Are You Earning Too Little?

Top 10 Blue Chip Companies To Invest In 2015

Alamy Personal finance author Barbara Stanny realized she was earning too little money when she interviewed women bringing home six figures or more for one of her books. "Of the first 15, three of them were writers. It was such an empowering thing for me to see. There were people doing what I was doing, but they were making more," she recalls. She committed to follow their lead, and before she finished her book, she had started earning six figures herself. Earning too little money, which Stanny defines as earning less than you need or desire, despite efforts to do otherwise, is a problem so common that Stanny started giving workshops on the topic. Eventually, it became the subject of her next book, "Overcoming Underearning." Others have also tackled the issue: Underearners Anonymous, a support group based on a 12-step program, is dedicated to helping people who find themselves trapped in a low-income cycle. And Bari Tessler Linden, a popular financial therapist, addresses the topic in her work, too. Tom Anderson, a freelance writer based in New York, wrote about visiting an Underearners Anonymous meeting for the financial website LearnVest earlier this year. "The median age was mid-40s, and it was a pretty diverse bunch of people from all different socioeconomic backgrounds," he told U.S. News. The session focused on improving time management skills, goal setting and being more career focused, he says. After the meeting, he says, "I did adjust my own expectations for my finances and what revenue targets I wanted to hit." Anderson says he would recommend the experience to anyone who is comfortable with the spiritual side of 12-step programs and who is not doing a good job of valuing their time, which often has a negative impact on earning power. (Underearners Anonymous did not respond to requests for comment.) Financial therapist Linden says in order to overcome her own struggle with underearning (in her 20s, she worked in hospice and as a counselor, and she couldn't afford organic food), she had to first learn to value herself better. "I had to do a lot of work on cultivating my value and what this means to me," she says. She also had to learn that it was OK to want to earn more money. "I thought if I did good work, money would just appear. But it also did not feel spiritual to me to strive for money," she says. Still, she knew she had to find a way to earn more. So she took on extra overnight shifts at hospice, but was still stuck earning less than $2,000 a month. She took on a second job, and eventually earned enough for some small indulgences, like chocolate. Then, she learned about bookkeeping, took on clients and started earning more money. Today, she's built an online business based around her financial therapy and coaching work that allows her to earn a six-figure income. "It's about the numbers, but of course it's also about having a deeply meaningful and joyful life, giving amazing work to the world and having a great lifestyle. And we all define that in our own ways," she says. As for Stanny, she says her own underearning struggles grew out of larger money issues. She recalls her father, one of the founders of H&R Block (HRB), teaching her little about smart money management. "The only thing my father ever told me was, 'Don't worry,'" she says. Later, her husband, a compulsive gambler, created a new set of financial problems for her. She finally decided she had to learn how to manage (and make) her own money. Overcoming underearning is all about shifting your thinking, Stanny says. "We tend to push our financial problems under the rug and ignore our problems and think they'll go away. [Instead,] I made a decision: I'm going to overcome underearning," Stanny says. Making that kind of mental shift can be uncomfortable, she adds, but it's essential for making a significant change. The biggest lesson she learned from high earners, she says, is to say yes to opportunities. "If any opportunity comes along, as long as it's not illegal or immoral, they just say 'yes,'" she says of high earners. Even if something makes them nervous, like a new speaking gig, high-earners welcome the opportunity. To overcome her own under-earning trap, Stanny started raising her speaking fees. It made her uncomfortable, and for the first three months, she got few takers, but eventually, she started booking gigs at her higher rate. "I knew I deserved to earn more for no other reason than I'm worth it," Stanny says. Cultivating that sense of self-worth is crucial for overcoming underearning.

Tesla's 800-mile cross-country detour

Tesla recently completed its supercharger network along a cross-country route. Click on map to see where superchargers are planned next.

NEW YORK (CNNMoney) Tesla owners can now drive across the country using the company's network of charging stations to power their batteries -- as long as they don't mind going about 800 miles out of their way.

In a publicity move, two teams of Tesla employees left L.A. late Wednesday and hope to make it to New York in three days.

But they won't be taking the most direct route. Tesla's transcontinental network of "superchargers" is spread across about 3,600 miles, according to Google maps. More than 600 of those miles are on smaller highways, not interstates.

Tesla says the route along its network is closer to 3,400 miles long. Either way, that's longer than the most direct way across the country -- about 2,800 miles.

The Tesla path detours much farther north, taking drivers near Mt. Rushmore but adding hundreds of miles.

Even after it joins up with a more direct northern route, Tesla's trip then swings down to superchargers in Maryland and Delaware, before heading up the New Jersey Turnpike, a frequently congested road that more direct routes essentially avoid.

The superchargers provide enough juice in 30 minutes to take a Tesla about 170 miles. There are 32 stations on the route between downtown Los Angeles and New York City, and more than 40 others mostly up and down both coasts.

Hot Medical Companies To Invest In 2015

The Model S, which starts at about $69,000, needs to be charged every 244 to 306 miles, depending on the battery size.

Tesla says it is adding about one supercharger station a day and by late this year drivers will be ! able to take more direct routes. It is investing in the superchargers, which are free for Tesla owners, as a selling point.

Tesla owner John Glenney of Lexington, Ky., and his daughter Jill reported in an online forum that they were the first to make a cross-country trip using nothing but the superchargers, completing the trip last weekend.

  Tesla Model S: Test drive D.C. to Boston

And Tesla will get more publicity for the route later this spring when CEO Elon Musk plans to hit the road with his five sons.

Musk has joked the journey will be like fictional dad Clark Griswold's road trips in the "Vacation" movies.

Of course, there's an even quicker way to get from Los Angeles to JFK Airport in New York, the East Coast end point of the cross-country network. It's called flying.

Top Financial Stocks To Own For 2015

Our human mind easily gets attracted to the information that gets popular among the crowd. The same happens with the way we raise our children. If the neighbour sends his child to a music class, without even thinking about the child�� interest or talent, most of the parents copycat.

Herd mentality is natural for a human being. What happens when we do the same while taking important investment decisions?

How herd mentality impacts in financial decision making?

Remember finance companies in India during 1990s who offered a huge interest on investments. Finally, these companies made people to become homeless. Strict measures were taken and people started being careful while investing. But again, people have fallen victim in the 2010-11 to finance schemes like Emu farms, etc.

Why do such catastrophic situations happen again and again?

The reason here is the herd mentality of people who just want to follow the crowd. Even while investing, people just follow what the majority is doing.

Top Financial Stocks To Own For 2015: CME Group Inc.(CME)

CME Group Inc. operates the CME, CBOT, NYMEX, and COMEX regulatory exchanges worldwide. The company provides a range of products available across various asset classes, including futures and options on interest rates, equity indexes, energy, agricultural commodities, metals, foreign exchange, weather, and real estate. It offers various products that provide a means of hedging, speculation, and asset allocation relating to the risks associated with interest rate sensitive instruments, equity ownership, changes in the value of foreign currency, credit risk, and changes in the prices of commodities. CME Group owns and operates clearing house, CME Clearing, which provides clearing and settlement services for exchange-traded contracts and counter derivatives transactions; and also engages in real estate operations. Its primary trade execution facilities consist of its CME Globex electronic trading platform and open outcry trading floors, as well as privately negotiated transact ions that are cleared and settled through its clearing house. In addition, the company offers market data services comprising live quotes, delayed quotes, market reports, and historical data services, as well as involves in index services business. CME Group?s customer base includes professional traders, financial institutions, institutional and individual investors, corporations, manufacturers, producers, and governments. It has strategic partnerships with BM&FBOVESPA S.A., Bursa Malaysia Derivatives, Singapore Exchange Limited, Green Exchange, Dubai Mercantile Exchange, Johannesburg Stock Exchange, and Bolsa Mexicana de Valores, S.A.B. de C.V., as well as joint venture agreement with Dow Jones & Company. The company was formerly known as Chicago Mercantile Exchange Holdings Inc. and changed its name to CME Group Inc. in July 2007. CME Group was founded in 1898 and is headquartered in Chicago, Illinois.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Jeff Reeves]

  Options traders and commodity junkies should recognize CME Group (CME) as the Chicago Mercantile Exchange, a financial entity that operates a host of futures exchanges as well as providing its own exchange-traded products and derivatives.

• [By Jon C. Ogg]

  CME Group Inc. (NASDAQ: CME) was raised to Outperform from Market Perform at Keefe Bruyette & Woods.

  Cypress Semiconductor Corp. (NASDAQ: CY) was maintained as Buy, but earnings estimates were cut and the price target was cut to $13 from $15, by Sterne Agee. Wedbush downgraded it to Neutral from Buy after the warning.

Top Financial Stocks To Own For 2015: The First Bancshares Inc.(FBMS)

The First Bancshares, Inc. operates as the banking holding company for The First, A National Banking Association that provides commercial and retail banking services to small to medium-sized businesses, professional concerns, and individuals in Mississippi. It accepts various deposit products, such as checking accounts, negotiable order of withdrawal accounts, savings accounts, and other time deposits, ranging from daily money market accounts to longer-term certificates of deposit, as well as retirement account services, such as individual retirement accounts. The company provides commercial loans, such as secured and unsecured loans for working capital, business expansion, and purchase of equipment and machinery; consumer loans, which include equity lines of credit and secured and unsecured loans for financing automobiles, home improvements, education, and personal investments; and real estate construction and acquisition loans. It also originates loans to purchase existi ng or construct new homes, and to refinance existing mortgages. In addition, the company offers Internet banking services, voice response telephone inquiry services, commercial sweep accounts, cash management services, safe deposit boxes, travelers? checks, direct deposit of payroll and social security checks, automatic drafts for various accounts, network of automated teller machines, and VISA and MasterCard credit card services. It operates 10 branch offices in Mississippi. The company was incorporated in 1995 and is headquartered in Hattiesburg, Mississippi.

