same time, the EU and the US to stand shoulder to shoulder against Russia's actions in Ukraine, and waved the threat of additional sanctions if the situation escalates. "If Russia continues on its current course," Obama said, "the isolation will deepen. Sanctions will increase and there will be growing consequences for the Russian economy.....This reflects the enduring commitment to the goal that has brought Europe and the United States together for decades - a Europe that is whole and free and at peace." EU President Van Rompuy emphasized that sanctions should not be an end in itself, underscoring the need to stabilize the situation politically, economically and financially, "because that is the best answer." President Obama had a packed 24 hours in Brussels, meeting briefly with NATO Secretary-General Anders Fogh Rasmussen and ending the day with an evening speech to students in central Brussels before jetting to Rome to meet with Pope Francis.

-- Written by Renee Cordes in Brussels.

Facebook and Google in tech Cold War

Facebook and Google are spending billions of dollars to ensure that they remain relevant in the rapidly changing technology landscape.

NEW YORK (CNNMoney) Facebook and Google are locked in a high-stakes, multi-billion dollar battle to shape the future.

Both companies are spending like crazy on emerging technologies. Their aims: when their current businesses are disrupted -- and they will be -- they'll have a fallback plan.

"While Facebook is doing well now, it knows that its core business could degrade just as MySpace's did," said Carl Howe, analyst at Yankee Group.

That's why Facebook (FB, Fortune 500) has poured billions of dollars into a photo sharing network, facial recognition software, a chat app and now virtual reality company Oculus. Google (GOOG, Fortune 500), in turn, has invested billions in driverless cars, wearable gadgets, military robots and -- most recently through its purchase of Nest -- connected home devices like smoke detectors and thermostats.

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It's as if Facebook and Google are now combatants in Silicon Valley's version of a Cold War arms race.

"Facebook and Google are high technology titans engaged in a real world game of 'Monopoly' to grab the choicest technology properties in a bid to maintain and extend their dominance with each other as well and various other rivals," said Laura DiDio principal analyst at consultancy ITIC.

These are long-term bets. For all their attempts to diversify, neither company's purchases have helped them expand beyond their core business models just yet. Both Google and Facebook generated about 90% of their revenue from advertising last year.

By buying Oculus, Facebook is ! betting that the next tech wave could be ruled by wearable devices. Google is making a similar bet with Glass and its Android Wear smartwatch platform.

  Punch a shark with the Oculus Rift

The big question is whether Facebook bought the right wearable company.

Mark Zuckerberg said on a conference call with analysts Tuesday that he believes virtual reality has a chance to become the communications platform of the future.

But Oculus is unlike most wearable devices -- it is closed off from the rest of the world, taking over most of your senses, including your entire field of vision. That's great for gaming but it's not like we're going to be able to walk down the street with these things as we do today with smartphones and could even do one day with smartwatches and Google Glass.

"Oculus has a lot of cool, very immersive applications," said Ron Gruia, principal consultant at Frost & Sullivan. "At the same time, Oculus is very isolating, limiting its usefulness."

Even if it doesn't succeed, the bet seems to be worth it for Facebook. The company spent $2 billion on Oculus but only $400 million in cash -- loose change for a company with $11.5 billion in its corporate coffers.

But in the emerging Cold War between Facebook and Google, Facebook can't take quite as many risks. Google has $59 billion in cash and can lose a bet every once in a while, as it did with Motorola Mobility. (Google bought Motorola for $12.5 billion in 2011 but subsequently shed most of the assets, including the recent sale of Motorola's smartphone business to Lenovo for about $3 billion.)

Google's mission of cataloging information is also broader than Facebook's "connecting people" goal. So while Facebook can make wild bets like it is w! ith Oculu! s, it has less wiggle room than Google in ensuring they pay off. Investors showed their disapproval on Wednesday as well. Shares of Facebook were down more than 3%.

But give both companies credit for knowing they can't rest on their laurels. Google CEO Larry Page and Facebook's Zuckerberg seem to recognize that it's not easy to stay on top of the tech world forever.

Numerous firms that were once industry titans fell to Earth after they failed to adapt to a new wave of technology. In fact, both companies literally have their headquarters in the graveyard of former tech darlings.

Facebook's Menlo Park offices are in the former home of Sun Microsystems, which Oracle (ORCL, Fortune 500) snapped up in 2010. And Google lives in the former headquarters of Silicon Graphics Inc. -- the once-mighty computing company that filed for bankruptcy in 2009.

Krantz: Brokers' fee gimmick can really rob you

USA TODAY markets reporter Matt Krantz answers a different reader question every weekday. To submit a question, e-mail Matt at mkrantz@usatoday.com.

Q: Is my broker tricking me by selling investments with high fees?

A: Brokers face endless temptations. And pushing their clients into investments with high fees are one of them.

Investors often seek so-called free advice from brokers and other financial advisers. But investors often forget, while the financial plan might be free, the brokers are finding other ways to make money for their time. Understanding the business model of a person giving you advice is essential.

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One of brokers' favorite ways to make money, without raising the suspicion of investors, is by selling investments with higher fees. Doing so might enrich the broker in several ways, including commissions or sales loads. These forms of payment are useful for brokers because they allow them to get paid, but at the same time, still allows them to offer "free" or low cost financial services to clients. Worse yet, a broker might charge for their advice, and, still put the client in a high-fee investment.

The good news is that it's easy to check if this is happening to you. You'll want to look up the fees charged by any investment at a financial Web site like USA TODAY's Money section. If the fee is higher than what's charged on similar investments, it's time to ask your broker some hard questions.

TRACK YOUR STOCKS: Get real-time quotes with our free Portfolio Tracker

Follow Matt Krantz on Twitter: @mattkrantz.

The Hows And Whys Behind Microsoft Windows Vista's Tumble

Since it was first launched by Bill Gates in 1986, Microsoft (NASDAQ: MSFT) has developed into the world’s premier computer software manufacturer.

It has virtually cornered the market on every element of personal computing -- and its flagship software product, Microsoft Windows, is the go-to operating system for just about every PC in the world. But Microsoft doesn’t always do everything right. There are occasions when the seemingly perfect company creates an imperfect product, and Microsoft’s Windows Vista operating system is one of those products.
The Windows Vista operating system was released to the public in late 2006/early 2007. By June of 2008 barely nine percent of all of the world’s business PCs were reportedly running the flawed OS. The public usually falls in love with Microsoft all over again, every time they release a new operating system -- but in the case of Vista they went the other way. So what was it about this particular product that made it such a magnet for criticism?

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Part of the blame can be attributed to the “I’m a Mac” advertising campaign, launched by Microsoft’s chief competitor, Apple (NASDAQ: AAPL). This campaign was initiated just after, and in response, to the release of Vista. It essentially demonized the operating system as user-unfriendly and rife for viruses and other major operating issues.

It also didn’t help matters that Microsoft’s previous operating system,Windows XP, had been running on roughly 600 million personal computers around the world, and that users had become accustomed to the smooth running OS. It had been running on Windows 9X and NT code bases, which contributed to its success.

Vista attempted to run on a new code base which proved to be problematic, in sort of an “if-it-ain’t-broke-don’t-fix-it” kind of way.

One of the most common criticisms of Vista by IT professionals was what became known as “software bloat”.

This term essentially pointed to the fact that the multitude of changes and additions to the operating system can cause the code to become to vast and unmanageable. Its more than 50 million lines of code were significantly more than its predecessor’s 35 million, which apparently made for an excruciatingly slow system.

To make matters worse, Vista was entirely incompatible with already existing hardware and software components that had been ideally suited to Windows XP. Subsequently, IT departments across the country and around the world adamantly rejected Vista -- and before long word of its ineptitude reached the masses who had the truth their own bad experiences with the operating system confirmed.

