Top Retail Stocks To Buy For 2015

A small, yet symbolic, pricing increase is taking place at�Starbucks (NASDAQ: SBUX  ) today.

The premium coffeehouse is rolling out small hikes in select markets. The uptick in java doesn't amount to much. The average increase is a mere 1%, and outside of a $0.10 bump in prices for tall coffees, it's not as if most people will notice that they are paying slightly more for their caffeinated fixes. Our cable bills creep up every year, so why should a cup of Joe be any different?

The rub is that coffee commodity prices have actually gone the other way. Starbucks even pushed through a 10% decrease on its packaged retail coffee products last month! A Starbucks spokeswoman is confirming to Nation's Restaurant News that the small increase is being pushed through today.

Lower coffee costs? Higher consumer-facing prices at Starbucks stores? Shareholders will love this if it's successful. Margins will spike nicely.

Starbucks may be hoping that an influx of new products -- including a new Valencia Orange Refresher, a Shaken Iced Peach Green Tea Lemonade, and Kati Kati blend of East African coffees -- that are being added this morning will blur the increase. Folks will be too dazzled by the new items -- that also includes an orange spiced coffee drink -- to realize that they may be paying slightly more than they used to at some stores for some drinks.

Top Retail Stocks To Buy For 2015: Ulta Salon Cosmetics and Fragrance Inc (ULTA)

Ulta Salon, Cosmetics & Fragrance, Inc. (Ulta), incorporated on January 9, 1990, is a beauty retailer, which provides one-stop shopping for prestige, mass and salon products and salon services in the United States. During the year ended January 28, 2012 (fiscal 2011), the Company opened 61 new stores. It operates full-service salons in all of its stores. Its Ulta store format includes an open and modern salon area with approximately eight to 10 stations. The entire salon area is approximately 950 square feet with a concierge desk, skin treatment room, semi-private shampoo and hair color processing areas. Each salon is a full-service salon offering hair cuts, hair coloring and permanent texture, with salons also providing facials and waxing.

The Company offers products in the categories, such as cosmetics, which includes products for the face, eyes, cheeks, lips and nails; haircare, which includes shampoos, conditioners, styling products, and hair accessories; salon styling tools, which includes hair dryers, curling irons and flat irons; skincare and bath and body, which includes products for the face, hands and body; fragrance for both men and women; private label, consisting of Ulta branded cosmetics, skincare, bath and body products and haircare, and other, including candles, home fragrance products and other miscellaneous health and beauty products. The Company has combined its three operating segments: retail stores, salon services and e-commerce, into one reportable segment.

The Company competes with Macy��, Nordstrom, Sephora, Bath & Body Works, CVS/pharmacy, Walgreens, Target, Wal-Mart, Regis Corp., Sally Beauty and JCPenney salons.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Sue Chang]

  Ulta Salon Cosmetics & Fragrance Inc. (ULTA) �is projected to post fourth-quarter earnings of $1.07 a share.

• [By Chris Hill]

  Boeing's (NYSE: BA  ) 787 Dreamliner was back in the news (and not for good reasons), which is one reason we prefer Precision Castparts (NYSE: PCP  ) . Ulta Salon (NASDAQ: ULTA  ) names a new CEO. Tenet Healthcare (NYSE: THC  ) makes a big buy. And Facebook (NASDAQ: FB  ) is reportedly working on a news service for mobile devices. In this installment of Investor Beat, Andy and Jason discuss four stocks making big moves.

• [By Wallace Witkowski]

  Ulta (ULTA) �shares rose 6.9% to $95.70 on moderate volume after the company reported fourth-quarter earnings of $1.09 a share on revenue of $868.1 million.

Top Retail Stocks To Buy For 2015: AutoCanada Inc (ACQ)

AutoCanada Inc. (AutoCanada) is a multi-location automobile dealership groups. As of December 31, 2011, the Company operated 24 franchised dealerships in British Columbia, Alberta, Manitoba, Ontario, New Brunswick and Nova Scotia. During the year ended December 31, 2011, its dealerships sold approximately 28,000 vehicles and processed approximately 300,000 service and collision repair orders in its 333 service bays. As of December 31, 2011, it was authorized to sell through its dealerships the vehicle brands, which include Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep, Ram, Fiat, Hyundai, Nissan, Infiniti, Volkswagen, Mitsubishi and Subaru. In addition, it sells a range of used vehicles. In November 2011, the Company acquired assets of two dealerships. In January 2013, the Company purchased the assets of a Volkswagen dealership known as People's Automotive Ltd. Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Greg Quinn]

  AutoCanada Inc. (ACQ), the country�� largest publicly traded chain of car dealerships, is using sales of trucks to Alberta oil workers to fund higher dividends and buy out competitors.

Top 10 Telecom Stocks To Invest In 2015: Starbucks Corporation(SBUX)

Starbucks Corporation purchases and roasts whole bean coffees. It operates approximately 16,858 stores, including 8,833 company-operated stores and 8,025 licensed stores. The company offers approximately 30 blends and single-origin premium arabica coffees. It also provides handcrafted beverages, such as fresh-brewed coffee, hot and iced espresso beverages, coffee and non-coffee blended beverages, Vivanno smoothies, and Tazo teas; and merchandise products, including home espresso machines, coffee brewers and grinders, coffee mugs and accessories, packaged goods, music, books, and gift items. In addition, it offers fresh food items, which comprise baked pastries, sandwiches, salads, oatmeal, yogurt parfaits, and fruit cups. Further, it also provides VIA ready brew coffee, bottled frappuccino beverages, discoveries chilled cup coffee, doubleshot espresso drinks, iced coffee, whole bean coffee, and ice creams. The company?s brand portfolio includes Tazo tea, Ethos water, Seatt le?s Best Coffee, and Torrefazione Italia Coffee. Starbucks Corporation sells its products in approximately 50 countries worldwide. Starbucks Corporation was founded in 1971 and is based in Seattle, Washington.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Russ Krull]

  Starbucks (NASDAQ: SBUX  ) brewed a grande-size deal with $750 million of 10-year 3.85% notes. The company's press release says the money is going toward "general corporate purposes, which may include business expansion, payment of cash dividends on Starbucks common stock, the repurchase of common stock under the company's ongoing share repurchase program, or financing of possible acquisitions." There are a couple of interesting points in this deal. First, Starbucks only had $550 million in long-term debt, so this deal more than doubles long-term debt. Next, Starbucks has plenty of earnings and cash flow to cover its dividend and a stock repurchase program. The company is expanding, particularly in China, and an acquisition is always a possibility. In short, this looks like a lot of new debt for a company that doesn't really need to borrow.

• [By Tabitha Jean Naylor]

  While that cry become a rampant cliché in American pop culture, and fodder for many a late-night talk show monologue, Starbucks (NASDAQ: SBUX) often seems to be on virtually every corner of every street in metropolitan America. While exaggerated, that claim can certainly feels true sometimes -- especially when driving through most major cities.

Top Retail Stocks To Buy For 2015: Aeropostale Inc (ARO)

Aeropostale, Inc., (Aeropostale), incorporated on September 1, 1995, is a mall-based, specialty retailer of casual apparel and accessories, principally targeting 14 to 17 year-old young women and men through its Aeropostale stores and 4 to 12 year-old kids through its P.S. from Aeropostale stores. P.S. from Aeropostale products can be purchased in P.S. from Aeropostale stores, in certain Aeropostale stores, and online at www.ps4u.com. As of January 28, 2012, it operated 986 Aeropostale stores, consisting of 918 stores in 50 states and Puerto Rico, 68 stores in Canada, as well as 71 P.S. from Aeropostale stores in 20 states. The Company designs, sources, markets and sells all of its own merchandise. In addition, pursuant to a licensing agreement, it operated 14 Aeropostale and P.S. from Aeropostale stores in Middle East and South East Asia. During March 2011, it announced that it had signed a second licensing agreement. The licensee to this agreement is focused to open approximately 30 stores in stores in Turkey over the next five years. In November 2012, the Company acquired online women's fashion footwear and apparel retailer GoJane.com (GoJane).

P.S. from Aeropostale offers casual clothing and accessories focusing on kids between the ages of 4 and 12. It�� P.S. from Aeropostale products are sold only at its stores and online through its e-commerce Websites, www.ps4u.com and www.aeropostale.com. The Company operates three street level stores in the New York City area. It also has a19,000 square foot Aeropostale store in the Times Square section of New York City. It offers both Aeropostale and P.S. from Aeropostale products in the Times Square store.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Ben Levisohn]

  Aeropostale�(ARO) has jumped 3.6% to $7.19 after�Bloomberg�reported that the struggling retailer was working out its options with Barclays assistance.

Top Retail Stocks To Buy For 2015: Pier 1 Imports Inc (PIR)

Pier 1 Imports, Inc. (Pier 1 Imports), incorporated in April 30, 1986, is a global importer of imported decorative home furnishings and gifts. As of March 2, 2013, the Company had 1,062 stores in the United States and Canada. During the fiscal year ended March 2, 2013 (fiscal 2013), the Company opened 22 new Pier 1 Imports stores and closed 12 stores. The Company operates regional distribution center facilities in or near Baltimore, Maryland; Columbus, Ohio; Fort Worth, Texas; Ontario, California; Savannah, Georgia, and Tacoma, Washington. The specialty retail operations of the Company consist of retail stores and e-Commerce operations conducting business under the name Pier 1 Imports, which sell a range of furniture, decorative home furnishings, dining and kitchen goods, candles, gifts and other specialty items for the home.

