Meet the Preliminary 2014 Dogs of the Dow: Dividends Galore

There is a trend at the end of each year followed by many income investors. This is the Dogs of the Dow, which is simply made up of the 10 Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJIA) components that have the highest common stock dividend yields. This is widely followed at the start and end of each year, but it has merit all throughout each year because these companies attract so many different dividend strategy investors.

The following look as though they will be the top five Dogs of the Dow for 2014: AT&T Inc. (NYSE: T), Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE: VZ), Intel Corp. (NASDAQ: INTC), Merck & Co. Inc. (NYSE: MRK), McDonald’s Corp. (NYSE: MCD) and Chevron Corp. (NYSE: CVX).

24/7 Wall St. has identified the basics on each component for these 10 Dogs of the Dow. We have also given color on each to see what could drive each one higher or lower in 2014. All these companies are systemically important or they are sector movers on their own right.

Another issue to consider for 2014 is that there will be some serious changes to the Dogs of the Dow, barring any major performance changes in the final three weeks of 2013. Consensus estimates were also based on Thomson Reuters data.

Remember that share performance can alter many of these positions by the time the year ends. That imminent dividend hike from General Electric Co. (NYSE: GE) could drastically alter the order of these, as could any serious portfolio repositioning at the end of the year.

AT&T Inc. (NYSE: T) is the king of dividends, with a 5.2% yield now that shares have sold off to around $34.50. AT&T’s consensus price target is barely above $37, and a fresh analyst downgrade from J.P. Morgan is highlighting what may be continued cellphone trend erosion in 2014. Then there is the risk that it will make a huge international acquisition, which is the last opportunity for serious growth as regulators are not going to allow it to gobble up anything of real size in the United States. AT&T is a repeat as the leading dividend or the top dog in the Dogs of the Dow.

Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE: VZ) is again the number-two position in the Dogs of the Dow strategy. With shares close to $49.60, its yield is just under 4.3%. Its post-Vodafone deal is adding to earnings, and the telecom giant added debt on the cheap in the largest debt offering of its kind. A lot of the good news may be priced in since it is up so much from its 52-week low of $41.50, but the consensus price target is up just over $54 for the next 12-month period.

3-D printing stocks: Fad or for real?

NEW YORK (CNNMoney) Shares of companies in the 3-D printing business have been on a tear this year. And the 3-D stocks continued to rally Tuesday despite a conservative outlook from industry leader 3D Systems .

3D Systems (DDD) reported record sales for the third quarter on "unprecedented" demand for its printers, which includes the consumer-friendly $1,300 Cube.

Earnings were in-line with expectations, but the company lowered its guidance for full-year profits. Still, the stock bounced back from losses in the early morning and was up more than 1% in midday trading. Shares of competitors Stratasys, ExOne and voxeljet moved higher as well.

3D Systems CEO Avi Reichental said earnings may suffer in the short term as the company ramps up manufacturing capacity and spends more money to develop new products. He said in a statement that the company is prioritizing "market share expansion ahead of earnings per share."

That strategy may make sense. While 3-D printing has existed on an industrial scale for decades, it has only recently become accessible for small businesses and consumers. And the business has become highly competitive.

Investors have piled into 3-D printing stocks this year as the technology has been used to produce everything from action figures to medical devices. But the outlook from 3D Systems does highlight concerns about the young industry's growing pains.

  Printing a 3D robot

There are now four publicly-traded companies that make 3-D printers and accessories, including two that went public earlier this year.

Germany's voxeljet (VJET)was the latest to hit the market. The company pr! ovides on-demand 3-D printing for industrial and commercial customers, among other services. Less than two weeks after its IPO, voxeljet shares have surged 140%.

ExOne (XONE), which makes industrial 3-D printers, has nearly doubled since its initial public offering in February.

Shares of Stratasys (SSYS) have surged 30% this year, due in part to its acquisition of MakerBot in August. MakerBot was one of the first companies to sell desktop 3-D printers.

So consumers and investors have plenty of pure play 3-D printing company to choose from ... and other tech companies are gearing up to join the fray as well.

Hewlett-Packard (HPQ, Fortune 500) CEO Meg Whitman announced earlier this month that the company will enter the 3-D printing market sometime next year.

Can Yahoo Head Higher After Earnings?

With shares of Yahoo (NASDAQ:YHOO) trading around $33, is YHOO an OUTPERFORM, WAIT AND SEE, or STAY AWAY? Let's analyze the stock with the relevant sections of our CHEAT SHEET investing framework:

T = Trends for a Stock’s Movement

Yahoo is a technology company that provides search, content, and communication tools on the web and on mobile devices worldwide. It operates Yahoo.com, which offers Yahoo Search, Yahoo News, Yahoo Sports, Yahoo Finance, Yahoo Entertainment and Lifestyles, and Yahoo Video. Being such a large content provider, Yahoo is able to reach a significant amount of consumers across the globe. As the internet attracts an increasing number of participants, look for Yahoo to continue to be a major player.

Yahoo reported third quarter earnings after the bell on Tuesday, and the company's net revenue was down due to ad revenue, which fell 7 percent year over year. There is still a lot of optimism for Yahoo surrounding the company's investment in Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba, which is planning an IPO. During the earnings call, Yahoo announced that it would sell fewer shares than originally planned when Alibaba goes public, which will allow it to capitalize on its investment if Alibaba's shares rise post-IPO, Reuters reports.

T = Technicals on the Stock Chart Are Strong

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

(Source: Thinkorswim)

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

	Implied Volatility (IV)	30-Day IV Percentile	90-Day IV Percentile
Yahoo Options	36.25%	26%	25%

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

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

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

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

E = Earnings Are Mixed Quarter-Over-Quarter

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

	2013 Q3	2013 Q2	2013 Q1	2012 Q4
Earnings Growth (Y-O-Y)	-6.67%	66.67%	52.17%	-2.15%
Revenue Growth (Y-O-Y)	0.33%	-6.78%	-6.62%	1.64%
Earnings Reaction	-0.61%*	10.34%	-0.37%	-3.00%

Yahoo has seen mixed earnings and revenue figures over the last four quarters. From these numbers, the markets have had conflicting feelings about Yahoo’s recent earnings announcements.

* As of this writing

P = Excellent Relative Performance Versus Peers and Sector

How has Yahoo stock done relative to its peers, Google (NASDAQ:GOOG), AOL (NYSE:AOL), Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT), and sector?

	Yahoo	Google	AOL	Microsoft	Sector
Year-to-Date Return	66.83%	26.70%	12.19%	30.29%	24.60%

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

Conclusion

Yahoo is an Internet bellwether that provides a multitude of services to consumers and companies worldwide. A recent earnings announcements had investors expecting a little more from the company. The stock has been moving higher in recent quarters and is now trading near highs for the year. Over the last four quarters, earnings and revenues have been mixed which have produced conflicting feelings among investors about earnings announcements. Relative to its peers and sector, Yahoo has been a year-to-date performance leader. Look for Yahoo to OUTPERFORM.

Top Cheap Companies To Invest In Right Now

In this video, analyst Matt Koppenheffer outlines three reasons to buy AIG. First, the company is cheap. It currently sells for roughly 0.6 times tangible book value, far less than what it was selling for before the financial crisis. Second, it has made significant progress on turning itself around. It has paid off its government loans, sold off businesses, and restructured its balance sheet and itself to avoid past mistakes. Lastly, insurance is a cyclical market and the past few years have been soft for insurance companies. Right now, there are signs the insurance market is firming up and this should allow AIG to raise prices on its products and improve its profitability.

At the end of last year, AIG was the favorite stock among hedge fund managers. Have they identified the next big multibagger�or are the risks facing the insurance giant still too great? In The Motley Fool's premium report on AIG, Financials Bureau Chief Matt Koppenheffer breaks down the key issues that you need to know about if you want to successfully invest in this stock. Simply click here now to claim your copy, and you'll also receive a full year of key updates and expert analysis as news continues to develop.

Top Cheap Companies To Invest In Right Now: DRDGOLD Limited(DROOY)

DRDGOLD Limited engages in the exploration, extraction, processing, and smelting of gold in South Africa. It holds interests in the Blyvoor mine; and the Crown gold surface tailings retreatment facility that reprocesses sand and slimes dumps, as well as involves in the surface retreatment operations. The company was incorporated in 1895 and is based in Roodepoort, South Africa.

Top Cheap Companies To Invest In Right Now: Lattice Semiconductor Corporation(LSCC)

Lattice Semiconductor Corporation designs, develops, manufactures, and markets programmable logic products and related software. The company offers field programmable gate array (FPGA) products, including LatticeECP family for deployment in wireless infrastructure and wireline access equipment, as well as in video and imaging applications; and LatticeXP for the security, surveillance, and display markets. It also provides programmable logic device (PLD) products comprising various versions of ispMACH4000 in-system programmable complex programmable logic device family; MachXO family that is designed for a range of low density applications; platform manager, power manager, and ispClock programmable mixed signal devices; and software development tools and intellectual property cores. The company sells its products directly to end customers through a network of independent manufacturers? representatives and indirectly through a network of independent sell-in and sell-through distributors. It primarily serves original equipment manufacturers in the communications, computing, consumer, industrial, military, automotive, and medical end markets. The company was founded in 1983 and is headquartered in Hillsboro, Oregon.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Lee Jackson]

  Lattice Semiconductor Corp. (NASDAQ: LSCC) is a top chip stock to buy at Jefferies. The company announced last month three new complete reference designs that will make it easier for electronic OEMs to deliver media-rich experiences to their end users by taking advantage of low-cost, industry-standard MIPI (Mobile Industry Processor Interface) camera, application processor and display technologies. The Jefferies price objective for the stock is $6.50, and the consensus is also at $6.50. Lattice closed yesterday at $4.63.

Top 5 Oil Stocks For 2014: Merck & Company Inc.(MRK)

Merck & Co., Inc. provides various health solutions through its prescription medicines, vaccines, biologic therapies, animal health, and consumer care products. The company?s Pharmaceutical segment provides human health pharmaceutical products, such as therapeutic and preventive agents for the treatment of human disorders in the areas of bone, respiratory, immunology, dermatology, cardiovascular, diabetes and obesity, infectious diseases, neurosciences and ophthalmology, oncology, vaccines, and women's health and endocrine. This segment also offers human health vaccines, such as preventive pediatric, adolescent, and adult vaccines. Its Animal Health segment discovers, develops, manufactures, and markets animal health products. This segment offers antibiotics, anti-inflammatory products, vaccines, products for the treatment of fertility disorders, and parasiticides for cattle, swine, horses, poultry, dogs, cats, salmons, and fish. The Consumer Care segment develops, manufac tures, and markets over-the-counter, foot care, and sun care products. Its over-the-counter product line includes non-drowsy antihistamines; treatment for occasional constipation; decongestant-free cold/flu medicine for people with high blood pressure; nasal decongestant spray; and treatment for frequent heartburn. This segment?s foot care products comprise topical antifungal, and foot and sneaker odor/wetness products; and sun care products include sun care lotions, sprays and dry oils; and sunburn relief products. The company serves drug wholesalers and retailers, hospitals, government agencies, physicians, physician distributors, veterinarians, animal producers, and managed health care providers, as well as food chain and mass merchandiser outlets in the United States and Canada. Merck & Co., Inc. was founded in 1891 and is headquartered in Whitehouse Station, New Jersey.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Alex Planes]

  Investors love stocks that consistently beat the Street without getting ahead of their fundamentals and risking a meltdown. The best stocks offer sustainable market-beating gains, with robust and improving financial metrics that support strong price growth. Does Merck (NYSE: MRK  ) fit the bill? Let's take a look at what its recent results tell us about its potential for future gains.

• [By Alex Planes]

  Technology and pharmaceuticals gained a permanent foothold in the Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJINDICES: ^DJI  ) on June 29, 1979. The index added IBM (NYSE: IBM  ) and Merck (NYSE: MRK  ) that day, replacing floundering automaker Chrysler and food-products company Esmark for only its second component swap in the previous 20 years -- still the slowest rate of changes in Dow history.

• [By Matt Thalman]

  Monday will be a busy day for earnings releases, though not from any of the Dow's components. Things will heat up for the index on Tuesday, with Pfizer (NYSE: PFE  ) and Merck (NYSE: MRK  ) both set to report earnings before the opening bell on Tuesday.