Once that happened, sales of Microsoft Vista plummeted.

And finally, unbeknownst to many, there never was supposed to be a Microsoft Vista in the first place. Microsoft originally intended to forego the “physical” product inherent to its previous operating systems -- i.e., the CD-Rom packaged in boxes and available on store shelves – and switch to a yearly subscription format that could be purchased and renewed entirely online. The business model that was attached to this concept, however, was one that the company was unable to properly execute -- so it was forced to revert back to designing a new operating system based on the old model.

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By that time, however, they were on a much shorter deadline and the logistics became bogged down in insistence on meeting the parameters of the new timetable -- and the result was, well, Microsoft Vista.

Posted-In: advertising Bill Gates IT marketing Personal computers software bloat Windows VistaPsychology Markets Tech Media General Best of Benzinga

© 2014 Benzinga.com. Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved.

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Ford reviews Russian operations as ruble weakens

MOSCOW-Ford Motor Co.'s (F) Russian joint-venture, Ford Sollers, has put its operation under review and is eying possible production cutbacks due to weakening economic conditions and a sharp drop in the ruble accelerated by sanction threats over Russia's occupation of Crimea, a company official said Monday.

Foreign auto manufacturers have invested heavily in Russia in recent years, but a 5% decline in overall sales last year because of a slowing Russian economy followed by further economic instability following the events in Ukraine has cast a shadow over the once fast-growing market.

"The ongoing weakening of the ruble puts additional pressure on the Ford Sollers business. As always, we are constantly monitoring the overall economic situation and will act according to the changing environment," the company said in a statement.

A Ford Sollers spokeswoman wouldn't confirm a report in Russian business daily Vedomosti that the company plans a two-month shutdown at its Vsevolozhsk factory near St. Petersburg, but said production scalebacks are among several possibilities being discussed.

"We are reviewing our operations and are working on a major new plan," spokeswoman Elizaveta Novikova said. "We have not committed to anything."

Ford has been one of the fastest growing companies in Russia in terms of local manufacturing, boosting production to seven lines from two since the beginning of 2012. But the company saw an 18% drop in sales in Russia last year as demand for compact cars declined sharply.

Sales of the Ford Focus, which is produced at the joint-venture's St. Petersburg plant, fell 27% in 2013, according to the Association of European Businesses in Russia.

The partnership adjusted production at the plant -- which has a capacity for 125,000 cars a year and employs 3,000 people -- several times last year, cutting back to two shifts from three and halting production entirely for almost a month. The moves resulted in an unspecified amount of layoffs, the company said at the time.

Analysts and industry experts had long predicted that Russia -- which had seen annual growth of more than 30% in recent years -- would soon surpass Germany as Europe's top auto market. But many now say they don't expect Russia to pass Germany until closer to 2020.

The market's promise has led several foreign producers to invest billions in ramping up production capacity a sales slumped in Europe. In 2012, General Motors Co. pledged $1 billion to bring capacity within the country up to 350,000 cars a year by 2018. Later that year, Volkswagen AG committed $1.25 billion to build an engine factory. Last year, Ford Sollers broke ground on a $274 million engine plant.

And the Renault-Nissan alliance is expected to finalize a $742 million deal to take control of Russia's largest car manufacturer, OAO AvtoVAZ. Together, the three companies aim to have a combined capacity of 1.7 million cars by 2016.

Write to Lukas I. Alpert at Lukas.Alpert@wsj.com

Dow Jones Newswires

Congress Complains About Drug Prices and Other Small Cap Biotech News (GILD, ECYT, ASTM & TNIB)

At the end of this week, congressional scrutiny was weighting down large cap biotech Gilead Sciences, Inc (NASDAQ: GILD) and dragging down much of the biotech sector, but there was still good news surrounding small cap biotech stocks like Endocyte, Inc (NASDAQ: ECYT), Aastrom Biosciences Inc (NASDAQ: ASTM) and TNI BioTech (OTCMKTS: TNIB) plus there were more biotech IPOs which debuted:

Congress Takes Aim at Gilead Sciences and the High Cost of Drugs. A letter from three Democrats on the House's Energy and Commerce Committee requesting a briefing with Gilead Sciences regarding its Sovaldi Hep C drug that the FDA approved back in February helped to send the stock down 4.57% today. The letter stated:

Our concern is that a treatment will not cure patients if they cannot afford it. Reports indicate that Gilead intends to sell Sovaldi at $84,000 per treatment. In cases where Sovaldi is prescribed with other treatments the costs could be even higher.

The letter ends by asking for a briefing no latter than April 3, 2014. However, the letter alone does not appear to be causing any panic among investors as some have apparently decided to trim some of their biotech positions in the wake of a strong run from the sector. The iShares NASDAQ Biotechnology Index ETF (NASDAQ: IBB) lost 4.74% while the SPDR S&P Biotech ETF (NYSEARCA: XBI) lost 4.18%.

26 Biotech IPOs for This Year and Counting. This week, Akebia Therapeutics, Inc (NASDAQ: AKBA) and MediWound (NASDAQ: MDWD) were the latest small cap IPOs to join the biotech IPO party by bringing in $170 million. Specifically, Akebia Therapeutics, which has AKB-6548 working through a Phase IIb trial in patients with anemia secondary to chronic kidney disease, raised $100 million by selling about 5.9 million shares at a top-of-the-range $17 each while Israel based MediWound raised $70 million at the low end of its range to fund Phase III trials for its topical burn treatment, NexoBrid. FierceBiotech noted that these two biotech IPOs make for 26 successful biotech IPOs in the first quarter alone after bullish investors welcomed nearly 40 life sciences companies onto the public markets in 2013.  

Endocyte, Inc Surges 92.42%. This morning before the market opened, small cap Endocyte and its partner Merck announced that European Union regulators had said its drug Vynfinit should be approved as a treatment for ovarian cancer plus the company said the drug helped slow the progression of lung cancer. Merck and Endocyte had announced a partnership in April 2012 with the former paying the latter $120 million upfront plus ECYT could get more than $1 billion if Vynfinit is successfully developed as a treatment for multiple types of cancer. Moreover, Cowen and Co. analyst Simos Simeonidis said EU regulators should make a final decision on the drug within three months. He expects them to approve Vynfinit and said the drug should be launched a short time later. Endocyte is up 165.5% since the start of the year, up 186.6% over the past year and up 264.4% since February 2011.

Aastrom Biosciences Rises 70%+ in Two Days on No News. Small cap Aastrom Biosciences, which is developing patient-specific, expanded multicellular therapies for use in the treatment of patients with severe, chronic cardiovascular diseases, surged 30.58% today after rising more than 25% on Thursday. There has been no apparent news but trading volume today was 5.39M verses a daily average of 199,704. The most recent news from Aastrom Biosciences was an earnings report late last week – meaning the big moves yesterday and today appear to be technical in nature. Otherwise, it should be noted that Nick Colangelo, the President and CEO of Aastrom Biosciences, will present at the 2014 Regen Med Investor Day on Wednesday, March 26 at 3:15 pm. Aastrom Biosciences is up 97.2% since the start of the year, down 74.6% over the past year and down 7.3% over the past five years.

TNI BioTech Reports a Couple of Pieces of News. Small cap biotech TNI BioTech, which is working to combat chronic, life-threatening diseases through the activation and modulation of the body's immune system using patented immunotherapy, has had a couple of recent announcements. To begin with, TNI BioTech has announced that the US Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) has granted a key patent for IRT-101 (MENK) for inducing sustained immune response of T-Cells plus the The Brewer Group, Inc., a global investment advisory firm, announced a new strategic partnership with TNIB to provide tailored services including investment banking advisory as well as government, investor relations and marketing support.  Finally, TNI BioTech announced the formation of a new subsidiary called Cytocom, Inc, for the purpose of developing Low Dose Naltrexone (LDN) and Met-enkephalin (MENK). This comes after TNI BioTech spent last year developing a manufacturing and distribution network for sale of LDN into emerging nations and had discussions with the FDA and EMA to begin clinical trials in the United States. 

