Best Oil Companies To Watch For 2014

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For the current week, the overall ratings of seven Semiconductor stocks are worse, according to the Portfolio Grader database. Each of these rates a “D” (“sell”) or “F” overall (“strong sell”).

Top 5 Defensive Stocks To Invest In Right Now: Essar Energy Plc (ESSR)

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

• [By Sarah Jones]

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

Best Oil Companies To Watch For 2014: Ivanhoe Energy Inc (IVAN)

Ivanhoe Energy Inc. (Ivanhoe), incorporated on February 21, 1995, is an independent international heavy oil development and production company. Ivanhoe�� core operations are in Canada, Ecuador, China and Mongolia, with business development opportunities worldwide. Ivanhoe�� wholly owned subsidiary, Sunwing Energy Ltd. (Sunwing) is focused on a natural gas exploration project (the Zitong Block) in Sichuan Province of China. The Sichuan Basin is located in central China approximately 930 miles southwest of Beijing. Its oil and gas operations are located in three geographic areas: Asia, Canada and Ecuador. In December 2012, the Company had closed the Share Purchase and Sale Agreement with MIE Holdings Corporation for all of the interest of its indirect, wholly owned subsidiary, Pan-China Resources Ltd.

Asia

In China, Sunwing operates the 659,840-acre (1,031-square-miles) Zitong gas exploration block in the Sichuan Province, and it holds a 90% Contractor Interest in a Petroleum Contract with PetroChina Company Limited. Mitsubishi Gas Chemical Company of Japan holds the remaining 10% Contractor Interest. Sunwing produces approximately 1,800 (gross) barrels of light oil per day in Dagang, in China's Hebei province, in a production sharing agreement with Petrochina in which Sunwing is the operator and maintains a royalty interest in the revenue stream from its first project carried out in the Daqing Oil Field. In November 2002, the Company entered into a 30 year production sharing contract (PSC) with China National Petroleum Corporation (CNPC) for the Zitong block, which covers an area of approximately 248,000 gross acres after contractual relinquishments in the Sichuan basin.

During the year ended December 31, 2006, the Company farmed out 10% of its working interest in the Zitong block to Mitsubishi Gas Chemical Company Inc. of Japan. In Phase I of the contract, Ivanhoe reprocessed 1,649 miles of two dimensional (2D) seismic data and acquired 705 miles of new 2D s! eismic data. In Phase II of the contract, the Yixin-2 and Zitong-1 gas wells were drilled during the year ended December 31, 2010, and completed during the year ended December 31, 2011. Ivanhoe�� oil production originates in the Kongnan oilfield in Dagang, Hebei Province, China (the Dagang field). In 2011, production in averaged 967 barrels per day net. The Company�� Nyalga Block XVI is in the Khenti and Tov provinces in Mongolia. The block covers an area of approximately 3.1 million gross acres, after a 25% relinquishment in 2010.

Canada

Ivanhoe holds a 100% working interest in the Tamarack Project, subject only to a 20% back-in right held by Talisman Energy. Tamarack is a 6,880 acre lease located approximately 10 miles northeast of Fort McMurray, Alberta, Canada. The Tamarack integrated oil sands project (Tamarack Project) consists of a two-phased 40,000 bbl/d steam-assisted gravity drainage thermal recovery (SAGD) and HTL facility.

Ecuador

The Company's activities in Latin America are carried out under its wholly owned subsidiary, Ivanhoe Energy Latin America Inc. Ivanhoe Energy Ecuador Inc., a Canadian company is a wholly owned subsidiary of Ivanhoe Energy Latin America Inc. and is responsible for the Company's activities in Ecuador. In October 2008, Ivanhoe Energy Ecuador Inc. had signed a 30 year contract with the Ecuador state oil companies Petroecuador and Petroproduccion. The contract gives Ivanhoe the right to explore and develop the Pungarayacu heavy oil field in Block 20, an area of 426 square miles, approximately 125 miles southeast of Quito, Ecuador�� capital city. Block 20 is an area of approximately 426-square-miles (1,103.34-square-kilometers) located 125 miles (201.17 kilometers) southeast of Quito. Block 20 contains the 250-square-mile (647.5-square-kilometer) Pungarayacu oil field. In 2010, Ivanhoe drilled its two appraisal wells in the Pungarayacu field. The second, IP-5b, well was drilled, cored and logged to a total depth ! of 1,080 ! feet. The well was perforated in the Hollin oil sands and steam was injected into the reservoir resulting in production of heated heavy oil. In 2011, the heavy crude oil extracted from the IP-5B well was upgraded to local pipeline specifications using Ivanhoe�� HTL upgrading process. In 2011, the Company completed a 190-kilometer 2-D seismic survey over the southern portion of Block 20.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Stephan Dube]

  Athabasca's most notable producers:

  Suncor Energy (SU) (Part 1), see article here.Suncor Energy (Part 2), see article here.Athabasca Oil (ATHOF.PK), see article here.Canadian Natural Resources, see article here.Imperial Oil, see article here.Cenovus Energy (CVE), see article here.MEG Energy (MEGEF.PK), see article here.Devon Energy, see article here.Royal Dutch Shell, see article here.Ivanhoe Energy (IVAN), see article here.Nexen (CNOOC) (CEO), see article here.

  An analysis of the current operations of the company will be examined with the objective to provide the most complete information available to potential investors before deciding to seize the opportunity that the 54,132 square miles of the Carbonate Triangle has to offer. Let's start by introducing Athabasca, a famous and most prolific region in the Canadian oil sands as well as one of the largest reserve in the world.

Best Oil Companies To Watch For 2014: Longreach Oil and Gas Ltd (LOI)

Longreach Oil And Gas Limited (Longreach) is an exploration-stage company. The Company�� projects include Sidi Moktar Onshore, Foum Draa Offshore and Sidi Moussa Offshore, Tarfaya Onshore and Zag Onshore. Sidi Moktar Onshore is consists of three blocks (Sidi Moktar West, Sidi Moktar South and Sidi Moktar North) totalling 4,711 square kilometres, which covers the majority of the hydrocarbon basin of Essaouira, located in central onshore Morocco. Foum Draa Offshore and Sidi Moussa Offshore is located directly west of Agadir, the licences cover an area of approximately 12,714 square kilometers (3.14 million acres). Tarfaya Onshore has a total of 608 kilometers of two-dimensional (2D) seismic was shot, beyond the minimum work programme requirement of 500 kilometers. Zag Onshore is a 15,000 square kilometers aeromagnetic survey has been completed on the licence. Advisors' Opinion:

• [By kcpl]

  Transocean has been facing customer drops as a result of prevailing stiff market conditions and over supply. The company announced that it had letters of intent (LOI) for four deepwater rigs to work in West Africa and the U.S. Gulf of Mexico, which were ultimately canceled due to the operators postponing drilling programs to 2015. This is a tough situation for Transocean.

Best Oil Companies To Watch For 2014: Summit Midstream Partners LP (SMLP)

Summit Midstream Partners, LP is engaged in owning and operating midstream energy infrastructure that is located in North America. The Company provides natural gas gathering and compression services in two resource basins: the Piceance Basin, which includes the Mesaverde, Mancos and Niobrara Shale formations in western Colorado, and the Fort Worth Basin, which includes the Barnett Shale formation in north-central Texas. As of June 30, 2012, the Company�� gathering systems had approximately 385 miles of pipeline and 147,600 horsepower of compression. As of September 20, 2012, its systems gathered an average of approximately 909 million cubic feet per day of natural gas, of which approximately 64% consisted of natural gas liquids (NGLs), that were extracted by a third party processor. Summit Midstream GP, LLC is the Company�� general partner. On October 27, 2011, the Company acquired certain natural gas gathering pipeline, dehydration and compression assets in the Piceance Basin of western Colorado, which it refer to as the Grand River system. The Company�� customers include the natural gas producers in North America, such as Encana Corporation, Chesapeake Energy Corporation, TOTAL, S.A., Carrizo Oil & Gas, Inc., WPX Energy, Inc., Bill Barrett Corporation, Exxon Mobil Corporation and EOG Resources, Inc. In October 2012, the Company acquired ETC Canyon Pipeline, LLC from La Grange Acquisition, L.P., a wholly owned subsidiary of Energy Transfer Partners, L.P. On February 15, 2013, it closed the acquisition of to Meadowlark Midstream Company, LLC, formerly Bear Tracker Energy, LLC. In June 2013, Summit Midstream Partners LP acquires assets in Bakken, Marcellus. In June 2013, Summit Midstream Partners LP acquired Bison Midstream LLC. In June 2013, Summit Midstream Partners LP closed the previously announced acquisition of certain natural gas gathering pipelines and compression assets located in the liquids-rich window of the Marcellus Shale Play.

The Grand River system consists of approxi! mately 276 miles of pipeline and 97,500 horsepower of compression and is located in Garfield County, Colorado. The Grand River system primarily gathers natural gas produced by the Company�� customers from the liquids-rich Mesaverde formation within the Piceance Basin. The Grand River system also gathers natural gas produced from its customers' wells targeting the deeper Mancos and Niobrara Shale formations. As of September 20, 2012, the DFW Midstream system had five primary interconnections with third-party, intrastate pipelines that enables the Company to connect its customers, directly or indirectly, with the natural gas market hubs of Waha, Carthage, and Katy in Texas, and Perryville and Henry Hub in Louisiana. As of September 20, 2012, the DFW Midstream system gathered an average of approximately 325 million cubic feet per day from seven producers.

The Company competes with Access Midstream Partners, L.P., Crestwood Midstream Partners LP, Energy Transfer Partners, L.P., Williams Partners L.P., Energy Transfer Partners, L.P. and Enterprise Products Partners L.P.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Matt DiLallo]

  Midstream operator,�Summit Midstream Partners (NYSE: SMLP  ) is expanding its reach after it announced two separate natural gas gathering acquisitions last week. The company is spending $460 million to acquire assets in the Bakken and Marcellus in unrelated deals. Let's take a closer look and the deals and what both mean for investors.

• [By Lisa Levin]

  This industry fell 3.64% by 11:50 am ET. Summit Midstream Partners LP (NYSE: SMLP) shares dropped 5.1% in today's trading. Summit Midstream is expected to report Q3 financial results on November 6, 2014.