As of March 2, 2013, the Company operated 982 Pier 1 Imports stores in the United States and 80 Pier 1 Imports stores in Canada. During fiscal 2013, the Company supplied merchandise and licensed the Pier 1 Imports name to Grupo Sanborns, which sold Pier 1 Imports merchandise primarily in a store within a store format in 49 Sears Mexico stores and one store in El Salvador. The stores consist of freestanding units located near shopping centers or malls and in-line positions in major shopping centers. Pier 1 Imports operates in all major United States metropolitan areas and many of the primary smaller markets.

Decorative Accessories

This merchandise group constitutes the range of category of merchandise in Pier 1 Imports��sales mix. These items are imported primarily from Asian and European countries, as well as some domestic sources. This merchandise group includes decorative accents, lamps, vases, dried and artificial flowers, baskets, ceramics, dinnerware, bath and fragrance products, candles, seasonal and gift items.

Furniture

This merchandise group consists of furniture and furniture cushions to be used in livin! g, dining, office, kitchen and bedroom areas, sunrooms and on patios. Also included in this group are wall decorations and mirrors. These goods are imported from a variety of countries such as Vietnam, Malaysia, Brazil, Thailand, China, the Philippines, India and Indonesia, and are also obtained from domestic sources. This merchandise group is made of metal or handcrafted natural materials, including rattan, pine, beech, rubberwood and selected hardwoods with either natural, stained, painted or upholstered finishes.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Roberto Pedone]

  My first earnings short-squeeze trade idea is Pier 1 Imports (PIR), a global importer of imported decorative home furnishings and gifts, which is set to release numbers on Thursday before the market opens. Wall Street analysts, on average, expect Pier 1 Imports to report revenue of $404.64 million on earnings of 21 cents per share.

  Just recently, Argus said the recent pullback in shares of Pier 1 Imports is providing an attractive entry point, and the firm reiterated its buy rating on the stock with a $27 per share price target. The firm believes that Pier 1 Imports should hold up well in a promotional and competitive environment.

  The current short interest as a percentage of the float Pier 1 Imports stands at 5%. That means that out of the 97.51 million shares in the tradable float, 4.90 million shares are sold short by the bears. If the bulls get the earnings news they're looking for, then shares of PIR could jump sharply higher post-earnings as the bears rush to cover some of their bets.

  From a technical perspective, PIR is currently trending above both its 50-day and 200-day moving averages, which is bullish. This stock has been uptrending for the last month, with shares moving higher from its low of $20.59 to its intraday high of $23.23 a share. During that uptrend, shares of PIR have been consistently making higher lows and higher highs, which is bullish technical price action. That move has now pushed shares of PIR within range of triggering a near-term breakout trade post-earnings.

  If you're bullish on PIR, then I would wait until after its report and look for long-biased trades if this stock manages to break out above some near-term overhead resistance levels at $23.50 to $24 a share with high volume. Look for volume on that move that hits near or above its three-month average action of 1.25 million shares. If that breakout hits, then PIR will set up to re-test or possibly take out its 52-week high at $25.28 a share. Any

• [By DailyFinance Staff]

  Stocks took a breather Thursday after racing higher on Wednesday, and the price of gold sank to a three-year low. The major averages ended mixed -- and that's good news, as the market mostly held onto the huge gains that followed the Federal Reserve's taper announcement. The Dow Jones industrial average (^DJI) edged up 11 points, the Standard & Poor's 500 index (^GPSC) slipped a point, and the Nasdaq composite index (^IXIC) fell 12 points. But the price of gold slumped by $39 an ounce, closing below $1,200 for the first time in more than three years. Gold related stocks followed suit. Newmont Mining (NEM), Barrick Gold (ABX) and Goldcorp (GG) all fell about 1.5 percent. Another story getting lots of play today is Target's (TGT) announcement that as many as 40 million credit and debit card customers may have had their account information stolen over the past few weeks. Target shares fell 2 percent. Even though earnings season is still a few weeks away, earnings news was a big factor today. On the upside: Oracle (ORCL), up 6 percent. The software maker beat Wall Street profit and revenue estimates. Food giant ConAgra (CAG), up 5 percent, after topping expectations. And Pier 1 (PIR), also up 5 percent. Net slightly missed, but the retailer raised its dividend by 20 percent.

Top Retail Stocks To Buy For 2015: GUESS? Inc (GES)

Guess?, Inc. (GUESS?) designs, markets, distributes and licenses apparel and accessories for men, women and children. The Company operates in five: Europe, North American Retail, Asia, North American Wholesale and Licensing. The Company�� products are sold through retail, wholesale, e-commerce and licensing distribution channels. The lines include full collections of clothing, including jeans, pants, skirts, dresses, shorts, blouses, shirts, jackets, knitwear and intimate apparel. It also grant licenses to manufactures and distributes a range of products, including eyewear, watches, handbags, footwear, kids' and infants' apparel, leather apparel, swimwear, fragrance, jewelry and other fashion accessories. In fiscal 2012, the Company, along with its distributors and licensees, opened 224 stores in all concepts combined outside of the United Sates and Canada, which consisted of 120 stores in Europe and the Middle East, 89 stores in Asia and 15 stores in the combined area of Central and South America.

As of January 28, 2012, the Company directly operated a total of 504 stores in the United Sates and Canada and 251 stores outside of the United Sates and Canada, and in addition, 230 smaller-sized concessions in Asia and Europe. As of January 28, 2012, its international licensees and distributors operated 804 stores located outside the United Sates and Canada, and 119 smaller-sized licensee operated concessions located in Asia. As of January 28, 2012, it operated retail Websites in the United Sates, Canada, Europe and South Korea. As of January 28, 2012, it had e-commerce available to 26 countries, and in 6 languages around the world. The Company and its network of licensee partners sell its products around the world primarily through six different store concepts, namely its flagship GUESS? retail stores, its GUESS? factory outlet stores, its GUESS by MARCIANO stores, its G by GUESS stores, its GUESS? Accessories stores and its GUESS? Kids stores. The Company also has a small number of footwe! ar, Gc watch and underwear concept stores.

Europe Segment

In the Company�� Europe segment, GUESS? sells its products in 63 countries throughout Europe and the Middle East through wholesale, retail and e-commerce channels. In fiscal 2012, its Europe segment accounted for approximately 37.6% of its revenues. The Company�� European wholesale business generally relies on a large number of smaller regional distributors and agents to distribute its products primarily to smaller independent multi-brand boutiques. The Company�� products are also sold directly to department stores like Galeries Lafayette, Printemps and El Corte Ingles. As of January 28, 2012, GUESS? had showrooms in Barcelona, Dusseldorf, Munich, London, Paris, Florence and Lugano. It sells both its apparel and certain accessories products under the Company�� GUESS? and GUESS by MARCIANO brand concepts through its wholesale channel, operating primarily through two seasons, Spring/Summer and Fall/Winter.

The Company�� European retail network consists of a mix of directly operated and licensee operated GUESS? and GUESS by MARCIANO retail and outlet stores, GUESS? Accessories stores, GUESS? Footwear stores and GUESS? Kids stores. As of January 28, 2012, it had 179 directly operated stores and 382 licensee stores, excluding 17 smaller-sized concessions in Europe. During fiscal 2012, the Company opened 45 new directly operated stores, 75 licensee stores and 5 concessions. The Company�� GUESS? Accessories stores average approximately 800 square feet, GUESS by MARCIANO stores average approximately 1,300 square feet and full-price GUESS? stores generally average 2,300 square feet.

North American Retail Segment

In the Company�� North American Retail segment, it sells its products through a network of directly operated retail and factory outlet stores in North America and through its on-line stores. In fiscal 2012, the Company�� North American Retail segment accounted for ap! proximate! ly 41.6% of its revenue. As of January 28, 2012, it also directly operated 25 GUESS? branded stores in Mexico through a majority-owned joint venture. The Company�� the United Sates and Canada GUESS? retail stores carry an assortment of men's and women's GUESS? merchandise, including most of its licensed product categories. As of January 28, 2012, these stores occupied approximately 1,025,000 square feet and ranged in size from approximately 2,500 to 13,500 square feet, with most stores between 4,000 and 6,000 square feet. In fiscal 2012, it opened nine new retail stores and GUESS? closed four stores.

The Company�� the United Sates and Canada factory outlet stores are located primarily in outlet malls generally operating outside the shopping radius of its wholesale customers and its retail stores. These stores sell selected styles of men's and women's GUESS? apparel and licensed products. As of January 28, 2012, its the United Sates and Canada factory outlet stores occupied approximately 717,000 square feet and ranged in size from approximately 2,000 to 11,000 square feet, with most stores between 4,500 and 6,500 square feet. In fiscal 2012, it opened 10 new factory stores. The Company�� G by GUESS store carries apparel for both men and women and a line of accessories and footwear. As of January 28, 2012, its G by GUESS stores occupied approximately 317,000 square feet and ranged in size from approximately 4,000 to 10,000 square feet, with most stores between 4,000 and 5,500 square feet. In fiscal 2012, the Company opened 12 new G by GUESS stores and it closed three stores.Its GUESS? Accessories store concept sells GUESS? and GUESS by MARCIANO labeled accessory products.

As of January 28, 2012, the Company�� GUESS? Accessories concept stores occupied approximately 122,000 square feet and ranged in size from approximately 1,000 to 4,000 square feet, with most stores between 1,500 and 2,500 square feet. In fiscal 2012, GUESS? opened four new GUESS? Accessories stores and i! t closed ! three stores. The Company�� GUESS by MARCIANO stores in the United Sates and Canada offer a women's collection designed for the stylish, trend-setting woman. As of January 28, 2012, its GUESS by MARCIANO stores occupied approximately 156,000 square feet and ranged in size from approximately 2,000 to 6,500 square feet, with most stores between 2,000 and 3,000 square feet. In fiscal 2012, it opened two new GUESS by MARCIANO stores and the Company closed four stores. The Company�� North American Retail segment also includes its the United Sates and Canada retail Websites, including www.guess.com, www.gbyguess.com, www.guessbymarciano.com, www.guesskids.com, www.guess.ca and www.guessbymarciano.ca. These Websites operates as virtual storefronts that both sell its products and promotes its brands.

