The Fed: More of the Same

As the head of an independent agency subject to little Congressional or executive intervention, the chairperson of the US Federal Reserve wields an enormous amount of power over America’s economy.

By and large, the only real check on a Fed chairperson’s authority is the requirement that policy be set through the consensus of the Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC). Historically, though, the seven members of the Federal Reserve Board of Governors fall in line with the chairperson, with the only real dissent coming from the five Federal Reserve Bank presidents who also have votes on the FOMC. So what a Fed chair wants, a Fed chair usually gets.

That makes it worth noting that Janet Yellen, the current number two at the Fed and the nominee to replace Ben Bernanke when his term expires on January 31, veritably sailed through her nomination hearing before the Senate banking committee yesterday.

Some lawmakers on the committee aggressively questioned Yellen on what the Fed has done so far to ensure the stability of the nation’s banking sector and how the Fed is progressing with writing the new rules mandated by the Dodd-Frank financial reform law. However, there was none of the acrimony that so often marks confirmation battles.

Given the relative conviviality of the hearing, the committee is expected to vote to send Yellen’s nomination to the full Senate sometime next week despite the fact that Senator David Vitter (R-LA) has said that he will oppose her confirmation. And with the Senate controlled by the Democrats, several of whom signed a letter recommending her nomination to President Obama, the odds are that we’ll have a new Fed chairperson sometime next month.

That’s important to our inflation outlook. While she walked a fine line pointing out that inflationary danger lurked no matter what action the Fed took, Yellen also stressed that removing the suppo! rt of quantitative easing (QE) too soon would be devastating to the economy. She essentially hewed to the Bernanke line, saying that she would only consider ending QE once the unemployment rate fell below 7 percent.

She also asserted that she saw no evidence of an asset bubble forming as a result of QE—many believe that the rapid rise we’ve seen in equity valuations are largely a result of QE. Consequently, she shows no inclination to change the current course of monetary policy.

There’s some inflation in the economy today and by our measures it is well above the government reported 1.2 percent. We’re not staring hyperinflation in the face any time soon, but I do believe there’s a potentially massive inflationary hangover waiting for us down the road.

My greatest concern at this point isn’t just the extremely unconventional nature of the Fed’s economic intervention; it’s that our central bank isn’t the only one in the world going down this primrose path.

Two of the world’s other largest economies are also stimulating at a furious pace. The Bank of Japan is pushing trillions of yen into that nation’s economy and the European Central Bank’s recent rate cut to 0.25 percent leaves the euro zone flirting with a zero interest rate policy. There’s a lot more money than just the Fed’s $85 billion in monthly asset purchases flowing into the global economy.

This much monetary support pumping through the global economy is entirely unprecedented, so it’s tough to believe that central bankers around the world actually have a handle on the potential consequences three to five years from now. It appears that inflation is simply being baked into the cake we’ve been eating for four years.

I’m not so much bothered by the fact that Yellen looks to be coasting into the big chair at the head of the table—she had a ringside seat for most of the global financial crisis—but! by her a! pparent lack of a stimulus exit plan. When pressed on how she would identify asset bubbles or inflation forming, her response was basically that she would know it when she saw it.

The upshot for investors: Yellen’s confirmation, with her prescription for more of the same, means that we should continue to watch for signs of building inflation. When governments print more money, it reduces its value and causes prices to rise as producers need to get more for their product. And in today’s interconnected society, when one central bank prints money it impacts everyone. One need only look to the huge run up in many emerging market stocks to see the effect.

At Kickoff of Schwab Impact, Optimism Over the Government. Really.

Greg Valliere began his portion of the Schwab Impact 2013 preconference session on Sunday by telling a joke illustrating how low Congress has fallen in the public’s esteem. The owner of the capital city’s NFL franchise had decided to change the name of the team, he reported. “He’s keeping ‘Redskins’ but he’s dropping ‘Washington,’” the political researcher and consultant deadpanned to appreciative laughter, before going on to explain three main causes of optimism emanating from Washington.

Impact is being held in Washington this year, and as of the preconference session, had attracted 1,927 advisor registrants and 1,178 sponsors and exhibitors, according to Schwab. The Sunday afternoon session featured Valliere speaking about politics and Liz Ann Sonders, Schwab’s chief market strategist, speaking about the economy and the markets, before the two decamped to a new feature at Impact: a more intimate Q&A session on smaller stages in the “Exchange” on the exhibit floor.

Valliere, chief political strategist for the Potomac Research Group in Washington and a popular speaker at Impact conferences, said  he’s “quite bullish” on Washington, and believes there will be no repeat of the debt ceiling debate nor another government shutdown, citing even Republican sources for that prediction.

Moreover, he is optimistic about developments inside the Beltway for three main reasons. One, because this is “the most dovish Fed in my lifetime,” mentioning a number of local Fed governors’s dovish views as well as that of the putative Federal Reserve Chairman, Janet Yellen, who he predicted will be confirmed at her Nov. 14 nomination hearing, though possibly “with a hiccup.” Due to the mixed result of QE3, Valliere expects that the Fed would likely not start tapering its Treasury purchase until early in 2014, and won’t get around to raising the federal funds rate until 2015. Tapering can’t begin earlier, he said, because the “biggest problem the Fed has is that inflation is too low.” That’s because the Fed’s favorite economic indicator, unit labor coasts, were up only 1.1% in the latest GDP numbers. As a result, tapering may begin in the new year, with monthly Fed purchases declinging from the current $85 billion to “maybe $75 billion.”

The second cause for optimism, said Valliere, was the “strong atmosphere of fiscal restraint” in Washington. The budget deficit continues to decline, he said, due to a sharp increase in receipts, “no new spending, none” because with the current House of Representatives in control, there “will be no new spending in this town," and because of actual spending cuts. “Usually, ‘spending cuts’ means a decrease in the rate of spending increases," he said, "but we’re seeing real cuts now, for the first time in my career."

As an aside, Valliere mentioned that Obamacare will prove to be an “albatross” for Democrats, especially with its problem-filled rollout, overtaking the Republicans’ own albatross, the government shutdown. As a result, he thinks the GOP may add “three to four” seats in the Senate.” His final cause for optimism is something that he says has “stunned this city: an activist, liberal president who is totally dead in the water,” which means that deadlock will continue to persist in Washington.

In fact, he says that on Capitol Hill, you’ll hear more criticism of President Obama among Democrats than among Republicans, in large part because they believe his missteps will make it harder for them to be re-elected.

So looking ahead to the next presidential campaign, Valliere pooh-poohed the prospects of a Hillary Clinton campaign, while saying that one Democrat “that gets the base excited is Elizabeth Warren.”

In his bipartisan way, Valliere then assessed the potential Republican nominees for president, saying that New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie “could get 270 electoral votes” in the general election, and that “the (GOP) establishment will rally around Christie.” However, standing in the way of a Christie nomination will be the survivors of the “enormous civil war” now taking place within the Republican party. The Tea Party movement disturbs the Republican establishment (and Valliere himself) for several reasons, including its isolationism as espoused by Rand Paul, which he said was reminiscent of the 1930s and has dealt the U.S. a “big blow” in the Middle East.

Top 5 Penny Companies To Own In Right Now

Moreover, that faction of the GOP, he said, not only rejects Wall Street and the big banks but even mainstream small-business groups like the Chamber of Commerce.

---

Check out ThinkAdvisor’s complete coverage of Schwab Impact 2013.

'Mad Money' Lightning Round: Take a Pass on Sony

Search Jim Cramer's "Mad Money" trading recommendations using our exclusive "Mad Money" Stock Screener.

NEW YORK (TheStreet) -- Here's what Jim Cramer had to say about some of the stocks callers offered up during the "Mad Money Lightning Round" Friday evening:

First Majestic Silver (AG): "I'd rather you be in a gold ETF rather than a single mining stock."

Sony (SNE): "I'd take a pass on that one." MGM Resorts (MGM): "I think it can see $25 a share." Icahn Enterprises (IEP): "It's never to late to get into this stock." Atmel (ATML): "No. There's nothing there. I don't want to own it." To read a full recap of "Mad Money" on CNBC, click here. To sign up for Jim Cramer's free Booyah! newsletter with all of his latest articles and videos please click here. To watch replays of Cramer's video segments, visit the Mad Money page on CNBC. -- Written by Scott Rutt in Washington, D.C. To email Scott about this article, click here: Scott Rutt Follow Scott on Twitter @ScottRutt or get updates on Facebook, ScottRuttDC

Top 5 Warren Buffett Stocks To Buy For 2014

We'd all like to invest like the legendary Warren Buffett, turning thousands into millions or more. Buffett analyzes companies by calculating return on invested capital, or ROIC, to help determine whether a company has an economic moat -- the ability to earn returns on its money above that money's cost.

In this series, we examine several companies in a single industry to determine their ROIC. Let's take a look at Coca-Cola (NYSE: KO  ) and three of its industry peers to see how efficiently they use cash.

Of course, it's not the only metric in value investing, but ROIC may be the most important one. By determining a company's ROIC, you can see how well it's using the cash you entrust to it and whether it's actually creating value for you. Simply put, it divides a company's operating profit by how much investment it took to get that profit. The formula is:

ROIC = net operating profit after taxes / Invested capital

(Get further detail on the nuances of the formula.)

Top 5 Warren Buffett Stocks To Buy For 2014: Galvanic Applied Sciences Inc (GAV.V)

Galvanic Applied Sciences Inc. engages in the design, manufacture, sale, and servicing of analytical measurement equipment to the gas processing industry and industrial process markets. It provides H2S analyzers, gas chromatographs, tail gas analyzers, acid gas analyzers, continuous emission monitoring systems, total sulfur analyzers, sulfur gas chromatographs, moisture analyzers, volume correctors, and pressure recorders for the gas measurement industry. The company also offers a range of on-line chemical analyzers, H2S in liquid sulfur analyzers, in-line viscometers, in-line optical and acoustic transmitters, and photometers for the liquids measurement business. It markets its products through a network of distributors and representatives in Canada, the United States, Latin America, Europe, the Middle East, Africa, and the Asia-Pacific. The company is headquartered in Calgary, Canada.

Top 5 Warren Buffett Stocks To Buy For 2014: Green Rock Energy Ltd (GRK.AX)

Green Rock Energy Limited engages in the exploration and development of geothermal, and oil and gas resources in Australia and Europe. The company holds 15% interest in exploration permit EP417 in the Canning basin, a conventional and unconventional gas project located in Western Australia, as well as 40% interest through a farm-in agreement for the Seven Lakes Special Prospecting Area for exploring unconventional hydrocarbons in the Fitzroy Trough in the Canning basin; and 20% interest in the Backreef Area of the Canning basin. It also has 100% interests in 11 exploration licenses covering an area of approximately 5,038 square kilometers for developing geothermal power in the Great Artesian basin in South Australia; and 50% in a geothermal power joint venture located in Hungary, Europe. The company is based in West Perth, Australia.

Top Bank Companies For 2014: Western Forest Pro Com Stk Npv (WEF.TO)

Western Forest Products Inc. operates as an integrated softwood forest products company. The company is involved in the harvesting of timber; reforestation; forest management; manufacture and sale of lumber and wood chips; sale of logs; and lumber remanufacturing. It processes logs, including western red cedar, douglas fir, hem-fir, yellow cedar, and sitka spruce. Western Forest Products Inc. markets its products directly to lumber distributors, manufacturers, trading houses, and wholesale customers, as well as through sales agencies. The company sells its products approximately in 30 countries worldwide. Western Forest Products Inc. was founded in 1955 and is headquartered in Vancouver, Canada.

