AT&T Inc. to Be Exclusive Carrier of Amazon’s First Smartphone (T, AMZN)

On Tuesday morning, reports were released that AT&T Inc. (T) will be the exclusive carrier of Amazon’s new smartphone.

Amazon will reveal its new smart on Wednesday, June 18. According to reports, AT&T will the exclusive carrier for Amazon’s first smartphone. The deal is expected to attract more customers to AT&T’s service.

Apple (AAPL) and Samsung currently hold the majority share of the smartphone market, but Amazon plans to distinguish its new product. In 2007, AT&T exclusively sold the Apple iPhone giving it an advantage over Verizon (VZ).

AT&T shares were mostly flat during pre-market trading Tuesday. The stock is down 0.51% YTD.

Best Internet Stocks For 2014

“The Internet’s not written in pencil," Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg's girlfriend warns him in the movie The Social Network. "It’s written in ink.”

According to two attorneys at Sutherland Asbill & Brennan, this quote sets the tone for the online regulatory environment for advisors.

The attorneys published an article in the June issue of Banking & Financial Services Policy Report using The Social Network, the 2010 film about the rise of Facebook, to demonstrate the rise of enforcement against financial advisors for social media infractions.

“Although Internet content does not disappear (too easily), when it does, it can have far-reaching and long-lasting effects on firms and representatives who use it,” Brian Rubin and Caroline Crenshaw wrote.

Rubin is a partner in Sutherland’s Washington, D.C., office and leads the firm's securities enforcement and litigation practice team. Crenshaw is a member of Sutherland’s litigation practice group.

Best Blue Chip Stocks To Watch Right Now: 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 Jayson Derrick]

  eBay (NASDAQ: EBAY) plans to offer a $3.5 billion bond sale for general operating activities and to pay down outstanding short-term debt. Shares gained 1.08 percent, closing at $53.23.

• [By WWW.DAILYFINANCE.COM]

  B Christopher/Alamy I'm an American boy at heart. As such, I grew up with Lincoln Logs. Forty-odd years later, I'm now an father, with an American boy of my own -- and of course, I want him to have a set of Lincoln Logs of his own. But here's where I ran into a problem. Rich Smith Lincoln Logs, circa 1974 Logging (pardon the pun) onto Amazon.com (AMZN) and scanning the reviews of the various sets of Lincoln Logs available for sale, I was struck by a small minority of reviewers complaining of a "chemical" smell the toys gave off, while others worried about chemicals used in their manufacture -- they're apparently made in China. In fact, the "most helpful critical review" featured on Amazon at the time of my search cited a "potent ... toxic smell" to the product. Now, granted, these reviews constitute just 1 or 2 percent of the more than 350 customer reviews that Amazon has collected for just one single Lincoln Logs product. But in the context of a country of manufacture that's been hit with consumer complaints over everything from melamine-laced baby formula to lead-painted Thomas the Tank Engine sets, you can see why these reviews might give a prudent parent pause. Long story short, when it came to buy my boy his first set of Lincoln Logs, I opted for a used set, manufactured by Playskool in the 1970s and bought on eBay (EBAY). But here's the good news: Pretty soon, you won't have to. Made in America, by American Workers Nearly a century after their invention by the son of American architect Frank Lloyd Wright, Lincoln Logs are now manufactured under license from Hasbro (HAS) by the toy company K'NEX. The family-owned business has in fact been handling Lincoln Logs production for Hasbro for about 15 years now. K'NEX announced this month that, after decades of outsourcing Lincoln Logs' manufacture to foreign countries, it's bringing production of the iconic toy back home to the U. S. of A. Specifically, K'NEX says it will begin Lincoln Logs production

• [By Intelligent Speculator]

  A couple of weeks ago, I looked into how well Google (GOOG) and eBay (EBAY) could compete with Amazon. The conclusion? Not very well. It then became very relevant to look into how Walmart (WMT) and Costco (COST) would be able to compete. Why? Because I think it�� becoming more and more difficult for smaller players to compete with these megaplayers. I��e often discussed my theory about dominating the ecosystem and I think those who succeed become very difficult to deal with. Why? Just think about the levels of automation Amazon is able to bring into its business in terms of making it easy for consumers to buy all kinds of products more easily than any other store. Add to that rock bottom prices (slim margins and good purchasing power does help) and it�� a major challenge. Are Walmart and Costco the only players that can compete?

• [By WWW.DAILYFINANCE.COM]

  Twee Art Estate sales aren't just for dead people -- there are many other fine reasons to call in the experts at turning used stuff into cash. Maybe you're downsizing like I am, or you want to make some money and simultaneously clear out some clutter -- or maybe "Hoarders" is begging to film you. Whatever your story, here's how to hold an estate sale (or shop at one). Setting Up an Estate Sale In one sense, an estate sale is basically a glorified yard sale with more stuff and better advertising. But don't try to do it yourself -- an estate sells takes a lot of labor, some of it more specialized than you might think, so contract with a company. Look for listings on estatesales.net (also a good way to find estate sales to shop) and connect with a firm that has a longer track record and good reviews on Angie's List or other review sites. Most estate sales companies won't handle your sale if the goods aren't worth a minimum value -- often $10,000 or more. If your sale is accepted, an evaluator will look over your belongings and write up a contract. The commission and set-up fees can run 30 percent or more of proceeds to advertise and run the sale, plus contacting collectors if you have specialized items. I hired a company that has been in business for 40 years. I was advised to lock away anything I didn't want sold -- and I mean anything, from framed children's artwork to the toothpaste tube on the sink -- or mark it "NFS " (not for sale) with blue masking tape. Several weeks after my evaluation, a crew of eight came out and went through my house top to bottom, pricing, organizing and setting up displays. By the end of the day, my house looked like a three-story department store. I highly recommend being available on set-up day. It helped for me to be on hand to answer questions ("Are there more pieces to this collection?"), provide interesting backstories for some items (it apparently helped my company sell some photographic equipment), share the prices I had

Best Internet Stocks For 2014: Alibaba Group Holding Ltd (BABA)

Alibaba Group Holding Limited, incorporated on June 28, 1999, is an online and mobile commerce company. The Company operates its ecosystem as a platform for third parties. The Company operates Taobao Marketplace, China�� online shopping destination, Tmall, China�� third-party platform for brands and retailers and Juhuasuan, China�� group buying marketplace. In addition to its three China retail marketplaces, the Company operates Alibaba.com, China�� global online wholesale marketplace, 1688.com, its China wholesale marketplace, and AliExpress, its global consumer marketplace, as well as provides cloud computing services. As a platform, the Company provides the fundamental technology infrastructure and marketing reach to help businesses leverage the power of the Internet to establish an online presence and conduct commerce with consumers and businesses. Effective August 01, 2014, Alibaba Investment Ltd, a unit of Alibaba Group Holding Ltd, acquired a 10.193% interest n Singapore Post Ltd.

The buyers and sellers discover, select and transact with each other on the Company�� platform. Third-party service providers add value to its platform through service offerings that make it easier for buyers and sellers to do business. The third-party participants in its ecosystem include a payment services provider, logistics providers, retail operational partners, marketing affiliates, independent software vendors and various professional service providers. The Company has developed policies and procedures that maintain the health and sustainability of its marketplaces, including consumer protection programs, marketplace rules, qualification standards for merchants and buyer and seller rating systems. As its ecosystem expands, new jobs are created.

Taobao Affiliate Network is powered by Alimama, its online marketing technology platform. Through this platform, sellers place marketing displays on its marketing affiliates��websites and mobile apps, and sellers pay a performance-b! ased marketing fee primarily based on cost-per-click (CPC), and cost-per-sale (CPS), models. Through China Smart Logistics, the Company provides real-time information to its logistics partners, including key operating metrics, such as distribution center utilization rates, route planning data and order volume forecasts. Independent software vendors (ISVs) provide software tools, as well as systems integration services to sellers.

Tmall is an online platform featuring brands and retailers with each seller having an identifiable online storefront. Users may access Tmall anytime, anywhere through the Tmall Website and the mobile apps and mobile-optimized websites provided by Taobao Marketplace and Tmall. The physical product categories on Tmall include apparel and accessories, electronics and appliances, home furnishings, home appliances, maternity and baby products. Juhuasuan is an online group buying marketplace in China. Juhuasuan offers quality products at discounted prices by aggregating demand from numerous consumers. Juhuasuan mainly does this through flash sales, which make products available at discounted prices for a limited period of time. Juhuasuan offers group buying channels featuring branded and private label products, products made to custom specifications and local services.

AliExpress is a consumer marketplace enables consumers from around the world to buy directly from wholesalers and manufacturers in China. On AliExpress, consumers have access to a variety of products. In addition to the global English-language site, AliExpress operates two local language sites in Russia and Brazil. The product categories on AliExpress.com include apparel and accessories, phones and communications products, beauty and health, computer networking, jewelry and watches. Alibaba.com is an online commerce platform. Sellers on Alibaba.com may pay for an annual Gold Supplier membership to host a premium storefront with product listings on the marketplace.

The Company��! marketin! g technology platform, Alimama, offers sellers on its marketplaces marketing services for both personal computer and mobile devices, which include P4P marketing service and display marketing. Alimama also offers its sellers these marketing services through third parties through the Taobao Affiliate Network. The Taobao Ad Network and Exchange (TANX) automates the buying and selling of billions of advertising impressions on a daily basis by third parties. The Company also offer a data management platform (DMP), connected to TANX. Its DMP allows participants on TANX to evaluate and select online advertising inventory using both behavioral data they provide, as well as data from browsing behavior and shopping history. Its Cloud Computing supports its commerce ecosystem by providing a distributed computing infrastructure to handle the large volume of traffic and data generated on its online marketplaces. Its cloud computing platform offers service offerings, including elastic computing, database services and storage and large scale computing services.

The company offer search functions on all of its Web pages, mobile apps and many of its marketing affiliates��websites and apps to make it easy for buyers to find products and services within its marketplaces. The Company offers Aliwangwang, a personal computer-based instant messenger that supports text, audio and video communication. The Company developed Aliwangwang to facilitate open communication between buyers and sellers on Taobao Marketplace and Tmall. Buyers and sellers use it as a tool for a range of tasks, including negotiation of prices, customer services and delivery notification, in addition to the basic messaging functions. It offer Qianniu , an integrated platform for communication and productivity tools which allows sellers on Taobao Marketplace and Tmall to manage their operations more efficiently.

Alipay, the Company�� related company, provides payment and escrow services for transactions on Taobao Marketplace, Tm! all, 1688! .com and certain of its other sites, as well as to third parties in China. The Company�� small and medium enterprise (SME) loan business provides micro loans to sellers on its wholesale and retail marketplaces through lending vehicles licensed by the local government.