FedEx profit rises but misses expectations

FedEx cut its profit forecast Wednesday after reporting third quarter results that missed Wall Street expectations.

FedEx projects earnings for the full year of $6.55 to $6.80 a share, down from a previous forecast last quarter of $6.73 to $7.10 a share. Its shares had been down 3.6% this year after gaining 57% last year.

The familiar culprit: bad weather.

"Historically severe winter weather significantly affected our third quarter earnings," said CEO Frederick W. Smith, in a statement. "On days when the weather was closer to normal seasonal conditions, our volumes were solid and service levels were high."

Earnings per share of $1.23, excluding some items, failed to meet estimates. Analysts surveyed by FactSet expected $1.45 per share. FedEx projects earnings for the full year of $6.55 to $6.80 a share, down from a previous forecast last quarter of $6.73 to $7.10 a share.

"While severe winter weather often affects our third-quarter results, the impact from multiple severe storms and frigid temperatures was significantly more pronounced this year and we are reducing our full-year earnings per share guidance as a result of the winter impact," said Alan B. Graff., Jr., FedEx chief financial officer, in a statement.

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Revenue of $11.3 billion for the third quarter was up 3% from $11 billion the previous year. Operating income of $641 million was up 9% from $589 million last year. Net income of $378 million was up 5% from last year's $361 million.

FedEx shares were down .34% -- about 47-cents to $138.10 -- in pre-market trading.

The Memphis-based company employs more than 300,000.

Contributing: Associated Press

Hot Blue Chip Companies For 2014

Hot Blue Chip Companies For 2014: Philip Morris International Inc(PM)

Philip Morris International Inc., through its subsidiaries, engages in the manufacture and sale of cigarettes and other tobacco products in markets outside of the United States. Its international product brand line comprises Marlboro, Merit, Parliament, Virginia Slims, L&M, Chesterfield, Bond Street, Lark, Muratti, Next, Philip Morris, and Red & White. The company also offers its products under the A Mild, Dji Sam Soe, and A Hijau in Indonesia; Diana in Italy; Optima and Apollo-Soyuz in the Russian Federation; Morven Gold in Pakistan; Boston in Colombia; Belmont, Canadian Classics, and Number 7 in Canada; Best and Classic in Serbia; f6 in Germany; Delicados in Mexico; Assos in Greece; and Petra in the Czech Republic and Slovakia. It operates primarily in the European Union, Eastern Europe, the Middle East, Africa, Asia, Canada, and Latin America. The company is based in New York, New York.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Matthew Coffina]

  Philip Morris International (PM)

  Among our holdings, Philip Morris is arguably the most exposed to depreciating emerging market currencies, since it doesn't have any US sales. Unfortunately, currency fluctuations are an unavoidable tradeoff for emerging markets' relatively stable cigarette volumes.

• [By Lawrence Meyers]

  That means you should go with either Altria Group (MO) or Philip Morris International (PM). And if you’re only interested in buying one, I think I'd select MO stock. It pays a slightly better divided (5.2% vs. 4.7%).

• [By Ben Levisohn]

  Shares of Lorillard have jumped 4.6% to $51.29 at 1:32 p.m. today, while Reynolds American has gained 2.5% to $52.12 and British American Tobacco has dropped 1.1% to $107.62. Altria Group (MO), meanwhile, has risen 0.4% to $36.43 and Philip Morris International (PM) has! declined 0.9% to $80.21.

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

Genworth Financial Has Rocket Growth and the Price Is Right

NEW YORK (TheStreet) --Shares of Genworth Financial (GNW) have had a phenomenal ride higher since the lows of 2009. It was considered "dead in the water" when shares hit a low of 85 cents.

As of Wednesday, the stock is trading at $17.60, up nearly 3% and up over 13% for the year to date. Shares are over 20 times higher, as the five-year chart below powerfully illustrates.


GNW data by YCharts

As implied by the chart, as goes the company's free cash flow, so goes its share price. Genworth supplies insurance for three important sectors of the American economy: home mortgages, health care and life insurance. Because of its active focus in all three, I expect Genworth to thrive over the next two years.

The company's shares experienced a 2.6% spike on Wednesday on heavier than normal volume. Having followed the company over the past year I'm still convinced Genworth's stock is still a bargain with good upside potential.

Genworth's CEO Tom McInerney spoke at the annual Inter-company Long Term Care Insurance (ILTCI) conference in Orlando, Fla., on Tuesday. He discussed the new business model and regulatory framework that Genworth wants for a robust private market for long-term care insurance.

McInerney is guiding Genworth towards being a dominant leader in the long-term care business. The public is just beginning to wake up to the vital need for LTC insurance for the rapidly aging baby-boomer demographic.

Stock quotes in this article: GENW 

According to Medicare, at least 70% of people over 65 will need long-term care services at some point in their lives. In a survey conducted by Genworth in 2013, the company learned the median cost of long-term care in the U.S. was more than $80,000 per year and expected to keep rising.

Genworth's outlook for mortgage insurance is also positive for the next two years as the housing market continues its strong recovery. Genworth's other profitable products include annuities and life insurance.

The Price Is Right

While similar publicly traded insurers are priced at about 1.2 times book value, Genworth has a price-to-book (P/B) ratio of only 0.6. It's no wonder that shares of Genworth have been labeled a stock market bargain by a number of analysts.

Analysts like me are beginning to realize that the disparity in Genworth's low P/B ratio suggests a share price closer to $22. That's almost 30% above the intraday low of $17.10 on March 19th. The one-year chart below illustrates the low, trailing Price to Book Value and the correlation to the share price.


GNW data by YCharts

If shares of Genworth traded with a P/B ratio of close to 1, that alone should lift the share price to around $28, which is my two-year target price estimate for GNW.

Another key metric of undervaluation is the company's forward, one-year projected PE ratio. In Genworth's case the forward PE is less than 10, suggesting the shares remain inexpensive.

As the mortgage, health care and life insurance businesses steadily accelerates in the months ahead, Genworth is situated for more sales growth than Wall Street anticipates. That's another reason why it's a huge opportunity for investors before the smart money realizes that Genworth's shares are too cheap.

The company, which dates back to 1871, has over $100 billion in assets and $9.4 billion in trailing 12-month revenue, ! according to Yahoo! Finance. The analysts who cover the company estimate on average that Genworth can earn close to $1.50 a share in 2014 on $9.6 billion in revenue. For 2015 they believe EPS will grow to $1.90 a share on revenue of $9.8 billion.

Investors are starting to pay attention. If, as I anticipate, the company exceeds expectations in its next earnings report at the end of April, the stock price should pop. That's why I'm bullish on Genworth Financial and why investors should seriously consider it as an undervalued stock bargain before it's too late.

Top Low Price Stocks To Buy For 2014

At the time of publication the author had no positions in GNW.

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This article represents the opinion of a contributor and not necessarily that of TheStreet or its editorial staff.

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Stock quotes in this article: GENW  Marc Courtenay is the founder and owner of Advanced Investor Technologies, LLC, as well as the publisher and editor of www.ChecktheMarkets.com.