Asia Segment

In the Company�� Asia segment, GUESS? sells its products through wholesale, retail and e-commerce channels throughout Asia. In fiscal 2012, its Asia segment accounted for approximately 9.3% of its revenue. Its Asia retail business includes both licensee and the Company operated stores, including GUESS?, G by GUESS, GUESS by MARCIANO, Gc, GUESS? Accessories and GUESS? Underwear stores. During fiscal 2012, it and its partners opened 89 new stores in Asia, as of January 28, 2012, it had 423 stores, 47 of which it operated directly and 376 of which were operated by licensees or distributors. The Company and its partners opened flagship stores in cities, such as Seoul, Shanghai, Hong Kong, Macau, Taipei and Beijing and have partnered with licensees to develop its business in the second tier cities in this region.

North American Wholesale Segment

In the Company�� North American Wholesale segment, it sells its products through wholesale channels in North America and to third party distributors based in Central and South America. In fiscal 2012, its North American Wholesale segment accounted for approximately 7.0% of its revenue. As of January 28, 20! 12, its p! roducts were sold to consumers through 1,005 major doors in the United Sates and Canada. These locations include 345 shop-in-shops, a selling area within a department store that offers an array of its products and incorporates GUESS? signage and fixture designs. The Company has sales representatives in New York, Los Angeles, Toronto, Montreal and Vancouver. During fiscal 2012, Macy's, Inc. was its largest domestic wholesale customer, accounting for approximately 2.7% of its consolidated net revenue.

Licensing Segment

The Company�� licensing segment includes the worldwide licensing operations of the Company. In fiscal 2012, its licensing segment royalties accounted for approximately 4.5% of its revenue. As of January 28, 2012, GUESS? had 19 domestic and international licenses that included eyewear, watches, handbags, footwear, kids' and infants' apparel, leather outerwear, fragrance, jewelry and other fashion accessories; and included licenses for the manufacture of GUESS? branded products in markets, which include Africa, Asia, Australia, Europe, the Middle East, Central America, North America and South America.

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 Guess (NYSE: GES  ) , whose recent revenue and earnings are plotted below.

Top Retail Stocks To Buy For 2015: Radioshack Corporation(RSH)

RadioShack Corporation engages in the retail sale of consumer electronic goods and services through its RadioShack store chain and kiosk operations. Its products include postpaid and prepaid wireless handsets and communication devices, such as scanners and global positioning system (GPS) products; home entertainment, wireless, music, computer, video game, and GPS accessories; media storage, power adapters, digital imaging products, and headphones; home audio and video end-products, personal computing products, residential telephones, and voice over Internet protocol products; digital cameras, digital music players, toys, satellite radios, video gaming hardware, camcorders, and general radios; general and special purpose batteries and battery chargers; and wires and cables, connectivity products, components and tools, and hobby products. The company also provides consumers access to third-party services, such as prepaid wireless airtime and extended service plans in its ser vice platform. In addition, it manufactures various products, including telephones, antennas, wires, and cable products, as well as various hard-to-find parts and accessories for consumer electronics products; and provides repair services. As of March 31, 2011, the company operated 4,467 company-operated retail stores under the RadioShack brand name in the United States; and 1,304 kiosks located in Target and Sam?s Club stores. As of December 31, 2010, it operated 211 company-operated stores under the RadioShack brand, 9 dealers, and 1 distribution center in Mexico; a network of 1,207 RadioShack dealer outlets, including 34 located outside of North America; and 4 distribution centers in the United States. Further, the company sells its products through its Website, radioshack.com. RadioShack Corporation was founded in 1899 and is based in Fort Worth, Texas.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Philip Springer]

  What’s this week’s big story for investors?
  
  Candidate #1: RadioShack (NYSE: RSH) said it will close up to 1,100 of its nearly 5,200 US stores amid widening losses. The company also announced that revenue in the fourth quarter of 2013 fell 20 percent from year-earlier levels.
  
  It doesn’t matter whether the latest announcement is in addition to or merely an expansion of the company’s Feb. 5 statement that it would close 500 stores. That, in turn, shortly followed the beleaguered company’s $4 million expenditure for a widely praised but clearly ill-timed 30-second ad during the Super Bowl.
  
  Also this week, Radio Shack agreed to pay its top executives “retention” bonuses, saying their skills are critical to the company�� comeback plan. CEO Joe Magnacca will get a $500,000 payment, while other executives will receive $187,500 to $275,000.
  
  The stock currently trades around $2, down from its 1999 peak of $61.
  
  No, that’s not the week’s big story. But it was too good to ignore.
  
  Candidate #2: The current bull market celebrates its fifth birthday this week, with the Standard & Poor’s 500 delivering a total return of about 175 percent during that time.
  
  Since 1921, the median bull market has been 50 months long and has delivered 115 percent in price appreciation. So this market is older and better than most. Still, the conditions aren’t yet present to suggest the end is near. Indeed, Wednesday’s advance, the best of the year to date, was exceptional for both its breadth and heavy volume.
  
  The five-year anniversary also means that stocks, mutual funds, exchange-traded funds, closed-end funds and so on will boast very good five-year returns. Don’t be overly impressed. Reason: Almost everybody will be a winner. (Other than Radio Shack.) But you should dig deeper: Comparisons will be useful to sort out leaders and laggards for potential investme

• [By Paul Ausick]

  There were a several analyst upgrades and downgrades�today, including:

  RadioShack Corp. (NYSE: RSH) has been dropped from coverage by Oppenheimer; Intel Corp. (NASDAQ: INTC) raised to ��eutral��at Piper Jaffray; Apache Corp. (NYSE: APA) cut to ��old��at Stifel Nicolaus; Kaiser Aluminum Corp. (NASDAQ: KALU) raised to ��uy��with a price target of $80 at Sterne Agee; and Dollar General Corp. (NYSE: DG) raised to ��verweight��at J.P. Morgan.

  The only earnings reports of note since last Friday came from Saks Inc. (NYSE: SKS) which is trading down 0.2% at $15.99.

• [By GuruFocus]

  Dr. Paul Price wrote an article called Wake-Up Calls Often Come Too Late. He discussed the collapses of the stock prices with Green Mountain Coffee (GMCR), Netflix (NFLX) and Soda Steam (SODA). As pointed correctly out by Adib Motiwala, value investors are rarely hurt by companies like Green Mountain Coffee, Netflix and Soda Steam. The reason is simple. These stocks are usually traded at extremely high valuation and value investors would normally avoid the situations like these. Value investors are much more likely hurt by the stocks like Nokia (NOK), RadioShack (RSH) and Research-in-Motion (RIMM) as these stocks have been traded for very low valuations. Value investors thought that they were buying into value, while they were actually buying into value traps. The valuation just gets lower, and lower.

Staggering toll: Car crashes cost $871B a year

Highway crashes create an enormous economic toll on the lives of Americans, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration says in a new study. The annual price tag for those crashes: $871 billion in economic loss and societal harm in 2010.

The total includes $277 billion in economic costs – nearly $900 for each person living in the USA – and $594 billion in societal harm from the loss of life and the pain and decreased quality of life because of injuries.

"No amount of money can replace the life of a loved one, or stem the suffering associated with motor vehicle crashes," U.S. Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx said. "While the economic and societal costs of crashes are staggering, today's report clearly demonstrates that investments in safety are worth every penny used to reduce the frequency and severity of these tragic events."

A similar study in 2011 by auto club AAA found that each fatal crash in 99 urban areas arries an economic toll of about $6 million. That estimate was based on Federal Highway Administration data that place dollar values on 11 components: property damage; lost earnings; loss of household activities; medical costs; emergency services; travel delays; vocational rehabilitation; lost time at work; administrative costs; legal costs; and pain and lost quality of life.

NHTSA's study, "The Economic and Society Impact of Motor Vehicle Crashes, 2010," focuses on some of the behavioral factors that contributed to that year's 32,999 highway fatalities, 3.9 million injuries and 24 million damaged vehicles. It found that just three driver behaviors, speeding, drunken driving and distracted driving, accounted for 56% of the economic loss to the nation and 62% of the societal harm.

The breakdown:

•Speeding. Crashes involving vehicles exceeding the speed limit or going too fast for conditions accounted for 21% of the total economic loss and cost $59 billion. These crashes were responsible for $210 billion – or 24% -- of the overall societal har! m.

•Drunken driving. Crashes caused by drivers under the influence of alcohol accounted for 18% of the total economic loss from automobile wrecks and cost the nation $49 billion. These crashes were responsible for $199 billion – or 23% -- of the overall societal harm.

•Distraction. Crashes involving a distracted driver accounted for 17% of the total economic loss and cost $46 billion. These crashes were responsible for $129 billion – or 15% -- of the overall societal harm.

"We want Americans to live long and productive lives, but vehicle crashes all too often make that impossible," said NHTSA's acting administrator, David Friedman. "This new report underscores the importance of our safety mission and why our efforts and those of our partners to tackle these important behavioral issues and make vehicles safer are essential to our quality of life and our economy."