Top 5 Warren Buffett Stocks To Buy For 2014: Food Junction Holdings Limited(529.SI)

Food Junction Holdings Limited, an investment holding company, engages in the operation and management of food courts, and food and beverage stalls. The company operates food courts under the Food Junction, Food Culture, FJ Square, Food Garden, and The Food place brand names. It also manages and operates a portfolio of restaurants, including Tetsu Japanese restaurant in Singapore; Malone?s American cafe and restaurant chain in China; Food Apps under the brand names of Toast@Work and Black Ramen Japanese noodle house; and Lippo Chiuchow restaurant in Hong Kong. In addition, the company operates SOEZ Cooking Studio and SOEZ Cooking Playground that offers cooking classes to various participants, including tourists, adults, kids, corporate groups, and domestic helpers. As of 31 May, 2012, it managed and operated 18 food courts in Singapore, Malaysia, and Indonesia, as well as 31 self-operated food court stalls and 9 Toast@Work outlets. The company was founded in 1993 and is h eadquartered in Singapore. Food Junction Holdings Limited is a subsidiary of APG Strategic Investment Private Limited.

Top 5 Warren Buffett Stocks To Buy For 2014: Greggs(GRG.L)

Greggs plc operates as a bakery retailer in the United Kingdom. The company offers sandwiches, savories, breakfast rolls, bread and rolls, snacks, and drinks, as well as sweets comprising cakes, muffins, or biscuits. It operates approximately 1,480 shops in the United Kingdom. The company was founded in 1939 and is headquartered in Newcastle upon Tyne, the United Kingdom.

Twitter Follows Apple, Google & Facebook To Irish Holy Grail

 

Lucky Charms (Photo credit: ToddMorris)

The IRS seeks new ways to pursue "stateless" income. Meanwhile, Ireland is backpedaling over claims it enables tax cheats. Pre-IPO Twitter is trying to get in on Irish loopholes like Apple, Google, HP and Facebook before it's too late. Such is the push-me-pull-you of global tax "planning."

In May 2013, the Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations said Apple avoided $9 billion in U.S. taxes in 2012 alone via offshore units with no tax home. Apple's CEO Tim Cook testified it was nothing illegal. But Ireland hates being called a facilitator of tax cheats and says it's pulling up the ladder on tax gimmicks.

Apple isn't the only one to grab the luck of the Irish, something Senator Carl Levin called the "holy grail of tax avoidance." The Senate claimed Apple saved billions by claiming companies registered in Ireland are not tax resident in any country. Google and Facebook use Ireland too.

Facebook flipped more than $700 million to the Cayman Islands as part of a "Double Irish" tax reduction strategy. Recall that former Zuckerberg pal and co-founder Eduardo Saverin took considerable heat when he exited the U.S. for Singapore. Sure, Facebook Funneled Nearly Half a Billion Pounds Into the Cayman Islands Last Year, yet Facebook's technique may not be overly aggressive.

Google used the Double Irish and the Dutch Sandwich, saving billions in U.S. taxes. The Double Irish involves forming a pair of Irish companies to turn payments on intellectual property into tax-deductible royalty payments. The U.S. parent company forms a subsidiary in Ireland. The parent signs a contract giving European rights to its intangible property to the new company.

In return, the new subsidiary agrees to market or promote the products in Europe. Thus, all the European income–that previously would have been taxed in the U.S.—is taxed in Ireland instead. Then the Irish company changes its headquarters to Bermuda. No Irish tax, no Bermuda tax, and no U.S. tax.

Finally, the parent forms a second Irish subsidiary that elects to be treated as disregarded under U.S. tax law–by filing a one-page form. The first Irish company (now in Bermuda) can license products to the second Irish company for royalties. The net result is one low 12.5% Irish tax compared to 35% in the U.S.

Even this tax can be reduced, since the royalties going to the Bermuda company are deductible. Some of these steps are circuitous, but tax treaties allow them. And the Dutch Sandwich is even more complex.

Start with a Double Irish, but add a third subsidiary in the Netherlands. Instead of licensing the parent's products directly to the second Irish subsidiary, the Bermuda-based subsidiary grants them to the Dutch subsidiary, which pays the third subsidiary. Fortunately, Ireland does not tax money as it moves between European countries.

The Netherlands collects a small fee on monies moving from the Netherlands company to the Bermuda subsidiary. In the end, there is virtually no tax. And while Ireland's Parliamentary hearings are reviewing Ireland's tax rules, it seems unlikely it will all change overnight, if at all. Irish Finance Minister Michael Noonan has said he plans to make it illegal for a company registered in Ireland to have no tax domicile.

Yet even if this happens companies are likely to be able to list any country as their tax residence, including zero tax jurisdictions such as Bermuda. Google and Microsoft have cut their overseas tax rates to single digits by establishing Dublin-registered subsidiaries, which they have designated as tax resident in Bermuda. Google and Apple have Irish-registered and tax resident subsidiaries that make sales to customers.

They pay large, tax-deductible royalties to their Bermuda tax-resident affiliates. In the end, profits wind up in zero-tax jurisdiction. The IRS isn't alone in not liking Apple, Starbucks and Hewlett-Packard plopping income where it can't be taxed. The OECD advises the G20 on tax and economic policy, and it says existing national tax enforcement regimes just don't work. See G-20 Nations 'Fully Endorse' OECD Action Plan on Tax Evasion.

The OECD plan claims that companies like Apple and Google avoid billions in taxes. The G20 is made up of 19 leading world economies plus the European Union. It too has voiced support for a fundamental reassessment of the rules on taxing multinationals.

As for Twitter, it will go public on the NYSE in November. But it seems to be planning for the time when it will have income that could be taxed. See Like Everyone Else, Twitter Hides from U.S. Taxes in Ireland. At least Twitter's Irish outpost employs 100 Dubliners, and is looking to expand.

You can reach me at Wood@WoodLLP.com. This discussion is not intended as legal advice, and cannot be relied upon for any purpose without the services of a qualified professional.

 

Where Will Pandora Go Post-Earnings?

With shares of Pandora (NYSE:P) trading around $29, is P an OUTPERFORM, WAIT AND SEE, or STAY AWAY? Let's analyze the stock with the relevant sections of our CHEAT SHEET investing framework:

T = Trends for a Stock’s Movement

Pandora is an Internet radio company that operates in the United States with over 125 million registered users. Pandora's Music Genome Project and its playlist-generating algorithms predict listener music preferences, play music content suited to the tastes of each individual listener, and introduce listeners to music they will love. The main sources of revenue for the company are advertising as well as subscriptions. As the Internet music boom continues, Pandora is well-positioned to capitalize on potential subscriptions and advertising marketing share.

Pandora reported third-quarter earnings after the closing bell on Thursday that came in line with analyst estimates. Pandora reported a loss of 1 cent per share on sales of $180.4 million compared to last year's gain of 1 cent per share on sales of $120 million. Earnings came in at 6 cents per share; analysts had expected the company to earn 6 cents per share and report sales of $177 million, according to MarketWatch. Pandora is being closely watched as Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) released a competing online radio service, iTunes Radio, this fall.

T = Technicals on the Stock Chart Are Strong

Pandora stock has been surging higher over the last several quarters. The stock is currently trading near highs for the year and looks poised to continue. Analyzing the price trend and its strength can be done using key simple moving averages. What are the key moving averages? The 50-day (pink), 100-day (blue), and 200-day (yellow) simple moving averages. As seen in the daily price chart below, Pandora is trading above its rising key averages, which signal neutral to bullish price action in the near-term.

(Source: Thinkorswim)

Taking a look at the implied volatility (red) and implied volatility skew levels of Pandora options may help determine if investors are bullish, neutral, or bearish.

	Implied Volatility (IV)	30-Day IV Percentile	90-Day IV Percentile
Pandora Options	52.05%	0%	0%

What does this mean? This means that investors or traders are buying a very small amount of call and put options contracts as compared to the last 30 and 90 trading days.

	Put IV Skew	Call IV Skew
December Options	Flat	Average
January Options	Flat	Average

As of today, there is an average demand from call buyers or sellers and low demand by put buyers or high demand by put sellers, all neutral to bullish over the next two months. To summarize, investors are buying a very small amount of call and put option contracts and are leaning neutral to bullish over the next two months.

On the next page, let’s take a look at the earnings and revenue growth rates and the conclusion.

E = Earnings Are Increasing Quarter-Over-Quarter

Rising stock prices are often strongly correlated with rising earnings and revenue growth rates. Also, the last four quarterly earnings announcement reactions help gauge investor sentiment on Pandora’s stock. What do the last four quarterly earnings and revenue growth (Y-O-Y) figures for Pandora look like and more importantly, how did the markets like these numbers?

	2013 Q3	2013 Q2	2013 Q1	2012 Q4
Earnings Growth (Y-O-Y)	20.00%	1200.00%	-11.11%	-69.72%
Revenue Growth (Y-O-Y)	50.28%	51.18%	59.07%	53.81%
Earnings Reaction	-1.52%*	-12.89%	-4.25%	17.56%

Pandora has seen mixed earnings and increasing revenue figures over the last four quarters. From these numbers, the markets have been pleased with Pandora’s recent earnings announcements.

* As of this writing

P = Excellent Relative Performance Versus Peers and Sector

How has Pandora stock done relative to its peers, Sirius XM Radio (NASDAQ:SIRI), CBS (NYSE:CBS), Cumulus Media (NASDAQ:CMLS), and sector?

	Pandora	Sirius XM Radio	CBS	Cumulus Media	Sector
Year-to-Date Return	213.10%	27.16%	54.22%	150.90%	112.34%

Pandora has been a relative performance leader, year-to-date.

Conclusion

Pandora is an Internet radio company that attempts to match listeners with their preferences in order to discover music they love. The company reported third-quarter earnings after the closing bell on Thursday that came in line with analyst estimates. The stock has been rising higher in recent quarters and is now trading near highs for the year. Over the last four quarters, earnings have been mixed while revenues have been rising, however, investors have expected more from the company. Relative to its peers and sector, Pandora has been a year-to-date performance leader. Look for Pandora to continue to OUTPERFORM.

Top Dividend Stocks To Own For 2014

The best thing about the stock market is that you can make money in�either direction. Historically, stock indexes have tended to trend up over the long term. But when you look at individual stocks, you'll find plenty that lose money over the long haul. According to hedge fund institution Blackstar Funds, even with dividends�included, between 1983 and 2006, 64% of stocks underperformed the Russell 3000, a broad-scope market index.

A large influx of short-sellers shouldn't be a condemning factor to any company, but it could be a red flag from traders that something may not be as cut-and-dried as it appears. Let's look at three companies that have seen a rapid increase in the number of shares sold short and see whether traders are blowing smoke or if their worry has some merit.

Company

Short Increase May 31 to June 14

Short Shares as a % of Float

Pfizer (NYSE: PFE  )

Top Dividend Stocks To Own For 2014: Altria Group(MO)

Altria Group, Inc., through its subsidiaries, engages in the manufacture and sale of cigarettes, smokeless products, and wine in the United States and internationally. It offers cigarettes under the Marlboro, Virginia Slims, Parliament, Benson & Hedges, Basic, and L&M brands; smokeless tobacco products under the Copenhagen, Skoal, Red Seal, Husky brands, and Marlboro snus brands; and machine-made large cigars and pipe tobacco. The company also produces and sells blended table wines under the Chateau Ste Michelle and Columbia Crest names; and distributes Antinori and Villa Maria Estate wines and Champagne Nicolas Feuillatte in the United States. In addition, it maintains a portfolio of leveraged and direct finance leases in rail and surface transport, aircraft, electric power, real estate, and manufacturing. The company sells its tobacco products to wholesalers, including distributors; large retail organizations, such as chain stores; and the armed services. Altria Group, Inc. markets its wine products to restaurants, wholesale clubs, supermarkets, wine shops, and mass merchandisers. The company was founded in 1919 and is headquartered in Richmond, Virginia.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Rich Duprey]

  It was simply too big of a market to ignore. A few months back, I noted�Goldman Sachs estimates that electronic cigarettes would become a $1 billion industry in a few years and Altria (NYSE: MO  ) was the only major tobacco company that did have an electronic loosey to call its own. I thought it was simply too lucrative an opportunity for the Marlboro Man to pass up and yesterday the tobacco giant confirmed it was indeed launching its MarkTen brand of e-cig in August through its NuMark subsidiary.