Top 10 Heal Care Companies For 2014

Top 10 Heal Care Companies For 2014: ANN Inc (ANN)

ANN INC., incorporated in 1988, through its wholly owned subsidiaries, is a specialty retailer of women's apparel, shoes and accessories sold primarily under the Ann Taylor and LOFT brands. The Company's Ann Taylor and LOFT brands offers a range of career and casual separates, dresses, tops, weekend wear, shoes and accessories. It offers updated past season sellers from the Ann Taylor and LOFT merchandise collections at its Ann Taylor Factory and LOFT Outlet stores, respectively, and the clients can also shop online at www.anntaylor.com and www.LOFT.com (together, Online Stores), or by phone at 1-800-DIAL-ANN and 1-888-LOFT-444. As of January 28, 2012, it operated 953 retail stores in 46 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico, consisted of 280 Ann Taylor stores, 500 LOFT stores, 99 Ann Taylor Factory stores and 74 LOFT Outlet stores.

Substantially all of the Company's merchandise is developed by its in-house product design and development teams , who design merchandise exclusively for the Company. A small percentage of its merchandise is purchased through branded vendors, which is selected to complement its in-house assortment. The Company sourced merchandise from approximately 138 manufacturers and vendors in 19 countries. Approximately 42% of its merchandise unit purchases originated in China, 13% in the Philippines, 14% in Indonesia, 14% in India, and 13% in Vietnam. The Company's wholly owned subsidiary, AnnTaylor Distribution Services, Inc., owns its 256,000-square-foot distribution center located in Louisville, Kentucky. The distribution center is located on approximately 27 acres. Its merchandise is distributed to stores, including the Online Stores, through this facility.

An average Ann Taylor store is approximately 5,500 square feet in size. The Company operates two Ann Taylor flagship stores, one located ! in New York City and one located in Chicago. LOFT stores average approximately 5,800 sq uare feet. The Company also operates one LOFT flagship store! on the ground floor of 7 Times Square, its corporate headquarters, in New York City. During the fiscal year ended January 28, 2012 (fiscal 2011), it opened 14 LOFT stores that averaged approximately 5,500 square feet. Ann Taylor Factory stores average approximately 7,100 square feet. LOFT Outlet stores average approximately 7,000 square feet. During fiscal 2011, its LOFT Outlet stores were 38 new stores that averaged approximately 7,600 square feet.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Laura Brodbeck]

  Notable earnings released on Friday included:

  Brown Shoe Company (NYSE: BWS) reported fourth quarter EPS of $0.14 on revenue of $600.00 million, compared to last year's EPS of $0.14 on revenue of $640.18 million. ANN INC (NYSE: ANN) reported fourth quarter EPS of $0.10 on revenue of $623.30 million, compared to last year's EPS of $0.05 on revenue of $607.68 million. Buckle, Inc (NYSE: BKE) reported fourth quarter EPS of $1.23 on revenue of $339.00 million, compared to last year's EPS of $1.28 on revenue of $360.62 million.

  Pre-Market Movers

• [By Jake L'Ecuyer]

  Top Headline
  Ann (NYSE: ANN) reported a rise in its fourth-quarter earnings and issued a downbeat forecast for the year. The company also announced its plans to lower about 100 jobs. Ann's quarterly earnings surged to $4.7 million, or $0.10 per share, from $2.4 million, or $0.05 per share, in the year-ago period. Its revenue climbed 3% to $623.3 million versus $607.7 million. However, analysts were estimating earnings of $0.07 per share on revenue of $624 million.

source from Top Stocks Blog:http://www.topstocksblog.com/top-10-heal-care-companies-for-2014.html

Best Oil Companies To Buy For 2014

Best Oil Companies To Buy For 2014: Dejour Energy Inc (DEJ)

Dejour Energy Inc. is engaged in the business of acquiring, exploring and developing energy projects with a focus on oil and gas exploration in Canada and the United States. The Company holds approximately 113,000 net acres of oil and gas leases in the Peace River Arch of northwestern British Columbia and northeastern Alberta, Canada and the Piceance, Paradox and Uinta Basins in the United States Rocky Mountains. The Company has 71.43% working interest in this 3,014 acre (gross) project located south of Roan Creek. The Company also has 71.43% working interest in this 18,000 acre (gross) project located north of the Rangely Field, is prospective for oil in the Lower Mancos (Niobrara), Dakota, Morrison and Phosphoria formations. Advisors' Opinion:

• [By CRWE]

  Vancouver, BC, Dec. 16, 2013 — (CRWE Press Release) — Dejour Energy Inc. (NYSE MKT:DEJ) (TSX:DEJ), an independent oil and natural gas exploration and production company operating in North America’s Piceance Basin and Peace River Arch regions, today announces that it has signed a Letter of Intent to create a strategic joint venture partnership with a private Singapore based energy company ('SECO') to develop the company's Colorado oil and gas assets.

  Upon completion of due diligence, legal documentation and requisite approvals expected prior to January 31, 2014, SECO will invest an initial sum of up to $27.5mm in 2014 and 2015 to earn an 85% share in Dejour's interests in its Colorado properties, primarily Kokopelli, subject to certain interest claw backs available to Dejour. Following this capital investment by SECO, the partners will continue to judiciously develop the reserves on a pro rata basis.

  The terms of the agreement include a capital injection to Dejour of approximately US$ 4.5mm, including cash and assumption of certain liabi! lity agreements on outstanding debt and the 100% development funding of an initial $10.5mm in capital expenditures in 2014 with a further $12mm in 2015, targeting Kokopelli, subject to certain provisions. Additionally, SECO will assume 85% of the ongoing overhead of Dejour's U.S. operations and joint project management during the initial period. SECO will also share responsibility to maintain the other Dejour U.S. leases in good standing on a pro rata ownership basis or return them to Dejour in a timely fashion. Dejour will remain the operator of record.

  "SECO shares Dejour's value proposition relating to the company's U.S. E&P portfolio. This partnership will bring many strategic advantages to Dejour: minimizing capital requirement in the short term, bolstering the company's balance sheet and long term US cash flow, the provision of flexibility for Dejour to pursue new

source from Top Stocks Blog:http://www.topstocksblog.com/best-oil-companies-to-buy-for-2014.html

Hot Medical Stocks For 2014

Hot Medical Stocks For 2014: Elan Corporation PLC (ELN)

Elan Corporation, plc (Elan), incorporated in December 1969, is a neuroscience-based biotechnology company. The Company is focused on discovering and developing advanced therapies in neurodegenerative and autoimmune diseases. Elan's business focuses on neurodegenerative diseases, such as Alzheimer's disease and Parkinson's disease; autoimmune diseases, including MS and Crohn's disease and neo-epitope based targets for treatments across a range of therapeutic indications. Tysabri is a treatment for MS and Crohn's disease that the Company markets and distributes with Biogen Idec. On September 16, 2011, Elan sold its EDT business to Alkermes, Inc. In November 2011, Elan launched a collaboration with the University of Cambridge, England, the Cambridge-Elan Centre for Research Innovation and Drug Discovery (Cambridge-Elan Centre). On December 21, 2012, the Company completed the demerger of Prothena Corporation plc. In April 2013, it closed the TYSABRI (natalizumab) Co llaboration Transaction with Biogen Idec.

Tysabri

Tysabri, which is an alpha-4 integrin inhibitor, is a therapy for MS, a neurological disorder involving central nervous system dysfunction among adults. Tysabri is approved in more than 65 countries. Tysabri is approved in the United States as a monotherapy for relapsing forms of MS, for patients who have had an inadequate response to, or are unable to tolerate, an alternative MS therapy. In the European Union, it is approved for relapsing-remitting MS (RRMS) in adult patients who have failed to respond to beta interferon or have rapidly evolving, severe RRMS. As of December 31, 2011, there were approximately 64,400 patients on Tysabri therapy worldwide.