The company competes with Tencent and Baidu.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Sophia Yan]

  Ma's remaining 7.8% stake in the company is estimated to be worth about $13 billion. The deal values Alibaba (BABA) itself at $163 billion, slightly bigger than Amazon (AMZN, Tech30).

Best Internet Stocks For 2014: CYNK Technology Corp (CYNK)

Cynk Technology Corp., formerly Introbuzz, Inc., is a development stage-company. The Company intends to develop a social network business. Social networks are Web based services that allow individuals to post a profile and link their profile to other friends and organizations.

The Company intends to develop a database of professional and other business persons, as well as other interested persons in providing and utilizing contacts. As of November 14, 2012, the Company had not generated any revenue.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By WWW.DAILYFINANCE.COM]

  CYNK Technology (CYNK), the mysterious over-the-counter stock that at one point broke a $6 billion market cap, dropped roughly 80 percent in its first trades after a Securities and Exchange Commission halt. The SEC halted CYNK for two weeks following a massive rise in the stock's value -- it had been worth only a few cents per share in June, but it jumped above $21 on July 10. The Belize-based CYNK Technology supposedly operates a social networking site, but filings indicate it only has one employee and virtually no assets. Experts told CNBC the week of the SEC halt that they expected CYNK to fall precipitously after reopening, and its first day of trading is proving those predictions correct. When it was halted, the stock was worth just less than $14 per share, and is now below $3 a share after briefly hovering around $5 earlier Friday morning. An OTC Markets spokeswoman told Reuters that CYNK's shares were not trading on its platform, but were occurring over the phone. Earlier this week Reuters reported that OTC's CEO did not expect CYNK to trade on its platform at all after reopening, as no brokerages would file the required paperwork for the stock to trade on their exchanges. An SEC spokesman said that the organization cannot comment on the status of a company after a suspension period ends, citing an online explanation of the process. That document notes that broker-dealers may not solicit investors to trade the previously suspended OTC stock until they satisfy several regulatory requirements. The SEC warned, however, that "unsolicited" trading may occur after a reopening -- as CYNK is now seeing -- but "even though such trading is allowed, it can be very risky for investors without current and reliable information about the company."

Best Internet Stocks 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 Evan Niu, CFA]

  You don't become the dominant search engine in the world without picking up a few enemies along the way. That's why there's an organization whose sole purpose is to bash Google (NASDAQ: GOOG  ) -- an organization that's comprised and funded by many of its fiercest competitors.

• [By Quick Pen]

  #3: A strong new partnership
  Yes, you guessed it right. I am speaking of the BlackBerry-Boeing (BA) partnership. It�� not a totally new development and those who have been following the stock knew about this for some time now. However, the mention of this made sense in the context of the discussion. Boeing is working with BlackBerry to manufacture a self-destructing smartphone meant for secret government agencies, known as Boeing Black. Though the device will be powered by Google�� (GOOG) Android platform, BlackBerry will help the aero major to make it secured using its BES 12 platform.Several high-profile government agencies are already customer of the Canadian tech giant and this partnership should further strengthen Blackberry�� position in the software security market, helping it create a virtual monopoly in this space.

Best Internet Stocks For 2014: 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 Douglas A. McIntyre]

  The hope that YouTube competitors have is that, even at smaller numbers, they can make money—if they sell enough advertising or subscriptions, depending on which of the two models they favor. Advertising CPMs for video are much higher than for banners. This may make the amount of video viewed at Aol (NASDAQ: AOL), Facebook (NASDAQ: FB), and Yahoo! (NASDAQ: YHOO) adequate to drive profits.

• [By Jayson Derrick]

  Analysts at Macquarie upgraded Yahoo! (NASDAQ: YHOO) to Outperform from Neutral. Shares gained 2.29 percent, closing at $34.21.

  Equities-Specific News of Note

Best Internet Stocks For 2014: Symantec Corporation(SYMC)

Symantec Corporation provides security, storage, and systems management solutions internationally. The company?s Consumer segment delivers Internet security, PC tune-up, and online backup solutions and services to individual users and home offices. Its Security and Compliance segment provides solutions for endpoint security and management, compliance, messaging management, data loss prevention, encryption, and authentication services to large, medium, and small-sized businesses, as well as offers solutions through its software-as-a-service (SaaS) security offerings. This segment?s products enable customers to secure, provision, and remotely manage their laptops, PCs, mobile devices, and servers. The company?s Storage and Server Management segment provides storage and server management, backup, archiving, and data protection solutions across heterogeneous storage and server platforms, as well as solutions delivered through its SaaS offerings to large, medium, and small-s ized businesses. Symantec?s Services segment offers implementation services and solutions, including consulting, business critical services, education, and managed security services. The company also provides various enterprise support offerings, such as annual maintenance support contracts, including content, upgrades, and technical support. It sells its products through its eCommerce platform, as well as through distributors, direct marketers, Internet-based resellers, system builders, ISPs, and retail locations worldwide. Symantec markets and sells its products through distributors, retailers, direct marketers, Internet-based resellers, original equipment manufacturers, system builders, and Internet service providers; and its e-commerce channels, as well as direct sales force, value-added and large account resellers, and system integrators. The company was founded in 1982 and is headquartered in Mountain View, California.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Shauna O'Brien]

  On Thursday, Morgan Stanley reported that it has downgraded security and storage management company Symantec Corporation (SYMC).

  Morgan Stanley has cut its rating on SYMC to an “Equal Weight.” Analysts believe that the company lacks near term catalysts.

  Symantec shares were down 55 cents, or 2.18%, during pre-market trading Thursday. The stock is up 34% YTD.

Hot Rising Companies To Own For 2014

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

>>5 Stocks Setting Up to Break Out

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

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

>>5 Stocks Under $10 Set to Soar

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

Hot Building Product Companies For 2015: Axxess Unlimited Inc (AXXU)

Axxess Unlimited, Inc., incorporated on June 8, 2000, is the holding company for the Axxess family of companies. The Axxess family of companies includes both vertically-integrated operating businesses and horizontally-integrated companies with each supported by a common software technology - the Axxess RISE Platform. The Company provides next-generation business intelligence for a range of businesses and organizations. It provides information-driven business solutions through interactive marketing, interactive technologies, application and product development, customer relationship management, business intelligence, portals and collaboration, and infrastructure solutions. Its companies include Axxess Digital (AxxuD), Axxess Apps (AxxuA) and Axxess Brands (AxxuB).

Axxess Digital

AxxuD is an interactive digital agency company. The Company relies on the core logic of the Axxess Unlimited RISE platform.

Axxess Apps

AxxuA is a software development company. The focus of AxxuA includes: enterprise applications, custom applications, cloud applications and mobile applications. The Company has software-as-a-service (SaaS) solutions and custom and mobile products available in the government services, automobile dealership, medical and consumer goods sectors.

Axxess Brands

AxxuB is a marketer and manufacturer of specialty brands in better-for-you and indulgent categories under a variety of Company owned and licensed brand names. AxxuB licenses brands and provides outsource management.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By CRWE]

  Last Friday, WIZD remained (0.00%) +0.000 at $.200 at the close (ref. google finance August 23, 2013 ��Close).

  Axxess Unlimited, Inc. previously reported the second quarter 2013 financial results for the period ending June 30, 2013.

  Second quarter 2013 compared to second quarter 2012 results included:

  Total Revenues up 330% to $272,775 compared to $63,392
  Gross Profit grew 1076% to $193,961 compared to loss of $19,876
  Operating Expenses were up 97% as the company continued to invest in R&D and channel rollout for Axxess products and technology.
  Operating Net Income increased 103% to $3,118 compared to loss of $116,773
  Six-month period 2013 compared to six-month period 2012 results included:

  Total Revenues up 305% to $518,485 compared to $128,161
  Gross Profit grew 1212% to $352,532 compared to $26,868
  Operating Expenses were up 80%
  Operating Net Income increased 96% to a loss of $6,551 compared to a loss of $172,982

• [By James E. Brumley]

  A week and a half ago, yours truly penned some bullish thoughts on Axxess Unlimited Inc. (OTCMKTS:AXXU). Not too many traders read that take, and/or if they did, they didn't seem to care. The response to the commentary was non-existent (good or bad), and there was no sudden rush to go out and buy AXXU. Today's second look may have a different outcome.

Hot Rising Companies To Own For 2014: Selectica Inc.(SLTC)

Selectica, Inc. provides contract management and sales configuration software solutions that allow enterprises to manage sell-side business processes. It offers Selectica contract lifecycle management (CLM) solution, a contract authoring, analysis, repository, and process automation product that is offered on-premise or hosted basis enables customers to create, manage, and analyze contracts in a single repository. The company also offers Selectica sales configuration (SCS) solution, which consolidates configuration, pricing, and quoting functions into a single application platform. It provides SCS solutions to manufacturers, service providers, and financial services companies to streamline the opportunity-to-order process. In addition, the company provides professional implementation and customization services; on-demand hosting services for CLM solutions; and complex product configuration modeling services for SCS solutions. It sells its CLM products primarily through its direct sales force and strategic and OEM partners, as well as SCS products primarily through partnership relationships in the United States, Canada, India, New Zealand, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom. The company was founded in 1996 and is headquartered in San Jose, California.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By The GeoTeam]

  Our recent 2013 articles on SaaS companies Selectica (SLTC), E2open (EOPN), Responsys (MKTG), Vocus (VOCS), and ExactTarget (ET) highlighted such opportunities. The average return since the inception of our coverage currently stands at around 34% (55% at their highs).