• [By Sean Williams]

  Some might see this action as all the more reason to hunker down at home with Altria (NYSE: MO  ) , which commands nearly half of all premium brand market share in the U.S. and has one of the safest-yielding dividends imaginable. However, I contend that the U.S.' antismoking regulations are too strict and poised to get even stricter as the years progress. Furthermore, President Obama's 2014 budget proposes a 93% federal government tax increase per pack to $1.95 from $1.01. In my opinion, the geographic diversification of Philip Morris will trump the domestic concerns Altria will face in the coming decade any day of the week!

Top Dividend Stocks To Own For 2014: R.R. Donnelley & Sons Company(RRD)

R.R. Donnelley & Sons Company provides pre-media, printing, logistics, and business process outsourcing products and services to private and public sectors worldwide. The company operates primarily in the commercial print portion of the printing industry, with related product and service offerings designed to offer customers solutions for communicating their messages to target audiences. Its products and related service offerings include magazines, catalogs, retail inserts, books, directories, financial print, direct mail, forms, labels, office products, statement printing, pre media, and logistics services. The company also offers business process outsourcing services that comprise transactional print and outsourcing services, statement printing, direct mail, and print management services; and product configuration, customized kitting, and order fulfillment for technology, medical device, and other companies. It distributes its products to end-users through the United Sta tes postal services, retail channels, electronically, or by direct shipment to customer facilities. R.R. Donnelley & Sons was founded in 1864 and is based in Chicago, Illinois.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Monica Gerson]

  Breaking news

  Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide (NYSE: HOT) reported a gain in its third-quarter core earnings and lifted its full-year earnings forecast. To read the full news, click here. Procera Networks (NASDAQ: PKT) and Skyfire, a fully-owned subsidiary of Opera Software, today announced a joint solution and partnership to tackle the rapid growth of video traffic on global mobile networks, based on an open, scalable ICAP architecture. To read the full news, click here. R. R. Donnelley & Sons Company (NASDAQ: RRD) and Consolidated Graphics (NYSE: CGX) jointly announced today that they have signed a definitive agreement by which RR Donnelley will acquire Consolidated Graphics, a provider of digital and commercial printing, fulfillment services, print management and proprietary Internet-based technology solutions. To read the full news, click here. Dunkin' Brands Group (NASDAQ: DNKN) reported a 36% rise in its third-quarter income. To read the full news, click here.

  Posted-In: Jobless Claims JP Morgan US Stock FuturesNews Eurozone Futures Global Pre-Market Outlook Markets

• [By Selena Maranjian]

  Among holdings in which Caxton Associates increased its stake was R. R. Donnelley (NASDAQ: RRD  ) . Commercial printer Donnelley provides labels, packaging, and more to the private and public sector. It prints many thousands of forms for the SEC, too, and bought Edgar Online. Bears worry about its steep debt load, though the company is free-cash-flow positive. Some also worry about a possible reduction of its dividend, which recently yielded nearly 8%. To succeed, the company needs to do more digital business. To that end, it recently sealed an eBook deal with Harlequin.

• [By John Udovich]

  Printing and the various forms of marketing communications that need to be printed (like business cards and stationary) are fundamental to the needs of every business, meaning the recent share surge of small cap Standard Register Co (NYSE: SR) after it announced an acquisition along with its long-term performance against better known peers like RR Donnelley & Sons Co (NASDAQ: RRD) and VistaPrint Limited (NASDAQ: VPRT) is worth taking a closer look at. After all, Standard Register is up 363.2% since the start of the year verses a return of 113.4% for RR Donnelley & Sons Co and�75.9% for VistaPrint Limited.

• [By Brian Stoffel]

  R.R. Donnelley & Sons (NASDAQ: RRD  )
  This company, based out of Chicago, has been an industry stalwart since its founding in 1864. Back then, founder Richard Donnelley printed the precursor to the Yellow Pages for Chicago residents. �

Best Bank Companies To Buy Right Now: Sysco Corporation(SYY)

Sysco Corporation, through its subsidiaries, distributes food and related products primarily to the foodservice or food-away-from-home industry in North America and Europe. The company offers a line of frozen foods, such as meats, fully prepared entrees, fruits, vegetables, and desserts; a line of canned and dry foods; fresh meats, custom-cut fresh steaks, other meat, seafood, and poultry; dairy products; beverage products; imported specialties; and fresh produce. It also supplies various non-food items, including paper products, such as disposable napkins, plates, and cups; tableware, which include china and silverware; cookware comprising pots, pans, and utensils; restaurant and kitchen equipment and supplies; and cleaning supplies. In addition, the company offers personal care guest amenities, equipment, housekeeping supplies, room accessories, and textiles to the lodging industry. It serves restaurants, hospitals and nursing homes, schools and colleges, hotels and mote ls, lodging establishments, and other foodservice customers. Sysco Corporation was founded in 1969 and is headquartered in Houston, Texas.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By GuruFocus]

  Reduced: Sysco Corporation (SYY)

  Tom Gayner reduced to his holdings in Sysco Corporation by 92.56%. His sale prices were between $33.35 and $35.24, with an estimated average price of $34.43. The impact to his portfolio due to this sale was -0.38%. Tom Gayner still held 23,382 shares as of 06/30/2013.

• [By Jacob Roche]

  Still, even a crushing fourth-quarter miss would give United Natural some growth for the year. That's more than can be said for the company's conventional counterparts. Safeway (NYSE: SWY  ) is estimating essentially flat sales growth, and analysts estimate that Sysco (NYSE: SYY  ) , the world's largest food distributor, will see an actual drop in sales this year.

• [By The Part-time Investor]

  The following stocks met the criteria in January of 2008 and were put into the initial portfolio:

  Abbot Labs (ABT)Advanced data processing (ADP)Associated Banc-Corp (ASBC)Bank of America (BAC)BB&T Corp. (BBT)Bemis Company (BMS)Anheuser Busch (BUD)The Chubb Corporation (CB)Clorox (CLX)Comerica Inc. (CMA)Diebold Inc. (DBD)Emerson Electronics (EMR)First Dollar Corp. (FDO)First Third BanCorp. (FITB)Gannett Co, Inc. (GCI)General Electric (GE)Hershey (HSY)Illinois Tools Works (ITW)Johnson and Johnson (JNJ)Leggett and Platt (LEG)Eli Lilly (LLY)La-Z-Boy (LZB)McDonald's (MCD)Marsh and Ilsley (MI)M&T Bancorp (MTB)PepsiCo (PEP)Pfizer (PFE)Procter & Gamble (PG)Pentair Ltd. (PNR)Regions Financial Corp. (RF)Rohm and Haas (ROH)RPM International (RPM)Sherwin Williams (SHW)Sysco Corp. (SYY)UDR Inc. (UDR)

  Historical quotes were taken from Yahoo Finance. $10,000 was put into each position, to the nearest whole share, so a total of $349,262.89 was invested. From 1/15/08 through 5/16/13 all dividends were reinvested back into the stock that paid them. If a dividend cut was announced, that stock was sold on the ex-div date of the new, lower dividend.

• [By Barbara Kollmeyer]

  Earnings from Kellogg (K) �and Sysco Corp. (SYY) �are also due ahead of the opening bell. Shares of Berkshire Hathaway Inc. (BRK.A) (BRK.B) �could also be active after the conglomerate posted a 29% rise in third-quarter profit.

Top Dividend Stocks To Own For 2014: Prospect Capital Corporation(PSEC)

Prospect Capital Corporation is a mezzanine finance and private equity firm that specializes in late venture, middle market, mature, mezzanine, buyouts, recapitalizations, growth capital, development, and bridge transactions. It makes secured debt and equity investments. The firm typically invests across all industry sectors, with a particular expertise in the energy and industrial sectors. It invests in oil and gas production, coal production, materials, industrials, consumer discretionary, information technology, utilities, pipeline, storage, power generation and distribution, renewable and clean energy, oilfield services, healthcare, food and beverage, education, business services, and other select sectors. The firm prefers to invest in the United States and Canada. It seeks to invest between $5 million to $50 million in companies with EBITDA between $$ million and $75 million, sales value up to $500 million, and enterprise value of up to $250 million. The firm also co- invests for larger deals. It seeks control acquisitions by providing multiple levels of the capital structure. Prospect Capital Corporation was founded in 1988 and is based in New York, New York.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Amanda Alix]

  Similarly, Prospect Capital (NASDAQ: PSEC  ) recently announced�the next four months' worth of dividends, showcasing a yield of 12.7%. Further, management noted that its liabilities are locked in for the next 30 years, while its loans float with LIBOR, putting them in the catbird seat as far as rising interest rates are concerned.

Top Dividend Stocks To Own For 2014: Quanex Building Products Corporation(NX)

Quanex Building Products Corporation provides engineered products and aluminum sheet products. Its Engineered Products segment produces window and door components for original equipment manufacturers that primarily serve the residential construction and remodeling markets. This segment?s products consist of insulating glass spacer/sealant systems, thin film solar panel sealants, window and patio door screens, aluminum cladding and other roll formed metal window components, thresholds and astragals, moldings, residential exterior products, engineered vinyl and composite patio doors, window profiles and custom window grilles, and trim and architectural moldings in various woods primarily for the home improvement and residential construction markets. The company?s Aluminum Sheet Products segment includes reducing reroll coil to specific gauge, annealing, slitting, and custom coating. This segment?s products are used in customer end-use applications comprising window screen fr ames and screens, exterior home trim, fascias, roof edgings, soffits, downspouts, and gutters in the building and construction markets, as well as capital goods and transportation markets. The company offers its products to original equipment manufacturers and distributors through direct and indirect sales groups primarily in the United States, Mexico, Canada, Asia, and Europe. Quanex Building Products Corporation is based in Houston, Texas.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Seth Jayson]

  Quanex Building Products (NYSE: NX  ) reported earnings on June 7. Here are the numbers you need to know.

  The 10-second takeaway
  For the quarter ended April 30 (Q2), Quanex Building Products beat expectations on revenues and missed expectations on earnings per share.

Top Dividend Stocks To Own For 2014: Telecom Corporation of New Zealand Limited(NZT)

Telecom Corporation of New Zealand Limited, together with its subsidiaries, provides telecommunications services, as well as information, communication, and technology services in New Zealand and Australia. Its products and services include local, national, international, and value-added telephone services; mobile services; data, broadband, and Internet services; IT consulting, implementation, and procurement services; and equipment sales and installation services. The company also involves in the retail of telecommunications products and services. It serves residential, business, and government customers. Telecom Corporation of New Zealand Limited was founded in 1987 and is based in Auckland, New Zealand.

4 Tech Stocks Rising on Unusual Volume

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

>>5 Stocks Poised for Breakouts

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

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

>>5 Rocket Stocks Ready for Blastoff

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

Phoenix New Media

Phoenix New Media (FENG) is a new media company providing premium content on an integrated platform across Internet, mobile and TV channels in China. This stock closed up 2.9% at $12.62 in Monday's trading session.

Monday's Volume: 1.73 million

Three-Month Average Volume: 643,232

Volume % Change: 175%

>>5 Hated Earnings Stocks You Should Love

From a technical perspective, FENG trended higher here heavy upside volume. This stock has been uptrending strong for the last five months, with shares soaring higher from its low of $3.79 to its intraday high of $13. During that move, shares of FENG have been consistently making higher lows and higher highs, which is bullish technical price action. This move on Monday pushed shares into breakout and new 52-week-high territory, since the stock took out some resistance at $12.57.

Traders should now look for long-biased trades in FENG as long as it's trending above some near-term support levels at $12 or at $11 and then once it sustains a move or close above Monday's high of $13 with volume that's near or above 634,232 shares. If we get that move soon, then FENG will set up to enter new 52-week high territory, which is bullish technical price action. Some possible upside targets off that move are $14 to $16.

Comtech Telecommunications

Comtech Telecommunications (CMTL) designs, develops, produces and markets products, systems and services for advanced communications solutions. This stock closed up 4.2% at $26.86 in Monday's trading session.