Best Oil Companies To Watch For 2014: Talisman Energy Inc.(TLM)

Talisman Energy Inc., an upstream oil and gas company, engages in the exploration, development, production, transportation, and marketing of crude oil, natural gas, and natural gas liquids. It primarily operates in North America, the North Sea, and southeast Asia. The company was founded in 1925 and is headquartered in Calgary, Canada.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Sara Murphy]

  However, some are clearly more engaged than others. Encana (NYSE: ECA  ) and Talisman Energy (NYSE: TLM  ) have joined seven other natural gas producers to team up with the Environmental Defense Fund at the University of Texas at Austin to estimate their methane emission rates. It's too soon to know what they will do with this information, but the very fact that they're participating suggests that they intend to manage the problem.

• [By Chris Ciovacco]

  Sometimes the most attractive energy assets aren't found in the ground but listed on the stock exchange. Billionaire businessman Carl Icahn is one investor seeing value in energy companies. The hedge fund manager recently announced his purchase of 60 million shares in the Canadian oil and gas producer, Talisman Energy (TLM). Icahn has built up a nearly 6 percent stake in the Calgary-based energy producer, worth a whopping $300 million. Even though the company has been a perennial underperformer, after Icahn's tweet, the stock climbed to the highest level in more than a year.

• [By Sue Chang , Saumya Vaishampayan]

  $TLM: Talisman Energy Inc. (TLM) �shares fell 2.5%. Activist investor Carl Icahn disclosed a 6% stake in the oil and gas producer on Monday. Icahn said in a tweet he might discuss strategic alternatives and board seats with the company.

• [By Arjun Sreekumar]

  In Pennsylvania, for instance, several hundred wells have been drilled but not completed because the takeaway capacity to get their production to market simply isn't there. Several operators have been forced to drastically reduce their rig counts in the region. For instance, both EXCO Resources (NYSE: XCO  ) and Talisman Energy (NYSE: TLM  ) have just one rig each remaining in the Marcellus.

Best Oil Companies To Watch For 2014: Marquee Energy Ltd (MQL)

Marquee Energy Ltd. (Marquee), formerly Marquee Petroleum Ltd., is a junior oil and gas company engaged in the acquisition, exploration, development and production of petroleum and natural gas reserves in Western Canada. The Company is focused on the Cardium play of West Central Alberta in the Wilesden Green, Carrot Creek and South Pembina areas. As of December 31, 2011, the Company owned a total of approximately 174,420 gross acres (147,875 net acres) of oil and natural gas leases. In December 2013, it acquired all of the Western Canadian assets of Sonde Resources Corp. (Sonde), including all of its Southern Alberta properties. The Assets are primarily located in Marquee's core area at Michichi, Alberta immediately offsetting Marquee's lands and production. In March 2014, Marquee Energy Ltd completed the acquisition of strategic assets in its oil focused Michichi core area. Advisors' Opinion:

• [By John Udovich]
  Sonde Resources Corp. An oil and gas exploration and production company based in Calgary, Alberta, Sonde Resources Corp held a global portfolio of high potential energy assets including producing oil and natural gas assets in Western Canada and offshore exploration property in North Africa.�Specifically, Sonde Resources Corp had�226,119 gross undeveloped acres in Western Canada and 750,000 acres in a Libya/Tunisia offshore licence. However and last November,�an agreement between Sonde Resources Corp and�Marquee Energy Ltd (CVE: MQL) was announced whereby�the latter�will acquire substantially all of the former���Western Canadian assets, including all of its Southern Alberta properties. These assets�are primarily located in Marquee's core area at Michichi, Alberta, immediately offsetting Marquee's lands and production. Under the deal which concluded at the end of last year, Sonde Resources Corp received 21,182,492 common shares of Marquee Energy Ltd plus $15 million cash with the�shares�being distributed to Sonde Resources Corp's shareholders and Sonde itself retaining the cash�received. In addition, Sonde Resources Corp will retain ownership of about 100,000 net acres of Western Canada exploration assets, split approximately equally between its Eaglesham area Wabamun play and west central Alberta Duvernay play.�Moreover, the company will continue to seek strategic alternatives for this Western Canada exploration acreage, including cash sales, farm-outs, other forms of merger, or other options. Otherwise, Sonde Resources Corp�� business�will focus on�the development of the Zarat field and exploration of the Joint Oil Block in North Africa. On Tuesday, small cap Sonde Resources Corp fell 1.83% to $0.530 (SOQ has a 52 week trading range of $0.51 to $2.11 a share) for a market cap of $29.72 million plus the stock is down 70.5% over the past year and down 55.8% over the past five years.

Best Oil Companies To Watch For 2014: MGM Resorts International(MGM)

MGM Resorts International, through its subsidiaries, primarily owns and operates casino resorts in the United States. The company?s resorts offer gaming, hotel, dining, entertainment, retail, and other resort amenities. It also owns and operates golf courses and a golf club. As of December 31, 2010, the company owned and operated 15 properties located in Nevada, Mississippi, and Michigan; and has 50% investments in 4 other casino resorts in Nevada, Illinois, and Macau. In addition, MGM Resorts International has an agreement with the Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Nation, which owns and operates a casino resort in Connecticut, to carry the ?MGM Grand? brand name. The company was formerly known as MGM MIRAGE and changed its name to MGM Resorts International in June 2010. MGM Resorts International was founded in 1986 and is based in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Jayson Derrick]

  How to invest
  Several key international players have legitimate shots of receiving gaming licences in Japan. Las Vegas Sands would be the top pick along with Melco Crown. (NASDAQ: MPEL  ) �Meanwhile�MGM Resorts� (NYSE: MGM  ) �is unlikely to emerge a winner.

• [By Travis Hoium]

  Now what: Online gaming is slowly being legalized across the U.S., with Nevada, New Jersey, and Delaware being the first to allow it. Boyd has a potentially lucrative partnership with bwin.party and MGM Resorts (NYSE: MGM  ) , which could lead to huge profit growth, as I pointed out over a year ago. I wouldn't buy on this analyst upgrade alone, but the potential for online gaming is too big to ignore. I've built some estimates before (which can be seen here) and there's huge upside for both Boyd Gaming and MGM Resorts, but only if its legalized nationally. Until then, the potential for online gaming is minimal for Boyd.
  
  Interested in more info on Boyd Gaming? Add it to your watchlist by clicking here.

Best Railroad Stocks To Watch For 2014

Source: Norfolk Southern.

Shares of railroad giant Norfolk Southern (NYSE: NSC  ) have performed extremely well lately, climbing toward all-time record highs as investors get more confident about the railroad industry's future. In particular, even though Norfolk Southern has more exposure to some of the toughest segments in the railroad sector than peers like Union Pacific (NYSE: UNP  ) , its most recent earnings report showed just how well the company is adapting to changing conditions.

A quarter full of records for Norfolk Southern

Norfolk Southern's second-quarter results read like a page from the record books, as the railroad managed to set new high-water marks in a number of key measures of its financial performance. Operating revenues from its railways climbed 9% to $3 billion, and operating income jumped 22% to climb above the $1 billion mark. That sent net income to a new record of $562 million, or $1.79 per share, easily eclipsing the $1.46 per share that the company posted in the year-ago quarter.

10 Best International Stocks To Invest In 2015: WisdomTree Europe SmallCap Dividend Fund (DFE)

WisdomTree Europe SmallCap Dividend Fund is a non-diversified fund. It seeks investment results that closely correspond to the price and yield performance, before fees and expenses, of the WisdomTree Europe SmallCap Dividend Index.

The WisdomTree Europe SmallCap Dividend Index is a fundamentally weighted index that measures the performance of the small-capitalization segment of the European dividend-paying market. The Index is comprised of the companies that compose the bottom 25% of the market capitalization of the WisdomTree Europe Dividend Index.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Matthew McCall]

  The European equity rebound continues and within the region the small cap stocks have been quietly performing very well. The WisdomTree Europe Small Cap Dividend ETF (NYSE: DFE) focuses on small cap stocks that pay high dividends.

Best Railroad Stocks To Watch For 2014: Cisco Systems Inc (CSCO)

Cisco Systems, Inc., incorporated on December 10, 1984, designs, manufactures, and sells Internet protocol (IP)-based networking and other products related to the communications and information technology (IT) industry and provide services associated with these products and their use. The Company provides a line of products for transporting data, voice, and video within buildings, across campuses, and around the world. Its products are designed to transform how people connect, communicate, and collaborate. Its products are installed at enterprise businesses, public institutions, telecommunications companies, commercial businesses, and personal residences. The Company has five segments: United States and Canada, European Markets, Emerging Markets, Asia Pacific, and Japan. The Emerging Markets theater consists of Eastern Europe, Latin America, the Middle East and Africa, and Russia and the Commonwealth of Independent States. In July 30, 2012, it acquired NDS Group Ltd. In October 2012, it acquired virtual networking company, vCider. In August 2011, the Company acquired Versly. In November 2011, it acquired BNI Video. In March 2012, the Company acquired Lightwire, Inc. In May 2012, the Company acquired ClearAccess. In December 2012, the Company acquired Cloupia. In December 2012, the Company acquired Cariden Technologies Inc. In December 2012, the Company acquired Meraki, Inc.

The Company�� product offerings fall into three categories: its core technologies, routing and switching; advanced technologies, and other products. In addition to its product offerings, the Company provides a range of service offerings, technical support services and advanced services. The advanced services program supports networking devices, applications, solutions, and complete infrastructures.

Routing

The Company offers a range of routers, from core network infrastructure for service providers and enterprises to access routers for branch offices and for telecommuters and consumers at ho! me. Key products within its routing category are the Cisco ASR 901/903, Cisco 1000, 5000, and 9000 Cisco Aggregation Services Routers (ASR), as well as the Cisco ASR 800, 1900, 2900 and 3900 Cisco Integrated Services Routers (ISR):; Cisco CRS-1, 7600 and Cisco CRS-3 Cisco Carrier Routing Systems (CRS). During the fiscal year ended July 31, 2010 (fiscal 2010), Cisco introduced the Cisco CRS-3 Carrier Routing System (CRS-3) and Cisco 7600 Series Routers.

Service Provider Video

The Company�� end-to-end, digital video distribution systems and digital interactive set-top boxes enable service providers and content originators to deliver entertainment, information, and communication services to consumers and businesses around the world. Key product areas within its Service Provider Video category are: Set-Top Boxes, IP set-top boxes (both High-Definition (HD) and Standard Definition (SD)); Digital cable set-top boxes (both HD and SD); Cable Modem CPE (Data, EMTA, and Gateways); Videoscape Software Products and Headend Equipment (Encoders, Decoders, and Transcoders).

