Top 5 Companies To Buy For 2015

On this day in economic and business history...

Jay Cooke & Company failed on Sept. 18, 1873, triggering a financial panic that soon plunged the United States into a "Great Depression." This depression remained the national benchmark for economic woe for decades before the 1930s took over that term.

The basic backstory of this failure should be familiar: A major financier invests heavily into a speculative bubble -- in this case, railroads -- and uses excessive leverage to maximize returns while everything moves in the right direction. Then the bubble pops, and the financier is left without the means to pay back creditors. A sudden lack of liquidity cascades through the financial system as everyone rushes to withdraw money, only to find that in many cases their profits or their savings exist only as notations in their bank's records. Everybody panic!

The particulars of 1873, however, make it worth a closer investigation.

The boom leading up to the 1873 panic was the first true "tech" bubble, driven entirely by the excitement surrounding a promising new industry, rather than by real-estate speculation, trade imbalances, or financial shenanigans. (A boom preceding the Panic of 1857 also involved railroads, but this earlier bubble was driven in large part by Midwestern land speculation.)

10 Best Casino Stocks To Invest In 2016: FutureFuel Corp. (FF)

FutureFuel Corp., through its subsidiary, FutureFuel Chemical Company, engages in the manufacture and sale of specialty chemicals and bio-based products primarily in the United States. The company operates in two segments, Chemicals and Biofuels. The Chemicals segment provides custom chemical manufacturing services for specific customers, such as bleach activators for detergent and consumer products manufacturers; proprietary herbicide and intermediates for life sciences companies; agrochemicals; and industrial and consumer products, such as cosmetics and personal care products, ink colorants, adhesion promoters, polymer additives, polymer and specialty dyes, specialty polymers, photographic and imaging chemicals, and food additives. This segment also manufactures and sells a range of performance chemicals, including a family of polymer (nylon) modifiers and small-volume specialty chemicals for various applications; a family of acetal-based solvents, consisting of diethoxy methane, dimethoxymethane, dibutoxymethane, and glycerol formal; and phenol sulfonic acid that build on sulfonations technology. Its chemical products are used in various markets and end uses, including detergents, agrochemicals, automotive, photographic imaging, coatings, nutrition, and polymer additives. The Biofuels segment produces and sells biodiesel, as well as petrodiesel in blends with or without biodiesel. This segment also operates a granary in central Arkansas that involves in the purchase and sale of agricultural commodities, primarily soybeans, rice, and corn. This segment markets its biodiesel products by truck and rail directly to customers. FutureFuel Corp. was formerly known as Viceroy Acquisition Corporation and changed its name to FutureFuel Corp. in 2006. FutureFuel Corp. was incorporated in 2005 and is based in St. Louis, Missouri.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Monica Gerson]

  FutureFuel (NYSE: FF) surged 21.01% to $21.25 in the pre-market session after the company reported a rise in its fourth-quarter earnings. FutureFuel posted its quarterly profit of $0.61 per share, versus a year-ago profit of $0.15 per share.

• [By Maxx Chatsko]

  3. Focus on efficiency
  A combination of factors plays a role in efficiently producing biodiesel. FutureFuel (NYSE: FF  ) , which owns an annual capacity of 59 million gallons to complement its niche chemical business, relies heavily on location. The company's two biorefineries don't have a nationwide infrastructure to aid in getting product to the market and are dependent on rail and barge access. Despite the FutureFuel's amazing progress is improving its process -- annual capacity jumped from just 35 million gallons in 2011 to 59 million gallons today -- the company admits that its relatively small operations may cease to exist given changes in feedstock prices, government mandates, and tax credits. �

Top 5 Companies To Buy For 2015: American Express Company(AXP)

American Express Company, together with its subsidiaries, provides charge and credit payment card products, and travel-related services worldwide. The company?s product portfolio consists of charge and credit card products; expense management products and services; consumer and business travel services; stored value cards, including travelers cheques and other prepaid products; network services; merchant acquisition and processing, point-of-sale, servicing and settlement, and marketing and information products and services for merchants; and fee services comprising market and trend analyses and related consulting services, fraud prevention services, and the design of customer loyalty and rewards programs. In addition, it publishes luxury lifestyle magazines; business and travel resources; general interest, cooking, travel, wine, cocktail, financial, and time management books; and international and electronic editions. The company sells its products and services to consumer s, small businesses, mid-sized companies, and large corporations through direct mail, on-line applications, targeted direct and third-party sales forces, and direct response advertising worldwide. American Express Company was founded in 1850 and is headquartered in New York, New York.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Douglas A. McIntyre]

  The balance of the top 10 are ones which almost any consumer could identify. In order of four through ten: Johnson & Johnson (NYSE: JNJ), Harley Davidson Inc.�(NYSE: HOG), Walt Disney Co. (NYSE: DIS), PepsiCo Inc. (NYSE: PEP), American Express Co. (NYSE: AXP), Kellogg Co. (NYSE: K) and Apple Inc.�(NASDAQ: AAPL).