Monday's Volume: 273,000

Three-Month Average Volume: 58,572

Volume % Change: 335%

>>3 Huge Stocks on Traders' Radars

From a technical perspective, CMTL ripped higher here right above both its 50-day at $25.38 and its 200-day at $25.51 with strong upside volume. This move is quickly pushing shares of CMTL within range of triggering a big breakout trade. That trade will hit if CMTL manages to take out Monday's high of $27 and then once it clears more resistance at $27.67 to its 52-week high at $27.89 with high volume.

Traders should now look for long-biased trades in CMTL as long as it's trending above its 50-day at $25.38, and then once it sustains a move or close above those breakout levels with volume that's near or above 58,572 shares. If that breakout hits soon, then CMTL will set up to enter new 52-week-high territory above $27.89, which is bullish technical price action. Some possible upside targets off that breakout are its next major overhead resistance levels at $30 to $33.

Sparton

Sparton (SPA) is a provider of complex and sophisticated electromechanical devices with capabilities that include concept development, industrial design, design and manufacturing engineering, production, distribution and field service. This stock closed up 4.9% at $26.54 in Monday's trading session.

Monday's Volume: 154,000

Three-Month Average Volume: 53,426

Volume % Change: 155%

>>5 Cash-Hoarders to Triple Your Gains

From a technical perspective, SPA trended sharply higher here right above some near-term support at $25 with above-average volume. This move briefly pushed SPA into breakout and new 52-week-high territory, after the stock flirted with some near-term overhead resistance at $26.44. Shares of SPA closed just below that resistance level at $26.54 with volume that was well above its three-month average action of 53,426 shares.

Traders should now look for long-biased trades in SPA as long as it's trending above support at $25 and then once it sustains a move or close above Monday's intraday high of $26.65 with volume that's near or above 53,426 shares. If we get that move soon, then SPA will set up to enter new 52-week-high territory, which is bullish technical price action. Some possible upside targets off that move are $30 to $33.

InvenSense

InvenSense (INVN) designs, develops, markets and sells micro-electro-mechanical system gyroscopes for motion tracking devices in consumer electronics. This stock closed up 5.8% at $19.71 in Monday's trading session.

Monday's Volume: 4.74 million

Three-Month Average Volume: 2.81 million

Volume % Change: 70%

Shares of INVN jumped higher on Monday after Craig-Hallum said the company has three new design wins that include Google's Nexus 5, Amazon Kindle Fire HD and Samsung Galaxy Gear.

>>5 Stocks Under $10 Set to Soar

From a technical perspective, INVN ripped higher here right above its 50-day moving average at $17.51 with heavy upside volume. This move pushed shares of INVN into breakout and new 52-week-high territory, after the stock took out some near-term overhead resistance at $19.36. This stock has been uptrending strong for the last five months, with shares soaring higher from its low of $9.10 to its intraday high of $19.90. During that move, shares of INVN have been consistently making higher lows and higher highs, which is bullish technical price action.

Traders should now look for long-biased trades in INVN as long as it's trending above Monday's low of $18.44 or above its 50-day at $17.51 and then once it sustains a move or close above its new 52-week high at $19.90 with volume that hits near or above 2.81 million shares. If we get that move soon, then INVN will set up to enter new 52-week-high territory, which is bullish technical price action. Some possible upside targets off that move are its all-time high at $22.35 to $25.

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

-- Written by Roberto Pedone in Delafield, Wis.

RELATED LINKS:

>>4 Stocks Under $10 Making Big Moves

>>4 Hot Stocks to Trade (or Not)

>>3 Huge Tech Stocks on Traders' Radars

Follow Stockpickr on Twitter and become a fan on Facebook.

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

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

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

Adapting to the Market, Not the Other Way Around

Adapting to the Market, Not the Other Way Around

 

For traders that are interested in finding the most effective forex strategies and are looking to outrun their market counterparts, it is very important to understand which types of strategies work in a given market environment.  Since there is no single strategy that will work in all cases, it is important to have an “arsenal” of strategies rather than relying on one technique in all cases.

           

The fact is, this is an overly simplistic way of looking at the forex market and will not enable you to perform in an optimal way relative to your peers.  “The forex market is arguably the most complicated and dynamic market in the world” said Haris Constantinou, currency analyst at TeleTrade.  “So any trader thinking that one trading method will work in all cases, will inevitably under perform.”  Instead, you should be looking at the market conditions themselves and then look to adapt your strategy to that set of circumstances.

Best Value Companies To Buy For 2014

 

Funamentals and Technicals

           

Successful traders are the ones that can research, understand, and implement the most effective and time tested strategies that have been employed by traders in the past.  These strategies are diverse enough that, once you have spent some time using these approaches, you will be able to adapt to the market in a wider variety in market situations.

           

Another important point to remember is that traders should never  look to rely simply on technical or fundamental strategies on their own.  This is one of the biggest mistakes that new traders make -- and once too much attention is focused on one of these areas, these inexperienced traders will find themselves to be unprepared for many very common occurrences that will inevitably develop.   While it might take some more time and effort to learn the main aspects of technical and fundamental trades, these works of effort will ultimately pay off at a later date, as you will be able to successfully “weed out” high probability trades from the ones that are less likely to generate profits.

           

Putting these ideas together is what will ultimately enable you to separate yourself from the pack and achieve efficient and repeatable results over the long term.  Your main goal should be profitability above all else, and this will eventually come as a result of the extra time and energy you have put into learning about various aspects of the forex market.   The forex is a very interesting forum to test new ideas and learn about new approaches, so if you approach these markets in this way, the world of forex will begin to make much more sense no matter what type of environment is prevailing at the moment.

The following article is from one of our external contributors. It does not represent the opinion of Benzinga and has not been edited.

Posted-In: Markets

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Government reports drop in number of homeless

Top 5 Medical Companies To Own For 2014

A new government report shows that the number of people living on the streets is on the decline this year.

NEW YORK (CNNMoney) The number of homeless Americans is on the decline, the government announced Thursday.

Roughly 610,000 homeless people were living in emergency shelters, transitional housing or unsheltered locations during a count taken on a single night in January, the Department of Housing and Urban Development reported. That's down 4% from last year and 6% from 2010, when the recession was still going strong.

Big drops in veteran homelessness contributed to the overall decline, HUD said, thanks to increased participation in a federal program providing rental vouchers to veterans. The number of homeless veterans fell 24% from 2010, the housing agency found.

The government has also been making a big push to help the chronically homeless, defined as those who have been continually homeless for a year or more or have been homeless at least four times in the last three years. Between 2010 and 2013, the number of chronically homeless fell 16%.

These findings were met with skepticism from the National Law Center on Homelessness & Poverty, however. The nonprofit aid organization said HUD's report depicts an "incomplete picture" because it only counts homeless people in HUD programs and shelters, and those living outside.

  Paying to house NYC's homeless

"This number excludes millions of Americans who are without housing and living doubled up or in motels because HUD programs are full," NLCHP said in a statement. "[W]hile ongoing efforts to end homelessness are having an impact on individuals fortunate enough to obtain services, we do not believe that the numbers are in fact declining."

HUD said it's impossible to count people who are living with others or staying in motels, so it calculated the most accurate estimate it could based on the data available, which it collects from more than 3,000 cities and counties.

And HUD Secretary Shaun Donovan worries that the progress HUD has made could be quickly derailed if Congress doesn't provide adequate funding for the agency's homeless programs.

"We're making real and significant progress to reduce homelessness in this country and now is not the time to retreat from doin! g what we know works," Donovan said in a statement.

Despite overall declines, homelessness still remains high in many areas, especially large cities. New York City and Los Angeles, for example, account for 20% of the nation's entire homeless population, and the number of homeless people in those cities shot up 13% and 27%, respectively, last year.

A separate report last month from the National Center for Homeless Education, which is funded by the Department of Education, showed that student homelessness hit a record high -- finding 1.2 million homeless students during the 2011-12 academic year.

Tribune eyes expense cuts in newspaper unit

Tribune Co., which owns the Los Angeles Times, Chicago Tribune and seven other daily newspapers, is reviewing possible cost cuts in its print publishing division.

"We're trying to determine how to put our publishing businesses on the best possible footing for the long term, to make them as strong as possible," said company spokesman Gary Weitman in a statement.

Weitman issued the statement after a Chicago media blog reported that Tribune CEO Peter Liguori has directed the vice presidents in the publishing unit to look for ways to save $100 million.

GANNETT: Belo shareholders OK sale

Calling the report "grossly inaccurate," Weitman said the budget review is an annual procedure. "We're in the process, as we are every year at this time, of conducting budget reviews at all of our businesses. Everything is on the table, as it is every year."

The blog, operated by former Chicago Sun-Times reporter Robert Feder, reported that the cuts will go into effect Dec. 1 in all areas of operation, including the newsrooms.

But Weitman said the company hasn't targeted any specific areas for expense cuts. "No deadlines have been set," he said.

"We're always trying to improve our business model in ways that allow us to operate as efficiently as possible, while at the same time directing as many resources as we can to producing great content for our readers, viewers and digital users," Weitman said.

In late August, Tribune reported that its publishing revenue in the second quarter fell 4% to $470 million, primarily due to a decline of $19 million in print ads.

In the last three years, the company has cut about 2,200 jobs, according to the Los Angeles Times. It now has about 11,500 workers.

Tribune, which also owns 23 TV stations, is in the midst of spinning off the newspaper business to shield more profitable broadcasting and digital units from the decline of print advertising.

The spinoff, which was announced in July, comes on the heels of its failed attempt! to sell the newspapers to private investors. Tribune plans to spin off the publishing assets in a tax-free distribution to its shareholders and the newly created company will be called Tribune Publishing Company.

Its newspaper unit also includes The Baltimore Sun, the Sun Sentinel in South Florida, the Orlando Sentinel, the Hartford Courant, The Morning Call in Allentown, Pa., the Daily Press in Hampton Roads, Va., and RedEye in Chicago.

Merrill Lynch team managing $700M moves to HighTower

A team of Connecticut advisers who manage $700 million for clients has broken away from Merrill Lynch Wealth Management.

The Andriole Group, based in Madison, is joining HighTower Advisors. Charles Andriole, the founder, is making the move along with the firm's other principals — Geoffrey G. Gregory, Robert A. DeLucca and Matthew J. Montana — who will all receive the title of partner and managing director at Chicago-based HighTower.

Three other advisers — Eric C. Hanson, Christopher P. McFadden and Alexandra J. Miele — and two senior client service associates are also part of the firm, which focuses on high-net-worth families, and related businesses and non-profit organizations.

10 Best Low Price Stocks To Watch For 2014

Mr. Andriole was ranked in the top 10 Connecticut advisers by Barron's this year.

Ana Sollitto, a spokeswoman for Merrill's owner, Bank of America Corp., declined to comment on the departure.

The team is the 40th to join HighTower, founded in 2008, and is HighTower's only Connecticut outpost. Like what you've read?

Stock futures higher; factory orders ahead

MADRID (MarketWatch) — U.S. stock market futures pointed to a firmer open for Wall Street on Monday, but investors remained wary ahead of key employment figures due later in the week that could be a deciding factor for when the Federal Reserve decides to taper its bond-buying program.

For Monday, factory orders are due, and investors will be scouring a positive piece of data out of China. Kellogg Co. is also due to report ahead of the opening bell.

Click to Play Google's Schmidt on NSA, China and North Korea

On a recent visit to Hong Kong, Google Executive Chairman Eric Schmidt spoke to Deborah Kan about allegations that the U.S. National Security Agency spied on the company's data centers, censorship in China, and the country he wants to visit next.

Futures for the Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJZ3)  rose 35 points to 15,576, while those for the S&P 500 index (SPZ3)  gained 4 points to 1,758.70. Futures for the Nasdaq 100 index (NDZ3)  added 13 points, or 0.4%, to 3,381.