Top Tech Companies To Buy For 2015: RECORD PLC ORD GBP0.00025 WHEN ISSUED(REC.L)

Record plc engages in the provision of currency management services for the institutional clients primarily in the United Kingdom, the United States, and Switzerland. It offers various services comprising currency for return and currency hedging services, as well as provides currency transaction analysis or currency audit services. The company also offers management services to other Group undertakings, as well as operates as a trust company. Record plc was founded in 1983 and is based in Windsor, the United Kingdom.

Top Financial Stocks To Own For 2015: VSB Bancorp Inc.(NY)

VSB Bancorp, Inc. operates as the holding company for Victory State Bank that provides commercial and retail banking services to individuals and businesses primarily in Staten Island, New York. It offers various deposit products, including non-interest bearing checking, money market, time deposit, statement savings, and negotiable order of withdrawal accounts. The company also provides various loan products, such as commercial business loans; commercial real estate loans; construction loans for one-to four-family residential properties, and multi-family residential and commercial use real estate properties; commercial mortgage loans; and unsecured commercial loans. The company serves its customers through its banking offices and its Web site, victorystatebank.com. As of December 31, 2010, it operated 5 banking offices in West Brighton, St. George, Dongan Hills, Rosebank, and Great Kills sections of Staten Island. The company was founded in 1997 and is based in Staten Islan d, New York.

Top Financial Stocks To Own For 2015: Sterling Bancorp(STL)

Sterling Bancorp operates as a bank holding company for Sterling National Bank that provides a range of banking and financial products and services in the Untied States primarily in New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut. It accepts various deposit products, including checking accounts, money market accounts, negotiable order of withdrawal accounts, savings accounts, rent security accounts, retirement accounts, and certificates of deposits; and deposit services comprising account management and information, disbursement, reconciliation, collection and concentration, ACH, and others. The company also provides business and consumer lending, asset-based financing, factoring/accounts receivable management services, equipment leasing, commercial and residential mortgage lending and brokerage, and trade financing services for commercial, industrial and financial companies, and government and non-profit entities. In addition, it offers financing and human resource business process outsourcing support services for the temporary staffing industry, which comprise full back-office, computer, tax, and accounting services, as well as financing to independently-owned staffing companies. The company operates 12 offices, including 9 offices in New York City, two branches in Nassau County, and 1 branch in Yonkers, New York. Sterling Bancorp was founded in 1929 and is based in New York, New York.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Corinne Gretler]

  Statoil ASA (STL) rose 4.2 percent to 137.60 kroner. Norway�� biggest energy company made its third oil discovery off the coast of Canada in the Flemish Pass basin. Bank of America Corp. raised the stock to buy from neutral.

• [By Jon C. Ogg]

  The M&T Bank Corp. (NYSE: MTB) and Hudson City Bancorp Inc. (NASDAQ: HCBK) transaction is the only pending deal of 2012 vintage due to various regulatory concerns. MTB currently has 9% short interest outstanding and PACW 15%. Another merger covered is the deal between Provident New York Bancorp (NASDAQ: PBNY) and Sterling Bancorp (NYSE: STL), and the balance are simply too small for us to warrant effort.

Top Financial Stocks To Own For 2015: Australia and New Zealand Banking Group Ltd (ANZ.AX)

Australia and New Zealand Banking Group Limited (ANZ) provides a range of banking and financial products and services to retail, small business, corporate and institutional clients. The Company conducts its operations in Australia, New Zealand and the Asia Pacific region. It also operates in a range of other countries, including the United Kingdom and the United States. The Company operates on a divisional structure with Australia, International and Institutional Banking (IIB), New Zealand, and Global Wealth and Private Banking. As of September 30, 2012, the Company had 1,337 branches and other points of representation worldwide, excluding automatic teller machines (ATMs). In September 2012, it sold its remaining shareholding in Visa Inc.

Top Financial Stocks To Own For 2015: Commonwealth Bank of Australia (CBA)

Commonwealth Bank of Australia (the Bank) is engaged in the provision of a range of banking and financial products and services to retail, small business, corporate and institutional clients. The Bank is a provider of integrated financial services, including retail, business and institutional banking, superannuation, life insurance, general insurance, funds management, broking services and finance company activities. Its operating segments include Retail Banking Services, Business and Private Banking, Institutional Banking and Markets, Wealth Management, New Zealand, Bankwest and Other. Its retail banking services include home loans, consumer finance, retail deposits and distribution. Its business and private banking include corporate financial services, regional and agribusiness banking, local business banking, private bank and equities and margin lending. The Bank and its subsidiaries ceased to be a substantial holder in Ten Network Holdings Limited, as of September 12, 2012. Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Michael Ugulini]

  Investors can take away that Craft Brew Alliance (CBA) is experiencing growth in all brands as noted by the company's President of Commercial Operations, Mr. Andy Thomas in an August Earning's Call, "For the first time in CBA's history, CBA's quarterly growth was propelled by growth in all brand families and across all CBA sales divisions. Our overall plus 12% STR growth came from a healthy blend of plus 23% growth for Kona, plus 14% growth for Redhook, and plus 1% growth for Widmer Brothers; all accompanied by the continued expansion of Omission in our international markets."

• [By Toshiro Hasegawa]

  Commonwealth Bank of Australia (CBA) fell 1.1 percent to A$73.73. Singapore Telecommunications Ltd. (ST) retreated 1.1 percent to S$3.78 today after posting earnings.

Top Financial Stocks To Own For 2015: Sun Bancorp Inc.(SNBC)

Sun Bancorp, Inc. operates as the bank holding company for Sun National Bank that provides various commercial and consumer banking services in New Jersey. The company offers various deposit instruments, including checking accounts, savings accounts, money market accounts, term certificate accounts, and individual retirement accounts, as well as business checking accounts. Its loan portfolio includes residential real estate loans, residential mortgage loans, mortgage loans on commercial real estate, construction loans, home equity lines of credit, home equity loans, consumer loans, and small business loans, as well as short and long-term business loans. The company also provides cash management services, such as electronic banking, sweep accounts, lockbox services, Internet banking, remote deposits, and controlled disbursement services; investment services, including insurance, annuities, mutual funds, securities, and real estate investment trusts; and equipment leasing ser vices, as well as enters into financial derivative transactions primarily consisting of interest rate swaps. As of January 30, 2012, it operated through 65 locations in New Jersey. The company was founded in 1985 and is headquartered in Vineland, New Jersey.

Top Financial Stocks To Own For 2015: Capital Blf Inc (BLF.V)

Capital BLF Inc. engages in the ownership and rental of nine multi-residential buildings located in the province of Quebec, Canada. The company was founded in 2007 and is based in Dorval, Canada.

Top Financial Stocks To Own For 2015: The First of Long Island Corporation(FLIC)

The First of Long Island Corporation operates as a bank holding company for The First National Bank of Long Island that provides various financial services. It offers various deposit products, including checking, money market, savings, escrow service and interest on lawyer, time deposit, NOW, rent security, holiday club, and individual retirement accounts. The company?s loan portfolio consists of commercial and industrial loans; residential and commercial mortgage loans; home equity loans and lines; multifamily loans; construction loans; consumer loans, such as auto and home improvement loans, personal loans, overdraft checking lines, and credit cards; commercial loans, which include short-term business loans, term and installment loans, revolving credit term loans, and loans secured by marketable securities, general business assets, deposits, and surrender value of life insurance policies; and commercial and standby letters of credit. In addition, it provides account rec onciliation, ATM banking, bank by mail, bill payment, cash management, collection, drive-through banking, personal money orders, Internet and telephone banking, merchant credit card depository, lock box, night depository, payroll, remote deposit, securities transactions, signature guarantee, trust and investment management, wire transfers and foreign cables, and withholding tax depository services, as well as offers controlled disbursement accounts, travelers and counter checks, mutual funds, annuities, life insurance and securities, safe deposit boxes, and the U.S. savings bonds. Further, the company provides pension trust, personal trust, estate, and custody services; and insurance agency services, as well as owns a real estate investment trust. It offers its services to privately owned businesses, professionals, consumers, public bodies, and other organizations through its 34 branches primarily in Long Island and Manhattan. The company was founded in 1927 and is based in Glen Head, New York.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Dividends4Life]

  The First of Long Island Corporation (FLIC) operates as a bank holding company for The First National Bank of Long Island that provides financial services. Sept. 19, the company increased its quarterly dividend 4% to $0.26 per share. The dividend is payable Oct. 11, 2013 to shareholders of record on October 3, 2013. The yield based on the new payout is 2.7%.

Top Financial Stocks To Own For 2015: New York Community Bancorp Inc.(NYB)

New York Community Bancorp, Inc. operates as a multi-bank holding company for New York Community Bank and New York Commercial Bank, which offer banking products and services in New York, New Jersey, Ohio, Florida, and Arizona. It primarily engages in generating deposits and originating loans. The company?s deposit products include checking and savings accounts, certificates of deposit, individual retirement accounts, NOW and money market accounts, and non-interest-bearing demand deposit accounts. Its lending portfolio comprises one- to four-family loans; multi-family loans; commercial real estate loans; acquisition, development, and construction loans; home equity lines of credit; commercial and industrial loans; and consumer loans. New York Community Bancorp also provides installment loans, revolving lines of credit, cash management, online banking, automated teller machine, and phone banking services. The company serves small and mid-size businesses, professional associ ations, government agencies, consumers, and school districts. As of June 30, 2011, it operated 242 community bank branches, 34 commercial bank branches, and 286 ATM locations. The company was formerly known as Queens County Bancorp, Inc. and changed its name to New York Community Bancorp, Inc. in November 2000. New York Community Bancorp, Inc. was founded in 1859 and is based in Westbury, New York.