Top 5 Bank Companies To Buy For 2015

Top 5 Bank Companies To Buy For 2015: U.S. Bancorp(US B)

U.S. Bancorp, a financial services holding company, provides various banking and financial services in the United States. It generates various deposit products, including checking accounts, savings accounts, money market savings, and time certificates of deposit accounts. The company originates a portfolio of loans comprising commercial loans and lease financing; commercial real estate; residential mortgage; and retail loans consisting of credit cards, retail leasing, home equity and second mortgages, and other retail loans. It also offers wholesale lending, equipment finance, small-ticket leasing, depository, treasury management, capital markets, foreign exchange, and international trade services to middle market, large corporate, commercial real estate, and public sector clients. In addition, U.S. Bancorp provides telebanking and automated teller machine (ATM) services, as well as cash management services. The company, through other subsidiaries, provides trust, private banking, financial advisory, investment management, retail brokerage services, insurance, and custody and fund services; and payment services, including consumer and business credit cards, stored-value cards, debit cards, corporate and purchasing card services, consumer lines of credit, and merchant processing. U.S. Bancorp primarily serves individuals, estates, foundations, business corporations, and charitable organizations. It operates a network of approximately 3,031 banking offices and 5,310 ATMs. The company was founded in 1863 and is headquartered in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Jay Jenkins]

  The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau recentlyorderedU.S. Bancorp (NYSE: USB  ) and its partner Dealers' Financial Services (DFS) to return $6.5 million to military service members. The CFPB uncovered unfair marketing practices and fees designed and implemented by DFS.

• [By CRWE]

  U! .S. Bancorp (NYSE:USB) will release its second quarter 2012 earnings before the market opens on Wednesday, July 18, 2012. At 8:30 a.m. (CDT) Richard K. Davis, chairman, president and chief executive officer, and Andrew Cecere, vice chairman and chief financial officer, will host a conference call to review the financial results.

• [By Matt Koppenheffer]

  Wells Fargo (NYSE: WFC  ) is widely seen as the king of cross selling and proudly states on its website that "our average retail banking household has about six products with us." It's looking to get that number to eight "and beyond." Bank of America (NYSE: BAC  ) has hit some speed bumps with its cross-selling push, but it's pushing nonetheless. And online job postings from U.S. Bancorp (NYSE: USB  ) stress the function of "identifying cross-sell opportunities with customers and making appropriate referrals." Talk to essentially any bank, and you'll likely hear the same.

• [By Jessica Alling]

  US Bancorp (NYSE: USB  ) is looking beyond check deposits, with the hopes of developing voice recognition software for its mobile app -- upping the convenience factor yet again. But USB isn't thinking only of the customers, as the bank has initiated a 50-cent fee for each mobile check deposit. This new fee would be a big boon for the banks (as long as customers don't revolt), since the average cost of processing a check via mobile apps is only 10 cents, according to Javelin Strategy & Research, a California-based company that rates banks on their mobile apps.

source from Top Penny Stocks For 2015:http://www.seekpennystocks.com/top-5-bank-companies-to-buy-for-2015.html

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Best Promising Stocks To Buy Right Now: iShares Government/Credit Bond ETF (GBF)

iShares Lehman Government/Credit Bond Fund (the Fund) seeks investment results that correspond to the price and yield performance of the United States Government and investment-grade United States corporate securities of the United States bond market as defined by the Lehman Brothers U.S. Government/Credit Index (the Index). The Fund invests in a representative sample of the securities in the Index, which has a similar investment profile as the Index. Due to the use of representative sampling, the Fund may or may not hold all of the securities that are included in the Index.

The Index measures the performance of United States dollar-denominated United States Treasuries, government-related securities and investment-grade United States corporate securities that have a remaining maturity of greater than or equal to one year, and have more than $250 million or more of outstanding face value. The securities must be fixed-rate and non-convertible securities.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Jonathan Morgan]

  Bilfinger SE (GBF) climbed 3.1 percent to 74.30 euros. Germanys second-largest builder predicted a significantly stronger second half after reporting second-quarter net income of 47 million euros ($62.5 million), which was in line with analysts estimates.

source from Top Penny Stocks For 2015:http://www.seekpennystocks.com/best-promising-stocks-to-buy-right-now.html

Jobs Report Aside, Here's Why Tapering Is Still on the Table

Investors generally took the lackluster August jobs report as a sign the U.S. Federal Reserve will hold off announcing a tapering of its $85 billion a month bond program at the Sept. 17-18 Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) meeting.

The Labor Department reported today (Friday) that U.S. job growth last month increased by a less-than-expected 169,000 jobs, adding to signs that economic growth likely slowed in the third quarter. The unemployment rate dipped in August to 7.3% from 7.4%. Economists were looking for employers to have increased headcount in August some 180,000.

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So what will the Fed do?

We asked Money Morning Chief Investment Strategist Keith Fitz-Gerald.

"The 'so-bad-it's-good' theme continues," Fitz-Gerald told us this morning. "The softness of the jobs number clearly perpetuates the hope for further stimulus."

But if there is a delay in Septaper, investors must remember it won't be permanent...

"While the markets are excited by the prospect of more 'free' money, the bogeyman remains in the shadows," Fitz-Gerald said. "Eventually the party will end. And, when it does, every new dollar put in now makes for a potentially very rocky ride."

Fitz-Gerald said we could still see some Fed action come mid-September - and investors need to be ready for a market reaction.

"The Fed is under increasing pressure to taper without destroying the financial markets; this number wasn't soft enough to remove the possibility of a 'test-taper' this fall," he said. "Whether the taper is $10 or $10 billion doesn't matter. The markets are going to have a 'taper-tantrum.'"

The "Bad" August Jobs Report

Along with the dreary August jobs report came significant downward revisions for the previous two months.

Job growth in July was revised down to a thin 104,000 from the initially reported 162,000. June's figure was revised downward to 172,000 from an earlier estimate of 188,000.

However, this month's unemployment rate decline came for a discouraging reason: Scores of Americans have stopped looking for work and are no longer counted among the unemployed.

"Unemployment dropped as yet more people left the workforce. That's bad any way you cut it because the smaller workforce means lower future growth," Fitz-Gerald explained. "People haven't put two and two together yet."

The size of the workforce declined by roughly 300,000, and the participation rate - a key measure of employment - dropped to 63.2% from 63.4%, its lowest level since August 1978.

Also discouraging is that the length of the work week ticked up to an average (still weak) 34.5 hours. Average hourly earnings rose a measly five cents, and temporary employment rose by 13,000.

Employers continue to shift some positions to part-time and wring more work out of full-timers in attempts to curb costs they face under upcoming Obamacare. The number of involuntary part-timers seeking full-time work is a whopping 8.2 million.

Businesses have an incentive to create part-time jobs in lieu of full-time ones because they don't have to provide health insurance to part-timers.

While Obamacare hits small businesses, investors can make moves today to make money off our changing national healthcare system... just go here to find out how.

Related Articles:

The Globe and Mail:
U.S. Job Growth Misses Expectations, Offers Cautionary Note for Fed Bloomberg:
Treasuries Extend Gains as Economy Add Fewer Jobs USA Today:
Stock Futures Jump on August Jobs Numbers

August jobs report: Hiring continues as unemployment falls

WASHINGTON (CNNMoney) Hiring continued at a slow pace in August, and the unemployment rate fell as more Americans dropped out of the labor force.

The U.S. economy added 169,000 jobs in August, the Department of Labor said Friday.

Although that was an improvement from 104,000 jobs added in July, it was also slower than the average pace of job growth over the last 12 months, and missed economist expectations.

Job growth for both June and July was also revised lower by a total of 74,000 jobs.

Meanwhile, the unemployment rate fell to 7.3%, but the decline came for the wrong reasons, as 312,000 people dropped out of the labor force. Only 63.2% of Americans now participate in the labor force -- meaning they have a job or are looking for one. That's the lowest rate since August 1978.

The report was being closely watched for signs that the Federal Reserve will begin pulling back on its controversial bond-buying program later this month. The Fed has said that the timing of the "tapering" would depend heavily on improvement in the labor market.

"When they look at the full weight of evidence, they'll conclude there's been no significant change in the last few months," said Jim O'Sullivan, chief U.S. economist for High Frequency Economics. "I think they will go ahead with the tapering in September."

But economists were mixed in their reactions. And stocks rose following the report, as investors took weak job growth as a sign that the Fed may hold off on tapering until later this year.

"It would very much surprise me if they tapered at this upcoming meeting," said J.J. Kinahan, chief strategist at TD Ameritrade. "Not only is the quality of jobs not exactly great, perhaps we're not creating as many jobs as we think."

Many of the jobs came in traditionally low-paying sectors, with retailers adding 44,000 jobs and restaurants and bars adding about 21,000 jobs.

Despite the housing recovery, the construction sector added no jobs overall.

Other bright spots included 33,000 jobs added in health care, 23,000 jobs added in professional services and 14,000 jobs added in manufacturing.

Overall, the trend remains the same: Modest hiring has! continued at a rate of about 184,000 jobs a month for the last year, but that's not nearly fast enough for the 11.3 million people who remain unemployed. The economy needs at least 200,000 new jobs a month just to keep pace with population growth.

Perdue's next frontier: organic

SALISBURY, Md. (AP) — While the labeling on some of the packages in the poultry section of your local supermarket might leave you wondering, there is probably one you can understand — organic.

Perdue, like most companies, is expanding its offerings to meet growing customer interests. Because of that, organic chicken is currently the chicken producer's biggest growth area.

"Words like 'organic' have meaning," said Jim Perdue, chairman of Perdue Farms, "because there are stringent regulations."