Investors are waiting on big data to come later in the week: Third-quarter growth statistics and the key October nonfarm-payrolls report. Ahead of that on Monday, factory orders for September are due at 10 a.m. Eastern Time, with a consensus forecast for a 1.7% rise versus a 2.4% drop in July, according to economists polled by MarketWatch.

"The market's Kryptonite is early taper talk at the moment, and this first full week of November has the potential for it to be hurled at it from all directions with no shortage of U.S. economic data on the agenda, including the all-important October payrolls report and the advanced estimate of Q3 GDP," said Jim Reid, strategist at Deutsche Bank, in a note. Also read: Are the bears right about a November correction

Getty Images Enlarge Image WASHINGTON, DC - DECEMBER 12: The seal of the Federal Reserve is on display as Chairman Ben Bernanke holds a press conference following a Federal Open Market Committee meeting at the Federal Reserve Bank headquaters December 12, 2012 in Washington, DC.

Reid said there were some signs of risk being taken off the table already, given the softer emerging-markets equities, fixed income and currencies seen overnight.

A handful of Federal Reserve speakers are scheduled for Monday, such as St. Louis Fed President James Bullard. Speaking early on CNBC, the voting member of the Fed's policy-making committee said October's job data will be hard to gauge. He also said he was encouraged by third-quarter gross domestic product estimates.

Overnight, Dallas Fed President Richard Fisher suggested at a business lunch in Sydney that a tapering move could come sooner than expected, and that fiscal risks shouldn't stop the Fed from doing what is right for the economy.

At 11:40 a.m. Eastern, Fed Governor Jerome Powell will speak on Fed policy and emerging markets at a conference in San Francisco.

Then at 2 p.m. Eastern, Boston Fed President Eric Rosengren, who is also a voting member of the Fed's policy-making committee, is due to speak on the economy at the University of Massachusetts in Boston.

Earnings from Kellogg (K)  and Sysco Corp. (SYY)  are also due ahead of the opening bell. Shares of Berkshire Hathaway Inc. (BRK.A) (BRK.B)  could also be active after the conglomerate posted a 29% rise in third-quarter profit.

U.S.-listed shares of HSBC Holdings PLC (HBC)   (UK:HSBA)  could rise after the investment bank reported a 30% rise in third-quarter pretax profit, news that boosted shares more than 2% in London.

Shares of BlackBerry Ltd. (BBRY)  rose 2.7% in premarket trading ahead of Monday's deadline for Fairfax Financial, the company's biggest shareholder, to raise the needed cash for its $4.7 billion bid. Several other potential bidders are mulling bids, media reports said.

In Asia, stocks finished mostly lower, surrendering earlier gains after China's official Non-Manufacturing Purchasing Managers Index rose to 56.3 in October — the highest reading in 14 months. Investors in Asia will be looking to an upcoming meeting of China's Communist Party, where the new regime is tapped to talk about the reform agenda.

Europe stocks traded higher, helped by upbeat HSBC results.

Hot Undervalued Stocks To Buy Right Now

In the larger context of offshore energy equipment companies, Cameron's (NYSE:CAM) weak second quarter wasn't unique. Even so, this was the second straight weak quarter at Cameron, and with these stocks trading off of orders (which came up about 20% light) that's a problem. While I continue to believe that Cameron is gearing up for a period of significant revenue, margin, and order growth, I won't pretend that execution risks are now front and center with this story. So though the shares continue to look undervalued, the above-average likely volatility doesn't make them suitable for all investors.

A Disappointing Quarter, But Not A Disaster
Cameron reported annual and sequential revenue growth of 11% and 8%, respectively, for the second quarter and that was only slightly below expectation. Both the drilling/production and valves/measurement units saw sequential growth (13% and 3%, respectively), while the process/completion business was down both year-on-year and quarter-on-quarter (-7% and -4%).

Hot Undervalued Stocks To Buy Right Now: Dollar Tree Inc.(DLTR)

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

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Terri Stridsberg]

  Dollar Tree (DLTR), has had a banner 2013, gaining 45.3% year-to-date, and tagging a new record high of $59.68. Nevertheless, short interest skyrocketed by close to 398% over the most recent reporting period, and now accounts for a healthy 6.7% of the equity's available float.

• [By Demitrios Kalogeropoulos]

  Costly market share gains
  The problem is that Family Dollar has had to pay up for its increasing market share and sales levels. The company's gross profit margin fell by more than a full percentage point, to 34.7% last quarter. In contrast, Dollar Tree (NASDAQ: DLTR  ) booked an expansion of profits, to 35.2%, continuing a trend that's seen it pull away from Family Dollar.

• [By Brendan Byrnes]

  Brendan: Not a problem at all. What about the surprising amount of dollar-store companies that are public? You have Family Dollar (NYSE: FDO  ) , Dollar Tree (NASDAQ: DLTR  ) , Dollar General (NYSE: DG  ) . You mention, in particular, Family Dollar, which is the lowest market cap out of all of those, as doing the best, an exceptional company. Why?

Hot Undervalued Stocks To Buy Right Now: Tupperware Corporation(TUP)

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

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Oliver Pursche]

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

• [By Brian Pacampara]

  Based on the aggregated intelligence of 180,000-plus investors participating in Motley Fool CAPS, the Fool's free investing community, household products company Tupperware Brands (NYSE: TUP  ) has earned a coveted five-star ranking.

Top Low Price Companies To Own In Right Now: Schlumberger N.V.(SLB)

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

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Tyler Crowe]

  Surprisingly, our energy boom could help China, but not in the way you might think. The energy sector in the U.S. has been an incubator for innovative drilling techniques and technologies over the past few years. Now we have a near monopoly on the technology. Like the U.S., China has massive shale gas deposits, and the technology we possess could help them develop domestic sources and allow them to become more energy self-sufficient. We're starting to see it happen. Royal Dutch Shell (NYSE: RDS-A  ) has signed a deal with PetroChina (NYSE: PTR  ) to spend $1 billion a year to develop shale resources there. Also, fracking�specialists�Haliburton (NYSE: HAL  ) and Schlumberger (NYSE: SLB  ) are partnering with various Chinese companies to supply the country with hydraulic fracturing equipment and specialty fluids.�

• [By Arjun Sreekumar]

  Not surprisingly, the industry's annual capital spending has more than tripled over the past decade, coming in at $550 billion in 2011, according to oil-field services firm Schlumberger (NYSE: SLB  ) . Yet despite shelling out all that money, the industry as a whole has been unable to secure enough new reserves to offset production.

• [By WALLSTCHEATSHEET.COM]

  Schlumberger is best of breed in its industry, but the industry�� potential might not be as strong as advertised. There is a theory that decreasing energy prices will lead to increased demand, but that�� like saying someone flushed the toilet and then went to the bathroom. The truth is that global demand is on shaky ground, and if it falters, it will lead to a chain reaction that won�� benefit Schlumberger. In a somewhat related matter of importance, Schlumberger�� stock was hit hard during the financial crisis. The fact that it was deemed the financial crisis isn�� important in this case. What�� important is that it was a deflationary environment and Schlumberger couldn�� maintain its strength in that�environment. If the Federal Reserve removed all monetary stimulus, would a deflationary environment present itself once again? Nobody knows for sure, but it�� a possibility. In the meantime, potential rewards outweigh downside risks for Schlumberger. Therefore, Schlumberger is an OUTPERFORM.

Hot Undervalued Stocks To Buy Right Now: Caterpillar Inc.(CAT)

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

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Rich Duprey]

  China's manufacturing sector is contracting at an alarming rate, and Caterpillar's (NYSE: CAT  ) stock may not be able to surmount the obstacles the collapse is throwing in its path.

Stocks Hitting 52-Week Lows

Hot Medical Companies To Invest In 2014

NII Holdings (NASDAQ: NIHD) shares dropped 2.19% to reach a new 52-week low of $2.91. NII Holdings' trailing-twelve-month ROE is -72.60%.

Foundation Medicine (NASDAQ: FMI) shares tumbled 7.58% to reach a new 52-week low of $21.23. Foundation Medicine's trailing-twelve-month profit margin is -147.08%.

Swisher Hygiene (NASDAQ: SWSH) shares touched a new 52-week low of $0.55. Swisher shares have dropped 51.30% over the past 52 weeks, while the S&P 500 index has gained 31.68% in the same period.

Eagle Rock Energy Partners LP (NASDAQ: EROC) shares touched a new 52-week low of $5.41. Eagle Rock Energy Partners' PEG ratio is -3.29.

Posted-In: 52-Week LowsNews Movers & Shakers Intraday Update Markets

(c) 2013 Benzinga.com. Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved.

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Top 10 Energy Stocks To Watch Right Now

Investors following the North American oil and gas industry should be aware that oil production volumes from the Eagle Ford shale play have blown past expectations this year.

According to the Texas Railroad Commission, crude oil production from the Eagle Ford region averaged more than half a million barrels per day for the first quarter of 2013. This is a whopping 34% increase from 2012 production levels and is also the highest since the south Texas play hit oil in 2008. Energy research firm Wood Mackenzie estimates that total Eagle Ford capital expenditure will hit $28 billion in 2013. It's pretty evident that the value extracted by major operators is exceeding expectations. However, this shouldn't come as a big surprise, either. In the last couple of years, exploration and production companies have been quietly raking up acreage in this shale play.

The movers and shakers
Marathon Oil (NYSE: MRO  ) increased its stake to 330,000 net acres in the liquids-rich window of the Eagle Ford. For the first quarter, average net sales volumes from this acreage stood at 72,000 barrels of oil equivalent per day�-- a fourfold increase year over year. Still in the growth phase, the company should be further increasing production where this property is concerned. This shale play should have a major role in increasing Marathon's overall production volumes in the next three years.

Top 10 Energy Stocks To Watch Right Now: Magellan Midstream Partners L.P.(MMP)

Magellan Midstream Partners, L.P., together with its subsidiaries, engages in the transportation, storage, and distribution of refined petroleum products and crude oil in the United States. Its pipeline system transports petroleum products and liquefied petroleum gases from the Gulf Coast refining region of Texas through the Midwest to Colorado, North Dakota, Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Illinois. The company owns and operates marine terminals, which store and distribute refined petroleum products, blendstocks, crude oils, heavy oils, and feedstocks, as well as inland terminals that consist of storage tanks connected to third-party interstate pipeline systems to deliver refined petroleum products. Its ammonia pipeline system transports ammonia from production facilities in Texas and Oklahoma to terminals in the Midwest. The company also stores, blends, and distributes biofuels, such as ethanol and biodiesel. As of March 31, 2011, it operated approximately 9, 600 miles of petr oleum products pipeline system and 51 terminals; 6 marine petroleum terminals located along the United States Gulf and East Coasts; a crude oil storage in Cushing, Oklahoma; 27 petroleum products inland terminals located principally in the southeastern United States; and a 1,100-mile ammonia pipeline system and 6 associated terminals. The company also provides ancillary services, such as heating, blending, and mixing of stored petroleum products and additive injection services. Its customers comprise independent and integrated oil companies, wholesalers, retailers, railroads, airlines, and regional farm co-operatives. The company serves various markets, including retail gasoline stations, truck stops, farm co-operatives, railroad fueling depots, and military and commercial jet fuel users. Magellan GP, LLC serves as the general partner of the company. The company was founded in 2000 and is based in Tulsa, Oklahoma.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Dividends4Life]

  Magellan Midstream Partners LP (MMP) is engaged in the transportation, storage and distribution of refined petroleum products primarily through its 9,600-mile pipeline system.
  Yield: 3.9% | Years of Dividend Growth: 12

• [By Ben Levisohn]

  Abbvie (ABBV)
  Ameren Corp. (AEE)
  Arthur J. Gallagher (AJG)
  E.I. DuPont de Nemours & Co. (DD)
  ENSCO (ESV)
  Enterprise Products Partners LP (EPD)
  General Mills (GIS)
  H&R Block (HRB)
  Hancock Holding (HBHC)
  Kraft Foods Group (KRFT)
  Lorillard (LO)
  Magellan Midstream Partners LP (MMP)
  MarkWest Energy Partners L P (MWE)
  McDonald’s (MCD)
  Microchip Technology (MCHP)
  NextEra Energy (NEE)
  Regency Centers (REG)
  TELUS Corp. (TU)
  West Corp. (WSTC)
  Williams Companies (WMB)

Top 10 Energy Stocks To Watch Right Now: BMB Munai Inc (BMBM)

BMB Munai, Inc., incorporated in July 1981, focuses on oil and natural gas exploration and production in the Republic of Kazakhstan (Kazakhstan) through a wholly owned operating subsidiary, Emir Oil LLP, (Emir Oil). Emir Oil holds an exploration contract that allowed exploration drilling and oil production in the Mangistau Province in the southwestern region of Kazakhstan. On February 14, 2011 the Company entered into a Participation Interest Purchase Agreement (the Purchase Agreement) with MIE Holdings Corporation (MIE), and its subsidiary, Palaeontol B.V (Palaeontol), pursuant to which the Company agreed to sell all of its interest in Emir Oil to Palaeontol (the Sale). On September 19, 2011, the Company completed the sale of all of its interests in Emir Oil LLP to a subsidiary of MIE Holdings Corporation. The operations of Emir Oil LLP is classified as discontinued.

