Top Japanese Stocks To Watch For 2014

This morning investors were focusing their attention on the Japanese markets and the Bank of Japan's decision not to provide an enormous amount of government stimulus to help stabilize the markets. That caused the Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJINDICES: ^DJI  ) to fall as much as 150 points earlier this morning, but the blue-chip index has since recovered and is only down 25 points, or 0.16%, as of 12:55 p.m. EDT. The S&P 500 is down 0.41%, while the Nasdaq is lower by 0.39%.

The brief decline this morning is yet another example of how investors have come to expect government stimulation. When it doesn't arrive as expected, the markets suffer. This relationship with government intervention may turn ugly when the Fed finally decides to cut off its quantitative-easing programs. Individual investors should begin preparing themselves for some rough days or weeks ahead.

A few Dow dunces
Shares of Microsoft (NASDAQ: MSFT  ) are trading lower by 1.2%. The likely cause for today's decline is Sony's announcement that its PlayStation 4 will hit the market at $399, a full $100 cheaper than Microsoft's Xbox One. If the Xbox One were only $50 more expensive and offered a compelling list of advantages over the PlayStation 4, many consumers would be torn between the two consoles. However, the whopping hundred-buck difference makes the choice a no-brainer for casual gamers.�

Top 10 Regional Bank Stocks To Invest In Right Now: Fresnillo PLC (FRES)

Fresnillo plc is a silver and gold mining company. The Company, along with its subsidiaries, is engaged in the mining and beneficiation of non-ferrous minerals, and the sale of related production. The primary contents of this production include silver, gold, lead and zinc. The Company has six operating mines: the Fresnillo mine, located in the State of Zacatecas, which is primary silver mine; the Saucito mine, located in the State of Zacatecas, an underground silver mine; the Cienega mine, located in the State of Durango, an underground gold mine, including the San Ramon satellite mine; the Herradura mine, located in the State of Sonora, an open pit gold mine; the Soledad-Dipolos mine, located in the State of Sonora, an open pit gold mine, and the Noche Buena mine, located in State of Sonora, an open pit gold mine. Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Inyoung Hwang]

  Fresnillo (FRES), the world�� largest primary silver producer, surged 13 percent and Randgold, a producer of the precious metal in Africa, jumped 9.1 percent. Gold climbed to the highest price in almost two months and silver rose to the highest since May.

• [By Alexis Xydias]

  The FTSE All-Share Mining Index rose 3 percent. Randgold, a producer of the metal in Africa, advanced 6.8 percent to 4,722 pence. Fresnillo Plc (FRES), which operates silver and gold mines in Mexico, rallied 8.2 percent to 1,035 pence.

• [By Inyoung Hwang]

  Fresnillo Plc (FRES) and Polymetal International Plc sank at least 7 percent to lead declines in the Stoxx 600 after the precious-metals producers were not included in the NYSE Arca Gold Miners Index. Fresnillo tumbled 13 percent to 1,045 pence. Polymetal plunged 7.1 percent to 659.5 pence. African Barrick Gold Plc (ABG) also fell, losing 12 percent to 143.9 pence.

• [By Holly LaFon]

  The Fund's top detractors were Gold bullion, Newcrest Mining (NCM), Goldcorp (GG), Penn West Petroleum and Fresnillo PLC (FRES). Newcrest, Goldcorp and Fresnillo all suffered along with other gold miners as a result of the decline in the gold price during the year. Bangkok Bank (BKK:BBL)'s performance reflected the decline in the Thai SET Index which fell 11% during the quarter in dollar terms as a result of political issues in Thailand.

Top Japanese Stocks To Watch For 2014: Mediabistro Inc (MBIS)

Mediabistro Inc, formerly WebMediaBrands Inc., incorporated on April 5, 1999, is an Internet media company. The Company provides content, education, career services to social media, traditional media and creative professionals through a portfolio of vertical online properties, communities and trade shows. On May 11, 2011, the Company acquired Inside Network, Inc.In March 2011, the Company acquired the assets of the blog FacebookMarketing.de. In March 2011, the Company acquired the assets of the Website SemanticOverflow.com. In May 2011, it acquired Inside Network Inc. In August 2012, the Company acquired the assets of Lost Remote the blog covering the field of social television.

The Company�� online business includes mediabistro.com, a blog network providing content, education, community resources and career resources about media industry verticals including new media, social media, Facebook, TV news, advertising, public relations, publishing, design and mobile. Its mediabistro.com business also includes a job board for media and creative professionals focusing on job categories such as social media, new media, publishing, public relations/marketing, advertising, sales, design, Web development, television and more. InsideNetwork.com, a network of online properties dedicated to providing original market research, data services, news, events and job listings on the Facebook platform, on social gaming and on mobile applications ecosystems. SemanticWeb.com, a blog providing content, education, community resources and career resources on the commercialization and application of Semantic Technologies, Linked Data and Big Data. Community, membership and e-commerce offerings including a freelance listing service, a marketplace for designing and purchasing logos (stocklogos.com) and premium membership services.

The Company�� education business features online and in-person courses and online conferences, including its Social Media Marketing Boot Camps, for media and creative prof! essionals. Online education conferences are programs that offer attendees the opportunity to learn in a dynamic online setting with live weekly instruction via webcast, daily forum discussions within an online classroom, homework assignments, and small group interaction where students receive one-on-one guidance and instruction from an advisor. The Company�� trade shows include, among others, the Semantic Tech and Business Conference, Inside Social Apps, Social Gaming Summit and AllFacebook Marketing Expo. Its online business also includes AllCreativeWorld.com, a network of online properties providing content, education, community, career and other resources for creative and design professionals.

The Company competes with Monster.com and LinkedIn.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By James E. Brumley]

  Well, I'll be the first to admit it took way longer than I expected, but Mediabistro Inc. (NASDAQ:MBIS) has finally unleashed the strength I saw brewing up four months ago. Now get out. Seriously. Go ahead and take your profits on MBIS and walk away while you still can.

Top Japanese Stocks To Watch For 2014: Lincoln Educational Services Corporation(LINC)

Lincoln Educational Services Corporation provides post-secondary education services in the United States. The company offers degree and diploma programs for recent high school graduates and working adults in the areas of studies, such as health science, automotive technology, skilled trades, business and information technology, and hospitality services. As of December 31, 2011, it had 19,204 enrolled students. The company operates 46 schools in 17 states under Lincoln Technical Institute, Lincoln College of Technology, Lincoln College of New England, Nashville Auto-Diesel College, and Euphoria Institute of Beauty Arts and Sciences brand names, as well as offers online programs. Lincoln Educational Services Corporation was founded in 1946 and is headquartered in West Orange, New Jersey.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Jon C. Ogg]

  Teradyne will replace Scholastic Corp. (NASDAQ: SCHL) in the S&P MidCap 400, and Scholastic will replace Lincoln Education Services Corp. (NASDAQ: LINC) in the S&P SmallCap 600. Lincoln Education Services currently ranks 600th in the S&P SmallCap 600 and is no longer representative of the small cap market space.

Top Japanese Stocks To Watch For 2014: Eaton Vance Tax-Advantaged Global Dividend Opportunities Fund (ETO)

Eaton Vance Tax-Advantaged Global Dividend Opportunities Fund (the Fund) is a closed-end management investment company. The Fund's investment objective is to provide a high level of after-tax total return. The Fund pursues its objective by investing primarily in dividend-paying common and preferred stocks.

The Fund�� top 10 equity holdings include Freeport-McMoran Copper, Veolia Environment, Southern Copper Corp., Societe Generale, Chevron Corp., Occidental Petroleum Corp., Exelon Corp., Total SA Spon ADR, Entergy Corp. and Suncor Energy Inc. Top 10 equity holdings represented 25.3% of total investments as of April 30, 2007.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By GURUFOCUS]

  Special Purpose Funds- Eaton Vance Tax-Adv. Global Dividend Oppor. Fund (ETO) | Yield: 7.3%
  - The Gabelli Global Utility & Income Trust (GLU) | Yield: 6.2%
  - Pimco Global Stocksplus Income Fund (PGP) | Yield: 9.5%
  - LMP Real Estate Income Fund Inc. (RIT) | Yield: 7.0%

Top Japanese Stocks To Watch For 2014: Western Gas Equity Partners LP (WGP)

Western Gas Equity Partners, LP, incorporated on September 11, 2007, was formed to own three types of partnership interests in Western Gas Partners, LP (WES). WES is a limited partnership formed by Anadarko Petroleum Corporation to own, operate, acquire and develop midstream energy assets. As of December 31, 2011, the Company had no independent operations. On January 13, 2012, WES acquired 100% interest of Mountain Gas Resources LLC (MGR). On August 1, 2012, WES acquired 24% interest of Chipeta Processing LLC (Chipeta).

WES is engaged in the business of gathering, processing, compressing, treating and transporting natural gas, condensate, natural gas liquids (NGLs) and crude oil for Anadarko, as well as third-party producers and customers. The assets of WGP, through its partnership interests in WES, include thirteen gathering systems, seven natural gas treating facilities, ten natural gas processing facilities, two NGL pipelines, one interstate gas pipeline, one intrastate gas pipeline, and three separate interests in Fort Union, White Cliffs Pipeline, LLC (White Cliffs) and Rendezvous Gas Services, LLC (Rendezvous). These assets are located in East and West Texas, the Rocky Mountains (Colorado, Utah and Wyoming), and the Mid-Continent (Kansas and Oklahoma). WES also has facilities under construction in South Texas and northeast Colorado. During the year ended December 31, 2011, WES completed the construction of a cryogenic processing train at its Chipeta facility , which had a designed capacity of approximately 300 million cubic feet of natural gas per day and was placed into service in October 2012.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Jonas Elmerraji]

  The exact same setup is potentially giving traders a reason to jump into shares of $8.5 billion midstream gas company Western Gas Equity Partners (WGP). Just like Flotek, WGP is forming a textbook channel up. And this week, Western Gas is testing trendline support.