According to Perdue, organic chicken accounts for about 5% of the poultry the company sells today. It might not sound like much, but that makes Perdue the largest organic young chicken processor in the nation, according to Michael Sheats, director of the Agricultural Analytics Division at the United States Department of Agriculture. Perdue Farms has the ability to process more than 100,000 birds a day at its Milford, Delaware, plant.

As recently as 2011, though, the Salisbury-based company didn't even offer organic chicken. A few successful years of selling its Harvestland No-Antibiotics-Ever chicken, however, prompted the company to take the even bigger step toward organic.

Perdue explained that after a dozen years of research, in 2007, with the Harvestland brand, the company was able to offer consumers poultry that did not receive daily antibiotics. In the past, he said, chickens were administered growth-promoting antibiotics regularly.

Creating a way to raise chickens without the use of antibiotics, according to Joe Forsthoffer, director of corporate communications for Perdue, took some time.

"It's not just not using antibiotics," Forsthoffer explained. "It's developing a growing program where you create an environment where you don't need antibiotics."

Perdue Farms did that though, and with the release of the Harvestland brand, began offering No-Antibiotics-Ever chicken. That now accounts for 35% of the chicken the company sells.

"It's now nationwide, wit! h $200 million in sales," Perdue said. "It's done very well. That gave us a clue as to what the consumer is interested in."

The Harvestland brand success pushed Perdue Farms to purchase Coleman Natural, the country's largest producer of organic chicken, in 2011.

The organic chicken produced by Coleman Natural — much of it in Pennsylvania — is raised without antibiotics on a diet of organic corn- and soybean-based feed in an environment free of pesticides and herbicides. The birds look just like the chickens raised at the traditional chicken farms here on Delmarva but take a little longer to reach maturity.

"They're a little slower growing," Perdue explained.

The birds are kept in chicken houses but are given the freedom to move into outdoor enclosures and have access to "enhancements," such as roosts or hay bales, according to Perdue.

Because antibiotics aren't an option, growers have found other ways to ensure the birds stay healthy, according to Forsthoffer. He said natural remedies such as herbs — particularly oregano — and probiotics are used instead.

"It's more of a homeopathic approach," he said.

With the addition of Coleman Natural, Perdue Farms now offers three categories of chicken: organic, No-Antibiotics-Ever and chicken that was not treated with growth-promoting antibiotics. All of the birds are raised on an all-vegetarian feed that does not include animal byproducts such as blood and bone meal, according to Forsthoffer.

"We found it produced a better-tasting Perdue chicken," he said.

Although the organic and the No-Antibiotics-Ever chickens are the only birds verified to have been given no antibiotics, Forsthoffer said Perdue tries to limit as best it can the antibiotics all of the company's birds receive.

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Human antibiotics are only used when a flock comes down with an illness, something tha! t happens! with about 5% of Perdue's chickens. Aside from that, Ionophores — used to prevent intestinal parasites — are the only antibiotics the chickens are given, according to Forsthoffer.

Ionophores are classified by the Food and Drug Administration as an antibiotic and are therefore not given to Perdue's organic and No-Antibiotics-Ever flocks, Forsthoffer said. He added the parasite preventative is not used in human medications and is not associated with antibiotic resistant infections in humans.

While organic chicken only accounts for about 5% of Perdue's poultry sales, it's the fastest growing portion of the company's business.

"It's growing at 30% to 40%," Perdue said.

The increase in demand for organic chicken is being seen nationwide, according to Bill Roenigk, chief economist with the National Chicken Council.

"It is growing, and it's growing more quickly than the overall industry," Roenigk said, adding a strong indicator of that is the fact that large chain stores, particularly Wal-Mart, are pushing the product.

He said consumers are more willing to buy organic poultry now that the USDA is regulating it. Years ago, when organic chicken first began showing up on shelves, the USDA hadn't yet created standards for it, so shoppers had no federal guarantee that what they were buying was really organic.

The USDA began certifying poultry as organic in 2000.

"If they saw the USDA organic label, they were pretty sure of what they were getting," Roenigk said.

Perdue Farms is working to keep up with the increased interest.

"As long as it's growing, we want to continue to produce to that demand," Perdue said.

The company, however, cannot just begin turning all of its poultry farms into organic operations. According to Forsthoffer, getting a farm certified as organic is a lengthy process, as it has to go three years with no herbicides or pesticides before it can qualify.

Another drawback to producing organic chicken is the price. Perdue sai! d the rul! es and regulations — such as the farm certification process — associated with growing organic birds made the cost to the company double what it was for non-organic chicken. Even the feed for the birds costs twice as much as it does for a traditional chicken operation, as chicken certified as organic has to be fed organic corn grown from non-genetically modified seeds.

"When corn was $8 a bushel, organic corn was $16 a bushel," Perdue said. "The organic feed component is a limiting factor in growing the business."

The agribusiness division of Perdue Farms, however, is working to interest more farmers in growing organic corn and soybeans so grain procurement will be easier. In the meantime, the higher cost of producing organic poultry is passed on to the consumer. Much of the Coleman Natural poultry ends up in higher-end grocery stores.

"Because it's higher priced, it's going to be in areas where people are willing to pay," Perdue said.

According to Roenigk, organic chicken costs consumers two to three times as much as conventionally raised chicken does. The weak economy of recent years has limited the number of people able to afford it, which is why Roenigk believes the demand for products such as antibiotic-free chicken — which costs less than organic — has grown.

"A lot of consumers seem to find that a good compromise from a cost standpoint," he said.

Roenigk said the growth of the organic market will depend on the economy.

"It's going to depend on people's disposable income," he said, adding he feels the market for the slightly cheaper specialty products such as antibiotic-free chicken will continue to grow.

He called Perdue's move to offer organic, specialty and conventional chicken is smart strategy, adding, "What you want to do is give consumers options."

Both Roenigk and Perdue agree organic chicken is becoming more popular among consumers, as evidenced by the number of organic poultry products featured weekly by supermarkets.

For! sthoffer ! believes social media has helped with that. He said organic products are attractive to younger consumers who are active online.

"With the organic and the antibiotic-free, it's very much word of mouth," he said. "They're a community and they share ideas."

As Perdue Farms continues to produce organic chicken, its researchers, too, will be sharing ideas. Perdue said the move to organic is a learning process, and researchers are still busy studying its advantages.

"We want to be a learning organization," Perdue said. "There's a lot of work going on behind the scenes."

Did Piketty get it wrong? Analysis questions author's data

  Thomas Piketty on his book 'Capital' NEW YORK (CNNMoney) This is how they argue in economics: over spreadsheets.

On one side is Thomas Piketty, author of the best-selling tome "Capital in the Twenty-First Century." He argues that wealth inequality is growing and "threatens to generate extreme inequalities that stir discontent and undermine democratic values," and published the data behind his conclusions online.

Piketty's book became a best-seller.

His adversary is Chris Giles, economics editor of the Financial Times.

Giles claimed his analysis of Piketty's spreadsheets contain serious factual inaccuracies that undercut Piketty's conclusions in "Capital."

He gets numbers wrong, inexplicably changes others, employs "seemingly arbitrary adjustments" to formulas, mixes results from different years and commits a series of other data faux pas, Giles wrote in a lengthy post on Friday.

"When I have tried to correct for these apparent errors, a rather different picture of wealth inequality appeared," the post reads.

"The combined result of all these problems is to make wealth concentration among the richest in the past 50 years rise artificially," Giles explained. "The conclusions of Capital in the 21st [C]entury do not appear to be backed by the book's own sources."

Piketty fired back in a letter posted by the Financial Times.

"If there was any! thing to hide, any 'fat finger problem', why would I put everything on line?" he wrote.

His data comes from 20 different countries and stretches back as far as the 1700s. That means it is imperfect and varies, he explained, requiring "a number of adjustments to the raw data sources" for consistency.

"I have tried in the context of this book to make the most justified choices and arbitrages about data sources and adjustments," Piketty wrote. "I have no doubt that my historical data series can be improved and will be improved in the future."

The book has been described as an unlikely best seller -- a 700 page analysis originally written in French and put in print by an academic publisher.

But the book hit shelves at just the right time: as a dispute over wealth distribution and wages has sparked political debate and protests in the U.S. and other countries.

How To Destroy Your Wealth In 7 Easy Steps

It's common if you're wealthy to worry about losing your fortune due to forces beyond your control, like market meltdowns or economic stagnation.  But what many don't realize is that their own behavior may be the root of significant losses.  Here are 7 wealth-draining behaviors to avoid:

 1. Chasing top-performing money managers and markets - Although every presentation of investment returns has to include the warning that "past performance does not predict future results," the reality of investor psychology is that this is very hard for people to believe.  It goes against one of the fundamental tenets of how humans typically make decisions – if it looks like a duck and quacks like a duck, it will continue performing like a duck, right?  A top performing duck!  Who expects the duck to turn into an elephant, or a lemon, for that matter, since that is what most top performers turn into thanks to a nasty reality called "mean reversion."  So, if you want to devise a strategy to predictably underperform the market, switch often from top performer to top performer and repeatedly incur the resulting transaction and tax costs.  If you want to do better than that, consider investment options like index funds that reliably capture market returns  and do it at a low cost (another sure way to lose wealth – pay high fees to investment managers who underperform!