The initial distribution amount was determined after giving effect to the estimated closing adjustments, Escrow amount, repayment of the Convertible Senior Notes, and after providing for the payment of or reserve for other anticipated liabilities and transaction costs. In February 2012 the Company entered into a Management Services Agreement (Services Agreement) with Lakeview International, LLC (Lakeview). Pursuant to the Services Agreement, Lakeview is providing management, administrative and support personnel and services to the Company.

10 Best Cheap Stocks To Invest In 2014: CVR Refining LP (CVRR)

CVR Refining, LP, incorporated on September 17, 2012, is an energy limited partnership with refining and related logistics assets that operates in the mid-continent region. As of January 8, 2013, the Company owned two of only seven refineries in the underserved Group 3 of the PADD II region of the United States. It owns and operates a 115,000 barrels per day (bpd) coking medium-sour crude oil refinery in Coffeyville, Kansas and a 70,000 bpd medium complexity crude oil refinery in Wynnewood, Oklahoma capable of processing 20,000 bpd of light sour crude oils (within its 70,000 bpd capacity). In addition, it also controls and operates supporting logistics assets, including approximately 350 miles of owned pipelines, over 125 owned crude oil transports, a network of strategically located crude oil gathering tank farms, and over six million barrels of owned and leased crude oil storage capacity. On December 15, 2011, the Company�� subsidiary Coffeyville Resources, LLC (Coffeyville Resources) acquired Wynnewood Energy Company, LLC, formerly Gary-Williams Energy Corporation.

The Company�� Coffeyville and Wynnewood refineries are located approximately 100 miles and 130 miles from the crude oil hub at Cushing, Oklahoma. As of January 8, 2013, the Company gathered approximately 50,000 bpd of price-advantaged crudes from its gathering area, which includes Kansas, Nebraska, Oklahoma, Missouri and Texas. The Company also has 35,000 bpd of contracted capacity on the Keystone and Spearhead pipelines that allows it to supply price-advantaged Canadian and Bakken crudes to its refineries. As of January 8, 2013, the Company had 145,000 bpd pipeline system that transports crude oil from its Broome Station tank farm to its Coffeyville refinery, as well as a total of 6 million barrels of owned and leased crude oil storage capacity, including approximately 6% of the total crude oil storage capacity at Cushing.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Robert Rapier]

  CVR Partners’ fertilizer plant is located in Coffeyville, Kansas, adjacent to the refinery owned by CVR Refining (NYSE: CVRR). CVR Energy (NYSE: CVI), majority-owned by Carl Icahn via Icahn Enterprises (NYSE: IEP), is the general partner and owns most of the units for both CVR Partners and CVR Refining.

• [By Aimee Duffy]

  1. CVR Refining (NYSE: CVRR  ) -- 22.5% yield
  As its name suggests, CVR Refining is a downstream master limited partnership in the CVR Energy (NYSE: CVI  ) family. It controls two refineries, one in Kansas and one in Oklahoma, as well as a pipeline and storage network.

Top 10 Energy Stocks To Watch Right Now: Halliburton Company(HAL)

Halliburton Company provides various products and services to the energy industry for the exploration, development, and production of oil and natural gas worldwide. It operates in two segments, Completion and Production, and Drilling and Evaluation. The Completion and Production segment offers production enhancement services, completion tools and services, cementing services, and Boots & Coots. Its production enhancement services include stimulation and sand control services; completion tools and services comprise subsurface safety valves and flow control equipment, surface safety systems, packers and specialty completion equipment, intelligent completion systems, expandable liner hanger systems, sand control systems, well servicing tools, and reservoir performance services; cementing services consist of bonding the well and well casing, while isolating fluid zones and maximizing wellbore stability, and casing equipment; and Boots & Coots include well intervention services , pressure control, equipment rental tools and services, and pipeline and process services. The Drilling and Evaluation segment provides field and reservoir modeling, drilling, evaluation, and wellbore placement solutions that enable customers to model, measure, and optimize their well construction activities. Its services comprise fluid services, drilling services, drill bits, wireline and perforating services, testing and subsea services, software and asset solutions, and integrated project management and consulting services. The company serves independent, integrated, and national oil companies. Halliburton Company was founded in 1919 and is headquartered in Houston, Texas.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Monica Gerson]

  Halliburton Company (NYSE: HAL) is estimated to report its Q3 earnings at $0.82 per share on revenue of $7.50 billion.

  Check Point Software Technologies (NASDAQ: CHKP) is projected to report its Q3 earnings at $0.84 per share on revenue of $343.62 million.

Top 10 Energy Stocks To Watch Right Now: Linn Energy LLC (LINE)

Linn Energy, LLC (LINN Energy) is an independent oil and natural gas company. The Company�� properties are located in the United States, primarily in the Mid-Continent, the Permian Basin, Michigan, California and the Williston Basin. Mid-Continent Deep includes the Texas Panhandle Deep Granite Wash formation and deep formations in Oklahoma and Kansas. Mid-Continent Shallow includes the Texas Panhandle Brown Dolomite formation and shallow formations in Oklahoma, Louisiana and Illinois. Permian Basin includes areas in West Texas and Southeast New Mexico. Michigan includes the Antrim Shale formation in the northern part of the state. California includes the Brea Olinda Field of the Los Angeles Basin. Williston Basin includes the Bakken formation in North Dakota. On December 15, 2011, the Company acquired certain oil and natural gas properties located primarily in the Granite Wash of Texas and Oklahoma from Plains Exploration & Production Company (Plains).

On November 1, 2011, and November 18, 2011, it completed two acquisitions of certain oil and natural gas properties located in the Permian Basin. On June 1, 2011, it acquired certain oil and natural gas properties in the Cleveland play, located in the Texas Panhandle, from Panther Energy Company, LLC and Red Willow Mid-Continent, LLC (collectively Panther). On May 2, 2011, and May 11, 2011, it completed two acquisitions of certain oil and natural gas properties located in the Williston Basin. On April 1, 2011, and April 5, 2011, the Company completed two acquisitions of certain oil and natural gas properties located in the Permian Basin. On March 31, 2011, it acquired certain oil and natural gas properties located in the Williston Basin from an affiliate of Concho Resources Inc. (Concho). During the year ended December 31, 2011, the Company completed other smaller acquisitions of oil and natural gas properties located in its various operating regions. As of December 31, 2011, the Company operated 7,759 or 69% of its 11,230 gross productiv! e wells.

Mid-Continent Deep

The Mid-Continent Deep region includes properties in the Deep Granite Wash formation in the Texas Panhandle, which produces at depths ranging from 10,000 feet to 16,000 feet, as well as properties in Oklahoma and Kansas, which produce at depths of more than 8,000 feet. Mid-Continent Deep proved reserves represented approximately 47% of total proved reserves, as of December 31, 2011, of which 49% were classified as proved developed reserves. The Company owns and operates a network of natural gas gathering systems consisting of approximately 285 miles of pipeline and associated compression and metering facilities that connect to numerous sales outlets in the Texas Panhandle.

Mid-Continent Shallow

The Mid-Continent Shallow region includes properties producing from the Brown Dolomite formation in the Texas Panhandle, which produces at depths of approximately 3,200 feet, as well as properties in Oklahoma, Louisiana and Illinois, which produce at depths of less than 8,000 feet. Mid-Continent Shallow proved reserves represented approximately 20% of total proved reserves, as of December 31, 2011, of which 70% were classified as proved developed reserves. The Company owns and operates a network of natural gas gathering systems consisting of approximately 665 miles of pipeline and associated compression and metering facilities that connect to numerous sales outlets in the Texas Panhandle.

Permian Basin

The Permian Basin is an oil and natural gas basins in the United States. The Company�� properties are located in West Texas and Southeast New Mexico and produce at depths ranging from 2,000 feet to 12,000 feet. Permian Basin proved reserves represented approximately 16% of total proved reserves, as of December 31, 2011, of which 56% were classified as proved developed reserves.

Michigan

The Michigan region includes properties producing from the Antrim Shale formation in the northern ! part of t! he state, which produces at depths ranging from 600 feet to 2,200 feet. Michigan proved reserves represented approximately 9% of total proved reserves, as of December 31, 2011, of which 90% were classified as proved developed reserves.

California

The California region consists of the Brea Olinda Field of the Los Angeles Basin. California proved reserves represented approximately 6% of total proved reserves, as of December 31, 2011, of which 93% were classified as proved developed reserves.

Williston Basin

The Williston Basin is one of the premier oil basins in the United States. The Company�� properties are located in North Dakota and produce at depths ranging from 9,000 feet to 12,000 feet. Williston Basin proved reserves represented approximately 2% of total proved reserves, as of December 31, 2011, of which 48% were classified as proved developed reserves.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Matt DiLallo]

  Investment idea No. 1: LINN Energy (NASDAQ: LINE  ) or LinnCo (NASDAQ: LNCO  )
  For those who are not familiar with these income machines, LINN is structured like an MLP, meaning investors will receive a K1 come tax time. LinnCo on the other hand is structured like a normal C-Corp meaning investors will receive a Form 1099 each year. Because LinnCo's sole assets are units of LINN you can invest in either company depending on your tax preference.

Top 10 Energy Stocks To Watch Right Now: Enterprise Products Partners LP (EPD)

Enterprise Products Partners L.P. (Enterprise), incorporated on April 9, 1998, owns and operates natural gas liquids (NGLs) related businesses of Enterprise Products Company (EPCO). The Company is a North American provider of midstream energy services to producers and consumers of natural gas, NGLs, crude oil, refined products and certain petrochemicals. Its midstream energy asset network links producers of natural gas, NGLs and crude oil from supply basins in the United States, Canada and the Gulf of Mexico with domestic consumers and international markets. Its midstream energy operations include natural gas gathering, treating, processing, transportation and storage; NGL transportation, fractionation, storage, and import and export terminals; crude oil gathering and transportation, storage and terminals; offshore production platforms; petrochemical and refined products transportation and services; and a marine transportation business that operates on the United States inland and Intracoastal Waterway systems and in the Gulf of Mexico. Its assets include approximately 50,000 miles of onshore and offshore pipelines; 200 million barrels of storage capacity for NGLs, petrochemicals, refined products and crude oil; and 14 billion cubic feet of natural gas storage capacity. In addition, its asset portfolio includes 24 natural gas processing plants, 21 NGL and propylene fractionators, six offshore hub platforms located in the Gulf of Mexico, a butane isomerization complex, NGL import and export terminals, and octane isobutylene production facilities. The Company operates in five business segments: NGL Pipelines & Services; Onshore Natural Gas Pipelines & Services; Onshore Crude Oil Pipelines & Services; Offshore Pipelines & Services, and Petrochemical & Refined Products Services.

