5 Best Blue Chip Stocks To Own Right Now

5 Best Blue Chip Stocks To Own Right Now: Apple Inc.(AAPL)

Apple Inc., together with subsidiaries, designs, manufactures, and markets personal computers, mobile communication and media devices, and portable digital music players, as well as sells related software, services, peripherals, networking solutions, and third-party digital content and applications worldwide. The company sells its products worldwide through its online stores, retail stores, direct sales force, third-party wholesalers, resellers, and value-added resellers. In addition, it sells third-party Mac, iPhone, iPad, and iPod compatible products, including application software, printers, storage devices, speakers, headphones, and other accessories and peripherals through its online and retail stores; and digital content and applications through the iTunes Store. The company sells its products to consumer, small and mid-sized business, education, enterprise, government, and creative markets. As of September 25, 2010, it had 317 retail stores, including 233 stores in the United States and 84 stores internationally. The company, formerly known as Apple Computer, Inc., was founded in 1976 and is headquartered in Cupertino, California.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Ashraf Eassa]

  I would imagine, as we saw with 20-nanometer, that Apple (NASDAQ: AAPL  ) will hog the initial supply of 14/16-nanometer throughout the industry for its latest iPhone and iPad chips. After that, it'd make sense for Qualcomm to work out the kinks with its smaller die size cellular baseband and then once the yield learning has taken place, bring to bear a much larger die size integrated applications processor on whatever FinFET processes it is using.

• [By Adam Levy]

  What does YouTube Music Key mean for YouTube and Google investors, and how does it affect competitors such as Pandora (NYSE: P  ) ! and Beats by Apple (NASDAQ: AAPL  ) ?

• [By WWW.DAILYFINANCE.COM]

  Disney could send personalized smartphone alerts of short lines or flash-sale opportunities.

  Where can Disney go from there? It was originally suggested that the MagicBand could be used to pull up guest info that the family entertainment giant could use to enhance the experience. Characters would be able to identify guests by name, if the guests opted in, of course. Armed with info about their favorite rides, restaurants and even characters, Disney could send personalized smartphone alerts of short lines or flash-sale opportunities when guests are in the park. There's a fine line between enhancing a park outing and being creepy, but arming guests with the power to decide how immersive they want their experiences to be will go a long way toward silencing any privacy concerns. It also wouldn't be a surprise if MagicBand options themselves grow in the future. There are already limited-edition character wristbands, but what about designer models? What about Disney watches with RFID chips? What about fitness trackers, feeding off my earlier suggestion of a Run Disney MagicBand that takes advantage of its growing competitive running slate to roll out a fitness-tracking MagicBand? Getting folks to start wearing these bracelets outside of the theme park could also open up possibilities for not just Disney Store interactions but possibly even a digital wallet along the lines of Apple (AAPL) Pay or an unlocking mechanism for digital goodies at movie theaters and beyond. Disney really is just scratching the surface here. One can only imagine what will be possible in another year or two. More from Rick Aristotle Munarriz
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• [By Daniel Kline]

  Last week, the company introduced Echo, a sor! t of pers! onal assistant meant to function as a life organizer. Amazon explained how the device will work on a web page introducing it:

  Amazon Echo is designed around your voice. It's always on -- just ask for information, music, news, weather, and more. Echo begins working as soon as it hears you say the wake word, "Alexa." It's also an expertly tuned speaker that can fill any room with immersive sound. Basically, it's a cool speaker with a built-in voice assistant that works like a well-focused version of Apple's  (NASDAQ: AAPL  ) Siri or Microsoft's  (NASDAQ: MSFT  ) Cortana. Instead of being an anything for anytime assistant like the phone offerings, Echo is built around being useful in a home, It does everything from acting as an alarm clock to helping build a grocery list, and delivering weather forecasts.The device is not total home control, and it's not a robot, but if it delivers what it promises, it's a step in that direction.

  Amazon's Echo is part speaker, part voice assistant. Source: Amazon. 

source from Top Stocks For 2015:http://www.topstocksblog.com/5-best-blue-chip-stocks-to-own-right-now-3.html

Top 5 Consumer Service Companies To Invest In Right Now

Although Canada�� economic growth is forecast to outpace the US this year, just as it did last year, economists��expectations have recently diminished. Still, the latest numbers from Canada�� wholesale sector showed surprising strength in May, which could mean second-quarter growth reaccelerated after a disappointing April (the national accounts for May will be released at the end of this month).

According to Statistics Canada (StatCan) wholesale trade numbers blew past projections in May, rising 2.2 percent, to CAD52.6 billion, which was an all-time high for the sector.

By contrast, economists had forecast an increase of just 0.6 percent. The prior month�� result was also revised higher by two-tenths of a percentage point, for growth of 1.4 percent.

The auto sector accounted for most of the gain, with sales of motor vehicles up 9.8 percent month over month, to CAD6.9 billion, or 13.2 percent of total wholesale trade. Motor vehicle sales have risen 9.0 percent year over year.

Top 5 Gas Companies To Watch For 2015: Clean Energy Fuels Corp.(CLNE)

Clean Energy Fuels Corp., together with its subsidiaries, provides natural gas as an alternative fuel for vehicle fleets in the United States and Canada. The company designs, builds, operates, and maintains fueling stations, as well as supplies compressed natural gas (CNG) and liquefied natural gas (LNG) fuel for medium and heavy-duty vehicles. Its CNG is used in automobiles, light to medium-duty vehicles, refuse trucks, and transit buses as an alternative to gasoline and diesel. The company also sells non-lubricated natural gas compressors and related equipment used in CNG and LNG stations; and produces renewable natural gas, which is used as vehicle fuel or sold for power generation. In addition, it offers vehicle finance services for the purchase of natural gas vehicles, as well as for the conversion of gasoline or diesel powered vehicles to operate on natural gas. Further, the company provides natural gas conversions, alternative fuel systems, application engineering, service and warranty support, and research and development services for natural gas vehicles. As of December 31, 2011, it served approximately 530 fleet customers with approximately 25,000 natural gas vehicles; and owned, operated, or supplied 273 natural gas fueling stations in 23 states within the United States, and British Columbia and Ontario within Canada, as well as in Peru. Clean Energy Fuels Corp. was incorporated in 2001 and is headquartered in Seal Beach, California.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Arjun Sreekumar]

  One stock to play the shift to NGVs
  One company investing heavily in natural gas fueling stations in Texas, as well as across the country, is Clean Energy Fuels (NASDAQ: CLNE  ) . The California-based company is the largest provider of natural gas fuel for transportation in North America and already fuels tens of thousands of vehicles every day at various locations across the United States and Canada.

• [By Tyler Crowe]

  Let's take, for example, natural gas vehicles. Clean Energy Fuels (NASDAQ: CLNE  ) , the nation's largest fueling station network, has about 360 stations. The problem, though, is that just isn't enough to make it convenient enough for every day drivers to make the switch. According to the Petroleum Marketers Association of America, the point at which natural gas vehicles can be adopted on a large scale is about 53,000 fueling stations, so we are about 2.2% to the point where you or I could seriously consider a natural gas vehicle without the inconvenience of driving around for half the day to find a fueling station.�

• [By Garrett Cook]

  Energy shares rose by 1.89 percent in today’s trading. Top gainers in the sector included Harvest Natural Resources (NYSE: HNR), up 22.3 percent, and Clean Energy Fuels (NASDAQ: CLNE), up 12.4 percent.

• [By Tim Melvin]

  One of the really interesting stocks on the list is Clean Energy Fuels Corporation (CLNE). The company operates fueling stations that allow vehicle fleets to use natural gas to run their vehicles. CLNE also sells compressed natural gas for light-, medium- and heavy-duty vehicles; and liquefied natural gas for medium- and heavy-duty vehicles. CLNE has a pretty good customer base, with 779 fleet customers operating approximately 35,240 natural gas vehicles.

Top 5 Consumer Service Companies To Invest In Right Now: SourcingLink.net Inc (SNET)

SourcingLink.net, Inc., incorporated in 1994, was involved in developing and deploying merchandise-sourcing solutions for the retail industry prior to its operating assets sale in March 2004. The Company's Internet-based, hosted solutions for the pre-order phase of business-to-business merchandise procurement enabled retailers to organize, automate and reduce the cost of their merchandise-sourcing activities by locating and connecting directly with their retail merchandise suppliers around the globe. Its solution, branded MySourcingCenter, provided an online location for search, display and comparison functions, and linked and managed the data and communications between retailers and merchandise suppliers in industry-specific private environments, organizing and automating sourcing or pre-order merchandise procurement activities over the Internet. The majority of the Company's revenue through the fiscal years ended March 31, 2001 (fiscal 2001) to 2003 (fiscal 2003) was generated from a contract entered into, in March 2000, with Carrefour S.A. After completion of the Carrefour agreement, SourcingLink.net, Inc. was unable to procure additional contracts to replace the revenue generated by the Carrefour agreement.

SourcingLink.net sold its operating assets and intellectual property, and its two customer contracts in two separate transactions, in March 2004, (collectively, the operating assets sale), and ceased its operating business at that time. Its fixed assets, software, intellectual property and customer contracts related to Internet-based merchandise sourcing solution were sold to a third party in Europe. The Company's list of potential customers and certain Lotus Notes templates related to its professional services business were sold to a separate foreign company.

Prior to the operating assets sale in March 2004, the Company also performed professional services that accounted for the majority of its revenue since fiscal 2001. Its professional services enabled customers to ! implement Internet-based electronic negotiations (eSourcing) solutions. SourcingLink.net's service offering was buyer auction programs, which encompassed assessment, savings delivery and training aimed at optimizing auction processes within the buying organization.

MySourcingCenter is an online sourcing solution for finding, displaying, comparing and negotiating the purchase of products. The Company provided customers with a turnkey solution, including project management for buyer rollout and both online and global helpdesk support for buyers and suppliers. Reporting and forms were standardized for suppliers and standard forms were also available for retailers. In addition, SourcingLink.net mapped standard supplier data to any forms specification the retailer may have had, providing a customized display to meet retailer requirements. All of the underlying software resided outside of customer firewalls in a third party co-location facility.

The Company's only customer for MySourcingCenter was the international purchasing department of France-based Leroy Merlin. It also signed a contract with a United States-based customer, for which initial planning had occurred prior to the operating assets sale in March 2004.