Top Cheap Companies To Invest In Right Now: Lionbridge Technologies Inc.(LIOX)

Lionbridge Technologies, Inc. provides language, development, and testing services. Its Global Language and Content segment provides product localization services, such as creating foreign language versions of its clients? products and software applications, including the user interface, online help systems, and documentation; and content translation services, such as translating and maintaining clients? Web-based content, eLearning courseware and training materials, technical support, and sales and marketing information. It also offers technical authoring, eLearning courseware development, and production and integration of content; and global language and content services delivery. The company?s Global Development and Testing segment develops and maintains on-premise, SaaS, and smart phone and tablet applications, as well as provides Web production services. This segment also offers various testing services under the VeriTest brand, including managed test teams, test proc ess design, test automation, functional testing, performance testing, globalization testing, and product certification. In addition, it provides specialized search relevance, online content editorial, keyword optimization, and related services. Its Interpretation segment offers interpretation services for government business and healthcare organizations that require experienced linguists to facilitate communication. It provides interpretation communication services, such as onsite interpretation, over-the-phone interpretation and interpreter testing, training, and assessment services in approximately 360 languages and dialects. The company serves the technology, mobile and telecommunications, Internet and media, life sciences, government, manufacturing, automotive, retail, and aerospace sectors in the Americas, Europe, and Asia. Lionbridge Technologies, Inc. was founded in 1996 and is headquartered in Waltham, Massachusetts.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Seth Jayson]

  Calling all cash flows
  When you are trying to buy the market's best stocks, it's worth checking up on your companies' free cash flow once a quarter or so, to see whether it bears any relationship to the net income in the headlines. That's what we do with this series. Today, we're checking in on Lionbridge Technologies (Nasdaq: LIOX  ) , whose recent revenue and earnings are plotted below.

• [By Jeff Reeves]

  Lionbridge (LIOX) is the kind of cheap, small-cap stock that investors love. This player has soared 60% in the last three months thanks to nice earnings and improving investor sentiment.

• [By Seth Jayson]

  Calling all cash flows
  When you are trying to buy the market's best stocks, it's worth checking up on your companies' free cash flow once a quarter or so, to see whether it bears any relationship to the net income in the headlines. That's what we do with this series. Today, we're checking in on Lionbridge Technologies (Nasdaq: LIOX  ) , whose recent revenue and earnings are plotted below.

Top Cheap Companies To Invest In Right Now: Ur Energy Inc(URG)

Ur-Energy Inc., an exploration stage junior mining company, engages in the identification, acquisition, evaluation, exploration, and development of uranium mineral properties. The company has 13 projects located in Wyoming and Nebraska, the United States; and 3 exploration projects located in the Northwest Territories and Nunavut, Canada. Its landholdings cover approximately 90,000 acres in the United States and approximately 140,000 acres in Canada. The company was founded in 2004 and is headquartered in Littleton, Colorado.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By John Udovich]

  Since the start of the week, small cap nuclear fuel stock USEC Inc (NYSE: USU) more than doubled for investors, something that has not happened for investors in uranium stocks like Uranium Resources, Inc (NASDAQ: URRE), Denison Mines Corp (NYSEMKT: DNN), Ur-Energy Inc. (NYSEMKT: URG) and Uranerz Energy Corp (NYSEMKT: URZ). To recap: USEC Inc closed at the $6 level on Friday, but then it surged to the $15 level on Monday only to open at the $10 level on Tuesday when it ultimately closed at $12.46. So what in the world is going on with USEC Inc and is it time to revisit nuclear fuel and uranium stocks?

• [By James E. Brumley]

  You know, were it just Uranium Resources, Inc. (NASDAQ:URRE) or just Ur-Energy Inc. (NYSEMKT:URG) or just Uranerz Energy Corp. (NYSEMKT:URZ) making a decided bullish move, I might be able to dismiss it. Similarly, if URZ had only been moving higher for one or two days (or only URG or only URRE), it might be easy to not be impressed. Neither of those situations has been the actual case, however. All three stocks have been moving upward for several days now, quite a bit, on noticeably higher volume. There's something "going on", as it were, and if prior group-wide movements are any clue, it's the kind of move worth tapping into.

• [By The Energy Report]

  JH: There are several companies that are in production that we follow in the U.S., such as Cameco Corp. (CCJ). Cameco produces at the Smith Ranch-Highland in the Powder River Basin. There's Uranium One, also in the Powder River Basin. There's Uranium Energy Corp. (UEC). A few near-term producers are rapidly coming online. Ur-Energy Inc. (URG) is one company we like in Wyoming.

Top Cheap Companies To Invest In Right Now: Wendy's/Arby's Group Inc.(WEN)

The Wendy's Company operates as a quick-service hamburger company in the United States. The company, through its subsidiary, Wendy's International, Inc., operates as a franchisor of the Wendy's restaurant system. As of December 26, 2011, the Wendy's system comprised approximately 6,500 franchise and company restaurants in the United States and the United States territories, as well as in 26 other countries worldwide. The company was formerly known as Wendy's/Arby's Group, Inc. and changed its name to The Wendy's Company in July 2011. The Wendy's Company was founded in 1884 and is headquartered in Dublin, Ohio.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Ben Levisohn]

  Upgrades had a big impact on stocks today. Wendy’s (WEN), for instance, gained 4.5% to $8.62 after being upgraded to Buy at Argus, while Cash America (CSH) advanced 3.7% to $44.32 after being upgraded to Market Outperform from Market Perform at JMP Securities. Walgreen (WAG) proved the big winner in the S&P 500 after�Goldman Sachs called the stock a Conviction Buy.

Top Cheap Companies To Invest In Right Now: Gold Reserve Inc(GRZ)

Gold Reserve Inc., an exploration stage company, engages in the acquisition, exploration, and development of mining projects. The company was founded in 1956 and is based in Spokane, Washington.

Top Cheap Companies To Invest In Right Now: TII Network Technologies Inc.(TIII)

Tii Network Technologies, Inc., together with its subsidiaries, designs, manufactures, and sells products for use in the networks to service providers in the communications industry in the United States. It provides network interface devices (NID), including overvoltage surge protectors, digital subscriber line (DSL) service splitters, and customer bridge modules; building entrance terminals; and accessories comprising station protectors, customer wiring modules, electro-magnetic interference filters, and line test modules. The company also offers broadband products, such as DSL electronic products that include xDSL plain old telephone service splitters to isolate voice and data signals; Outrigger, an outdoor intelligent residential gateway; HomePlug technology that enables networking of voice, data, and audio devices through the consumers? AC power lines. In addition, it provides connectivity products consisting of connector block and terminal block products; voice over I nternet protocol products; switchable voice NID products; voice intercom systems for use in multi-dwelling units; and wire terminals and other connectivity products. Further, the company offers fiber optic products which comprise wall mount enclosures, rack mount enclosures, OSP fiber enclosures, cable assemblies, miscellaneous fiber accessories, and optic network terminals installation accessories. Additionally, it offers overvoltage surge protection products, including two and three electrode gas tubes; station overvoltage surge protectors; protector modules; and protector packs and cat 5 cat 6 protection products, as well as other surge protection products comprising a 75 ohm coaxial protector for cable networks; a 50-ohm coaxial protector for wireless service providers? cell sites; a gel-sealed Ethernet data protector; and power line/data line protectors for personal computers and home entertainment systems. The company was founded in 1964 and is headquartered in Edgewoo d, New York.

How to Play the 'Syrian Premium' in Oil Prices

There's an uneasy lull in the Syrian crisis.

Now that the Obama administration has decided to seek Congressional approval for a Syrian strike, we are in a hazy period before some major decisions are made.

And while a Senate committee has approved a military move against Syria, further action will be slow to come. Congress is officially on recess until Monday.

Meanwhile, the geopolitical maneuvering goes on.

A Russian call for an emergency session of the UN Security Council has been followed by Vladimir Putin's public decision to call U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry a liar, even as U.S. President Barack Obama arrives in St. Petersburg for the G-20 summit.

Pushing the rhetoric to new heights is a statement from UN General Secretary Ban Ki-moon that any strike without UN approval would be illegal and a violation of the UN Charter.

However, Ban also said a report from the inspectors confirming the use of chemical weapons would likely break a longtime Security Council impasse over Syria and justify military action.

Against all of this conflicting information is the heightened price of oil.

So what's the real "Syrian Premium" built into the price of a barrel of oil these days?

Here's my take on its effects... and the best way to play it...

The "Syrian Premium" in Oil Prices

As one might expect, it is difficult to estimate the "crisis premium" put into each barrel of oil so early in the cycle.

Nonetheless, as of [Thursday] morning, I would estimate that the factors already impacting oil prices (those, in other words, that existed before the escalation in military talk) should have provided for a West Texas Intermediate (WTI, set on the NYMEX for oil futures contracts) price of about $103 a barrel along with a Brent price (set in London) of $107.

Based on [Wednesday's] close, that translates into a "Syrian Premium" of about $4 a barrel in New York and $8 in London, or 3.9% and 7%, respectively. Keep in mind that this premium is likely to become more significant (and increase) as the crisis deepens.

We are, after all, in the very early stages of this march to an attack.

Of course, markets have a way of equalizing the unknown with performance by absorbing new events into perceptions of volatility. But until the real impact is known, uncertainty will likely drive the price of oil higher.

Therefore, even when the price level of oil settles, it will be at a higher level than what we see now until the crisis is past.

And that means the "Syrian Premium" is likely to continue increasing, especially if the instability extends to a wider regional concern.

Playing the "Syrian Spread"

In the meantime, the two benchmarks for crude trade are still trending up. Oil prices closed [Wednesday] at more than $107 for West Texas Intermediate and almost $115 for Brent.

WTI is down 1.5% for the latest week but up 3.5% for the month. Brent is accelerating faster - up 0.5% for the week and 7.7% for the month.

This has resulted in a widening of the spread between Brent and WTI. The difference stands this morning at 7.2% of the WTI price (the better way of gauging the real impact of the spread).

Now, unsettling events in the Middle East will almost always prompt a higher price rise in Brent than in WTI. That is because these developments have a more immediate impact on supply concerns in Europe.

As I have noted before, investors can play this spread by using two exchange-traded funds (ETFs) that are already part of the Energy AdvantagePortfolio: PowerShares DB Energy Fund (NYSE Arca: DBE) and the United States Brent Oil Fund (NYSE Arca: BNO).

DBE allows investors to play the difference or spread between Brent and WTI on the one hand while also accounting for the effect of crack spreads (the difference between crude prices on the one hand and the prices of refined products such as gasoline and low sulfur content heating oil on the other). As a result, DBE is now up more than 5% for the month.

Meanwhile, BNO provides for a direct dollar-denominated play on the price of Brent itself.
Since the London futures contract standard is increasing faster than the level set in New York, this should allow an investor to profit directly from the increasing spread between the two benchmarks.

BNO did split 2:1 on Aug. 29, making an initial estimation somewhat more difficult. However, the effective increase for BNO over the past two weeks of trading (since August 21) has been 5.4%, outpacing the rise in the crude prices themselves. That is normally an indication that further price increases are expected.

Oil Prices and Syria

Of course, some of these increases have resulted from factors having nothing to do with Syria.
There are currently constrictions forming in the global oil market resulting from more localized supply considerations, augmented by another increase in worldwide demand.

Remember, oil prices are set by the supply-demand dynamics in places other than North America or Western Europe. The so-called "mature" developed nations have not been determining the price for some time.

In normal times (as if we have experienced the "normal" market of textbooks recently), a trade will set a contract at the expected price of the next available barrel.

However, in circumstances under which supply concerns are causing uncertainty, there is a tendency for the price to be set using the expected most expensive next available barrel.

Some of that was taking place anyway before the Syrian crisis escalated, resulting in an increase of prices in general and the Brent-WTI spread in particular. Still, it was not an accelerated result and would provide for a more gradual rise in the level.

The crisis in Syria is changing all of that, and the degree of uncertainty it has injected has revised the dynamics.

As we sit in this uncomfortable place between two outcomes, investors can expect the "Syrian Premium" to rise.

The Best Free Investment You'll Ever Make

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Morningstar Discovers Data Breach

NEW YORK (AP) — Morningstar says it discovered an illegal intrusion into its systems that may have compromised some of its clients' personal information, including email addresses, passwords, and credit card numbers.

The Investment research provider said the breach took place around April 3.