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2. Putting more money into the asset that made you wealthy - This same "it-will-continue-to-perform-like-a-duck" thinking is what leads people to double down on the company stock or other single investment that has made them wealthy.  It's true that many who are wealthy got that way as a result of a concentrated investment, but the converse does not hold (all concentrated investments do not make you fabulously wealthy; in fact, just the opposite is true.)  And the concentrated investment that made you wealthy yesterday may be nearing it's time to revert to the mean. So, if you've been lucky enough that your concentrated investment has done well, now is the time to take money off the table and diversify away from the asset that made you all your money

3. Overspending – If you're wealthy, it can be difficult to fathom the possibility that you could spend too much.  But everything is relative.  No matter how much money you have, it's always possible to spend it faster than is sustainable, particularly in our world of $100 million penthouses, yachts and flights into space. If you want to make sure that your spending doesn't cut into your wealth, set a sustainable withdrawal rate (say 3% per year of your investment portfolio) and stick to that.  This also applies to how much you spend on your children – see #7.

4. Focusing only on pre-tax investment returns - Investment marketers sell pre-tax returns, but when you look under the hood to figure out how much you actually get to keep after you pay taxes (especially in our current higher tax environment), it's not unusual to discover you keep 50% or less of the marketed number.  Now that new hedge fund's numbers don't look so good, and the risks they're taking to achieve those returns seem alarming when you realize you'll keep only half.

 

5. Failing to manage the risks in your financial situation beyond your investment portfolio – The money you can lose outside your investment portfolio can dwarf the returns of even the best-performing investment.  Families have come to me after having lost over 50% of their wealth because of an inadequate estate planning strategy or having spent millions in litigation to unwind a poorly drafted buy-sell agreement for their business.  Do yourself a favor and have in your court a comprehensive wealth advisor whose job it is uncover and stay on top of these issues.

Stake Your Claim to $70 Billion of Global Growth

Emerging markets frequently promise better returns than their domestic counterparts.

Still, they come with a special set of (manageable) risks that we don't always find at home.

A profound reaction to the Fed's tapering, higher-than-comfortable inflation, current account deficits, and outright political instability have all made for a volatile 2014 in the emerging markets.

It's easy to see why. Investors are worried about how they'll be impacted by the tapering of the Federal Reserve's bond purchases. And now Brazil, India, Indonesia, Turkey, Russia, and South Africa are now experiencing inflation of 6% to 7%.

Those same countries are facing current account deficits of between 4% and 7%, which places downward pressure on their currencies and upward pressure on inflation and interest rates.

And political volatility in Russia, Ukraine, Turkey, and elsewhere are contributing to uncertainty that's reflected in market performance.

But the truth is, for investors who know what they're holding, these emerging markets still hold outsize profit potential.

And taking your share of this growth has never been easier, thanks to these special securities...

A Tale of Two Funds

Here's a look at two of the largest emerging markets exchange-traded funds (ETFs), and how the same sector can offer widely varied risk exposure.  

The easiest way for investors to gain broad emerging markets exposure is through two large emerging market ETFs that dominate the landscape:

iShares MSCI Emerging Markets Indx ETF (NYSE Arca: EEM); and Vanguard FTSE Emerging Market ETF (NYSE Arca: VWO).

The MSCI fund is roughly $40 billion in size, while the Vanguard is about $30 billion in size.

There are dozens of other emerging markets ETFs, but the next largest in size is only $3 billion.

These two ETFs have some similarities - they both have significant holdings in Chinese equities, for instance. But each offer investors very different exposures in terms of both companies and countries.

And, importantly, each offers investors a chance to own a significant chunk of the ultra-high growth happening in these markets.

Global Growth Play No. 1

iShares MSCI Emerging Markets Index

The Emerging Markets Index holds Tencent Holdings Ltd., Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing (NYSE: TSM), China Mobile Ltd. (NYSE: CHL), and China Construction Bank Corp. (HKG: 0939)  among their top six holdings.

But EEM's largest exposure is to South Korea.

This is because Samsung Electronics is the fund's single biggest exposure, representing almost 4% of its total investments.

Interestingly, Samsung does not show up among VWO's top 10 holdings.

When considering Ukraine impact, EEM holds roughly 1% of their assets in Russia's energy interests.

EEM is investing more of its assets in Brazil, with positions in:

Itau Unibanco Holding SA (BVMF: ITUB4);

Companhia de Bebidas das Americas-AmBev (BVMF: AMBV3);

Banco Bradesco SA (BVMF: BBDC4); and

Petroleo Brasileiro Petrobras SA (BVMF: PETR4)

These companies are among the Emerging Market Index fund's 20 largest holdings.

Global Growth Play No. 2

Vanguard FTSE Emerging Market ETF

Vanguard also includes the same top six companies as the Emerging Markets Index. But, rather than South Korea, China is Vanguard FTSE's largest country exposure at about 17.5%.

Vanguard favors India with investments in Infosys Ltd. (NSE: INFY), Reliance Industries Ltd. (NSE: RELIANCE), and Housing Development Finance Corp. Ltd. (NSE: HDFC) ranking among its top 20.

The ETF has low exposure to Russian investments, with a much heavier focus on Asia.

The 21st Century's Biggest Opportunities

Investors seek out emerging markets because they offer higher growth prospects than developed markets.

The problems that have emerged in these markets in early 2014 come from huge inflows of capital - the result of central banks printing enormous amounts of money to rescue the global financial market from the 2008 financial crisis.

Unfortunately, much of this capital was not invested productively, leaving a legacy of high inflation and high capital account deficits.

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But don't be dissuaded; these markets are home to important global companies that are still growing at impressive rates, beating the S&P 500 many times over.

An examination of iShares MSCI Emerging Markets Index and Vanguard FTSE Emerging Market ETF's holdings makes it clear that their managers are focused on Asian technology and media companies that, like their Western cousins, are capable of growing rapidly regardless of the issues facing their home markets.

These ETFs should continue to offer investors diversified plays on long-term Asian growth as well as an added benefit of technology and media-related growth from some of the most exciting companies in the world in the years ahead.

Up Next

As we've seen in emerging markets, volatility isn't necessarily something to be feared. It can walk hand-in-hand with fast, robust growth. Even better, there's a way for investors to profit immensely from volatility spikes. Learn More...

JC Penney: Buy Bonds, Not Stock, Imperial Says

JC Penney’s (JCP) shares have skyrocketed as the company has managed to take itself off deathwatch. That gain is too much for the folks at Imperial Capital, who believe there’s better value in JC Penney’s debt than its equity.

Bloomberg

Imperial’s Mary Ross-Gilbert and Seweryn Sztalkoper explain why they like JC Penney’s bonds…

We are maintaining out BUY ratings on the longer-dated senior notes (maturing in 2020-2097)…We think the bonds likely continue to trade up (for potential returns of ~20%) on anticipated favorable operating momentum in F2Q14-4Q14, benefiting from: 1) full restoration of private and exclusive brand assortments, 2) the re-merchandise of the “home” department (which was closed for the better part of 2013), 3) elimination of “excess” clearance inventory, and 4) easy comparison to the last two years, which experienced comp sales declines of approximately 30% in F2Q-FQ4. Furthermore, at recent prices in the low-80s, the longer dates bonds create JCP at 37% of revenue (45% excluding excess cash), which compares favorably to other major department store retailers trading in the 43% – 91% range.

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…and why they don’t like JC Penney’s stock:

We are maintaining out Underperform rating on the shares and our one-year price target of $2.50, reflecting the leveraged optionality on the shares based on valuation. With recent favorable upside momentum in the shares, we think JCP could consider another secondary stock offering with proceeds to go toward reducing debt…dilution and valuation using FY15 EBITDA cannot support the current share price.

Shares of JC Penney have jumped 4% to $8.94 today.

10 Best Net Payout Yield Stocks For 2015

LONDON -- Before I decide whether to buy a company's shares, I always like to look at two core financial ratios --�return on equity�and�net gearing.

These two ratios provide an indication of how successful a company is at generating profits using shareholders' funds and debt, and they have a strong influence on dividend payments and share-price growth.

Today, I'm going to look at Cambridge-based chip designer�ARM Holdings� (LSE: ARM  ) � (NASDAQ: ARMH  ) , to see how attractive it looks on these two measures.

Return on equity
The return a company generates on its shareholders' funds is known as�return on equity, or ROE. Return on equity can be calculated by dividing a company's annual earnings by its equity (i.e., the difference between its total assets and its total liabilities) and is expressed as a percentage.

ARM's ROE has improved over the past five years, as these figures show:

ARM Holdings 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 Average ROE 6.6% 5.5% 10.5% 11.5% 14.2% 9.7%

ARM's return on equity has risen by 115% since 2008, thanks mainly to the smartphone boom, which has caused a surge in demand for its chip designs from customers including�Apple�and Samsung.

10 Best Net Payout Yield Stocks For 2015: Aceto Corporation(ACET)

Aceto Corporation engages in the sourcing, regulatory support, marketing, and distribution of pharmaceutical intermediates and active ingredients, finished dosage form generics, nutraceutical products, agricultural protection products, and specialty chemicals worldwide. The company operates in three segments: Health Sciences, Specialty Chemicals, and Agricultural Protection Products. The Health Sciences segment supplies raw materials used in the production of nutritional and packaged dietary supplements, including vitamins, amino acids, iron compounds, and bio chemicals used in pharmaceutical and nutritional preparations. The Specialty Chemicals segment provides various chemicals used in plastics, surface coatings, textiles, fuels, and lubricants; organic intermediates used in the production of agrochemicals; and dye and pigment intermediates used in the color-producing industries, such as textiles, inks, paper, and coatings. This segment also offers diazos and couplers to the paper, film, and electronics industries. The Agricultural Protection Products segment sells herbicides, fungicides, insecticides, and other agricultural chemicals that control weed growth, as well as control the spread of insects and other microorganisms that can damage plant growth. This segment also provides sprout inhibitor for potatoes and an herbicide for sugar cane. It serves pharmaceutical, nutraceutical, agricultural, coatings, and industrial chemical consuming industries. Aceto Corporation was founded in 1947 and is headquartered in Port Washington, New York.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Louis Navellier]

  Portfolio Grader has noted the strong fundamentals and upgraded HII stock to an “A” last month, making it a strong buy consideration at current prices.