SourcingLink.net provided professional services in the area of Internet-based, pre-order merchandise procurement. It assisted retailers in the conduct of online real-time negotiation events and trained buying organizations to become autonomous in conducting such events. Related to the Company's Internet solution, it provided project management for retailer implementations of MySourcingCenter. SourcingLink.net provided services to Carrefour, from April 2000, through mid-fiscal 2004, under a three-year contract. This contract provided the majority of the Company's revenues during the prior three fiscal years. It also provided services to the WorldWide Retail Exchange and certain of its members. One such contract provided about one-third of its services revenue ! during fi! scal year 2004. The Company's professional services customers included Carrefour, under the Carrefour contract, and members of several industry exchanges, including the WorldWide Retail Exchange, a retail industry exchange with 60 members around the globe, and CPGmarkets, an exchange for manufacturers of consumer packaged goods, whose members are in Europe.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Peter Graham]

  Small cap stocks IDGlobal Corp (OTCMKTS: IDGC), Embarr Downs Inc (OTCMKTS: EMBR) and SourcingLink.net, Inc (OTCMKTS: SNET) have been getting some extra attention in various investment newsletters or investor alerts lately as at least two of these stocks have been the subject of paid promotions or other types of investor relations activities. Of course, there is nothing wrong with properly disclosed promotions or investor relations activities. But just how hot are these two small cap stocks? Here is a closer look and a quick reality check:

Top 5 Consumer Service Companies To Invest In Right Now: United States Steel Corporation(X)

United States Steel Corporation produces and sells steel mill products in North America and Central Europe. It operates in three segments: Flat-rolled Products (Flat-rolled), U. S. Steel Europe (USSE), and Tubular Products (Tubular). The Flat-rolled segment offers slabs, rounds, strip mill plates, sheets, and tin mill products, as well as iron ore and coke. This segment serves service center, conversion, transportation, construction, container, and appliance and electrical markets in North America. The USSE segment offers slabs, sheets, strip mill plates, tin mill products, and spiral welded pipes, as well as heating radiators and refractory ceramic materials. This segment serves the European construction, service center, conversion, container, transportation, and appliance and electrical, as well as and oil, gas, and petrochemical markets. The Tubular segment offers seamless and electric resistance welded steel casing and tubing; and standard, and line pipe and mechanical tubing. It primarily serves customers in the oil, gas, and petrochemical markets. The company also provides transportation services, including railroad and barge operations. In addition, it owns, develops, and manages various real estate assets, which include approximately 200,000 acres of surface rights primarily in Alabama, Illinois, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, and Pennsylvania; participates in joint ventures that are developing real estate projects in Alabama, Maryland, and Illinois; and owns approximately 4,000 acres of land in Ontario, Canada. The company was founded in 1901 and is headquartered in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Wallace Witkowski]

  On the S&P 500, Darden Restaurants Inc. (DRI) �, PulteGroup Inc. (PHM) �, U.S. Steel Corp. (X) �and Apple Inc. (AAPL) �were the big gainers.

• [By Ben Levisohn]

  United States Steel (X) has gained 3.1% to $19.39 today, while AK Steel (AKS) has gained 4.6% to $3.73 and Steel Dynamics (STLD) has jumped 3.2% to $16.33. The odd man out: Nucor (NUE), which has dropped 1% to $48.71.

• [By Rich Bieglmeier]

  Of the companies that made the list, United States Steel Corporation (NYSE:X) was the only one where the roster of buyers were not serial buyers or only purchasing something like 14 shares, which is meaningless.

Top 5 Consumer Service Companies To Invest In Right Now: (ACS)

ACS Motion Control, Ltd. develops and manufactures multi-axis motion controllers and integrated control modules for customers in Israel and internationally. It offers controllers, drives, interfaces, I/O products, and accessories for use in various applications, such as semiconductors, electronic assembly, FPD, bio medical, medical scanners, digital printing, laser processing, and motion centric. The company also provides support services. Its products are used in packaging, printing, robotics, linear stage control, semiconductor manufacturing and testing, electronic assembly and testing, medical imaging, and digital printing industries. ACS Motion Control, Ltd. was formerly known as ACS-Tech 80 Ltd. and changed its name to ACS Motion Control, Ltd. in March 2006. The company was founded in 1985 and is based in Migdal Ha-Emek, Israel. It has sales and support centers in the United States, China, and South Korea.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Nicolas73]

  The Affiliated Computer Services (ACS) acquisition

  In September 2009, Xerox announced it would acquire ACS for $6.4 billion. ACS was a leading firm in Business Process Outsourcing (around 80% of 2009 total revenues, 40% of that coming from government contracts).

• [By Victor Selva]

  In February 2010, the company acquired Affiliated Computer Services (ACS) for approximately $6.4 billion in stock and cash. Last year, Xerox acquired WaterWare Internet Services with a view to upgrade its DocuShare enterprise content management (ECM) platform. WaterWare�� services include Web application and software development, integration and customization. It also purchased the U.K.-based Concept Group, increasing its presence in the UK market while working in parallel with other distribution channels in the region.

5 Best Biotech Stocks To Invest In 2014

Endocyte Inc. (NASDAQ: ECYT) is trading like the company is being acquired. This is proof that any biotech with great cancer drug news can run, regardless of market conditions. It and Merck & Co. (NYSE: MRK) have announced that the Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use (CHMP) of the European Medicines Agency (EMA) has given a positive opinion for conditional marketing approval of Vynfinit (or vintafolide) and companion imaging components, imaging agent Folcepri (or etarfolatide), and Neocepri (intravenous folic acid), for the treatment of adult patients with ovarian cancer in combination with pegylated liposomal doxorubicin (PLD).

The type of ovarian cancer is folate receptor-positive, platinum-resistant, ovarian cancer. Endocyte shares have doubled on the news, giving it a market cap of just over $1 billion.

Vintafolide was targeted to be used in combination with PLD for the treatment of adult patients with platinum-resistant ovarian cancer, specifically in those patients who expressed the folate receptor on all target lesions.

Top 5 Small Cap Stocks To Invest In Right Now: Actelion Ltd (ATLN.VX)

Actelion Ltd is a Swiss biopharmaceutical holding company that focuses on the discovery, development and commercialization of small molecule drugs. The Company has four approved drugs on the market: Tracleer, an oral dual endothelin receptor antagonist; Veletri, a prostanoid vasodilator; Ventavis, an inhaled formulation of iloprost, and Zavesca, an oral treatment for type 1 Gaucher disease. Furthermore, the Company has a number of compounds various stages of development. The Company operates through a number of worldwide subsidiaries, including Actelion Registration Ltd, which holds marketing authorizations for products marketed in the European Union; Actelion Clinical Research, Inc, engaged in clinical development on behalf of the Company's group; Actelion Re SA, providing insurance solutions for the Company's group and Actelion US Holding Company, engaged in the holding activities of the Company's United States-based units. In September 2013, it acquired Ceptaris Therapeutics, Inc. Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Victor Selva]

  Forest Laboratories has a current ratio of 2.69% which is higher than the ones registered by Endo International Plc (ENDP), Valeant Pharmaceuticals International (VRX) and Cubist Pharmaceuticals Inc. (CBST). For investors looking for a higher ROE, Allergan Inc. (AGN) and Actelion Ltd. (ATLN.VX) are good options.

5 Best Biotech Stocks To Invest In 2014: Rosetta Genomics Ltd (ROSG)

Rosetta Genomics Ltd., incorporated on March 9, 2000, is seeking to develop and commercialize diagnostic tests based on discovered group of genes known as microRNAs. The Company has established a clinical laboratory improvement amendment (CLIA)-certified laboratory in Philadelphia, which enables it to develop, validate and commercialize its own diagnostic tests applying its microRNA technology. In July 2011, the Company launched its fifth product - miRview lung. As of December 31, 2011, the Company launched five tests based on its five microRNA technologies: miRview mets; miRview mets2; miRview squamous; miRview meso, and miRview lung.

Rimonim Consortium

In January 2011, the Company joined the Rimonim Consortium, which is supported by the Office of the Chief Scientist at the Ministry of Industry, Trade and Labor of the State of Israel, or the OCS. The purpose of the consortium is to develop RNA interference, or RNAi, -based therapeutics.

Rosetta Green

Rosetta Green Ltd. is an Israeli subsidiary of the Company, which was established to leverage its capabilities into the areas of cleantech and plant biotech by using its microRNA technologies to develop plants and algae more suitable for various applications, such as feedstocks for biofuels and agriculture. Research at the Rosetta Green project has been shown to develop algal strains with oil content, to discover potential novel microRNAs from commercially-important algae and to identify drought-regulated microRNAs in plants.

The Company competes with Pathwork Diagnostics, Inc., Biotheranostics, Inc., Combimatrix Corporation, Alnylam Pharmaceuticals, Inc., Asuragen Inc., Exiqon A/S, Life Technologies Corporation, Isis Pharmaceuticals, Merck & Co., Inc., Santaris Pharma A/S, and Regulus Therapeutics.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By John Udovich]

  Small cap genomics stocks Rosetta Genomics Ltd (NASDAQ: ROSG), Genomic Health, Inc (NASDAQ: GHDX) and CollabRx Inc (NASDAQ: CLRX) are at the forefront of genomics testing�or research. I should mention that Wikipedia defines genomics�as a�discipline in genetics that applies recombinant DNA, DNA sequencing methods and bioinformatics to sequence, assemble and analyze the function and structure of genomes (the complete set of DNA within a single cell of an organism). A 2013 Booz Allen Hamilton report on the sector noted that in�2011, the US genetic and genomic clinical testing market size was estimated to be $5.9 billion while the�number of available tests has grown substantially from 1,680 just 4 years ago to 2,886 in 2012.

5 Best Biotech Stocks To Invest In 2014: Foundation Medicine Inc (FMI)

Foundation Medicine, Inc., incorporated on November 12, 2009, is a commercial-stage company. The Company is focused on fundamentally changing the way patients with cancer are treated. The Company�� platform includes methods and algorithms for analyzing tumor tissue samples across all types of cancer, as well as information aggregation and concise reporting capabilities. Its products provide genomic information about each patient�� individual cancer, enabling physicians to optimize treatments in clinical practice and enabling biopharmaceutical companies to develop targeted oncology therapies more effectively.