Switching

The Company�� switching products offer many forms of connectivity to end users, workstations, IP phones, access points, and servers, and also function as aggregators on local-area networks (LANs), metropolitan-area networks (MANs), and wide-area networks (WANs). Its switching systems employ several widely used technologies, including Ethernet, Power over Ethernet, Fibre Channel over Ethernet, Packet over Synchronous Optical Network, and Multiprotocol Label Switching. Many of its switches are designed to support an integrated set of advanced services, allowing organizations to be more efficient by using one switch for multiple networking functions rather than multiple switches to accomplish the same functions.

Cisco offers a family of Ethernet switching solutions from fixed-configuration switches for small and medium-sized businesses to modular switches for enterprise! s and ser! vice providers. Its fixed-configuration switches are designed to provide a foundation for converged data, voice, and video services. Key products within its switching category are the Cisco Catalyst 2960, 3560, 3750, 4500 and 6500 Series; the Cisco Nexus 2000, 3000, 5000 and 7000 Series switches; and MDS Series: MDS 9000.

Fixed-configuration switches are designed to cover a range of deployments in small and medium-sized businesses. It fixed-configuration switches are designed to provide a foundation for converged data, voice, and video services. They range from small, standalone switches to stackable models that function as a single, scalable switching unit. Modular switches are typically utilized by enterprise and service provider customers. Fixed-configuration and modular switches also include products such as optics modules which are shared across multiple product platforms.

NGN Routing

Routing technology is fundamental to the Internet, and this technology interconnects public and private IP networks for mobile, data, voice, and video applications. The Company's NGN Routing products are designed to enhance the intelligence, security, reliability, scalability, and level of performance in the transmission of information and media-rich applications. It offers a broad range of routers, from core network infrastructure and mobile Internet network for service providers and enterprises to access routers for branch offices and for telecommuters and consumers at home. Key product areas within its NGN Routing category are, Cisco Aggregation Services Routers: Cisco ASR 901/903, Cisco ASR 1000, Cisco ASR 5000 and Cisco ASR 9000. Cisco Integrated Services Routers: Cisco ISR 800, Cisco ISR 1900, Cisco ISR 2900 and Cisco ISR 3900. Cisco Carrier Routing Systems: Cisco CRS-1, Cisco CRS-3 and Cisco 7600 Series Routers.

Security

Cisco security solutions deliver identity, network and content security solutions designed to enable customers to reduce the ! impact of! threats and realize the benefits of a mobile, collaborative, and cloud-enabled business. The products in this category span firewall, intrusion prevention, remote access, virtual private networks (VPNs), unified clients, network admission control, Web gateways, and email gateways. Its AnyConnect Secure Mobility Client solution enables users to access networks with their mobile device of choice, including laptops and smartphone-based mobile devices, while allowing organizations to manage the security risks of networks. Its cloud-based Web security service is designed to provide real-time threat protection and to prevent malware from reaching corporate networks, including roaming or mobile users. It focuses on a proactive, layered approach to counter both existing and emerging security threats. During the fiscal year ended July 28, 2012, it introduced the Cisco ASA 5500-X Series Midrange Security Appliance, Cisco Security Manager 4.3, the IPS 4500 Series, and Prime Security Manager.

Wireless

The Cisco Unified Wireless Network aims to harness the network to solve business problems, uniting high-performance wireless access across campus, branch, remote and outdoor environments. Its offerings include wireless access points (including the Cisco Aironet product family), controllers, antennas, and integrated management. The Company�� offerings provide users with simplified management and mobile device troubleshooting features which are designed to reduce operational cost and maximize flexibility and reliability. It is also investing in custom chipsets to deliver functions such as CleanAir proactive spectrum intelligence, ClientLink acceleration for mobile devices and VideoStream multicast optimization technology.

Data Center

The Company�� data center product category has been its major product category for the past two fiscal years. Cisco Unified Computing System (UCS) and Server Access Virtualization form the core of the Data Center product category.! Key prod! uct areas within its Data Center product category are: Cisco UCS B-Series Blade Servers, Cisco UCS C-Series Rack Servers and Cisco UCS Fabric Interconnects.

Other Products

The Company�� other products category primarily consists of Linksys home networking products, certain emerging technologies, and other networking products. In addition to its product offerings, it provide a range of service offerings, including technical support services and advanced services.

The Company competes with Alcatel-Lucent; ARRIS Group, Inc.; Aruba Networks, Inc.; Avaya Inc.; Belden Inc.; Brocade Communications Systems, Inc.; Check Point Software Technologies Ltd.; Citrix Systems, Inc.; D-Link Corporation; LM Ericsson Telephone Company; Extreme Networks, Inc.; F5 Networks, Inc.; Force10 Networks, Inc.; Fortinet, Inc.; Hewlett-Packard Company; Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd.; International Business Machines Corporation; Juniper Networks, Inc.; LogMeIn, Inc.; Meru Networks, Inc.; Microsoft Corporation; Motorola, Inc.; NETGEAR, Inc.; Polycom, Inc.; Riverbed Technology, Inc.; and Symantec Corporation.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Dan Caplinger]

  Also rising was Cisco Systems (NASDAQ: CSCO  ) , which gained almost 1%. The company announced a minor acquisition today, spending $107 million to buy JouleX, a company that specializes in energy management for networks and data centers. Given the increased emphasis on cloud computing and big-data initiatives, the question of energy efficiency and heat management becomes crucial for enterprise customers, especially those with the greatest network and data needs that need to focus on keeping costs down.

• [By Andrew Tonner]

  Blue-chip stocks that have gone on massive runs can make for difficult investment calls, and that's exactly where investors examining�Cisco Systems (NASDAQ: CSCO  ) find themselves today. After struggling amid a slugging corporate IT spending drought, Cisco proved doubters wrong with its impressive quarterly earnings and outlook last month. But can it still be a winner for long-term investors now that it's significantly higher than several months back? Find out the answers in the following video.

• [By Benjamin Pimentel]

  Hewlett-Packard (HPQ) �also rose 1.7% to close at $27.70, while other major tech issues posted solid gains, including Cisco Systems (CSCO) � and Oracle Corp. (ORCL) �.

• [By John Buckingham]

  Interestingly, Cisco Systems (CSCO) joined the majority of companies (68.0% of the S&P 500 (SPX)), according to the latest tally from Bloomberg) that have topped estimates when it announced fiscal Q1 non-GAAP EPS of $0.53, versus forecasts of $0.51.

Best Railroad Stocks To Watch For 2014: Hannover House Inc (HHSE)

Hannover House, Inc., formerly Target Development Group, Inc., is the parent company of Hannover House. Hannover House is a full service media company, specializing in the production and distribution of feature films onto the digital versatile disc (DVD) format for the North American retail marketplace. As of December 31, 2010, the Company had over 70 DVD titles in active distribution. In June 2012, the Company acquired nine feature films for video release in North America.

Retailers carrying Hannover House products include independently owned and operated retail video stores and book stores, including Barnes & Noble, Best Buy, Blockbuster Video, Borders Group, Fred Meyer Group, Hastings, SAM�� Club, Transworld Group and Wal-Mart. It also includes Internet retailers.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Peter Graham]

  Small cap tech or media stocks Thinspace Technology Inc (OTCMKTS: THNS), Beamz Interactive Inc (OTCBB: BZIC) and Hannover House Inc (OTCMKTS: HHSE) have been getting some extra attention lately, but it appears that only one of these stocks has been the subject of a paid promotion. Nevertheless, all three stocks have been busy with press releases trying to get the attention of investors or traders. So are these three small cap tech or media stocks worth your attention? Here is a closer look along with a reality check:

Best Railroad Stocks To Watch For 2014: Sears Holdings Corporation(SHLD)

Sears Holdings Corporation operates as a specialty retailer in the United States and Canada. The company?s Kmart segment operates stores that sell merchandise under Jaclyn Smith and Joe Boxer labels; and Sears brand products, such as Kenmore, Craftsman, and DieHard. This segment?s stores provide consumer electronics, seasonal merchandise, outdoor living, toys, lawn and garden equipment, food and consumables, and apparel, as well as operate in-store pharmacies. Its Sears Domestic segment operates stores that sell merchandise under the Kenmore, Craftsman, DieHard, Lands? End, Covington, Apostrophe, and Canyon River Blues brand names. This segment?s stores provide appliances, consumer electronics, tools, sporting goods, outdoor living, lawn and garden equipment, home fashion products, automotive products, apparel, footwear, jewelry, accessories, health and beauty products, pantry goods, household products, and toys. The Sears Domestic segment also provides clothing, acces sories, footwear, and soft luggage; appliances and services to commercial customers in single-family residential construction/remodel, property management, multi-family new construction, and government/military sectors; premium appliance and plumbing fixtures to architects, designers, and new construction or remodeling customers; parts and repair services for appliances, lawn and garden equipment, consumer electronics, floor care products, and heating and cooling systems; and home improvement services. The company?s Sears Canada segment engages in the retail of apparel and other softlines. Sears Holdings Corporation operates approximately 2,172 full-line stores and 1,338 specialty retail stores in the United States; 500 full-line and specialty retail stores in Canada, as well as operates 17 floor covering stores, 1,734 catalog pick-up locations, and 108 travel offices; and kmart.com and sears.ca Websites. The company was founded in 1899 and is based in Hoffman Estates, Illi nois.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Dan Caplinger]

  States get their tax revenue from a variety of different sources. Unlike the federal government, which relies almost solely on income taxes, most states add on property taxes and sales taxes to help finance statewide and local government expenses. The immense popularity of online marketplaces Amazon.com (NASDAQ: AMZN  ) and eBay (NASDAQ: EBAY  ) show the length to which consumers will go to avoid having to pay sales taxes, as those companies have traditionally been able to avoid having to collect sales tax in most of the jurisdictions they serve. Moreover, the competitive advantage that they've gained has helped send brick-and-mortar retailers Best Buy (NYSE: BBY  ) and Sears Holdings (NASDAQ: SHLD  ) into serious difficulty, and countless small businesses suffer from the disadvantage of having to charge their customers sales taxes that those customers could avoid by going to Amazon, eBay, or other untaxed online retail sources.