The intrusion affected about 2,300 users whose credit card information was stored in the Morningstar Document Research system, formerly known as 10-K Wizard. An additional 182,000 clients who had email addresses and user-generated passwords in the system may have been affected, the company said in a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Morningstar said it shut down old servers and moved data to a more secure system earlier this year in a move unrelated to the incident. It maintains it has taken additional steps to prevent unauthorized access to its systems to protect client information. The company said it is also working with law enforcement officials and credit card companies, as well as investigating the incident on its own.

Morningstar sent notices to clients and reset their passwords. It is offering 12 months of free identity protection to clients whose credit cards may have been compromised.

"At this point, we don't have any evidence to suggest that any of the information that was compromised has been misused," the company said in the filing. It doesn't believe any other Morningstar products were affected.

Shares of Morningstar closed Friday unchanged at $78.07.

Dog Days of Summer - Ahead of Wall Street

Tuesday, August 6, 2013

We have entered the seasonally quiet period in the market, with low volumes and typically directionless trading patterns. With the Q2 earnings season now largely behind us and nothing major on the economic calendar, the market simply doesn't have the fuel to push it in any direction. This will continue through the end of August when the next set of jobs data will arrive ahead of the Fed's mid-September meeting. Be mindful, however, that low volumes could exaggerate volatility in the short run.

It has been fairly uneventful on the earnings and economy fronts in the first half of the year. The Q2 earnings season was particularly underwhelming, with Finance as the only sector showing any sign of earnings momentum. Housing, commercial aviation, and autos showed signs of life as well, but they are small fry in the broader earnings story. The reality on the earnings front is that growth in the aggregate has turned negative outside of Finance. The market's strong year-to-date momentum doesn't seem in-sync with this earnings performance, but investors remain optimistic about the earnings picture going forward.

Estimates for Q3 have started coming down sharply, pushing the long hoped-for earnings growth ramp into Q4 and next year. This has been the prevailing trend for the last many quarters, with investors enduring current weakness in hopes of strength down the road. The Fed was always around to lend a helping hand. But we may be heading towards a period of turbulence from next month onwards as the Fed moves towards changing its programs at a time of leadership change. The current quiet period may or may not be the lull before the fall storm, but we should enjoy it while it lasts.

Sheraz Mian
Director of Research

Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report

Prediction: This Company Could Save Millions Of Lives... And Make You A Fortune

Let's be realistic. You're NOT going to get rich in a hurry by investing in mainstream blue-chip stocks. The S&P 500 is a handy benchmark and a good proxy for the U.S. economy, but it's not going to make anyone rich unless you have decades to invest.

If you want to truly soar above the market, you have to dedicate at least part of your portfolio to serious big-game hunting.

With that in mind, my team and I just released a report on my boldest predictions for 2014. (On Wednesday, I told you about one prediction.) These are ideas that you won't hear about in the mainstream financial press until it's too late.

In the past, my previous predictions have returned thousands of dollars to subscribers of my newsletter Game-Changing Stocks. Here's a brief look at a few of the triple-digit winners...

 

But my ideas for 2014 are some of the most exciting to date. In fact, I had such a hard time limiting myself to just 11 "game-changing" ideas that I had to leave some off the list.

 

I want to share one of these ideas with you today. Just because it didn't make the cut this year doesn't mean there isn't serious investment potential here.

 

In fact, I think patient investors could easily make a killing in the market with this idea.

 

But first, let me give you a little background so you fully understand the potential.

 

The world has a serious water shortage problem. The sad story is that at least a billion people lack adequate access to even minimal quantities of drinkable water, according to the United Nations.

 

And this is not the melodramatic carping of environmentalists. It's much more than that.

 

 

Some 2.8 billion people -- 44% of humanity -- live in areas of high water stress as defined by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development.

 

Things aren't forecast to get any better. In fact, the future looks downright bleak. The World Bank says 3 billion people will live in areas with severe water shortages in the next 25 years, many of them in Africa, the Middle East and South Asia.

 

This water shortage has sent companies scrambling to come up with solutions to at least help get through this problem. For example, Monsanto (NYSE: MON), the world leader in agricultural products, is developing an entire line of seeds that produces plants that can thrive in low-water conditions.

 

No one knows the state of the world's water resources better than Monsanto, whose seeds are planted in every nation where man cultivates crops. And if Monsanto is betting its future revenues on low-water crops, then even the most skeptical observer ought to concede that water must be a pressing issue.

 

All this is a bit strange given that there is literally water everywhere. We're not running out of the stuff -- we have the exact amount of water we've always had. But as water usage has changed, the clean drinking water that communities survive on is becoming increasingly scarce.

 

Though most of the world is covered with water, only 1% of it is suitable for consumption.

 

Still, seawater is the inevitable solution to the world's shortages. Though potentially lethal if gulped down, seawater is perfectly potable when the compounds known collectively as "salts" are removed.

 

The fact is, we've got the water. The only question is whether we're willing to spend the money. Any water shortage can be solved tomorrow with a process known as reverse osmosis desalination, which basically means shooting water at extremely high pressure through a series of filters to remove the salt.

 

The only problem is that it's pricey. And unless the plant is built with an ingenious little piece of equipment, the clean water it produces is probably going to be too expensive.

 

Here's the kicker: This piece of equipment -- called a pressure exchanger -- is basically controlled by one company: Energy Recovery (Nasdaq: ERII).

 

Energy Recovery manufactures a device that captures the energy from a high-pressure stream of water and recycles it so as to decrease the pump workload -- think of it as the second peddler on a tandem bicycle who makes the uphill climbs half as steep.

 

By capturing that energy, a plant's overall energy bill can be reduced by up to 60%, according to Energy Recovery's regulatory filings.

 

Build a desalination plant without Energy Recovery's patented equipment, and your power bill might be $10 million a year. Install the devices, and the electricity costs could drop to $4 million. For cost-conscious operators like regional water utilities, the decision is a no-brainer.

 

As I say in my recently released report, I wouldn't invest more than 10% of your portfolio in these game-changing ideas. But, sometimes, that's all you need to move the needle on your returns.

 

Energy Recovery definitely has the potential to do major things in the future. And should be on anyone's radar who is looking for a 'game-changer' for their portfolio.

But, like I said, my other predictions for 2014 may be some of my best ideas yet. They all have the potential to lead you to a triple-digit winner. To find out what my 11 predictions for 2014 are, click here.  

American Generics Can't Touch This $8 Billion Drug (Yet)

Intellectual property laws today allow a company 20 years of patent protection from the date of filing. That's a bit different from the former laws that granted 17 years of protection from the date of issuance from the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. Depending on how quickly an application moves through the office, a company today could enjoy an extra year or two of protection compared to the previous precedent. Unless, of course, you are Amgen  (NASDAQ: AMGN  ) .

By the time the last patent for TNF-alpha inhibitor Enbrel expires, it will have been on the market for 30 years! How is that possible? The patent was filed in 1995, reworked, rejected, appealed, reworked again, and finally accepted in late 2011. But because it was originally filed under the old laws, it was granted 17 years of protection from the date of issuance: 2011. So, although Enbrel first hit the market in 1998, it won't face total generic competition until 2028. Not even that has stopped a flurry of generic competition from arising, which Fool contributor Maxx Chatsko explains in the following video. 

Obamacare will undoubtedly have far-reaching effects. The Motley Fool's new free report, "Everything You Need to Know About Obamacare," lets you know how your health insurance, your taxes, and your portfolio could be affected. Click here to read more. 

Big Oil Sees Big Opportunity in Mexico Oil Deregulation

The next frontier for big oil is just across the U.S. border, in Mexico.

As Bloomberg recently reported, the prospect of up to $20 billion a year in foreign investment prompted the Mexican Congress to overturn a 75-year old law banning foreign oil companies from drilling in the country.

If approved by Mexico's state legislatures, the law will give oil and gas companies such as Exxon Mobil (NYSE: XOM), Chevron (NYSE: CVX), Apache Corp (NYSE: APA), BHP Billiton (NYSE: BHP) and ConocoPhillips (NYSE: COP) access to the largest unexplored oil fields south of the Arctic Circle.

Mexico is the world's ninth largest oil producer, and oil production in Mexico is dominated by the government-owned oil company Pemex. Pemex's production has been falling in recent years.

Major U.S. oil and gas fields, such as the Permian Basin and the Eagle Ford Shale, have seen massive increases in drilling and production in recent years.They extend across the border into Mexico, BHP Billiton's head of petroleum Tim Cutt told Reuters. Billiton has been making major investments in North America gas and oil in recent years.

Political observers in Mexico, meanwhile, think state legislatures there will pass the required changes to Mexico's charter because most of them are controlled by allies of President Enrique Pena Nieto and his PRI party. Pena has made economic liberalization one of his main goals.
 

Posted-In: Enrique Pena Nieto. Mexico Mexican politics oil exploration oil industry PemexLong Ideas News Sector ETFs Emerging Markets Commodities Politics Psychology Events Global Markets Media Trading Ideas ETFs General Best of Benzinga

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

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Google Is Putting Elbow Grease Into Better Ad Sales

Google (NASDAQ: GOOG  ) just tweaked its product line again, making two important changes at once. The moves undercut email spammers while boosting Google's own ad networks.

One tweak puts a caching proxy between email senders and Gmail users, drastically reducing the tracking and analysis options for email spammers. The other lets search ad buyers specify that they only want visible ad space, not something on the fifth page of search results or behind a huge image. Here, Google trades a little bit of ad volume for more valuable and higher-priced ad buys.

In the video below, Erin Miller quizzes Fool contributor Anders Bylund on what these moves might mean to Google's business -- and how investors should react.

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Top 5 Blue Chip Companies To Invest In 2014

It looks like the Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJINDICES: ^DJI  ) is set to break its run of triple-digit movements -- and take away investors' streak of gains for the week, as well. The blue chip index has turned down by around 25 points as of 2:15 p.m. EDT, with most stocks in the red -- although few Dow members have made big movements on this Friday. It's a nice breather for investors after the volatility of the past few weeks, but expect more of that to come as questions surrounding quantitative easing's inevitable tapering heat up.

The future of stimulus isn't something long-term investors need to worry about, but keeping an eye on stocks is key to maintaining the best portfolio you can. Who's making waves today? Let's catch up on the stories -- and movers -- you need to know about.

Signs of strength from consumers
Housing, and rising consumer sentiment, have dominated talk around the economic recovery this year, and the University of Michigan/Thomson Reuters consumer confidence�report for May showed a better-than-expected reading of 84.1 for the month, down only slightly from April's score. That combination of economic strength has done wonders for Home Depot (NYSE: HD  ) , today's Dow leader with shares up 1.8%. Home Depot's pulled ahead�of rival Lowe's (NYSE: LOW  ) , particularly after last quarter's earnings report, where the former�raised its guidance, but the latter missed projections. That separation for leadership in the industry has Home Depot poised to continue soaring as the economy's rebound picks up.

Top 5 Blue Chip Companies To Invest In 2014: Apple Inc.(AAPL)

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

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Chris Neiger]

  Hit 'em where it hurts
  Samsung has been on a smartphone rampage over the past few years. Most of its energy has been directed toward Apple (NASDAQ: AAPL  ) , its chief competitor. Apple currently holds the No. 3 spot in worldwide mobile market share, while Nokia clings to No. 2, and Samsung takes the first spot. Though Nokia holds the No. 2 place in market share, the company's grip is quickly loosening as Apple and Samsung spread their smartphones across the globe.

• [By Lyons George]

  In the wake of Apple's (NASDAQ: AAPL  ) recent earnings report, investors seem to be convinced that all is well with the Cupertino giant after all. However, there's one problem that Tim Cook and crew are facing outside the realm of smartphones and tablets: cyber crime. Following a breach in one of the company's websites late last week, one of the world's most respected technology companies suddenly finds itself looking surprisingly vulnerable.

• [By Associated Press]

  RENO, Nev. (AP) -- Apple (NASDAQ: AAPL  ) said it will pay for construction of an 18-megawatt photovoltaic solar plant in northern�Nevada�to provide power for a data center the technology giant plans east of Reno.