Top Financial Stocks To Own For 2015: Federal Resources Investment Group Inc (FED)

Federal Resources Investment Group Inc.( FED) is a Philippines-based holding company engaged. The Company�� primary activities were to invest in, purchase, or otherwise dispose of real and personal property of every kind and description, including shares of stock, bonds, debentures, notes, evidences of indebtedness, and other securities or obligations of any corporation or corporations, association and associations, domestic or foreign. Prior to its change in primary purpose, the Company was previously engaged in the manufacture, marketing and distribution of various adhesives and sealants, contact cement, wood glues, epoxies, coating, and other specialty products, and other chemicals for hardware, construction, do-it-yourself and other applications. The Company�� operating segments include PVC Resins and Sealants, Coatings and adhesives. The Company is still in the process of winding up its manufacturing and trading operations and selling its remaining inventories. Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Canadian Value]

  Nearly all emerging markets took a hit this summer amid speculation the US Federal Reserve Bank (Fed) would soon begin ��apering��its prolonged asset purchase plan, which had pumped large amounts of liquidity into the markets globally. When you hear about this ��apering��of the Fed�� $85 billion monthly bond purchases, it�� important to understand the facts. Tapering isn�� the same as tightening. The Fed-fueled liquidity already pumped in is still working through the system. Additionally, Japan and other global central banks are printing money, adding to the pot.

Top 5 Quality Companies To Own For 2015

The following is an excerpt from this week's Earnings Trends. Click here to access the full PDF

Total earnings for the 375 S&P 500 companies that have reported Q2 results, as of Thursday August 1st, are up +2.1% from the same period last year, with 66.7% beating earnings expectations with a median surprise of +2.7%.

Pretty much all of that earnings growth has come from top-line gains (up +1.9%), with margins essentially flat from the same period last year. Revenue surprises have been better relative to extremely weak levels in Q1, but largely in-line with historical levels.

Not to make light of Finance�� strength, but a big part of the bank earnings growth is due to loan loss reserve releases and not from loan growth. Reserve releases are a net positive as they reflect improving credit quality, but they don�� constitute the sector�� core earnings power. That said, the earnings growth picture outside of Finance is very weak.

Expectations for the coming quarters have started coming down, though they still represent a material acceleration in the growth pace, as the chart below shows. Please note that the current expected growth rates for Q3 and Q4 are down from 4% and 11% last week, respectively.

Top 5 Quality Companies To Own For 2015: NetScout Systems Inc.(NTCT)

NetScout Systems, Inc. engages in the design, development, manufacture, marketing, sale, and support of unified service delivery management, service assurance, and application and network performance management solutions worldwide. It offers nGenius Service Assurance Solution, an integrated unified service delivery management platform that provides application and service performance intelligence to enable organizations to assure network and application performance and user experience. This solution?s capabilities include intelligent early warning and service visualization, packet-level forensic analysis, planning and optimization, and service and policy validation, as well as network, application, and service performance management. The company also provides Sniffer Analysis software suite that offers a direct connection to nGenius InfiniStream appliances for forensic analysis and packet data mining to exploit the information contained within network packets; and a view i nto IP network packets revealing granular information about network and application interactions, response time, and latency metrics. In addition, NetScout Systems, Inc. offers Sniffer Portable Analyzer product family that provides portable network and application analysis capabilities for field deployments. The company?s solutions support a range of enterprise information technology operations and are deployed by telecommunication service providers. It markets and distributes its products through direct sales force, as well as through strategic channel partners, including distributors, value added resellers, and systems integrators to financial, healthcare, manufacturing, retail, technology, utilities, education, and the public sectors. The company was founded in 1984 and is headquartered in Westford, Massachusetts.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By josieclarks]

  Posted-In: Markets

    Around the Web, We're Loving... Learn to Use Trading Platforms Like Hedge Fund Traders do Rumsfeld: Denial of Benefits to Fallen Soldiers' Families 'Inexcusable' Come See How the Pro's Trade in this Exclusive Webinar Facebook, Baidu Lead Big Caps Beating Shutdown What Should You Know About AMZN? Most Popular UPDATE: So
• [By Seth Jayson]

  There's no foolproof way to know the future for NetScout Systems (Nasdaq: NTCT  ) or any other company. However, certain clues may help you see potential stumbles before they happen -- and before your stock craters as a result.

Top 5 Quality Companies To Own For 2015: Group 4 Securicor(GFS.L)

G4S plc, together with its subsidiaries, provides secure and cash solutions worldwide. It operates in two segments, Secure Solutions and Cash Solutions. The Secure Solutions segment offers integrated security solutions for commercial customers, such as risk consulting, manned security, and security systems; and the protection of critical national infrastructure, care and justice, secure facilities, and border protection for governments. The Cash solutions segment involves in the outsourcing of cash cycle management for central banks, financial institutions, and retailers. This segment also provides ATM network management, ATM cash management, ATM engineering, retail cash management, data and document management, and cash logistics services and solutions, as well as offers secure transportation of cash and valuables. The company serves energy and utilities, oil and gas, transport and logistics, ports and airports, leisure and tourism, and retail industries, as well as gover nment and financial institutions. G4S plc was founded in 1901 and is headquartered in Crawley, the United Kingdom.

Hot Performing Companies To Own For 2015: Crh Ord Eur 0.32(CRH.L)

CRH public limited company, through its subsidiaries, engages in the manufacture and supply of building materials primarily in western Europe and North America. The company produces and sells a range of primary materials, including cement, aggregates, ready-mixed concrete, asphalt/bitumen, and agricultural and chemical lime. It also produces and sells architectural and structural concrete products, clay products, fabricated and tempered glass products, and construction accessories, as well as provides a range of inter-related products and services to the construction sector. In addition, it engages in builders? merchanting activities; and operates a network of do-it-yourself (DIY) stores that market and sell supplies to the construction sector and to the general public. Further, the company manufactures and installs pre-stressed concrete flooring planks, modular precast structures, and other products used in structures, such as hotels, apartments, dormitories, and prisons ; and concrete pipes used for storm and sanitary sewer applications. It also has operations in eastern Europe, South America, the Mediterranean basin, China, India, and Australia. The company operates 138 Karwei and GAMMA brand DIY stores in the Netherlands; 19 GAMMA brand DIY stores in Belgium; 51 Hagebau brand DIY stores in Germany; and 33 Maxmat brand DIY stores in Portugal. CRH public limited company was founded in 1949 and is headquartered in Dublin, Ireland.

Top 5 Quality Companies To Own For 2015: G&K Services Inc.(GKSR)

G&K Services, Inc. provides branded uniform and facility services programs in the United States and Canada. Its facility services programs include floor mat offerings, such as traction control, logo, message, scraper, and anti-fatigue; shop, kitchen, bar, bath, dish, continuous roll, and microfiber towel products; dust, microfiber, and wet mops; fender covers; selected linen items; and restroom hygiene products. The company also manufactures work apparel garments that are used to support garment rental and direct purchase programs. G&K Services, Inc. serves automotive, warehousing, distribution, transportation, energy, manufacturing, food processing, pharmaceutical, retail, restaurants, hospitality, government, and healthcare industries. The company was founded in 1902 and is headquartered in Minnetonka, Minnesota.

Top 5 Quality Companies To Own For 2015: Diamond Frank Exploration Inc (DOD.V)

Axe Exploration Inc. engages in the acquisition, exploration, and development of mining properties in Canada. The company primarily explores for gold, diamond, copper, silver, and palladium deposits. The company has interests in the Commandant property, which covers an area of 9,637 hectares and is located near Val d'Or town, Abitibi; the Destorbelle property that consists of 24 claims covering 953.1 hectares and is located in Rouyn-Noranda town, Abitibi. It also has interests in the Gold Peak property, which comprises 50 contiguous mineral claims covering an area of 2,184 hectares and is located to the southeast of Fault Porcupine-Destor; and the K6 property consisting of 25 mining claims covering an area of 1,322.4 hectares and is located near the Mont-Otish, north east of Chibougamau. The company was formerly known as Diamond Frank Exploration Inc. and changed its name to Axe Exploration Inc. in April 2013. Axe Exploration Inc. was incorporated in 2007 and is headquarte red in Laval, Canada.

Top 5 Quality Companies To Own For 2015: Western Asset Variable Rate Strategic Fund Inc. (GFY)

Western Asset Variable Rate Strategic Fund Inc. is a closed ended fixed income mutual fund launched and managed by Legg Mason Partners Fund Advisor, LLC. It is co-managed by Western Asset Management Company, Western Asset Management Company Limited, and Western Asset Management Company Pte. Ltd. The fund invests in the fixed income markets across the globe. It seeks to invest in variable rate investment grade securities, including U.S. and non-U.S. investment grade and high yield debt, senior loans, emerging markets debt and derivatives related to these securities. The fund seeks to maintain an average duration of around one to two years with an average credit quality of BBB+. It benchmarks the performance of its portfolio against the Merrill Lynch Constant Maturity 3-Month LIBOR Index. The fund was formerly known as Salomon Brothers Variable Rate Strategic Fund Inc. Western Asset Variable Rate Strategic Fund Inc. was formed on August 3, 2004 and is domiciled in the United States.