  It's a little too early to call WGP's trendline buyable here. At some point, all trends eventually fail -- and when this one does, you don't want to be left holding the bag. A bounce this week will be a good indication that WGP can still catch a bid at this price level. When and if that happens, I'd recommend keeping a tight protective stop in place just below WGP's most recent swing low at $38.

  While the 50-day moving average has been crossing paths with WGP quite a bit in the last month, I'd recommend ignoring it. The average hasn't acted as a meaningful support or resistance level to date. In the case of this particular name, it's just not technically relevant.

Top Japanese Stocks To Watch For 2014: Enventis Corp (ENVE)

Enventis Corporation, formerly HickoryTech Corporation, is an integrated communications provider. The Company has a five-state fiber network spanning more than 3,250 route miles with facilities-based operations across Minnesota and into Iowa, North Dakota, South Dakota and Wisconsin. Enventis Telecom, Inc. (Enventis) provides business Internet protocol (IP) voice, data and video solutions, Multi-Protocol Label Switching (MPLS) networking, data center and managed hosted services and communication systems. HickoryTech delivers broadband, Internet, digital television (TV), voice and data services to businesses and consumers in southern Minnesota and northwest Iowa. The Company�� operations are conducted through nine subsidiaries. Its Fiber and Data and Equipment Segments subsidiaries include Enventis, Enterprise Integration Services, Inc. (EIS) and IdeaOne. Its Telecom Segment subsidiaries include Mankato Citizens Telephone Company (MCTC), Mid-Communications, Inc. (Mid-Com), Heartland Telecommunications Company of Iowa, Inc. (Heartland), Cable Network, Inc. (CNI), Crystal Communications, Inc. (Crystal) and National Independent Billing, Inc. (NIBI). The Company operates in three segments: Fiber and Data, Equipment and Telecom. The Company formed Enterprise Integration Services, Inc. (EIS) on January 2, 2012. On March 1, 2012, the Company acquired IdeaOne Telecom Group, LLC.

Fiber and Data and Equipment segments portion of its business serves customers across a five-state region with IP-based voice, transport, data and network solutions, managed services, equipment, network integration and support services. Through its regional fiber network, the Company provides wholesale fiber and data services to regional and national service providers, including interexchange and wireless carriers. It also specializes in providing integrated unified communication solutions for businesses, such as enterprise multi-office organizations, small and medium-sized businesses (SMB), primarily in the Upper Midwes! t. Residential customers are not targeted by the Fiber and Data or Equipment Segments. Its Telecom Segment provides residential and business services, including high-speed Internet, broadband services, digital TV and voice services in its legacy telecom markets. Telecom consists of the operation of local telephone companies or incumbent local exchange carriers (ILEC) and the operation of a competitive local exchange carrier (CLEC). All of its telecom operations are operated as one integrated unit. Its ILECs and CLEC are the primary users of the services provided by its subsidiary, National Independent Billing, Inc. (NIBI). NIBI also sells its services externally to other companies in the communications industry.

Fiber and Data and Equipment Segments

The Company, through its two business-to-business segments, Fiber and Data and Equipment, provides integrated data services and fiber based communication solutions, including IP-based voice, data and network solutions to business customers in the Upper Midwest. The product portfolio includes fiber, data and Internet, Voice and Voice over IP (VoIP), Managed and hosted services and data center services. As of December 31, 2011, it owned or had long-term leases to approximately 2,175 fiber route miles of fiber optic cable, including 225 miles acquired with the IdeaOne acquisition and has metro fiber optic rings that directly connect the network with businesses (interexchange carriers, wireless carriers, retail, health care, Government and education customers). Additional local fiber rings connect its network to local telephone central offices along with the Telecom Sector network, which has 1,155 fiber optic miles. It also serves customers through interconnections that are leased from third party service providers.

The Company�� product portfolio includes SingleLink Unified Communications (SingleLink), a hosted or managed IP communications service, which includes local and long distance voice, business IP telephony via ! a hosted ! IP private branch exchange, unified messaging and Internet access. The SingleLink solution is primarily targeted at SMB customers but also has enterprise customer applications. IdeaOne Telecom Group, LLC is a metro fiber network provider in Fargo, North Dakota. IdeaOne provides data networking, Internet, colocation, phone and hosting services to approximately 3,600 customers in the Fargo area. The acquisition added 225 fiber route miles to HickoryTech�� regional network. It has Minnesota offices located in Minneapolis, Duluth and Rochester and operates data centers in Edina, Duluth and Mankato. It also has an office located in the Des Moines, Iowa area. The Equipment segment product portfolio includes equipment solutions, total care support and monitoring and professional services. The Company provides converged IP services that allow all communications (voice, video and data) to use the same IP data infrastructure. Equipment solutions include TelePresence, Unified Communications, Data Center and Virtualization, Professional Services, Total Care and Security.

Telecom

The Telecom Segment provides local telephone service, long distance, calling features, digital subscriber line (DSL), Internet, digital TV, data services and a phone book directory to residents and businesses in its legacy markets. As an auxiliary business, the data processing services of NIBI are also included within this Sector. Telecom includes three ILECs: MCTC, Mid-Com and Heartland. MCTC and Mid-Com provide telephone services in south central Minnesota, specifically the Mankato, Minnesota region, and 11 rural communities surrounding Mankato. Heartland, its third ILEC, provides telephone services for 11 rural communities in northwest Iowa. In total, there are 23 ILEC exchanges within this Segment. Also included is a CLEC, Crystal, which provides services in south central Minnesota and near Des Moines, Iowa. There are eight Minnesota CLEC exchanges and two Iowa CLEC exchanges. NIBI provides data processing an! d related! services for its affiliated companies, as well as for other ILECs, CLECs, interexchange network carriers, wireless companies and cable TV providers throughout the United States and Canada.

The Company owns and operates a 1,075 mile fiber optic network and facilities in Minnesota and Iowa. These facilities are used to transport voice, data and video services between the Company�� exchanges, to connect customers to interexchange carriers and to provide service directly to end users. This network is interconnected with its 2,175 fiber mile network in the Fiber and Data Segment. Its Minnesota ILECs and CLEC are the primary users of these fiber optic cable facilities. The Company provides interexchange telephone access by connecting the communications networks of interexchange carriers and wireless carriers with the equipment and facilities of end users through its switched networks or private lines. As local exchange telephone companies, it provides end office switching and circuits to long distance interexchange carriers. The Company provides access to its network for interexchange carriers to conduct long distance business with individual customers who select a long distance carrier for the origination and termination of calls to all customers.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Anna Prior]

  Consolidated Communications Holdings Inc.(CNSL) has agreed to acquire broadband communications provider Enventis Corp.(ENVE) in an all-stock deal that values Enventis at about $228 million. The deal values Enventis at about $16.50 a share, a 17% premium to Friday’s close.

Top Financial Companies To Own In Right Now

Top Financial Companies To Own In Right Now: Consumer Staples Select Sector SPDR (XLP)

Consumer Staples Select Sector SPDR Fund (the Fund) seeks to provide investment results that correspond to the price and yield performance of the Consumer Staples Select Sector of the S&P 500 Index (the Index). The Index includes companies that are primarily involved in the development and production of consumer products that cover food and drug retailing, beverages, food products, tobacco, household products and personal products.

The Fund utilizes a passive or indexing investment approach to invest in a portfolio of stocks that seek to replicate the Index. The Fund's investment advisor is SSgA Funds Management, Inc.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Ben Levisohn]

  The exception to the strong defensive performance: consumer staples. The Consumer Staples Select Sector SPDR (XLP) has dropped 2.9% this year, making it the worst-performing sector in the S&P 500. Barclays’ Barry Knappexplains what’s gone wrong:

• [By Jon C. Ogg]

  4. Cyclical stocks outperform defensive stocks – This puts consumer discretionary, energy, financials, industrials, technology and materials all doing better than consumer staples, healthcare, telecom, and utilities. Doll also prefers a free cash flow yield to dividend yield and dividend growth over dividend yield.

  ETF Recommendation(s): Financial Select Sector SPDR (NYSEArca: XLF), Technology Select Sector SPDR (NYSEArca: XLK), Market Vectors Oil Services ETF (NYSEArca: OIH)… Avoid Consumer Staples Select Sector SPDR (NYSEArca: XLP) and Utilities Select Sector SPDR (NYSEArca: XLU).

  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 c! ap-ex is as follows: “Pent-up demand and aging of plant, equipment and technology argue for increases in those key areas.”

source from Top Stocks For 2015:http://www.topstocksblog.com/top-financial-companies-to-own-in-right-now-4.html

5 Stocks Rising on Unusual Volume

DELAFIELD, Wis. (Stockpickr) -- Professional traders running mutual funds and hedge funds don't just look at a stock's price moves; they also track big changes in volume activity. Often when above-average volume moves into an equity, it precedes a large spike in volatility.

Must Read: Warren Buffett's Top 10 Dividend Stocks




Major moves in volume can signal unusual activity, such as insider buying or selling -- or buying or selling by "superinvestors."



Unusual volume can also be a major signal that hedge funds and momentum traders are piling into a stock ahead of a catalyst. These types of traders like to get in well before a large spike, so it's always a smart move to monitor unusual volume. That said, remember to combine trend and price action with unusual volume. Put them all together to help you decipher the next big trend for any stock.



With that in mind, let's take a look at several stocks rising on unusual volume recently.

Must Read: 10 Stocks Carl Icahn Loves in 2014

comScore

comScore (SCOR) provides a range of digital media analytics solutions in the U.S., Europe, Canada and others. This stock closed up 3% to $39.38 in Monday's trading session.

Monday's Volume: 429,000

Three-Month Average Volume: 195,363

Volume % Change: 142%

From a technical perspective, SCOR jumped higher here right off its 50-day moving average of $37.86 with above-average volume. This spike to the upside on Monday is quickly pushing shares of SCOR within range of triggering a major breakout trade. That trade will hit if SCOR manages to take out some key near-term overhead resistance levels at $39.70 to its 52-week high of $39.78 with high volume.