Top 5 Blue Chip Companies To Invest In 2014: Philip Morris International Inc(PM)

Philip Morris International Inc., through its subsidiaries, engages in the manufacture and sale of cigarettes and other tobacco products in markets outside of the United States. Its international product brand line comprises Marlboro, Merit, Parliament, Virginia Slims, L&M, Chesterfield, Bond Street, Lark, Muratti, Next, Philip Morris, and Red & White. The company also offers its products under the A Mild, Dji Sam Soe, and A Hijau in Indonesia; Diana in Italy; Optima and Apollo-Soyuz in the Russian Federation; Morven Gold in Pakistan; Boston in Colombia; Belmont, Canadian Classics, and Number 7 in Canada; Best and Classic in Serbia; f6 in Germany; Delicados in Mexico; Assos in Greece; and Petra in the Czech Republic and Slovakia. It operates primarily in the European Union, Eastern Europe, the Middle East, Africa, Asia, Canada, and Latin America. The company is based in New York, New York.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Rich Smith]

  The commonly accepted wisdom in the cigarette industry goes something like this: Smoking is in decline in the United States. Therefore, if you want to make money on tobacco, you must look abroad. You must buy Philip Morris International (NYSE: PM  ) stock.

• [By Rich Duprey]

  Global tobacco giant�Philip Morris International (NYSE: PM  ) announced this morning its second-quarter dividend of $0.85 per share, the same rate it's paid for the past three quarters after raising the payout 10% from $0.77 per share.

• [By Garrett Baldwin]

  As the world's second-largest tobacco company, Philip Morris International (NYSE: PM) is an ideal sin stock.

  And with numbers like these, it's also an ideal way to play global growth...

• [By Fede Zaldua]

  Imperial trades cheaply and pays a great, sustainable and for-ever-growing 4.5% cash dividend yield. The company's 2014 10.4 times P/E multiple represents a 40% discount to what most European consumer staples sell for. Besides, the owner of brands such as Davidoff and Gauloises, trades at a much more conservative level than its direct tobacco peers. Philip Morris International (PM) and British American Tobacco (BTI) sell for 2014 15 and 14.2 times earnings, respectively.

Hot Biotech Companies To Own For 2014: International Business Machines Corporation(IBM)

International Business Machines Corporation (IBM) provides information technology (IT) products and services worldwide. Its Global Technology Services segment provides IT infrastructure and business process services, including strategic outsourcing, process, integrated technology, and maintenance services, as well as technology-based support services. The company?s Global Business Services segment offers consulting and systems integration, and application management services. Its Software segment offers middleware and operating systems software, such as WebSphere software to integrate and manage business processes; information management software for database and enterprise content management, information integration, data warehousing, business analytics and intelligence, performance management, and predictive analytics; Tivoli software for identity management, data security, storage management, and datacenter automation; Lotus software for collaboration, messaging, and so cial networking; rational software to support software development for IT and embedded systems; business intelligence software, which provides querying and forecasting tools; SPSS predictive analytics software to predict outcomes and act on that insight; and operating systems software. Its Systems and Technology segment provides computing and storage solutions, including servers, disk and tape storage systems and software, point-of-sale retail systems, and microelectronics. The company?s Global Financing segment provides lease and loan financing to end users and internal clients; commercial financing to dealers and remarketers of IT products; and remanufacturing and remarketing services. It serves financial services, public, industrial, distribution, communications, and general business sectors. The company was formerly known as Computing-Tabulating-Recording Co. and changed its name to International Business Machines Corporation in 1924. IBM was founded in 1910 and is based in Armonk, New York.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Dan Caplinger]

  One of Accenture's biggest areas of growth has been in technology-related consulting, with the company having become the No. 2 IT consulting company in the world, trailing only rival IBM (NYSE: IBM  ) . Accenture's ability to take advantage of diversity in its employee ranks comes from its lack of a physical corporate headquarters, allowing employees to work in their home countries, and thereby attracting the most talented workers available in a given area. In particular, Accenture has focused much of its attention on India, with more than a quarter of its employees hailing from the subcontinent.

• [By David Kerr]

  Oracle is the third largest software maker by revenue, behind only Microsoft (MSFT) and IBM (IBM). Oracle also has a higher Gross Margin percentage (81.35%) than IBM and MSFT, and a higher Operating Margin (39.28%). The company also has a higher Price to Sales ratio (4.11x) than its two largest competitors.

• [By Dan Caplinger]

  Hewlett-Packard (NYSE: HPQ  ) will release its quarterly report on Tuesday, and investors have been increasingly nervous about the tech giant's ability to keep its long-term restructuring efforts moving forward. With rival IBM (NYSE: IBM  ) having faced tough conditions in the IT market and with Accenture (NYSE: ACN  ) squarely aimed at the same consulting customers that HP hopes to poach in its reorganization efforts, Hewlett-Packard faces pressure to start producing solid results from its strategic moves sooner rather than later.

• [By Paul Ausick]

  At noon ET on Black Friday, online sales are up 7% compared with the same period a year ago and the average order value this year is $142.33. The data is collected and reported by the Digital Analytics Benchmark group at International Business Machines Corp. (NYSE: IBM).

Top 5 Blue Chip Companies To Invest In 2014: Colgate-Palmolive Company(CL)

Colgate-Palmolive Company, together with its subsidiaries, manufactures and markets consumer products worldwide. It offers oral care products, including toothpaste, toothbrushes, and mouth rinses, as well as dental floss and pharmaceutical products for dentists and other oral health professionals; personal care products, such as liquid hand soap, shower gels, bar soaps, deodorants, antiperspirants, shampoos, and conditioners; and home care products comprising laundry and dishwashing detergents, fabric conditioners, household cleaners, bleaches, dishwashing liquids, and oil soaps. The company offers its oral, personal, and home care products under the Colgate Total, Colgate Max Fresh, Colgate 360 Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Dividends4Life]

  Memberships and Peers: KMB is a member of the S&P 500, a Dividend Aristocrat, a member of the Broad Dividend Achievers��Index and a Dividend Champion. The company's peer group includes: The company's peer group includes: Procter & Gamble Co. (PG) with a 3.1% yield, Colgate-Palmolive Co. (CL) with a 2.3% yield, and Clorox Corporation (CLX) with a 3.4% yield.

• [By Eric Volkman]

  It's one of the steadiest dividend payers on the market, and it's continuing to fly level. Colgate-Palmolive (NYSE: CL  ) has declared a fresh quarterly common stock dividend, which is to be $0.34 per share, paid on August 15 to shareholders of record as of July 23. That amount matches the firm's previous distribution; this was paid in May. Prior to that, Colgate-Palmolive handed out $0.31 per share.

• [By Ong Kang Wei]

  Another example of such a product is Colgate-Palmolive (CL)'s Colgate toothpaste. I do not think I have to elaborate much here. Toothpaste is needed in our everyday life, and we will definitely have to buy more toothpaste after we have finished using a packet of it, ensuring that Colgate gets more and more sales over the years.

Top 5 Blue Chip Companies To Invest In 2014: McDonald's Corporation(MCD)

McDonald?s Corporation, together with its subsidiaries, operates as a worldwide foodservice retailer. It franchises and operates McDonald?s restaurants that offer various food items, soft drinks, coffee, and other beverages. As of December 31, 2009, the company operated 32,478 restaurants in 117 countries, of which 26,216 were operated by franchisees; and 6,262 were operated by the company. McDonald?s Corporation was founded in 1948 and is based in Oak Brook, Illinois.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Dimitra DeFotis]

  Wednesday’s top DJIA laggard stocks were higher, up less than a point, headed into the early�1 p.m. close today.�McDonald’s�(MCD),�Disney�(DIS),�Chevron�(CVX)�Procter & Gamble�(PG) were up, though�ExxonMobil�(XOM) shares were flat headed into the close.�

• [By Dividends4Life]

  McDonald�� Corporation (MCD) franchises and operates McDonald's restaurants in the United States, Europe, the Asia/Pacific, the Middle East, Africa, Canada and Latin America. Sept. 18, the company increased its quarterly dividend 5% to $0.81 per share. The dividend is payable Dec. 16, 2013, to shareholders of record at the close of business on Dec. 2, 2013. The yield based on the new payout is 3.3%.

Top 10 Gold Stocks To Watch Right Now

With shares of J.C. Penney (NYSE:JCP) trading around $10, is JCP an OUTPERFORM, WAIT AND SEE, or STAY AWAY? Let�� analyze the stock with the relevant sections of our CHEAT SHEET investing framework:

T = Trends for a Stock’s Movement

J.C. Penney is a retailer operating over a thousand department stores in just about every state in the United States and Puerto Rico. Its business consists of selling merchandise and services to consumers through its department stores and website. It sells family apparel and footwear, accessories, fine and fashion jewelry, beauty products through Sephora, and home furnishings. The company has not done too well in recent years but it is doing what it can to be a top provider of apparel and related products. The products J.C. Penney is able to produce and market can take the company to rising profits, but it would need to see a change of approach soon.

J.C. Penney is reportedly trying to raise capital before the holiday shopping season after shares fell 15 percent on Wednesday after analysts speculated that J.C. Penney�� struggles could leave the retailer strapped for cash by October. People familiar with the matter who spoke to the Wall Street Journal said that J.C. Penney is looking into borrowing cash to get through the holidays as former CEO Ron Johnson�� efforts to turn the company around have failed. Goldman Sachs (NYSE:GS) was named as a possible investment bank the retailer may look to borrow from.

Top 10 Gold Stocks To Watch Right Now: Northgate Minerals Corporation(NXG)

Northgate Minerals Corporation, together with its subsidiaries, engages in exploring, developing, processing, and mining gold and copper deposits in Canada and Australia. Its principal producing assets include 100% interests in the Fosterville and Stawell Gold mines in Victoria, Australia; and the Kemess South mine located in north-central British Columbia, Canada. The company was formerly known as Northgate Exploration Limited and changed its name to Northgate Minerals Corporation in May 2004. Northgate Minerals Corporation was founded in 1919 and is headquartered in Toronto, Canada.

Top 10 Gold Stocks To Watch Right Now: Goldman Sachs Group Inc.(The)

The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc., together with its subsidiaries, provides investment banking, securities, and investment management services to corporations, financial institutions, governments, and high-net-worth individuals worldwide. Its Investment Banking segment offers financial advisory, including advisory assignments with respect to mergers and acquisitions, divestitures, corporate defense, risk management, restructurings, and spin-offs; and underwriting securities, loans and other financial instruments, and derivative transactions. The company?s Institutional Client Services segment provides client execution activities, such as fixed income, currency, and commodities client execution related to making markets in interest rate products, credit products, mortgages, currencies, and commodities; and equities related to making markets in equity products, as well as commissions and fees from executing and clearing institutional client transactions on stock, options, and fu tures exchanges. This segment also engages in the securities services business providing financing, securities lending, and other prime brokerage services to institutional clients, including hedge funds, mutual funds, pension funds, and foundations. Its Investing and Lending segment invests in debt securities, loans, public and private equity securities, real estate, consolidated investment entities, and power generation facilities. This segment also involves in the origination of loans to provide financing to clients. The company?s Investment Management segment provides investment management services and investment products to institutional and individual clients. This segment also offers wealth advisory services, including portfolio management and financial counseling, and brokerage and other transaction services to high-net-worth individuals and families. In addition, it provides global investment research services. The company was founded in 1869 and is headquartered in New York, New York.

10 Best Bank Stocks To Own Right Now: First Majestic Silver Corp.(AG)

First Majestic Silver Corp. engages in the production, development, exploration, and acquisition of mineral properties with a focus on silver in Mexico. The company owns interests in La Encantada Silver Mine comprising 4,076 hectares of mining rights and 1,343 hectares of surface land located in Coahuila; La Parrilla Silver Mine consisting of mining concessions covering an area of 69,867 hectares; and San Martin Silver Mine comprising approximately 7,841 hectares of mineral rights and approximately 1,300 hectares of surface land rights located in Jalisco. It also holds interests in Del Toro Silver Mine consisting of 393 contiguous hectares of mining claims and an additional 129 hectares of surface rights located in Zacatecas; Real de Catorce Silver Project comprising 22 mining concessions covering 6,327 hectares located in San Luis Potosi state; and Jalisco Group of Properties consisting of mining claims totalling 5,240 hectares located in Jalisco. The company was founded in 1979 and is headquartered in Vancouver, Canada.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Doug Ehrman]

  It is no secret that precious metals companies have been taking a pounding for some time now. The SPDR Gold Trust (NYSEMKT: GLD  ) and iShares Silver Trust (NYSEMKT: SLV  ) , the gold and silver ETFs, have been hard hit and operating companies like First Majestic (NYSE: AG  ) and Barrick Gold (NYSE: ABX  ) have been hit even harder. Through all of these struggles, and in some cases because of them, one precious metals company continues to look attractive for the long term: Silver Wheaton (NYSE: SLW  ) .