Top 5 Quality Companies To Own For 2015: Quest Pharmatech Inc. (QPT.V)

Quest PharmaTech Inc. engages in the discovery, development, and commercialization of pharmaceutical products for the treatment of cancer and dermatological conditions based on its SonoLight technology platform. The company�s development products include oregovomab that completed Phase I and Phase II clinical trials for the treatment of ovarian cancer; SL017, which is in Phase II clinical trial for dermatology applications; SL052 that is in Phase I clinical trial for the treatment of prostate cancer; and Anti-MUC1, which is in Phase I clinical trial for the treatment of prostate cancer. It has strategic partnerships with IntelligentNano to develop water-soluble nanoformulations of SL052 and SL017; and Alberta Research Council to develop fermentation based technology to manufacture Hypocrellin B. The company was formerly known as Altachem Pharma Ltd. and changed its name to Quest PharmaTech Inc. in September 2005. Quest PharmaTech is headquartered in Edmonton, Canada.

Top 5 Quality Companies To Own For 2015: Qhr Technologies Inc. (QHR.V)

QHR Corporation provides various software solutions for the healthcare industry in Canada. The company operates in three divisions: Electronic Medical Records (EMR), Enterprise Management Solutions (EMS), and Revenue Cycle Management (RCM). The EMR division offers electronic medical records applications, application service provider hosting and data backup services, and other technology products and services for use in physicians� medical offices. Its hosting services include application hosting, technical support, offsite data storage, and business continuation services. This division markets its products under Accuro EMR brand. The EMS division provides workforce management software products comprising payroll, staff scheduling and human resources management solutions, as well as financial management software products for healthcare, social services, and public safety organizations. The RCM division provides software transaction processing services to physicians, hospit als, health plans, insurance brokers, and state governments to exchange information for health plan enrolment, health insurance eligibility, health insurance claims, claim payments, and healthcare provider collaboration of supporting patient referral and industry compliance/reporting documentation. The company was formerly known as QHR Technologies Inc. and changed its name to QHR Corporation in July 2013. QHR Corporation is based in Kelowna, Canada.

Top 5 Quality Companies To Own For 2015: Anheuser-Busch InBev (BUD)

Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV, incorporated on August 2, 1977, is a brewing company. The Company produces, markets, distributes and sells a balanced portfolio of approximately 200 beer brands. These include global flagship brands Budweiser, Stella Artois and Beck��; multi-country brands, such as Leffe and Hoegaarden, and many local champions, such as Bud Light, Skol, Brahma, Quilmes, Michelob, Harbin, Sedrin, Klinskoye, Sibirskaya Korona, Chernigivske and Jupiler. The Company also produces and distributes soft drinks, particularly in Latin America. The Company operates in seven segments: North America, Latin America North, Latin America South, Western Europe, Central & Eastern Europe, Asia Pacific and Global Export & Holding Companies. On October 20, 2010, Companhia de Bebidas das Americas-AmBev (AmBev) and Cerveceria Regional S.A. closed a transaction pursuant, to which they combined their businesses in Venezuela, with Regional owning an 85% interest and AmBev owning the remaining 15% in the new company. On February 28, 2011, the Company closed a transaction with Dalian Daxue Group Co., Ltd and Kirin (China) Investment Co., Ltd to acquire a 100% equity interest in Liaoning Dalian Daxue Brewery Co., Ltd. The Company�� beer portfolio is divided into global, multi-country and local brands. Beer can be differentiated into the categories, such as premium brands; mainstream or core brands, and value, discount or sub-premium brands. The Company also has a presence in the soft drink market in Latin America through its subsidiary AmBev and in the United States through Anheuser-Busch Companies, Inc. (Anheuser-Busch). Soft drinks include both carbonated soft and non-carbonated soft drinks. Its soft drinks business includes both its own production and agreements with PepsiCo related to bottling and distribution. The brands that are distributed under these agreements are Pepsi, 7UP and Gatorade. AmBev has long-term agreements with PepsiCo whereby AmBev has the exclusive right to bottle, sell and distribute certain brands of PepsiCo�� portfolio of carbonated soft drinks in Brazil. In the United States, Anheuser-Busch also produces non-alcoholic malt beverage products, including O��oul�� and O��oul�� Amber, energy drinks and related products. In the United States, its indirect subsidiary, Metal Container Corporation, manufactures beverage cans at eight plants and beverage can lids at three plants for sale to its Anheuser-Busch beer operations and United States soft drink customers. Anheuser-Busch also owns a recycling business, which buys and sells used beverage containers and recycles aluminum and plastic containers; a manufacturer of crown liner materials for sale to its North American beer operations, and a glass manufacturing plant which manufactures glass bottles for use by its North American beer operations. Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Tim McAleenan Jr.]

  I do not mention these things to discourage you from international stocks. I have been purchasing BP (BP) between $39-$43, and I will eventually purchase Anheuser-Busch (BUD), Nestle (NSRGY.PK), Royal Dutch Shell (RDS.B), and two or three other international companies when the stars line up. My point is that you should not feel an obligation to own international stocks simply for diversification's sake. If you find a good international stock with a business model you understand and it trades at an attractive price, then great. You should buy it. But owning international stocks does not have to be a necessary part of your strategy. Despite what Mankiw advises in the New York Times, you can build a diversified collection of "global stocks" simply by investigating where certain American multinationals generate the bulk of their sales and earnings.

5 Breakout Trades to Buy This Week

BALTIMORE (Stockpickr) -- U.S. stocks bounced hard yesterday, the S&P 500 making its way a full percentage point higher by the time the closing bell rang. That's adding quite a bit of support for the market picture I shared on Thursday.

Yes indeed, stocks are bouncing in September, and that's creating tradable opportunities for investors right now.

That's why we're taking a technical look at five stock trades to take this week.

For the unfamiliar, technical analysis is a way for investors to quantify qualitative factors, such as investor psychology, based on a stock's price action and trends. Once the domain of cloistered trading teams on Wall Street, technicals can help top traders make consistently profitable trades and can aid fundamental investors in better planning their stock execution.

So, without further ado, let's take a look at five technical setups worth trading now.

CGG Veritas

First up is French oil service firm CGG Veritas (CGG)
. The Eurozone-based energy stock hasn't exactly posted blockbuster performance in 2013, but investors who ignore CGG for the final stretch of the year could be making a big mistake. That's because of a bullish technical pattern that's emerging in shares right now.

CGG spent most of the last eight months looking anything but bullish. But an ascending triangle pattern is changing that. The pattern is formed by horizontal resistance to the upside at $26, and uptrending support to the below shares. Basically, as CGG bounces in between those two technical levels, it's getting squeezed closer and closer to a breakout above $26. When that happens, traders have a buy signal.

The ascending triangle pattern in CGG Veritas isn't exactly textbook. That's because the setup is forming at the bottom of a downtrend, rather than in the middle of an uptrend – but it's a mistake to get caught up on the textbook pictures of what trading patterns are supposed to look like. On a move through $26, the trading implications are just as actionable.

Hasbro

We're seeing the exact same setup in shares of toymaker Hasbro (HAS) right now. Like CGG, Hasbro has a horizontal resistance level above shares – at $48 in this case – and uptrending support to the downside. The key difference here is that Hasbro's triangle is more conventional than the one in the French oil stock. A breakout above $48 is the signal to become a buyer.

Whenever you're looking at any technical price pattern, it's critical to think in terms of buyers and sellers. Triangles and other price pattern names are a good quick way to explain what's going on in this stock, but they're not the reason it's tradable – instead, it all comes down to supply and demand for shares.

That resistance line at $48 is a price where there's an excess of supply of shares; in other words, it's a place where sellers have been more eager to take recent gains and sell their shares than buyers have been to buy. That's what makes the move above it so significant – a breakout indicates that buyers are finally strong enough to absorb all of the excess supply above that price level. Wait for that signal to happen before you jump into this stock, then it makes sense to put a protective stop in place at the 50-day moving average.

Top 5 Safest Stocks To Own Right Now

Bank of New York Mellon

You don't have to be an expert technical analyst to figure out what's going on in shares of Bank of New York Mellon (BK) -- the $35 billion financial services firm is in a textbook uptrend. That's about as simple as a technical pattern gets...

BNY Mellon has had its price action bounded by trendline support to the downside, bouncing higher each of the last seven times it's been tested. That uptrending channel provides a high-probability range for price action on the way up -- and while you want to be a buyer in an uptrend, the ideal time to buy comes on a bounce off of support.

Buying off a support bounce makes sense for two big reasons: it's the spot where shares have the furthest to move up before they hit resistance, and it's the spot where the risk is the least (because shares have the least room to move lower before you know you're wrong). If you decide to buy BK on today's bounce, keep a protective stop on the other side of the trendline.

Lincoln National

Lincoln National (LNC) is a financial stock that's forming a channel of its own... But with a twist.

That's because the $12 billion wealth management firm is moving sideways in a range-bound trade called a rectangle. The setup gets its name because price action is essentially "boxed-in" by resistance above shares at $45, and support to the downside at $42. Instead of buying within the channel, rectangles are breakout trades – you want to trade this name when it breaks outside of the box.

That means that a move through the $45 level is a buy signal, and a move through support at $42 is an indicator that it's time to sell (or short) LNC. Right now, there's some extra bias to the upside – typically, rectangles are continuation patterns, and since Lincoln's preceding price action was up, it's likely next move is up as well. Still, it doesn't become a high probability trade until the breakout happens, so wait to get your direction from the market.

BHP Billiton

Last up is BHP Billiton (BHP), the ore giant from down under. BHP has been selling off over the course of 2013, down 15% at the same time that the broad market has managed to rally around 17% in the other direction. For portfolio managers whose performance is based on a benchmark, BHP has been a portfolio drag all year long. But that could be about to change...

Right now, BHP Billiton is forming an inverse head and shoulders setup, a bullish reversal pattern that indicates exhaustion among sellers. The inverse head and shoulders is formed by two swing lows that bottom out at approximately the same price level (the shoulders), separated by a deeper swing low (the head). The buy signal comes when shares push through the neckline that's acted as resistance over the course of the pattern. Since this setup has been forming in the long-term, the upside implications are long-term once it triggers...