Traders should now look for long-biased trades in SCOR as long as it's trending above its 50-day at $37.86 or above more near-term support levels at $37 or $36 and then once it sustains a move or close above those breakout levels with volume that hits near or above 195,363 shares. If that breakout hits soon, then SCOR will set up to enter new 52-week-high territory, which is bullish technical price action. Some possible upside targets off that breakout are $45 to $50.

Must Read: 10 Stocks George Soros Is Buying

Williams Partners

Williams Partners (WPZ), an energy infrastructure company, focuses on connecting North America's hydrocarbon resource plays to growing markets for natural gas and natural gas liquids. This stock closed up 3.5% at $51.75 in Monday's trading session.

Monday's Volume: 3.42 million

Three-Month Average Volume: 972,045

Volume % Change: 269%

From a technical perspective, WPZ jumped notably higher here back above its 200-day moving average of $50.73 with strong upside volume flows. This trend to the upside on Monday is quickly pushing shares of WPZ within range of triggering a near-term breakout trade. That trade will hit if WPZ manages to take out its 50-day moving average of $52.26 and then once it clears more key near-term overhead resistance at $52.90 with high volume.

Traders should now look for long-biased trades in WPZ as long as it's trending above Monday's intraday low of $50 and then once it sustains a move or close above those breakout levels with volume that hits near or above 972,045 shares. If that breakout hits soon, then WPZ will set up to re-test or possibly take out its next major overhead resistance levels at $55.28 to $56.30, or even its 52-week high at $57.29.

Must Read: 5 Stocks Under $10 Set to Soar

Access Midstream Partners

Access Midstream Partners (ACMP) owns, operates, develops and acquires natural gas, natural gas liquids and oil gathering systems, and other midstream energy assets in the U.S. This stock closed up 3.1% to $62.76 in Monday's trading session.

Monday's Volume: 2.51 million

Three-Month Average Volume: 434,394

Volume % Change: 427%

From a technical perspective, ACMP jumped higher here back above its 50-day moving average of $62.41 with heavy upside volume flows. This move also pushed shares of ACMP into breakout territory, since the stock took out some near-term overhead resistance at $62.08 to just under $63. Market players should now look for a continuation move to the upside in the short-term if ACMP manages to take out Monday's intraday high of $63.64 with high volume.

Traders should now look for long-biased trades in ACMP as long as it's trending above Monday's intraday low of $60.98 or above its 200-day at $59.40 and then once it sustains a move or close above $63.64 with volume that hits near or above 434,394 shares. If that move begins soon, then ACMP will set up to re-test or possibly take out its next major overhead resistance levels at $65.55 to $65.90, or even its 52-week high at $66.71. Any high-volume move above those levels will then give ACMP a chance to make a run at $70.

Must Read: 7 Stocks Warren Buffett Is Selling in 2014

GSI Group

Top 10 Valued Companies To Watch In Right Now

GSI Group (GSIG), together with its subsidiaries, designs, develops, manufactures and sells precision photonic and motion control components and subsystems to original equipment manufacturers in the medical, industrial, electronics and scientific markets. This stock closed up 3.8% at $12.32 in Monday's trading session.

Monday's Volume: 141,000

Three-Month Average Volume: 69,503

Volume % Change: 110%

From a technical perspective, GSIG spiked notably higher here back above both its 50-day moving average of $12.07 and its 200-day moving average of $12.15 with above-average volume. This trend to the upside on Monday also pushed shares of GSIG into breakout territory, since the stock took out some near-term overhead resistance levels at $11.91 to $12.05. Market players should now look for a continuation move to the upside in the short-term if GSIG manages to take out Monday's intraday high of $12.40 to some more near-term overhead resistance just above $12.60 with high volume.

Traders should now look for long-biased trades in GSIG as long as it's trending above Monday's intraday low of $11.80 or above $11.60 and then once it sustains a move or close above $12.40 to around $12.60 with volume that this near or above 69,503 shares. If that move gets set off soon, the GSIG will set up to re-test or possibly take out its next major overhead resistance levels at $13.19 to its 52-week high at $13.71. Any high-volume move above those levels will then give GSIG a chance to tag $15.

Must Read: 5 Stocks Insiders Love Right Now

Level 3 Communications

Level 3 Communications (LVLT), together with its subsidiaries, operates as a facilities-based provider of a range of integrated communications services primarily in North America, Latin America, Europe, the Middle East and Africa. This stock closed up 2.9% at $43.46 in Monday's trading session.

Monday's Volume: 3.83 million

Three-Month Average Volume: 2.14 million

Volume % Change: 89%

From a technical perspective, LVLT jumped higher here right above its 200-day moving average of $41.17 with above-average volume. This stock has been uptrending over the last few weeks, with shares moving higher from its low of $37.61 to its intraday high of $43.60. During that uptrend, shares of LVLT have been consistently making higher lows and higher highs, which is bullish technical price action. Market players should now look for a continuation move to the upside in the short-term if LVLT manages to take out its 50-day moving average of $43.56 to some more near-term overhead resistance at $44 with high volume.

Traders should now look for long-biased trades in LVLT as long as it's trending above its 200-day at $41.17 and then once it sustains a move or close above $43.56 to $44 with volume that's near or above 2.14 million shares. If that move materializes soon, then LVLT will set up to re-test or possibly take out its next major overhead resistance levels at $46.20 to $48.21, or even its 52-week high at $49.22.

Must Read: 10 Stocks Billionaire John Paulson Loves in 2014

To see more stocks rising on unusual volume, check out the Stocks Rising on Unusual Volume portfolio on Stockpickr.

-- Written by Roberto Pedone in Delafield, Wis.

RELATED LINKS:

>>5 Rocket Stocks to Buy for November Gains

>>5 Stocks Poised for Breakouts

>>Book Double the Gains With These 5 Shareholder Yield Champs

Follow Stockpickr on Twitter and become a fan on Facebook.

At the time of publication, author had no positions in stocks mentioned.

Roberto Pedone, based out of Delafield, Wis., is an independent trader who focuses on technical analysis for small- and large-cap stocks, options, futures, commodities and currencies. Roberto studied international business at the Milwaukee School of Engineering, and he spent a year overseas studying business in Lubeck, Germany. His work has appeared on financial outlets including

CNBC.com and Forbes.com. You can follow Pedone on Twitter at www.twitter.com/zerosum24 or @zerosum24.

Top 10 High Tech Companies To Own In Right Now

LONDON -- Despite falling 28 points on the day on Friday to 6,215, the FTSE 100 had its first positive week since it closed at 6,723 points on Friday, May 17 -- over the week it gained 99 points from the previous week's close of 6,116. Investors, it seems, have realized that the U.S. economy is actually likely to survive a cutting-back of the Federal Reserve's quantitative easing policy after all.

After our previous look at the FTSE showed us only falls, this week we'll be optimistic and look at just a few gains instead.

Vodafone (LSE: VOD  )
Vodafone gained 12 pence (6.4%) to end the week at 188 pence after the price followed the FTSE down and back up again over the past couple of weeks. But the price rebounded higher, partly after Deutsche Bank upgraded its recommendation and set a 217 pence target on the stock. Is that realistic? Well, with one of the best forecast dividends of the FTSE 100 of around 6%, and at a forward P/E of only 12, I wouldn't bet against it.

Top 10 Information Technology Companies To Own In Right Now: Universal Forest Products Inc (UFPI)

Universal Forest Products, Inc., incorporated on February 9, 1955, is a holding company that provides capital, management and administrative resources to c and market wood and wood-alternative products for retail building home centers and other retailers, structural lumber and other products for the manufactured housing industry, engineered wood components for the residential construction market, and specialty wood packaging and components and packing materials for various industries. Its operating segments consist of the Eastern, Western, Site-Built, Consumer Products and Distribution divisions. The Company�� subsidiaries also provide framing services for the residential market and forming products for concrete construction. The Company's consumer products operations offer a portfolio of outdoor living products, including wood composite decking, decorative balusters, post caps and plastic lattice. Its lawn and garden group offers an array of products, such as trellises and arches, to retailers nationwide. In January 2013, the Company�� subsidiary acquired Custom Caseworks, Inc.

In Retail Building Materials Market the Company offers composite wood and plastic products. The Company also sells engineered wood products to this market, which include roof trusses, wall panels and engineered floor systems. In Residential and Commercial Construction Markets, the Company supplies builders engaged in multi-family and commercial construction. It supplies wood forms and related products to set or form concrete for various structures, including garages, stadiums and bridges. The Company also provides framing services. In Manufactured Housing Market the Company distributes certain products, such as siding, electrical and plumbing to manufactured housing and RV customers. The Company define its industrial market as industrial manufacturers and agricultural customers who use pallets, specialty crates and wooden boxes for packaging, shipping and material handling purposes.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Monica Gerson]

  Universal Forest Products (NASDAQ: UFPI) is projected to post its Q3 earnings at $0.54 per share on revenue of $625.77 million.

  Stanley Black & Decker (NYSE: SWK) is estimated to report its Q3 earnings at $1.38 per share on revenue of $2.82 billion.

• [By Victor Selva]

  Universal Forest Products Inc. (UFPI) is a holding company that provides capital, management and administrative resources to subsidiaries that design, manufacture and market wood and wood-alternative products. It currently consumes about 7 percent of North American softwood lumber production per year.