FoundationOne, its first clinical product, is, to its knowledge, the only commercially available comprehensive molecular information product designed for use in the routine care of patients with cancer. In addition, the Company is considered a non-contracting provider by commercial third-party payors because it has not entered into specific contracts to provide FoundationOne to their covered patients, and as a result it takes on primary responsibility for obtaining reimbursement on behalf of patients.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By John Udovich]

  If you have not been watching the biotech sector lately, you should start paying attention as the sector along with small cap biotech stocks like Cell Therapeutics Inc (NASDAQ: CTIC), BIND Therapeutics Inc (NASDAQ: BIND) and TNI BioTech (OTCMKTS: TNIB) continue to produce a steady stream of good news for investors thanks to positive industry trends. Moreover, Ophthotech Corp (NASDAQ: OPHT), Foundation Medicine Inc (NASDAQ: FMI), Evoke Pharma and Fate Therapeutics Inc (NASDAQ: FATE) are this week's biotech IPOs that will no doubt be watched closely by Wall Street and industry observers in general. With that in mind, consider the following biotech news or recent articles about the industry and the small cap players in it:

• [By John Udovich]

  Small cap healthcare information stocks Everyday Health Inc (NYSE: EVDY), Foundation Medicine Inc (NASDAQ: FMI) and CollabRx Inc (NASDAQ: CLRX) help consumers and healthcare professionals deal with the increasing amount of information overload that comes with treating or figuring out how to treat patients.

• [By Dan Caplinger]

  In the following video, Dan Caplinger, director of investment planning for The Motley Fool, looks at whether the IPO market is overheating once more. Dan points to some huge gains from recent IPOs, with FireEye (NASDAQ: FEYE  ) rising 80% in its first day while Rocket Fuel (NASDAQ: FUEL  ) and Foundation Medicine (NASDAQ: FMI  ) both posted gains of between 90% and 100%. Dan also highlights Sprouts Farmers Market� (NASDAQ: SFM  ) , which climbed a whopping 123% in its first day as a public company.

5 Best Biotech Stocks To Invest In 2014: Neurocrine Biosciences Inc.(NBIX)

Neurocrine Biosciences, Inc. engages in the discovery, development, and commercialization of drugs for the treatment of neurological and endocrine-related diseases and disorders in the United States. It develops drugs for endometriosis, stress-related disorders, pain, tardive dyskinesia, uterine fibroids, diabetes, insomnia, and other neurological and endocrine-related diseases and disorders. The company?s products in clinical development include Elagolix, a Phase II drug for endometriosis; Vesicular Monoamine Transporter 2 Inhibitor (VMAT2), a Phase II drug for movement disorders; CRF2 Peptide Agonist, a Phase II drug for cardiovascular diseases; CRF1 Antagonist, a Phase II drug for stress-related disorders; and Elagolix, a Phase II drug for uterine fibroids. Its research programs comprise G Protein-Coupled Receptor 119 (GPR119) for type II diabetes; VMAT2 for schizophrenia; GnRH Antagonists for men?s and women?s health, and oncology; Antiepileptic Drugs for epilepsy, essential tremor, and pain; and G Protein-Coupled Receptors for other conditions. The company has collaborations with GlaxoSmithKline to develop and commercialize CRF antagonists for psychiatric, neurological, and gastrointestinal diseases; Dainippon Sumitomo Pharma Co. Ltd. to develop and commercialize Indiplon in Japan; Abbott International Luxembourg S.�r.l. to develop and commercialize elagolix and GnRH antagonists for women?s and men?s health indications; and Boehringer Ingelheim International GmbH to research, develop, and commercialize small molecule GPR119 agonists for the treatment of type II diabetes and other indications. Neurocrine Biosciences, Inc. was founded in 1992 and is headquartered in San Diego, California.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Ben Levisohn]

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

• [By Jake L'Ecuyer]

  Equities Trading UP
  Shares of Neurocrine Biosciences (NASDAQ: NBIX) got a boost, shooting up 57.43 percent to $15.37 after the company reported positive results of VMAT2 inhibitor NBI-98854 in Kinect 2 study.

• [By Lisa Levin]

  Neurocrine Biosciences (NASDAQ: NBIX) shares moved up 76.95% to $17.27. The volume of Neurocrine Biosciences shares traded was 4406% higher than normal. Neurocrine Biosciences reported positive results of VMAT2 inhibitor NBI-98854 in Kinect 2 study.

Top 10 Consumer Service Companies To Buy For 2014

Unemployment rates fell in 28 states in October while nonfarm payroll employment increased in 34 states, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported Friday.

Illustrating the generally better trend, the states that have long held the highest and lowest jobless rates in the country each saw improvement last month.

Nevada, which has led the nation in unemployment nearly every month since early 2010, had a rate of 9.3%. That's a tenth of a percentage point below September's and a full percentage point lower than October 2012.

The Silver State is recovering slowly from the housing bust and recession. Construction jobs are still more than 60% off their pre-recession highs and even the much-stronger leisure and hospitality sector remains 5.5% below its 2007 jobs peak.

North Dakota, its fortunes lifted by an energy boom, has enjoyed the nation's lowest unemployment rate since late 2008 and kept that distinction in October. At 2.7%, its jobless rate was a tenth of a point lower than September's and half a point lower than a year earlier.

Top 5 Up And Coming Companies To Invest In 2015: Intuitive Surgical Inc.(ISRG)

Intuitive Surgical, Inc. designs, manufactures, and markets da Vinci surgical systems for various surgical procedures, including urologic, gynecologic, cardiothoracic, general, and head and neck surgeries. Its da Vinci surgical system consists of a surgeon?s console or consoles, a patient-side cart, a 3-D vision system, and proprietary ?wristed? instruments. The company?s da Vinci surgical system translates the surgeon?s natural hand movements on instrument controls at the console into corresponding micro-movements of instruments positioned inside the patient through small puncture incisions, or ports. It also manufactures a range of EndoWrist instruments, which incorporate wrist joints for natural dexterity for various surgical procedures. Its EndoWrist instruments consist of forceps, scissors, electrocautery, scalpels, and other surgical tools. In addition, it sells various vision and accessory products for use in conjunction with the da Vinci Surgical System as surgical procedures are performed. The company?s accessory products include sterile drapes used to ensure a sterile field during surgery; vision products, such as replacement 3-D stereo endoscopes, camera heads, light guides, and other items. It markets its products through sales representatives in the United States, and through sales representatives and distributors in international markets. The company was founded in 1995 and is headquartered in Sunnyvale, California.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Sean Williams]

  Growth
  Sustainability isn't enough for Buffett and Berkshire. Buffett also likes to see the companies he invests in constantly innovating and adapting to changing times. Because Buffett prefers to invest in companies that are going to "move the needle," as my colleague Brian Orelli put it, I've excluded many of the faster-growing but smaller device makers. The result is that only one company truly meets what I'd refer to as the high-growth and Buffett-investable threshold: Intuitive Surgical (NASDAQ: ISRG  ) .

• [By James Brumley]

  How so? In November, Smith & Nephew unveiled a biocomposite material for use in arthroscopic surgeries — the Healicoil suture anchor — and just last week the company announced encouraging results from a third-party study of its negative-pressure wound therapy system used on closed surgical incisions. It sounds minor, but that technology could open a big door for Smith & Nephew as well as SNN stock owners.

  Medical Devices: Intuitive Surgical (ISRG)

  Intuitive Surgical (ISRG) shares took a big hit late last week following its fourth-quarter numbers, but bear in mind that ISRG stock had been through an overheated run-up in the days before that. Even with Friday’s 6% selloff, Intuitive Surgical shares are up 7% year-to-date — a paradigm shift compared to 2013′s 21% slide.

Top 10 Consumer Service Companies To Buy For 2014: VOC Energy Trust(VOC)

VOC Energy Trust owns a term net profits interest of the net proceeds from production of the interests in oil and natural gas properties in the states of Kansas and Texas. It owns an 80% term net profits interest of the net proceeds on the underlying properties. As of December 31, 2009, the underlying properties produced oil from approximately 892 gross (550.2 net) wells located in 193 fields; and had total proved reserves of 13.0 million barrels of oil equivalent. The company was founded in 2010 and is based in Austin, Texas.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Aaron Levitt]

  VOC Energy Trust (VOC): Formed by a private energy firm, VOC owns both oil and gas wells in has wells in Kansas and Texas. The royalty trust owns an 80% net royalty on the wells on its properties. That makes a prime play on rising energy prices- no matter which fuel is doing well. VOC’s royalties will expire at the end of 2031 and yield no terminal value. Meaning shares will go to zero. Yet, VOC features a trailing yield of about�14% based on the last four payments.

Top 10 Consumer Service Companies To Buy For 2014: Spdr S&P Pharmaceuticals Etf (XPH)

SPDR S&P Pharmaceuticals Exchange Traded Fund (The Fund) seeks to replicate as closely as possible, before expenses, the performance of an index derived from the pharmaceuticals segment of a United States total market composite index. The Fund uses a passive management strategy designed to track the total return performance of the S&P Pharmaceuticals Select Industry Index (the Pharmaceuticals Index).

The Pharmaceuticals Index represents the pharmaceuticals sub-industry portion of the S&P TMI. The S&P TMI tracks all the United States common stocks listed on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE), American Stock Exchange (AMEX), National Association of Securities Dealers Automated Quotation (NASDAQ) National Market and NASDAQ Small Cap exchanges.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Selena Maranjian]

  Exchange-traded funds offer a convenient way to invest in sectors or niches that interest you. If you'd like to add some pharmaceutical stocks to your portfolio, the SPDR S&P Pharmaceuticals ETF (NYSEMKT: XPH  ) could save you a lot of trouble. Instead of trying to figure out which companies will perform best, you can use this ETF to invest in lots of them simultaneously.
  
  The basics
  ETFs often sport lower expense ratios than their mutual fund cousins. The SPDR ETF's expense ratio -- its annual fee -- is a relatively low 0.35%.
  
  This ETF has trounced the world markets over the past three and five years. As with most investments, of course, we can't expect outstanding performances in every quarter or year. Investors with conviction need to wait for their holdings to deliver.

Top 10 Consumer Service Companies To Buy For 2014: SWK Holdings Corp (SWKH)

SWK Holdings Corporation (SWK), incorporated on July 1996, is engaged in identifying and reviewing candidates for acquisition or other investment. The Company was previously engaged in the development, marketing and support of customer communications software products. It sold its products primarily in North America, Europe and Asia, through its direct sales force and third party integrators.