Momentum adds some confirmation to this trade – 14-day RSI has been in an uptrend since the middle of the summer when BHP's price action was still chugging lower. A move through the neckline in September means that upside looks likely...

To see this week's trades in action, check out the Technical Setups for the Week portfolio on Stockpickr.

-- Written by Jonas Elmerraji in Baltimore.

 

RELATED LINKS:

 

>>5 Tech Stocks Spiking on Big Volume
>>5 Stocks Setting Up to Break Out
>>4 Red-Flag Stocks to Sell This Fall

 

Follow Stockpickr on Twitter and become a fan on Facebook.

At the time of publication, author had no positions in stocks mentioned.

Jonas Elmerraji, CMT, is a senior market analyst at Agora Financial in Baltimore and a contributor to TheStreet. Before that, he managed a portfolio of stocks for an investment advisory returned 15% in 2008. He has been featured in Forbes , Investor's Business Daily, and on CNBC.com. Jonas holds a degree in financial economics from UMBC and the Chartered Market Technician designation. Follow Jonas on Twitter @JonasElmerraji

 

Retailers or Retail ETFs: Buy, Hold or Short? XRT, RTH & RETL

Given that retailers had a mixed holiday season while retail ETFs like the SPDR S&P Retail ETF (NYSEARCA: XRT), Market Vectors Retail ETF (NYSEARCA: RTH) and Direxion Daily Retail Bull 3X Shares (NYSEARCA: RETL) have been making declines on their technical charts, should you be buying, holding or folding (as in shorting) retail stocks or ETFs? To begin with, I should mention that we recently started shorting SPDR S&P Retail ETF in our SmallCap Network Elite Opportunity (SCN EO) portfolio mainly for technical (as you will see later in the charts) rather than fundamental reasons as we think retail stocks (and hence retail ETFs) have gotten a little ahead of themselves.

However and for the bearish investors or traders among us, consider the fact that last month, only 74,000 jobs were added for the lowest increase since January 2011 and of those new jobs, 55,000 were added in the retail sector for their holidays (and no doubt many have already received their pink slips). But we need to add a minimum of 127,000 jobs per month just to keep up with annual population growth.

5 Best Industrial Conglomerate Stocks To Own Right Now

Now consider a recent observation made by money manager David John Marotta in a blog post addressed to investors using Bureau of Labor Statistics' data on the current labor force participation rate, which is about 62.8%:

Based on that figure, he concluded that the unemployment rate in its truest definition is actually 37.2%. Of course, the Drudge Report and the Washington Examiner ran with the 37.2% unemployment story while Marotta had been quick to point out that:

This number obviously includes some people who are not or never plan to seek employment. But it does describe how many people are not able to, do not want to or cannot find a way to work. Policies that remove the barriers to employment, thus decreasing this number, are obviously beneficial.

I should mention that the U-6 unemployment rate, which is considered to be the government's broader measure of actual unemployment in the US, will also regularly posts a much higher figure than the "official" unemployment rate and currently stands at 13.1%. But at the end of the day though, it does not matter whether unemployment is 6.7% or 13.1% or 37.2% because a shrinking labor force will tend to put a lid on overall retail sales albeit there are many other factors at play such as consumer confidence, interest rates and the like.

With that in mind, let's take a quick look at the following retail ETFs:

SPDR S&P Retail ETF. Tracking the S&P Retail Select Industry Index, the SPDR S&P Retail ETF had 102 holdings as of Tuesday allocated in following sectors: Apparel Retail 25.87%, Specialty Stores 16.74%, Automotive Retail (13.93%), Internet Retail (12.32%), Food Retail (8.87%), General Merchandise Stores (6.23%), Department Stores (5.75%), Computer & Electronics Retail (3.33%), Drug Retail (3.16%), Hypermarkets & Super Centers (2.83%) and Catalog Retail (0.97%). Market Vectors Retail ETF. Tracking the Market Vectors US Listed Retail 25 Index, the Market Vectors Retail ETF had 26 holdings as of this week allocated in the following sectors: Consumer Discretionary (54.4%), Consumer Staples (34.5%) and Health Care (11.1%). Direxion Daily Retail Bull 3X Shares. Tracking the Russell 1000 Retail Index, Direxion Daily Retail Bull 3X Shares seeks daily investment results, before fees and expenses, of 300% of the performance of Index. At the end of last September, Hypermarkets & Super Centers (19.92%), Home Improvement Retail (19.13%), Internet Retail (15.35%), Apparel Retail (12.39%), General Merchandise Stores (9.58%), Automotive Retail (6.16%), Specialty Stores (5.56%), Department Stores (4.99%), Homefurnishing Retail (2.88%), Computer & Electronics Retail (1.90%), Catalog Retail (1.46%) and Personal Products (0.66%).

Here is a chart showing the long term performance of all three retail ETFs verses the S&P 500 and Dow:

As you can see from the chart, the retail ETFs like SPDR S&P Retail ETF, Market Vectors Retail ETF and Direxion Daily Retail Bull 3X Shares have outperformed both the S&P 500 and the Dow since the financial crisis.

However, take a look at the technical charts for all three ETFs:

Notice the double top which looks like an "M" on the chart with the twice touched high being considered a resistance level.

The Bottom Line. If you aren't into options trading, you should probably avoid buying retail ETFs like the SPDR S&P Retail ETF, Market Vectors Retail ETF and Direxion Daily Retail Bull 3X Shares right now while keeping eye out for any individual retail stocks that could be bucking the trend. Likewise and if you are into options trading, if might be more profitable to short a few individual retail stocks (especially those with weak guidance or holiday sales) that have ran into trouble rather than the entire sector.

SmallCap Network Elite Opportunity (SCN EO) has an open position in XRT. To find out what other open positions SCN EO currently has, and to learn why so many traders and investors are relying on this premium subscription service, click here to find out more.

Tesla Gains 5% as Investors Pick Up Good Vibrations

The Beach Boys should be the official band of Tesla Motors (TSLA). The upstart automaker’s shares are feeling the good vibrations this morning, as its stock has jumped 5.3% to $170.36.

Getty Images

Why the advance? Why not? On Friday Quartz reported that Tesla’s Model S is outselling other luxury sports cars in California:

If you've visited California lately and there seem to be a lot of Tesla Model S's on the road, it's not your imagination. Californians are snapping up the luxury electric sports sedan like organic dry-farmed tomatoes, according to sales figures. In June Tesla outsold Buick, Cadillac, Chrysler, Fiat, Jaguar, Land Rover, Lincoln, Mitsubishi, Porsche and Volvo.

Top Heal Care Companies To Own In Right Now

The numbers compiled by Polk for the California New Car Dealers Association also report that Tesla grabbed 12% of the luxury sports category in the first half of 2013, beating the Audi A6 and Lexus GS.

Tesla sold 4,714 Model S's in the first half of the year with 1,097 of those registered in June. Among other cars the Model S has outsold in California, the US's largest and trend-setting automotive market, are the Audi A4, the Mercedes M Class, the BMW X5 and various compact cars and sport utility vehicles.

Gigaom, meanwhile, looks at the threat Tesla poses to the auto industry:

It's funny, electric car company Tesla has been building its business for a decade now, but it's just in recent months that the auto industry seems to be taking Tesla's innovations as an actual threat to their businesses. That's because it's only been in 2013 that Tesla has shown how it can make a small profit and use its popular electric car to compete with competitors in the auto biz. But reacting to a threat when it's finally arrived, versus skating to where the puck is going isn't necessarily the best way to run a business. The tech industry is littered with late-movers like Blockbuster or Kodak.

Bloomberg reports that Toyota (TM) is offering discounts for its all-electric RAV4, which is powered by a–wait for it–Tesla battery and motor:

Top 5 Value Stocks To Watch For 2014

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Given Warren Buffett�� status as ��merica�� Favorite Value Investor�� people go absolutely crazy when the Oracle�� 13F filings are made public. That�� because SEC document can provide a window into Buffett�� thinking on which stocks are the biggest bargains in the market. And given Berkshire Hathaway�� (BRK.B) favorite holding period of “forever,��regular retail investors truly have a chance to piggyback on of the greatest investors of our time.

