Calvert CEO Barbara Krumsiek to Step Down

Calvert Investments Inc., a socially responsible investing mutual fund firm, announced that its president and CEO, Barbara Krumsiek, will vacate those positions by year end, though she will remain chairwoman of the Calvert board. In addition, she will become the first chairwoman of the newly created Calvert Institute, which is designed to “promote the growth of sustainable and responsible investing (SRI) through research, advocacy and fostering innovation in the field of sustainable investing,” according to a company statement. The institute will begin operations on Jan. 1.

The search for Krumsiek’s replacement as CEO will be led by Executive Vice President Bill Lester of Ameritas Holding Co., parent company of Calvert Investments. In the same statement, Lester noted that under Krumsiek’s tenure Calvert’s AUM tripled, to more than $13 billion as of April 30, while helping to bring “sustainable and responsible investment strategies” to both individual and institutional investors, particularly in 401(k)s.

Top 10 Japanese Companies To Watch In Right Now

Krumsiek, 61, said that leading the new institute will allow her “to pursue what I am personally passionate about — promoting corporate social responsibility throughout the world to secure a better future for generations to come.”

Krumsiek joined Calvert in 1997 as president and CEO and has long been a leader in the SRI space. She spent three years as co-chair of the U.N. Environment Programme-Finance Initiative and also developed the Calvert Women’s Principles, a global code of corporate conduct focused on women.

Speaking of the Principles in 2010, Krumsiek said “In order for companies to reach their full potential, they must create an environment in which women are treated equally, where they hold key leadership positions, and are full participants in decision making.”

(Calvert Investments puts its human capital money where its mouth is: "We have a policy of actively hiring and promoting women and minorities and our workforce reflects a 33% minority representation," it reports on its website.) 

She has received numerous honors over the year for her pioneering work, including being named twice to ThinkAdvisor’s Top Women in Wealth list (in 2009 and again in 2010).

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Check out The Right Mix: SRI Investing, Sustainability on ThinkAdvisor.

Top 10 Industrial Disributor Stocks To Watch Right Now

Top 10 Industrial Disributor Stocks To Watch Right Now: Cohen & Steers Inc (CNS)

Cohen & Steers, Inc. (CNS) is a global investment management firm focused on global real estate securities, global listed infrastructure, real assets, large cap value stocks, and preferred securities. The Company also manages alternative investment strategies such as hedged real estate securities portfolios and private real estate multimanager strategies for qualified investors. It serves individual and institutional investors through a range of investment vehicles. CNS manages three types of accounts: institutional accounts, open-end mutual funds and closed-end mutual funds. Its revenue is derived primarily from investment advisory, administration, distribution and service fees received from open-end and closed-end mutual funds and investment advisory fees received from institutional accounts.

Institutional Accounts

The 113 institutional accounts for which the Company is an investment adviser represent portfolios of securities it manage for insti tutional clients. It manages the assets in each institutional account in a manner tailored to the investment preferences of that individual client as defined within each client's individual investment advisory agreement. Sub-advisory assets, which may be sold to retail investors, are included in its institutional account assets. Sub-advisory assets represent accounts for which it has been named as a sub-adviser by the investment adviser to that account.

Open-End Mutual Funds

The 14 open-end mutual funds for which the Company is an investment adviser offer and issue new shares continuously as funds are invested and redeem shares when funds are withdrawn. Investment advisory fees for the open-end mutual funds vary based on each fund's investment objective and strategy, fees charged by other comparable mutual funds and the nature of the investors to whom the mutual fund is offered. In addition, it receives a separate fe! e for providing administrative se rvices to each open-end mutual fund at a rate that is design! ed to reimburse the Company for the cost of providing these services. Each of the open-end mutual funds pays the Company a monthly administration fee based on a percentage of the fund's average assets under management.

Closed-End Mutual Funds

The eight closed-end mutual funds for which the Company is an investment adviser are registered investment companies that have issued a fixed number of shares through public offerings. It receives a separate fee for providing administrative services to seven of the eight closed-end mutual funds at a rate that is designed to reimburse the Company for the cost of providing these services.

Portfolio Consulting and Other Services

The Company maintains two indices, Cohen & Steers Realty Majors Index (RMP) and Cohen & Steers Global Realty Majors Index (GRM). RMP is the basis for the iShares Cohen & Steers Realty Majors Index Fund (ICF) sponsored by BlackRock Institutional Trust Company, N.A. GRM is the basis for Cohen & Steers Global Realty Majors Fund (GRI) sponsored by ALPS Fund Services, Inc. and Claymore Global Real Estate ETF (CGR) sponsored by Claymore Investments, Inc. It provides services in connection with model-based strategies (MBS) accounts. As portfolio consultant for a number of MBS accounts, it constructs portfolios of securities that fulfill the investment objective of the mandate and supply models on a regular basis. As portfolio consultant, it provides several services in connection with investment products, such as unit investment trusts (UITs). As portfolio consultant to a number of UITs, it constructs a portfolio of securities.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Anna Prior]

  Cohen & Steers Inc.(CNS) said Monday that it will separate the chairman and chief executive roles in January, as the investment management firm divides up the positions among its two namesakes.