  Aceto (ACET)

  Aceto (ACET) sources and sells the ingredients for pharmaceutical products. ACET operates in three divisions:

10 Best Net Payout Yield Stocks For 2015: Direxion Daily Semiconductor Bull 3X Shares (SOXL)

Direxion Daily Semiconductor Bull 3x Shares (the Fund) seeks daily investment results of 300% of the price performance of the PHLX Semiconductor Sector Index (Semiconductor Index). The Semiconductor Index measures the performance of the semiconductor subsector of the United States equity market. Component companies are engaged in the design, distribution, manufacture and sale of semiconductors. As of February 18, 2010, the Semiconductor Index included companies with capitalizations between $1.7 billion and $114 billion. The distributor of the Fund is Foreside Fund Services, LLC. Advisors' Opinion:

• [By John Udovich]

  There appears to be light at the end of the tunnel for mid cap fabless semiconductor stock Marvell Technology Group Ltd (NASDAQ: MRVL) despite the fact that the company has lost a patent infringement battle with Carnegie Mellon University that could cost it $1.54 billion, meaning its worth taking a closer look at the stock along with the performance of semiconductor ETF benchmarks like SPDR S&P Semiconductor ETF (NYSEARCA: XSD), iShares PHLX SOX Semiconductor Sector (NASDAQ: SOXX) and Direxion Daily Semiconductor Bull 3X Shares (NYSEARCA: SOXL).

Top 10 Undervalued Companies To Own For 2015: Frontier Communications Company(FTR)

Frontier Communications Corporation, a communications company, provides regulated and unregulated voice, data, and video services to residential, business, and wholesale customers in the United States. It offers local and long distance voice services, including basic telephone wireline services to residential and business customers; switched access services that allow other carriers to use the facilities to originate and terminate their long distance voice and data traffic; and directory services that provide white and yellow page directories for residential and business listings. The company also provides data and Internet services, which include residential services comprising high-speed Internet, dial up Internet, portal and e-mail products, and hard drive back-up services; and commercial and carriers services, such as metro Ethernet; dedicated Internet; Internet protocol, optical, multiprotocol label switching, and TDM data transport services. In addition, it offers di rect broadcast satellite services and fiber optic video services, as well as provides online access to video content, entertainment, and news available on the worldwide Web through its Web site myfitv.com. The company was formerly known as Citizens Communications Company and changed its name to Frontier Communications Corporation in July 2008. Frontier Communications Corporation was founded in 1927 and is based in Stamford, Connecticut.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Patricio Kehoe]

  Founded in 1935, Frontier Communications Corp. (FTR) has expanded the offering of its communications services across 27 states in the U.S. With footprint in rural areas and small and medium sized towns and cities, the company provides phone, Internet access and other data transport services to 2.8 residential and roughly 270,000 business customers. It also offers television services, which comprise access to various digital channels and high definition TV programming.

• [By Laura Brodbeck]

  Tuesday

  Earnings Expected From: Frontier Communications Corporation (NASDAQ: FTR), GSI Group, Inc. (GSIG), Tesla Motors, Inc. (NASDAQ: TSLA), WageWorks, Inc. (NYSE: WAGE), DIRECTV (NASDAQ: DTV), Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ: REGN) Economic Releases Expected: �Australian trade balance, New Zealand�� unemployment rate, Canadian trade balance, eurozone PPI, British services PMI

  Wednesday

• [By Dan Caplinger]

  In the following video, Dan Caplinger, The Motley Fool's director of investment planning, goes through the three things to look for in strong dividend stocks. Dan notes that dividend yield is the first thing most investors look at and is in fact important, but counting too much on high-yielding stocks Frontier Communications (NASDAQ: FTR  ) and Windstream (NASDAQ: WIN  ) can create big risks. Dan suggests also looking at dividend growth, with well-known companies Procter & Gamble (NYSE: PG  ) and Coca-Cola (NYSE: KO  ) having made annual dividend increases for decades and delivering increasing amounts of income to shareholders over time. Finally, Dan talks about the payout ratio and comparing earnings to dividends to make sure a company isn't getting overextended in a way that could force it to make a dividend cut, as Cliffs Natural Resources (NYSE: CLF  ) did last year.

10 Best Net Payout Yield Stocks For 2015: CBL & Associates Properties Inc. (CBL)

CBL & Associates Properties, Inc. is a public real estate investment trust. It engages in acquisition, development, and management of properties. The fund invests in the real estate markets of United States. Its portfolio consists of enclosed malls and open-air centers. CBL & Associates Properties is based in Oak Brook, Illinois. CBL & Associates Properties was founded in 1978 and is based in Chattanooga, Tennessee.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Dividend King]

  CBL & Associates Properties Inc (CBL): CBL & Associates Properties Inc distributes an annual dividend of $0.84, has yield of 4.70% and a payout ratio of 135%. During the last 12 months, sales and income increased 0.40% and 17.80%, respectively.

• [By Marc Bastow]

  Regional shopping mall real estate investment trust (REIT) CBL & Associates (CBL) raised its quarterly dividend 6.5% to 24.5 cents per share, payable on Jan. 15 to shareholders of record as of Dec. 30.
  CBL Dividend Yield: 5.44%

10 Best Net Payout Yield Stocks For 2015: Crown Holdings Inc (CCK)

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

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

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

Americas Division

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

European Division

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

Asia Pacific division

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

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

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Lauren Pollock]

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

10 Best Net Payout Yield Stocks For 2015: Wells Fargo & Company(WFC)

Wells Fargo & Company, through its subsidiaries, provides retail, commercial, and corporate banking services primarily in the United States. The company operates in three segments: Community Banking; Wholesale Banking; and Wealth, Brokerage, and Retirement. The Community Banking segment offers deposits, including checking, market rate, and individual retirement accounts; savings and time deposits; and debit cards. Its loan products comprise lines of credit, auto floor plans, equity lines and loans, equipment and transportation loans, education loans, residential mortgage loans, health savings accounts, and credit cards. This segment also provides equipment leases, real estate financing, small business administration financing, venture capital financing, cash management, payroll services, retirement plans, loans secured by autos, and merchant payment processing services; purchases sales finance contracts from retail merchants; and a family of funds, and investment managemen t services. The Wholesale Banking segment offers commercial and corporate banking products and services, including commercial loans and lines of credit, letters of credit, asset-based lending, equipment leasing, international trade facilities, trade financing, collection services, foreign exchange services, treasury and investment management, institutional fixed-income sales, commodity and equity risk management, insurance, corporate trust fiduciary and agency services, and investment banking services. This segment also provides banking products for commercial real estate market, and real estate and mortgage brokerage services. The Wealth, Brokerage, and Retirement segment offers financial advisory, brokerage, and institutional retirement and trust services. As of December 31, 2010, the company served its customers through approximately 9,000 banking stores in 39 States and the District of Columbia. Wells Fargo & Company was founded in 1929 and is headquartered in San Franci sco, California.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Larry Smith]

  Short-term events may affect various sectors of the market differently. During market declines, fund managers may move money into what are considered safe stocks, the Coca-Colas (KO) and Procter & Gambles (PG) of the world, thus minimizing the decline in those stocks. Other sectors considered more sensitive to economic disruptions may see larger declines. In 2011, the banks were treated much worse than the consumer staples, like P&G. The chart below shows the price action in P&G and Wells Fargo (WFC).

• [By Tim Melvin]

  I am an enormous fan of the small banks. The economic and regulatory trends faced by these banks are going to force a lot of smaller institutions around the country to put themselves on the auction block and sell to a larger institution. Those that survive as a standalone bank will have proved their ability to take on the larger banks head-to-head and earn higher returns for their shareholders by stealing business from the too-big-to-fail banks like Bank of America (BAC), Wells Fargo (WFC) and Citigroup (C).

• [By Amanda Alix]

  For the first time this week, Wells Fargo (NYSE: WFC  ) stock has dipped below the $40 mark, despite some good news on the housing front. Not that Wells is alone: Bank of America (NYSE: BAC  ) , JPMorgan Chase (NYSE: JPM  ) , and Citigroup (NYSE: C  ) are all down this Friday morning, as are both the S&P 500 and the Dow. What's going on here?

• [By John Grgurich]

  2. Strong first-quarter earnings
  For the first quarter of 2013, Goldman reported a 7.2% year-over-year rise in net income on revenue growth of 1.4%:�this in a tough quarter for banks. Wells Fargo's (NYSE: WFC  ) revenue edged down by 1.4% for the same time period, while JPMorgan's dropped 3.87%.�

10 Best Net Payout Yield Stocks For 2015: Knoll Inc (KNL)

Knoll, Inc., incorporated on December 15, 1995, is a designer and manufacturer of workplace furnishings, textiles and fine leathers. The Company operates in three segments: Office, Studio and Coverings. The Office segment includes systems, seating, storage, tables, desks and KnollExtra ergonomic accessories, as well as the international sales of the Company's North American Office products. The Studio segment includes the Company's KnollStudio division, the Company's European subsidiaries, which primarily sell KnollStudio products, and Richard Schultz Design. The KnollStudio portfolio includes a range of lounge seating, side, cafe and dining chairs, barstools, and conference, dining and occasional tables. Richard Schultz Design provides outdoor furniture. The Coverings segment includes KnollTextiles, Spinneybeck (including Filzfelt), and Edelman Leather. In February 2014, Knoll Inc completed the acquisition of Holly Hunt Enterprises, Inc.