• [By Doug Ehrman]

  While many precious-metals companies have been in a slump of late, there is one that belongs perpetually in your portfolio: Silver Wheaton (NYSE: SLW  ) . The company is not like other miners -- including Pan American Silver (NASDAQ: PAAS  ) and First Majestic (NYSE: AG  ) -- in that it has a unique business plan that insulates it against many of the vagaries of the mining business. Moreover, because silver will always have a significant industrial demand component, even with the heightened volatility you see in the silver market, maintaining exposure to silver is appropriate.

Top 10 Gold Stocks To Watch Right Now: NEW GOLD INC.(NGD)

New Gold Inc. engages in the acquisition, exploration, extraction, processing, and reclamation of mineral properties. The company primarily explore for gold, silver, and copper deposits. Its operating properties include the Mesquite gold mine in the United States; the Cerro San Pedro gold-silver mine in Mexico; and the Peak gold-copper mine in Australia. The company also has development projects, including the New Afton gold, silver, and copper project in Canada; and a 30% interest in the El Morro copper-gold project in Chile. The company was formerly known as DRC Resources Corporation and changed its name to New Gold Inc. in June 2005. New Gold Inc. was founded in 1980 and is headquartered in Vancouver, Canada.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Ben Levisohn]

  Even bad news has failed to dent the rise in gold stocks today. NewGold (NGD), for instance, has gained 1.8% to $7.49 despite the fact that the wall of one of its mines collapsed. The Wall Street Journal has the details:

• [By Ben Levisohn]

  One group of stocks not feeling the optimism today: Gold miners. With fewer concerns that a U.S. attack on Syria will be disruptive and more evidence that tapering will begin this month, the price of the precious metal has dropped 1.6% to $1,388.90 an ounce–and gold stocks are falling with it. New Gold (NGD), for one, has dropped 3% to $6.55, while Barrick Gold (ABX) has fallen 1.3% to $19.25.

• [By Ben Levisohn]

  Bridges favorite stocks include Goldcorp, Newmont, Eldorado Gold (EGO) and New Gold (NGD).

  Note, however, that these recommendations are all qualified in one way or another. Investors should keep that in mind before going all in on the gold miners.

Top 10 Gold Stocks To Watch Right Now: Claude Resources Inc.(CGR)

Claude Resources Inc. engages in the acquisition, exploration, and development of precious metal properties, as well as production and marketing of minerals in Canada. It primarily explores for gold in northern Saskatchewan and northwestern Ontario. The company holds interests in the Seabee gold mine located at Laonil Lake, northern Saskatchewan; and the Madsen property that consists of 6 contiguous claim blocks totaling approximately 10,000 acres, located in the Red Lake Mining District of northwestern Ontario. It also holds interest in the Amisk Gold project, which covers an area of 13,800 hectares in the province of Saskatchewan. The company was founded in 1980 and is based in Saskatoon, Canada.

Top 10 Gold Stocks To Watch Right Now: Australian Dollar(AU)

AngloGold Ashanti Limited primarily engages in the exploration and production of gold. It also produces silver, uranium oxide, and sulfuric acid. The company conducts gold-mining operations in South Africa; continental Africa, including Ghana, Guinea, Mali, Namibia, and Tanzania; Australia; and the Americas, which include Argentina, Brazil, and the United States. It also has mining or exploration operations in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Guinea, and Colombia. As of December 31, 2010, the company had proved and probable gold reserves of 71.2 million ounces. The company has a strategic alliance with Thani Dubai Mining Limited to explore, develop, and operate mines across the Middle East and parts of North Africa. AngloGold Ashanti Limited, formerly known as Vaal Reefs Exploration and Mining Company Limited, was founded in 1944 and is headquartered in Johannesburg, South Africa.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Holly LaFon]

  The second largest market cap company, at $11.22 billion, is Anglogold Ashanti Ltd. (AU). Its afternoon stock price of $29.15 is within 5% of its three-year low, and has experienced a more significant drop than Newmont ��it is down 44.9% from its high price of $52.86 a share.

• [By Daniel Putnam]

  First, and most important, earnings estimates are stabilizing. In the past sixty days, 2013 estimates for the major gold miners have begun to tick up. In most cases, the increase is very modest. For instance, Goldcorp‘s (GG) EPS estimates have climbed from $0.91 to $0.95, while Barrick Gold‘s (ABX) have inched up from $2.57 to $2.64. Newmont Mining (NEM), Anglogold Ashanti (AU), and Gold Fields Ltd. (GFI) have shown similar gains. This positive rate of change marks a significant departure from the steady stream of bad news investors have had to endure in recent years.

Top 10 Gold Stocks To Watch Right Now: Thompson Creek Metals Company Inc.(TC)

Thompson Creek Metals Company Inc., through its subsidiaries, engages in mining, milling, processing, and marketing molybdenum products in the United States and Canada. The company?s principal properties include the Thompson Creek Mine and mill in Idaho; a metallurgical roasting facility in Langeloth, Pennsylvania; and a joint venture interest in the Endako Mine, mill, and roasting facility in British Columbia. It also holds interests in development projects comprising the Davidson molybdenum property and the Berg copper-molybdenum-silver property located in northern British Columbia; the Howard?s Pass property, a lead and zinc project situated in the Yukon territory-northwest territories border; and the Maze Lake property, a gold project located in the Kivalliq district of Nunavut. The company produces molybdenum products, primarily molybdic oxide and ferromolybdenum, as well as soluble technical oxide, pure molybdenum tri-oxide, and high purity molybdenum disulfide. As o f December 31, 2010, its consolidated recoverable proven and probable ore reserves totaled 462.2 million pounds of contained molybdenum in the Thompson Creek Mine and the Endako Mine. The company was formerly known as Blue Pearl Mining Ltd. and changed its name to Thompson Creek Metals Company Inc. in May 2007. Thompson Creek Metals Company Inc. is based in Denver, Colorado.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Jon C. Ogg]

  Thompson Creek Metals Co. Inc. (NYSE: TC) was at 54% discount to its book value of $8.30 per share at the time, and the stock price of $3.90 is up from $3.03 Deutsche Bank’s team nailed upside of more than 28% here. Its price target was $4 at the time versus a consensus target of $4.50 at the time. The 52-week range here is $2.42 to $4.55, but we would point out that the consensus price target is $3.93.

Top 10 Gold Stocks To Watch Right Now: Goldcorp Incorporated(GG)

Goldcorp Inc. engages in the acquisition, exploration, development, and operation of precious metal properties in Canada, the United States, Mexico, and Central and South America. It produces and sells gold, silver, copper, lead, and zinc. The company was founded in 1954 and is headquartered in Vancouver, Canada.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Ben Levisohn]

  There’s a lady who’s sure all that glitters is gold, but that lady is not Barclays, which named Goldcorp (GG) a top pick today.

  Eva-Lotta Jansson/Bloomberg/Getty Images

  Goldcorp has gained 3.4% today, about in line with the Market Vectors Gold Miners ETF�(GDX) 3.5% rise. And much of the credit, of course, goes to the jump in gold prices: the�SPDR Gold Trust�(GLD) has gained 1.5%.

• [By Dan Caplinger]

  Lately, those sectors haven't done all that well. Terrible performance in the commodities markets have really hurt Canada's natural resources industry, with dozens of companies suffering from the decline in precious metals like gold and silver so far this year. Vancouver-based Goldcorp (NYSE: GG  ) and Toronto's Barrick Gold (NYSE: ABX  ) rank among the biggest gold producers in the world and have big advantages in cost and economies of scale over some of their smaller rivals. Yet the plunge in gold prices has hammered their share prices, casting a shadow over the overall Canadian market's performance.

• [By Doug Ehrman]

  More fundamental to the structural shift in the market is that after an extended period of underperformance by gold miners such as Goldcorp (NYSE: GG  ) and Newmont Mining (NYSE: NEM  ) , this phenomenon has reversed for the time being. As of this writing, since the two-day collapse, GLD is up under 7% as compared with a rise of nearly 8.5% for Newmont and a 12.5% surge for Goldcorp. The miners are probably benefiting from the shift toward bullion. If the miners are able to reverse this market preference for gold over gold miners, it could have long-term ramifications for gold in general.

Top 10 Gold Stocks To Watch Right Now: Iamgold Corporation(IAG)

IAMGOLD Corporation, together with its subsidiaries, engages in the exploration, development, and production of mineral resource properties worldwide. It primarily explores for gold, silver, zinc, copper, niobium, diamonds, and other metals. The company holds interests in eight operating gold mines, a niobium producer, a diamond royalty, and exploration and development projects located in Africa and the Americas. Its advanced exploration and development projects include the Westwood project in Canada; and the Quimsacocha project, which consists of 3 mining concessions covering an aggregate area of approximately 8,030 hectares in Ecuador. The company was formerly known as IAMGOLD International African Mining Gold Corporation and changed its name to IAMGOLD Corporation in June 1997. IAMGOLD Corporation was founded in 1990 and is based in Toronto, Canada.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Daniel Putnam]

  The second factor working in gold stocks��favor is that analysts are growing optimistic again. Yesterday, HSBC put out a bullish note on gold and upgraded Agnico Eagle Mines (AEM), Yamana Gold (AUY), Barrick Gold, Iamgold (IAG), and Goldcorp. Most gold stocks are ranked ��old��or ��uy��(as opposed to ��trong Buy�� by the majority of analysts, meaning that there�� plenty of room for continued positive news flow on this front.

• [By Matt DiLallo]

  IAMGOLD (NYSE: IAG  )
  Canadian gold miner IAMGOLD pays a semiannual dividend of $0.125 per share, which equates to a current yield of about 4.45%. As the company's name would imply, its revenues are generated by its gold-mining operations. Currently, the company has six gold mines across three continents as well as several potential projects in the works. The company's current priorities given the slumping gold market include cash preservation, cost reduction, and disciplined capital allocation. While the dividend looks safe for now, given the company's stated policy of not jeopardizing is strong balance sheet, it could be reduced if gold prices fall further. �

• [By Holly LaFon]

  He increased his holdings in gold companies in the fourth quarter accordingly. Gold stocks he found attractive in the fourth quarter are: Novagold Resources (NG), Randgold Resources (GOLD), Iamgold Corp. (IAG), Barrick Gold Corp. (ABX), Agnico Eagle (AEM) and International Tower Hill (THM).

Top 10 Gold Stocks To Watch Right Now: Golden Star Resources Ltd(GSS)

Golden Star Resources Ltd., a gold mining and exploration company, through its subsidiaries, engages in the acquisition, exploration, development, and production of gold properties. It owns and operates the Bogoso/Prestea gold mining and processing operation that covers approximately 40 kilometers of strike along the southwest-trending Ashanti gold district in western Ghana; and the Wassa open-pit gold mine located to the east of Bogoso/Prestea in southwest Ghana. The company also has an 81% interest in the Prestea underground gold mine located in Ghana. In addition, it holds interests in various gold exploration projects in Ghana, Sierra Leone, Burkina Faso, Niger, and Cote d?Ivoire, as well as holds and manages exploration properties in Brazil in South America. The company was founded in 1984 and is based in Littleton, Colorado.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Patricio Kehoe] ating price of the commodity, along with the geopolitical risks involved in mining in African nations such as Ghana, are just two of the obstacles the firm is facing. In addition, as one of the smallest gold mining firms in the industry, with a market cap of just $122 million, Golden Star has had a very difficult time financing its latest expansion projects. With share prices tumbling towards all-time lows, gurus such as Steven Cohen, Chuck Royce and Arnold Schneider have already sold out their positions in the troubled firm.

  Why Have Gurus Lost Faith in Golden Star?

  Despite aggressive expansion over the past decade, the Toronto-based gold mining firm has not been able to take advantage of its increased production output. Gold prices might have exploded over a ten-year period, yet the recent six-month decline has put a huge strain on Golden Star. The expedited maturation of its mines is particularly troubling, since the accelerated extraction rates, which allowed for short-term profits, are now falling considerably. The impact of the company�� excessive overproduction on profits and growth is clear: decreasing gold reserves mean less production, and thus reduced revenue for the gold miner. When the decline in metal prices are taken into account, the outlook is even more grim.