Top 5 Value Stocks To Watch For 2014: Caterpillar Inc.(CAT)

Caterpillar Inc. manufactures and sells construction and mining equipment, diesel and natural gas engines, industrial gas turbines, and diesel-electric locomotives worldwide. It operates through three lines of businesses: Machinery, Engines, and Financial Products. The Machinery business offers construction, mining, and forestry machinery, including track and wheel tractors, track and wheel loaders, pipelayers, motor graders, wheel tractor-scrapers, track and wheel excavators, backhoe loaders, log skidders, log loaders, off-highway trucks, articulated trucks, paving products, skid steer loaders, underground mining equipment, tunnel boring equipment, and related parts. It also manufactures diesel-electric locomotives; and manufactures and services rail-related products and logistics services for other companies. The Engines business provides diesel, heavy fuel, and natural gas reciprocating engines for Caterpillar machinery, electric power generation systems, marine, petrol eum, construction, industrial, agricultural, and other applications. It offers industrial turbines and turbine-related services for oil and gas, and power generation applications. This business also remanufactures Caterpillar engines, machines, and engine components; and offers remanufacturing services for other companies. The Financial Products business provides retail and wholesale financing alternatives for Caterpillar machinery and engines, solar gas turbines, and other equipment and marine vessels, as well as offers loans and various forms of insurance to customers and dealers. It also offers financing for vehicles, power generation facilities, and marine vessels. The company markets its products directly, as well as through its distribution centers, dealers, and distributors. It was formerly known as Caterpillar Tractor Co. and changed its name to Caterpillar Inc. in 1986. Caterpillar Inc. was founded in 1925 and is headquartered in Peoria, Illinois.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Rich Smith]

  Notable winners (among publicly traded companies) included:

  Alliant Techsystems (NYSE: ATK  ) , which was awarded a maximum $31.4 million firm-fixed-price contract modification extending the period for its providing logistic support services for Iraqi Air Force Cessna 208s through April 2014. Northrop Grumman (NYSE: NOC  ) , which won a $23 million firm-fixed-price delivery order against a previously issued basic order agreement to supply "software sustainment support" for U.S. Navy E-2D Advanced Hawkeye airborne early warning aircraft. Work on this contract is expected to be complete by Oct. 2014.� Caterpillar (NYSE: CAT  ) �was awarded $19.8 million as a modification to a previously awarded firm-fixed-price contract to attach machine-powered mowing systems to U.S. Army Caterpillar 966H wheel loaders.�This contract brings the cumulative face value of Caterpillar's underlying contract up to $184.7 million in tota
• [By Alexis Xydias]

  Caterpillar (CAT)�� valuation has climbed 28 percent in the past year as the largest manufacturer of mining and construction machinery posted three quarters of earnings declines. Analysts predict a profit drop of 27 percent in 2013. Last month, the Peoria, Illinois-based company cut its earnings forecast as mining-equipment sales declined on slower commodity demand from emerging markets.

• [By John Maxfield]

  On the individual-company front, shares of Caterpillar (NYSE: CAT  ) are leading the Dow higher today, up by 3.5% at the time of writing. Given Caterpillar's bellwether status, its stock's rally seems tied to the generally positive sentiment today more than anything else. As my colleague Dan Caplinger noted earlier (speaking also of General Electric): "Both Caterpillar and GE need a marked improvement in global conditions to support their stock prices. Given the importance of the U.S. in the overall global economy -- especially on the consumer front, which is arguably most directly tied to employment conditions -- it's reasonable to conclude that better domestic jobs numbers will support economies worldwide."

Top 5 Value Stocks To Watch For 2014: Tupperware Corporation(TUP)

Tupperware Brands Corporation operates as a direct seller of various products across a range of brands and categories through an independent sales force. The company engages in the manufacture and sale of kitchen and home products, and beauty and personal care products. It offers preparation, storage, and serving solutions for the kitchen and home, as well as kitchen cookware and tools, children?s educational toys, microwave products, and gifts under the Tupperware brand name primarily in Europe, Africa, the Middle East, the Asia Pacific, and North America. The company provides beauty and personal care products, which include skin care products, cosmetics, bath and body care, toiletries, fragrances, nutritional products, apparel, and related products principally in Mexico, South Africa, the Philippines, Australia, and Uruguay. It offers beauty and personal care products under the Armand Dupree, Avroy Shlain, BeautiControl, Fuller, NaturCare, Nutrimetics, Nuvo, and Swissgar de brand names. The company sells its Tupperware products directly to distributors, directors, managers, and dealers; and beauty products primarily through consultants and directors. As of December 26, 2009, the Tupperware distribution system had approximately 1,800 distributors, 61,300 managers, and 1.3 million dealers; and the sales force representing the Beauty businesses approximately 1.1 million. The company was formerly known as Tupperware Corporation and changed its name to Tupperware Brands Corporation in December 2005. The company was founded in 1996 and is headquartered in Orlando, Florida.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Ben Levisohn]

  Shares of Herbalife have gained 0.9% to $79.51 this morning in pre-open trading. Its shares have gained 139% this year, a nice gain, but lagging Nu Skin Enterprises 271% rise. Avon Products�(AVP), another multi-level marketer, has gained 21% so far this year, while Tupperware Brands�(TUP) has risen 49%.

• [By Dan Caplinger]

  Where growth will come from
  One area that Newell Rubbermaid still has to tap fully is emerging markets. The company has done a good job of expanding overseas, with 17% annual growth in Latin America. But with barely a quarter of its sales coming from outside the U.S. and Canada, the company has a lot further to go. Storage rival Tupperware (NYSE: TUP  ) gets fully 60% of its total revenue from emerging markets, and it too has seen impressive gains in South America as well as the Asia-Pacific region.

• [By Brian Pacampara]

  Based on the aggregated intelligence of 180,000-plus investors participating in Motley Fool CAPS, the Fool's free investing community, household products company Tupperware Brands (NYSE: TUP  ) has earned a coveted five-star ranking.

10 Best Gold Stocks To Buy For 2014: Schlumberger N.V.(SLB)

Schlumberger Limited, together with its subsidiaries, supplies technology, integrated project management, and information solutions to the oil and gas exploration and production industries worldwide. The company?s Oilfield Services segment provides exploration and production services; wireline technology that offers open-hole and cased-hole services; supplies engineering support, directional-drilling, measurement-while-drilling, and logging-while-drilling services; and testing services. This segment also offers well services; supplies well completion services and equipment; artificial lift; data and consulting services; geo services; and information solutions, such as consulting, software, information management system, and IT infrastructure services that support oil and gas industry. Its WesternGeco segment provides reservoir imaging, monitoring, and development services; and operates data processing centers and multiclient seismic library. This segment also offers variou s services include 3D and time-lapse (4D) seismic surveys to multi-component surveys for delineating prospects and reservoir management. The company?s M-I SWACO segment supplies drilling fluid systems to improve drilling performance; fluid systems and specialty tools to optimize wellbore productivity; production technology solutions to maximize production rates; and environmental solutions that manages waste volumes generated in drilling and production operations. Its Smith Oilfield segment designs, manufactures, and markets drill bits and borehole enlargement tools; and supplies drilling tools and services, tubular, completion services, and other related downhole solutions. The company?s Distribution segment markets pipes, valves, and fittings, as well as mill, safety, and other maintenance products. This segment also provides warehouse management, vendor integration, and inventory management services. Schlumberger Limited was founded in 1927 and is based in Houston, Texas.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Matt DiLallo]

  In addition, the process could really vault Halliburton past industry peers Schlumberger (NYSE: SLB  ) and Baker Hughes (NYSE: BHI  ) . All three companies have been looking overseas for growth as rig counts in the U.S. have been on the decline. Just last quarter, U.S. rig counts dropped by 3%, which helped cause Halliburton's revenue to dip by 1%. However, if H2O Forward works as planned it could help Halliburton take additional market share from its competitors in the U.S., enabling it to do well even if rig counts continue to drop. Also, the company could begin to offer the solution overseas, which would help maintain its industry-leading growth.�

• [By Paul Ausick]

  Big Earnings Movers: Google Inc. (NASDAQ: GOOG) is up 13.8% at $1,011.65 after hammering estimates. Advanced Micro Devices Inc. (NYSE: AMD) is down 13.7% at $3.53. General Electric Co. (NYSE: GE) is up 3.6% at $25.57 after beating estimates. Morgan Stanley (NYSE: MS) is up 2.6% at $29.68. Schlumberger Ltd. (NYSE: SLB) is up 2.8% at $93.95 on solid earnings. All these stocks, except AMD, posted new 52-week highs today; Google posted its all-time high.

Top 5 Value Stocks To Watch For 2014: Dollar Tree Inc.(DLTR)

Dollar Tree, Inc. operates discount variety stores in the United States and Canada. Its stores offer merchandise primarily at the fixed price of $1.00. The company operates its stores under the names of Dollar Tree, Deal$, Dollar Tree Deal$, Dollar Giant, and Dollar Bills. Its stores offer consumable merchandise, including candy and food, and health and beauty care, as well as household consumables, such as paper, plastics, household chemicals, in select stores, and frozen and refrigerated food; variety merchandise, which includes toys, durable housewares, gifts, party goods, greeting cards, softlines, and other items; and seasonal goods, such as Easter, Halloween, and Christmas merchandise. As of April 30, 2011, it operated 4,089 stores in 48 states and the District of Columbia, as well as 88 stores in Canada. The company was founded in 1986 and is based in Chesapeake, Virginia.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Demitrios Kalogeropoulos]

  Costly market share gains
  The problem is that Family Dollar has had to pay up for its increasing market share and sales levels. The company's gross profit margin fell by more than a full percentage point, to 34.7% last quarter. In contrast, Dollar Tree (NASDAQ: DLTR  ) booked an expansion of profits, to 35.2%, continuing a trend that's seen it pull away from Family Dollar.

• [By Ethan Roberts]

  Shares of Dollar Tree (DLTR) were substantially lower this morning after the company reported third-quarter earnings. Dollar Tree earnings tallied 59 cents per diluted share of DLTR stock, which missed analyst estimates by two pennies.

• [By Paul Ausick]

  The other stock the firm likes is Dollar Tree Inc. (NASDAQ: DLTR). The company�� shares have lost about 4.6% since reporting an earnings per share (EPS) miss for the third quarter and the Sterne Agee analysts see the lower price as a ��reat entry point��for buying the stock. Dollar Tree raised fiscal year 2013 EPS guidance from a range of $2.66 to $2.77 to a new range of $2.72 to $2.78, effectively raising the mid-point by $0.04. Sterne Agee reiterated its Buy rating on the stock with a price target of $63. Dollar Tree�� shares are trading down nearly 0.4% at $55.99 in a 52-week range of $37.47 to $60.19.

• [By Lawrence Meyers]

  The finance sector, as mentioned, can make money in many ways. The second-highest growth sector is expected to be consumer discretionary, with a 6.2% increase. When you look at earnings from luxury brands like Tiffany & Co. (TIF), and that the hotel sector continues to do very well, it suggests that those people who are in good financial shape are spending their money. Meanwhile, dollar players like Dollar Tree (DLTR) continue to perform very well, suggesting that folks with less money are spending it on cheaper items.