• [By Rick Aristotle Munarriz]

  Alamy It's beginning to feel like the retail industry expects us to wrap up our Thanksgiving dinners and take them to go. Toys R Us, Best Buy (BBY), and Target (TGT) became the latest retailers to announce that they would be opening on Thursday -- or opening on Thursday -- this pivotal holiday shopping season. Toys "R" Us will open at 5 p.m. on Thanksgiving, three hours earlier than last year. Best Buy will greet turkey-fueled shoppers at 6 p.m. with its slate of deals on consumer electronics. Target -- after opening at 9 p.m. on Thanksgiving last year -- will kick open the doors to its cheap chic stores at 8 p.m. With so many retailers breaking into their holiday selling seasons on Thanksgiving, is it time to retire Black Friday? Creeping Earlier Last month it was Walmart (WMT) and Macy's (M) turning heads with their Thanksgiving night openings. Critics argued that it wasn't fair to make employees come in early on the holiday -- or to disrupt festive family fetes to woo shoppers -- but there's naturally another side to the story. Employees hungry for more hours welcome the additional time on the clock that's often paid at a higher rate than their hourly wages. They have holiday gifts to shop for too, after all. Nor are Shoppers universally panning the earlier "Black Thursday" sales. Many didn't consider it a treat to head out to stores at midnight or during the wee hours on Friday morning. Missing out on pumpkin pie, Uncle Nestor's story about how he was almost a member of The Beatles, or what should be meaningless game between the Ravens and Steelers may be easy sacrifices to make in exchange for the ability to sleep in Friday morning and still get the deals. Blame It On the Calendar Sears Holdings' (SHLD) Kmart has been opening on Thanksgiving for 22 years, and rivals didn't seem to care until the past few years. However, even Kmart came under attack earlier this year for its decision to open at 6 a.m. on Thanksgiving. Why is Kmart leading retail

• [By Heather Long]

  She uses her own family story to illustrate how critical it is for workers to make a living wage. Her father had a heart attack when she was 12, and her mother had to go back to work in retail at Sears (SHLD) to support the family.

• [By Matt Brownell]

  Alamy For almost as long as Christmas has been a commercialized holiday, there have been complaints about "Christmas Creep" -- the tendency for retailers to launch holiday sales and advertising earlier and earlier every year. This year, it seems to be worse than ever. We're already seeing the first commercials for Christmas shopping, and major retailers like Kmart (SHLD), Toys R Us and Walmart (WMT) are eagerly telling us what toys they expect to be top sellers this season. And Christmas is still three months away. "It does feel like the holidays begin earlier every year," says Alison Kenney Paul, head of the retail practice at Deloitte. As it turns out, there are a few reasons why Christmas Creep has been taken to new heights this year. No Presidential Election. Last year, two men stood in the way of the inexorable spread of Christmas: Mitt Romney and Barack Obama. The presidential election served as a bulwark of sorts, holding the public's attention and making it more expensive for retailers to run television ads in October. This year, retailers have free rein to take over the airwaves in the fall, and you can expect them to take advantage. "Between paid political advertising and media attention, the election crowded out the ability for retailers to get their message out there earlier," says Paul. "We'll see more advertising and promotions earlier this year." A Late Black Friday. Every year, Thanksgiving falls on the fourth Thursday of November, with Black Friday coming the next day (well, in theory). But this year, the first of November falls on a Friday, which means that Thanksgiving (Nov 28) and Black Friday (Nov. 29) are as late as they can possibly be. "It is a shorter season than last year," says Paul. "You do have this phenomenon every few years where there's fewer days between Thanksgiving and Christmas." Think retailers are really going to wait around until Nov. 29 to roll out their big promotional efforts? Think again. While Black Friday wil

Best Railroad Stocks To Watch For 2014: Nikon Corp (NINOY)

NIKON CORPORATION is a Japan-based company mainly engaged in the manufacture and sale of optical products. The Company is active in four business segments. The Precision Apparatus segment offers semiconductor exposure apparatus and liquid crystal (LC) exposure apparatus. The image segment provides digital cameras, film cameras and interchangeable lens. The Instruments segment offers microscopes, measuring machines and semiconductor inspection equipment. The Others segment provides glass materials, telescopes, glasses and survey airplanes.

As of August 19, 2009, the Company held a 92.17% stake in Metis NV. The Company has 65 subsidiaries and 10 associated companies in the country and overseas markets.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Dan Carroll]

  Unfortunately, the yen's impact on stocks has blurred the lines on investments. Look no further than down-on-its-luck camera maker Nikon (NASDAQOTH: NINOY  ) . Nikon's shares gained more than 8% over the past week due to the yen's weakness, as the company rakes in more than a quarter of its sales in Europe. Still, the stock's lost more than 43% year to date.

Best Railroad Stocks To Watch For 2014: Astea International Inc.(ATEA)

Astea International Inc. develops, markets, and supports service management software solutions worldwide. The company licenses its solutions to various companies that sell and service equipment, and/or sell and deliver professional services. It offers Astea Alliance suite that includes series of applications to address lead generation, project quotation, service and billing, and asset retirement services. Astea International Inc. integrates and optimizes business processes for campaigns, call center, depot repair, field service, logistics, projects, and sales and order processing applications; provides mobile, dynamic scheduling, portals, and business intelligence solutions; and offers infrastructure tools and services. It also provides FieldCentrix Enterprise suite, a service management solution that runs on various mobile devices, such as handheld computers, laptops and PCs, and pocket PC devices, as well as integrates with CRM and ERP applications; and features a Web-ba sed customer self-service portal, workforce optimization capabilities, and equipment-centric functionality. In addition, the company offers consulting, implementation, training, and maintenance services. Its solutions are used in information technology, medical devices and diagnostic systems, industrial controls and instrumentation, retail systems, office automation, imaging systems, facilities management, telecommunications, and other industries with equipment sales and service requirements. Astea International Inc. markets its products through a network of direct and indirect sales and services offices; and through distributors consisting of value-added resellers, system integrators, and sales agents, as well as original equipment manufacturer partners. The company was formerly known as Applied System Technologies, Inc. and changed its name to Astea International Inc. in 1992. Astea International Inc. was founded in 1979 and is headquartered in Horsham, Pennsylvania.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Lisa Levin]

  Astea International (NASDAQ: ATEA) shares dropped 18.60% to $2.10 after the company reported a Q2 loss of $0.23 per share.

  NQ Mobile (NYSE: NQ) fell 11.39% to $5.68 after the company announced management changes.

Top Trucking Companies To Watch In Right Now

Droughts made headlines throughout 2012�due to their harmful affects on our nation's food supply, but privation wasn't the only drag on our fresh water sources. A recent study shows that oil and natural gas fracking has placed great stress on available fresh water�in areas around the country by taking up measurable amounts of the resource. In some instances in Texas, fracking staked its claim to 20% of total water usage in the regions surrounding production areas.�

Reading that astonishing fact clears up any doubt as to why Texas now mandates the recycling of water used in the fracking process. If we plan on becoming more energy independent through increased production of domestic oil and natural gas, then something will most likely be done at the federal level as well. Which companies stand to benefit? Check out Motley Fool analyst Taylor Muckerman's video below.

Despite this, natural gas still has a great chance at revolutionizing the clean energy movement. This trend toward alternative energy is gaining momentum. One potential opportunity in this field is Clean Energy Fuels, which focuses its natural gas efforts primarily on trucking and fleets. It's poised to make a big impact on an essential industry. Learn everything you need to know about Clean Energy Fuels in The Motley Fool's premium research report on the company. Just click here now to claim your copy today.

Top 5 Tech Stocks To Buy Right Now: Powershares DB Us Dollar Index Bearish Fund (UDN)

PowerShares DB US Dollar Index Bearish Fund (the Fund) is a separate series of PowerShares DB US Dollar Index Trust (the Trust). The Fund�� subsidiary is DB US Dollar Index Bearish Master Fund (the Master Fund), which is a separate series of DB US Dollar Index Bearish Master Trust (the Master Trust). The Fund offers common units of beneficial interest (the Shares) only to certain eligible financial institutions (the Authorized Participants) in one or more blocks of 200,000 Shares, called a Basket. The proceeds from the offering of Shares are invested in the Master Fund.

The Master Fund invests in futures contracts (the DX Contracts) with a view to tracking the changes, whether positive or negative, in the level of the Deutsche Bank US Dollar Index (USDX) Futures Index - Excess Return (Short Index) (referred to as the Short Index or the Index) over time. The Fund earns interest income from the United States Treasury obligations and other high credit quality short-term, fixed-income securities. The Index is calculated to reflect the changes in market value over time, whether positive or negative, of short positions in DX Contracts. DX Contracts are traded through the currency markets of ICE Futures U.S. under the symbol DX. The changes in market value over time, whether positive or negative, of the DX Contracts are related to the changes, whether positive or negative, in the level of the U.S. Dollar Index (the USDX). The Index provides a general indication of the international value of the United States dollar relative to the six major world currencies (the Index Currencies), which comprise the USDX, including Euro, Japanese Yen, British Pound, Canadian Dollar, Swedish Krona and Swiss Franc.

The Fund, through its Master Fund, establishes short positions in DX Contracts with a view to tracking the changes, whether positive or negative, in the level of the Index. The performance of the Fund also is intended to reflect the excess, if any, of its Master Fund�� interest income f! rom its holdings of the United States Treasury obligations and other high credit quality short-term, fixed-income securities over the expenses of the Fund and the Master Fund. DB Commodity Services LLC serves as the managing owner, commodity pool operator and commodity trading advisor of the Fund and the Master Fund. DB Commodity Services LLC is an indirect wholly owned subsidiary of Deutsche Bank AG. The Bank of New York Mellon serves as the administrator of the Fund and the Master Fund.v

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Brian O'Connell]

  To make a contrarian play, the PowerShares DB US Dollar Index Bearish (UDN) works the opposite way: When the dollar declines, the fund fares better.