  In addition to overexpansion at the wrong time, Golden Star�� position has weakened due to its comparably less efficient operations. Unlike industry peers, such as IamGold Corp. (IAG) or Gold Fields Ltd. (GFI), the majority of the Toronto-based miner�� assets contain refractory ore, which is far more expensive to extract than non refractory ore. And, in an attempt to switch production to the lower cost gold ore, and thus increase margins, Golden Star has depleted its mines��non refractory ore. With low reserves and mounting cash costs, the firm inevitably turned to new acquisitions.

  Overpriced Acquisitions and Geopolitical Risk

  The purchase

• [By Sean Williams]

  Golden Star Resources (NYSEMKT: GSS  )
  It's simple physics: The bigger they are, the harder they fall. When gold prices nosedived earlier this week, gold miners with historically higher operating costs took the brunt of the hit. For the most part, that meant that development-stage miners, and those operating in Africa, where labor and political costs make cost-effective mining a challenge, took it on the chin. Possibly no stock was hammered more than Golden Star Resources, a gold miner in Ghana, which lost about one-quarter of its value on Monday alone.

Wall Street stock futures slip

U.S. stock futures slipped on Monday.

Before the start to regular trading, Dow Jones industrial average index futures fell 0.1%, Standard & Poor's 500 index futures dipped 0.03%and Nasdaq index futures declined 0.3%.

On Wall Street Friday, the Dow and Nasdaq inched up 0.1% while the S&P 500 finished fractionally lower.

FRIDAY: Stocks mostly up as Nasdaq barely tops 4000

In Asia, a report on manufacturing in China signaled that a recovery in the world's No. 2 economy would continue to be uneven. China's massive manufacturing sector grew at a slightly slower pace in December, according to a preliminary survey by HSBC.

The Shanghai composite index lost 1.6% to 2,160.86 and Tokyo's Nikkei 225 index fell 1.6% to 15,152,91.

Benchmark U.S. crude for February delivery edged 23 cents lower, or 0.2%, to $96.71 a barrel in electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange.

Global investors are still trying to figure out where things could be headed next. Some are watching for whether the Federal Reserve might reduce its economic stimulus, which has worked to boost stock prices recently, when it announces a monetary policy decision Wednesday.

Contributing: Associated Press

10 Best Medical Stocks To Invest In Right Now

Although its summer, there has been a steady stream of good news about medical marijuana even though important small cap marijuana stocks�Medical Marijuana Inc (OTCMKTS: MJNA) and Cannabis Science Inc (OTCMKTS: CBIS) have been fairly quietly lately while Growlife Inc (OTCBB: PHOT), a more indirect play on the spread of legalized marijuana, has produced�some news for investors:

Private Equity Funds�Betting on Marijuana. Reuters has an article noting that while Wall Street remains wary of investing in marijuana,�there are two small private�equity funds bucking the trend. One firm, Privateer Holdings, has apparently just closed on a�$7 million first round of fundraising plus it has named�Michael Auerbach, an investor with ties to former U.S. Secretary of State Madeleine Albright, to its board of directors. Another round of�fundraising for Privateer Holdings will�begin in the fall�and it won�� be�for less than $25 million. Aside from�Privateer Holdings, the only other fund raising money with the sole purpose of�cashing in on the marijuana industry is Emerald Ocean Capital, a division of Southern California-based venture capital firm Ghost Group. The High Cost of Marijuana. PolicyMic.com has a lengthy article�about how much marijuana prohibition laws are costing taxpayers. The article quoted FBI figures that�43.3% of all "Arrests for Drug Abuse Violation" are for possession of marijuana and�6%�of all drug-abuse violation arrests were for the "Sale/Manufacturing" of marijuana���meaning 49.5% of all drug-violation arrests are connected to the drug. With 757,969 individuals incarcerated for marijuana abuse�at a cost of $21,006 a year,�$15,921,896,814 is spent to keep these individuals imprisoned for one year. Over more than 30 years, the total bill comes to�$585 billion.� Problems in Denver Which Need to be Addressed. Although the city of�Denver is�viewed as a national leader in its regulation of medical marijuana and the city has the most dispensaries in the state, however, the Denver Post has noted how a�recently released audit found serious problems with how the city licenses, tracks and manages the industry in the city. Moreover, the lack of oversight can potentially cost the city millions in lost tax revenues and put neighborhoods and citizens at risk. With that said, Michael Elliott, the director of the Medical Marijuana Industry Group, said Denver has done the best it could with limited resources plus he added: "We think the recommendations in the audit are valid and a good path forward," Still�Quiet With Key Small Cap Marijuana Stocks. Small cap Marijuana stocks Medical Marijuana Inc (which aims to be the premier cannabis and hemp industry innovator) and Cannabis Science Inc (which is focused on the�development of cannabis-based medicines to satisfy unmet medical needs) are considered to be the most ��egitimate��direct small cap marijuana stock plays. However, neither have really been producing any new news lately, but its also the middle of summer. Growlife Inc Hires a New Executive. Growlife Inc, a provider of indoor growing technologies and unique lifestyle brands along with Cannabis.org, an information portal for the medical marijuana industry, has just announced that Randy E. Breitman is joining the management team as the Director of Business Development. The press release stated that as a�business owner, Breitman has more than a decade of executive experience for guiding technology and strategic planning and that he will�be essential as GrowLife expands its business development activities on the East Coast and in the greater New York area - his base of operations for the company. Growlife Inc also recently announced the opening of a new retail location in Plaistow, New Hampshire, plus the company has announced an upward revision to its adjusted revenue guidance for the remainder of�the fiscal year�with $760,709 in revenue being reported for the first quarter�and $925,000 expected for the second quarter, $1,810,000 for the third and�$1,955,000�for the fourth. Lastly,�Growlife Inc announced the completion of�its acquisition of Rocky Mountain Hydroponics, LLC, Evergreen Garden Center(s), LLC and on-line portal 58Hydro.com�to make the company the largest and most diversified conglomerate focused on�indoor gardening in the USA.

In other words, it might be summer but the slow steady march of legalized marijuana goes on���something that is bound to benefit cap marijuana stocks�Medical Marijuana and Cannabis Science along with Growlife Inc.

10 Best Medical Stocks To Invest In Right Now: Telik Inc (TELK.PH)

Telik, Inc. (Telik), incorporated in 1988, is a clinical-stage drug development company focused on discovering and developing small molecule drugs to treat cancer. The Company discovers its product candidates using the Company�� drug discovery technology, Target-Related Affinity Profiling (TRAP). TELINTRA, its principal drug product candidate in clinical development, is a small molecule glutathione analog inhibitor of the enzyme glutathione S-transferase P1-1 (GST P1-1). TELCYTA, its other product candidate, is a small molecule cancer drug product candidate designed to be activated in cancer cells.

Clinical Product Development

TELINTRA is the Company�� lead small molecule product candidate in clinical development for the treatment of blood disorders, including cancer. It has a mechanism of action and acts by inhibiting GST P1-1, an enzyme that is involved in the control of cellular growth and differentiation. Inhibition of GST P1-1 results in the activation of the signaling molecule Jun kinase, a regulator of the function of blood precursor cells. Preclinical tests show that TELINTRA is capable of causing the death or apoptosis of leukemic or malignant blood cells, while stimulating the growth and development of normal blood precursor cells. TELINTRA has been studied in Myelodysplastic Syndrome (MDS) using two formulations. A liposomal formulation was developed for intravenous administration of TELINTRA and was used in Phase I and Phase II studies in MDS patients. The results from the Phase II intravenous liposomal TELINTRA clinical trials demonstrated that TELINTRA treatment was associated with improvement in all three types of blood cell levels in patients with all types of MDS, including those in intermediate and high-risk groups. An oral dosage formulation (tablet) was subsequently developed and results from a Phase I study with TELINTRA tablets showed clinical activity and the formulation to be well tole rated. In June 2011, the Company initiated a Phase II clini! c! al trial to evaluate TELINTRA tablets. In October 2011, the Company initiated an additional Phase IIb clinical trial to evaluate TELINTRA tablets. '

The activity and safety profile of tablet formulation allowed the Company to complete a Phase II trial of TELINTRA tablets in MDS. The primary objective of the Phase II TELINTRA tablet study was to determine the efficacy of TELINTRA. A multivariate logistic regression analysis was conducted to identify MDS disease prognostic factors associated with erythroid improvement response rates, including prior MDS treatment, age, gender, the international prognostic scoring system (IPSS), risk, Eastern Cooperative Group performance status, years from MDS diagnosis, MDS World Health Organization subtypes, anemia only versus anemia plus other cytopenias, dose schedule and starting dose. Results from this study show that TELINTRA is the first GSTP1-1 enzyme inhibitor shown to cause clinically reductions in red blood cell transf usions, including transfusion independence in low to intermediate-1 risk MDS patients, as well as improvement in platelet count and white blood cell levels in certain patients. TELINTRA, administered orally twice daily, appeared to be convenient and flexible for chronic treatment administration.

TELCYTA is a small molecule drug product candidate that the Company is developed for the treatment of cancer. TELCYTA binds to GST. TELCYTA has been evaluated in multiple Phase II and Phase III clinical trials, including trials using TELCYTA as monotherapy and in combination regimens in ovarian, non-small cell lung, breast and colorectal cancer. Results from these clinical trials indicate that TELCYTA monotherapy was generally well-tolerated, with mostly mild to moderate side effects, particularly when compared to the side effects and toxicities of standard chemotherapeutic drugs. When TELCYTA was evaluated in combination with standard chemotherapeutic drugs, the tolera bility of the combinations was similar to that expected! of e! ac! h drug ! alone.

Clinical activity including objective tumor responses and/or disease stabilization was reported in the TELCYTA Phase II trials; however, TELCYTA did not meet its primary endpoints in the Phase III studies. Positive results from a Phase I-IIa multicenter, dose-ranging study of TELCYTA in combination with carboplatin and paclitaxel as first-line therapy for patients with non-small cell lung cancer, or NSCLC, were published in a peer reviewed publication. Clinical data demonstrated positive results of TELCYTA in combination with carboplatin and paclitaxel in the treatment of first-line lung cancer followed by TELCYTA maintenance therapy. As of December 31, 2011, the Company had an on-going investigator-led study at a single site of TELCYTA in patients with refractory or relapsed mantle cell lymphoma, diffuse B cell lymphoma, and multiple myeloma.

Preclinical Drug Product Development

The Company has a small molecule compound, TLK60 404, in preclinical development that inhibits both Aurora kinase and VEGFR kinase. Aurora kinase is a signaling enzyme whose function is required for cancer cell division, while VEGF plays a key role in tumor blood vessel formation, ensuring an adequate supply of nutrients to support tumor growth. These lead compounds prevented tumor growth in preclinical models of human colon cancer and human leukemia by inhibiting both Aurora kinase and VEGFR kinase. A development drug product candidate, TLK60404, has been selected.

The Company, using its TRAP technology has discovered TLK60357, a novel, potent small molecule inhibitor of cell division. TLK60357 inhibits the formation of microtubules that are necessary for cancer cell growth leading to persistent G2/M cancer cell cycle block and subsequent cell death. This compound demonstrates potent broad-spectrum anticancer activity against a number of human cancer cells. This compound also displays oral efficacy in multipl e, standard preclinical models of cancer. TLK6059! 6, a pote! nt! VGFR kin! ase inhibitor, blocks the formation of new blood vessels in tumors. Oral administration of TLK60596 to animal models of human colon cancer reduced tumor growth.

10 Best Medical Stocks To Invest In Right Now: Spectrum Pharmaceuticals Inc.(SPPI)

Spectrum Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a commercial-stage biotechnology company, primarily focuses on oncology and hematology. The company engages in acquiring, developing, and commercializing a broad and diverse pipeline of late-stage clinical and commercial products. It markets Zevalin, a prescribed form of cancer therapy, radioimmunotherapy; and Fusilev, a novel folate analog formulation and the pharmacologically active isomer of the racemic compound, calcium leucovorin. The company?s drugs in late stage development include Apaziquone, an anti-cancer agent; and Belinostat, a histone deacytelase inhibitor. Its drugs in development also include Ozarelix a luteinizing hormone releasing hormone antagonist, which is in Phase II clinical stage; SPI-1620, a peptide agonist of endothelin B receptors, which is in Phase I clinical stage; and RenaZorb, a lanthanum-based nanoparticle phosphate binding agent, which is in preclinical stage. The company was formerly known as NeoTherapeutics, Inc. and changed its name to Spectrum Pharmaceuticals, Inc. in December 2002. Spectrum Pharmaceuticals, Inc. was founded in 1987 and is based in Henderson, Nevada.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Keith Speights]

  Another prime case study for this comes from Spectrum Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ: SPPI  ) . Spectrum's stock more than doubled from October 2011 through July 2012. However, shares plunged 55% from those highs because business dynamics changed since then. A shortage of a generic rival to Spectrum's lead drug Fusilev was alleviated, resulting in sales slowing down considerably.�

• [By Rich Smith]

  Spectrum Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ: SPPI  ) has found itself a new Executive Vice President, a new Chief Financial Officer, and a new Principal Accounting�Officer. They're all the same person.