Office Segment

The Company�� systems furniture consists principally of functionally integrated panels or table desks, work surfaces, pedestal and other storage units, power and data systems and lighting. The Company's systems furniture product lines include panel and desk-based planning models, which consists of Antenna Workspaces, Reff Profiles, AutoStrada, Dividends Horizon, Morrison, Equity and Currents. The Company�� principal seating product lines include generation by Knoll, ReGeneration by Knoll, LIFE, RPM and Chadwick. Essentials Work Chairs' Pro, Tech, and Sport models offer a range of four task and two side chairs suitable to any office style from the traditional to the progressive. The Company�� files and storage products, featuring the Template, Calibre and Series 2 product lines, are designed with features to maximize storage capabilities throughout the workplace.

The Company�� core files and storage products consist of lateral files, mobile pedestals and other storage units, bookcases and overhead storage ! cabinets.. The Company offers collections of adjustable tables, as well as meeting, conference, training, dining, and cafe tables for large scale projects and standalone desks and table desks. The Company's Interaction and Upstart product lines include adjustable, work, meeting, conference and training tables. These product lines range from independent tables to tables suitable for workstations that support individual preferences for computer and writing heights to plannable desks that can be linked together to build and reshape larger work areas. KnollExtra offers accessories that complement Knoll office furniture products, including technology support accessories, desktop organizational tools, lighting and storage.

Studio Segment

The KnollStudio portfolio includes a range of lounge seating; side, cafe and dining chairs, barstools, and conference, dining and occasional tables. The Company�� studio segment includes the Knoll Europe businesses. Knoll Europe provides products and services primarily to its European clients, whose aesthetics and styles can be different from its North America clients. A majority of Knoll Europe's business is Knoll Studio products, but Knoll Europe also offers a product profile that enables its customers to purchase a complete office environment. In addition, it offers certain products designed specifically for the European market. In Europe, the core product categories include KnollStudio, desk systems, including the Wa desking system, the KnollScope, and the PL1 system, seating, including a range of chairs, and storage units, which are designed to complement Knoll desk products. During 2012, it acquired Richard Schultz Design, Inc., a designer and manufacturer of outdoor furniture for the residential, hospitality, and contract office furniture markets.

Coverings Segment

The Company's Coverings segment consists of KnollTextiles, Spinneybeck Leather (including Filzfelt products), and Edelman Leather. KnollTextiles offers u! pholstery,! panel fabrics, wallcoverings and drapery that harmonize color, pattern and texture and offers products for corporate, hospitality, healthcare and residential interiors. KnollTextiles products are used in the manufacture of Knoll furniture and are sold to clients for use in other manufacturers' products. Spinneybeck Enterprises, Inc., (Spinneybeck), the Company's wholly owned subsidiary, offers leathers and related products, including leather rugs and wall panels. Spinneybeck supplies upholstery leather for use on Knoll furniture and for sale directly to clients, including other office furniture manufacturers, upholsterers, aviation, custom coach and boating manufacturers. Edelman Leather LLC, (Edelman) its wholly owned subsidiary, supplies fine leathers to residential, hospitality, aviation and contract office furniture markets. Edelman, offers a residential showroom network where designers and retail consumers can sample its products.

The Company competes with Herman Miller, Inc., Steelcase, Inc., Haworth, Inc., HNI Corporation and Teknion Corporation.

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 Knoll (NYSE: KNL  ) , whose recent revenue and earnings are plotted below.

10 Best Net Payout Yield Stocks For 2015: Rogue Resources Inc (RRS)

Rogue Resources Inc., formerly Rogue Iron Ore Corp., is an exploration-stage company. The Company is engaged in acquiring, exploring, and evaluating mineral properties located in Canada and the United States. The Company owns a 100% interest in Radio Hill Iron Ore property. The Radio Hill Iron Ore property consists of a 12,000 hectare land package located 85 kilometer southwest of Timmins, Ontario. Langmuir Property located seven kilometers by road from Liberty Mines Nickel mill, which has a capacity of 2000 tons/day. Langmuir Property is consists of 74 contiguous unpatented mining claims of 856 units (13,841 hectares). The Langmuir Property includes over 30 kilometer of terrain consists of ultramafic and mafic flows and sills for hosting nickel, copper and platinum group mineralization (PGM). As of April 1, 2012, the Company completed 31 drill holes at Radio Hill for a total of 7,828 meters. In March 2013, it completed the spin off its Rapier Gold Inc unit. Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Namitha Jagadeesh]

  Randgold Resources Ltd. (RRS) slid 1.4 percent after second-quarter profit slumped 61 percent. BHP Billiton Ltd. (BHP) and Rio Tinto Group contributed the most to a decline by U.K. commodity producers. Old Mutual Plc (OML) advanced 2.9 percent after Africa�� biggest insurer said profit rose 14 percent in the first half.

• [By Alexis Xydias]

  Randgold Resources Ltd. (RRS) led commodity producers higher amid signs of growing demand from the world�� second-biggest economy. BHP Billiton Ltd. (BHP) and Rio Tinto Group, the world�� largest mining companies, rallied more than 3 percent. Standard Life Plc (SL/) declined 3.3 percent as analysts raised concern about the insurer�� earnings.

• [By Jonathan Morgan]

  Randgold Resources Ltd. (RRS), a gold miner in Africa, declined 5.6 percent to 4,428 pence. Fresnillo Plc, the world�� biggest primary silver producer, sank 11 percent to 924.5 pence after cutting its interim dividend by 68 percent from a year earlier because of a slump in precious-metal prices.

10 Best Net Payout Yield Stocks For 2015: North American Palladium Ltd (PAL)

North American Palladium Ltd. (NAP) is a precious metals producer that has been operating its flagship Lac des Iles mine (LDI) located in Ontario, Canada. The Company is in the business of exploring and mining palladium, platinum, gold and certain base metals. The Company�� 100%-owned subsidiary is the Lac des Iles Mines Ltd. (LDI).

The Company�� Lac des Iles (LDI) palladium mine is a palladium producer. The mine is located approximately 85 kilometers northwest of the city of Thunder Bay in Ontario, Canada, and consists of open pit and underground mining operations and a 15,000 ton per day mill.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Dan Caplinger]

  4. Platinum-group metals
  Platinum and palladium both fell sharply, losing 5% and 6% of their value, respectively. Those losses weren't as extreme as gold's, but they nevertheless represented a drop to levels not seen since late last year. The two major miners producing the white metals, Stillwater Mining (NYSE: SWC  ) and North American Palladium (NYSEMKT: PAL  ) , both lost more than 10% on the day.

• [By James E. Brumley]

  Are you a gambling man (or gambling woman, as the case may be)? Then now may be the right time to place a bet on North American Palladium Ltd (NYSEMKT:PAL) ... the micro cap precious metals miner that has watched its stock fall from just under $2.00 in early February to a low of 44 cents yesterday. That's a 78% drubbing, for those of you who are counting, with a big chunk of that loss coming yesterday when PAL shares lost 28% of their value on the heels of two... shall we say "less than flattering" articles about the company were posted? Yet, sometimes the very best trades are ideas that never looked good on paper.

10 Best Net Payout Yield Stocks For 2015: Pioneer Exploration Inc (PIEX)

Pioneer Exploration Inc. (Pioneer) is an exploration-stage company. The Company is primarily engaged in the acquisition and exploration of mining properties.

As of August 31, 2012, the Company has not generated any revenue. As of August 31, 2012, the Company does not have any manufacturing facilities, operations, suppliers, products, or customers.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Peter Graham]

  Small cap stocks Metrospaces Inc (OTCMKTS: MSPC), LEEP INC (OTCMKTS: LPPI) and Pioneer Exploration Inc (OTCMKTS: PIEX) have been getting some attention lately due to either promotions or share trading activity. Unfortunately, there are still unanswered questions about these three ��ark horse��stocks which make it more difficult for investors and traders alike to evaluate. With that in mind, let�� try to shine the light on what we know about all three small caps:

How AT&T got busted up and pieced back together

Click on the image to see the full chart.

NEW YORK (CNNMoney) When you look at the history of AT&T, you wonder why federal regulators ever bothered to break up the telecom giant.

To tear down a nationwide monopoly, the American Telephone and Telegraph Company was forcibly split into "Baby Bells" in 1984. But most of those have since joined forces once again, forming the AT&T (T, Fortune 500) we know today.

Not all the parts made it back into "Ma Bell," though. Several Baby Bells later merged to form Verizon (VZ, Fortune 500). One part eventually gave birth to CenturyLink (CTL, Fortune 500).

But the vast majority melted back together to form the new AT&T.

The whirlwind began in 1997, when Southwestern Bell Corp. (SBC) merged with fellow Baby Bell Pacific Telesis. Two years later, SBC bought Ameritech, another Baby Bell.

Then, the craziness really started when SBC bought Ma Bell -- its former parent company -- in 2005. The combined company renamed itself AT&T. A year later, the new AT&T bought BellSouth, yet another Baby Bell.

The new AT&T also bought Cingular Wireless in 2006 -- a company jointly run by Baby Bells SBC and BellSouth that had bought the old AT&T Wireless in 2004. Cingular then changed its name to AT&T Mobility.

Got all that?

The merger history of these five Baby Bells is dizzying and better explained visually. Click on the chart above to take a closer look.

  What AT&T gets by buying DirecTV

Now, AT&T is trying to buy DirecTV for $49 billion, which would be the fourth-biggest telecommunications merger in history.

AT&T already rules over an empire of wireless, landline telephone and fiberoptic cables. If regulators approve the deal, it will get a satellite TV network too -- and control over the content flowing to nearly every screen in our lives.