Top Trucking Companies To Watch In Right Now: TOR Minerals International Inc(TORM)

TOR Minerals International, Inc., a specialty chemical company, engages in the manufacture and marketing of mineral products. Its mineral products are used as pigments, pigment extenders, functional fillers, and flame retardants for the manufacture of paints, coatings, plastics, catalysts, and solid surface applications. The company?s principal product includes HITOX, a light buff-colored titanium dioxide pigment used in paints, coatings, plastics, paper, and various other types of products. It also offers ALUPREM (premium alumina) products that are used for color critical applications as fillers and flame retardants; BARYPREM, which provides whiteness for color critical applications; TIOPREM, a series of heat stable colored TiO2 hybrid pigments used in various applications, such as engineered plastics, laminates, window profiles, plastic lumber, roofing granules, and ceramic coatings; and SYNTHETIC RUTILE used as a feed stock for white TiO2 and as a component in welding rod flux. In addition, the company provides BARTEX, an inert extender pigment, which offers weight and body to products comprising powder coatings used in automotive, appliance, and office furniture finishes; rubber products, such as carpet and curtain backings; and plastics, including billiard balls and poker chips; and HALTEX/OPTILOAD used in technical applications, including thermoset composites, sheet molding compounds/bulk molding compounds, thermoplastic profiles, electrical wire and cable insulation, mining conveyor belts, specialty coatings, and adhesives and sealants. TOR Minerals International sells its products through a network of direct sales representatives and independent stocking distributors in the United States, as well as through distributors and agents internationally. The company was founded in 1973 and is headquartered in Corpus Christi, Texas.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Lisa Levin]

  TOR Minerals International (NASDAQ: TORM) shares touched a new 52-week low of $9.76. TOR Minerals shares have dropped 9.95% over the past 52 weeks, while the S&P 500 index has gained 27.45% in the same period.

Top Trucking Companies To Watch In Right Now: Manhattan Bridge Capital Inc (LOAN)

Manhattan Bridge Capital, Inc. offers short-term, secured, non?banking loans to real estate investors to fund the acquisition and construction of properties located in New York Metropolitan area. Its loans are principally secured by collateral consisting of real estate and accompanied by personal guarantees from the principals of the businesses. The company offers its loan products primarily through the company?s officers and independent loan brokers. Manhattan Bridge Capital, Inc. was founded in 1989 and is headquartered in New York, New York.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Dividends4Life]

  Below are several stocks displaying confidence in the future by increasing their cash dividends:Target Corporation (TGT) operates general merchandise stores in the United States and Canada. June 11th the company increased its quarterly dividend 21% to $0.52 per share. The dividend is payable September 10, 2014 to stockholders of record on August 20, 2014. The yield based on the new payout is 3.6%.Caterpillar (CAT) manufactures and sells construction and mining equipment, diesel and natural gas engines, industrial gas turbines, and diesel-electric locomotives worldwide. June 11th the company increased its quarterly dividend 16.6% to $0.70 per share. The dividend is payable Aug 20, 2014 to stockholders of record on July 21, 2014. The yield based on the new payout is 2.6%.Essex Property Trust (ESS) operates as a self-administered and self-managed real estate investment trust in the United States. June 11th the company increased its quarterly dividend 7.4% to $1.30 per share. The dividend is payable July 15, 2014 to stockholders of record on June 30, 2014. The yield based on the new payout is 2.9%.Best Buy (BBY) operates as a multi-national, multi-channel retailer of technology products in the United States, Canada, China, and Mexico. June 10th the company increased its quarterly dividend 12% to $0.19 per share. The dividend is payable October 2, 2014 to stockholders of record on September 11, 2014. The yield based on the new payout is 2.6%.Manhattan Bridge Capital (LOAN) provides short-term, secured, and non��anking loans to real estate investors to fund their acquisition and construction of properties in the New York Metropolitan area. June 10th the company increased its quarterly dividend 250% to $0.07 per share. The dividend is payable July 15, 2014 to stockholders of record on July 10, 2014. The yield based on the new payout is 9.3%. Selecting stocks with increasing dividends is critical for an income growth strategy. The above list contains stocks that recent

• [By Marc Bastow]

  The biggest increase among our dividend stocks this week was from short-term secured non-banking real estate lender Manhattan Bridge Capital (LOAN) which raised its quarterly dividend 100% to 2 cents per share, payable on Aug. 20 to shareholders of record as of Aug. 15.
  LOAN Dividend Yield: 0.4%

Top Trucking Companies To Watch In Right Now: Apache Corporation(APA)

Apache Corporation, together with its subsidiaries, engages in the exploration, development, and production of natural gas, crude oil, and natural gas liquids. The company has exploration and production interests in the Gulf of Mexico, the Gulf Coast, east Texas, the Permian basin, the Anadarko basin, and the Western Sedimentary basin of Canada; and onshore Egypt, offshore Western Australia, offshore the United Kingdom in the North Sea, and onshore Argentina, as well as on the Chilean side of the island of Tierra del Fuego. Apache Corporation sells its natural gas to local distribution companies, utilities, end-users, integrated oil and gas companies, and marketers; and crude oil to integrated oil companies, marketing and transportation companies, and refiners. As of December 31, 2009, it had total estimated proved reserves of 1,067 million barrels of crude oil, condensate, and natural gas liquids, as well as 7.8 trillion cubic feet of natural gas. The company was founded in 1954 and is based in Houston, Texas.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Jon C. Ogg]

  Apache Corp. (NYSE: APA) was raised to Buy at Mizuho�Securities, and the price target was raised to $100 from $90. Its price target was raised to $113 from $106 at Canaccord Genuity. This was also named as a below book value stock in our recent screenings as well.

• [By Richard Zeits]

  Apache Corporation (APA), which had leased a large 580,000-acre position in northern Kansas and Nebraska (map below) and initially spoke with enthusiasm about the multiple-objective potential the area had to offer, has kept a surprisingly low drilling profile in the area.

• [By Laura Brodbeck]

  Thursday

  Earnings Expected From: The Priceline Group Inc. (NASDAQ: PCLN), Valeant Pharmaceuticals (NYSE: VRX), CBS Corporation (NYSE: CBS), Apache Corporation (NYSE: APA) Economic Releases Expected: �Chinese CPI, Chinese PPI, European Central Bank Interest Rate Decision, Bank of England interest rate decision, Spanish industrial production, German industrial production

  Friday

Top Trucking Companies To Watch In Right Now: Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group Inc (MTU)

Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group, Inc. (MUFJ), incorporated on April 2, 2001, is a holding company for The Bank of Tokyo-Mitsubishi UFJ, Ltd. (BTMU), Mitsubishi UFJ Trust and Banking Corporation (MUTB), Mitsubishi UFJ Securities Holdings Co., Ltd. (MUSHD), Mitsubishi UFJ Morgan Stanley Securities Co., Ltd.( MUMSS), Mitsubishi UFJ NICOS Co., Ltd. (Mitsubishi UFJ NICOS) and other companies engaged in a range of financial businesses. Its services include commercial banking, trust banking, securities, credit cards, consumer finance, asset management, leasing and fields of financial services. In May 2010, the Company and Morgan Stanley formed two joint ventures in Japan by integrating our respective Japanese securities companies engaged in investment banking and securities businesses. The Company converted the wholesale and retail securities businesses conducted in Japan by the former MUS into one of the joint venture entities, which is named MUMSS. Morgan Stanley contributed the investment banking operations conducted in Japan by its formerly wholly owned subsidiary, Morgan Stanley Japan Securities Co., Ltd. (MSJS) into MUMSS and converted the sales and trading and capital markets businesses conducted in Japan by MSJS into a second joint venture entity called Morgan Stanley MUFG Securities, Co., Ltd.

Integrated Retail Banking Business Group

The Integrated Retail Banking Business Group covers all domestic retail businesses, including commercial banking, trust banking and securities businesses, and enables the Company to offer a range of banking products and services, including financial consulting services, to retail customers in Japan. This business group integrates the retail business of BTMU, MUTB and MUMSS, as well as retail product development, promotion and marketing in a single management structure. Many of its retail services are offered through its network of MUFG Plazas providing individual customers with access to its financial product offerings of integrated commercial b! anking, trust banking and securities services.

The Company offers a range of bank deposit products, including a non-interest-bearing deposit account that is redeemable on demand and intended for payment and settlement functions, and is insured without a maximum amount limitation. It also offers a variety of asset management and asset administration services to individuals, including savings instruments, such as current accounts, ordinary deposits, time deposits, deposits at notice and other deposit facilities. MUFJ also offers trust products, such as loan trusts and money trusts, and other investment products, such as investment trusts, performance-based money trusts and foreign currency deposits.

The Company creates portfolios by combining savings instruments and investment products. It also provide a range of asset management and asset administration products, as well as customized trust products for high-net-worth individuals, as well as advisory services relating to the purchase and disposal of real estate and effective land utilization, and testamentary trusts. The Company provides a varied line up of investment trust products allowing its customers to choose products according to their investment needs through BTMU, MUTB and MUMSS, as well as kabu.com Securities, which specializes in online financial services. In the fiscal year ended March 31, 2010, BTMU offered a total of five investment trusts. As of the end of March 2010, BTMU offered its clients a total of 73 investment trusts.

The Company offers securities, including publicly offered stocks, foreign and domestic investment trusts, Japanese government bonds, foreign bonds and various other products. The Company offers housing loans, card loans and other loans to individuals. With respect to housing loans, in addition to housing loans incorporating health insurance for seven major illnesses, BTMU began offering in June 2009 preferential interest rates under its Environmentally Friendly Support program ! to custom! ers who purchase environment-conscious houses (like houses with solar electric systems), which meet specific criteria in response to increasing public interest in environmental issues. In September 2009, BTMU launched housing loans with home mortgage insurance, which BTMU jointly developed with the Japan Housing Finance Agency, a governmental agency under the Japanese government�� economic stimulus measures, under which the agency indemnifies BTMU for losses from housing loans.

The Company offers products and services through a range of channels, including branches, automated teller machines (ATMs) (including convenience store ATMs shared by multiple banks), Mitsubishi-Tokyo UFJ Direct (telephone, Internet and mobile phone banking), the Video Counter and postal mail. It offers integrated financial services combining its banking, trust banking and securities services at MUFG Plazas. These Plazas provide retail customers with integrated and flexible suite of services at one-stop outlets. As of March 31 2010, the Company provided those services through 47 MUFG Plazas. The Company offers MUTB�� trust related products and advisory services through its trust agency system not only for MUTB customers but also for BTMU and MUMSS customers. As of March 31, 2010, BTMU engaged in eight businesses as the trust banking agent for MUTB: testamentary trusts, inheritance management, asset succession planning, inheritance management agency operations, business management financial consulting, lifetime gift trusts, share disposal trusts, and marketable securities administration trusts.