Hot Rising Companies To Own For 2014: LM Ericsson Telephone Company(ERIC)

LM Ericsson Telephone Company provides communications equipment, professional services, and multimedia solutions to mobile and fixed networks operators worldwide. The Networks segment delivers radio access solutions that interconnect with devices, such as mobile phones, notebooks, and PCs; fixed access solutions for fiber and copper; and IP core network solutions, including softswitches, IP infrastructure for edge- and core routing, IP multimedia subsystem, and media gateways. This segment also offers transmission/backhaul; and microwave and optical transmission solutions for mobile and fixed networks, as well as offers network management tools for configuration, performance monitoring, security management, inventory management, and software upgrades. The Global Services segment delivers managed services comprising network design and planning, network operations, field operations and site maintenance, and shared solutions, as well as consulting and systems integration, cus tomer support, and network rollout services. The Multimedia segment provides IPTV solutions, video compression, on-demand solutions, content management systems, advertising, and interactive TV applications for operators, service providers, advertisers, and content providers; and business support systems, including revenue management, customer care, provisioning, device management, and analytics. This segment also offers service delivery platforms, communication suite, messaging, social media portal, and location-based services for consumers; and business communication solutions, such as business communication suite and brokering solutions that facilitate payment and distribution of content. The Sony Ericsson segment offers mobile phones, accessories, content, and applications. The ST-Ericsson segment develops and sells semiconductors and wireless platforms to handset manufacturers, mobile operators, and device manufacturers. The company was founded in 1876 and is headquarter ed in Stockholm, Sweden.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Laura Brodbeck]

  Friday

  Earnings Expected From: Ericsson (NASDAQ: ERIC), General Electric Company (NYSE: GE), Honeywell International Inc. (NYSE: HON), Johnson Controls, Inc. (NYSE: JCI) Economic Releases Expected:  Dutch consumer confidence, eurozone current account

  Posted-In: Federal ReserveEarnings News Previews Global Pre-Market Outlook Markets Trading Ideas Best of Benzinga

Hot Rising Companies To Own For 2014: Super Micro Computer Inc.(SMCI)

Super Micro Computer, Inc., together with its subsidiaries, develops and provides high performance server solutions based on modular and open-standard architecture. The company offers a range of rackmount, workstation, storage, graphic processing unit, and blade server systems, as well as subsystems and accessories used by distributors, original equipment manufacturers, and end customers to assemble server systems. It provides server options with single, dual, and quad CPU capability supporting Intel Pentium and Xeon multi-core architectures; and server systems based on AMD dual and quad Opteron. The company also offers server subsystems and accessories, including server boards, and chassis and power supplies. In addition, it sells other system accessories, such as microprocessors, memory, and disc drives. The company sells its server systems, and server subsystems and accessories through distributors, including value added resellers, system integrators, and original equip ment manufacturers, as well as through its direct sales force primarily in the United States, Europe, and Asia. Super Micro Computer, Inc. was founded in 1993 and is headquartered in San Jose, California.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By John Kell var popups = dojo.query(".socialByline .popC"); popups.forEach(func]

  Shares of Super Micro Computer Inc.(SMCI) jumped 17% to $22.09 premarket after the servers maker reported better-than-expected profit and sales growth for the fiscal third-quarter. Super Micro also issued a rosy outlook for the fiscal fourth quarter.

• [By Jake L'Ecuyer]

  Super Micro Computer (NASDAQ: SMCI) shares were also up, gaining 11.50 percent to $21.13 after the company reported upbeat FQ3 results and issued a strong Q4 forecast.

• [By Lauren Pollock]

  Super Micro Computer Inc.'s(SMCI) fiscal second-quarter profit more than doubled as the servers maker reported a double-digit jump in sales and higher gross margins. The latest results topped Super Micro’s expectations and the company issued a rosy outlook for the fiscal third quarter. Shares surged 12% to�$20.79 premarket.

• [By Seth Jayson]

  Super Micro Computer (Nasdaq: SMCI  ) reported earnings on April 23. Here are the numbers you need to know.

  The 10-second takeaway
  For the quarter ended March 31 (Q3), Super Micro Computer missed estimates on revenues and beat expectations on earnings per share.

Hot Rising Companies To Own For 2014: Steamships Trading Company Ltd(PNG)

Steamships Trading Company Limited operates as a diverse trading conglomerate in Papua New Guinea. It involves in shipping, road transport, product manufacture, property, hotels, and information technology businesses. The company?s shipping business includes operation of a fleet of coastal vessels, and providing estuarine and river trades in the Gulf and Western Provinces; short and long term vessel charters, and cargo liner services using vessels ranging from 500DWT to 6000DWT; and stevedoring and shipping agency services. Its road transport business comprises general transport, fuel distribution, and long haul transport services; and customs clearance, handling equipment hire, integrated logistics, and specialist transportation services. Steamships Trading Company?s product manufacture business includes the production and distribution of food stuff comprising ice cream, vegetable oils, condiments, and seasonings; health and beauty goods; and spirits and premixed drinks , as well as involves in distributing imported wines and spirits. Its property business comprises residential, commercial, and industrial property development and leasing activities. The company?s hotel business engages in operating hotels. Its information technology business provides business-critical ICT consulting, solutions and services, IT outsourcing, business process outsourcing, Internet services, electronics and computer retail, and training and wide-ranging technical support. The company was founded in 1924 and is based in Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea. Steamships Trading Company Limited is a subsidiary of John Swire & Sons (PNG) Limited.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Jon C. Ogg]

  Plains All American Pipeline L.P. (NYSE: PAA) was maintained as Outperform with a $64 price target (versus $51.44 current) after its announced acquisition of affiliated PAA Natural Gas Storage L.P. (NYSE: PNG) in an all-stock buyout.

• [By Aaron Levitt]

  And more could be in store. PAA has just agreed to swallow its former natural gas storage spinoff PAA Natural Gas Storage (PNG) in a $1.41 billion deal that will instantly be accretive to PAA shareholders. Meanwhile, Plains continues to build new capacity and crude-by-rail services in key refining markets like California.

Hot Rising Companies To Own For 2014: Mechanical Technology Inc (MKTY)

Mechanical Technology, Incorporated (MTI), incorporated on October 4, 1961, operates in two segments: the Test and Measurement Instrumentation segment, which is conducted through MTI Instruments, Inc. (MTI Instruments), a wholly-owned subsidiary, and the New Energy segment, which is conducted through MTI MicroFuel Cells, Inc. (MTI Micro), a variable interest entity (VIE) as of December 31, 2011. MTI Instruments is a worldwide supplier of precision non-contact physical measurement solutions, portable balance equipment and wafer inspection tools. MTI Micro is developing Mobion, a handheld energy-generating device. Mobion handheld generators are based on direct methanol fuel cell (DMFC) technology. As of December 31, 2011, the Company owned approximately 47.6% of MTI Micro's interest.

The Test and Measurement Instrumentation Segment

MTI Instruments is a worldwide supplier of precision non-contact physical measurement solutions, portable balance equipment and wafer inspection tools. MTI Instrument's products use a range of technologies to solve applications in numerous industries including manufacturing, semiconductor, solar, commercial and military aviation, automotive and data storage. The Company's test and measurement segment has three product groups: Precision Instruments, Semiconductor and Solar Metrology Systems, and Aviation Balancing Systems. The Company's products consist of electronic, computerized gauging instruments for position, displacement and vibration applications for the design, manufacturing/production and test and research markets; metrology tools for wafer characterization of semiconductor and solar wafers; tensile stage systems for materials testing in research and industrial settings; and engine balancing and vibration analysis systems for both military and commercial aircraft.

The Precision Instruments group employs capacitance, laser and fiber optic technologies to make nano-accurate measurements. These advanced sensing and physical measur! ement technologies are used to produce products that range from basic sensors to complete, fully integrated measurement systems, and are available as single sensors for integration into existing data acquisition systems or as complete system level solutions that can be further integrated into a facility wide communication backbone. MTI Instruments' Precision Instruments product offerings & technologies include Accumeasure Family, Microtrak Family, Microtrak II Series, Microtrak Pro-2D, MTI-2100 Fotonic Sensor Series, MTI Tensile Stages, Semiconductor and Solar Metrology Systems, Aviation Balancing Systems, PBS-4100+ /4100R+ Portable Balancing System, TSC-4800A Tachometer Signal Conditioner, and 1510A Calibrator.

The Accumeasure family of products is designed to address the needs of product developers, process engineers, researchers, designers, and others who need measurements. MTI Instrument's Microtrak family of laser triangulation sensors offers displacement, position and vibration measurements. The Microtrak II comes with an interface controller that provides a digital display of the target position, alarm set points and connections for analog and RS-485 outputs. The Microtrak II Stand-Alone Laser Head also uses complementary metal oxide semiconductors with charged coupled device (CMOS - CCD) detection technology. During the year ended December 31, 2011, MTII launched its Microtrak PRO-2D laser triangulation scanners, which provides profile, displacement and dimensional information in real time.

The MTI-2100 features fiber-optic and electronic technologies for precise measurements of displacement, position and vibration. MTI Instruments' miniature tensile, compression and bend testing machines are designed for use in scanning electron microscopes, atomic force microscopes, and light microscopes. The Company's family of wafer metrology systems includes manual and semi-automated systems. The Semiconductor and Solar Metrology Systems include Proforma 200SA/300SA, Proforma 300 a! nd PV-100! 0. The Proforma 300 is a manual tool. The PV-1000 is incorporated into solar cell production lines to help manufacturers determine quality control issues. The computer-based portable balancing systems (PBS) products collect and record aircraft engine vibration data, identify vibration or balance trouble in an engine, and calculate a solution to the problem.

The portable PBS-4100+ detects if an engine has a vibration problem or a trim balance problem and provides a solution, resulting in reduced engine vibration, longer engine life, and lower fuel costs. The PBS-4100R+ rack mounted system offers the same features and functions as the portable PBS-4100+ with added data channels, speed input channels, direct current (DC) outputs and diagnostic options. TSC-4800A Tachometer Signal Conditioner is targeted for operators of Engine Test cells, where accurate and reliable conditioning of speed signals is essential. The TSC-4800A features multiple output circuits that provide more than 10 different signals types for the monitoring devices. The PBS family of products includes a 1510A calibrator - a product that automatically performs a calibration check of the PBS unit which otherwise would take hours.

The New Energy Segment

MTI Micro has been developing an off-the-grid power solution for various portable electronic devices to address this power gap. The Company's DMFC technology platform, called Mobion, converts methanol fuel to usable electricity. The Company's fuel cell power solution consists of two components integrated into a manufactured device: the direct methanol fuel cell power engine, which the Company refers to as its Mobion Chip, and methanol fuel cartridges. MTI Micro is focusing the development of an external power charger product as a standalone device that uses a universal serial bus (USB) interface as a power output connector that can be used to recharge handheld mobile devices. A fuel cell is an electrochemical energy conversion device, which is similar t! o a batte! ry that produces electricity from a liquid or gaseous fuel, such as methanol, and an oxidant, such as oxygen.

The Company competes with KLA-Tencor, Sigma Tech Corporation, E+H Eichhorn+Hausmann GmbH, Chadwick-Helmuth Company, Inc., ACES Systems, Micro-Epsilon, and Keyence Corporation.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By John Udovich]

  Small cap Plug Power Inc was formed in 1997 as a joint venture between Michigan utility owner DTE Energy Co (NYSE: DTE) and Mechanical Technology Inc (OTCMKTS: MKTY) to develop fuel-cell systems to power homes and small businesses. Plug Power Inc says it has�revolutionized the material handling industry with cost-effective power solutions that increase productivity, lower operating costs and reduce carbon footprints as�it manufactures a full suite of products designed to fit seamlessly into the existing battery compartment of all major OEM material handling equipment. In addition, the company says its GenDrive fuel cell is a superior alternative to lead-acid batteries for electric lift trucks in the $20 billion�global material handling market.