Top 5 Heal Care Companies To Own For 2014

One remarkable fact about the Dow Jones Industrials (DJINDICES: ^DJI  ) is that all 30 of its components pay dividends. But as we saw during the financial crisis, just because a stock pays a dividend now doesn't mean that it will necessarily be able to keep paying that dividend into the future.

Investors can't afford to get stuck with a dividend stock that doesn't deliver on its promise to provide steady income. So with that in mind, let's take a closer look at the stocks in the Dow to see if we can find the ones that are in the best position to keep making their current payouts for years to come.

A healthy dividend
Among Dow stocks, UnitedHealth Group (NYSE: UNH  ) leads the way in dividend strength with a ratio of dividends to earnings of just 16% on a trailing basis. That number will go up on a forward basis, simply because UnitedHealth boosted its payout by a whopping 32% earlier this month.

Even with the increase, though, UnitedHealth's 1.8% yield still lags well behind the Dow's 2.5% average. Health-insurance companies historically have tended to hold onto their cash rather than raising payouts, but lately, dividends have been on the rise, and UnitedHealth's actions show just how much investors expect successful companies to share their profits.

Top 5 Heal Care Companies To Own For 2014: Parke Bancorp Inc. (PKBK)

Parke Bancorp, Inc. operates as the holding company for Parke Bank that provides personal and business financial services to individuals and small to mid-sized businesses in Gloucester, Atlantic, and Cape May counties in New Jersey and in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The company offers various deposit products comprising checking, savings, money market, and individual retirement accounts, as well as certificates of deposit. Its loan portfolio comprises residential and commercial real estate construction loans, working capital loans and lines of credit, demand, term, and time loans; equipment, inventory, and accounts receivable financing; and residential mortgage loans, home equity lines of credit, fixed rate second mortgages, new and used auto loans, and overdraft protection products. In addition, the company offers overnight depository, ACH, wire transfer services, and merchant capture electronic check processing services; and contemporary products and services, such as de bit cards, Internet banking, and online bill payment. Parke Bancorp was founded in 1999 and is based in Washington Township, New Jersey.

Top 5 Heal Care Companies To Own For 2014: Northgate(NTG.L)

Northgate plc, an investment holding company, engages in the rental of light commercial vehicles in the United Kingdom, Spain, and the Republic of Ireland. It offers vehicle hiring and fleet management services. The company also sells former rental vehicles to retail and trade customers; and provides workshop and insurance services. In addition, it provides online vehicle hiring and vehicle monitoring services to its customers. The company operates a fleet of approximately 60,900 vehicles from 65 sites in the United Kingdom and Ireland; and a fleet of approximately 48,900 vehicles from 32 sites in Spain. It serves a range of industries comprising construction, distribution, local authorities, manufacturing and engineering, public utilities, retailers, and wholesalers and business services. Northgate plc was founded in 1981 and is based in Darlington, the United Kingdom.

Best Cheap Companies For 2014: Danaher Corp (DHR)

Danaher Corporation (Danaher) designs, manufactures and markets professional, medical, industrial and commercial products and services. The Company�� research and development, manufacturing, sales, distribution, service and administrative facilities are located in more than 50 countries. It operates in five segments: Test & Measurement; Environmental; Life Sciences & Diagnostics; Dental; and Industrial Technologies. In April 2011, the Company sold its Pacific Scientific Aerospace (PSA) business. On June 30, 2011, the Company acquired Beckman Coulter, Inc. (Beckman Coulter). In January 2012, the Company sold its Accu-Sort businesses. In February 2012, the Company sold its Kollmorgen Electro-Optical (KEO) business. During the year ended December 31, 2011, the Company acquired EskoArtwork, On February 6, 2012, L-3 Communications Holdings, Inc. acquired Kollmorgen Electro-Optical unit of the Company. In January 2013, the Company acquired Navman Wireless.

TEST & MEASUREMENT

The Company�� Test & Measurement segment is a provider of electronic measurement instruments and monitoring, management and optimization tools for communications and enterprise networks and related services. The segment�� products are used in the design, development, manufacture, installation, deployment and operation of electronics equipment and communications networks and services. Customers for these products and services include manufacturers of electronic instruments; service, installation and maintenance professionals; manufacturers who design, develop, manufacture and install network equipment, and service providers who implement, maintain and manage communications networks and services.

The Company�� business designs, manufactures, and markets a variety of compact professional test tools, thermal imaging and calibration equipment for electrical, industrial, electronic and calibration applications. These test products measure voltage, current, resistance, power quality, frequency, p! ressure, temperature and air quality. Typical users of these products include electrical engineers, electricians, electronic technicians, medical technicians, and industrial maintenance professionals. Its business also offers general purpose test products and video test, measurement and monitoring products used in electronic design, manufacturing and advanced technology development. The business��general purpose test products, including oscilloscopes, logic analyzers, signal sources and spectrum analyzers, are used to capture, display and analyze streams of electrical data. The Company sells these products into a variety of industries with electronic content, including the communications, computer, consumer electronics, education, military/aerospace and semiconductor industries.

Typical users include research and development engineers who use its general purpose test products to design, de-bug, monitor and validate the function and performance of electronic components, subassemblies and end-products. Its video test products include waveform monitors, video signal generators, compressed digital video test products and other test and measurement equipment used to enhance a viewer�� video experience. Typical users of these products include video equipment manufacturers, content developers and traditional television broadcasters. Products in this business are marketed under the FLUKE, TEKTRONIX, KEITHLEY, RAYTEK, FLUKE BIOMEDICAL, AMPROBE and MAXTEK brands.

The communications businesses offer network management solutions, handheld and fixed diagnostic equipment and security solutions, as well as related installation and maintenance services, for a range of private network applications, as well fixed and mobile communications systems. Typical users of the business��products include network engineers, installers, operators, and technicians. Its network management tools help network operators continuously manage network performance and optimize the utilization, uptime and servi! ce qualit! y of the network. Products in this business are marketed under the TEKTRONIX, FLUKE NETWORKS, ARBOR, VISUAL NETWORKS and AIRMAGNET brands.

Matco Tools manufactures and distributes professional tools, toolboxes and automotive equipment through independent mobile distributors, who sell primarily to professional mechanics under the MATCO brand. Hennessy Industries is a North American full-line wheel service equipment manufacturer, providing brake lathes, vehicle lifts, tire changers, wheel balancers, and wheel weights under the AMMCO, BADA and COATS brands. Typical users of these products are automotive tire and repair shops. Sales are generally made through its direct sales personnel, independent distributors, retailers, and original equipment manufacturers.

ENVIRONMENTAL

The Company�� Environmental segment provides products that help protect its water supply and air quality and serves two primary markets: water quality and retail/commercial petroleum. Danaher�� water quality business is engaged in water quality analysis and treatment, providing instrumentation and disinfection systems to help analyze and manage the quality of ultra pure, potable and waste water in residential, commercial, industrial and natural resource applications. Its water quality operations design, manufacture and market a range of analytical instruments, related consumables, and associated services that detect and measure chemical, physical, and microbiological parameters in ultra pure, potable and waste water as well as groundwater and ocean bodies; ultraviolet disinfection systems, which disinfect billions of gallons of municipal, industrial and consumer water every day in more than 35 countries, and industrial water treatment solutions, including chemical treatment solutions intended to address corrosion, scaling and biological growth problems in boiler, cooling water and industrial waste water applications, as well as associated analytical services. Typical users of its analytical in! struments! , ultraviolet disinfection systems, industrial water treatment solutions and related consumables and services include professionals in municipal drinking water and waste water treatment plants and industrial process water and waste water treatment facilities, third-party testing laboratories and environmental field operations. Its water quality business provides products under a variety of well-known brands, including HACH, HACH/LANGE, TROJAN TECHNOLOGIES and CHEMTREAT. Manufacturing facilities are located in North America, Europe, and Asia.

The Company has served the retail/commercial petroleum market through its Veeder-Root business. Gilbarco Veeder-Root is a provider of products and services for the retail/commercial petroleum market, including environmental monitoring and leak detection systems; vapor recovery equipment; fuel dispensers; point-of-sale and secure electronic payment technologies for retail petroleum stations; submersible turbine pumps, and remote monitoring and outsourced fuel management services, including compliance services, fuel system maintenance, and inventory planning and supply chain support. Typical users of these products include independent and Company-owned retail petroleum stations, high-volume retailers, convenience stores, and commercial vehicle fleets. The Company markets its retail/commercial petroleum products under a variety of brands, including GILBARCO, VEEDER-ROOT, and GILBARCO AUTOTANK. Manufacturing facilities are located in North America, Europe, Asia and Latin America. Sales are generally made through independent distributors and its direct sales personnel.

LIFE SCIENCES & DIAGNOSTICS

The Company�� diagnostics businesses offer a range of analytical instruments, reagents, consumables, software and services that hospitals, physician�� offices, reference laboratories and other critical care settings use to diagnose disease and make treatment decisions. Its life sciences businesses offer a range of research and clinical ! tools tha! t are used by scientists to study cells and cell components to gain a better understanding of complex biological matters. Pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies, universities, medical schools and research institutions use these tools to study the causes of disease, identify new therapies and test new drugs and vaccines. The diagnostics business consists of its core lab, acute care and pathology diagnostics businesses.

The Company�� core lab diagnostics business is a manufacturer and marketer of biomedical testing instrument systems, tests and supplies that are used to evaluate and analyze samples made up of body fluids, cells and other substances. The information generated is used to diagnose disease, monitor and guide treatment and therapy, assist in managing chronic disease and assess patient status in the hospital, outpatient and physician office settings. Its chemistry systems use electrochemical detection and chemical reactions with patient samples to detect and quantify substances of diagnostic interest in blood and other body fluids. Commonly performed tests include glucose, cholesterol, triglycerides, electrolytes, proteins and enzymes.