The Company's applications were designed to integrate with other enterprise software and legacy systems, and provide customers with capabilities for personalization, customer profile management, inquiry management, universal business rules, knowledge management and work flow. KANA also offered customer support and professional services, such as consulting and education.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Tess Stynes]

  Verint Systems Inc.(VRNT) agreed to buy customer-service software firm Kana Software Inc.(SWKH) from private equity firm Accel-KKR for about $514 million in cash, as the data-analysis company seeks to expand its offerings.

Top 10 Consumer Service Companies To Buy For 2014: Webster Financial Corp (WBS)

Webster Financial Corporation (Webster), incorporated on September 10, 1986, is a bank holding company and financial holding company. Webster�� principal asset as of December 31, 2012, was Webster Bank, National Association (Webster Bank). Webster, through Webster Bank and various subsidiaries, delivers financial services to individuals, families and businesses primarily throughout southern New England and into Westchester County, New York. Webster provides business and consumer banking, mortgage lending, financial planning, trust and investment services through 167 banking offices, 293 automated teller machines (ATMs), telephone banking, mobile banking and its Internet Website www.websterbank.com. Webster also offers equipment financing, commercial real estate lending and asset-based lending across the Northeast. Webster Bank offers health savings accounts on a nationwide basis, through its HSA Bank division and its Internet Website www.hsabank.com. Webster�� operations are managed along four business segments: Commercial Banking, Retail Banking, Consumer Finance and Other. Other includes Health Savings Accounts (HSA) and Private Banking (including Webster Financial Advisors (WFA)).

Commercial Banking

The Commercial Banking segment includes middle market, asset-based lending, commercial real estate, equipment finance, and Government and not-for-profit banking. Webster�� Commercial Banking group provides lending, deposit and cash management services to middle market companies in its franchise territory. Additionally, it serves as a primary referral source to Wealth Management and Retail Banking.

Retail Banking

Retail Banking serves consumers and small businesses primarily throughout southern New England and into Westchester County, New York, with a distribution network of 167 banking offices and 293 owned ATMs, and a full range of Internet and mobile banking services. Retail Banking includes Webster�� branch network, Consumer deposits, Busin! ess and Professional Banking (BPB), Webster Investment Services (WIS) and the Customer Care Center.

Consumer Finance

Consumer Finance offers lending solutions for consumers primarily in southern New England and Westchester County, New York. Products include: residential mortgages, home equity loans and lines of credit, unsecured personal loans as well as credit card options.

Other

Other includes HSA Bank (HSA) and Private Banking. HSA Bank is a bank custodian of health savings accounts. These accounts are provided for high deductible health plans offered by employers or directly to consumers. Private Banking provides local full relationship banking that serves high net worth clients, not-for-profit organizations and business clients for asset management, trust, loan and deposit products and financial planning services.

Subsidiaries of Webster Financial Corporation

Webster�� direct subsidiaries as of December 31, 2012 included Webster Bank, Fleming, Perry & Cox, Inc., and Webster Licensing, LLC. Webster also owns all of the outstanding common stock of Webster Statutory Trust, an unconsolidated financial vehicle that has issued or may in the future issue trust preferred securities. On July 18, 2012, the Company completed the redemption at par of all the outstanding principal amount of Webster Capital Trust IV fixed to floating-rate trust preferred securities. Webster Bank's direct subsidiaries include Webster Mortgage Investment Corporation, Webster Business Credit Corporation (WBCC) and Webster Capital Finance, Inc. (WCF). Webster Bank is the primary source of retail activity within the consolidated Company. Webster Bank is the primary source of retail activity within the consolidated group. Webster Bank provides banking services through 167 banking offices, 293 owned ATMs, telephone banking, mobile banking and its Internet websites. Residential mortgage origination activity is conducted through Webster Bank. Webster Mortgage! Investme! nt Corporation is a passive investment subsidiary whose primary function is to provide servicing on passive investments, such as residential real estate and commercial mortgage real estate loans transferred from Webster Bank. Various commercial lending products are provided through Webster Bank and its subsidiaries to clients within the region from Westchester County, NY to Boston, MA. WBCC provides asset-based lending services. WCF provides equipment financing for end users of equipment. Additionally, Webster Bank has various other subsidiaries that are not significant to the consolidated Company.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Monica Gerson]

  Webster Financial (NYSE: WBS) is projected to report its Q3 earnings at $0.49 per share on revenue of $149.73 million.

  Wells Fargo & Company (NYSE: WFC) is estimated to report its Q3 earnings at $0.97 per share on revenue of $20.97 billion.

• [By Marc Bastow]

  Bank holding and financial company Webster Bank (WBS) raised its quarterly dividend 33% to 20 cents per share payable June 16 to shareholders of record June 2.
  WBS Dividend Yield: 2.63%

• [By Rich Duprey]

  Business and consumer banking concern�Webster Financial� (NYSE: WBS  ) �announced yesterday that its board of directors has approved increasing its quarterly dividend by 50%, from�$0.10 per share to�$0.15 per share.�The new, higher payment�will be made on May 20 to stockholders of record as of May 6.

Top 10 Consumer Service Companies To Buy For 2014: Rofin-Sinar Technologies Inc.(RSTI)

Rofin-Sinar Technologies Inc., together with its subsidiaries, engages in the design, development, engineering, manufacturing, and marketing of laser-based products worldwide. The company offers laser macro products to machine tool and automotive markets for cutting and welding of metals. It also provides laser marking products to semiconductor and electronics markets for the marking of integrated circuits, wafers, solar cells, electronic components, and smart cards, as well as to automotive markets for the marking of labels and car components. In addition, the company offers laser micro products for fine welding, fine cutting, micro structuring, and drilling applications in medical devices, semiconductor and electronics, photovoltaic, dental, and jewelry markets; and for perforating and scribing of paper and foils in packaging and paper industries. Further, it provides components to laser industry. The company sells its products in approximately 65 countries to original e quipment manufacturers, systems integrators, and industrial end-users. Rofin-Sinar Technologies Inc. was founded in 1975 and is based in Plymouth, Michigan.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Brian Stoffel]

  For decades, the standard technology in the laser industry has been the carbon-based laser. In reality, these lasers are still commonly used, and sold in bulk by the likes of Rofin-Sinar (NASDAQ: RSTI  ) and Coherent (NASDAQ: COHR  ) . They are used largely for precision cutting of large pieces of metal.

Top 10 Consumer Service Companies To Buy For 2014: Pinnacle Entertainment Inc.(PNK)

Pinnacle Entertainment, Inc. owns, develops, and operates casinos, and related hospitality and entertainment facilities in the United States. It operates casinos, such as L'Auberge du Lac in Lake Charles, Louisiana; River City Casino and Lumiere Place in St. Louis, Missouri; Boomtown New Orleans in New Orleans, Louisiana; Belterra Casino Resort in Vevay, Indiana; Boomtown Bossier City in Bossier City, Louisiana; and Boomtown Reno in Reno, Nevada. The company also operates River Downs racetrack in southeast Cincinnati, Ohio. As of May 26, 2011, it operated seven casinos and one racetrack. The company was formerly known as Hollywood Park, Inc. and changed its name to Pinnacle Entertainment, Inc. in February 2000. Pinnacle Entertainment, Inc. was founded in 1935 and is based in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Travis Hoium]

  What: Shares of Ameristar Casinos (NASDAQ: ASCA  ) and Pinnacle Entertainment (NYSE: PNK  ) fell as much as 11% today after the government brought into question the merger of the two companies.

5 Best Financial Stocks To Buy Right Now

Are there too many exchange-traded funds on the market? When asked, the majority of investors are saying no.

In fact, two-thirds of the investors say there is room for more ETFs, according to the 2014 ETF Investor Study, released Thursday morning by Charles Schwab.

Michael Iachini, managing director of ETF & mutual fund research for Schwab and a certified financial planner, said this is especially interesting considering the perceived proliferation of ETFs on the market today.

“Investors are saying that markets are changing, environments are changing, and they need ETFs to keep up with that,” Iachini said. “That was the number one cited reason for why they’re comfortable with there being more ETFs out there.”

More ETFs also means more competition and lower prices, which is good for the fee-conscious investor.

Those in the survey that didn't want any more ETFs noted that there are too many choices and products out there right now.

Best Construction Material Stocks To Watch Right Now: Northwest Bancshares Inc.(NWBI)

Northwest Bancshares, Inc. operates as the holding company for Northwest Savings Bank that offers various banking and consumer finance services. The company offers consumer and commercial deposits, such as checking accounts, savings accounts, money market deposit accounts, term certificate accounts, and individual retirement accounts. Its loan portfolio comprises one- to four-family residential real estate loans, multifamily residential and commercial real estate loans, home equity loans and lines of credit, and commercial business loans, as well as consumer loans, including automobile loans, sales finance loans, unsecured personal loans, credit card loans, and loans secured by deposit accounts. It also offers trust, investment management, actuarial and benefit plan administration, brokerage services, title insurance, and municipal bonds, as well as involves in the ownership and operation of properties. As of December 31, 2009, the company operated 171 community-banking of fices in northwest, southwest, and central Pennsylvania; western New York; eastern Ohio; Maryland; and southeastern Florida. It also operated 51 consumer finance offices in Pennsylvania. The company was founded in 1896 and is headquartered in Warren, Pennsylvania.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Rich Duprey]

  Northwest Bancshares (NASDAQ: NWBI  ) announced today that it will be paying a special dividend of $0.12 per share in May to�supplement the regular dividend for the first quarter of 2013, which it prepaid back in December in a bid to�accelerate the distribution of cash�to help shareholders offset some of the risk of higher taxes.

• [By Tim Melvin]

  The financial crisis bought an end to the takeover activity, but as the industry has recovered and valuations have stabilized we should once again see the former thrifts become too tempting for growth-starved larger banks to ignore. It is a worthwhile exercise to look at some older thrift conversions that may be beyond their “sell by” dates.

  Northwest Bancshares�(NWBI)

  Northwest Bancshares (NWBI) did its conversion offering back in 2009, right near the bottom of the financial crisis. The bank has 65 community banking offices in central and western Pennsylvania, western New York, eastern Ohio, and Maryland as well as 52 consumer finance offices in Pennsylvania. The bank has an above-average equity-to-assets ratio of 13.42, and nonperforming assets are just 1.59% of total assets. That puts NWBI in solid financial shape.