Hot Rising Companies To Own For 2014: GFI Group Inc. (GFIG)

GFI Group Inc. provides wholesale brokerage, clearing, electronic execution, and trading support products for financial markets. The company offers brokerage and trade execution services, clearing services, market data and trading platform, and other software products to institutional customers. The company provides brokerage services in fixed income derivatives, bond instruments, and other related products; financial instruments, including foreign exchange options, exotic options, non-U.S. Dollar interest rate swaps and options, repurchase agreements, forward and non-deliverable forward contracts, and government and municipal bond options; cash-based and derivative equity products, such as the U.S. domestic and international equity stocks, global depositary receipts, American depositary receipts, and equity derivatives; and cash-based and derivative commodity, and energy products comprising oil, natural gas, biofuel, electricity, wet and dry freight derivatives, dry physi cal freight, precious metals, coal, property derivatives, emissions, ethanol, and soft commodities. It also offers clearing, brokerage, settlement, and back-office services to proprietary traders, brokers, market makers, and hedge funds; provides capital to start-up trading groups, small hedge funds, market-makers, and individual traders; licenses multi-asset class electronic trading and order management software to brokers, exchanges, and traders in the commodities, fixed income, currencies, and equities markets; and offers FENICS Professional, a suite of price discovery, price distribution, trading, risk management, and straight-through processing components. The company primarily serves investment and commercial banks, large corporations, asset managers, insurance companies, hedge funds, and proprietary trading firms in the Americas; Europe, the Middle East, and Africa; and Asia. GFI Group Inc. was founded in 1987 and is headquartered in New York, New York.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Jayson Derrick]

  CME Group (NYSE: CME) has agreed to acquire GFI Group (NASDAQ: GFIG) for $4.55 per share and will immediately sell it's wholesale brokerage and clearing business back to a group led by GFI Management. CME will retain GFI Group's Trayport which provides trading software in the European energy markets as well as FENICS, a provider of price discovery, analytics, risk-management and workflow connectivity services for over the counter foreign exchange options markets. Shares of CME Group gained 0.44 percent, closing at $75.83 while shares of GFI Group surged to new 52-week highs of $4.50 before closing the day at $4.47, up 43.73 percent.

Top India Companies To Buy For 2014

Gold is one of the most influential financial instruments in the India. Banks, NBFCs and unorganized lenders are actively engaged in providing loans against gold value. The loan against value of gold has played a great role by providing liquidity for an idle asset kept in the lockers. However, in its latest move, RBI has come up with a norm for NBFCs that does not allow them to offer a loan above 60% of the value of gold.

RBI grew uncomfortable with the high growth rate of gold loans for NBFCs. It has increased its inquiry of the gold loan portfolios, even for the banks. RBI wants interest rates and growth rates on gold loans to come down, especially for NBFCs considering concentration risk and the risk of a fall in gold prices.

Furthermore, RBI�� directive that a bank credit to NBFCs for giving loans against gold jewelry will not be treated as exposure to the agricultural sector would hinder companies to raise easy funds for gold financing.
Some of the key points from the RBI�� latest guidelines for NBFCs include transparency in interest rates, due diligence in understanding the repayment capacity of the borrower, awareness of his existing debts, explicit loan agreement etc. Also, NBFCs that have gold loans of more than 50% of total financial assets have to maintain Tier -1 capital ratio of 12% from April 2014.

Top Semiconductor Companies To Watch For 2015: Dr. Reddy's Laboratories Ltd(RDY)

Dr. Reddy?s Laboratories Limited, together with its subsidiaries, operates as a pharmaceutical company. It produces finished dosage forms, active pharmaceutical ingredients and intermediates, and biotechnology products. The company also conducts research in the areas of cancer, diabetes, cardiovascular, inflammation, and bacterial infection. In addition, it involves in the contract manufacture generic prescription and over-the-counter products for branded and generic companies in the United States. The company primarily focuses on therapeutic categories of cardiovascular, diabetes management, gastro-intestinal, and pain management. It markets its products in India, the United States, Europe, and the Russian Federation. The company has a co-development and commercialization agreement with Rheoscience A/S for the development and commercialization of Balaglitazone/DRF 2593, a partial PPAR-gamma agonist for the treatment of type 2 diabetes; an agreement with ClinTec Internatio nal for the development of an anti-cancer compound, DRF 1042; collaboration with the National Cancer Institute in Maryland; and an agreement with Argenta Discovery Limited for the joint development and commercialization of a novel approach to the treatment of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. It also has an agreement with 7TM Pharma for drug discovery collaboration on selected drug targets; and an agreement with GlaxoSmithKline plc to develop and market pharmaceuticals for the treatment of cardiovascular disease, diabetes, oncology, gastroenterology, and pain management. Dr. Reddy?s Laboratories Limited was founded in 1984 and is headquartered in Hyderabad, India.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Monica Gerson]

  Dr. Reddy's Laboratories (NYSE: RDY) is expected to report its Q4 earnings at $0.52 per share.

  YuMe (NYSE: YUME) is estimated to post a Q1 loss at $0.15 per share on revenue of $35.36 million.

• [By Ben Levisohn]

  Teva has dropped 7.7% to $37.85 today at 3:23 p.m. but doesn’t seem to be spreading though the generic drug space. Taro Pharmaceuticals (TARO) ha gained 1.1% to $79, while Actavis (ACT) has gained 1.2% to $156.25 and Dr. Reddy’s Laboratories (RDY) has advanced 1% to $40.24. Mylan (MYL) has dropped 0.7% to $38.40.

• [By Seth Jayson]

  Dr. Reddy's Laboratories (NYSE: RDY  ) reported earnings on May 14. Here are the numbers you need to know.

  The 10-second takeaway
  For the quarter ended March 31 (Q4), Dr. Reddy's Laboratories beat expectations on revenues and beat expectations on earnings per share.

• [By Benjamin Shepherd] We’re now into day 15 of the US government shutdown, as House Republicans stubbornly try to defund Obamacare. No matter what sort of deal is eventually struck, health care costs aren’t likely to come down any time soon. And that’s good news for generic drug makers.
  
  Dr. Reddy’s Laboratories (NYSE: RDY) is one of the biggest players in generic drugs, offering more than 200 off-brand medications in the areas of cardiovascular disease, pain management and oncology, among others. In fact, this India-based company has become one of the largest makers of generics in the world, helping to drive more than 20 percent annual compounded earnings growth at the company over the past decade.

Top India Companies To Buy For 2014: Tata Motors Ltd(TTM)

Tata Motors Limited, an automobile company, engages in the manufacture and sale of commercial and passenger vehicles primarily in India. The company offers cars, utility vehicles, trucks, buses and coaches, and defense vehicles, as well as develops electric and hybrid vehicles for personal and public transportation. It also involves in distributing and marketing cars; and financing the vehicles sold by the company. In addition, the company engages in the provision of engineering and automotive solutions, as well as machine tools and factory automation solutions; construction equipment manufacturing; automotive vehicle components manufacturing and supply chain activities; tooling and plastic and electronic components for automotive and computer applications; and automotive retailing and service operations. It offers its products and services through its dealership, sales, services, and spare parts network. The company also markets its commercial and passenger vehicles in Eu rope, Africa, the Middle East, South East Asia, South Asia, and South America. The company was formerly known as Tata Engineering and Locomotive Company Limited and changed its name to Tata Motors Limited in July 2003. Tata Motors Limited was founded in 1945 and is based in Mumbai, India.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Justin Loiseau]

  March sales data from�Tata Motors� (NYSE: TTM  ) �show business is booming for its Jaguar Land Rover subsidiary.

  Overall sales clocked in at 53,772 units, up 16.4%�from March 2012, and longer-term trends tell a similar story. In the past 12 months, sales have headed even higher, up 22.5% to 374,669. Jaguar sales are up 8.1% in the last year, while Land Rover carried the carline with a 25.6% boost.

• [By James Well]

  Pfizer�� Net Income Growth Is Increasing Leading to Increase in Its Operating Margins
  
  Net incomes and operating margins of a company give some insights into its financial health. Pfizer�� net income growth has accelerated this year. In fact, when compared with its direct competitors like Merck, Novartis, and Sanofi, the rate of increase of net income growth trailing twelve months (TTM) is greatest at Pfizer with $10.68 billion followed by Novartis with $9.37 billion while Merck and Sanofi lagged behind with $4.53 billion and $4.05 billion respectively. Really, rather than increasing, there has been a decrease in Merck�� and Sanofi�� net incomes this year which should be a source of concern for investors. A healthy operating margin shows that a company is earning more per dollar of sales and, hence, able to pay for its fixed costs including interest on debt.

• [By Justin Loiseau]

  Tata Motors (NYSE: TTM  ) released April sales numbers for its luxury Jaguar and Land Rover vehicle lines today, and sales are soaring.

• [By Justin Loiseau]

  India and Australia just edged a little closer in the corporate car world. India's Tata Motors (NYSE: TTM  ) announced today that it will enter the Australian market under a new third-party distributor, M/s Fusion Automotive Pty Ltd. Australia.

Top India Companies To Buy For 2014: Stewart Information Services Corporation(STC)

Stewart Information Services Corporation provides title insurance and related information services required for settlement by the real estate and mortgage industries. It operates in two segments, Title Insurance-Related Services and Real Estate Information. The Title Insurance-Related Services segment offers services that include searching for and examining documents, such as deeds, mortgages, wills, divorce decrees, court judgments, liens, paving assessments, and tax records, as well as provides titles insurance for residential and commercial properties, undeveloped acreage, farms, ranches, and water rights. This segment serves attorneys, builders, developers, home buyers and home sellers, lenders, and real estate brokers. The Real Estate Information segment offers products and services, which primarily include lender services, title technology, foreign and domestic government services, mapping, title information, Internal Revenue Code Section 1031 tax-deferred property e xchanges, pre-employment services, and online filing and transaction management. Its customers include mortgage lenders and servicers, mortgage brokers, mortgage investors, government entities, commercial and residential real estate agents, land developers, builders, title insurance agencies, and others interested in obtaining property information, as well as accountants, attorneys, investors, and employers. The company has operations primarily in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, central Europe, Mexico, central America, and Australia. Stewart Information Services Corporation was founded in 1893 and is based in Houston, Texas.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Ben Levisohn]

  Tower Group has dropped 12% to $3.88 today at 11:39 a.m., while Stewart Information Services (STC) has dipped 0.1% to $31.16, the�Navigators Group�(NAVG) has fallen 1.4% to $54.78 and HCI Group�(HCI) has gained 1% to $38.16.