• [By Marc Bastow]

  Universal Forest Products (UFPI), which provides capital and resources to the wood product industry, raised its semiannual dividend 5% to 21 cents per share, payable Dec. 15 to shareholders of record as of Dec. 1.
  UFPI Dividend Yield: 0.89%

Top 10 High Tech Companies To Own In Right Now: Reliance Steel & Aluminum Co.(RS)

Reliance Steel & Aluminum Co. operates as a metals service center company primarily in the United States and Canada. The company provides metals processing services and distributes a line of approximately 100,000 metal products, including alloy, aluminum, brass, copper, carbon steel, stainless steel, titanium, and specialty steel products to mills and original equipment manufacturers. Its processing services comprise cutting, leveling, sawing, machining, or electropolishing. The company also offers a range of metal perforating and fabrication services; and steel and alloy pipes, tube and bar products, and precision manufacturing of various tools designed for the global energy service companies. Reliance Steel & Aluminum Co. serves manufacturers and end-users in the general manufacturing, non-residential construction, transportation, aerospace, energy, electronics, and semiconductor fabrication and related industries. As of December 31, 2011, it maintained approximately 220 metals service center processing and distribution facilities in the United States, Belgium, Canada, China, Malaysia, Mexico, Singapore, South Korea, the United Arab Emirates, and the United Kingdom. The company was founded in 1939 and is headquartered in Los Angeles, California.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Kelley Wright]

  Reliance Steel & Aluminum (RS) is North America's largest metals service company and is looking to get even bigger. The company has increased dividends 20 times since its IPO in 1994, so its designation for outstanding dividend growth is a no-brainer.

• [By Seth Jayson]

  When judging a company's prospects, how quickly it turns cash outflows into cash inflows can be just as important as how much profit it's booking in the accounting fantasy world we call "earnings." This is one of the first metrics I check when I'm hunting for the market's best stocks. Today, we'll see how it applies to Reliance Steel & Aluminum (NYSE: RS  ) .

Top 10 High Tech Companies To Own In Right Now: Wynn Macau Ltd (WYNMF)

Wynn Macau, Limited is a holding company. The Company, along with its subsidiaries, is a developer, owner and operator of destination casino gaming and entertainment resort facilities in Macau. Its operating subsidiary, Wynn Resorts (Macau) S.A. (WRM), owns and operates destination casino resort Wynn Macau in Macau. As of December 31, 2011, it had 265,000 square feet of casino space, offering 24-hour gaming with a range of games, and two luxury hotel towers with 1,008 spacious rooms and suites. It also offers eight casual and fine dining restaurants, 54200 square feet of stores and boutiques, such as Bvlgari, Chanel, Dior, Gucci, Hermes, Hugo Boss, Louis Vuitton, Miu Miu, Piaget, Prada, Rolex, Tiffany, Vacheron Constantin, Van Cleef & Arpels, Versace, Vertu and others, two health clubs and spas, a salon, a pool, and lounges and meeting facilities. As of December 31, 2011, its subsidiaries included Wynn Resorts International, Ltd., Wynn Resorts (Macau) Holdings, Ltd. and others. Advisors' Opinion:

• [By MARKETWATCH]

  HONG KONG (MarketWatch) -- Hong Kong stocks sold off early Thursday after the Federal Reserve decided to further taper stimulus, and after a final reading of China's manufacturing PMI contracted. The Hang Seng Index (HK:HSI) sank 1.5% to 21,815.04 in holiday-shortened trading. Tech stocks retreated, as Chinese PC maker Lenovo Group Ltd. (HK:992) (LNVGF) dropped 5.3%, failing to get a lift from news that it plans to acquire the Motorola handset business from Google Inc. (GOOG) for $2.91 billion as Lenovo aims for a bigger presence in the U.S. market. Software developer Kingsoft Corp. (HK:3888) (KSFTF) fell 1.9% and Internet giant Tencent Holdings Ltd. (HK:700) (TCTZF) dropped 1.5%. Casino stocks also declined. Sands China Ltds. (HK:1928) (SCHYF) , the Hong Kong-listed unit of Las Vegas Sands Corp. (LVS) , slipped 0.2%, despite financial results that showed Sands China's net income increased 40% year-on-year to $467 million in the fourth quarter. Melco Crown Entertainment Ltd. (HK:6883) (MPEL) slumped 3.2%, and both Wynn Macau Ltd. (HK:1128) (WYNMF) and MGM China Holdings Ltd. (HK:2282)

Top 10 High Tech Companies To Own In Right Now: Five Prime Therapeutics Inc (FPRX)

Five Prime Therapeutics, Inc., incorporated on December 20, 2001, is a clinical-stage biotechnology company focused on discovering and developing protein therapeutics. Protein therapeutics is antibodies or drugs developed from extracellular proteins or protein fragments that block disease processes, including cancer and inflammatory diseases. The Company�� advanced product candidates include FP-1039/GSK3052230 (FP-1039), FPA008 and FPA144. FP-1039 is a protein therapeutic that traps and neutralizes cancer-promoting fibroblast growth factors (FGFs), involved in cancer cell proliferation and new blood vessel formation. FPA008 is an antibody that inhibits colony stimulating factor-1 receptor (CSF1R), and is being developed to treat patients with inflammatory diseases, including rheumatoid arthritis (RA). FPA144 is an antibody that inhibits FGF receptor 2b (FGFR2b), and is being developed to treat patients with gastric cancer and potentially other solid tumors.

FP-1039

FP-1039 is a protein therapeutic, which includes the extracellular part of FGFR1. FP-1039 acts as an inhibitor of FGFs, because the FGFR1 portion of the molecule binds to FGFs and prevents them from binding to FGFR1 on tumor and blood vessel cells. Because FGF proteins circulating in the blood are called ligands, FP-1039 is called a ligand trap. FP-1039 also includes a portion of an antibody called the Fc region. In preclinical testing, it observed inhibition of tumor growth with single-agent FP-1039, particularly in tumors withFGFR1 gene amplification, including squamous NSCLC and SCLC.

FPA008

FPA008 is an antibody that inhibits CSF1R and is being developed to treat patients with RA. FPA008 also has the potential to treat patients with other inflammatory diseases, including lupus nephritis, psoriatic arthritis, ankylosing spondylitis, fibrosis, inflammatory bowel disease and multiple sclerosis. These are chronic, incurable disorders with serious medical complications and disability for ! which better therapies with novel mechanisms of action are needed. FPA008 is an anti-CSF1R antibody, which it designed to block the ability of IL-34 and CSF1 to bind to and activate CSF1R. FPA008 reduces the numbers and activity of monocytes and macrophages that cause disease, and prevents the production and release of inflammatory factors. The Company and others has demonstrated that both IL-34 and CSF1 are present at increased levels in the inflamed joints of patients with RA.

FPA144

FPA144 is a monoclonal antibody directed against a form of FGFR2, or FGFR2b. When the FGFR2 gene is amplified by cancer cells, the FGFR2b protein is expressed at abnormally high levels on the tumor�� surface. This occurs in some patients with gastric and lower esophageal cancers. The tumor cells that have too much FGFR2b protein on their surface can be identified by special staining tests performed on the tumor. Because FGFR2b is the target for FPA144, patients��tumors can be screened for this protein, helping to identify the patients most likely to respond to FPA144 treatment.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Monica Gerson]

  Breaking news

  Alcoa (NYSE: AA) is investing US$13 million to expand its wheel manufacturing plant in Europe, to meet growing demand for its lightweight, durable, low-maintenance aluminum truck wheels. To read the full news, click here. L & L Energy (NASDAQ: LLEN) announced today that its Special Independent Committee has appointed Mr. Nicholas Chen, Managing Partner at Pamir Law Group, to replace Mr. Mark Bartlett. To read the full news, click here. Five Prime Therapeutics (NASDAQ: FPRX) and Bristol-Myers Squibb (NYSE: BMY) announced today that they have signed a collaboration agreement for the discovery, development and commercialization of immuno-oncology therapies directed toward targets identified in two undisclosed immune checkpoint pathways using Five Prime's proprietary target discovery platform. To read the full news, click here. First Solar (NASDAQ: FSLR) on Sunday announced the completion of the 1.3MW(DC) solar photovoltaic (PV) power plant at Kitakyushu-shi. Powered by First Solar FS Series 3 Black PV modules, the plant will generate approximately 1,400 MWh of clean and safe solar electricity per year. To read the full news, click here.

  Posted-In: Credit Suisse US Stock FuturesNews Eurozone Futures Global Pre-Market Outlook Markets

• [By John Kell and Tess Stynes var popups = dojo.query(".socialByline .popC"); p]

  Among the companies with shares expected to actively trade in Monday’s session are Keurig Green Mountain Inc.(GMCR), JA Solar Holdings Co.(JASO) and Five Prime Therapeutics Inc.(FPRX)

Top 10 High Tech Companies To Own In Right Now: Anhanguera Educacional Participacoes SA (AEDU3)

Anhanguera Educacional Participacoes SA, formerly Mehir Holdings SA, is a Brazil-based holding company engaged in the education sector. The Company provides higher graduate and postgraduate education through full time and distance learning programs. It is also engaged in the provision of preparatory courses for public competition and other specialization courses. The Company offers the academic programs, such as full time graduate, distance graduate and post-graduate courses. Additionally, the Company provides selected courses through the methodology of distance learning, including graduate, post-graduate and continuous education courses. Anhanguera Educacional Participacoes SA offers its services for working adults and operates in approximately 71 campuses and around 500 learning centers located throughout each of around the 26 Brazilian states. Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Ney Hayashi]

  Anhanguera Educacional Participacoes SA (AEDU3) tumbled after Brazil�� antitrust regulator signaled it may limit the education company�� merger with competitor Kroton Educacional SA. (KROT3) Lojas Renner SA (LREN3) led retailers higher after a report showed Brazil�� industrial production expanded faster than expected in October, easing concern that growth is faltering.