5 Best Financial Stocks To Buy Right Now: Texas Pacific Land Trust(TPL)

Texas Pacific Land Trust engages in the sale, lease, and management of land in the United States. It also retains oil and gas royalties, and involves in temporary cash investments. The company leases land to the ranching industry for grazing purposes. As of March 31, 2011, it owned surface rights in 949,355 acres of land in 20 counties in Texas; and 318 town lots in Loraine. The company also owned a 1/128 nonparticipating perpetual oil and gas royalty interest under 85,414 acres of land; and a 1/16 nonparticipating perpetual oil and gas royalty interest under 386,988 acres of land in the western part of Texas. Texas Pacific Land Trust was founded in 1888 and is based in Dallas, Texas.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By John Udovich]

  Texas has just set another record for job creation���meaning it might be worth it for investors to take a closer look at Texas based stocks like El Paso Electric Company (NYSE: EE), Texas Pacific Land Trust (NYSE: TPL) and Atmos Energy Corporation (NYSE: ATO) that have good exposure to the booming Texas economy. I should mention that I wrote about�these stocks before back in late 2012�(see: Do These Texas Stocks offer Texas Sized Returns? EE, ATO & TPL),�but the Texas Workforce Commission has reported that the Texas economy added 36,400 jobs in September while over the past 12 months, employers added 413,700 jobs ��the most ever recorded by the state. In addition, several companies surveyed by the Dallas Fed responded that they are seeing labor market tightness plus companies are saying they are experiencing upward wage pressures while�staffing�firms�note that�candidates are often receiving multiple offers. Given that Texas is a deep ��ed state���ith a business friendly climate where taxes and regulations are much lighter than in any ��lue state,��there is no reason to believe the boom won�� continue.

5 Best Financial Stocks To Buy Right Now: KCG Holdings Inc (KCG)

KCG Holdings, Inc., incorporated on December 26, 2012, is an independent securities firm. The Company offers investors a range of services designed to address trading needs across asset classes, product types and time zones. It has three operating segments: Market Making, Global Execution Services, and Corporate and Other. On July 1, 2013, the Company announced the completion of the merger whereby Knight Capital Group, Inc. (Knight) and GETCO Holding Company, LLC (GETCO) were combined as part of KCG Holdings, Inc., a new holding company.

Market Making

The Company�� Market Making segment principally consists of market making in global equities and listed domestic options. As a market maker, the Company commits capital for trade executions by offering to buy securities from, or sell securities to, institutions and broker-dealers. The Market Making segment primarily includes client, and to a lesser extent, non-client market making activities in which the Company operates as a market maker in equity securities quoted and traded on the Nasdaq Stock Market; the over-the-counter (OTC) market for New York Stock Exchange (NYSE), NYSE Amex Equities (NYSE Amex), NYSE Arca listed securities, and several European exchanges. As a complement to electronic market making, the Company�� cash trading business handles specialized orders and also transacts on the OTC Bulletin Board, marketplaces operated by the OTC Markets Group Inc. and the Alternative Investment Market (AIM) of the London Stock Exchange. The segment also provides trade executions as an equities Designated Market Maker (DMM) on the NYSE and NYSE Amex. The Market Making segment also includes the Company�� option market making business which trades on all domestic electronic exchanges.

Global Execution Services

The Company�� Global Execution Services segment offers access through its electronic agency-based platforms to markets and self-directed trading in equities, options, fixed income, foreign ! exchange and futures. The Global Execution Services segment generally does not act as a principal to transactions that are executed within this segment however, it will commit capital on behalf of clients, as needed, and generally earns commissions for acting as agent between the principals to the trade. Global Execution Services includes equity sales and trading (including exchange traded funds (ETFs)), reverse mortgage origination and securitization and asset management. This segment also facilitates client orders through program, block, and riskless principal trades and provides capital markets services, including equity offerings, as well as private placements. The Global Execution Services segment also includes the futures commission merchant (FCM) business, which consists of certain assets and liabilities that the Company acquired or assumed from the futures division of Penson Financial Services, Inc.

Corporate and Other

The Corporate and Other segment invests in strategic financial services-oriented opportunities, allocates, deploys and monitors all capital, and maintains corporate overhead expenses and all other income and expenses that are not attributable to the other segments. The Corporate and Other segment houses functions that support the Company�� other segments, such as self-clearing services, including stock lending activities.

The Company competes with BGC Partners (BGCP), Chicago Board Options Exchange (CBOE), CME (CME), GFI Group Inc. (GFIG), ICE (ICE), ITG (ITG), Forex Capital Markets (FXCM), MarketAxess (MKTX), National Association of Securities Dealers Automated Quotations (NASDAQ), and NYSE.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Sam Mamudi]

  Knight, which in July joined with Getco LLC to form KCG Holdings Inc. (KCG) after losing more than $460 million because of the error, agreed to settle charges stemming from mistakes made on Aug. 1, 2012, according to a statement today from the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. The regulator said Knight violated the SEC�� market access rule, instituted in 2010 to prevent these kinds of trading missteps.

5 Best Financial Stocks To Buy Right Now: ING Groep NV (INGA)

ING Groep N.V. (ING) is a global financial institution offering banking, investments, life insurance and retirement services to meet the needs of the customers. The Company�� segments include banking and insurance. Banking segment includes retail Netherlands, retail Belgium, ING direct, retail central Europe (CE), retail Asia, commercial banking (excluding real estate), ING real estate and corporate line banking. Insurance segment includes insurance Benelux, insurance central and rest of Europe (CRE), insurance United States (US), Insurance US closed block VA, insurance Asia/Pacific, ING investment management (IM) and corporate line insurance. In November 2013, the Company completed the sale of ING Hipotecaria to Banco Santander (Mexico), S.A. In December 2013, the Company completed the sale of its 33.3% interest in China Merchants Fund to its joint venture partners China Merchants Bank Co Ltd and China Merchants Securities Co Ltd, and divested ING Life Korea to MBK Partners. Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Sofia Horta e Costa]

  ING (INGA), which received a 10 billion-euro government bailout in 2008, gained 5.1 percent to 8.26 euros. Underlying pretax profit for the banking unit rose 14 percent to 1.15 billion euros in the second quarter as the interest margin improved and cost cuts paid off, the biggest Dutch financial-services company said.

Top 5 Internet Companies For 2014

 Have you heard the one about the Internet fund that�� afraid of dot-coms?

It sounds like a bad money manager joke, but that�� actually the best way to describe the Kinetics Internet Fund. ��ruthfully, if we changed the name, we�� probably get more money,��says cofounder and portfolio manager Peter Doyle, jacket slung over a chair in a conference room at his midtown Manhattan office.

Doyle�� quip has two meanings: His Internet Fund was once the darling of Wall Street��ne of the top-performing mutual funds of 1998 and 1999. But it crashed and burned a lot of investors, falling from $1.4 billion in assets in early 2000 to as low as $188 million by 2002.

But Doyle is not just referring to his fund�� lingering tech-bubble taint��e�� also speaking about his alternative approach.

Despite its seemingly self-evident name and legacy as the first ever Internet-focused mutual fund, there aren�� many websites left in Doyle�� 56-company portfolio today. Instead Doyle is proving that in the current bubbly environment for stocks of social networks and mobile apps, the best way to make money from the Net is old-fashioned: value stocks with long product life cycles, deep content libraries, ample cash flow��nd ideally a billionaire behind the wheel.

Hot Medical Stocks For 2015: Yahoo! Inc.(YHOO)

Yahoo! Inc., together with its subsidiaries, operates as a digital media company that delivers personalized digital content and experiences through various devices worldwide. It offers online properties and services to users; and a range of marketing services to businesses. The company?s communications and communities offerings include Yahoo! Mail, Yahoo! Messenger, Yahoo! Groups, Yahoo! Answers, Flickr, and Connected TV, which provide a range of communication and social services to users and small businesses enabling users to organize into groups and share knowledge, common interests, and photos. Its search products comprise Yahoo! Search and Yahoo! Local, available free to users to navigate the Internet and discover content. The company?s marketplaces offerings and services include Yahoo! Shopping, Yahoo! Travel, Yahoo! Real Estate, Yahoo! Autos, and Yahoo! Small Business, which allow users to research specific topics, products, services, or areas of interest by review ing and exchanging information, obtaining contact details, or considering offers from providers of goods, services, or parties with similar interests. Its media offerings comprise Yahoo! Homepage, Yahoo! News, Yahoo! Sports, Yahoo! Finance, My Yahoo!, Yahoo! Toolbar, Yahoo! Entertainment & Lifestyles, Yahoo! Contributor Network, and Yahoo! Pulse, which are designed to engage users with online content and services on the Web. The company also offers marketing services, such as display and search advertising, listing-based services, and commerce-based transactions to advertisers. In addition, it provides software and platform offerings for third-party developers, advertisers, and publishers, such as Yahoo! Developer Network, Yahoo! Open Strategy, Yahoo! Application Platform, Yahoo! Updates, Yahoo! Query Language, and Yahoo! Search BOSS. The company has strategic alliances with Nokia and ABC News, Inc. Yahoo! Inc. was founded in 1994 and is headquartered in Sunnyvale, Californi a.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Monica Gerson]

  Yahoo! (NASDAQ: YHOO) shares touched a new 52-week high of $30.47. CRT Capital initiated coverage on Yahoo with a Fair Value rating.

  Viacom (NASDAQ: VIA) shares gained 1.40% to reach a new 52-week high of $84.85. Viacom's trailing-twelve-month ROE is 31.31%.

• [By Monica Gerson]

  Analysts are expecting Yahoo! (NASDAQ: YHOO) to have earned $0.33 per share on revenue of $1.08 billion in the third quarter. Yahoo shares gained 0.29% to $34.10 in the after-hours trading session.