Top India Companies To Buy For 2014: Infosys Technologies Limited(INFY)

Infosys Ltd. provides information technology (IT) and consulting services worldwide. It offers IT services, such as application, architecture, independent validation and testing, information management, infrastructure, packaged application, SOA, systems integration, and knowledge services; product engineering services, manufacturing process and plant solutions, and product lifecycle management services; and consulting services in the areas of information and technology strategies, product innovation, next generation commerce, process excellence, and learning and complex change. The company also provides business process outsourcing solutions in the areas of business platforms, customer service outsourcing, finance and accounting, human resources outsourcing, legal services, sales and fulfillment, and sourcing and procurement outsourcing. In addition, it offers collaborative analytics solutions; digital consumer platform; Finacle universal banking solution; iProwe, a Web ac cessibility assessment product; mConnect, a real-time enterprise middleware; and research and analytical support services. Further, the company offers unified communications and collaboration solution that streamlines business processes between employees, customers, and suppliers; iTransform that helps healthcare organizations accelerate transition to new platforms; and supply chain visibility and collaboration product suite. It serves aerospace and defense, airlines, automotive, banking, capital markets, communication services, consumer packaged goods, manufacturing, education, energy, healthcare, high technology, hospitality and leisure, insurance, life sciences, logistics and distribution, publishing, resources, utilities, and retail industries. Infosys Ltd. has a strategic partnership with Alstom SA. The company was formerly known as Infosys Technologies Limited and changed its name to Infosys Ltd. on June 16, 2011. Infosys Ltd. was founded in 1981 and is headquartered i n Bengaluru, India.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Monica Gerson]

  Infosys (NASDAQ: INFY) is expected to report its Q2 earnings at $0.70 per share on revenue of $2.01 billion.

  Posted-In: Earnings scheduleEarnings News Pre-Market Outlook Markets

• [By Michael Flannelly]

  Shares of Infosys Ltd (INFY) spiked in pre-market trading on Friday after the software company posted second quarter earnings and revenues that beat Wall Street expectations.

  The India-based company posted a second quarter net income of $383 million, or 67 cents per share, down from $431 million, or 75 cents per share, posted in the same period last year.

  The company’s earnings per American Depository Share, or ADR, came in at 73 cents per share. According to analysts at Thomson Reuters, the company was expected to earn 70 cents per share in the quarter.

  Infosys’ quarterly revenues came in at $2.066 billion, up from the $1.797 billion posted in the same quarter last year. On average, analysts were expecting the company to see $2.01 billion in revenues.

  “During the quarter we witnessed broad-based volume growth, robust client additions, five large deal wins and increased sales momentum of our big data and cloud offerings. This growth is a result of our focus on execution, which helps our clients achieve their objectives.” said S. D. Shibulal, CEO and Managing Director.

  “We will continue with planned investments and initiatives to explore new avenues of growth. We remain watchful of the sustainability of improving global economic fundamentals”, he added.

  Looking ahead, the company sees revenues growing between 9% and 10% in fiscal 2014.

  Infosys shares were up $2.72, or 5.41%, during pre-market trading on Friday. The stock is up 18.87% year-to-date.

• [By Dan Caplinger]

  Overall, the most popular emerging market ETFs experienced much sharper declines than the less-than-1% drop the Dow posted this week. Vanguard Emerging Markets (NYSEMKT: VWO  ) and iShares Emerging Markets (NYSEMKT: EEM  ) were both down just under 3% for the week. But when you drill down to look for particular culprits in the emerging markets, you don't have to look very far to find that it was generally a broad-based decline:

  In China, more concerns about a slowdown in the manufacturing industry put pressure on stocks. The Shanghai index didn't move much, but one key ETF tracking the Chinese market sank nearly 4% in response to the news, largely on weakness in telecom giant China Mobile (NYSE: CHL  ) , which plays a commanding role in many emerging market-focused ETFs.
  � Indian stocks suffered from some of the same macroeconomic issues, with the Bombay market's index down about 3% and ETF tracking the market falling 4% to 5%. The Indian finance minister responded to the decline, which many blamed on Fed Chair Ben Bernanke's comments, by saying, "We think that Bernanke's statement has been misunderstood or misinterpreted." Yet that didn't seem to appease investors in outward-directed industries like Infosys (NYSE: INFY  ) , whose IT offerings require health activity levels not just in India but in the U.S. and other customer-heavy countries as well.
  � Stocks in Mexico suffered declines of almost 5%, retracing some ground after an extraordinarily strong stretch of gains on optimism about the country's ability to reinvigorate its economy beyond its core reliance on petroleum and to resolve ongoing conflicts with drug cartels.

  But there were some relatively bright spots in other emerging markets. Brazilian stocks were actually up a bit on the week, as the nation found itself better insulated from all the happenings in Asia related to China and Japan. Russian stocks also remained relatively stable,

How 3 Stocks Turned $30,000 Into $1 Million

Source: Flickr user Tax Credits

Most investors invest for the opportunity to realize life-changing financial gains, but those gains are almost always generated over the long haul, not in the blink of an eye. That means it's critical to invest in top-notch, disruptive companies and to hold on to them through the market's inevitable short-term pops-and-drops.

For example, these three game-changing companies have rewarded investors with jaw-dropping returns over the past decade. Investing $10,000 in each in 2005, and holding them through thick and thin, would have produced a portfolio that is worth more than $1.1 million today. While no one can know if these companies will see similar success in the future, we can consider what made these stocks such big winners and what lessons they might offer in finding the next decade's million-dollar ideas.

Source: S&P Capital IQ and author's calculation.

1. Regeneron Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ: REGN  ) : up 4,508% since 2005.
In 2005, Regeneron was a clinical-stage biotech company with no FDA-approved products, but it was working on Eylea, a treatment for wet stage age-related macular degeneration, or wet AMD, that had entered clinical trials in 2004. At the time, Regeneron might have caught investors' attention because of Novartis (NYSE: NVS  ) , which was awaiting FDA approval for Lucentis, its own treatment for wet AMD. Lucentis was widely expected to be a top seller, and quickly became a billion-dollar blockbuster upon winning FDA approval in 2007. Despite the halo effect from Lucentis, investors betting on Regeneron in the mid-to-late 2000s were still taking on substantial risk. After all, Regeneron was a small-cap biotech, with no sales. Moreover, Regeneron faced a significant uphill climb given that, historically, 90% of drugs in clinical trials fail. Ultimately, Regeneron overcame those odds to win FDA approval for Eylea in 2011; the drug became a major commercial success, with sales likely to hit $3 billion next year.

Eylea's success turned Regeneron into a $39 billion company and is financing its research pipeline, which includes the bad cholesterol-fighting drug alirocumab. While Regeneron is more the exception than the rule among clinical-stage biotechs, its performance over the past decade suggests that risk-tolerant investors should be on the lookout for small companies that are working on the next generation of solutions for blockbuster indications, such as cancer, diabetes, and Alzheimer's.

Source: Illumina

2. Illumina  (NASDAQ: ILMN  ) : up 3,842% since 2005.
Illumina has been at the forefront of genetic discovery for more than a decade, and its gene sequencing machines are used by researchers worldwide to advance genetic discoveries and develop personalized medicine used to treat cancers and other specific gene mutations.

In 2005, Illumina already had products on the market that were being used to unlock the genetic code, but genetic sequencing was still extremely pricey, running north of $10 million per genome., The industry was also still in the very early stages of development, with plenty of naysayers. Regardless, thanks in part to interest from universities and research funding provided by the National Institutes of Health, demand for Illumina's products and services grew quickly between 2001 and 2005.

Source: Illumina.

Illumina's rapid growth in the first half of the last decade was impressive, but the company's eventual success stemmed from its willingness to plow revenue back into research and development.

ILMN Research and Development Expense (TTM) data by YCharts.

That eventually revolutionized gene sequencing via increasingly faster and cheaper products. As a result, the cost of gene sequencing fell significantly, sparking additional demand for Illumina's products. Today, the cost of gene sequencing has dropped below $1,000, a significant improvement from its $10 million-plus cost a decade ago. Illumina's sales, meanwhile, have marched steadily higher over the past decade. In the first nine months of this year, Illumina's revenue totaled $1.34 billion, up 30% from 2013.

Illumina's leadership in a disruptive and fast-growing industry, and its willingness to spend on R&D for future growth, resulted in massive gains over the past decade that suggest investors would be wise to search out like-minded companies that are working on game-changing technologies. One industry that appears to meet those criteria today is 3D printing.

3. Alexion Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ: ALXN  ) : up 2,942% since 2005.
Like Regeneron, Alexion was also a clinical-stage company in 2005. But Alexion's lead drug candidate, Soliris, was already in phase 3 trials. Following those trials, which studied Soliris as a treatment for a rare-blood disorder known as paroxysmal nocturnal hemoglobinuria, or PNH, Soliris won the FDA green light in 2007.

The fact that the PNH indication is uncommon, affecting just 8,000 to 10,000 people in North America and Europe in 2005, likely kept many investors away from Alexion that year. However, investors would have been wise to recognize that an absence of FDA-approved treatments for the indication, and a poor prognosis for the disease, would have resulted in significant demand, and ultimately pricing power, for Alexion.

That combination has turned Soliris into a big winner for Alexion and its shareholders. The drug, which is now approved as a treatment for both PNH and atypical hemolytic uremic syndrome, another uncommon disease with a poor prognosis, generated $555 million in sales during the third quarter alone, up 39% year over year, and turned Alexion into a rare disease powerhouse with a market cap of $35 billion. Alexion's success over the past decade suggests investors should search for other clinical-stage biotechs that are working on therapies for rare diseases, such as Fabry disease.

Tying it all together
Regeneron, Illumina, and Alexion were all small-cap stocks in 2005, which made them risky bets for investors. But each was developing unique solutions to important problems. Regeneron and Alexion were clinical-stage biotechs developing next-generation treatments for important diseases, and Illumina was building the machines necessary to revolutionize drug discovery. That common thread might indicate investors hoping to find the next decade's winners should concentrate at least some of their portfolio on small-cap companies. 

1 great healthcare stock to buy for 2015 and beyond
Healthcare stocks soared in 2014, and 2015 is shaping up to be another great year for stocks. But if you want to make sure you're buying one of the best health care stocks, you need to know where to start. That's why The Motley Fool's chief investment officer just published a brand-new research report that reveals his top stock for the year ahead. To get the full story on this year's stock -- completely free -- simply click here.