NGL Pipelines & Services

The Company�� NGL Pipelines & Services business segment includes its natural gas processing plants and related NGL marketing activities; approximately 16,700 miles of NGL pipel! ines; NGL and related product storage facilities; and 14 NGL fractionators. This segment also includes its import and export terminal operations. At the core of its natural gas processing business are 24 processing plants located across Colorado, Louisiana, Mississippi, New Mexico, Texas and Wyoming. Natural gas produced at the wellhead (especially in association with crude oil) contains varying amounts of NGLs. Once the mixed component NGLs are extracted by a natural gas processing plant, they are transported to a centralized fractionation facility for separation into purity NGL products. Once processed, this natural gas is available for sale through its natural gas marketing activities. Its NGL marketing activities generate revenues from the sale and delivery of NGLs it takes title to through its natural gas processing activities and open market and contract purchases from third parties. Its NGL marketing activities utilize a fleet of approximately 670 railcars, the majority of which are leased from third parties.

The Company�� NGL pipelines transport mixed NGLs and other hydrocarbons from natural gas processing facilities, refineries and import terminals to fractionation plants and storage facilities; distribute and collect NGL products to and from fractionation plants, storage and terminal facilities, petrochemical plants, export facilities and refineries, and deliver propane to customers along the Dixie Pipeline and certain sections of the Mid-America Pipeline System. Revenues from its NGL pipeline transportation agreements are based upon a fixed fee per gallon of liquids transported multiplied by the volume delivered. Certain of its NGL pipelines offer firm capacity reservation services. It collects storage revenues under its NGL and related product storage contracts based on the number of days a customer has volumes in storage multiplied by a storage fee. In addition, it charges customers throughput fees based on volumes delivered into and subsequently withdrawn from storage. Its ! principal! NGL pipelines include Mid-America Pipeline System, South Texas NGL Pipeline System, Seminole Pipeline, Dixie Pipeline, Chaparral NGL System, Louisiana Pipeline System, Skelly-Belvieu Pipeline, Promix NGL Gathering System, Houston Ship Channel pipeline, Rio Grande Pipeline, Panola Pipeline and Lou-Tex NGL Pipeline. It operates its NGL pipelines with the exception of the Tri-States pipeline.

The Company�� NGL operations include import and export facilities located on the Houston Ship Channel in southeast Texas. It owns an import and export facility located on land it leases from Oiltanking Houston LP. Its import facility can offload NGLs from tanker vessels at rates up to 14,000 barrels per hour depending on the product. During the year ended December 31, 2012, its average combined NGL import and export volumes were 132 thousand barrels per day. In addition to its Houston Ship Channel import/export terminal, it owns a barge dock also located on the Houston Ship Channel, which can load or offload two barges of NGLs or other products simultaneously at rates up to 5,000 barrels per hour.

The Company owns or have interests in 14 NGL fractionators located in Texas and Louisiana. NGL fractionators separate mixed NGL streams into purity NGL products. The primary sources of mixed NGLs fractionated in the United States are domestic natural gas processing plants, crude oil refineries and imports of butane and propane mixtures. Mixed NGLs sourced from domestic natural gas processing plants and crude oil refineries are transported by NGL pipelines and by railcar and truck to NGL fractionation facilities.

The Company�� NGL fractionation facilities process mixed NGL streams for third party customers and support its NGL marketing activities. It earns revenues from NGL fractionation under fee-based arrangements, including a level of demand-based fees. At its Norco facility in Louisiana, it performs fractionation services for certain customers under percent-of-liquids co! ntracts. ! Its fee-based fractionation customers retain title to the NGLs, which it processes for them. Its NGL fractionators include Mont Belvieu fractionator, Shoup and Armstrong fractionator, Hobbs NGL fractionator, Norco NGL fractionator, Promix NGL fractionators and BRF fractionators.

Onshore Natural Gas Pipelines & Services

The Company�� Onshore Natural Gas Pipelines & Services business segment includes approximately 19,900 miles of onshore natural gas pipeline systems, which provide for the gathering and transportation of natural gas in Colorado, Louisiana, New Mexico, Texas and Wyoming. It leases salt dome natural gas storage facilities located in Texas and Louisiana and own a salt dome storage cavern in Texas, which are integral to its pipeline operations. This segment also includes its related natural gas marketing activities.

The Company�� onshore natural gas pipeline systems and storage facilities provide for the gathering and transportation of natural gas from producing regions, such as the San Juan, Barnett Shale, Permian, Piceance, Greater Green River, Haynesville Shale and Eagle Ford Shale supply basins in the western United States. In addition, these systems receive natural gas production from the Gulf of Mexico through coastal pipeline interconnects with offshore pipelines. Its onshore natural gas pipelines receive natural gas from producers, other pipelines or shippers at the wellhead or through system interconnects and redeliver the natural gas to processing facilities, local gas distribution companies, industrial or municipal customers, storage facilities or to other onshore pipelines.

Its onshore natural gas pipelines generates revenues from transportation agreements under which shippers are billed a fee per unit of volume transported multiplied by the volume gathered or delivered. Its onshore natural gas pipelines offer firm capacity reservation services whereby the shipper pays a contractually stated fee based on the level of through! put capac! ity reserved in its pipelines whether or not the shipper actually utilizes such capacity. Under its natural gas storage contracts, there are typically two components of revenues monthly demand payments, which are associated with a customer�� storage capacity reservation and paid regardless of actual usage, and storage fees per unit of volume stored at its facilities. The Company�� natural gas marketing activities generate revenues from the sale and delivery of natural gas obtained from third party well-head purchases, regional natural gas processing plants and the open market.

Onshore Crude Oil Pipelines & Services

The Company�� Onshore Crude Oil Pipelines & Services business segment includes approximately 5,100 miles of onshore crude oil pipelines, crude oil storage terminals located in Oklahoma and Texas, and its crude oil marketing activities. Its onshore crude oil pipeline systems gather and transport crude oil in New Mexico, Oklahoma and Texas to refineries, centralized storage terminals and connecting pipelines. Revenue from crude oil transportation is based upon a fixed fee per barrel transported multiplied by the volume delivered.

The Company owns crude oil terminal facilities in Cushing, Oklahoma and Midland, Texas, which are used to store crude oil volumes for it and its customers. Under its crude oil terminaling agreements, it charges customers for crude oil storage based on the number of days a customer has volumes in storage multiplied by a contractual storage fee. With respect to storage capacity reservation agreements, it collects a fee for reserving storage capacity for customers at its terminals. In addition, it charges its customers throughput (or pumpover) fees based on volumes withdrawn from its terminals. It provides fee-based trade documentation services whereby it documents the transfer of title for crude oil volumes transacted between buyers and sellers at its terminals. The Company�� crude oil marketing activities generate revenues! from the! sale and delivery of crude oil obtained from producers or on the open market.

Offshore Pipelines & Services

The Company�� Offshore Pipelines & Services business segment serves active drilling and development regions, including deepwater production fields, in the northern Gulf of Mexico offshore Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama. This segment includes approximately 2,300 miles of offshore natural gas and crude oil pipelines and six offshore hub platforms. Its offshore Gulf of Mexico pipelines provide for the gathering and transportation of natural gas or crude oil. Revenue from its offshore pipelines is derived from fee-based agreements whereby the customer is charged a fee per unit of volume gathered or transported multiplied by the volume delivered. Poseidon Oil Pipeline Company, L.L.C. (Poseidon), in which it has a 36% equity method investment, purchases crude oil from producers and shippers at a receipt point (at a fixed or index-based price less a location differential) and then sells quantities of crude oil at onshore Louisiana locations (at the same fixed or index-based price, as applicable).

The Company�� offshore platforms are components of its pipeline operations. Platforms are used to interconnect the offshore pipeline network; provide means to perform pipeline maintenance; locate compression, separation and production handling equipment and similar assets, and conduct drilling operations during the initial development phase of an oil and natural gas property. Revenues from offshore platform services consist of demand fees and commodity charges. Revenue from commodity charges is based on a fixed-fee per unit of volume delivered to the platform multiplied by the total volume of each product delivered.

Petrochemical & Refined Products Services

The Company�� Petrochemical & Refined Products Services business segment consists of propylene fractionation plants, pipelines and related marketing activities; a butane isom! erization! facility and related pipeline system; octane enhancement and isobutylene production facilities; refined products pipelines, including its Products Pipeline System, and related marketing activities, and marine transportation and other services.

The Company�� propylene fractionation and related activities consist of seven propylene fractionation plants (six located in Mont Belvieu, Texas and a seventh in Baton Rouge, Louisiana), propylene pipeline systems aggregating approximately 680 miles in length and related petrochemical marketing activities. This business includes an export facility and associated above-ground polymer grade propylene storage spheres located in Seabrook, Texas. Results of operations for its polymer grade propylene plants are dependent upon toll processing arrangements and petrochemical marketing activities. The toll processing arrangements include a base-processing fee per gallon (or other unit of measurement). Its petrochemical marketing activities include the purchase and fractionation of refinery grade propylene obtained in the open market and generate revenues from the sale and delivery of products obtained through propylene fractionation. The revenues from its propylene pipelines are based upon a transportation fee per unit of volume multiplied by the volume delivered to the customer. As part of its petrochemical marketing activities, it has refinery grade propylene purchase and polymer grade propylene sales agreements. Its butane isomerization business includes three butamer reactor units and eight associated deisobutanizer units located in Mont Belvieu, Texas, which comprise the commercial isomerization facility in the United States.

The Company�� commercial isomerization units convert normal butane into mixed butane, which is fractionated into isobutane, isobutane and residual normal butane. The uses of isobutane are for the production of propylene oxide, isooctane, isobutylene and alkylate for motor gasoline. These processing arrangements inclu! de a base! -processing fee per gallon (or other unit of measurement). Its isomerization business also generates revenues from the sale of natural gasoline created as a by-product of the isomerization process. The Company owns and operates an octane enhancement production facility located in Mont Belvieu, Texas, which produces isooctane, isobutylene and methyl tertiary butyl ether (MTBE). The products produced by this facility are used in reformulated motor gasoline blends. The isobutane feedstocks consumed in the production of these products are supplied by its isomerization units. The Company owns a facility located on the Houston Ship Channel, which produces high purity isobutylene (HPIB). The feedstock for this plant is produced by its octane enhancement facility located at its Mont Belvieu complex. HPIB is used in the production of alkylated phenols used as antioxidants, lube oil additives, butyl rubber and resins.

Refined products pipelines and related activities consist of its Products Pipeline System, equity method investment in Centennial Pipeline LLC (Centennial) and refined products marketing activities. The Products Pipeline System transports refined products, and petrochemicals, such as ethylene and propylene and NGLs, such as propane and normal butane. These refined products are produced by refineries and include gasoline, diesel fuel, aviation fuel, kerosene, distillates and heating oil. Refined products also include blend stocks, such as raffinate and naphtha. Blend stocks are used to produce gasoline or as a feedstock for certain petrochemicals. The Centennial Pipeline intersects its Products Pipeline System near Creal Springs, Illinois, and loops the Products Pipeline System between Beaumont, Texas and south Illinois. In addition, it has refined products terminals located at Aberdeen, Mississippi and Boligee, Alabama adjacent to the Tombigbee River and on the Houston Ship Channel in Pasadena, Texas. Its related marketing activities generate revenues from the sale and delivery of refin! ed produc! ts obtained from third parties on the open market.