Top 5 Internet Companies For 2014: Google Inc.(GOOG)

Google Inc. maintains an index of Web sites and other online content for users, advertisers, and Google network members and other content providers. It offers AdWords, an auction-based advertising program; AdSense program, which enables Web sites that are part of the Google Network to deliver ads from its AdWords advertisers; Google Display, a display advertising network that comprises the videos, text, images, and other interactive ads; DoubleClick Ad Exchange, a real-time auction marketplace for the trading of display ad space; and YouTube that provides video, interactive, and other ad formats for advertisers. The company also provides Google Mobile that optimizes Google?s applications for mobile devices in browser and downloadable form; and enables advertisers to run search ad campaigns on mobile devices, as well as Google Local that provides local information on the Web; and Google Boost for small businesses to participate in the ads auction. In addition, it offers And roid, an open source mobile software platform; Google Chrome OS, an open source operating system; Google Chrome, a Web browser; Google TV, a platform for the consumers to use the television and the Internet on a single screen; and Google Books platform to discover, search, and consume content from printed books online. Further, the company provides Google Apps, a cloud computing suite of message and collaboration tools, which includes Gmail, Google Docs, Google Calendar, and Google Sites; Google Search Appliance that offers real-time search of business and intranet applications, and public Web sites; Google Site Search, a custom search engine; Google Commerce Search for online retail enterprises; Google Checkout to make online shopping and payments streamlined and secure; Google Maps Application Programming Interface; and Google Earth Enterprise, a firewall software solution for imagery and data visualization. Google Inc. was founded in 1998 and is headquartered in Mountain View, California.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Chris Neiger]

  A new hope
  Right now,�Google's� (NASDAQ: GOOG  ) �Android and Apple's iOS take a whopping 85% of the global smartphone mobile OS market share. BlackBerry (NASDAQ: BBRY  ) and Microsoft (NASDAQ: MSFT  ) currently spar over the third place position, but according to the latest calculations from Gartner, Microsoft's platform is expected to far outpace the Canadian company's OS by 2017 --�and leave BlackBerry in a realm of potential mobile insignificance.

• [By Nitish]

  Google Inc. (GOOG) last month announced financial results for the quarter ended June 30, 2014. ��oogle had a great quarter with revenue up 22% year on year, at $16.0 billion,��said Patrick Pichette, CFO of Google. ��e are moving forward with great product momentum and are excited to continue providing amazing user experiences, with a view to the long term,��he added.

• [By Tim Beyers]

  Next step: Go on the road
  In a brief interview, Rackspace director of finance Bryan McGrath said that Rackspace is winning the business it most wants: customers who have complex deployments that demand a higher level of service than what Amazon.com (NASDAQ: AMZN  ) and Google (NASDAQ: GOOGL  ) (NASDAQ: GOOG  ) offer with their own cloud offerings.

• [By DailyFinance Staff]

  There's a new king in a closely watched brand marketing survey, and the Gulf oil spill is back in the spotlight. These stories and more are in Monday's Market Minute. The Dow Industrials (^DJI) and the S&P 500 (^GPSC) both fell by more than one percent last week, but the Nasdaq (^IXIC) edged slightly higher. The major averages are set to sell-off this morning as the market braces for a government shutdown. AP Photo/Kin Cheung Apple (AAPL) has toppled Coca-Cola (KO) as the world's most valuable brand. This is the first time in the Interbrand survey's 13-year history that Coke has not been number one. It fell to third, with Google (GOOG) sliding into the second spot. BP is back in court today for the start of the second phase of a three-part trial to determine responsibility for the gigantic Gulf of Mexico oil spill three years ago. The company is trying to limit the amount of damages it might have to pay. Fines could total as much as 18-billion dollars. BP has already paid out more than 42-billion in clean-up, compensation and fines. Meanwhile, Royal Dutch Shell plans to sell its stake in a major oil project in Texas. It says the Texas project has not live up to expectations. IBM (IBM) agreed late Friday to settle federal charges that it discriminated against Americans in some of its hiring practices. The company's online job listings expressed a preference for software developers who had student visas or H-1B visas. IBM will pay a small fine and revise its hiring process. We continue to watch shares of J.C. Penney (JCP), which plunged 30 percent last week. The retailer issued 84-million shares, diluting the value of its current stock, and analysts warned that sales growth remains sluggish. And King.com, the online entertainment company best known for its Candy Crush game, has filed to go public in the U.S. The British company says it has 30-billion games played globally each month. The filing reportedly values King at about 5-billion dollars.

Top 5 Internet Companies For 2014: eBay Inc.(EBAY)

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

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By WWW.DAILYFINANCE.COM]

  www.ebay.com There were plenty of winners and losers in the business world this week, with the leading online auction site suffering a massive data breach and a streaming video service expanding overseas. Here's a rundown of the smartest moves and biggest blunders. eBay (EBAY) -- Loser A massive data breach at eBay was reported this week. Hackers cracked into eBay's database, gaining access to the names, email addresses, phone numbers, addresses and birthdays of its 233 million registered users. Passwords and payment information were encrypted, and are in all likelihood safe, but eBay is telling folks as they log into the site to change their passwords as a precautionary measure. Identity theft at websites and retailers is a major problem, but why are companies so slow to get the news out? The hack at eBay took place nearly three months ago, and eBay found out about it two weeks ago. Why did it wait until Wednesday to announce the breach? It also didn't mail its users, choosing instead to let them know about it when they logged into the site. Such situations are unfortunate, and unfortunately becoming more common, but companies need to own up to the breaches sooner and communicate with their customers more effectively when they happen. Netflix (NFLX) -- Winner The leading premium video streaming service is about to collect some more passport stamps. Netflix announced on Wednesday that it will be expanding into Germany, Austria, Switzerland, France, Belgium and Luxembourg later this year. The moves were widely expected. Variety spilled the beans on Netflix being in talks to enter France and Germany several weeks ago. After offering its digital platform in the United Kingdom and Scandinavia, the central Europe is a logical next step. Sears Holdings (SHLD) -- Loser Several out-of-favor retailers bounced back a bit this earnings season, but Sears wasn't one of them. The parent company of Kmart and its namesake department store saw sales fall 7 percent in it

• [By Rex Crum]

  Other decliners included Microsoft Corp. (MSFT) , eBay Inc. (EBAY) , Amazon.com Inc. (AMZN) �and Micron Technology Inc. (MU) .�

Top 5 Internet Companies For 2014: IAC/InterActiveCorp (IACI)

IAC/InterActiveCorp engages in the Internet business in the United States and internationally. The company�s Search segment develops, markets, and distributes various downloadable toolbars; provides search, reference, and content services through its destination search and other Websites, including Ask.com and Dictionary.com; and aggregates and integrates local advertising and content for distribution to publishers on Web and mobile platforms, as well as markets and distributes mobile applications through which it provides search and additional services. Its Match segment offers subscription-based and advertiser-supported online personals services through its Websites comprising Match.com, Chemistry.com, OurTime.com, BlackPeopleMeet.com, and OkCupid.com, as well as through mobile applications and Meetic-branded Websites. The company�s ServiceMagic segment offers Market Match service that matches consumers with service professionals; Exact Match service, which enables con sumers to review service professional profiles and select the service professional that meets their specific needs; and 1800Contractor.com, an online directory of service professionals. This segment also offers Website design and hosting services. Its Media and Other segment operates CollegeHumor.com, an online entertainment Website that targets young males; Vimeo, a Website on which users can upload, share, and view video; and Pronto.com, a comparison search engine. This segment also engages in the creation of video content for various distribution platforms; and operates as an Internet retailer of footwear and related apparel and accessories, as well as focuses on multimedia business. The company was formerly known as InterActiveCorp and changed its name to IAC/InterActiveCorp in July 2004. IAC/InterActiveCorp was founded in 1986 and is headquartered in New York, New York.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Eric Volkman]

  AP/Jim Mone Is Bitcoin a slam-dunk as the currency of the future? The Sacramento Kings seem to think so. The NBA team recently became the first pro sports franchise to accept Bitcoin as a form of payment. Basketball fans will be able not only to purchase tickets and merchandise online with the digital cryptocurrency, but also to use it to buy souvenirs at the arena come game time. The team is the latest in a growing number of commercial entities finding a slot in their virtual cash registers for Bitcoin. Little by little, momentum is building for a widespread acceptance of the upstart currency. Overstocking The Kings' drive towards the Bitcoin basket comes a week after the big online retailer Overstock.com (OSTK) announced it would start accepting payments in the currency. The move was an instant hit -- the first day the company had the nifty Bitcoin button as an option in its shopping cart, its customers used it to make more than 800 transactions for total sales of around $130,000. Overstock.com was by no means the first online marketplace to accept the currency. Numerous web retailers have been doing so for some time. It's a natural fit, %VIRTUAL-article-sponsoredlinks in a way, since Bitcoin exists solely in the digital realm. Customers booking flights on discount travel operator CheapAir.com, for example, can use Bitcoin to buy their tickets, as can love seekers on dating site OkCupid, owned by IAC/InteractiveCorp (IACI). These digital players are going to have plenty of company. Earlier this month, online games purveyor Zynga (ZNGA) started to dip its toes in the water, announcing that it was testing Bitcoin payments for some of its titles in conjunction with specialist transaction facilitator BitPay. But if Overstock.com didn't get there first, it's still the largest and most prominent e-retailer to take the Bitcoin plunge thus far. This is a big win for the currency and its advocates, and Overstock.com will surely be followed by more well-known comp

• [By WALLSTCHEATSHEET]

  IAC/InterActiveCorp provides information and entertainment services through its wide portfolio of websites to consumers and companies across the globe. The stock has been moving higher in recent years and seems to be getting ready to test all-time high prices. Over the last four quarters, earnings have been mixed while revenues have been increasing, which has pleased investors. Relative to its peers and sector, IAC/InterActiveCorp has trailed in year-to-date performance. Look for IAC/InterActiveCorp to catch up and OUTPERFORM.

• [By Mani]

  IAC InterActive Corp. (NASDAQ:IACI) should see improved margins and revenue from its Match business as subscriber growth could be boosted by favorable secular trends and new monetizing opportunities.

• [By Jayson Derrick]

  InterActiveCorp (NASDAQ: IACI) announced that its CEO is stepping down from his current position to become chairman of a new operating unit. Investors cheered the management shakeup which is potentially hinting at a spinoff. Shares hit new 52 week highs of $70.44 before closing at $68.49, up 13.98 percent.

Hot European Stocks To Buy For 2014

NEW YORK (MarketWatch) ��The euro jumped to its highest level of 2014 against the dollar on Friday after euro-zone inflation was steady in February, which could reduce some pressure on the European Central Bank to take action at its next meeting.

Tensions between Russia and Ukraine continued to attract attention. A Ukraine official said Friday that a Russian plane with about 2,000 troops landed at a military base in Ukraine�� Crimea region, according to reports.

Click to Play Why China�� yuan is falling

China�� central bank is deliberately pushing the yuan down to prepare the currency for wider trading.