Top 10 High Tech Companies To Own In Right Now: LIN TV Corp(TVL)

LIN TV Corp., together with its subsidiaries, operates as a local television and digital media company. It operates or services 32 network-affiliates, television station Websites, and mobile products in 15 U.S. markets. The company?s television stations, which are affiliated with a national broadcast network, deliver local news and community stories, as well as sports and entertainment programming to 7.4% of U.S. television homes. It is also involved in the convergence of local broadcast television and the Internet through its television station Websites and local online technologies. In addition, LIN TV Corp. offers its content online and on mobile applications. The company was formerly known as Ranger Equity Holdings Corporation and changed its name to LIN TV Corp. in February 2002. LIN TV Corp. was founded in 1966 and is headquartered in Providence, Rhode Island.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Seth Jayson]

  Calling all cash flows
  When you are trying to buy the market's best stocks, it's worth checking up on your companies' free cash flow once a quarter or so, to see whether it bears any relationship to the net income in the headlines. That's what we do with this series. Today, we're checking in on LIN TV (NYSE: TVL  ) , whose recent revenue and earnings are plotted below.

Top 10 High Tech Companies To Own In Right Now: HSBC Holdings PLC (HSBC)

HSBC Holdings plc (HSBC), incorporated on January 1, 1959, is a global banking and financial services organizations. As of December 31, 2012, it provided a range of financial services to around 58 million customers through four global businesses: Retail Banking and Wealth Management, Commercial Banking, Global Banking and Markets, and Global Private Banking. Its international network covers 81 countries and territories in six geographical regions; Europe, Hong Kong, Rest of Asia-Pacific, Middle East and North Africa, North America and Latin America. As of December 31, 2012, the Company had an international network of some 6,600 offices in 81 countries and territories in six geographical regions; Europe, Hong Kong, Rest of Asia-Pacific, Middle East and North Africa (��ENA��, North America and Latin America. On May 20, 2012, HSBC Holdings PLC's wholly owned subsidiary HSBC Bank USA, N.A. and other wholly owned subsidiaries, sold 195 retail branches to First Niagara Bank, N.A. (First Niagara). In May 2012, the Company�� 70.03% owned subsidiary, HSBC Bank Malta plc, sold its card acquiring business to HSBC Merchant Services Ltd. In June 2012, the Company�� indirect wholly owned subsidiary, HSBC Iris Investments (Mauritius) Ltd, sold its 4.73% interest in Axis Bank Limited and 4.74% interest in Yes Bank Limited. In July 2012, its subsidiary, HSBC Europe (Netherlands B.V.), sold its 100% interest in HSBC Credit Zrt, to CentralFund Kockazati Tokealap. On March 31, 2013, Enstar Group Ltd�� subsidiary completed the acquisition from Household Insurance Group Holding Company of HSBC Insurance Company of Delaware and Household Life Insurance Company of Delaware, as well as its three subsidiary insurers.

The Company�� principal banking operations in Europe are HSBC Bank plc in the UK, HSBC France, HSBC Bank A.S. in Turkey, HSBC Bank Malta p.l.c., HSBC Private Bank (Suisse) SA and HSBC Trinkaus & Burkhardt AG. Through these subsidiaries it provides a range of banking, treasury and financia! l services to personal, commercial and corporate customers across Europe. HSBC�� banking subsidiaries in Hong Kong are The Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation Limited and Hang Seng Bank Limited.

The Company offers a range of banking and financial services in the People�� Republic of China, mainly through its local subsidiary, HSBC Bank (China) Company Limited. It also participates indirectly in mainland China through its primary associate, Bank of Communications. Outside mainland China, it conducts business in 21 countries and territories in the Rest of Asia-Pacific region, primarily through branches and subsidiaries of The Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation.

In the Middle East, the Company has network of branches of HSBC Bank Middle East Limited, together with HSBC�� subsidiaries and associates. Its North American businesses are located in the United States, Canada and Bermuda. Operations in the United States are conducted through HSBC Bank USA, N.A., and HSBC Finance, a national consumer finance company based near Chicago. HSBC Markets (USA) Inc. is the intermediate holding company of, inter alia, HSBC Securities (USA) Inc. HSBC Bank Canada and HSBC Bank Bermuda operate in their respective countries.

The Company�� operations in Latin America consists of HSBC Bank Brasil S.A.-Banco Multiplo, HSBC Mexico, S.A., HSBC Bank Argentina S.A. and HSBC Bank (Panama) S.A. In addition to banking services, it operates insurance businesses in Brazil, Mexico, Argentina, Panama and a range of smaller markets.

Retail Banking and Wealth Management

Retail Banking and Wealth Management (RBWM) take deposits and provide transactional banking services to enable customers to manage their day-to-day finances and save for the future. It offers credit facilities to assist customers in their short or longer-term borrowing requirements; and we provide financial advisory, broking, insurance and investment services to help them to manage and pro! tect thei! r financial futures. It develops products designed to meet the needs of specific customer segments, which may include a range of different services and delivery channels. Its customer offerings include deposits and account services; credit and lending, both secured and unsecured, and financial advisory, broking, life insurance manufacturing and asset management.

The Company offers services through four principal channels: branches, self-service terminals, telephone service centres and digital (Internet and mobile). Customers can transact with the bank through a combination of these channels. Its offers include HSBC Premier, HSBC Advance, Wealth Solutions & Financial Planning and Basic Banking. HSBC Premier provide preferential banking services and global recognition to its mass affluent customers and their immediate families. Customers can access emergency travel assistance, priority telephone banking and an online global view of their Premier accounts around the world. HSBC Advance provides a range of preferential products and services to simplify the banking needs of customers and to help them manage and plan their money to achieve their financial goals and ambitions. Wealth Solutions & Financial Planningis a financial planning process designed around individual customer needs to help its clients to protect, grow and manage their wealth through investment and wealth insurance products manufactured by Global Asset Management, Global Markets and HSBC Insurance and by selected third-party providers. Basic Banking provides banking products and services using global product platforms and globally set service standards.

Commercial Banking

The Company segment�� its Commercial Banking Business (CMB) into Corporate, to serve both Corporate and Mid-Market companies, and Business Banking, to serve the small and medium-sized enterprises (SME��) sector. It provides support to companies as they expand both domestically and internationally, and ensures a focus on the busine! ss bankin! g segments. It offers a range of financing, both domestic and cross-border, including overdrafts, receivables finance, term loans and syndicated, leveraged, acquisition and project finance. Asset finance is offered in selected sites. The Company provides the services and finance its clients need throughout the trade cycle including; letters of credit, collections, guarantees; receivables finance; supply chain solutions; commodity and structured finance; and risk distribution. HSBC is supporting the development of renminbi as a trade currency, with renminbi capabilities in more than 50 markets. It is a provider of domestic and cross-border payments, collections, liquidity management and account services offering local, regional and global solutions delivered through e-enabled platforms designed to address the current and future needs of its clients. The Company offers business and financial protection, trade insurance, employee benefits, corporate wealth management and a variety of other commercial risk insurance products in selected countries.

Global Banking and Markets

Global Banking and Markets (GB&M) provides tailored financial solutions to government, corporate and institutional clients and private investors globally. Managed as a global business, GB&M operates a long-term relationship management approach to build a understanding of clients��financial requirements. Sector-focused client service teams consisting of relationship managers and product specialists develop financial solutions to meet individual client needs. GB&M is managed as two principal business lines: Global Markets, and Global Banking.

Global Markets operations consist of treasury and capital markets services. Products include foreign exchange; currency, interest rate, bond, credit, equity and other derivatives; government and non-government fixed income and money market instruments; precious metals and exchange-traded futures; equity services; distribution of capital markets instruments, a! nd securi! ties services, including custody and clearing services and funds administration to both domestic and cross-border investors. Global Banking offers financing, advisory and transaction services. Its products include capital raising, advisory services, bilateral and syndicated lending, leveraged and acquisition finance, structured and project finance, lease finance and non-retail deposit taking; international, regional and domestic payments and cash management services; and trade services for corporate clients.

Global Private Banking

Global Private Banking (GPB) provides investment management and trustee solutions to high net worth individuals and their families globally. Private Banking services consists of multicurrency and fiduciary deposits, account services, and credit and specialist lending. GPB also accesses HSBC�� universal banking capabilities to offer products and services such as credit cards, Internet banking, and corporate and investment banking solutions. Investment Management comprises advisory and discretionary investment services, as well as brokerage across asset classes. This includes a range of investment vehicles, portfolio management, security services and alternatives. Private Trust Solutions comprise trusts and estate planning, designed to protect wealth and preserve it for future generations through structures tailored to meet the individual needs of each client.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By fedezaldua]

  Indeed, BBVA sells at a similar valuation level but pays a much lower cash yield ��BBVA is expected to pay a 4% cash dividend yield in 2014. BBVA trades at 2014 150% tangible book value and 18 times earnings. While you can always acquire a solid international banking institution such as HSBC (HSBC), which pays a 4% cash yield and sells for a significantly lower valuation than both Santander and BBVA, it's nearly impossible in today's market to buy an international banking institution that would pay you a 9% cash dividend yield.

• [By Jon C. Ogg]

  Citi and four other banks – Zions Bancorp (NASDAQ: ZION), Banco Santander (NYSE: SAN), HSBC Holdings PLC (NYSE: HSBC) for its North American operations, Royal Bank of Scotland PLC (NYSE: RBS) – will have to resubmit their plans with the Fed, and then they must get approval in writing from the Fed to increase buybacks and dividends. The foreign banks that failed will be restricted from paying higher dividends back to their parent companies.

• [By Daniel Inman]

  HSBC Holdings PLC (HK:5) � (HSBC) �, the single largest constituent on the Hang Seng Index, fell 0.5% after the bank said it agreed to sell its 8% stake in Bank of Shanghai to Spain�� Banco Santander S.A. (ES:SAN) �. The bank didn�� say how much it was selling the stake for but it valued the holding at $468 million at Sept. 30.