The Company�� marine transportation business consists of tow boats and tank barges, which are used to transport refined products, crude oil, asphalt, condensate, heavy fuel oil, liquefied petroleum gas and other petroleum products along inland and intracoastal the United States waterways. Its marine transportation assets service refinery and storage terminal customers along the Mississippi River, the intracoastal waterway between Texas and Florida and the Tennessee-Tombigbee Waterway system. It owns a shipyard and repair facility located in Houma, Louisiana and marine fleeting facilities in Bourg, Louisiana and Channelview, Texas. Other services consist of the distribution of lubrication oils and specialty chemicals and the bulk transportation of fuels by truck, in Oklahoma, Texas, New Mexico, Kansas and the Rocky Mountain region of the United States.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Matt DiLallo]

  There is a real effort on the part of midstream companies to increase fee-based revenue. As I mentioned, this stabilizes cash flow and leads to a much more secure distribution which is something that's important to investors. Top midstream operator�Enterprise Products Partners (NYSE: EPD  ) , for example, boasts of fee-based margins of more than 80% this year. Enterprise has invested billions to steadily increase that number which just two years ago was just slightly over 70%. With more than 30 consecutive distribution increases, this has been money well spent. Atlas, on the other hand, has a long way to go to get its fee-based margins that high, but its heading in the right direction.�

• [By Matt DiLallo]

  While it might not seem like much of an increase, this is an important first step. Slow and steady distribution increases have a very�noticeable�impact on the value of the underlying units. Just take a look at this chart of two midstream giants:�Enterprise Products Partners (NYSE: EPD  ) and Energy Transfer Partners (NYSE: ETP  ) :

• [By Tyler Crowe]

  Much of the shale�deposits�in the U.S. have been�centered�in the Midwest, with a large concentration around Texas and Oklahoma. Since much of this region was already a major oil and gas production region before shale discoveries, the pipeline infrastructure was already in place. Pipeline capacity�has been weakest in the Northeast, where no major production had previously taken place. With the Marcellus and Utica shales in the Pennsylvania and Ohio region emerging as major gas-producing regions, several companies are putting big money into the region. The crown jewel of this region's development is Enterprise Products Partners' (NYSE: EPD  ) ATEX pipeline. This $1.3 billion, 1,200-mile pipeline will move ethane, a valuable product used in chemical refining, to the Gulf Coast refiners that have developed a specialty in refining this product.�

• [By Reuben Brewer]

  Natural gas is generally transported through pipelines owned by companies like�Enterprise Products Partners (NYSE: EPD  ) . Increased gas supply and demand has allowed it, along with many others, to expand their pipeline operations. And that growth should continue to reward shareholders, too. Enterprise and its toll-taker business model has increased its distribution for 36 consecutive quarters.

Top 10 Energy Stocks To Watch Right Now: Helix Energy Solutions Group Inc (HLX)

Helix Energy Solutions Group, Inc.( Helix), incorporated on November 17,1983, is an international offshore energy company that provides specialty services to the offshore energy industry, with a focus on its growing well intervention and robotics operations. The Company had had two business segments: Contracting Services and Production Facilities. Its Contracting Services seek to provide services and methodologies which it believes are critical to developing offshore reservoirs and maximizing production economi regions. Its Production Facilities segment consists of its majority ownership of a dynamically positioned floating production vessel ( Helix Producer I or HP I). In June 2013, Helix Energy Solutions Group Inc closed the previously announced sale of its pipelay vessel, the Caesar, to Trevaskis Ltd.

In January 2012, it sold its oil and gas properties within the Main Pass area of the Gulf of Mexico. On September 26, 2012, the Company sold its pipelay vessel, Intrepid, to Stabbert Maritime Holdings, LLC. On February 6, 2013, it sold Energy Resource Technology GOM, Inc. (ERT), a former wholly-owned United States subsidiary that conducted its oil and gas operations in the Gulf of Mexico.

Contracting Services Operations

The Company provides services and methodologies which it believes are critical to developing offshore reservoirs and maximizing production economics. Its life of field services are segregated into four disciplines: well intervention, robotics, subsea construction and production facilities. It provides a full range of contracting services primarily in the Gulf of Mexico, North Sea, Asia Pacific and West Africa regions primarily in deepwater.

The Company's services include production, which includes inspection, repair and maintenance of production structures, trees, jumpers, risers, pipelines and subsea equipment, well intervention, life of field support and intervention engineering; reclamation and remediation services include pluggin! g and abandonment services, pipeline abandonment services and site inspections; installation of subsea pipelines, flowlines, control umbilicals, manifold assemblies and risers, pipelay and burial, installation and tie-in of riser and manifold assembly, commissioning, testing and inspection, and cable and umbilical lay and connection. It provides oil and natural gas processing services to oil and natural gas companies, primarily those operating in the deepwater of the Gulf of Mexico using its HP I vessel. The HP I is being utilized to process production from the Phoenix.

The Company engineers, manages and conducts well construction, intervention and asset retirement operations in water depths ranging from 200 to 10,000 feet. Three of its vessels serve as work platforms for well intervention services at costs that are typically significantly less than offshore drilling rigs. In the Gulf of Mexico, its multi-service semi-submersible vessel, the Q4000, has set a series of well intervention firsts in increasingly deeper water without the use of a traditional drilling rig. In August 2012, it acquired the Discoverer 534 drillship from a subsidiary of Transocean Ltd.

The Company operates remotely operated vehicles ( ROVs), trenchers and ROVDrills designed for offshore construction and well intervention services. As global marine construction support moves to deeper water. Its chartered vessels add value by supporting deployment of its ROVs. It provides its customers with vessel availability and schedule flexibility to meet the technological challenges of their subsea activities worldwide. Its robotics assets include 49 ROVs, four trencher systems and two ROVDrills. It operate in the Gulf of Mexico, North Sea, Asia Pacific and West Africa regions. It charters four vessels to support its robotics operations and it has engaged additional vessels on short-term (spot) charters as needed. In 2012, its robotics operations had 377 vessel utilization days and 16% of global revenues derived from! alternat! ive energy contracts. Subsea construction services include the use of umbilical lay and pipelay vessels and ROVs to develop fields in the deepwater.

The Company owns interests in two production facilities in hub locations where there is potential for subsea tieback activity. It has invested in two over-sized facilities that allow the operators of these fields to tie back without burdening the operator of the hub reservoir. It owns a 50% interest in Deepwater Gateway, which owns the Marco Polo TLP located in 4,300 feet of water in the Gulf of Mexico. It also owns a 20% interest in Independence Hub which owns the Independence Hub platform, a 105-foot deep draft, semi-submersible platform located in a water depth of 8,000 feet that serves as a regional hub for up to one billion cubic feet (Bcf) of natural gas production per day from multiple ultra-deepwater fields in the eastern Gulf of Mexico.

The Company competes with Oceaneering International, Inc., Saipem S.p.A., Fugro N.V., DOF ASA, Aker Solutions ASA, Subsea 7 S.A., Technip, McDermott International, Inc., Island Offshore and Edison Chouest Offshore Companies.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By GuruFocus]

  Helix Energy Solutions Group Inc (HLX): PRESIDENT & CEO Owen E Kratz Bought 50,000 Shares PRESIDENT & CEO of Helix Energy Solutions Group Inc (HLX) Owen E Kratz bought 50,000 shares on 10/24/2013 at an average price of $24.03. Helix Energy Solutions Group Inc has a market cap of $2.54 billion; its shares were traded at around $24.03 with and P/S ratio of 2.96.

• [By David Smith]

  Helix Energy Solutions Group (NYSE: HLX  )
  At $2.70 billion in market capitalization, Helix is equidistant between Flotek and Superior from a size perspective. The company operates through two segments: contracting services and production facilities.

Top 10 Energy Stocks To Watch Right Now: American Petro-Hunter Inc (AAPH)

American Petro-Hunter Inc., incorporated on January 24, 1996, is an oil and natural gases exploration and production company with projects in Kansas and Oklahoma. As of March 15, 2012, the Company has two producing wells in Kansas and six producing wells in Oklahoma. The Company also has rights for the exploration and production of oil and gas on an aggregate of approximately 6,230 acres in those states. On January 4, 2011, the Company announced plans to drill the NOS227 Well as a direct offset to the NOJ26 Well.

On March 25, 2011, the Company announced that the Company had acquired a working interest in an additional 2,000 acres located in Payne County in northern Oklahoma, near the Company�� Yale Prospect. The project has been named North Oklahoma Mississippi Lime Project. On May 16, 2011, the Company announced that drilling operations had commenced at the Company�� first horizontal well, NOM1H. The Company owns a 25% Working Interest in the lease. On June 29, 2011, the Company announced that NOM1H had begun commercial production. On July 18, 2011, the Company announced drilling plans for a total of 11 horizontal wells at the North Oklahoma Project. On July 20, 2011, the Company announced the acquisition of a 40% working interest in the South Oklahoma Project on 3,000 acres of land in south-central Oklahoma.

On February 6, 2012, the Company announced that the Company had drilled a total of 1,988 feet in the horizontal well segment penetrating into the 100 plus foot thick Mississippi pay zone. As of March 2012, there are nine locations left to drill on the acreage. The Company's crude oil production is sold to N.C.R.A. in MacPherson Kansas and Sunoco in Oklahoma. The Company sells natural gas through such pipeline to DCP Midstream, LP of Tulsa, Oklahoma.

Top 10 Energy Stocks To Watch Right Now: BP p.l.c.(BP)

BP p.l.c. provides fuel for transportation, energy for heat and light, retail services, and petrochemicals products. Its Exploration and Production segment engages in the oil and natural gas exploration, field development, and production; midstream transportation, and storage and processing; and marketing and trading of natural gas, including liquefied natural gas (LNG), and power and natural gas liquids (NGL). This segment has exploration and production activities in Angola, Azerbaijan, Canada, Egypt, Norway, Russia, Trinidad and Tobago, the United Kingdom, and the United States, as well as in Asia, Australasia, South America, North Africa, and the Middle East. This segment also owns and manages crude oil and natural gas pipelines; processing facilities and export terminals; and LNG processing and transportation, as well as NGL extraction facilities. BP p.l.c. has interests in the Trans-Alaska pipeline system, the Forties pipeline system, the Central Area transmission sys tem pipeline, the South Caucasus Pipeline, and Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan pipeline, as well as in LNG plants located in Trinidad, Indonesia, and Australia. The company?s Refining and Marketing segment involves in the supply and trading, refining, manufacturing, marketing, and transportation of crude oil, petroleum, and petrochemicals products and related services to wholesale and retail customers primarily under the BP, Castrol, ARCO, and Aral brands. Its Other Businesses and Corporate segment produces and markets rolled aluminum products, as well as generates energy through wind, solar, biofuels, hydrogen, and carbon capture and storage sources; and engages in shipping activities. The company was founded in 1889 and is headquartered in London, the United Kingdom.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Matt DiLallo]

  Rock-solid earnings
  Its midstream business is focused on two areas: the Panhandle and East Texas. Overall, the company owns over 8,000 miles of pipelines and 20 processing plants, including the recently started Wheeler plant. Eagle Rock has been very active in building out its midstream business, which has included organic growth projects like Wheeler, as well as acquisitions such as last year's deal with�BP� (NYSE: BP  ) .

• [By WALLSTCHEATSHEET.COM]

  BP is a provider of essential oil and gas products and services to companies and consumers operating in a wide range of industries around the world. The stock has been in recovery mode over the last few years after suffering heavy selling in 2010 because of the oil spill disaster. Over the last four quarters, earnings and revenue figures have been mixed for the company, regardless, investors have been optimistic about the company. Relative to its peers and sector, BP has been an average performer year-to-date. WAIT AND SEE what BP does in coming quarters.

• [By The Specialist]

  On April 20, 2010 eleven men lost their lives, 10 of them with children, in the worst manmade environmental disaster in history. The ripple effect of the disaster began with these men and spread throughout the Gulf of Mexico. Now it's being felt in BP's (BP) wallet at an accelerating and alarming rate due to the business economic loss claims from its oil spill settlement.

Top 10 Energy Stocks To Watch Right Now: Hoku Corporation(HOKU)

Hoku Corporation operates as a solar energy products and services company primarily in the United States. It focuses on manufacturing polysilicon, a primary material used in the manufacture of photovoltaic (PV) modules; and designing, engineering, and installing turnkey PV systems and related services in Hawaii using solar modules purchased from third-party suppliers. The company was formerly known as Hoku Scientific, Inc. and changed its name to Hoku Corporation in March 2010. Hoku Corporation was incorporated in 2001 and is headquartered in Honolulu, Hawaii.