Best Gas Companies To Own For 2014

It has been very easy to pounce on the coal industry lately. Not only is it under pressure because of natural gas and environmental concerns but the price of coal has made it very difficult to make a profit. Not everyone sees it that way, though, and Peabody Energy (NYSE: BTU  ) is one company that sees very bright times ahead. Let's take a look at three signs the company sees that could mean good things for the industry, and Peabody specifically, going forward.

Demand set to surge
From 2011 into much of 2012, coal ceded a large part of its market share to natural gas because of the huge drop in natural gas prices. Since then, coal has slowly regained a more dominant position.�

What is most intriguing about this trend, though, is that not many coal companies have seen much of an uptick in domestic demand during that time. Despite an 11% increase in coal generation this year, overall industry shipments are down 5%. The reason that this is happening is that several utility companies are burning through their coal inventories rather than buying new.�

Top 5 China Stocks To Invest In 2015: World Point Terminals LP (WPT)

World Point Terminals, LP, incorporated on April 19, 2013, is a fee-based Delaware limited partnership formed to own, operate, develop and acquire terminals and other assets relating to the storage of light refined products, heavy refined products and crude oil. WPT GP, LLC is the general partner of the Company. It operates in a single reportable segment consists primarily of the fee-based storage and terminaling services it performs under contracts with its customers. The Company�� storage terminals are located in the East Coast, Gulf Coast and Midwest regions of the United States and, as of May 31, 2013, had a combined available storage capacity of 12.4 million barrels. The Company provides terminaling and storage of light refined products, such as gasoline, distillates and jet fuels; heavy refined products, such as residual fuel oils and liquid asphalt, and crude oil. Most of its terminal facilities are located on waterways, and have truck racks. Several of its terminal facilities also have rail or pipeline access. As of May 31, 2013, approximately 93% of its available storage capacity was under contract.

The Company generates revenue from Storage Services Fees, Ancillary Services Fees and Additive Services Fees. Storage Services Fees are its customers pay base storage services fees, which are fixed monthly fees paid at the beginning of each month to reserve storage capacity in its tanks and to compensate it for receiving up to a base product volume on their behalf. The Company charges ancillary services fees to its customers for providing services, such as heating, mixing and blending its customers��products that are stored in its tanks; transferring its customers��products between its tanks; at its Granite City terminal, adding polymer to liquid asphalt, and rail car loading and dock operations. The Company generates revenue from fees for injecting generic gasoline, gasoline, lubricity, red dye and cold flow additives to its customers��products.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By John Emerson]

  Berman pioneered the idea of the World Poker Tour (WPT) and sold the concept to the Travel Channel. Watching poker on television had always been boring since the viewing audience could not see the down cards which the players held. Berman remedied that problem by allowing a camera to expose the down cards to the TV audience. That idea suddenly transformed Texas Holdem into a fascinating spectator�� sport. By the end of 2003 the stock had reached its book value of 15 dollars a share and I decided to take my profits, perhaps a bit prematurely. The stock quickly climbed to about 30 dollars a share on sheer momentum.

• [By Robert Rapier]

  World Point Terminals (NYSE: WPT) owns and operates terminals and other assets for the storage of light refined products, heavy refined products and crude oil. World Point’s storage terminals are located in the East Coast, Gulf Coast and Midwest regions of the US. The partnership debuted on Aug. 9, and units have gained 2 percent since. The partnership agreement provides for a minimum quarterly distribution of $1.20 per unit on an annualized basis. At the recent closing price of $19.64/unit, this equates to a minimum annualized yield of 6.1 percent.
  

Best Gas Companies To Own For 2014: Essar Energy Plc (ESSR)

Essar Energy plc is a holding company. The Company is an energy company with assets across the power and oil and gas industries. The Company operates in the areas petroleum refining and marketing, exploration and production and power transmission and generation. The Refining and Marketing business in India comprises of the Vadinar refinery located on the west coast of India and a retail franchise network of around 1,400 fuel stations across India and the Refining, and Marketing business in the United Kingdom comprises of the Stanlow refinery located near Liverpool, north west England and on the south bank of Manchester ship canal. The Company�� exploration and production segment includes a portfolio of 15 blocks and fields in the various stages of exploration and production of oil and gas in India, Indonesia, Nigeria and Vietnam. In Power segment, the Company operates coal fired, captive fuel and gas based power plants in India and Canada together with a number of mining assets. Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Sarah Jones]

  Essar Energy Plc (ESSR) climbed 2.5 percent to 122 pence after reporting that revenue rose 24 percent to $27.3 billion in the 12 months through March. The company cited higher margins and volumes at its Vadinar refinery in India and its Stanlow refinery in the U.K.

Best Gas Companies To Own For 2014: Marathon Petroleum Corp (MPC)

Marathon Petroleum Corporation (MPC), incorporated on November 9, 2009, is a petroleum product refiners, transporters and marketers in the United States. The Company operates in three segments: Refining & Marketing, Speedway and Pipeline Transportation. Marathon Petroleum�� refining, marketing and transportation operations are concentrated in the Midwest, Gulf Coast and Southeast regions of the United States. MPC has two retail brands: Speedway and Marathon. Effective as of June 30, 2011, MPC was separated from Marathon Oil Corporation (Marathon Oil) and became an independent company in a spin-off transaction.

Refining & Marketing

The Company owned and operated six refineries in the Gulf Coast and Midwest regions of the United States with an aggregate crude oil refining capacity of approximately 1.2 million barrels per calendar day as of December 31, 2011. During 2011, its refineries processed 1,177 million barrels per day of crude oil and 181 mbpd of other charge and blend stocks. Its refineries include crude oil atmospheric and vacuum distillation, fluid catalytic cracking, catalytic reforming, desulfurization and sulfur recovery units. The refineries process a range of crude oils and produce numerous refined products, ranging from transportation fuels, such as reformulated gasolines, blend-grade gasolines intended for blending with fuel ethanol and ultra-low-sulfur diesel fuel, to heavy fuel oil and asphalt. Additionally, MPC manufacture aromatics, propane, propylene, cumene and sulfur.

The Company�� Garyville, Louisiana refinery is located along the Mississippi River in southeastern Louisiana between New Orleans and Baton Rouge. The Garyville refinery is configured to process heavy sour crude oil into products, such as gasoline, distillates, asphalt, polymer grade propylene, propane, isobutane, sulfur and fuel-grade coke. The Catlettsburg, Kentucky refinery is located in northeastern Kentucky on the western bank of the Big Sandy River, near the confluence! with the Ohio River. The Catlettsburg refinery processes sweet and sour crude oils into products such as gasoline, distillates, asphalt, cumene, petrochemicals, propane and propylene. The Robinson, Illinois refinery is located in southeastern Illinois. The Robinson refinery processes sweet and sour crude oils into products, such as multiple grades of gasoline, distillates, anode-grade coke, propane, butane and propylene.

MPC�� Detroit, Michigan refinery is located near Interstate 75 in southwest Detroit. It is the petroleum refinery operating in Michigan. The Detroit refinery processes light sweet and heavy sour crude oils, including Canadian crude oils, into products, such as gasoline, distillates, asphalt, slurry, propane, and propylene. Its Canton, Ohio refinery is located approximately 60 miles southeast of Cleveland, Ohio. The Canton refinery processes sweet and sour crude oils into products such as gasoline, distillates, asphalt, propane, slurry and roofing flux. Its Texas City, Texas refinery is located on the Texas Gulf Coast approximately 30 miles south of Houston, Texas. The refinery processes sweet crude oil into products such as gasoline, chemical grade propylene, propane, slurry and aromatics.

As of December 31, 2011, the Company owned and operated 62 light product and 21 asphalt terminals. In addition, it distributes through approximately 52 third-party light product and 12 third-party asphalt terminals in its market area. During 2011, marine transportation operations included 15 towboats, as well as 167 owned and 14 leased barges that transport refined products on the Ohio, Mississippi and Illinois rivers and their tributaries, as well as the Intercoastal Waterway. As of December 31, 2011, the Company leased or owned approximately 1,950 railcars of various sizes and capacities for movement and storage of refined products. In addition, it own 124 transport trucks for the movement of refined products.

The Company produces propane at all six of its! refineri! es. Propane is primarily used for home heating and cooking, as a feedstock within the petrochemical industry, for grain drying and as a fuel for trucks and other vehicles. The Company is also a producer and marketer of feedstocks and specialty products. Product availability varies by refinery and includes propylene, cumene, dilute naphthalene oil, molten sulfur, toluene, benzene and xylene. Propane is primarily used for home heating and cooking, as a feedstock within the petrochemical industry, for grain drying and as a fuel for trucks and other vehicles.

Speedway

The Company sells transportation fuels and convenience products in the retail market in the Midwest, primarily through Speedway convenience stores. The Speedway segment sells gasoline and merchandise through convenience stores that the Companu owns and operates, primarily under the Speedway brand. Speedway-branded convenience stores offer a range of merchandise, such as prepared foods, beverages and non-food items, including a number of private-label items. As of December 31, 2011, Speedway had 1,371 convenience stores in seven states.

Pipeline Transportation

The Company transports crude oil and other feedstocks to our refineries and other locations, delivers refined products to wholesale and retail market areas and includes, among other transportation-related assets, a majority interest in LOOP LLC, which is the owner and operator of the United States deepwater oil port. It owns common carrier pipeline systems through Marathon Pipe Line LLC (MPL) and Ohio River Pipe Line LLC (ORPL), both of which are wholly owned subsidiaries. These pipeline systems transport crude oil and refined products, primarily in the Midwest and Gulf Coast regions, to its refineries, its terminals and other pipeline systems. The Company�� MPL and ORPL wholly owned carrier systems consist of 1,707 miles of crude oil lines and 1,825 miles of refined product lines comprising 31 systems located in 11 states, as of Decem! ber 31, 2! 011. In addition, MPL leases and operates 217 miles of common carrier refined product pipelines.

The common carrier refined product pipelines include the owned and operated Cardinal Products Pipeline and the Wabash Pipeline. The Cardinal Products Pipeline delivers refined products from Kenova, West Virginia, to Columbus, Ohio. The Wabash Pipeline system delivers refined products from Robinson, Illinois, to various terminals in the area of Chicago, Illinois. Other refined product pipelines owned and operated by MPL extend from: Robinson, Illinois to Louisville, Kentucky; Robinson, Illinois to Lima, Ohio; Wood River, Illinois to Indianapolis, Indiana; Garyville, Louisiana to Zachary, Louisiana, and Texas City, Texas to Pasadena, Texas.

As of December 31, 2011, the Company had partial ownership interests in the pipeline companies that have approximately 110 miles of crude oil pipelines and 3,600 miles of refined products pipelines, including about 970 miles operated by MPL, which include Centennial Pipeline LLC (Centennial), Explorer Pipeline Company (Explorer), LOCAP LLC (LOCAP), LOOP LLC (LOOP), Muskegon Pipeline LLC (Muskegon) and Wolverine Pipe Line Company (Wolverine).