• ! [By Vi! ctor Selva]

  Forest Laboratories Inc. (FRX) is one of the largest U.S.-based pharmaceutical companies in the area of developing, producing and selling central nervous system (CNS)-related prescription drugs. The company also focuses on the development and introduction of new products, including products developed in collaboration with licensing partners.

• [By Jonathan Yates]

  Another one to consider is Cohen & Steers Inc (NYSE: CNS), an asset manager based in New York City.

  While the dividend yield for a member of the Standard & Poor's 500 Index averages around 1.9 percent, for Cohen & Steers it is just over 5 percent, much higher than that for BP or Caterpillar. Cohen & Steer's has a beta of 1.56, which means the share price moves up and down nearly 60 percent more than the stock market as a whole, which has a beta of 1.

source from Top Penny Stocks For 2015:http://www.seekpennystocks.com/top-10-industrial-disributor-stocks-to-watch-right-now.html

Wal-Mart fights back at proxy firm

NEW YORK (AP) — Wal-Mart, the world's largest retailer, fired back at a prominent proxy advisory firm that critiqued the company's executive pay plan and how it handled an overseas bribery probe.

Institutional Shareholder Services earlier this week urged shareholders to vote against Wal-Mart's executive compensation package and asked them to back a resolution for the appointment of an independent chairman.

It also recommended shareholders vote against the re-election of board members Robson Walton, the company's chairman, and Mike Duke, recently Wal-Mart's CEO. The ISS cited the failure of the board to provide more information to shareholders about specific findings of an investigation into bribery outside of the United States.

Those issues go to a vote at the company's shareholder meeting June 6. The meeting will be held in Fayetteville, Arkansas, about 30 miles from the company's headquarters in Bentonville.

In a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission Thursday, Wal-Mart said that the ISS analysis "misconstrues the nature and operation of Wal-Mart's executive compensation program."

Wal-Mart said the ISS analysis is based on information provided by CtW Investment Group, a union-backed organization that has a long history of opposition to Wal-Mart.

ISS cited changes that it believes have diminished the consistency of performance goals set for company executives.

Wal-Mart said its pay structure emphasizes performance and is "intended to closely align the interests of our named executive officers with the interests of our shareholders."

Wal-Mart pointed out that because the company's fiscal 2014 performance was worse than expected, Duke, who stepped down as CEO earlier this year, was paid about $1.5 million less. It also said that the bonus paid to Doug McMillon, who succeeded Duke, was nearly $520,000 less.

Best US Companies To Watch In Right Now

Wal-Mart said that ISS's request for disclosure of "specific findings" in regard to possible violations of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, which can include bribery, is "contrary to the best interests of the company" because such a disclosure could interfere with the ongoing investigations.

Wal-Mart said that that type of disclosure could also "adversely affect the company's position in any current or future legal proceedings."

Allegations first surfaced two years ago that Wal-Mart failed to notify law enforcement that company officials authorized millions of dollars in bribes in Mexico to speed up building permits and gain other favors. Wal-Mart has been working with government officials in the U.S. and Mexico on that investigation.

With the shareholders meeting a week away, a union-backed group called OUR Wal-Mart, which started three years ago and includes former and current members of Wal-Mart, will stage protests at 20 cities around the country. The protesters will be Wal-Mart workers who are pushing for higher pay and protesting what it calls retaliation against employees who speak out against the company.

Follow Anne D'Innocenzio on Twitter @adinnocenzio

Hot Stocks To Watch For 2015

Hot Stocks To Watch For 2015: Industrias CH SAB de CV (ICHB)

Industrias CH SAB de CV (ICH) is a Mexico-based holding company engaged, together with its subsidiaries, in the steel industry. The Company's activities include the production, processing and distribution of special bar quality (SBQ) steel products; coated and uncoated seamed pipes; structural steel products, such as beams, channels, flat bars and angles; light structurals, such as angles, flat and merchant bars; as well as reinforced and corrugated steel bars. The Companys facilities include production and processing plants in Mexico, the United States and Canada. Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Julia Leite]

  The IPC rose 2.5 percent to 40,623.30 at the close in Mexico City. The index gained 6.8 percent on the week, the most since July 2009. Steelmaker Industrias CH SAB (ICHB) was the biggest gainer today, while homebuilders Desarrolladora Homex SAB, Urbi Desarrollos Urbanos SAB, and Corp. Geo SAB were the weeks best performers.

source from Top Penny Stocks For 2015:http://www.topstocksforum.com/hot-stocks-to-watch-for-2015.html

Philly Inquirer minority owners win control

The ownership of Philadelphia's two largest newspapers changed hands again Tuesday after minority owners Lewis Katz and Gerry Lenfest emerged victorious in a bidding war against other owners.