• [By Laura Brodbeck]

  Wednesday

  Earnings Expected: HSBC Holdings plc (NYSE: HSBC), Anheuser- Busch Inbev SA (NYSE: BUD), Duke Energy Corporation (NYSE: DUK) Economic Releases Expected: �Chinese trade balance, Australian unemployment rate, US crude inventory data, Chinese unemployment rate, French industrial production

  Thursday

Top 10 Consumer Service Stocks To Invest In Right Now

Top 10 Consumer Service Stocks To Invest In Right Now: Noble Energy Inc. (NBL)

Noble Energy, Inc., through its subsidiaries, engages in the acquisition, exploration, development, production, and marketing of crude oil, natural gas, and natural gas liquids in the United States, West Africa, Eastern Mediterranean, the North Sea, and internationally. Its principal projects include the Central DJ Basin properties in the onshore US; Galapagos and Gunflint projects in the deepwater Gulf of Mexico; Tamar project in the offshore Israel; Aseng, Alen, and Diega/Carmen projects in the offshore Equatorial Guinea; and West Africa gas projects located in the offshore Equatorial Guinea and Cameroon. The company was founded in 1932 and is based in Houston, Texas.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Matt DiLallo]

  Take Noble Energy (NYSE: NBL  ) and Noble Corp (NYSE: NE  ) . If you look at the ticker symbol of each company, you can see how easy it would be to confuse the two. So before you submit that buy order, let's drill down into each company so you can see why you'd want to double check before submitting that buy order.

• [By Robert Rapier]

  Noble Energy (NYSE: NBL) is a mid-tier (~$25 billion market capitalization) independent oil and gas producer. Its very diversified geographically with operations in the Denver-Julesburg (DJ) Basin and the Marcellus Shale in the US, as well as in the deepwater Gulf of Mexico, offshore Eastern Mediterranean and offshore West Africa.

source from Top Penny Stocks For 2015:http://www.seekpennystocks.com/top-10-consumer-service-stocks-to-invest-in-right-now.html

Top Quality Companies To Watch For 2014

This building on New York's Upper West Side will have a separate entrance for low-income residents. NEW YORK (CNNMoney) It's a tale of two cities in Manhattan, as the city okayed plans for a luxury condominium with a separate door for low-income residents.

The 33-story complex will have 219 expensive condos for sale and 55 to rent cheap to low-income tenants.

This building's approved "poor door" is new, but the issue isn't.

There are a number of similar buildings across the city that restrict some residents from fancy amenities -- think gyms, playrooms and rooftops.

The plans for the latest development at 40 Riverside on Manhattan's Riverside Drive were approved as part of the Inclusionary Housing Program, an effort to mitigate inequality by offering affordable housing in nice areas.

Hot Retail Stocks To Own For 2015: QLogic Corporation(QLGC)

QLogic Corporation engages in the design and supply of storage networking, high performance computing networking, and converged networking infrastructure solutions. It offers various host products, including fiber channel and Internet small computer systems interface (iSCSI) host bus adapters; fiber channel over Ethernet (FCoE) converged network adapters; and intelligent Ethernet adapters. The company also provides network products, which consist of fiber channel switches, including stackable edge switches, bladed switches, virtualized pass-through modules, and high-port count modular-chassis switches; Ethernet pass-through modules; and storage routers for bridging fiber Channel, FCoE, and iSCSI networks, as well as for migrating data between storage devices. In addition, it offers silicon products comprising fiber channel, iSCSI, converged network, and Ethernet controllers. Further, the company involves in the design and development of application-specific integrated circ uits, adapters, and switches based on fiber channel, iSCSI, FCoE, and Ethernet technologies. Its products are used in server, workstation, and storage subsystem solutions that are used by small, medium, and large enterprises with various business data requirements. The company sells its products to original equipment manufacturers and distributors worldwide. QLogic Corporation was founded in 1992 and is headquartered in Aliso Viejo, California.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Eric Volkman]

  Benck, who will also occupy a seat on the board, had been Emulex's COO since joining the company in 2008. He was appointed its president in 2010. Before Emulex, Benck had served in both capacities at QLogic (NASDAQ: QLGC  ) . Earlier, he worked for 18 years at IBM (NYSE: IBM  ) , where he helped establish the storied tech giant's blade server line.

Top Quality Companies To Watch For 2014: Pan American Silver Corp.(PAAS)

Pan American Silver Corp. engages in the exploration, development, extraction, processing, production, refining, reclamation, and operation of silver properties. The company also produces and sells gold, zinc, lead, and copper. As of April 27, 2011, it had seven silver mining operations in Mexico, Peru, Argentina, and Bolivia. The company was founded in 1979 and is headquartered in Vancouver, Canada.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Dan Caplinger]

  Gold fell below the key $1,300 level Thursday, raising new fears about whether the yellow metal's rally to begin 2014 is now over. Yet, mining companies fared well today, with silver specialists Hecla Mining (NYSE: HL  ) and Pan American Silver (NASDAQ: PAAS  ) posting solid gains of around 2% Thursday. What explains the disconnect that sent SPDR Gold Shares (NYSEMKT: GLD  ) down, but Market Vectors Gold Miners (NYSEMKT: GDX  ) up?

• [By Doug Ehrman]

  In terms of individual companies, there are several good choices, but these can behave very differently. Pan American Silver (NASDAQ: PAAS  ) , for example, missed revenue expectations and beat earnings expectations in its last earnings release. But despite the beat, EPS shrank considerably from a year earlier on a GAAP basis. The stock has been fairly flat ever since. Conversely, First Majestic (NYSE: AG  ) reported strong revenue growth and a small bump in profits, sending the stock higher since the announcement. First Majestic reported increased cash costs and tightening margins, largely driven by lower silver prices. Each of these companies faces pressure from increasing production costs and environmental concerns.

• [By Doug Ehrman]

  While many precious-metals companies have been in a slump of late, there is one that belongs perpetually in your portfolio: Silver Wheaton (NYSE: SLW  ) . The company is not like other miners -- including Pan American Silver (NASDAQ: PAAS  ) and First Majestic (NYSE: AG  ) -- in that it has a unique business plan that insulates it against many of the vagaries of the mining business. Moreover, because silver will always have a significant industrial demand component, even with the heightened volatility you see in the silver market, maintaining exposure to silver is appropriate.

Top Quality Companies To Watch For 2014: Questerre Energy Corp (QEC)

Questerre Energy Corporation (Questerre) is engaged in the exploration for, and the development, production and acquisition of oil and gas projects, particularly shale oil and gas. Questerre holds assets in British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba and Quebec. Questerre has three core areas where it conducts the majority of its activity: Oil Shale Mining, Western Canada and the St. Lawrence Lowlands, Quebec. The Company has a 100% interest in two licenses covering approximately 100,000 acres in the Pasquia Hills area of east central Saskatchewan. The Antler area is approximately 200 kilometers from Regina in southeast Saskatchewan. The Vulcan area in Southern Alberta is prospective for natural gas and oil in multiple horizons. The Lowlands are situated in Quebec south of the St. Lawrence River between Montreal and Quebec City. As at December 31, 2011, the Company had an interest in 98 gross (55.2 net) producing and 40 gross (17.8 net) non-producing oil and natural gas. Advisors' Opinion:

• [By James E. Brumley]

  Well, that answers that question. Questerre Energy Corp. (TSE:QEC) and Crescent Point Energy Corp. (TSE:CPG) likely knew they had some shale-oil mining neighbors in the Bakken Shale neighborhood in Saskatchewan, Canada, but they hadn't seen much of that competition. That's about to change soon. Adequately funded and eager to begin laying its final mining plans, Centor Energy Inc. (OTCBB:CNTO) is going to officially own 55% of a 21,000 acre shale oil property that's anywhere from just a few miles away to just a few meters away from and Crescent Point Energy's and Questerre Energy's operations in one of the oil-richest known areas in the Bakken formation. And to be clear, it's not like Centor Energy is just getting the ball rolling; the planning for this project has been underway for months. Once the property-acquisition deal is inked in mid-February, CNTO will likely finish up its feasibility study and begin the approval process for its facility later in the year. That's pretty quick, but as was noted, a great deal of the legwork has already been done.

• [By James E. Brumley]

  What do Questerre Energy Corp. (TSE:QEC) and Crescent Point Energy Corp. (TSE:CPG) know about oil in Saskatchewan that Centor Energy Inc. (OTCBB:CNTO) doesn't? Absolutely nothing. All three companies know there's oil in the southern part of the Canadian province, and they know exactly how to go get it. The only difference between QEC, CPG, and CNTO is, Questerre Energy and Crescent Point Energy are further along the development of their operations there than Centor Energy.

Top Quality Companies To Watch For 2014: QEP Midstream Partners LP (QEPM)

QEP Midstream Partners, LP (QEP), incorporated on April 19, 2013, is a limited partnership formed by QEP Resources, Inc. to owns, operates, acquires and develops midstream energy assets. The Company�� primary assets consist of ownership interests in four gathering systems and two Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC)-regulated pipelines, through which it provides natural gas and crude oil gathering and transportation services. The Company�� assets are located in, or are within close proximity to, the Green River Basin located in Wyoming and Colorado, the Uinta Basin located in eastern Utah, and the portion of the Williston Basin located in North Dakota. As of December 31, 2012, the Company�� gathering systems had 1,475 miles of pipeline and an average gross throughput of 1.8 million british thermal units per hour of natural gas and 18,224 barrels of crude oil.

Green River System

The Company�� Green River System, located in western Wyoming, consists of three complimentary systems owned by Green River Gathering, Rendezvous Gas and Rendezvous Pipeline and gathers natural gas production from the Pinedale, Jonah and Moxa Arch fields. In addition to gathering natural gas, the system also gathers and stabilizes crude oil production from the Pinedale Field, transports the stabilized crude oil to an interstate pipeline interconnect, and gathers and handles produced and flowback water associated with well completion activities in the Pinedale Field. The Green River Gathering assets are comprised of 405 miles of natural gas gathering pipelines, 61 miles of crude oil gathering pipelines, 81 miles of water gathering pipelines and a 60-mile, FERC-regulated crude oil pipeline located in the Green River Basin. The Rendezvous Gas assets consist of three parallel, 103-mile high-pressure natural gas pipelines, with 1,032 million cubic feet per day of throughput capacity and 7,800 basic hydrogen peroxide of gas compression. Rendezvous Pipeline�� sole asset is a 21-mile, FERC-regu! lated natural gas transmission pipeline that provides gas transportation services from QEP�� Blacks Fork processing complex in southwest Wyoming to an interconnect with the Kern River Pipeline.