Top Undervalued Companies To Watch For 2014: Applied Nanotech Holdings Inc (APNT)

Applied Nanotech Holdings, Inc., incorporated on May 22, 1989, is engaged in nanotechnology research and development business. The Company's nanotechnology research involves performing contract research and development services for others to develop products and materials for new applications, and then leveraging this research by applying it to other similar applications in other industries. The Company also develops intellectual property (IP) around its products and technologies. The Company develops five technology platforms: nanosensor technology; nanocomposites, based on carbon nanotube composites; thermal management materials; nanoelectronics applications, and electron emission activities, primarily in the display area. The Company's electron emission IP is divided into display activities and non-display activities. Applied Nanotech Holdings, Inc. is the parent company. Applied Nanotech, Inc. (ANI) is a subsidiary of ANHI. During the year ended December 31, 2012, the Company formed EZDiagnostix, Inc., (EZDX).

Sensors

The Company develops sensors based on ion mobility sensor technology and differential mobility spectroscopy. The Company is involved in projects to develop Mercaptan and Methane sensors for uses in the natural gas industry. The Company is also applying this technology to other applications, including agricultural pathology, wound care, and breath analysis. The Company develops hydrogen sensor for use in the measurement of hydrogen in power transformer products. The Company develops carbon monoxide sensor that can last for 10,000 hours on a single battery. The Company's carbon nanotube technology is for use in biosensors. Sensors based on carbon nanotubes or other nanomaterials can be used to detect chemical, organic, or biological warfare agents, as well as explosives, hydrogen, ammonia and numerous other chemicals.

Nanocomposites

The Company is in the advanced stages of development of nanomaterials using carbon nanotube (CNT) and! other composites. Epoxies are used in industries with worldwide markets, with applications, including adhesives, paints, coatings, and composites. In addition to epoxy resins, the Company develops other types of resins, including polyesters and vinyl esters. Vinyl esters are used in a variety of industrial applications, including storage tanks, piping, and construction. The Company develops a process for coating nylon pellets with CNTs to improves electrical conductivity. Nylon 6 with improved electrical conductivity can be used for its anti-static qualities, electrostatic discharge, and electromagnetic/RF shielding.

Thermal Management

The Company markets thermal management material called CarbAl. CarbAl provides a passive thermal management solution for temperature control issues that plague electronics manufacturers. CarbAl is a carbon based metal nanocomposite comprised of 80% carbonaceous matrix and a dispersed metal component of 20% aluminum. The Company also develops a simplified version of CarbAl based on graphite.

Conductive Inks

The Company develops aluminum and silver inks and pastes that is ideal for use in the production of solar cells. The Company also develops aluminum paste that can be used in current solar cell production.

The Company competes with Zyvex Performance Materials, GSI Creos, Amroy Europe, Ltd., DuPont and Ferro

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Anuchit Nguyen]

  India�� S&P BSE Sensex rose, holding at a three-year high, amid better-than-estimated corporate earnings. Engineering company Larsen & Toubro Ltd. (LT) rallied to a three-month high and Asian Paints Ltd. (APNT) surged about 6 percent after reporting profit that beat forecasts.

10 Best Medical Stocks To Invest In Right Now: Algeta ASA (ALGETA)

Algeta ASA is a Norway-based biotechnology company engaged in the development of targeted cancer therapies based on its alpha-pharmaceutical platform. The Company�� principal product is Alpharadin for the treatment of bone metastases resulting from castration-resistant prostate cancer. The Company�� pipeline also includes Alpharadin for the treatment of bone metastases resulting from breast cancer, a combination of Alpharadin with Taxotere for the treatment of bone metastases resulting from prostate cancer and Thorium-227 showing various cancer indications. The Company develops Alpharadin in a development and marketing cooperation with Bayer Schering Pharma. Algeta ASA is active through the two wholly owned subsidiaries, Algeta Innovations AS and Algeta UK Limited. On April 12, 2012, the Company announced that it estabilished a subsidiary active in the United States, Algeta US.

10 Best Medical Stocks To Invest In Right Now: Fuse Science Inc (DROP.PK)

Fuse Science, Inc. ( Fuse Science), incorporated on September 21, 1988, is a consumer products holding company. The Company maintains the rights to sublingual and transdermal delivery systems for bioactive agents that can effectively encapsulate and charge many varying molecules in order to produce complete product formulations which can be consumed orally, applied topically or delivered otherwise sublingually or transdermally, thereby bypassing the gastrointestinal tract and entering the blood stream directly. The Fuse Science technology is designed to accelerate conveyance of medicines or nutrients relative to traditional pills and liquids and can enhance how consumers receive these products. In December 2012, the Company launched its initial DROP products, PowerFuse, an energy formulation in a concentrated drop and ElectroFuse, an electrolyte formula in a concentrated drop, online, with the expansion into targeted retail distribution channels.

The Compan y is developing formulations and devices, which are compatible with alternative delivery systems for energy, medicines, vitamins and minerals, among other bioactives. These alternative systems include, but are not limited to, sublingual, transdermal and buccal drug delivery methods. use Science has developed and continues to advance, in conjunction with its scientific team, sublingual and transdermal delivery systems for bioactives that can effectively encapsulate and charge varying molecules in order to produce product formulations which can be consumed orally, applied topically or otherwise delivered sublingually or transdermally, thereby bypassing the gastrointestinal tract and entering the blood stream directly. The delivery technology is consists of encapsulation vesicles and ion exchange permeation enhancers. This technology utilizes a gradient across the mucosa membrane to help deliver the bioactive more efficiently through the mucosa.

The Company

10 Best Medical Stocks To Invest In Right Now: Covidien PLC (COV)

Covidien Public Limited Company is engaged in the development, manufacture and sale of healthcare products for use in clinical and home settings. It operates its businesses through three segments: Medical Devices, which includes the development, manufacture and sale of endomechanical instruments, energy devices, soft tissue repair products, vascular products, oximetry and monitoring products, airway and ventilation products; Pharmaceuticals, which includes the development, manufacture and distribution of specialty pharmaceuticals and active pharmaceutical ingredients, and Medical Supplies, SharpSafety products and original equipment manufacturer products. In May 2012, it acquired Newport Medical Instruments, Inc. In May 2012, it acquired superDimension, Ltd. In June 2012, the Company acquired Oridion Systems Ltd. In October 2012, its Mallinckrodt acquired CNS Therapeutics, Inc. In January 2013, the Company acquired CV Ingenuity. Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Dan Caplinger]

  Yet the episode led to criticism of Intuitive Surgical in other arenas. Last month, the president of a major group of OB/GYNs said that using robotic systems for hysterectomy procedures -- a significant area of potential growth for the company -- lacked data showing its usefulness and made procedures far more expensive. That could reduce sales and have an impact not just toward the end of last quarter but for future periods as well. Moreover, you can expect traditional medical-instrument makers Johnson & Johnson (NYSE: JNJ  ) and Covidien (NYSE: COV  ) to step in to take advantage of the situation, as they stand to benefit substantially if robotics are shown to be inferior. Both J&J and Covidien supply more traditional instruments and supplies for surgical procedures, and regulators are more familiar with their safety profiles.

• [By Ben Levisohn]

  Intuitive Surgical has gained 4.3% to $397.20 today, easily trumping the gains in other healthcare-equipment companies. �Covidien�(COV) has ticked down 0.3% to $60.08, Medtronic�(MDT) has gained 0.5% to $52.97, Abbott Laboratories�(ABT) has fallen 0.8% to $33.24, and C.R. Bard (BCR) is little changed at $114.52.

• [By Jon C. Ogg]

  Covidien Ltd. (NYSE: COV) was started as Buy at Needham & Co.

  Halliburton Co. (NYSE: HAL) was reinstated as Outperform and added to the U.S. Focus List with a new price target of $58 (versus $48.30 now) at Credit Suisse, and it was reiterated as Buy and the price target was raised to $63 from $58 by Sterne Agee.

10 Best Medical Stocks To Invest In Right Now: StemCells Inc (STEM.W)

StemCells, Inc. (StemCells), incorporated in August 1988, is engaged in the research, development, and commercialization of stem cell therapeutics and related tools and technologies for academia and industry. The Company is focused on developing and commercializing stem and progenitor cells as the basis for therapeutics and therapies, and cells and related tools and technologies to enable stem cell-based research and drug discovery and development. The Company�� primary research and development efforts are focused on identifying and developing stem and progenitor cells as potential therapeutic agents. The Company has two therapeutic product development programs, including its CNS Program, which is developing applications for HuCNS-SC cells, its human neural stem cell product candidate, and its Liver Program, which is characterizing the Company�� human liver cells as a therapeutic product.

CNS Program

The Company in its CNS Program, is in clinical development with its HuCNS-SC cells for a range of disorders of the central nervous system. The CNS includes the brain, spinal cord and eye. In February 2012, the Company had completed a Phase I clinical trial in Pelizeaus-Merzbacher Disease (PMD), a fatal myelination disorder in the brain.

The Company�� CNS Program is focused on developing clinical applications, in which transplanting HuCNS-SC cells protect or restore organ function of the patient before such function is irreversibly damaged or lost due to disease progression. The Company�� initial target indications are PMD, and more generally, diseases in which deficient myelination plays a central role, such as cerebral palsy or multiple sclerosis; spinal cord injury, disorders in which retinal degeneration plays a central role, such as age-related macular degeneration or retinitis pigmentosa. The Company�� product candidate, HuCNS-SC cells, is a purified and expanded composition of normal hum an neural stem cells. Its HuCNS-SC cells can be directly tr! a! nsplanted.

Liver Program

Liver stem or progenitor cells offer an alternative treatment for liver diseases. A liver cellular therapy or cell-based therapeutic provide or support liver function in patients with liver disease. The Company held a portfolio of issued and allowed patents in the liver field, which cover the isolation and use of both hLEC cells and the isolated subset, as well as the composition of the cells themselves.

The Company�� range of cell culture products, which are sold under the SC Proven brand, includes iSTEM, GS1-R, GS2-M, RHB-A, RHB-Basal, NDiff N2, and NDiff N2B27. Its iSTEM is a serum-free, feeder-free medium that maintains mouse embryonic stem cells in their pluripotent ground state by using selective small molecule inhibitors to block the pathways, which induce differentiation. RHB-A is a defined, serum-free culture medium for the selective culture of human and mouse neural stem cells and their maintenanc e and expansion as adherent cell populations. RHB-Basal is a defined, serum-free basal medium. When supplemented with specific growth factors, this media is formulated for the propagation and differentiation of adherent neural stem cells. RHB-Basal can also be tailored to specific-cell type requirements by the addition of customer preferred supplements.

The Company�� NDiff N2 is a defined serum-free scell culture supplement for the derivation, maintenance, expansion and/or differentiation of human and mouse embryonic stem (ES) cells and tissue-derived neural stem cells supplement. Its NDiff N2-AF is a serum-free and animal component-free version of NDiff N2. Its NDiff N2B27 is a defined, serum-free medium for the differentiation of mouse embryonic stem cells to neural cell types. NDiff N27-AF is a serum-free and animal component-free version of NDiff N27. Its GS1-R is a serum-free media formulation shown to enable the derivation and long-term maintenance of tr ue, germline competent rat embryonic stem cells without! the ! ad! dition ! of cytokines or growth factors. Its GS2-M is a defined, serum- and feeder-free medium for the derivation and long-term maintenance of true, germline competent mouse iPS cells.