In an auction held at a local law firm, Katz and Lenfest grabbed control of Interstate General Media Holdings -- the parent company that operates The Philadelphia Inquirer, The Daily News and Philly.com -- by agreeing to pay $88 million, including about $15 million in debt.

George E. Norcross, Joseph Buckelew and William Hankowsky – the other investors who joined to form a local investor group that bought the papers in 2012 for $55 million – initiated the bid with a $77 million offer but chose not to counter Katz and Lenfest's offer.

"Although we declined to submit a higher bid and will not purchase the shares of Interstate General Media owned by Messers. Katz and Lenfest, we are happy for the company's employees, readers and advertisers that this issue is now resolved," said a statement from the Norcross' group. "It is time to return the company's focus to journalism, and away from conflict among its owners."

The working relationship among the owners deteriorated quickly after the 2012 purchase as the two camps collided over their editorial philosophies and personnel issues. Katz, who emphasized investigative reporting over the hyper-local news approach favored by Norcross, filed a motion in January to dissolve the ownership structure and called for an auction to settle the matter.

The owners' infighting reached a boiling point last October, when the Inquirer's editor Bill Marimow, was fired by Publisher Bob Hall. Katz went to court to reverse the move, and a local judge reinstated Marimow.

While the fogginess surrounding ownership has cleared, the newspapers' financial challenges remain. Despite the owners' additional investments and several rounds of layoffs to cut cost, the newspapers, which hadn't been profitable for years, are still losing money.

In the decade befo! re Katz, Norcross and others assumed control, the company's revenue had fallen from about $500 million to about $200 million. It went from generating $145 million in profit to losing as much as $50,000 a day, Norcross' group pointed out Tuesday.

"We always understood that no matter who won the auction, there was a great deal of work to be done. Now, with this chapter ended, we hope the company can return its focus to accomplishing that needed work," it said. "We wish Messrs. Katz and Lenfest the best of luck moving forward."

4 Big Stocks to Trade (or Not)

BALTIMORE (Stockpickr) -- Put down the 10-K filings and the stock screeners. It's time to take a break from the traditional methods of generating investment ideas. Instead, let the crowd do it for you.

>>5 Stocks Under $10 Set to Soar

From hedge funds to individual investors, scores of market participants are turning to social media to figure out which stocks are worth watching. It's a concept that's known as "crowdsourcing," and it uses the masses to identify emerging trends in the market.

Crowdsourcing has long been a popular tool for the advertising industry, but it also makes a lot of sense as an investment tool. After all, the market is completely driven by the supply and demand, so it can be valuable to see what names are trending among the crowd.

While some fund managers are already trying to leverage social media resources like Twitter to find algorithmic trading opportunities, for most investors, crowdsourcing works best as a starting point for investors who want a starting point in their analysis. Today, we'll leverage the power of the crowd to take a look at some of the most active stocks on the market today.

>>5 Stocks Insiders Love Right Now

These "most active" names are the most heavily-traded names on the market -- and often, uber-active names have some sort of a technical or fundamental catalyst driving investors' attention on shares. And when there's a big catalyst, there's often a trading opportunity.

Without further ado, here's a look at today's stocks.

Yoku Tudou

Nearest Resistance: $20

Nearest Support: N/A

Catalyst: Earnings

Yoku Tudou (YOKU) is seeing big volume this afternoon, after the Chinese online video website posted its first quarter numbers for investors. YOKU posted a 14-cent loss for the quarter, beating Wall Street's estimates. But the proof is in the pudding with earnings reactions, and so today's 8.6% selloff is a pretty good indication that investors aren't satisfied with the less worse loss.

YOKU has been a breakdown machine for the last several months, failing to catch a bid at several successive price floors. With today's breakdown violating yet another key support level at $20, this stock is a falling knife. It's best avoided for longs.

Marvell Technology Group

Nearest Resistance: $16.30

Nearest Support: $15

Catalyst: Earnings

Marvell Technology Group (MRVL) posted a strong set of earnings stats after the bell yesterday, a big factor in today's big volume session for the semiconductor stock. MRVL earned 27 cents last quarter, beating revenue expectations by a nickel. Next quarter, the firm expects to earn between 26 and 30 cents per share, results that come in at the top of analysts' expected range.