The Company holds a 50% interest in Centennial, which owns a refined products pipeline system connecting the Gulf Coast region with the Midwest market. The Company holds a 17% interest in Explorer, a refined products pipeline system extending from the Gulf Coast to the Midwest. It holds a 51% interest in LOOP, the owner and operator of the Louisiana Offshore Oil Port, which is a deepwater oil port capable of receiving crude oil from large crude carriers, located 18 miles off the coast of Louisiana, and a crude oil pipeline connecting the port facility to storage caverns and tanks at Clovelly, Louisiana. The Company holds a 60% interest in Muskegon, which owns a refined products pipeline extending from Griffith, Indiana to North Muskegon, Michigan. It hold a 6% interest in Wolverine, a refined prod! ucts pipe! line system extending from Chicago, Illinois to Toledo, Ohio.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Ben Levisohn]

  Remember when oil refiners like Marathon Petroleum (MPC), Valero (VLO),�Western Refining�(WNR) and Tesoro (TSO) were getting a boost from the widening differential between the prices of oil in U.S. and Europe? Well, those days may be over.

  Genscape, Inc.

  It’s been a very good three months for oil refiners. Western Refining has gained 37% during that period, while Marathon Petroleum has risen 35%, Valero has advanced 38% and Tesoro is up 28%. The price of PBF Energy (PBF) shares has increased 39%. That was helped� by the fact Brent crude, the European benchmark, had gained 2.2% to $116.0 during that period, while the price of WTI crude, the U.S. benchmark fell 5.2%–increasing the difference between the two.

  In December, however, WTI has gained 7.2%, while Brent has risen just 1.7%. And that’s likely going to hold back refiners during the first six month of 2014, say Cowen’s Sam Margolin. He writes:

  Extremely favorable refining conditions from last month are deteriorating amid higher utilization and continued reduction in crude imports, limiting supply and causing US prices to melt higher. While we remain constructive on the refining story for 2014, investors may need to manage near term expectations somewhat, given the continued presence of countervailing forces against secular improvements.

  We maintain our view that 2014 will see generally lower crude prices than 2013, with US benchmarks, including LLS and WTI, priced at relative discounts to seaborne light crudes. Recently, however, US refinery utilization has increased sharply on the heels of completed maintenance, and the supply effect on crude has been immediate: LLS has shot up from a $12/bbl discount to Brent to a $1/bbl discount as of yesterday. While crude supply growth has been faster than expected, the market on the whole remains tight, and an expectation of a very near term complete collapse in US prices toward 2012 lows is a bit pre-mature, i

• [By Ben Levisohn]

  We believe capture rates [how much of the difference between the cost of oil and refined products a company can earn. Ed. ] troughed in 3Q13 and most US refiners will show a quarter-over-quarter improvement as differentials were widening and the WTI curve moved to contango from backwardation. Positive refining revisions will positively impact [Exxon Mobil] more than [Chevron], as�[Exxon Mobil] has significantly more absolute N. American refining capacity. Marketing margins [the margins from selling the finished product to the retail market. Ed.] also improved 17% q/q and 32% q/q on [West Coast] and [Gulf Coast] respectively, a positive indicator for refiners with retail operation [(Marathon Petroleum (MPC), Tesoro (TSO), Phillips 66 (PSX), Western Refining (WNR) & Delek US (DK))].

• [By John Divine]

  Lastly, oil refiner Marathon Petroleum (NYSE: MPC  ) was one of the S&P's worst performers for a second straight session, losing 2.2%. Yesterday, Simmons & Company said refiners in general, and Marathon in particular, would struggle with higher prices of oil pressuring margins. Credit Suisse�echoed that sentiment today, citing narrowing spreads as it downgraded shares from outperform to neutral. The flipside to the recent negativity surrounding refiners is that if oil prices start unexpectedly falling, Marathon shares could be primed for a rally.�

• [By Ben Levisohn]

  Refiners like Phillips 66�(PSX), Valero Energy�(VLO), Holly Frontier�(HFC), Marathon Petroleum�(MPC) and Tesoro (TSO) had a painful start to the year. The pain might be about to turn to gain, according to Barclays.

Best Gas Companies To Own For 2014: Hi Crush Partners LP (HCLP)

Hi Crush Partners LP, formerly Hi-Crush Partners LP, is a domestic producer of monocrystalline sand, a specialized mineral that is used as a proppant to enhance the recovery rates of hydrocarbons from oil and natural gas wells. The Company reserves consist of Northern White sand, a resource existing in Wisconsin and limited portions of the upper Midwest region of the United States. It owns, operates and develops sand reserves and related excavation and processing facilities and will seek to acquire or develop additional facilities. The Company's 561-acre facility with integrated rail infrastructure, located near Wyeville, Wisconsin, enables it to process and deliver approximately 1,600,000 tons of frac sand per year. In June 2013, Hi Crush Partners LP announced the completion of its acquisition of D&I Silica, LLC (D&I).

The Company�� frac sand production is sold to investment grade-rated pressure pumping service providers under long-term, contracts that require its customers to pay a specified price for a specified volume of frac sand each month. The Company owns and operates the Wyeville facility, which is located in Monroe County, Wisconsin and, as of December 31, 2011, contained 48.4 million tons of proven recoverable sand reserves of mesh sizes it has contracted to sell. From the Wyeville in-service date to March 31, 2012, it had processed and sold 555,250 tons of frac sand.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Robert Rapier and Igor Greenwald]

  Some MLPs have experienced huge capital appreciation. Three–Icahn Enterprises (Nasdaq: IEP), Hi-Crush Partners (NYSE: HCLP), and The Blackstone Group (NYSE: BX)–gained over 100 percent in 2013. A fourth, American Midstream Partners (NYSE: AMID) gained 96 percent for the year.

• [By Robert Rapier]

  Hi-Crush Partners (NYSE: HCLP) was the year’s best-performing energy MLP with a rally of 130 percent. HCLP is a pure-play supplier of monocrystalline sand that is used as a proppant to enhance the recovery rates of hydrocarbons from oil and natural gas wells that have been hydraulically fractured. Its reserves consist of Northern white sand, predominantly found in Wisconsin and portions of the upper Midwest region of the US. At the most recent closing price, the annualized yield based on the the last quarterly distribution is 4.9 percent.

• [By Rick Munarriz]

  Tuesday
  Hi-Crush Partners (NYSE: HCLP  ) checks in on Tuesday. This is another high-yielding limited partnership that went public last year. Hi-Crush is a producer of monocrystalline sand that's primarily used in the fracking process.

• [By Robert Rapier]

  Rounding out the top five were�Hi-Crush Partners�(NYSE: HCLP), another supplier of fracking sand (+71 percent),�EQT Midstream Partners�(NYSE: EQM), a midstream provider in the Appalachian Basin (+66.5 percent), and�Valero Energy Partners�(NYSE:VLP) (+61.5 percent), which consists of midstream assets dropped down from the refiner�Valero Energy�(NYSE:VLO).

Top 5 Sliver Companies To Watch In Right Now

On Thursday, Timken Co. (TKR) announced that its board of directors has approved a plan to separate the company’s steel business from its bearing and power transmission business.

The separation will create two publicly-traded companies, with the steel company anticipating annual revenue of $1.7 billion, and the bearing and power transmission company having estimated annual revenue of $3.4 billion.

The company anticipates that the split of TKR will be tax-free for all shareholders, and expects the separation to be completed within 12 months.

TKR’s shares were up $1.79, or 3.06%, at market close on Thursday. YTD, the stock is up more than 19%.

Top 5 Penny Stocks To Watch Right Now: FreightCar America Inc (RAIL)

FreightCar America, Inc. (America) is engaged in manufacturing of aluminum-bodied railcars in North America. America is also a manufacturer of coal cars. During the year ended December 31, 2011(2011), the Company was specialized in the production of coal cars, which represented 93% of its deliveries of railcars. The Company also refurbishes and rebuilds railcars and sells forged, cast and fabricated parts for all of the railcars it produces, as well as those manufactured by others. During 2011, its primary customers were railroads, shippers and financial institutions, which represented 83%, 2% and 1%, respectively, of its total sales attributable to each type of customer. During 2011, it delivered 6,188 railcars, including 4,500 aluminum-bodied coal cars. It offers railcar leasing and refurbishment alternatives to its customers. Through its newly formed subsidiary FreightCar Rail Services, LLC (FCRS), it provides railcar repair and maintenance, inspections, and railcar fleet management services for all types of freight railcars. Its railcar manufacturing facilities are located in Danville, Illinois and Roanoke, Virginia.

The Company also leases freight cars through its JAIX Leasing Company subsidiary. In addition, the Company manufactures coal cars for export to Latin America and manufactures intermodal railcars for export to the Middle East. With operations in Colorado, Indiana and Nebraska, it services freight cars and unit coal trains utilizing rail corridors in the Midwest and Western regions of the United States. The Company designs and manufactures aluminum-bodied and steel-bodied railcars that transport a range of various products. It manufactures two primary types of coal cars, such as gondolas and open-top hoppers. The BethGon is the aluminum-bodied coal gondola railcar segment, which is used in North America. Its aluminum bodied open-top hopper railcar, the AutoFlood, is a five-pocket coal car equipped with a bottom discharge gate mechanism. AutoFlood II and AutoFlood III design! incorporates the automatic rapid discharge system, the MegaFlo door system and a mechanism that uses an over-center locking design, enabling the cargo door to close with tension rather than by compression.

The Company also manufactures a range of other types of aluminum and steel-bodied coal cars, including triple hopper, hybrid aluminum/stainless steel hoppers and gondolas and flat bottom gondola railcars. The Company�� portfolio of other railcar types include the AVC Aluminum Vehicle Carrier design, which is used to transport commercial and light vehicles (automobiles and trucks) from assembly plants and ports to rail distribution centers; the Articulated Bulk Container railcar designed to carry dense bulk products, such as waste products in 20 foot containers; Intermodal Double Stack railcars, including a stand-alone, 40 foot well car and the DynaStack articulated, 5-unit, 40 foot and 3-unit, 53 foot well cars for transportation of containers; a Small Cube Covered Hopper railcar, which is used to transport products, such as roofing granules, fly ash, sand and cement; a Mill Gondola Railcar, which is used to transport steel products and scrap; Slab and Coil steel railcars, which is designed for transportation of steel slabs and coil steel products, respectively; Flat Railcars, Bulkhead Flat Railcars and Centerbeam Flat Railcars, which is designed to transport a range of products, including machinery and equipment, steel and structural steel components (including pipe), forest products and other bulky industrial products; a Woodchip Gondola Railcar, which is designed to haul woodchips and municipal waste, and a range of non-coal carrying open top hopper railcars designed to carry aggregates, iron ore, taconite pellets, petroleum coke and other bulk commodities.