Best Retail Stocks To Invest In 2015: Aegon NV(AEG)

AEGON N.V. provides life insurance, pensions, and asset management products and services worldwide. The company?s life insurance products include traditional, term, universal, whole, and other life insurance products sold as part of defined benefit pension plans, endowment policies, post-retirement annuity products, and group risk products; supplemental health insurance products comprise accidental death, other injury, critical illness, hospital indemnity, medicare supplement, and student health; specialty lines consists of travel, membership, and creditor products; and long term care insurance products for policyholders who require care due to a chronic illness or cognitive impairment. It also offers a range of savings and retirement products and services, including mutual funds, and fixed and variable annuities, savings accounts and investment contracts, segregated funds, guaranteed investment accounts, and single premium immediate annuities, as well as investment advice to individuals. In addition, the company offers employer solutions and pensions, such as retirement plans, pension plans, and pension-related products and services; investment products, including onshore and offshore bonds, and trusts; reinsurance products and solutions to life insurance and financial services companies; general insurance products comprising house, car, and fire insurance; and asset management products and services, including general account assets, unit-linked funds, and third party activities. AEGON N.V. markets its products through independent and career agents, financial planners, registered representatives, independent marketing organizations, banks, broker-dealers, benefit consulting firms, wirehouses, affinity groups, institutional partners, independent managing general agencies, and specialized financial advisors, as well as through online, direct, and worksite marketing. The company was founded in 1900 and is headquartered in The Hague, the Netherl ands.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Will Ashworth]

  Assuming it delivers on its outlook for 2014, its current free cash flow yield is a very enticing 20%. This isn�� a growth stock, but its brands still possess hidden value. As cheap stocks go, it�� very attractive.

  Cheap Stocks to Buy: Aegon (AEG)

  It�� not often that you can buy a $19 billion market cap for under 10 bucks. Aegon�� a Dutch insurance company that�� had a rough ride over the past few years, and its stock�� suffered as a result. In the late ’90s AEG stock traded around $60 — it hasn�� been anywhere close since. However, it�� got some good assets that should bear fruit in the years to come. Aegon has 12,000 employees in the Americas doing business primarily under the Transamerica brand, which has been a part of AEG since 1999.

Hot European Stocks To Buy For 2014: 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 DAILYFINANCE]

  Alamy HOUSTON -- Halliburton says it lost $18 million in the first quarter, pulled down by $637 million in charges related to its role in the 2010 Gulf of Mexico oil spill. But it made money if unusual items are excluded, beating Wall Street expectations. The oil services company's loss amounted to 2 cents a share. That compares with net income of $627 million, or 68 cents a share, a year earlier. Halliburton Co. (HAL), which is in talks to settle claims against it related to the oil spill, said that excluding the charges it posted adjusted earnings of 67 cents a share. That beat the 57 cents that analysts expected. The Houston company, which provides a variety of services for the petroleum industry, is benefiting from a boom in U.S. oil production, which is at the highest level in more than two decades. At the same time, Halliburton's natural gas business has slowed as drillers slowed production due to falling prices for the fuel. Revenue rose slightly to $6.97 billion from $6.87 billion. Analysts expected $6.88 billion. Halliburton shares jumped $1.44, or 3.9 percent, to $38.65 in premarket trading an hour before the market opening. Halliburton is the biggest provider of oil field services in North America, including hydraulic fracturing, a technology that has helped unlock large supplies of oil and natural gas from shale rock formations in the U.S. North American revenue fell 11 percent to $3.71 billion, while operating income tumbled 43 percent to $605 million. Dave Lesar, the company's chairman, president and CEO, said a drop in Halliburton's rig count and pricing pressures in North America were more than offset by the company's growing international business. International revenue increased 21 percent from a year ago. For the full year, Halliburton still expects total international revenue growth in the "low teens," he said. Rival Schlumberger Ltd. (SLB), which has a larger international business, said Friday that its revenue climbed in region

• [By Robert Rapier]

  This past week BP (NYSE: BP) released its Statistical Review of World Energy 2014. For energy wonks, this is the bible of energy statistics. The report contains global and country level statistics on production and consumption for oil, natural gas, coal, nuclear power and renewables. In this week�� Energy Strategist I will look at trends for each of these sectors. In today�� Energy Letter I will provide some observations and note some trends in the world�� oil markets.

• [By Arjun Sreekumar]

  For instance, net income margins for ExxonMobil (NYSE: XOM  ) , BP (NYSE: BP  ) , and Total have all fallen from their highs near the middle of the previous decade. Last year, BP and Total reported margins of 3.1% and 5.9%, respectively, down significantly from 2005 respective margins of 9.2% and 10.5%.�

Hot European Stocks To Buy For 2014: Telefonica SA(TEF)

Telefonica, S.A. provides fixed and mobile telephony services primarily in Spain, rest of Europe, and Latin America. Its fixed telecommunication services include PSTN lines; ISDN accesses; public telephone; local, domestic, and international long distance and fixed-to-mobile communications; corporate communications; video telephony; supplementary and business-oriented value-added services; network services; leasing and sale of handset equipment; and telephony information services. The company?s Internet and broadband multimedia services comprise Internet service provider service; portal and network services; retail and wholesale broadband access; narrowband switched access to Internet; naked ADSL, a broadband connection; residential-oriented value-added services; companies-oriented value-added services; television services, such as IPTV, cable television, and satellite television; and Fiber to the Home, a service for high speed Internet access and digital video recording. Its data and business-solutions services principally include leased lines; virtual private network services; fiber optics services; the provision of hosting and application; outsourcing and consultancy services; desktop services; and system integration and professional services. The company?s wholesale services for telecommunication operators primarily comprise domestic interconnection services; international wholesale services; leased lines for other operators? network deployment; local loop leasing under the unbundled local loop regulation framework; and bit stream services. It also offers various mobile and related services and products that include mobile voice services, value added services, mobile data and Internet services, wholesale services, corporate services, roaming, fixed wireless, and trunking and paging services. The company has a strategic alliance with China Unicom (Hong Kong) Limited. Telefonica, S.A. was founded in 1924 and is headquartered in Madrid, Spai n.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Charles Sizemore]

  Next Page

  European Dividend Stocks to Buy: Telefonica (TEF)

  Dividend Yield: 6%

  And finally, we get to one of my favorite long-term holdings, Spanish telecom giant Telefonica (TEF).

• [By Roger Conrad, Founder and Chief Editor, Capitalist Times]

  Roger Conrad: Well, one that I read about actually in the very first issue of Conrad's Utility Investor is a company called Telefonica (TEF). This one is a company that has had a pretty tough several years.

Hot European Stocks To Buy For 2014: TotalFinaElf S.A.(TOT)

TOTAL S.A., together with its subsidiaries, operates as an integrated oil and gas company worldwide. The company operates through three segments: Upstream, Downstream, and Chemicals. The Upstream segment engages in the exploration, development, and production of oil and natural gas. It also involves in the transportation, trade, and marketing of natural gas and liquefied natural gas (LNG), as well as in LNG re-gasification and natural gas storage operations. In addition, this segment engages in the shipping and trade of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG); power generation from gas-fired power plants, nuclear, or renewable energies; production, trade, and marketing of coal, as well as in solar power systems and technology operations. As of December 31, 2010, it had combined proved reserves of 10,695 Mboe of oil and gas. The Downstream segment involves in refining, marketing, trading, and shipping crude oil and petroleum products. It also produces a range of specialty products, s uch as lubricants, LPG, jet fuel, special fluids, bitumen, marine fuels, and petrochemical feedstock. This segment holds interests in 24 refineries located in Europe, the United States, the French West Indies, Africa, and China, as well as operates a network of 17,490 service stations. The Chemicals segment produces base chemicals, including petrochemicals and fertilizers, as well as engages in rubber processing, resins, adhesives, and electroplating activities. TOTAL S.A. was founded in 1924 and is based in Paris, France.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Sara Murphy]

  HSBC recently conducted an analysis that looked at European oil majors' at-risk carbon reserves. The study found Norway's�Statoil (NYSE: STO  ) �to be the worst affected, with approximately 17% of its market capitalization at risk. HSBC also calculated that 6% of�BP's� (NYSE: BP  ) reserves are at risk, along with 5% of�Total's (NYSE: TOT  ) and 2% of�Shell's� (NYSE: RDS-A  ) .�

• [By David Smith]

  And Total (NYSE: TOT  ) also has been selling onshore in Nigeria. But the French company is nevertheless developing a new offshore oil field there that it maintains will produce 200,000 barrels a day.

Hot European Stocks To Buy For 2014: British American Tobacco Industries p.l.c.(BTI)

British American Tobacco p.l.c., through its subsidiaries, engages in the manufacture, distribution, and sale of tobacco products. The company offers cigars, cigarettes, smokeless snus, roll-your-own, and pipe tobacco products under the Dunhill, Kent, Lucky Strike, Pall Mall, Vogue, Viceroy, Kool, Rothmans, Peter Stuyvesant, Benson & Hedges, and State Express 555 brand names. It has operations in the Asia-Pacific, the Americas, eastern and western Europe, Africa, and the Middle East. The company was founded in 1902 and is headquartered in London, the United Kingdom. British American Tobacco p.l.c. operates independently of Remgro Ltd. as of November 03, 2008.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Rupert Hargreaves]

  Today I'm looking at British American Tobacco (LSE: BATS  ) (NYSEMKT: BTI  ) to determine whether the shares are still safe to buy at 3,663 pence.

Hot European Stocks To Buy For 2014: Flamel Technologies S.A.(FLML)

Flamel Technologies S.A., a biopharmaceutical company, engages in the development and commercialization of controlled-release therapeutic products based on its proprietary polymer based technology in the United Kingdom, Ireland, the United States, France, and Europe. The company develops nanogel Medusa technology, which is intended to provide controlled release following injection of therapeutic proteins, peptides, and other molecules; a microparticle adaptation of the Medusa platform that is intended for use in the delivery of smaller proteins and peptides; and Micropump technology, a microparticle technology for oral administration of small molecule drugs with applications in controlled-release, taste-masking, and bioavailability enhancement; and Trigger-Lock technology, an adaptation based on Micropump technology, which is intended to minimize the misuse and abuse of medications subject to abuse. Its principal product based on Micropump technology is Coreg CR, which is intended for the treatment of moderate to severe heart failure and left ventricular dysfunction following myocardial infarction. The company?s products under development based upon Medusa technology include Interferon-alpha, a naturally occurring protein that the body uses for the treatment of Hepatitis C virus and as a immune response; and FT-105, an injectable insulin formulation for diabetic patients. Its products based on its Micropump technology comprise LiquiTime for the elderly and pediatric patient patients, or others who have difficulty swallowing. The company has strategic alliance with Baxter International, Inc.; GlaxoSmithKline; Merck Serono; and Pfizer Inc, as well as has a joint development agreement with Digna Biotech, S.L. Flamel Technologies S.A. was founded in 1990 and is headquartered in Venissieux, France.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Anna Prior]

  Flamel Technologies SA(FLML) said the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved the company’s new drug application for Vazculep, an alpha-1 adrenergic receptor agonist indicated for the treatment of clinically important hypotension resulting primarily from vasodilation in the setting of anesthesia. American depositary shares rose 5.1% to $14.78 in premarket trading.