• [By Ben Levisohn]

  The Dow Jones Industrial Average dropped 0.5% to 15,545.75, led by big drops in Visa –down 3.5% after releasing disappointing earnings–JPMorgan Chase–off 2% after it and other large banks were sued by Fannie Mae–and American Express (AXP), which fell 1.6% to $81.80. The S&P 500 fell 0.4% to 1,756.54, as Avon (AVP)� plunged 22% on bad earnings and the likelihood of a larger-than-expected settlement with the SEC, and MetLife (MET) dipped 3.5% on disappointing earns and said it would no longer offering future guidance.

• [By Sue Chang]

  American Express (AXP) �is likely to report first-quarter earnings of $1.30 a share.

Top 5 Companies To Buy For 2015: Banco Bradesco SA (BBD)

Banco Bradesco S.A. (the Bank), incorporated on November 5, 1943, is commercial bank. The Bank offers a range of banking and financial products and services in Brazil and abroad to individuals, large, midsized and small companies and local and international corporations and institutions. It operates in two segments: the banking, and the insurance, pension and capitalization bonds. Its products and services encompass banking operations, such as loans and advances and deposittaking, credit card issuance, purchasing consortiums, insurance, leasing, payment collection and processing, pension plans, asset management and brokerage services. The main services it offers through Bradesco Expresso are receipt and submission of account applications; receipt and submission of account applications; Social Security National Service (INSS) benefit payments; checking and savings account deposits, and receipt of consumption bills, bank charges and taxes. In May, 2011, the Bank acquired Banco do Estado do Rio de Janeiro S.A. (BERJ).

Banking

The Banking segment includes deposit-taking with clients, including checking accounts, savings accounts and time deposits; loans and advances (individuals and companies, real estate financing, microcredit, onlending BNDES funds, rural credit, leasing, among others); credit cards, debit cards and pre-paid cards; management of receipts and payments; asset management; services related to capital markets and investment banking activities; intermediation and trading services; custody, depositary and controllership services; international banking services, and purchasing consortiums.

The Bank offers a variety of deposit products and services to our customers through its branches, including Non-interest bearing checking accounts, such as Easy Account, Click Account, Academic Account and Cell Phone Bonus Account; traditional savings accounts; time deposits, and deposits from financial institutions. As of December 31, 2011, it had 43.4 million savings a! ccounts. It offers its customers certain additional services, such as identified deposits and real-time banking transfers. Its loans and advances to customers, consumer credit, corporate and agricultural-sector loans, totaled R$263.5 billion as of December 31, 2011.

The Bank�� loan portfolio consists of short-term loans, vehicle financings and overdraft loans on checking accounts. It also provides revolving credit facilities and traditional term loans. As of December 31, 2011, it had outstanding advances, vehicle financings, consumer loans and revolving credit totaling R$58.0 billion, or 22.0% of its portfolio of loans and advances. Banco Bradesco Financiamentos (Bradesco Financiamentos) offers direct-to-consumer credit and leasing for the acquisition of vehicles and payroll-deductible loans to the public and private sectors 'in Brazil. Supported by BF Promotora de Vendas Ltda. (BF Promotora), and using the Bradesco Financiamentos brand, the Bank operates through its network of correspondents in Brazil, consisting of retailers and dealers selling light vehicles, trucks and motorcycles, to offer financing and/or leasing for vehicles. Through Bradesco Promotora brand, it offer payroll-deductible loans to social security retirees and pensioners, public-sector employees, military personnel and private-sector companies sponsoring plans, and other aggregated products (insurance, capitalization bonds, cards, purchasing consortiums, and others).

As of December 31, 2011, the Bank had 63,156 outstanding real estate loans. As of December 31, 2011, the aggregate outstanding amount of its real estate loans amounted to R$15.9 billion, representing 6% of its portfolio of loans and advances. As of December 31, 2011, it had 69,491 microcredit loans outstanding, totaling R$62.8 million. Its BNDES onlending portfolio totaled R$35.4 billion as of December 31, 2011.

The Bank provides traditional loans for the ongoing needs of its corporate customers. It had R$85.8 billion of outstand! ing other! local commercial loans, accounting for 32.5% of its portfolio of loans and advances as of December 31, 2011. It offers a range of loans to its Brazilian corporate customers, including short-term loans of 29 days or less; guaranteed checking accounts and corporate overdraft loans; discounting trade receivables, promissory notes, checks, credit card and supplier receivables, and a number of other receivables; financing for purchase and sale of goods and services; corporate real estate financing, and investment lines for acquisition of assets and machinery. As of December 31, 2011, the Bank had R$11 billion in outstanding rural loans, representing 4.2% of its portfolio of loans and advances. The Bank conducts its leasing operations through its primary leasing subsidiary, Bradesco Leasing and also through Bradesco Financiamentos.