In June 2011, the European Commission (EC) approved the inclusion of the anti-JCV antibody status as an additional factor in stratifying patients at ris! k for developing PML in the Summary of Product Characteristics' (SmPC) for Tysabri in the European Union. The Company has developed a two-step ! enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), STRATIFY JCV, with Biogen Idec. The assay detects anti-JCV antibodies in the blood of patients, and is commercially available in Europe. In January 2012, the FDA cleared the assay for commercial use in the United States. As of December 31, 2011, over 80,000 tests had been administered using the assay. Tysabri is marketed and distributed by Elan and Biogen Idec. The Company's research group, Neotope, is focused on creating monoclonal antibodies based on neo-epitope targets for the treatment of a range of therapeutic indications.

Beta Amyloid Immunotherapies (AIP)

Beta amyloid immunotherapy includes the treatment of Alzheimer's disease by inducing or enhancing the body's immune response in order to clear toxic species of beta amyloid from the brain. The AIP includes bapineuzumab (intravenous and subcutaneous delivery) and ACC-001, as well as other compounds. Bapineuzumab is an experimental humanized mon oclonal antibody delivered intravenously that is being studied as a treatment for mild to moderate Alzheimer's disease. It is designed to provide antibodies to beta amyloid directly to the patient (passive immunotherapy).

ELND005, an Aß Aggregation Inhibitor

The small molecule ELND005 (Scyllo-inositol) is a beta amyloid anti-aggregation agent. Preclinical data suggest that ELND005 may act through the mechanism of preventing and reversing the fibrilisation of beta amyloid (the aggregation of beta amyloid into clumps of insoluble oligomers). ELND005 may have additional applications in psychiatric indications, such as bipolar disorder. In November 2011, the Company entered into a manufacturing agreement for the supply of the active pharmaceutical ingredient for ELND005 with Lonza Group AG.

Neotope Biosciences Limited

Neotope Bioscien! ces Limit! ed (Neotope) is the Company's wholly owned subsidiary that focuses on the discove ry and development of antibodies to neo-epitope related targ! ets for t! he treatment of a range of indications. It includes amyloidosis, diabetes, cancer and macular degeneration. Neotope's portfolio of targets includes alpha-synuclein for the potential treatment of synucleinopathies, such as Lewy body dementia and Parkinson's disease, tau for Alzheimer's disease and other tauopathies. It also has a program for type 2-diabetes.

Onclave Therapeutics Limited

Elan's wholly owned subsidiary Onclave Therapeutics Limited (Onclave) was formed to develop assets originating from Elan that have application in oncology related diseases. Onclave's program, NEOD001, which originated from Neotope, is being investigated for the treatment of AL amyloidosis, which is a fatal disease involving abnormal accumulation of amyloid in organs and tissue. During the year ended December 31, 2011, Onclave filed for orphan drug designation of NEOD001. Onclave's pipeline includes additional compounds with relevance in diverse cancer indi cations.

The Company competes with Biogen Idec, Bayer Schering Pharma AG, Bayer Schering Pharma, Merck Serono, Pfizer, Teva Neurosciences, Inc., Sanofi-Aventis and Novartis AG.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By MONEYMORNING]

  Add Amgen Inc.'s (Nasdaq: AMGN) August $10.4 billion offer for Onyx Pharmaceuticals Inc. (Nasdaq: ONXX), Perrigo Co.'s (NYSE: PRGO) July purchase of Elan Corp. (NYSE ADR: ELN) for $8.6 billion, and the Shire deal, and the year-to-date deal value for pharma/biotech M&A hits more than $50 billion.

• [By Brian Orelli]

  Royalty Pharma announced Monday that it's willing increase the $11-per-share offer it made for Elan (NYSE: ELN  ) back in February, depending on the result of Elan's buyback.

source from Top Stocks Blog:ht! tp://www.! topstocksblog.com/hot-medical-stocks-for-2014.html

World Markets Watch China

After hitting new highs last Friday, US stocks slumped this week, primarily because of concerns about China’s economy and rising tensions in Ukraine.

For world markets, China was the bigger issue. Last week, China announced an economic growth target of 7.5 percent for 2014. That’s robust by almost any standard, except compared with the 9-10 percent rates of 2009-12. And it would be the slowest growth since China’s growth took off in 1991.

Growth slumped to 7.8 percent in 2013, and even 7.5 percent may be hard to achieve in 2014. China Premier Li Keqiang this week said that the world’s second-largest economy faces “more difficulties” this year than last.

Industrial output, retail sales and investment all grew considerably less in January and February than expected, according to government reports released this week. Also in February, China’s exports tumbled 18.1 percent, and the country posted an unusual trade deficit of $23 billion. Economists had expected a 5 percent increase, following a 10.6 percent expansion in January.

There’s always the question of how much the February data was distorted by reduced manufacturing activity due to the week-long Lunar New Year holiday. (This is the Year of the Horse.) And there’s always reason to question Beijing’s economic numbers. The lack of transparency in China’s financial policies also often generates investor uncertainty and anxiety.

But the signs of weakness in China’s economy clearly are growing. So far, the damage to the rest of the world has been limited mostly to some commodities and other Asian markets, in addition to China’s own stock market and currency.

However, further China weakness could add to the volatility of emerging markets overall that has increased sharply in recent months. And it could hurt developed markets, as happened this week.

I! n 2013, China accounted for about two-thirds of global demand for iron ore. Its spot price has dropped 22 percent so far this year to the lowest point since October 2012. Copper is down 13 percent, to its lowest level since August 2010. China accounted for an estimated 44 percent of demand for the red metal last year. The price of premium hard coking coal from Australia, another China-driven commodity, also has dropped 13 percent this year.

For copper in particular, the damage isn’t limited to the inventory buildup in warehouses in China as demand for manufacturing slows. In addition, much of the stored copper is used as collateral for loans from banks, and particularly from other lenders in borrowers’ response to government restrictions on conventional lending.

Borrowers then invest the money in higher-yielding assets. As prices fall, borrowers could come under pressure to post more collateral, forcing them to sell copper to raise money.

However, there’s also considerable evidence that the government has enacted a deliberate slowdown to expand market forces, wring out some excesses in the economy and put it on a firmer footing for lower but more sustainable growth.

For example, China last week had its first mainland corporate-bond default (a solar technology company). It had been widely believed that the Chinese government was in effect guaranteeing this part of the country’s credit market.

Beijing also has moved to push down China’s currency, the yuan. This is seen as a way to reduce excessive “hot money” inflows from foreign speculators/investors.

Within China, the tightly controlled currency is allowed to trade within a range of 1 percent above and 1 percent below a daily reference rate fixed by the central bank. The government has been letting the rate climb, which means a weaker yuan. The offshore yuan, which is freely traded outside mainland China, this week dropped to an eight-month low versus the US dollar.
The de! clining yuan also makes it more expensive to import dollar-denominated commodities, including the copper used as loan collateral.

For many observers, the big debate now is whether the Chinese government will step in if growth slows much more. For example, with the new leadership's agenda in place and a series of key annual party meetings completed, the way may be clear for the government to act if it chooses to.

In any event, China generally has proven relatively adept at guiding the nation’s economy, and it has plenty of financial resources at its disposal to do so.

Top 10 Solar Stocks For 2014

Top 10 Solar Stocks For 2014: JA Solar Holdings Co. Ltd.(JASO)

JA Solar Holdings Co., Ltd., through its subsidiaries, engages in the design, development, manufacture, and sale of photovoltaic solar cells and solar products, which convert sunlight into electricity in the People's Republic of China. The company?s principal products include monocrystalline and multicrystalline solar cells, as well as various solar modules. It also provides silicon wafer and solar cell processing services. The company sells its products primarily under the JA Solar brand name, as well as produces equipment for original equipment manufacturing customers under their brand names. It sells its solar cell and module products primarily to module manufacturers, system integrators, project developers, and distributors in the Germany, Italy, the United States, Hong Kong, Spain, India, the Czech Republic, France, and South Korea. The company has strategic partnerships with various solar power companies, such as BP Solar, Solar-Fabrik, and MEMC/SunEdison. JA Solar H oldings Co., Ltd. was founded in 2005 and is based in Shanghai, the People?s Republic of China.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Jonathan Yates]

  For investors looking to profit from shorting stocks in the sector, JA Solar Holdings (NASDAQ: JASO) and LDK Solar (NYSE: LDK) are both vulnerable. For those looking to go long, Exxon Mobil (NYSE: XOM) is very strong in natural gas, which is expected to increase its market share, according to a recent report from the Department of Energy.