Integrated Corporate Banking Business Group

The Integrated Corporate Banking Business Group covers all domestic and overseas corporate businesses, including commercial banking, investment banking, trust banking and securities businesses, as well as UnionBanCal Corporation (UNBC). UNBC is a wholly owned subsidiary of BTMU and a US bank holding company with Union Bank being its primary subsidiary. T! he Compan! y provides various financial solutions, such as loans and fund management, remittance and foreign exchange services. It also helps its customers develop business strategies, such as inheritance-related business transfers and stock listings.

It offers advanced financial solutions to companies through corporate and investment banking services. Product specialists globally provide derivatives, securitization, syndicated loans, structured finance and other services. It also provides investment banking services, such as merger and acquisition (M&A) advisory, bond and equity underwriting. It provides online banking services that allow customers to make domestic and overseas remittances electronically. It also provides a global cash pooling/netting service, and the Treasury Station, a fund management system for a multi-company group. The Company�� global Corporate and Investment Banking business (Global CIB), primarily serves companies, financial institutions, and sovereign and multinational organizations with a set of solutions for their financing needs.

Integrated Trust Assets Business Group

The Integrated Trust Assets Business Group covers asset management and administration services for products, such as pension trusts and security trusts by integrating the trust banking expertise of MUTB and the international strengths of BTMU. The business group provides a range of services to corporate and pension funds, including stable and secure pension fund management and administration, advice on pension schemes, and payment of benefits to scheme members. Its Integrated Trust Assets Business Group combines MUTB�� trust assets business, comprising trust assets management services, asset administration and custodial services, and the businesses of Mitsubishi UFJ Global Custody S.A., Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co., Ltd. and KOKUSAI Asset Management Co., Ltd.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Jim Jubak]

  I think you can use shares of Japanese exporters-such as Toyota Motors (TM)-or Japanese financials-such as Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group (MTU)-as trading vehicles for this move. I mention both because they trade as very liquid ADRs in New York. If you trade in Tokyo, you should look at exporters more leveraged to the yen than Toyota-such as Hino Motors (JP:7205 in Tokyo) or Mazda Motor (JP:7261)-or real estate development companies with more yen sensitivity than more diversified financials-such as Sumitomo Realty and Development (JP:8830). Toyota and Mitsubishi UFJ are both members of my Jubak's Picks portfolio.

Top Trucking Companies To Watch In Right Now: The Providence Service Corporation(PRSC)

The Providence Service Corporation provides and manages government sponsored social services and non-emergency transportation services. It offers home and community based counseling, foster care and therapeutic foster care, and provider management services. The company?s home and community based counseling services include home based and intensive home based counseling, substance abuse treatment, school support services, correctional services, and workforce development. Its not-for-profit managed services comprise administrative support, information technology, and accounting and payroll services; intake, assessment, and referral services; monitoring services; and case management. The company also provides non-emergency transportation management services to state Medicaid programs, local government agencies, hospital systems, and health maintenance organizations, as well as to individuals with limited mobility, people with limited means of transportation, people with disa bilities, and Medicaid members; and school transportation services to special needs students who are physically fragile, or mentally ill children. The Providence Service Corporation offers its services in the United States and the District of Columbia; and British Columbia, Canada. The company was founded in 1996 and is based in Tucson, Arizona.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Lisa Levin]

  Providence Service (NASDAQ: PRSC) shares rose 6.58% to $40.50. The volume of Providence Service shares traded was 1483% higher than normal. On Tuesday, Providence Service agreed to acquire Ingeus for $58 million.

10 Best Canadian Stocks To Own For 2014

Alberta's oil sands, which contain vast deposits of bituminous crude oil, have attracted dozens of energy producers from around the world in search of oil. But while they're believed to hold massive untapped reserves, coaxing that heavy oil from the ground is extremely costly.

In fact, according to operators and industry sources, capital costs for oil sands projects are currently on the rise, driven mainly by a chronic shortage of workers and concerns regarding an overheating construction market. An annual report�by the Canadian Energy Research Institute sheds additional light on just how expensive some oil sands projects are. Let's take a closer look.

Cost inflation in Alberta
According to the report, costs for in-situ projects have increased by 6.3% year over year to C$47.57 ($46.35) per barrel, while costs for integrated mining facilities (with upgraders) and stand-alone mining projects have risen 10.9% to C$99.02 per barrel and 13.2% to C$68.30 per barrel, respectively. �

Best Energy Companies For 2015: Abbott Laboratories(ABT)

Abbott Laboratories engages in the discovery, development, manufacture, and sale of health care products worldwide. The company offers adult and pediatric pharmaceuticals for rheumatoid and psoriatic arthritis, ankylosing spondylitis, psoriasis, and Crohn's disease; dyslipidemia; HIV infection; prostate cancer, endometriosis and central precocious puberty, and anemia caused by uterine fibroids; respiratory syncytial virus; adult males who have low or no testosterone; secondary hyperparathyroidism; hypothyroidism; and pancreatic exocrine insufficiency, as well as anesthesia products. It also provides diagnostic products, such as immunoassay systems; chemistry systems; assays used for screening and/or diagnosis for drugs of abuse, cancer, therapeutic drug monitoring, fertility, physiological, and infectious diseases; instruments that automate the extraction, purification, and preparation of DNA and RNA from patient samples, and detect and measure infections agents; genomic-b ased tests; hematology systems and reagents; and point-of-care diagnostic systems and tests for blood analysis. In addition, the company offers a line of pediatric and adult nutritional products. Further, it provides coronary, endovascular, vessel closure, and structural heart devices, such as drug-eluting stent systems, coronary metallic stents, balloon dilatation products, coronary guidewires, vessel closure devices, carotid stent systems, percutaneous valve repair systems, and drug eluting bioresorbable vascular products. Additionally, the company provides blood glucose monitoring meters, test strips, data management software, and accessories for people with diabetes; and medical devices for the eye, including cataract surgery, lasik surgery, contact lens, and dry eye products, as well as branded generic pharmaceutical products. Abbott primarily serves retailers, wholesalers, hospitals, and health care facilities. Abbott was founded in 1888 and is headquartered in Abbott Park, Illinois.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Max Macaluso, Ph.D.]

  Shares of Abbott Laboratories (NYSE: ABT  ) may be up 10.7% since the start of 2013, but this stock has lagged behind the S&P 500 index and many of its health care peers, including Boston Scientific (NYSE: BSX  ) and�Johnson & Johnson. Abbott's next big catalyst will be its second-quarter results, which are set to be revealed tomorrow morning, but will earnings wow investors, or will they miss estimates and disappoint?

• [By George Acs]

  I currently own shares of Pfizer (PFE), Abbott Labs (ABT) and Eli Lilly (LLY) in addition to Merck (MRK), so I tread a little gingerly when considering adding either more shares of Merck or a new position in Bristol Myers Squibb (BMY), while I keep an eye of the need to remain diversified. Both of those, however, have traded well in their current price range and offer the kind of premium, dividend opportunity and liquidity that I like to see when considering covered call related purchases. As with Baxter, in the case of Merck I might consider selling September options because of the upcoming dividend.

10 Best Canadian Stocks To Own For 2014: Suntech Power Holdings Co. LTD.(STP)

Suntech Power Holdings Co., Ltd., a solar energy company, engages in the design, development, manufacture, and marketing of photovoltaic (PV) products. The company also provides engineering, procurement, and construction services to building solar power systems for certain related party and third party customers. Its products include monocrystalline and multicrystalline silicon PV cells; PV modules; and building-integrated photovoltaics products. In addition, the company provides PV system integration services, including designing, installing, and testing PV systems used in lighting for outdoor urban public facilities, as well as in farms, villages, and commercial buildings; and project development services. Its products are used to provide electric power for residential, commercial, industrial, and public utility applications. The company sells its products through value-added resellers, such as distributors and system integrators; and to end users, such as project develo pers primarily in Germany, Italy, Spain, France, Benelux, Greece, the United States, Canada, China, the Middle East, Australia, and Japan. Suntech Power Holdings Co., Ltd. is headquartered in Wuxi, the People?s Republic of China.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Rebecca McClay]

  Along with communications technology, several other sectors were noting strong movements this week, including solar stocks and dry bulk shipping. Solar stocks have soared since JPMorgan said today the industry has significant room for growth. Suntech Power Holdings Co. Ltd. (NYSE ADR: STP) shares were up about 2.2% in afternoon trade.

10 Best Canadian Stocks To Own For 2014: United States Steel Corporation(X)

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

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Ben Levisohn]

  The news has hit Nucor’s shares today. Its stock has dropped 1.4% to $51.30, even as U.S. Steel (X) has gained 0.3% to $27.20, AK Steel (AKS) has gained 1.2% to $6.10 and Steel Dynamics (STLD) has decline 0.1% to $18.95. Encana is little changes at $17.95.

• [By Alex Planes]

  The end of an error
  On April 24, 2001, a two-decade-long mistake was finally corrected when USX announced its plans to split two jointly held but separately traded businesses into their own fully independent companies: U.S. Steel (NYSE: X  ) and Marathon Oil. The steel and oil companies had operated together under the USX umbrella since 1986 after merging in 1982, although each had been traded independently since 1991.

10 Best Canadian Stocks To Own For 2014: Bank Of Montreal (BMO)

Bank of Montreal, together with its subsidiaries, provides a range of retail banking, wealth management, and investment banking products and solutions in North America and internationally. It offers personal banking products and services to consumers and small businesses, including deposit and investment services, mortgages, consumer credit, small business lending, and other banking services; and commercial banking products and services to small business, medium-sized enterprise, and mid-market banking clients comprising lending, deposits, treasury management, and risk management services. The company also offers cards and payments services; investment and wealth advisory services; self-directed investing services; private banking services to high net worth and ultra-high net worth clients; investment fund solutions across a range of channels; pension plans; investment management services; and creditor insurance, and life insurance and annuity products and services. In add ition, it provides capital markets products and services, including equity and debt underwriting, corporate lending and project financing, mergers and acquisitions, restructurings and recapitalizations, balance sheet management, liquidity management, merchant banking, securitization, foreign exchange, derivatives, debt and equity research, and institutional sales and trading to corporate, institutional, and government clients. As of October 31, 2010, Bank of Montreal operated and maintained approximately 1,230 bank branches in Canada and the United States. The company was founded in 1817 and is headquartered in Toronto, Canada.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Alyssa Oursler]

  Head north of the border and you’ll come across Bank of Montreal (BMO), our final safe income pick. If you were impressed by Chevron’s century of dividend payments, consider this: BMO has been rewarding loyal shareholders since 1829. For perspective, remember that the U.S. was just over 50 years old at that time.