Vermillion Gathering System

The Vermillion Gathering System consists of gas gathering and compression assets located in southern Wyoming, northwest Colorado and northeast Utah, which, when combined, include 454 miles of low-pressure, gas gathering pipelines and 23,197 basic hydrogen peroxide of gas compression. The Vermillion Gathering System is primarily supported by life-of-reserves and long-term, fee-based gas gathering agreements with minimum volume commitments, which are designed to ensure that it will generate a certain amount of revenue over the life of the gathering agreement by collecting either gathering fees for actual throughput or payments to cover any shortfall. The primary customers on our Vermillion Gathering System include Questar, Samson Resources Corporation (Samson Resources), QEP and Chevron USA, Inc. (Chevron).

Three Rivers Gathering System

Three Rivers Gathering is a joint venture between QEP and Ute Energy Midstream Holdings, LLC (Ute Energy) that was formed to transport natural gas gathered by Uintah Basin Field Services, L.L.C., an indirectly owned subsidiary of QEP (Uintah Basin Field Services), and other third-party volumes to gas processing facilities owned by QEP and third parties. The Three Rivers Gathering System consists of gas gathering assets located in the Uinta Basin in northeast Utah, including approximately 50 miles of gathering pipeline and 4,735 basic hydrogen peroxide of gas compression.

Williston Gathering System

The Williston Gathering System is a crude oil and natural gas gathering system located in the Williston Basin in McLean County, North Dakota. The Williston Gathering System includes 17 miles of gas gathering pipelines, 17 miles of oil gathering pipelines 239 basic hydrogen peroxide o! f gas com! pression, and a crude oil and natural gas handling facility, located primarily on the Fort Berthold Indian Reservation.

The Company competes with Enterprise Products Partners, L.P., Western Gas and The Williams Companies, Inc.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Jon C. Ogg]

  QEP Midstream Partners L.P. (NYSE: QEPM) was started as Buy at Janney Capital, and note that four other firms started coverage earlier this week.

  ServiceNow Inc. (NYSE: NOW) was started as Buy with a $55 price target at Canaccord Genuity.

Top Quality Companies To Watch For 2014: Tangoe Inc (TNGO)

Tangoe, Inc. (Tangoe), incorporated on February 9, 2000, is a global provider of communications lifecycle management (CLM), software and services to a range of enterprises, including large and medium-sized businesses and other organizations. CLM encompasses the entire lifecycle of an enterprise's communications assets and services, including planning and sourcing, procurement and provisioning, inventory and usage management, mobile device management (MDM), invoice processing, expense allocation and accounting, and asset decommissioning and disposal. Its on-demand Communications Management Platform is a suite of software designed to manage and optimize the complex processes and expenses associated with this lifecycle for both fixed and mobile communications assets and services. On February 21, 2012, it acquired ttMobiles Limited (ttMobiles), On January 10, 2012, Tangoe acquired Anomalous Networks Inc. On December 19, 2011, it acquired ProfitLine, Inc. (ProfitLine).On March 16, 2011, the Company acquired the telecommunications expense management division of Telwares, Inc. and its subsidiary Vercuity Solutions, Inc. (Telwares). On January 25, 2011, it acquired HCL Expense Management Services Inc. (HCL). On August 8, 2012, the Company acquired the Telecommunications Expense Management Business of Symphony Teleca (TEM Business).

The Company�� solution is implemented worldwide, providing service coverage in over 180 countries and territories in over 125 currencies with support for approximately 1,700 different communications carriers and 1,900 different billing formats. Its user interface is translated into 16 different languages and its solution supports compliance with the requirements of 63 regulatory committees around the world. Its on-demand software organizes disparate billing, ordering, asset and usage data into a format, allowing its customers to access, query and analyze their communications expense and asset profile information. Improved control of the billing process helps enterpri! ses ensure they pay their bills on time, avoiding late payments and associated service interruptions. Its software also provides customers proactive and predictive mobile usage alerts allowing them to avoid mobile bill overages. Its solution allows its customers to manage the financial, legal and reputational risks associated with unauthorized or unintended use of their communications assets and services.

Communications Management Platform

The Company�� customers can engage the Company through its client service group to manage their communications assets and services using a combination of CMP and its client services. The services it offers include help desk, asset procurement and provisioning and carrier dispute resolution. Its Communications Data Management technology processes and normalizes service-provider billing and order-related information for its customers. CMP also integrates with its customers' critical third-party enterprise systems, including enterprise resource planning, accounts payable, general ledger and human resources systems, which enables automated, real-time access to and synchronization with employee, accounting, user access authentication and security policy information.

The Company sells CMP in three standard bundles: Asset Management, Expense Management and Usage Management. The Asset Management bundle of CMP provides asset procurement, provisioning, tracking and disposal capabilities for fixed and mobile communications assets and services. The Asset Management bundle tracks and audits all add, move, change or disconnect service transaction orders and manages all customer assets and services by location, business unit and employee. Its MDM software allows its customers to manage and maintain their mobile inventory with wireless, real-time monitoring and remote update functions. Key capabilities of the Asset Management bundle of CMP include catalog management, procure, provision, track, maintain and dispose.

Catalog Manage! ment incl! ude Customer-configurable catalog of over 51,500 services, devices, features and plans with dynamic access and presentation based on corporate policy and user profile. Procure include capture, validation, approval, submission and tracking of fixed and mobile service and equipment orders. Provision is engaged in establishment of mobile device enterprise connectivity with installation of corporate applications, usage and security policies utilizing wireless provisioning capabilities. Track includes tracking of fixed and mobile assets, including information regarding characteristics, configurations, ownership and operational and connectivity status. Maintain include centralized management of mobile devices enabled through on-device software providing security and usage policy enforcement as well as automated mobile policy and mobile application deployments and updates. Dispose include collection, data cleansing and disposal of mobile devices.

The Expense Management bundle of CMP provides automated processing and services to manage every aspect of the fixed and mobile communications billing function, from receipt to payment. Key capabilities of the Expense Management bundle of CMP include contract management, billing, audit, dispute, allocate, payment and optimize. The Usage Management bundle of CMP provides enterprises with visibility and control over how communications assets and services are being used in fixed and mobile environments through a combination of real-time and historical usage tracking as well as corporate communications and security policy enforcement. The Company�� capabilities of the Usage Management bundle of CMP include secure, policy management, monitor, real-time, compliance, performance and support. The Company offers Real-time Telecommunications Expense Management (rTEM) bundled or as a point solution. Its rTEM solution serves the enterprise, medium and small business and carrier deployment markets.

The Company�� rTEM solution provides businesses and ca! rriers of! all sizes the ability to monitor, report and analyze data, voice, short message service (SMS) and roaming consumption of their mobile devices in real-time. Its rTEM solution utilizes predictive algorithms designed to proactively identify and help prevent costly, unexpected overages from occurring. Its rTEM solution also provides device location monitoring services to help find lost or stolen devices, as well as device geo-fencing features to alert appropriate individuals that an asset is leaving or entering pre-defined geographic tracking areas, providing additional device security tracking. Its rTEM solution supports implementation on smartphones, tablets and machine-to-machine communication devices.

Strategic Consulting and Other Services

The Company offers a set of strategic consulting services that address all areas of CLM for fixed and mobile environments. These services can be contracted separately or in conjunction with CMP. Its strategic consulting services offerings include sourcing, strategic advisory service, bill auditing, inventory optimization, mobile optimization and policy administration. The Company assists its customers with reviewing and negotiating contracts with communications carriers. The Company provides its clients with peer comparison analysis and benchmarking. It works with its customers to identify billing errors and other issues related to usage and contract activity. The Company advises its customers on how to align their current asset and service inventories with their business objectives. The Company aids its customers in aligning their mobile policies, assets, contracts and requirements. It works with its customers to formulate policies concerning the appropriate use of communications assets and services. In addition, the Company helps its customers develop policies regarding risk mitigation, entitlements, cost management, liability models, cost allocation methodologies and positive behavioral management. The Company also offers standard imple! mentation! services, including data conversion, system configuration, process review and corporate system integration, to assist its customers in the setup and deployment of CMP.

The Company competes with Emptoris, Rivermine, MDSL, Symphony SMS, Vodafone, XIGO, AirWatch, BoxTone, Good Technology, MobileIron, Sybase, Zenprise, CSC, Orange, Ariba and PAETEC.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By David Trainer]

  
  For examples of large investment firms propping up stock prices and fueling large moves, see my recent Danger Zone articles on InnerWorkings (NASDAQ: INWK) and Tangoe (NASDAQ: TNGO). Both stocks had heavy institutional ownership and rapid upward price moves driven by Wall Street propaganda and momentum traders. Soon after we revealed how disconnected the price moves were from the companies’ fundamentals the stocks fell 30+%.

• [By Lee Jackson]

  Tangoe Inc. (NASDAQ: TNGO) is another small cap name with potential for huge upside. The company provides communications life cycle management software and services primarily to commercial enterprises and governmental agencies. The company offers an on-demand communications management platform (CMP), a suite of software designed to manage and optimize the complex processes and expenses associated with the life cycle of an enterprise’s fixed and mobile communications assets and services. The Deutsche Bank price target for the stock is at $28, while the consensus level is at $27. Trading to the target would represent a 60% gain for investors.