• [By Paul Ausick]

  Big Earnings Movers: Tiffany & Co. (NYSE: TIF) is up 8.7% at $88.05 following positive results and a raised outlook. Barnes & Noble Inc. (NYSE: BKS) is down 6% at $15.45 as the bookseller watches its revenue slide. JA Solar Holdings Co. Ltd. (NASDAQ: JASO) is down 10.3% at $XX on a mixed earnings report and LDK Solar Co. Ltd. (NYSE:! LDK) is flat at $1.60.

source from Top Stocks Blog:http://www.topstocksblog.com/top-10-solar-stocks-for-2014.html

Top 5 Clean Energy Stocks For 2014

Top 5 Clean Energy Stocks For 2014: Pharmacyclics Inc (PCYC)

Pharmacyclics, Inc., incorporated on April 19, 1991, is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on developing and commercializing small-molecule drugs for the treatment of cancer and immune mediated diseases. The Company's clinical development and product candidates are small-molecule enzyme inhibitors designed to target biochemical pathways involved in human diseases. As of June 30, 2011, it had three drug candidates under clinical development and a number of preclinical lead molecules. This includes an inhibitor of Bruton's tyrosine kinase (Btk) (PCI-32765) in Phase II studies in hematologic malignancies; a Btk inhibitor lead optimization program targeting autoimmune indications, an inhibitor of Factor VIIa (PCI-27483) in a Phase II clinical trial in pancreatic cancer, and a histone deacetylase (HDAC) inhibitor (PCI-24781) in Phase I and II clinical trials in solid tumors and hematological malignancies as of June 30, 2012.

As of June 30, 2012, t he Company developed ibrutinib, which has demonstrated clinical activity and tolerability in Phase I and Phase II clinical trials in a variety of B-cell malignancies, including chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) and a number of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL) subtypes. CLL, mantle cell lymphoma (MCL), follicular lymphoma (FL), diffuse B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) and multiple myeloma (MM) are specific indications of its current or planned Phase Ib/II and Phase III development program. had development programs for B-cell malignancies and autoimmune diseases. For malignant indications it has developed PCI-32765, which has demonstrated clinical activity and tolerability in Phase I and Phase II clinical trials in a range of B-cell malignancies, including chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) and a number of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL) subtypes. CLL, mantle cell lymphoma (MCL), follicular ly! mphoma (FL), diffuse large B cell lymphoma (DLBCL) and multiple myeloma (MM) are specific indica tions of its Phase II development. It has developed an assay! to measure occupancy of Btk in PBMCs using a cell-permeable fluorescently-labeled derivative of PCI-32765.

Factor VII is an enzyme that becomes activated (FVIIa) by binding to the cell surface protein tissue factor (TF), a protein found in the body that helps to trigger the process of blood clotting in response to injury. TF is over expressed in many cancers including gastric, breast, colon, lung, prostate, ovarian and pancreatic cancers. In these tumors, the FVIIa/TF complex induces intracellular signaling pathways by activating protease activated receptor 2 (PAR-2), another cell-surface protein. This in turn increases the expression of interleukin-8 (IL-8), a protein produced by white blood cells and other immune cells in response to pathogenic stimulation, and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), a signal protein produced by cells that stimulate the growth of blood vessels. Both proteins play an important role in tumor growth and metastases as well as angiogenesis (growth of new blood vessels). FVIIa/TF complex also initiates the coagulation (a process by which blood forms clots) processes implicated in the high incidence of thromboembolic (the process by which the blood clots within a blood vessel) complications seen in patients with TF-expressing cancers. Thromboembolic events are a cause of death in patients with cancer and anticoagulant treatment has been shown to improve survival in a variety of cancers (Klerk et al. JCO. 2005).

PCI-27483 Factor VIIa Inhibitor

The Company's Factor VIIa inhibitor PCI-27483 is a first-in-human small molecule inhibitor that selectively targets FVIIa. As an inhibitor of FVIIa, PCI-27483 has two potential mechanisms of action: inhibition of intracellular signaling involved in tumor growth and metastases and inhibition of early coagulation processes associated! with thr! omboembolism.

Factor VIIa PCI-27483 Clinical Development Update

A mu lticenter Phase I/II of PCI-27483 in patients with locally a! dvanced o! r metastatic pancreatic cancer that are either receiving or are planned to receive gemcitabine therapy has completed enrollment. The Phase II portion of the study randomized patients to receive either gemcitabine alone or gemcitabine plus PCI-27483 (1.2 mg/kg twice daily). The objectives are to assess the safety of FVIIa Inhibitor PCI-27483 at pharmacologically active dose levels, to assess potential inhibition of tumor progression and to obtain initial information of the effects on the incidence of thromboembolic events. Due to a paradigm shift away from the use of gemcitabine alone for the treatment of pancreatic cancer, enrolling patients in this randomized study has been challenging. PCYC is evaluating other alternatives for development of this agent.

A multicenter Phase I/II of PCI-27483 in patients with locally advanced or metastatic pancreatic cancer that are either receiving or are planned to receive gemcitabine therapy has completed enrollment. The Phas e II portion of the study randomized patients to receive either gemcitabine alone or gemcitabine plus PCI-27483 (1.2 mg/kg twice daily). PCI-27483 is covered by United States patents and patent applications and counterpart patents and patent applications in fourteen ex-United States territories, including Europe, Canada, Mexico, Japan, China, India, South Korea, Australia and Brazil.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By MONEYMORNING]

  We saw this last year with such Private Briefing recommendations as The Boeing Co. (NYSE: BA) and Pharmacyclics Inc. (Nasdaq: PCYC), which rose more than 100% and 400%, respectively, following our recommendation.

• [By Ben Levisohn]

  Somaiya and team named Gilead and Neurocrine Biosciences (NBIX) their top picks, hile putting Buy ratings on Celgene, Biogen Idec, Alexion (ALXN), Incyte (INCY),! Pharmacy! clics (PCYC) and Synageva (GEVA). BioMarin (BMRN), Infinity Pharmaceuticals (INFI) and Amgen (AMGN) earned Neutral ratings.

source from Top Stocks Blog:http://www.topstocksblog.com/top-5-clean-energy-stocks-for-2014.html

Best Gas Stocks To Invest In 2015

Best Gas Stocks To Invest In 2015: Marathon Oil Corporation(MRO)

Marathon Oil Corporation, through its subsidiaries, operates as an international energy company with operations in the United States, Canada, Africa, the Middle East, and Europe. It operates through three segments: Exploration and Production, Oil Sands Mining, and Integrated Gas. The Exploration and Production segment explores for, produces, and markets liquid hydrocarbons and natural gas. The Oil Sands Mining segment mines, extracts, and transports bitumen from oil sands deposits in Alberta, Canada; and upgrades the bitumen to produce and market synthetic crude oil and vacuum gas oil. The Integrated Gas segment markets and transports products manufactured from natural gas, such as liquified natural gas and methanol. The company was formerly known as USX Corporation and changed its name to Marathon Oil Corporation in July 2001. Marathon Oil Corporation was founded in 1887 and is based in Houston, Texas.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By John Kell]

  Marathon Oil Corp.(MRO) reported lower fourth-quarter sales volume, though the crude oil and natural gas producer’s bottom line grew 16% due to fewer income tax provisions.