The Company also markets a number of antibody reagents for use in cell detection, isolation and characterization. These reagents are also under the SC Proven brand and it includes STEM24, STEM101, STEM121 and STEM123. Its STEM24 is a human antibody that recognizes human CD24, also known as heat stable antigen (HSA), a glycoprotein expressed on the surface of many human cell types, including immature human hematopoietic cells, peripheral blood lymphocytes, erythrocytes and many human carcinomas. Its CD24 is also a marker of human neural differentiation. Its STEM101 is a human-specific mouse antibody that recognizes the Ku80 protein found in human nuclei. Its STEM121 is a human-specific mouse antibody that recognizes a cytoplasmic protein of human cells. Its STEM123 is a human-specific mouse antibody that recognizes human glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP).

The Company�� Other products marketed under SC Proven include total cell genomic DNA (gDNA), RNA and protein lysate reagents purified from homogenous stem cell populations for intra-comparative studies, such as Epigenetic fingerprinting, Southern, Western and Northern blots, PCR, RT-PCR and microarrays. This range of purified stem cell line lysates includes mouse embryonic stem (ES) cells propagated in SC Proven 2i inhibitor-based GS2-M media and mouse ES cell-derived and fetal tissue-derived neural stem (NS) cells propagated in SC Proven RHB-A media.

10 Best Medical Stocks To Invest In Right Now: Autoimmune Inc (AIMM)

AutoImmune Inc., incorporated in September 1988, is a healthcare company. The Company�� products are based on the principles of mucosal tolerance. The Company�� product is sold by Colloral LLC, the Company�� joint venture with Deseret, under the brand name Colloral, The Collagen Solution and Vital 3, and by Futurebiotics LLC under the brand name Vital 3. The other products which are in the development stage include MBP8298 (dirucotide), Oral Copaxone and AI 401.

The Company completed ten human clinical trials involving over 1,900 patients to investigate the use of Colloral as a pharmaceutical for treating symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis. The Company holds a joint venture with Deseret by forming Colloral LLC to manufacture market and sell Colloral as a dietary supplement. Colloral LLC holds a distributing agreement with Futurebiotics LLC for Colloral. Futurebiotics LLC markets the product under the brand name Vital 3. Colloral LLC also markets the product under the Vital 3 brand through The Shopping Channel of Canada via on air segments and their Website.

The Company�� other products in the development stage include MBP8298 (dirucotide) for multiple sclerosis, which is in Phase III trials for secondary progressive multiple sclerosis; Oral Copaxone is in the research stage for multiple sclerosis, and AI 401 is in Phase III trials for Type 1 diabetes. The development of MBP8298 (dirucotide) is conducted by BioMS Medical Corporation (BioMS). In August 2000, BioMS tested patients in a Phase II/III (MAESTRO-01) clinical trial of its MBP8298 treatment for secondary progressive multiple sclerosis. It was conducted at 47 sites across Canada and Europe. In November 2006, BioMS enrolled in a Phase II clinical trial (MINDSET-01) of MBP8298 for treatment of relapsing remitting multiple sclerosis. It enrolled 218 patients at 24 sites in six countries for a 15 month trial.

The Company collaborated with Eli Lilly, which supports clinical testing of orally administered a! utoimmune-mediated (Type 1) diabetes product, AI 401. Eli Lilly completed three different Phase II clinical trials to demonstrate human proof of principle for AI 401. The United States study was a one-year, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial with more than 200 patients, designed to measure immunological changes, preservation of pancreatic function and time to insulin dependence. Its second Phase II trial, involving approximately 150 patients, was conducted in France. The third trial was conducted in Italy with approximately 80 patients. In addition, Eli Lilly provided AI 401 for the Diabetes Prevention Trial (DPT-1) conducted by the National Institutes of Health (NIH). During the year ended December 31, 2008, the clinical trial of intranasal insulin to delay or prevent the clinical onset of Type I diabetes, called the Diabetes Prediction and Prevention Project was conducted in Finland. As of January 1, 2009, 115 had been enrolled in this trial.

10 Best Medical Stocks To Invest In Right Now: Uroplasty Inc (UPI.PH)

Uroplasty, Inc., incorporated in January 1992, is a medical device company that develops, manufactures and markets products for the treatment of voiding dysfunctions. The Company�� primary focus is on two products: the Urgent PC Neuromodulation system and Macroplastique Implants. The Urgent PC system is a United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-approved minimally invasive, office-based neuromodulation therapy for the treatment of overactive bladder (OAB) and associated symptoms of urinary urgency, urinary frequency, and urge incontinence; and Macroplastique Implants a urethral bulking agent for the treatment of adult female stress urinary incontinence primarily due to intrinsic sphincter deficiency (ISD). Outside of the United States, the Company�� Urgent PC is also approved for treatment of fecal incontinence, and Macroplastique is also approved for treatment of male stress incontinence and vesicoureteral reflux.

Urgent PC Neuromodulation Syst em

Using a small-gauge needle electrode inserted above the ankle, the Urgent PC System delivers electrical impulses to the tibial nerve that travel to the sacral nerve plexus, a control center for pelvic floor and bladder function. Components of the Urgent PC system include a hair-width needle electrode, a lead set, and an external, handheld, battery-powered stimulator. For each 30-minute, office-based therapy session, the physician or other qualified healthcare provider inserts the needle electrode in the patient�� lower leg and connects the electrode to the stimulator. Typically, a patient undergoes 12 consecutive weekly treatment sessions, with follow-up maintenance treatments as required to sustain the therapeutic effect. The Company has received regulatory clearances for sale of the Urgent PC system in the United States, Canada and Europe. It also has launched its second generation Urgent PC system.

Macroplastique

Macrop lastique is designed to restore the patient�� urinary co! nt! inence immediately following treatment. Macroplastique is a soft-textured, permanent implant injected, under endoscopic visualization, around the urethra distal to the bladder neck. It is a composition of heat vulcanized, solid, soft, irregularly shaped polydimethylsiloxane (solid silicone elastomer) implants suspended in a biocompatible excretable carrier gel. Macroplastique does not degrade, is not absorbed into surrounding tissues and does not migrate from the implant site. The Company has sold Macroplastique for several urological indications in over 40 countries outside the United States.

Other Uroplasty Products

The Company markets outside of the United States minimally invasive products to address fecal incontinence. Its PTQ Implants offer minimally invasive, soft-textured permanent implant for treatment of fecal incontinence. The PTQ Implants are implanted circumferentially into the submucosa of the anal canal, creating a bulking and support ive effect similar to that of Macroplastique injection for the treatment of stress urinary incontinence. The PTQ is Conformite Europeenne (CE) marked and is sold outside the United States in various international markets. The Urgent PC is also CE marked and sold outside of the United States for the treatment of fecal incontinence. In addition to urological applications, the Company markets its tissue bulking material outside the United States for otolaryngology vocal cord rehabilitation applications under the trade name VOX Implants. In the Netherlands and the United Kingdom only, the Company distributes certain wound care products in accordance with a distributor agreement.

The Company competes with Pfizer Inc., Johnson and Johnson, Novartis, Allergan, GlaxoSmithKline, Carbon Medical Technologies, BioForm, Inc., Q-Med AB and Contura.

10 Best Medical Stocks To Invest In Right Now: Antares Pharma Inc (ATRS)

Antares Pharma, Inc. (Antares) is a pharma company that focuses on self-injection pharmaceutical products and technologies and topical gel-based products. The Company�� subcutaneous and intramuscular injection technology platforms include Vibex disposable pressure-assisted auto injectors, Vision reusable needle-free injectors, and disposable multi-use pen injectors. In the injector area, it has licensed its reusable needle-free injection device for use with human growth hormone (hGH) to Teva, Ferring Pharmaceuticals BV (Ferring) and JCR Pharmaceuticals Co., Ltd. (JCR), with Teva and Ferring being its two primary customers. The Company has also licensed both disposable auto and pen injection devices to Teva for use in certain fields and territories and is engaged in product development activities for Teva utilizing these devices.

In the gel-based area, it received Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval in December 2011 for its oxybutynin gel 3% product, Anturol, for the treatment of overactive bladder. Antares also has a licensing agreement with Watson Watson Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (Watson) under which Watson will commercialize its topical oxybutynin gel 3% product in the United States and Canada. Its gel portfolio also includes Elestrin (estradiol gel) in the United States for the treatment of moderate-to-severe vasomotor symptoms associated with menopause. Antares has designed disposable, pressure assisted auto injector devices to address acute medical needs, such as allergic reactions, migraine headaches, acute pain, emesis and other daily therapies.

Pressure Assisted Injection Devices

The Company�� Pressure Assisted Injection Devices consists of three products: reusable needle-free injectors, disposable pressure assisted auto injectors and disposable pen injectors. Reusable needle-free injectors deliver precise medication doses through high-speed, pressurized liquid penetration of the skin without a needle. The injector employs a disposable pl! astic needle-free syringe, which offers liquid medication delivery through an opening that is approximately half the diameter of a standard, 30-gauge needle.

Disposable pressure assisted auto injectors is a technology of controlled pressure delivery of drugs into the body utilizing a spring power source. The Vibex is designed to provide fast subcutaneous or intramuscular injections of up to 0.5ml with minimal discomfort and improved convenience in conjunction with the enhanced safety of a shielded needle. Disposable pen injectors are needle-based devices designed to deliver multiple injections from multi-dose drug cartridges. The devices contain mechanisms that specify the dose to be delivered by defining the amount of movement by the stopper in the cartridge with each device actuation.

The Vision/Tjet has been sold for use in more than 30 countries to deliver either insulin or hGH. The product features a reusable, spring-based power source and disposable needle-free syringe, which acts as the pathway for the injectable drug through the skin and allows for viewing of the medication dose prior to injection. The product is also reusable, with each device designed to last for approximately 3,000 injections (or approximately two years) while the needle-free syringe, when used with insulin or hGH, is disposable after approximately one week when used by a single patient for injecting from multi-dose vials. The Vision/Tjet administers injectables by using a spring to push the active ingredient in solution or suspension through a micro-fine opening in the needle-free syringe. The opening is approximately half the diameter of a 30-gauge needle. The Vision/Tjet is primarily used in the United States, Europe, Asia and Japan.

Antares has designed disposable, pressure assisted auto injector devices to address acute medical needs, such as allergic reactions, migraine headaches, acute pain, emesis and other daily therapies. Its Vibex disposable product combines a low-energy, spr! ing-based! power source with a hidden needle, which delivers up to 0.5ml of the needed drug solution subcutaneously or intramuscularly. Antares is also developing a Vibex MTX auto injector for delivery of methotrexate for treatment of rheumatoid arthritis. The Company�� multi use, disposable pen injector complements its portfolio of single-use pressure assisted auto injector devices. The disposable pen injector device is designed to deliver drugs by injection through needles from multi- dose cartridges. The disposable pen is in the stage of development where devices are being used in clinical evaluations.

Transdermal Products

The Company�� ATD system penetrates the skin to deliver a variety of treatments. The gels consist of a hydro-alcoholic base, including a combination of permeation enhancers. Products being developed/ commercialized include Anturol, Elestrin and Nestragel. Elestrin is a transdermal estradiol gel for the treatment of moderate-to-severe vasomotor symptoms associated with menopause. Its other injectable drugs that are presently self-administered and may be suitable for injection with its systems include therapies for the prevention of blood clots and treatments for multiple sclerosis, migraine headaches, inflammatory diseases, impotence, infertility, acquired immune deficiency symdrome (AIDS) and hepatitis.

The Company competes with Ypsomed AG, SHL Group AB, OwenMumford Ltd., West Pharmaceuticals, Becton Dickinson, Haselmeir GmbH, Elcam Medical, Vetter Pharma, Bioject Medical Technologies Inc., The Medical House PLC, Watson, Abbott, Eli Lilly, Auxillium, Inc., Endo Pharmaceuticals, Teva, Mylan, Roxane, Bedford Labs, APP Pharmaceuticals, Hospira, Pfizer, GSK/Astellas, Warner Chilcott and Allergan.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Luke Jacobi]

  Antares Pharma (NASDAQ: ATRS) added 6.65 percent to close at $4.33 following the announcement that an FDA decision is expected on its drug on October 14. Equities

• [By Keith Speights]

  1. Antares Pharma (NASDAQ: ATRS  )
  Antares has experienced a roller-coaster ride so far this year. The stock was up more than 10% early in January, then proceeded to fall by more than 20% by late February. Since then, Antares has clawed its way back and now stands up a little over 10% for the year.