• [By Dan Caplinger]

  On Wednesday, Bank of Montreal (NYSE: BMO  ) will release its latest quarterly results. With a solid reputation as a strong Canadian financial institution, the bank has benefited from superior conditions in the Canadian economy over the past several years, avoiding much of the trouble that U.S. banks suffered during the financial crisis in 2008.

10 Best Canadian Stocks To Own For 2014: CNH Global N.V. (CNH)

CNH Global N.V. manufactures, markets, and distributes a line of agricultural and construction equipment and parts worldwide. It operates in three segments: Agricultural Equipment, Construction Equipment, and Financial Services. The Agricultural Equipment segment provides tractors, combine harvesters, hay and forage equipment, seeding and planting equipment, tillage equipment, and sprayers, as well as cotton picker packagers, and sugar cane and grape harvesters primarily under the Case IH and New Holland brands. The Construction Equipment segment offers heavy construction equipment, such as crawler and wheeled excavators, wheel loaders, graders, dozers, and articulated haul trucks; and light construction equipment, including backhoe loaders, skid steer and tracked loaders, mini and midi excavators, compact wheel loaders, and telehandlers primarily under the Case and New Holland Construction brands. This segment serves construction companies, municipalities, local governmen ts, rental fleet owners, quarrying and aggregate mining companies, waste management companies, forestry-related concerns, contractors, residential builders, utilities, road construction companies, landscapers, logistics companies, and farmers. The Financial Services segment provides financial products and services, including retail financing for the purchase or lease of the company�s and other manufacturers� new and used products; and facilitates the sale of insurance products and other financing programs to retail customers. This segment also offers wholesale financing to its dealers and rental equipment operators, as well as financing options to dealers to finance working capital, real estate, and other fixed assets and maintenance equipment. CNH Global N.V. sells and distributes its products through dealers and distributors in approximately 170 countries. The company was founded in 1991 and is based in Amsterdam, the Netherlands. CNH Global N.V. is a subsidiary of Fiat Netherlands Holding N.V.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By vaninaegea]

  In august, the Association of Equipment Manufacturers (AEM) published the mid-year review for the agricultural sector. Their findings point to a slowdown for the industry, highlighting a 9.5% decline on exports through the first half of 2013. Also, late soybean planting in the USA is expected to compound the industry�� slowdown. So, what are the prospects for AGCO (AGCO), CNH Global (CNH), and Deere & Co. (DE) under such conditions?

10 Best Canadian Stocks To Own For 2014: Transdigm Group Incorporated(TDG)

TransDigm Group Incorporated designs, produces, and supplies engineered aircraft components for use on commercial and military aircraft principally in the United States. The company?s products include mechanical/electro-mechanical actuators and controls, ignition systems and engine technology, pumps and valves, power conditioning devices, AC/DC electric motors and generators, NiCad batteries and chargers, engineered latching and locking devices, rods and locking devices, engineered connectors and elastomers, cockpit security components and systems, cockpit displays, aircraft audio systems, lavatory components, engineered interior surfaces, and lighting and control technology. Its customers comprise distributors of aerospace components; commercial airlines, including national and regional airlines; commercial transport and regional and business aircraft original equipment manufacturers (OEMs); various armed forces of the United States and foreign governments; defense OEMs; system suppliers; and various other industrial customers. TransDigm Group Incorporated was founded in 1993 and is based in Cleveland, Ohio.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Brendan Mathews]

  We asked which current CEOs fit the�Outsiders�mold. Thorndike reeled off a short list of names, but he started with Michael Pearson of�Valeant Pharmaceuticals� (NYSE: VRX  ) . He went on to mention Nicholas Howley of�TransDigm Group� (NYSE: TDG  ) , and Rich Kinder of�Kinder Morgan� (NYSE: KMI  ) .�

• [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 TransDigm Group (NYSE: TDG  ) , whose recent revenue and earnings are plotted below.

• [By Rich Smith]

  Cleveland-based TransDigm Group (NYSE: TDG  ) is buying a piece of GE.

  On Friday, as trading wound down for the week, TransDigm announced a deal to buy the Electromechanical Actuation Division of General Electric (NYSE: GE  ) Aviation for $150 million, cash. The business, which makes proprietary, highly engineered aerospace electromechanical motion control subsystems for civil and military applications, counts all three of the world's biggest airplane manufacturers -- Boeing, Airbus, and Brazil's Embraer -- among its clients, and Sikorsky and General Atomics, as well, on the military side.

10 Best Canadian Stocks To Own For 2014: Barrick Gold Corporation (ABX)

Barrick Gold Corporation engages in the production and sale of gold, as well as related activities, such as exploration and mine development. The company has a portfolio of 25 operating mines and a pipeline of projects located in North America, South America, the Australia Pacific region, and Africa. It also produces copper and holds interests in oil and gas properties located in Canada. The company was founded in 1983 and is based in Toronto, Canada.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Patricio Kehoe]

  Apart from mounting debt levels and shrinking margins, the firm�� operational problems and poor product mix shifts, have led to recurring operating losses. Also, as cash flows are nullified, new acquisitions are not feasible. Unlike other troubled competitors such as Barrick Gold Corp (ABX), Golden Star�� balance sheet is simply not strong enough to deal with so many set-backs. Hence, it comes as little surprise that previously bullish gurus have recently sold their entire stake in the firm. I would do the same, as this company�� future is not only grim, but could even include bankruptcy in the near future due to a lack of funds.

• [By Doug Ehrman]

  In the following video below, Fool.com contributor Doug Ehrman discusses the impact that expansionary monetary policy has had on miners such as Barrick Gold (NYSE: ABX  ) and Goldcorp (NYSE: GG  ) , and he looks at what the end of this era could mean for those companies.

• [By Ben Levisohn]

  With all the problems gold miners faced in 2013, the pushback many received from those living near the mines probably ranked near the bottom of the list, especially since it gave companies like Newmont Mining (NEM) and Barrick Gold (ABX) ready excuses to cut back on spending.

As Airline Profits Soar, Is Labor Unrest Inevitable?

Earnings at the top U.S. airlines -- particularly American Airlines (NASDAQ: AAL  ) , Delta Air Lines (NYSE: DAL  ) , and Southwest Airlines (NYSE: LUV  ) -- have soared in the past two years or so. In many ways, a new golden age of the U.S. airline industry has begun.

However, as airline profits soar, it's natural for employees to look for pay increases and work rule improvements. That's especially true because employees had to endure reverses on both fronts in the past 10-15 years. This tension recently revealed itself strikingly as American Airlines flight attendants rejected a lucrative contract offer from management.

Contract time at American Airlines

Delta recently announced 3%-4% raises for all front-line employees (Photo: The Motley Fool)

In September, Delta Air Lines announced that it would give employees an early profit sharing payout this year to reward them for the company's surge in profitability. Delta also promised a 3%-4% raise for all front-line employees next year.

Coincidentally, Delta announced these raises around the same time that American Airlines and its flight attendant union were putting the finishing touches on a tentative contract agreement.

The Association of Professional Flight Attendants had committed to negotiating an industry-leading contract with American's management team. Delta's raises meant that the just-completed contract was no longer the best in the industry. So the APFA went back to American Airlines' management and got a match for the Delta raises, worth $13 million annually.

The proposed contract would have allowed American Airlines and US Airways flight attendants to leapfrog other flight attendant groups to become the best paid in the industry, so it seemed like a no-brainer that union members would ratify it. Instead, the APFA announced on Sunday that the ratification vote failed, with 8,180 votes in favor and 8,196 opposed.

A strange situation

Normally, when union membership rejects a tentative contract agreement, management and the union resume negotiations in order to reach an agreement that can find enough support for ratification. However, American Airlines' unions and management already agreed on an expedited arbitration process in the event of a failed ratification vote.

Under the terms of this agreement, the arbitration award is capped at parity with Delta's industry-leading contact. As a result, the company and the union both agree that the contract terms determined by arbitration will be worse than what the flight attendants just rejected!

American Airlines may be heading to arbitration with its flight attendant union (Photo: American Airlines)

This could make for a quick arbitration process. Both sides have already agreed to an industry-standard contract, so there's not much left to "arbitrate." Presumably, American would assent to the maximum $111 million in contract improvements, putting its flight attendants at parity with Delta's. That would represent an $82 million savings over the life of the contract compared to the agreement that was just rejected.

Are bad labor relations back?

Presumably, the thousands of American Airlines flight attendants who voted against the tentative agreement want better contract terms -- not worse ones. Given that American Airlines now has a clear legal path to imposing contract terms that are less generous than what it had previously offered, it's clear that the flight attendants are playing "chicken" with management.

If the union and management team go ahead with the arbitration process, it will undoubtedly make a lot of flight attendants bitter. In the long run, that's probably not worth the relatively small amount of savings that American would achieve.

That's why thousands of flight attendants are betting that American Airlines will offer a better deal in mediation talks before going to binding arbitration. Yet there is a very strong possibility that the union and management team will end up in arbitration anyway, locking the flight attendants into a contract inferior to the one they just rejected.

This isn't the only battleground

The American Airlines flight attendant contract is one of many recent instances of contentious bargaining in the airline industry. Southwest Airlines has traditionally had excellent labor relations, yet a recent piece in Businessweek described its workforce as "disgruntled."

Southwest Airlines has also experienced some labor tensions recently (Photo: The Motley Fool)

Sure enough, 10 union leaders -- representing the vast majority of Southwest's employees -- sent a letter to Southwest CEO Gary Kelly in June, claiming that employee morale was at an all-time low. The union leaders suggested that the inability to reach long-term contract agreements with Southwest was one of the biggest problems.

Meanwhile, the International Association of Machinists -- a prominent airline union -- is making a push to represent flight attendants at Delta. (Most Delta employees, including flight attendants, are not currently unionized.)