The Company has established a licensing arrangement with a railcar manufacturer in Brazil pursuant to which its technology is used to produce various types of railcars in Brazil. In addition, it manufacture coal car! s for exp! ort to Latin America and have manufactured intermodal railcars for export to the Middle East. Railroads outside of North America have a range of track gauges that are sized differently than in North America, which requires it, in some cases, to alter manufacturing specifications for foreign sales. The Company has added 10 new or redesigned products to its portfolio in the last five years, including the AVC, slab and coil steel railcar, triple hopper and hybrid aluminum/stainless steel railcars, ore cars, ballast cars and aggregate cars. The Company�� manufacturing process involves four basic steps: fabrication, assembly, finishing and inspection. In its fabrication processes, it employ standard metal working tools, many of which are computer controlled. Each assembly line typically involves 15 to 20 manufacturing positions, depending on the complexity of the particular railcar design. It uses mechanical fastening in the fitting and assembly of its aluminum-bodied railcar parts, while it uses welding for the assembly of its steel-bodied railcars.

The Company competes with Trinity Industries, Inc., National Steel Car Limited, The Greenbrier Companies, Inc. and American Railcar Industries, Inc.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By SA Pro Top Ideas]

  Stock Movers and Great Calls
  Alpha-Rich long and short ideas regularly move stocks and identify stocks that are about to move. Some notable recent calls subscribers had early access to:

  On July 24, Mike Williams explained why FreightCar America's (RAIL) shares could double by 2015 as it returned to historic profitability. Shares are +16.3% to date after a strong earnings report this week. Read article » Vince Martin said on June 17 that Cray's (CRAY) sell-off after Q1 earnings was way overdone, offering investors a great deal. After a strong earnings report last week, shares now stand +45% from where they were before the article. Read article »

  To Come Today
  Don't forget to check your SA Pro dashboard later today for the latest Alpha-Rich ideas. Any thoughts to share on the latest Alpha-Rich ideas? Leave a comment here.
  
  SA Pro Editors
  …............
  
  The SA Pro team is Eli Hoffmann (Editor in Chief), Rachael Granby (Editorial Product Manager), Daniel Shvartsman, Samir Patel, Michael McDonald, and Jeffrey Fischer (Senior Pro Editors). You can reach us at pro-editors@seekingalpha.com.

• [By Eric Volkman]

  FreightCar America (NASDAQ: RAIL  ) has found an internal candidate to be its new COO and president. The company named CFO Joseph McNeely to the position, effective immediately.

• [By Eric Volkman]

  FreightCar America (NASDAQ: RAIL  ) has found an executive to lead its finance team. The company announced that it appointed Charles Avery as its CFO, vice president of finance, and treasurer, replacing Joseph McNeely. Avery will take up his position on Aug. 1.

Top 5 Sliver Companies To Watch In Right Now: Worlds Inc (WDDD.OB)

Worlds Inc., (Worlds.com), incorporated on April 26, 1994, was a three-dimensional (3D) entertainment portal, which leveraged its technology, which the Company retained through its portfolio, to offer visitors a network of virtual, multi-user environments which the Company calls worlds. On May 16, 2011, the Company transferred, through a spin-off to its wholly owned subsidiary, Worlds Online Inc., the majority of its operations and related operational assets. The Company designs and develops software, content and related technology for the creation of interactive, three-dimensional (3D) Internet Web sites. The Company used its technology to produce three-dimensional portals and Web sites. The Company's core technology includes WorldsShaper, WorldsServer, WorldsBrowser, WorldsPlayer and Worlds Gamma Libraries.

WorldsShaper is the visual authoring component of the Company's platform. It allows for quick assembly of pieces to create multi-user, shared state, virtual worlds. The WorldsShaper is an advanced compositing 3D building tool that integrates pre-existing or custom content, such as 3D models, textures or images created in Adobe's Photoshop, or midi or wave sound files, with architectural geometry and interactive behaviors and actions written in Java. WorldsServer is the scalable software that the Company uses to control and operates its on-line virtual communities. WorldsServer manages the registration and authentication of users, the locations of users within the 3D environment, the physical structure of the 3D environment, all information regarding objects that are shared by the participants and any of the interactions between the users such as text chat. This platform also integrates an HTTP server for the delivery of other content such as audio and video streaming and secure e-commerce applications.

WorldsBrowser is used to access the 3D environments. The browser is optimized for speed, delivering relatively fast frame rates per second in textured virtual 3D worlds. T! he WorldsPlayer allows users to view and experience the Company's multi-user, interactive technology. Any world created with the WorldsShaper will be viewable and navigable with the WorldsPlayer. The Worlds Gamma Libraries are consists of sample worlds, textures, models, avatars, actions, sensors, sounds, motion sequences, and other behaviors.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Markman Advisors]

  Public companies leveraging their patent portfolios, (aka "patent plays"), are getting the market's attention. Companies such as Vringo (VRNG), ParkerVision (PRKR), MGT Capital (MGT), Worlds Inc. (WDDD.OB) and others have presented trading opportunities due to their volatility while retaining the chance for a big payoff to those investors who stay the course. Yet there exist viable patent plays that are still undiscovered. Some of these so called "plays," which are not getting enough attention, are actually real companies making and selling real products or services in contrast to pure patent monetization companies. Some known examples are Single Touch Interactive (SITO.OB) and Blue Calypso (BCYP.OB). This article is focused on another one of these patent plays, On Track Innovations Ltd. (OTIV).

Top 5 Sliver Companies To Watch In Right Now: Bovie Medical Corporation (BVX)

Bovie Medical Corporation develops, manufactures, and markets medical products and devices with an emphasis on electrosurgical generators and electrosurgical disposables primarily in the United States. Its electrosurgery product line comprises desiccators, generators, electrodes, electrosurgical pencils, and various ancillary disposable products used in surgical procedures in gynecology, urology, plastic surgery, dermatology, veterinary, and other surgical markets for the cutting and coagulation of tissue. The company offers Aaron 900 and Aaron 940, which are high frequency desiccators designed primarily for dermatology and family practice physicians for removing small skin lesions and growths, as well as for office based coagulation. It also provides Aaron 950, a high frequency desiccator with cut capacity for outpatient surgical procedures; Aaron 1250U, a 120-watt multipurpose electrosurgery generator; and Aaron 2250/3250 and IDS 200/300/400 multipurpose digital electros urgery generators. In addition, the company offers ICON GI, ICON GP, and ICON VS specialty electrosurgical generators; Resistick II, a coating that is applied to stainless steel, which resists eschar during surgery; disposable laparoscopic instruments; and ICON GS (J-Plasma), a plasma system. Further, it provides battery operated cauteries used for sculpting woven grafts in bypass surgery, vasectomies, and evacuation of subungual hematoma, as well as for arresting bleeding in various types of surgeries; battery operated medical lights that act as specialty lighting instruments for use in ophthalmology as well as specialty lighting instruments for general surgery, hip replacement surgery, and for the placement of endotracheal tubes in emergency and surgical procedures; and nerve locator stimulators used for identifying motor nerves in hand and facial reconstructive surgery. Bovie Medical Corporation was founded in 1982 and is based in Melville, New York.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Andrew Stephan]

  The J-Plasma surgical technology from Bovie Medical Corporation (BVX) has recently begun to hit the market. Although it is anticipated sales will start out slowly due to the time involved in building and deploying a sales force specific to J-Plasma and in hospital capital equipment purchasing decisions, revenues from J-Plasma are expected to become very strong in 2014, leading to a correspondingly large upward move in the share price.

Top 5 Sliver Companies To Watch In Right Now: Imperial Oil Limited(IMO)

Imperial Oil Limited engages in the exploration, production, and sale of crude oil and natural gas in Canada. The company operates through three segments: Upstream, Downstream, and Chemical. The Upstream segment engages in the exploration and production of conventional crude oil, natural gas, synthetic oil, and bitumen primarily in the Western Provinces, the Canada Lands, and the Atlantic Offshore. Its primary conventional oil producing asset includes the Norman Wells oil field in the Northwest Territories. The Downstream segment engages in the transportation and refining of crude oil, as well as blending, distribution, and marketing of refined products. It owns and operates crude oil, and natural gas liquids and products pipelines in Alberta, Manitoba, and Ontario. The Chemical segment engages in the manufacture and marketing of various petrochemicals, including ethylene, benzene, aromatic and aliphatic solvents, plasticizer intermediates, and polyethylene resin. As of De cember 31, 2010, Imperial Oil Limited had 1,204 million oil-equivalent barrels of proved undeveloped reserves; maintained a nation-wide distribution system, including 24 primary terminals, to handle bulk and packaged petroleum products moving from refineries to market by pipeline, tanker, rail, and road transport; and sold petroleum products through 1,850 Esso retail service stations, of which approximately 510 were company owned or leased. The company was founded in 1880 and is headquartered in Calgary, Canada. Imperial Oil Limited operates as a subsidiary of Exxon Mobil Corporation.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Aaron Levitt]

  For Imperial Oil (IMO), it�� good to have friends in high places. In this case, we��e talking about Exxon�� (XOM) 70% stake in the Canadian integrated oil firm. That relationship has provided plenty of capital and technological know-how to produce plenty of crude oil and natural gas via conventional and unconventional means.

• [By Aaron Levitt]

  Ten of Exxon�� major projects are expected to begin pumping energy throughout this year. These include expansions of Imperial Oil�� (IMO) oil sands production in Canada, new deepwater wells in the Gulf of Mexico as well as finally seeing production from its partnership in Russia. XOM �will start producing oil from the largest offshore oil and gas platform in that nation within a few months. These projects will add about 300,000 barrels per oil equivalent per day to Exxon�� production.

• [By Ben Levisohn]

  We downgrade ExxonMobil to Underweight from Equal Weight primarily due to its relative valuation. The shares are currently trading at a 9% premium to its NAV compared to the group average discount of 17%. Although we have modestly increased our price target to $105 from $100 and set it above its NAV estimate to give credit to the company�� seemingly conservative non-proved resource estimate, we believe the potential upside is limited compared to other names in our coverage. We think the stock will continue to face relative headwinds concerning the lack of meaningful near-term production growth and our belief of a relatively steady high oil price environment. We recommend switching from ExxonMobil to ConocoPhillips, Imperial Oil (IMO), or Suncor. That said, ExxonMobil will likely outperform the group in the event of any unexpected significant negative macro developments given its long held ��afe haven��status.