• [By Ben Levisohn]

  Barclays is feeling optimistic about oil and gas stocks, but more optimistic about some–EOG Resources (EOG), Continental Resources (CLR), Apache (APA) and Marathon Oil (MRO)–than others.

• [By Lauren Pollock]

  Marathon Oil Corp.(MRO) boosted its capital budget for next year and said it expects production to grow as it plans to ramp up rig activity at U.S. resource plays. Marathon said it will invest more than 60% of the budget in its North American resource play assets.

• [By Claudia Assis]

  Meanwhile, largest decliners included Peabody Energy Corp. (BTU) ! , down 1%, and Marathon Oil Corp. (MRO) , off 0.8%.

source from Top Stocks Blog:http://www.topstocksblog.com/best-gas-stocks-to-invest-in-2015.html

Hot Media Stocks To Buy Right Now

Hot Media Stocks To Buy Right Now: Thomson Reuters Corp(TRI)

Thomson Reuters Corporation provides intelligent information for businesses and professionals worldwide. The company allows market participants to connect, access content, and trade in a secure environment through Thomson Reuters Eikon desktop, Thomson Reuters Elektron network, content integration and management technology, content feeds and databases, and transactions infrastructure solutions that support buy- and sell-side customers to trade in foreign exchange, fixed income and derivatives, equities, exchange-traded instruments, and commodities and energy markets. It also offers information, analytics, workflow, and technology solutions to buy-side and off-trading floor customers; access to liquidity in over-the-counter markets, trade execution, and connections for market participants and financial professionals? communities; and a suite of solutions offering informed outcomes to regulated industries and law firms. In addition, the company provides critical information , decision support tools, and software and services to legal, investigation, business, and government professionals; integrated tax compliance and accounting software and services for accounting and law firms, corporations, and government professionals; intellectual property and scientific resources that enable its customers to discover, develop, and deliver innovations; and data analytics, and performance benchmarking solutions and services to healthcare sector. Further, it offers coverage of global, regional, and national news in 20 languages covering politics, business, finance, entertainment, lifestyle, technology, health, science, and sports; and engages in advertising-supported direct-to-consumer publishing activities of Reuters.com and its network of Websites, mobile applications, and electronic out-of-home displays. The company was formerly known as The Thomson Corporation a! nd changed its name to Thomson Reuters Corporation in April 2008. The company is headquartered in New York, New York.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Monica Wolfe]

  Thomson Reuters (TRI)

  On Feb. 11, Thomson Reuters declared a dividend of $0.330 per share, representing 3.80% dividend yield for the company. This dividend is payable on March 17 to shareholders of the record at the close of business on Feb. 24, 2014.

• [By Rich Smith]

  This series, brought to you by Yahoo! Finance, looks at which upgrades and downgrades make sense, and which ones investors should act on. Today, our headlines feature an upgrade for Thomson Reuters Reuters (NYSE: TRI  ) , a new buy rating for Novavax (NASDAQ: NVAX  ) -- but for Union Pacific (NYSE: UNP  ) , a downgrade. Let's get that bad news out of the way first.

source from Top Stocks Blog:http://www.topstocksblog.com/hot-media-stocks-to-buy-right-now-2.html

Producer prices rise a slight 0.2%

WASHINGTON — The cost of producing goods and services in the United States rose slightly in January, with higher food prices partly offset by cheaper gas. Overall, inflation remains mild.

The Labor Department said Wednesday that the producer price index, which tracks prices before they reach consumers, rose 0.2% in January. That followed a 0.1% increase in December and a flat reading in November. In the past year, producer prices have risen just 1.2%, below the Federal Reserve's preferred target rate.

Excluding the cost of food, energy and markups by wholesalers and retailers, so-called core prices ticked up just 0.1%.

January's producer prices are the first to be compiled since the government revamped its index to make it more comprehensive. Producer prices now include services and construction. Before last month, the index tracked only goods.

That change has doubled the producer price index's coverage to include 75% of the economy. It is the government's first revamp of the index in 35 years.

Inflation has declined in the past two years, posing a challenge for Fed policymakers. During 2013, the producer price index rose just 1.1% after rising 1.4% in 2012. Both figures are far below the Fed's 2% target.

Businesses have struggled to raise prices because of a tight job market and meager wage growth. Consumers have found it hard to pay more or demand higher wages.

Low inflation has enabled the Fed to pursue extraordinary stimulus programs to try to boost economic growth.

The Fed is now trying to unwind some of that stimulus. It cut its monthly bond purchases to $65 billion this month, from $75 billion in January and $85 billion last year. The bond purchases are intended to keep long-term interest rates low to encourage borrowing and spending.

But Fed policymakers have expressed concern about the persistence of low inflation. If inflation remains below its target, the Fed could extend its stimulus efforts.

Health Care REIT: HCN Combines Megatrends and Dividends

The normally sleepy world of senior housing REITs got a shakeup on Wednesday with the announcement that Health Care REIT (HCN) and Revera Inc., a leading provider of senior living facilities in Canada, had partnered to purchase and recapitalize Sunrise Senior Living, LLC from affiliates of private equity firmKohlberg Kravis Roberts & Co (KKR).

Sunrise Senior Living operates 290 senior communities with around 26,400 units in the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom. Services run the gamut from senior independent living to assisted living to advanced care for patients with Alzheimer's disease and other memory-related conditions.

The acquisition should be a good fit for HCN, one of the largest REITs in the healthcare and senior living sectors and completes an earlier investment in Sunrise's property portfolio. HCN currently owns a "little bit of everything," including senior living communities, medical office buildings, inpatient and outpatient medical centers and life science facilities, and Sunrise gives the REIT better exposure to the biggest demographic investment opportunity of our time: the aging of the Baby Boomers.

Let's take a peek at HCN's portfolio. About 65% of the portfolio is in senior housing, split between properties that HCN operates (40%) and those that are leased on a triple-net basis (25%). In a triple-net lease, the tenant is responsible for all taxes, insurance and maintenance; the landlord's only responsibility is to collect the rent check. Medical office buildings and skilled nursing facilities make up another 15% and 14% of the portfolio, respectively, and the rest is split between hospitals and research facilities.

Impressively, apart from the skilled nursing facilities and hospitals, which depend heavily on Medicare and Medicaid, HCN's tenants have very little dependence on the government. Across its portfolio, 82% of its tenant revenues are from private pay clients. That's a major positive in an era of slashed reimbursements and ObamaCare restrictions.

Looking at HCN stock, we have a REIT paying a 5.6% yield with a long track record of raising its dividend.

An established income payer on the right side of a major demographic wave. Is there anything not to like here?

I may be nitpicking, but I tend to be biased against the biggest large-cap REITs. What they gain in economies of scale they tend to lose in lack of focus. In HCN's case, I consider its diversified property base to be a mixed bag. Management would better serve shareholders by picking a single property specialty and by focusing on finding the properties with the highest potential returns on investment within that subsector.

Size itself is also a mixed bag. While the largest REITs tend to offer greater liquidity and broader tenant diversification than they upstart brethren, it gets harder and harder to maintain growth at attractive cap rates the larger the portfolio gets.

So, with all of this said, is HCN a buy? I consider it a decent option in a diversified REIT portfolio. Truth is, there aren't that many "pure" on the senior living theme. The deceptively-named Senior Housing Properties Trust (SNH) has about 30% of its property portfolio in medical office buildings

Omega Healthcare Investors (OHI) is a more focused option, getting virtually all of its revenues from skilled nursing an assisted living facilities. It also happens to pay one of the highest dividend yields on offer at 6.4% and has doubled its dividend over the past 7 years.