The Company�� immunoassay systems also detect and quantify chemical substances of diagnostic interest in body fluids, particularly in circumstances where more specialized diagnosis is required. Commonly performed immunoassay tests assess thyroid function, screen and monitor for cancer and cardiac risk and provide important information in fertility and reproductive testing. Its cellular analysis business includes hematology, flow cytometry and coagulation products. The business��hematology systems use principles of physics, optics, electronics and chemistry to separate cells of diagnostic interest and then quantify and characterize them, allowing clinicians to study formed elements in blood (such as red and white blood cells and platelets). The business also distributes coagulation products, which rely on clotting, chromogenic! and immu! nologic technologies to provide the detailed information that clinicians require to diagnose bleeding and clotting disorders and to monitor anticoagulant therapy. It also offer systems and workflow solutions that allow laboratories to automate a number of steps from the pre-analytical through post-analytical stages including sample barcoding/information tracking, centrifugation, aliquotting, storage and conveyance. These systems along with the analyzers above are controlled through laboratory level software that enables laboratory managers to monitor samples, results and lab efficiency.

The Company�� acute care diagnostics business is a provider of instruments and related consumables and services that are used in both laboratory and point-of-care environments to rapidly measure critical parameters, including blood gases, electrolytes, metabolites and cardiac markers. Typical users of these products include hospital central laboratories, intensive care units, hospital operating rooms and hospital emergency rooms. Its pathology diagnostics business is engaged in the anatomical pathology market, offering a suite of instrumentation and related consumables used across the entire workflow of a pathology laboratory. Its pathology diagnostics products include tissue embedding, processing and slicing (microtomes) instruments and related reagents and consumables; chemical and immuno-staining instruments, reagents, antibodies and consumables; slide coverslipping and slide/cassette marking instruments, and imaging instrumentation including slide scanners, microscopes, cameras and associated software. Typical users of these products include pathologists, lab managers and researchers. Its diagnostics business generally markets its products under the BECKMAN COULTER, LEICA BIOSYSTEMS, RADIOMETER and SURGIPATH brands. Manufacturing facilities are located in North America, Europe, Asia and Australia. The businesses sell to customers primarily through direct sales personnel and to a lesser extent through ! independe! nt distributors.

The Company�� microscopy business is a provider of professional microscopes designed to manipulate, preserve and capture images of, and enhance the user�� visualization of, microscopic structures. Its microscopy products include laser scanning (confocal) microscopes; compound microscopes and related equipment; surgical and other stereo microscopes; specimen preparation products for electron microscopy; and digital image capture and manipulation equipment. The Company also offers workflow instruments and consumables that help researchers analyze genomic, protein and cellular information. Key product areas include sample preparation equipment, such as centrifugation and capillary electrophoresis instrumentation and consumables; liquid handling automation instruments and associated consumables; flow cytometry instrumentation and associated antibodies and reagents; and particle characterization instrumentation. The business also offers genome profiling services. Researchers use the business��products to study biological function in the pursuit of basic research, therapeutic and diagnostic development. Typical users of these products include pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies, universities, medical schools and research institutions and in some cases industrial manufacturers.

The Company�� mass spectrometry business is a provider of high-end mass spectrometers. Mass spectrometry is a technique for identifying, analyzing and quantifying elements, chemical compounds and biological molecules, individually or in complex mixtures. Its products utilize various combinations of quadrupole, time-of-flight and ion trap technologies, and are typically used in conjunction with a third party liquid chromatography instrument. Its mass spectrometer systems are used in numerous applications, such as drug discovery and clinical development of therapeutics as well as in basic research, clinical testing, food and beverage quality testing and environmental testing. To s! upport it! s installations around the world, it provides implementation, validation, training, maintenance and support from its global services network. Typical users of its mass spectrometry products include molecular biologists, bioanalytical chemists, toxicologists, and forensic scientists, as well as quality assurance and quality control technicians. It also provides high-performance bioanalytical measurement systems, including microplate readers, automated cellular screening products and associated reagents, and imaging software. Typical users of these products include biologists and chemists engaged in research and drug discovery, who use these products to determine electrical or chemical activity in cell samples. Its life sciences business generally markets its products under the LEICA MICROSYSTEMS, BECKMAN COULTER, AB SCIEX and MOLECULAR DEVICES brands. Manufacturing facilities are located in Europe, Australia, Asia and North America.

DENTAL

The Company�� Dental segment is a provider of a range of consumables, equipment and services for the dental market, which encompasses the diagnosis, treatment and prevention of disease and ailments of the teeth, gums and supporting bone. Its dental businesses develop, manufacture and market dental consumables and dental equipment orthodontic bracket systems and lab products; impression, bonding and restorative materials; endodontic systems and related consumables; infection prevention products, and diamond and carbide rotary instruments. Typical customers and users of these products include general dentists, dental specialists, dental hygienists, dental laboratories and other oral health professionals, as well as educational, medical and governmental entities. Its dental products are marketed primarily under the KAVO, GENDEX, iCAT, INSTRUMENTARIUM DENTAL, SOREDEX, PELTON & CRANE, DEXIS, ORMCO, KERR, PENTRON, SYBRON ENDO and TOTAL CARE brands.

INDUSTRIAL TECHNOLOGIES

The Company�� Industrial Technologies segment ! designs a! nd manufactures components and systems that are typically incorporated by original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) and systems integrators for sale into a diverse set of applications and end-markets. The businesses in this segment also provide service and support, including helping customers with integration and installation and providing services to ensure performance and up-time. Danaher�� product identification business is a global provider of equipment and consumables for variable printing, marking and coding on a variety of consumer and industrial products. Its businesses design, manufacture, and market a variety of equipment used to print bar codes, date codes, lot codes, and other information on primary and secondary packaging. Its equipment can apply alphanumeric codes, logos and graphics to a range of surfaces at a variety of line speeds, angles and locations on a product or package.

EskoArtwork, the business is a service solutions provider for the digital packaging design and production market. Typical users of the product identification business��products include food and beverage manufacturers, pharmaceutical manufacturers, retailers and commercial printing and mailing operations. Its product identification products are primarily marketed under the VIDEOJET, LINX, FOBA and ESKOARTWORK brands. Manufacturing facilities are located in North America, Europe, Latin America, and Asia. The Company is a provider of electromechanical motion control solutions for the industrial automation and packaging markets. Its businesses provide a range of products including standard and custom motors; drives; controls, and mechanical components, such as ball screws, linear bearings, clutches/brakes, and linear actuators.

The products are sold in various precision motion markets, such as the markets for packaging equipment, medical equipment, robotics, circuit board assembly equipment, elevators and electric vehicles (such as lift trucks). Its motion products are marketed under a vari! ety of br! ands, including KOLLMORGEN, THOMSON, DOVER and PORTESCAP. Manufacturing facilities are located in North America, Europe, Latin America, and Asia. Its sensors and controls products include instruments that monitor, sense and control discrete manufacturing variables such as temperature, position, quantity, level, flow and time. Users of these products span a wide variety of manufacturing markets. Certain businesses included in this group also make and sell instruments, controls and monitoring systems used by the electric utility industry to monitor their transmission and distribution systems, as well as automatic identification solutions. The products are marketed under a variety of brands, including DYNAPAR, HENGSTLER, IRIS POWER, WEST, GEMS SENSORS, SETRA and QUALITROL. Sales are generally made through our direct sales personnel and independent distributors.

The Company�� defense business designs, manufactures, and markets energetic material systems. Typical users of these products include defense systems integrators and prime contractors. defense products are typically marketed under the PACIFIC SCIENTIFIC ENERGETIC MATERIALS COMPANY brand. The KEO business designs, develops, manufactures and integrates highly engineered, stabilized electro-optical/ISR systems that integrate into submarines, surface ships and ground vehicles. Jacobs Vehicle Systems (JVS) is a supplier of supplemental braking systems for commercial vehicles, selling JAKE BRAKE brand engine retarders for class 6 through 8 vehicles and bleeder and exhaust brakes for class 2 through 7 vehicles. Customers are primarily manufacturers of class 2 through class 8 vehicles, and sales are typically made through its direct sales personnel. Manufacturing facilities of its sensors and controls, defense and JVS businesses are located in North America, Latin America, Europe and Asia.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Monica Gerson]

  Danaher (NYSE: DHR) is projected to report its Q3 earnings at $0.83 per share on revenue of $4.62 billion.

  Intuitive Surgical (NASDAQ: ISRG) is expected to post its Q3 earnings at $3.40 per share on revenue of $525.99 million.

Top 5 Heal Care Companies To Own For 2014: Orient-Express Hotels Ltd.(OEH)

Orient-Express Hotels Ltd. and its subsidiaries engage primarily in the hotel and travel businesses. It focuses on the luxury end of the leisure market. The company owns 49 properties, including 40 individual deluxe hotels, 1 stand-alone restaurant, 6 tourist trains, and 2 river/canal cruise businesses in 24 countries. It also engages in the real estate and property development business. Orient-Express Hotels Ltd. was founded in 1971 and is based in Hamilton, Bermuda.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Seth Jayson]

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

Top 5 Heal Care Companies To Own For 2014: Empire Mining Corporation(EPC.V)

Empire Mining Corporation engages in the exploration and development of mineral properties. The company primarily explores for chromite, copper, molybdenum, gold, silver, lead, and zinc deposits. Its properties are located primarily in Turkey, Albania, and Serbia. The company is headquartered in Vancouver, Canada.