The Bank offers electronic solutions for receipt and payment management solutions, which include collection and payment services and online resource management enabling its customers to pay suppliers, salaries, and taxes and other levies to governmental or public entities. The global cash management concept provides solutions for multinationals in Brazil and/or domestic companies operating abroad. It manages third-party assets through mutual funds; individual and corporate investment portfolios; pension funds, including assets guaranteeing the technical provisions of Bradesco Vida e Previdencia, and insurance companies, including assets guaranteeing the technical provisions of Bradesco Seguros.

The Bank�� subsidiaries Bradesco S.A. CTVM and Agora S.A. CTVM (or Bradesco Corretora and Agora Corretora, respectively) trade stocks, options, stock lending, public offerings and forwards. They also offer a range of products, such as Brazilian government securities (under the Tesouro Direto program), BM&F trading, investor clubs and investment funds.

The Bank offers a range of international services, such as foreign exchange transactions, foreign tr! ade finan! ce, lines of credit and banking. As of December 31, 2011, its international banking services included New York City, a branch and Bradesco Securities Inc., its subsidiary brokerage firm, or Bradesco Securities United States, and its subsidiary Bradesco North America LLC, or Bradesco North America; London, Bradesco Securities U.K., its subsidiary, or Bradesco Securities U.K.; Cayman Islands, two Bradesco branches and its subsidiary, Cidade Capital Markets Ltd., or Cidade Capital Markets; Argentina, Banco Bradesco Argentina S.A., its subsidiary, or Bradesco Argentina; Banco Bradesco Luxemburgo S.A. its subsidiary, or Bradesco Europe; Japan, Bradesco Services Co. Ltd., its subsidiary, or Bradesco Services Japan; in Hong Kong, its subsidiary Bradesco Trade Services Ltd, or Bradesco Trade, and in Mexico, its subsidiary Ibi Services, Sociedad de Responsabilidad Limitada, or Ibi Mexico.

The Bank�� Brazilian foreign-trade related business consists of export and import finance. In addition to import and export finance, its customers have access to a range of services and foreign exchange products, such as purchasing and selling travelers checks and foreign currency paper money; cross border money transfers; advance payment for exports; accounts abroad in foreign currency; cash holding in other countries; collecting import and export receivables; repaid cards with foreign currency (individual), and structured foreign currency transactions through its foreign units.

Insurance, pension plans and capitalization bonds

The Bank offers insurance products through a number of different entities, which it refers to collectively as Grupo Bradesco Seguros. It offers life, personal accident and random events insurance through its subsidiary Bradesco Vida e Previdencia. It offers health insurance policies through Bradesco Saude and its subsidiaries for small, medium or large companies. It provides automobile, property/casualty and liability products through its subsidiary Bradesco Auto! /RE. It a! lso offers certain automobile, health, and property/casualty insurance products directly through its Website.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Jon C. Ogg]

  Banco Bradesco S.A. (NYSE: BBD) is one of the key banks and financial services companies in Brazil. A Yahoo! Finance reference showed that the 2012 figures were as follows: 4,686 branches; 34,859 ATMs; 12,975 shared ATMs under the Banco24Horas brand; and 5,237 special points of banking services. At $11.65, the 52-week trading range is $11.29 to $17.79. This ADR is down 7% so far in 2014.

Top 5 Companies To Buy For 2015: TransAlta Corporation (TAC)

TransAlta Corporation operates as a non-regulated electricity generation and energy marketing company. The company engages in the production and sale of electric energy through its diversified portfolio of facilities fuelled by coal, natural gas, hydroelectric, wind, geothermal, and biomass resources in Canada, the United States, and Australia. It has an aggregate net ownership interest of approximately 8,025 megawatts of generating capacity in operation. The company was founded in 1911 and is based in Calgary, Canada.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By alicet236]

  TransAlta Corporation (TAC) Reached the Five-Year Low of $12.78

  The prices of TransAlta Corporation (TAC) shares have declined to close to the five-year low of $12.78, which is 47.9% off the five-year high of $23.30. TransAlta Corp. is owned by one Guru we are tracking. Among them, zero have added to their positions during the past quarter. One reduced their position. TransAlta Corp. was incorporated under the Canada Business Corporations Act in March 1985. TransAlta Corp. has a market cap of $3.43 billion; its shares were traded at around $12.78 with a P/E ratio of 96.80 and P/S ratio of 1.46. The dividend yield of TransAlta Corp. stocks is 8.71%. TransAlta Corp. had an annual average earnings growth of 0.20% over the past 10 years.

• [By Nitish]

  Google Inc. reported consolidated revenues of $15.96 billion for the quarter ended June 30, 2014, an increase of 22% compared to the second quarter of 2013. The company reports advertising revenues consistent with GAAP on a gross basis without deducting traffic acquisition costs (TAC). In the second quarter of 2014, TAC totaled $3.29 billion, or 23% of advertising revenues.