About the author:Charles SizemoreCharles Lewis Sizemore is the Editor of the Sizemore Investment Letter premium newsletter and Chief Investment Officer of Sizemore Capital Management.

Mr. Sizemore has been a repeat guest on Fox Business News, has been quoted in Barron's Magazine and the Wall Street Journal, and has been published in many respected financial websites, including MarketWatch, TheStreet.com, InvestorPlace, MSN Money, Seeking Alpha, Stocks, Futures, and Options Magazine and The Daily Reckoning.

Visit Charles Sizemore's Website

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Weekend Edition – The Power of Reading

Einstein described compound interest as the “8th wonder of the World.” I certainly won’t quibble with Einstein, because, well, he’s Einstein. But I think, perhaps, the 9th (10th? 11th?) wonder of the world, is the compound power of lifelong learning. The same concept is applicable as to why the power of compound interest is so great – as you learn more, your knowledge compounds exponentially. Learning can be accomplished in a lot of ways; however, one tried and true method is being a consistently fanatical reader.

Best Long Term Stocks To Buy For 2015

“In my whole life, I have known no wise people (over a broad subject matter area) who didn’t read all the time – none, zero.”

- Charlie Munger

This isn’t a novel thought from Charlie Munger. In fact, it’s been around since the written word itself. Knowledge is power and one way knowledge can be attained is via reading. From Wikipedia:

“In most languages, writing is a complement to speech or spoken language. Within a language system, writing relies on many of the same structures as speech, such as vocabulary, grammar and semantics, with the added dependency of a system of signs or symbols, usually in the form of a formal alphabet. The result of writing is generally called text, and the recipient of text is called a reader.”

I repeat, called a reader.

Writing (the pre-cursor to reading) is so important in the evolution of mankind that historians make a distinction between “history” and “pre-history.” History–as defined by historians–is the period of time after the written word. In other words, “History” really only dates back to our ability to read and write.

The Love of Reading

At Dividend.com, we love reading and do it every day of every week of every month of every year. While our reading schedule on the analyst team varies across different personal interests beyond investing alone, we have a voracious and focused desire to consume information about dividend stocks, the market, economics, geo-politics and personal investing behaviour. We’re all lucky to live in such a glorious time to consume information via the complex web of links known as the Internet. Reading has become easier than ever before. Within two clicks you can find almost anything you want, if you know what you’re looking for, and that’s the crux. While the accessibility of information has skyrocketed over the past 15 years with the explosion of the Internet, it has brought with it disproportionate mountains of useless reading.

Need A Plumber?

The paradoxical nature of good and bad information online reminds me of the story about the guy with a leaky pipe in his basement. Yes, a leaky pipe, bear with me a second. The gentleman can’t figure out how to stop the leak, so, naturally he calls a plumber. The plumber shows up at his door and the man shows him to the basement and more specifically points to the

Warren Buffett's firm posts record profits in 2013

The Oracle of Omaha has done it again -- though Warren Buffett wasn't able to best the stellar returns of the Standard & Poor's 500 in 2013.

Berkshire Hathaway, the investing conglomerate billionaire Buffett chairs, posted a record profit last year of $19.5 billion, the company said in its annual report released Saturday. Analysts had estimated earnings would be $18 billion.

In 2012, its net income was $14.8 billion.

Analysts said Berkshire's solid 2013 performance can be credited to improved economic growth since so many of his holdings are well-known consumer goods and services that do well when the economy is going strong.

The per-share book value of its class A and class B stock rose by 18.2% in 2013, said Buffett in his annual letter to shareholders.

The S&P had returns of about 30% last year.

"Berkshire's book value and intrinsic value will outperform the S&P in years when the market is down or moderately up. We expect to fall short, though, in years when the market is strong – as we did in 2013," Buffett said in the letter. "We have underperformed in 10 of our 49 years, with all but one of our shortfalls occurring when the S&P gain exceeded 15%."

Buffett, 83, has been CEO and chairman of the Omaha, Neb.-based investing conglomerate for nearly 50 years and has overseen its growth into a $286 billion holding company. He is one of the most successful and widely followed investors of all time.

MORE: Warren Buffett's top 10 favorite stocks

Buffett has long urged an investing philosophy of taking large stakes in well-established companies for the long term, but in this year's shareholder letter, he also advocated the benefits of investing in a low-cost S&P index fund.

That might seem like an "odd message" to some, since Buffett is known to invest in individual company stocks, says Robert Johnson, a Berkshire Hathaway shareholder and professor of finance at the Heider School of Business at Omaha, Neb.-based Creighton Un! iversity..

But this is the point: A good index fund can dramatically reduce risk for the lay investor, Johnson says.

"What gets in people's way is getting in and out of the market at the wrong time," Johnson says.

Buffett's approach is to be greedy when people are fearful and vice versa, he says. "Us mere mortals have a hard time applying that because we let our emotions get in the way," Johnson adds. "We get in at the high and get out at the low."

In Buffett's letter to shareholders -- known for explaining his company's positions in stocks along with wry but folksy observations on investing and corporate America -- he detailed the varying ways Berkshire progressed in the last year.

"On the operating front, just about everything turned out well for us last year – in certain cases very well," Buffett wrote.

He pointed out that it completed two large acquisitions, spending almost $18 billion to purchase all of NV Energy and taking a major interest in H. J. Heinz, the food giant.

Buffet also said his holding company increased its ownership interest last year in four well-known companies: American Express, Coca-Cola, IBM and Wells Fargo.

LETTER: Read Buffett's shareholder letter

Berkshire reported fourth-quarter net income of $4.99 billion, or $3,035 per Class A share, on revenue of $47 billion. That's up 10% from $4.55 billion, or $2,757 per Class A share, on revenue of $44.72 billion last year.

Berkshire's insurance companies, which include Geico and General Reinsurance, reported a $394 million operating profit in the fourth quarter, compared to last year's $19 million loss.

Berkshire's operating earnings, which exclude investments and derivatives, grew to $3.78 billion, or $2,297 per Class A share.

The three analysts surveyed by financial data company FactSet expected quarterly operating earnings of $2,495.42 per Class A share.

Top stock holdings, according to Berkshire's latest regulatory filing, include Wells Fargo, Co! ca-Cola, A! merican Express and IBM. Rounding out the top 10 holdings are Procter & Gamble, ExxonMobil, Wal-Mart Stores, U.S. Bancorp, DirecTV and DaVita HealthCare Partners.

In the fourth quarter, Berkshire increased its holdings in Wells Fargo, Wal-Mart, U.S. Bancorp and ExxonMobil. There was also a new stake, worth $262.4 million, in Liberty Global, a cable operator.

Berkshire sold its shares in GlaxoSmithKline, the pharmaceutical giant, and DISH Network. And he reduced his stake in Suncor Energy and ConocoPhillips.

In the shareholder letter, Buffett addressed the topic of his own demise.

"On my death, Berkshire's ownership picture will change but not in a disruptive way," he wrote. "None of my stock will have to be sold to take care of the cash bequests I have made or for taxes. Other assets of mine will take care of these requirements."

The Buffett family would not be involved in managing the business, he wrote, but as large shareholders, "will help in picking and overseeing the managers who do."

After he dies, he expects his job to be divided, with one person taking the CEO post and running operations and one or more executives handling the investment side of the business.

Creighton University's Johnson notes that Buffett has hired many capable employees. "There is a talent pool there" that can successfully run the company after Buffett's death, he says.

Berkshire's shares rose more than 13% last year. BRK.B shares gained 13.4% the past 52 weeks and closed up 1% Friday to $115.78. BRK.A shares added 13.7% the past year and rose 1.2% Friday to close at $173,708.