Rising health insurance premiums have been a key point emphasized by the IAM in pitches to potential members at Delta. It's far from certain that it will succeed in its unionization drive. But the fact that it's even trying when Delta flight attendants have the best pay in the industry shows that many employees want even better terms in light of Delta's record profitability.

The next few months could be key

American Airlines and the APFA union have just a few months to try to hammer out a revised agreement in mediation before going to binding arbitration. The arbitration result is certain to be worse than the contract terms that American's flight attendants just rejected.

What happens in the coming months could be critical for the entire airline industry. If American and the APFA reach a mediated settlement it will provide a model for labor-management cooperation in an era of plenty for U.S. airlines. If not, it could be the beginning of a new round of labor strife as airline workers try to get a bigger piece of airlines' surging profits.

The backdoor investment into "Oil Boom 2.0"

A single, under-the-radar company has its hands tightly wrapped around both the hydraulic fracturing technology and know-how that has allowed this shale boom to take off in the first place. The Motley Fool just completed a brand-new investigative report on this significant investment topic and the company helping fuel its boom. Simply click here for access.

Top 5 Companies To Buy Right Now

Even if you were smart (or lucky) enough to have a comfortable retirement nest egg, you may still worry that it may not last you through what may be 30 years of retirement. As many retirees and pre-retirees saw in 2008, one unexpected financial disaster can devastate your life savings.

And many others have discovered that even the best-laid plans for retirement can be ripped apart by an unanticipated medical crisis.

Not to worry. We talked to financial planning firms, big and small, across the United States, and asked for their best tips to help retirees protect, preserve and grow their retirement savings.

There are the easy ones, like once you turn 50 you can take advantage of the catch-up contributions to your 401(k) ($5,500) and IRA ($2,500). You can delay taking Social Security until you're 70 because each year you wait, your benefit will increase by 8%. Or you can increasing your savings rate.

Top 5 Consumer Companies To Watch In Right Now: NovaDx Ventures Corp (NDX)

NovaDX Ventures Corp. (Novadx) is a Canada-based mining investment company, engaged in investing in the North American junior resource exploration and mining sector. In January, 2012 a higher capacity auger machine was delivered to the Rosa Mine. During August 2012, the Company sold the small auger and paid off the higher capacity auger machine. On October 16, 2012,the Company announced that it, along with Sandstorm, have entered into a Letter of Intent to acquire certain coal properties and assets located in Campbell and Scott Counties, Tennessee. The Company�� wholly owned subsidiary MCoal Corporation (MCoal) operates the Rosa mine located in Blount Count, Alabama, which produces coal for the metallurgical and activated carbon coal markets. In January 2013, Sandstorm Metals and Energy Ltd together with the Company acquired Mine 12, the Turley Rail Load-Out, and the Smokey Junction Preparation Plant located in Campbell and Scott Counties, Tennessee. Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Jim Jubak]

  However, in all fairness, shares of Qualcomm have indeed lagged the Nasdaq 100 (NDX) over the past year. But despite that fact, Qualcomm is still currently rated a buy by a large percentage of analysts who continue to follow the stock. As Hendershot points out, perhaps that is because ��ualcomm believes the company can generate double-digit compound average growth for revenues and earnings for, at least, the next five years.��/p>

Top 5 Companies To Buy Right Now: C.H. Robinson Worldwide Inc.(CHRW)

C.H. Robinson Worldwide, Inc., a third-party logistics company, provides multimodal freight transportation services and logistics solutions to companies in various industries worldwide. It offers freight transportation services through its contractual relationships with various transportation companies, including motor carriers, railroads, air freight carriers, and ocean carriers. The company has contractual relationships with approximately 49,000 transportation companies. Its transportation and logistics services include truckload, less-than-truckload, intermodal, ocean, and air freight transportation, as well as transportation management, customs brokerage, and warehousing services. In addition, it engages in buying, selling, and marketing fresh produce to grocery retailers, restaurants, produce wholesalers, and foodservice distributors under the Fresh 1 and OurWorld Organics names, as well as under Tropicana, Welch?s, Mott?s, and Glory Foods names. Further, the company provides spend management and payment processing services through a platform that facilitates funds transfer, vendor payments, fuel purchasing, and online expense management primarily for motor carriers and truck stop chains. It operates through a network of 232 branch offices in North America, Europe, Asia, South America, Australia, and the Middle East. C.H. Robinson Worldwide, Inc. was founded in 1905 and is headquartered in Eden Prairie, Minnesota.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By John Divine]

  Freight services and logistics company CH Robinson Worldwide (NASDAQ: CHRW  ) cratered 7% after shareholders failed to be impressed with the company's quarterly results. Sales came in barely higher than expected, gaining 17% year over year. Earnings, however, were down 2% from the same quarter last year. With operating expenses rising to 63% of revenue from a 59% rate last year, it's not hard to see what held back profits.

• [By Gary Jakacky]

  Only one company convincingly jumped thru all the hoops: C.H. Robinson Worldwide, Inc. (CHRW).

  If only one of the companies in IYT appear to be undervalued, it might give you pause about how brightly the ETF will shine in the very near future.

• [By Lisa Levin]

  CH Robinson Worldwide (NASDAQ: CHRW) shares fell 0.70% to touch a new 52-week low of $50.61. CH Robinson's trailing-twelve-month profit margin is 3.26%.

• [By Russ Fischer]

  CH Robinson Worldwide (CHRW)

  Transportation sector. C.H. Robinson Worldwide, Inc., a third-party logistics company, provides freight transportation services and logistics solutions to companies in various industries worldwide. It also engages in buying, selling, and marketing fresh produce. Yield: 2.5%

Top 5 Companies To Buy Right Now: Central Europe Russia and Turkey Fund Inc (CEE)

Central Europe and Russia Fund, Inc. (the Fund) is a non-diversified, closed-end management investment company. The Fund seeks long-term capital appreciation primarily through investment in equity and equity-linked securities of issuers domiciled in Central Europe and Russia. The Fund's portfolio includes investments in Russian, Polish, Hungarian, Czech Republic, Turkish, Austrian, Dutch, Cyprus, Bermuda and Virgin Islands common stocks.

The Fund invests in various industries, including commercial banks, diversified telecommunication services, food products, metals and mining, personal products, wireless telecommunication services, building products, construction and engineering, diversified telecommunication services, media, pharmaceuticals, automobiles, and oil, gas and consumable fuels. The Fund is managed and advised by subsidiaries of the Deutsche Bank Group. The Fund's investment advisor is Deutsche Asset Management International GmbH. The Fund's manager is Deutsche Investment Management Americas Inc.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Jake L'Ecuyer]

  Among the financial stocks, Ashford Hospitality Trust (NYSE: AHT) was down more than 5.7 percent, while The Central Europe, Russia and Turkey Fund (NYSE: CEE) tumbled around 5 percent.

• [By STANSBERRYRESEARCH]

  
  With emerging market speculation heating up again, TRF is trading for a 24% premium right now. If that premium climbs any higher, we predict another obliteration. – Brian Hunt, DailyWealth, December 21, 2006

  
  We published that note in December 2006. By March 2009, it had lost more than 90% of its value.   Perhaps more importantly to any long-term, buy-and-hold investor, the decline we foresaw in the fund would have wiped out more than 100% of the accumulated capital gains, assuming you invested as much as 15 years earlier.   Now... I'd like you to look at the chart one more time. Look at what happened to the fund in the first half of 2009. It went nearly straight up.   On April 17, 2009, we told subscribers to buy Russian stocks. Instead of using TRF, Steve Sjuggerud recommended a nearly identical Scudder Fund, the Central Europe and Russia Fund (NYSE: CEE). Both went up 150% from their March lows.   So if you followed the buy-and-hold strategy in Russian stocks over the last 15 years, you would have made a very small amount of money – or lost money, depending on when you sold your shares. On the other hand, if you applied a few of our secrets, you could have easily traded this fund for more than 100% gains in only a few weeks. And if you watch this fund, you'll be able to make trades like this three or four times each decade. If you watch other similar funds, you'll be able to make trades like this once or twice a year.   And let me tell you one more thing about this situation. In January 2007, when TRF was widely overvalued and when most individual investors were clamoring to buy shares – despite the premium valuation – we checked to see if we could sell the fund short. We knew it was going to collapse and wanted to profit directly as it fell. But we couldn't. Why not? Because other professionals had already borrowed all of the available shares to sh

Top 5 Companies To Buy Right Now: Cintas Corp (CTAS)

Cintas Corporation (Cintas), incorporated November 13, 1986, provides specialized products and services to businesses of all types throughout the North America, Latin America, Europe and Asia. The Company operates in four segments: Rental Uniforms and Ancillary Products, Uniform Direct Sales, First Aid, Safety and Fire Protection Services, and Document Management Services. As of May 31, 2013, the Company provided products and services to over one million businesses. As of May 31, 2013, Cintas had approximately 8,200 local delivery routes, 446 operational facilities and eight distribution centers.

The Rental Uniforms and Ancillary Products operating segment consists of the rental and servicing of uniforms and other garments including flame resistant clothing, mats, mops and shop towels and other ancillary items. In addition to these rental items, restroom cleaning services and supplies and carpet and tile cleaning services are also provided within this operating segment. The Uniform Direct Sales operating segment consists of the direct sale of uniforms and related items and branded promotional products. The First Aid, Safety and Fire Protection Services operating segment consists of first aid, safety and fire protection products and services. The Document Management Services operating segment consists of document destruction, document imaging and document retention services.

Within the Rental Uniforms and Ancillary Products operating segment, Cintas provides its products and services to customers via local delivery routes originating from rental processing plants and branches. Within the Uniform Direct Sales and First Aid, Safety and Fire Protection Services operating segments, Cintas provides its products and services via its distribution network and local delivery routes or local representatives. Within the Document Management Services operating segment, Cintas provides its services via local service routes originating from document management branches and document retent! ion facilities. The Company operates five manufacturing facilities, which provide for standard uniform needs.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Rick Munarriz]

  Cintas (NASDAQ: CTAS  )
  The leading provider of workplace uniforms is a pretty fair proxy for hiring practices. If companies are increasing or decreasing the number of employees it should reflect in the number of uniforms that Cintas is providing.

• [By Damian Illia]

  As we can see, the firm has a higher ROE than Amrep Corporation (AXR) but is well below the one registered by US Ecology Inc. (ECOL) and Cintas Corporation (CTAS).