• [By Garrett Cook]

  Healthcare shares gained 0.81 percent in the US market on Friday. Top gainers in the sector included Shire plc (NASDAQ: SHPG), StemCells (NASDAQ: STEM), and Flamel Technologies SA (NASDAQ: FLML).

Top 5 Biotech Stocks To Own For 2014

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On Monday, pizzaria chain Sbarro — an iconic name within the food court community at many of the nation’s malls — filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection … again.

Top 5 Sliver Companies To Own In Right Now: InterMune Inc.(ITMN)

InterMune, Inc., a biopharmaceutical company, engages in the research, development, and commercialization of therapies in pulmonology and fibrotic diseases. In pulmonology, the company focuses on therapies for the treatment of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF), a progressive and fatal lung disease. It markets pirfenidone, an orally active drug that inhibits the synthesis of TGF-beta under the Esbriet name in the European Union, as well as in a Phase III clinical trial in the United States. Pirfenidone is also approved for the treatment of IPF in Japan, where it is marketed by Shionogi & Co. Ltd. under the Pirespa trade name. The company?s research programs focus on the discovery of small-molecule therapeutics and biomarkers to treat and monitor serious pulmonary and fibrotic diseases. InterMune, Inc. was founded in 1998 and is headquartered in Brisbane, California.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Ben Levisohn]

  Intercept Pharmaceutical has surged 576% this year after gaining today, besting InterMune’s (ITMN) 119% spike and Sangamo BioSciences’ (SGMO) 63% advance.

• [By Ben Levisohn]

  Shares of InterMune (ITMN) have jumped 36% to $73.40�after�Roche�(RHHBY) said it would buy the drug maker for $8.3 billion.

  Burger King Worldwide�(BKW) has climbed 7.9% to $29.25�on reports that the hamburger joint is considering the purchase of Canadian coffee-outlet Tim Hortons�(THI) for the tax benefits. Tim Hortons has gained 15% to $72.00.

• [By Roberto Pedone]

   

  InterMune (ITMN), a biotechnology company, focuses on the research, development, and commercialization of therapies for pulmonology and orphan fibrotic diseases in North America and Europe. This stock closed up 13.4% at $38.92 in Monday's trading session.

   

  Monday's Volume: 11.92 million
  
  Three-Month Average Volume: 3.56 million
  
  Volume % Change: 350%

   

  From a technical perspective, ITMN gapped sharply higher here right above its 50-day moving average of $32.38 with heavy upside volume. This monster spike higher on Monday pushed shares of ITMN into breakout and 52-week-high territory, since the stock took out some near-term overhead resistance levels at $36.71 to its former 52-week high of $38.73. Market players should now look for a continuation move to the upside in the short-term if ITMN manages to clear Monday's intraday high of $39.90 with strong volume.

   

  Traders should now look for long-biased trades in ITMN as long as it's trending above $37 or above Monday's low of $35.85 and then once it sustains a move or close above $39.90 with volume that this near or above 3.56 million shares. If that move starts soon, then ITMN will set up to enter new 52-week-high territory, which is bullish technical price action. Some possible upside targets off that move are $45 to $50.

   

Top 5 Biotech Stocks To Own For 2014: Gentium SpA(GENT)

Gentium S.p.A., a biopharmaceutical company, focuses on the development and manufacture of its primary product candidate, defibrotide, an investigational drug based on a mixture of single-stranded and double-stranded DNA extracted from pig intestines. It develops defibrotide for the treatment and prevention of hepatic veno-occlusive disease (VOD), a condition that occurs when veins in the liver are blocked as a result of cancer treatments, such as chemotherapy or radiation, that are administered prior to stem cell transplantation. The company has completed a Phase III clinical trial of defibrotide for the treatment of severe VOD in the United States, Canada, and Israel; and a Phase II/III pediatric trial in Europe for the prevention of VOD. It also offers sulglicotide that is developed from swine duodenum, and has ulcer healing and gastrointestinal protective properties in South Korea; and urokinase, which is made from human urine to treat various vascular disorders, such as deep vein thrombosis and pulmonary embolisms. The company was formerly known as Pharma Research S.r.L. and changed its name to Gentium S.p.A. in July 2001. Gentium S.p.A. was founded in 1993 and is headquartered in Villa Guardia, Italy.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Sean Williams]

  A parabolic problem
  It has also been a year to remember for shareholders of biopharmaceutical company Gentium (NASDAQ: GENT  ) whose share price has catapulted approximately 600% off its lows thanks to growth in its lead drug Defibrotide (known as Defitelio in the European Union).

• [By James Oberweis]

  Gentium Spa (GENT) is focused on the development and commercialization of its leading product, defibrotide, to treat certain complications arising from chemotherapy, and bone marrow and stem cell transplantation therapy.

Top 5 Biotech Stocks To Own For 2014: ARIAD Pharmaceuticals Inc.(ARIA)

ARIAD Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a biopharmaceutical company, focuses on the discovery, development, and commercialization of small-molecule drugs for the treatment of cancer. The company?s lead cancer product, ridaforolimus is being studied in multiple clinical trials in patients with various types of cancers, including metastatic sarcomas, breast cancer, endometrial cancer, prostate cancer, and non-small cell lung cancer. Its product pipeline also includes ponatinib, a pan BCR-ABL inhibitor in phase 2 clinical trial for applications in various hematological cancers and solid tumors; and AP26113, an anaplastic lymphoma kinase inhibitor in preclinical studies for the treatment of various cancers, including non-small cell lung cancer, lymphoma, and neuroblastoma. In addition, the company focuses on a drug discovery program centered on small-molecule therapies that are molecularly targeted to cell-signaling pathways implicated in cancer. Further, it licenses its ARGENT cell-sign aling regulation technologies to pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies to develop and commercialize therapeutic products, and to conduct drug discovery research. The company has collaboration and license agreements with Merck & Co., Inc. for the development, manufacture, and commercialization of ridaforolimus; and license agreements with Medinol Ltd. and ICON Medical Corp. to develop and commercialize stents and other medical devices to deliver ridaforolimus to prevent restenosis of injured vessels. ARIAD Pharmaceuticals, Inc. was founded in 1991 and is based in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By George Budwell]

  Ariad Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ: ARIA  ) is an oncology company whose leukemia drug Iclusig made headlines recently when it was pulled from the market by the Food and Drug Administration after a late-stage trial showed an elevated risk of blood clots. Shares of Ariad fell more than 25% this week as a result, despite already being down more than 80% in the last month. The problem facing Ariad is clear: Iclusig is its bread and butter. So if the FDA does not allow it back on the market, and that looks doubtful at this point, Ariad is in big trouble. Currently, the company only has one other clinical candidate, and that drug is still in the very early stages of development.

Top 5 Biotech Stocks To Own For 2014: Incyte Corporation(INCY)

Incyte Corporation focuses on the discovery and development of proprietary small molecule drugs for hematologic and oncology indications, and inflammatory and autoimmune diseases. Its product pipe line includes INCB18424, which is in Phase III clinical trial for myelofibrosis; Phase III trial for polycythemia vera; Phase III trial for essential thrombocythemia; Phase I/II trial to treat solid tumors/other hematologic malignancies; and Phase IIb trail for the treatment of psoriasis. The company?s portfolio also includes INCB28050, a Phase IIb clinical trial product for rheumatoid arthritis; INCB28060, a Phase I/II product for solid tumors; INCB7839, a Phase II product for breast cancer; and INCB24360, a Phase I/II product for solid tumors. It has a collaborative research and license agreements with Novartis International Pharmaceutical Ltd.; Eli Lilly and Company; and Pfizer Inc. The company was founded in 1991 and is headquartered in Wilmington, Delaware.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Ben Levisohn]

  Vertex has dropped 6.1% to $66.97 today at 2:24 p.m. but it’s fall doesn’t seem to be having an impact on other biotech companies. Incyte (INCY) gained 2% to $39.77, Acorda Therapeutics (ACOR) has gained 0.7% to $30.83 and Regeneron Pharmaceuticals (REGN) has dropped 0.6% to $285.96.

• [By Paul Ausick]

  Big earnings winners: Incyte Corp. (NASDAQ: INCY) up 34.4% to $36.02 on a successful drug trial, Target Corp. (NYSE: TGT) down 3.5% to $65.54 on weak earnings and lowered outlook, and Lowe�� Companies Inc. (NYSE: LOW ) up 4.4% at $46.01 on strong earnings and an improved outlook.

• [By Maxx Chatsko]

  Pfizer will turn its immediate focus to Xeljanz, a novel JAK3 inhibitor, as it awaits phase 3 data from ertugliflozin several years from now. The drug class has swept the pharmaceutical industry by storm. Novartis (NYSE: NVS  ) and Eli Lilly are developing JAK1 and JAK2 inhibitors for several applications with Incyte (NASDAQ: INCY  ) , while a handful of other companies have molecules of their own. While companies have high hopes for the cancer-fighting potential of JAK inhibitors, such as Jakafi from Novartis and Incyte, the biggest opportunities may lie in the immunology market.

• [By Jim Jubak]

  But a bigger reason to sell, in my opinion, right now, is a change in the risk/reward profile of the market as a whole. The recent sell off in momentum stocks��hich now looks like it's spreading to consumer discretionary leaders��akes me want to raise cash for the inevitable bounce back in these stocks. I don't know when we might see that bounce��nd I'm not buying yet, since I think we're still in ��atch a falling knife��territory. But when stocks such as FireEye (FEYE), or Palo Alto Networks (PANW), or Incyte (INCY), or Chipotle Mexican Grill (CMG) do bounce, the gains will be bigger and quicker than those in holding Citigroup.