Top Quality Companies To Watch For 2014: K&S AG (KPLUY)

K&S AG is a Germany-based holding company which is active in the chemical sector. The Company divides its activities into four main business segments. The Potash and Magnesium Products segment is engaged in the crude potash and magnesium salts extraction and in processing raw materials into products for industrial, pharmaceutical, cosmetics and food industries. The Nitrogen Fertilizers business segment distributes fertilizers for almost all agricultural crops, and products for home and garden, plant care and plant protection, specialty fertilizers for public green areas, tree nurseries, horticulture and various special crops are offered. The Salt segment offers food grade salt, industrial salt and salt for chemical use, as well as de-icing salt applied to ensure road safety. The Complementary Business segments include recycling activities and the disposal and reutilization of waste salt mines, granulation of CATASAN, logistics, and trading in different basic chemicals. Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Rich Duprey]

  Yet, Europe's leading potash player K+S (NASDAQOTH: KPLUY  ) just said that, because of the upheaval that's occurred in the market, it was slashing its dividend by 82% for 2013,�reducing the payout ratio to just 11% of adjusted after tax�earnings, a far cry from the miner's usual�ratio of between 40% and 50%. Could this signal a new era of austerity that will ultimately see Potash,�Agrium (NYSE: AGU  ) , and Mosaic (NYSE: MOS  ) �end up whacking their payouts, as well?

Top Value Companies To Watch In Right Now

It's not just small Windows RT-based tablets that are getting cheaper. Small tablets running the more full-featured Windows 8 are also now seeing their value propositions improve.

Sources told Bloomberg earlier this week that Microsoft (NASDAQ: MSFT  ) is slashing licensing fees to manufacturers of small Windows RT devices, and now a Microsoft executive is confirming the discount across both operating systems.

Nick Parker -- VP of Microsoft's OEM division -- also says that the discount program will come with free Microsoft Office software. It will be up to the manufacturers to decide if they want to include Word, Excel, OneNote, and PowerPoint in their tablets -- no Outlook -- and it's hard to see them passing up on the offer.

This explains why the first 8-inch Windows 8 tablet -- Acer's Iconia W3 -- is set to hit the market at a refreshingly reasonable $379 price point.

That's still higher than most similar-sized Android and iOS tablets, but it's a big step down from the Windows 8 tablet pricing that was introduced last year.

Top Cheapest Stocks To Invest In 2015: Tupperware Corporation(TUP)

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

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Eric Volkman]

  Tupperware Brands (NYSE: TUP  ) is reaching into its corporate bowl for a fresh payout to shareholders. The company has declared a quarterly dividend of $0.62 per share. This will be paid on July 8 to stockholders of record as of June 19. That amount matches the firm's previous distribution, which was paid in early April. Prior to that, Tupperware Brands was rather less generous, handing out $0.36 per share.

• [By Oliver Pursche]

  European large-cap pharmaceuticals like Novartis (NVS) �and Bristol Meyers Squibb (BMY) �count amongst some of our favorite stocks right now, as do U.S. multinationals that are growing revenue and margins in Asia ��Tupperware (TUP) �is a shining example. Stay away from utilities and energy stocks, as they are likely to be the laggards over the next year.

• [By Jonathan Berr]

  Multilevel marketing (MLM) groups such as Herbalife operate through independent sales representatives, who earn money both through the sales of product and by recruiting other people to join their team. This business model — which is used by scores of companies, including�Pampered Chef, which is owned by Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway (BRK.B), Tupperware (TUP) and Mary Kay Cosmetics — is legal provided that actual products are sold.

Top Value Companies To Watch In Right Now: Schlumberger N.V.(SLB)

Schlumberger Limited, together with its subsidiaries, supplies technology, integrated project management, and information solutions to the oil and gas exploration and production industries worldwide. The company?s Oilfield Services segment provides exploration and production services; wireline technology that offers open-hole and cased-hole services; supplies engineering support, directional-drilling, measurement-while-drilling, and logging-while-drilling services; and testing services. This segment also offers well services; supplies well completion services and equipment; artificial lift; data and consulting services; geo services; and information solutions, such as consulting, software, information management system, and IT infrastructure services that support oil and gas industry. Its WesternGeco segment provides reservoir imaging, monitoring, and development services; and operates data processing centers and multiclient seismic library. This segment also offers variou s services include 3D and time-lapse (4D) seismic surveys to multi-component surveys for delineating prospects and reservoir management. The company?s M-I SWACO segment supplies drilling fluid systems to improve drilling performance; fluid systems and specialty tools to optimize wellbore productivity; production technology solutions to maximize production rates; and environmental solutions that manages waste volumes generated in drilling and production operations. Its Smith Oilfield segment designs, manufactures, and markets drill bits and borehole enlargement tools; and supplies drilling tools and services, tubular, completion services, and other related downhole solutions. The company?s Distribution segment markets pipes, valves, and fittings, as well as mill, safety, and other maintenance products. This segment also provides warehouse management, vendor integration, and inventory management services. Schlumberger Limited was founded in 1927 and is based in Houston, Texas.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Tyler Crowe]

  When it comes to Canadian oil sands, there has been one direction that many a company has followed: toward the exit. Tough economics, as well as a lack of sufficient takeaway capacity, has made oil sands production difficult for oil companies. But where so many other companies see peril, ExxonMobil (NYSE: XOM  ) and Schlumberger (NYSE: SLB  ) see opportunity. Exxon has held the course on its major Kearl oil sands project and expects it to be up and running in 2015. Also, Schlumberger has just acquired a Canadian company that provides geochemical and fluid analysis to oil sands producers.

Top Value Companies To Watch In Right Now: Dollar Tree Inc.(DLTR)

Dollar Tree, Inc. operates discount variety stores in the United States and Canada. Its stores offer merchandise primarily at the fixed price of $1.00. The company operates its stores under the names of Dollar Tree, Deal$, Dollar Tree Deal$, Dollar Giant, and Dollar Bills. Its stores offer consumable merchandise, including candy and food, and health and beauty care, as well as household consumables, such as paper, plastics, household chemicals, in select stores, and frozen and refrigerated food; variety merchandise, which includes toys, durable housewares, gifts, party goods, greeting cards, softlines, and other items; and seasonal goods, such as Easter, Halloween, and Christmas merchandise. As of April 30, 2011, it operated 4,089 stores in 48 states and the District of Columbia, as well as 88 stores in Canada. The company was founded in 1986 and is based in Chesapeake, Virginia.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By WWW.DAILYFINANCE.COM]

  David Paul Morris/Bloomberg via Getty Images Family Dollar Stores (FDO) rejected a $9 billion buyout offer from Dollar General (DG) and issued a sharp rebuke to accusations its CEO favors a smaller bid from Dollar Tree (DLTR) because it would allow him to keep his job. Family Dollar, the second-largest dollar store in the United States, said it believed a deal with its larger rival would be unlikely to win antitrust approval despite a promise by Dollar General to close up to 700 stores.

  We will not jeopardize the Dollar Tree deal for a transaction with Dollar General that has a high likelihood of not closing due to antitrust considerations.

Top Value Companies To Watch In Right Now: Caterpillar Inc.(CAT)

Caterpillar Inc. manufactures and sells construction and mining equipment, diesel and natural gas engines, industrial gas turbines, and diesel-electric locomotives worldwide. It operates through three lines of businesses: Machinery, Engines, and Financial Products. The Machinery business offers construction, mining, and forestry machinery, including track and wheel tractors, track and wheel loaders, pipelayers, motor graders, wheel tractor-scrapers, track and wheel excavators, backhoe loaders, log skidders, log loaders, off-highway trucks, articulated trucks, paving products, skid steer loaders, underground mining equipment, tunnel boring equipment, and related parts. It also manufactures diesel-electric locomotives; and manufactures and services rail-related products and logistics services for other companies. The Engines business provides diesel, heavy fuel, and natural gas reciprocating engines for Caterpillar machinery, electric power generation systems, marine, petrol eum, construction, industrial, agricultural, and other applications. It offers industrial turbines and turbine-related services for oil and gas, and power generation applications. This business also remanufactures Caterpillar engines, machines, and engine components; and offers remanufacturing services for other companies. The Financial Products business provides retail and wholesale financing alternatives for Caterpillar machinery and engines, solar gas turbines, and other equipment and marine vessels, as well as offers loans and various forms of insurance to customers and dealers. It also offers financing for vehicles, power generation facilities, and marine vessels. The company markets its products directly, as well as through its distribution centers, dealers, and distributors. It was formerly known as Caterpillar Tractor Co. and changed its name to Caterpillar Inc. in 1986. Caterpillar Inc. was founded in 1925 and is headquartered in Peoria, Illinois.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Jonathan Yates]

  There are many blue chip stocks with high dividends and high betas such as BP PLC (NYSE: BP), the major oil firm, and Caterpillar (NYSE: CAT) -- the world's largest heavy equipment maker and a member of the Dow Jones Industrial Average.

• [By Dan Dzombak]

  The Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJINDICES: ^DJI  ) is up after the Australian Central Bank lowered interest rates in an effort to boost the nation's economy. Caterpillar (NYSE: CAT  ) stock is leading the Dow today, as the interest rate cut bodes well for demand in Australia. As of 1:10 p.m. EDT the Dow is up 68 points to 15,037, while the S&P 500 (SNPINDEX: ^GSPC  ) is up 6.5 points to 1,624.

• [By Jayson Derrick]

  Analysts at Credit Suisse maintained an Outperform rating on Caterpillar (NYSE: CAT) with a price target lowered to $108 from a previous $119. Shares lost 0.23 percent, closing at $92.59.

• [By Justin Loiseau]

  Getting back to the Dow, Caterpillar (NYSE: CAT  ) was among the index's worst performers yesterday. Shares dropped 1.56% as the company continued to reel from a sales and earnings miss earlier this week. Caterpillar openly admitted that its short-term growth is nothing to love (2% this year), but if other better-than-expected natural-resources reports are any evidence, this latest sell-off may simply be the result of over-optimists (read: "China alpha bulls") finally opting out. For mining companies and Caterpillar alike, investors will need to keep a close watch on commodities prices in the coming months, as well as global growth in key expansion areas like China.