MRVL is mostly flat following its earnings call. Likewise, shares have been consolidating in a flat range for the last several months -- but that changes if buyers can muster the strength to push shares above $16.30 resistance. That's the next barrier that needs to get cleared for more upside in MRVL in 2014.

TiVO

Nearest Resistance: $13

Nearest Support: $12.25

Catalyst: Earnings

DVR maker TiVO (TIVO) is up modestly this afternoon, following the firm's fiscal first quarter 2015 numbers. TIVO earned 7 cents last quarter, beating expectations by a penny. Likewise, the firm posted subscriber numbers of 4.5 million, growth that eclipses the record the firm set back in 2006. That's a promising development for a firm that's been trying to innovate its way out of a long-term slump – and we're seeing that shift play out in shares this week.

TIVO broke out of a rectangle consolidation today, pushing its way above $12.25 -- now that level is acting as support. With no upside resistance until $13, now looks like a solid time to be a buyer in TIVO.

FireEye

Nearest Resistance: $40

Nearest Support: $25.50

Catalyst: Analyst Upgrade

2014 has been challenging for computer security firm FireEye (FEYE) -- after rallying hard at the start of this year, the mid-cap name made an about-face at the beginning of March, dropping like a stone. But shares caught a bid again early last week, and now an analyst upgrade from Barclays is tacking some upside onto this stock. A rounding bottom setup triggered earlier in the week, but it's only breaking the downtrend in shares today. With buyers in control of shares again, now looks like a good time to be a buyer -- just keep a tight stop in place.

To see these stocks in action, check out the at Most-Active Stocks portfolio on Stockpickr.



-- Written by Jonas Elmerraji in Baltimore.

RELATED LINKS:

>>3 Stocks Spiking on Big Volume

>>5 Airline Stocks to Trade for Flyaway Gains in 2014

>>3 Stocks Under $10 Triggering Breakouts

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

Marvell Technology Group Ltd (MRVL) Earnings Report: Should You Overreact? XSD, SOXX & SOXL

On Thursday after the market closed, mid cap fabless semiconductor stock Marvell Technology Group Ltd (NASDAQ: MRVL) reported earnings and was slipping in after hours trading, meaning its worth taking a closer look at those earnings along with the performance of potential semiconductor benchmarks like the SPDR S&P Semiconductor ETF (NYSEARCA: XSD), iShares PHLX SOX Semiconductor Sector (NASDAQ: SOXX) and Direxion Daily Semiconductor Bull 3X Shares (NYSEARCA: SOXL). In case you aren't familiar with the term fabless semiconductor, it's a business model that involves the outsourcing the manufacturing of silicon wafers. Most semiconductor companies are actually fabless because of the high cost of building a facility and manufacturing fab. Therefore, fabless semiconductor companies can concentrate on the design and marketing of chips while outsourcing the actual production to larger foundry companies.

What is Marvell Technology Group?

Founded in 1995, mid cap Marvell Technology Group is a leading fabless semiconductor company that ships over one billion chips a year and has international design centers located in China, Europe, Hong Kong, India, Israel, Japan, Malaysia, Singapore, Taiwan and the US. Specifically, Marvell Technology Group's expertise in microprocessor architecture and digital signal processing, drives multiple platforms including high volume storage solutions, mobile and wireless, networking, consumer and green products.

As for potential semiconductor performance benchmarks, the SPDR S&P Semiconductor ETF tracks the S&P Semiconductor Select Industry Index through approximately 51 holdings; the iShares PHLX SOX Semiconductor Sector tracks the PHLX SOX Semiconductor Sector Index through 31 holdings; and the Direxion Daily Semiconductor Bull 3X Shares seeks a return that is 300% of the PHLX SOX Semiconductor Sector Index though the use of leverage.

What You Need to Know or Be Warned About Marvell Technology Group

Marvell Technology Group reported a 3% revenue increase to $958 million from $932 million in the fourth quarter of fiscal 2014 (ended February 1, 2014) and a 30% increase in revenue of $734 million for the first quarter of fiscal 2014 (ended May 4, 2013). GAAP net income for the first quarter of fiscal 2015 was $99 million verses GAAP net income of $97 million for the fourth quarter of fiscal 2014 and $53 million for the first quarter of fiscal 2014 while Non-GAAP net income was $144 million for the first quarter of fiscal 2015 verses non-GAAP net income of $151 million for the fourth quarter of fiscal 2014 and $98 million for the first quarter of fiscal 2014.

However, quarterly gross margin fell to 48.4% verses 54.3% a year earlier as demand for its chips used in third-generation mobile communication outweighed a rise in sales of its more profitable 4G LTE chips as Smartphone sales growth shifts away from North America towards China where buyers prefer handsets priced below $200 over more expensive devices like the Apple iPhone. In the earnings call (the transcript is available on Seeking Alpha here), the CFO commented:

"Our mobile and wireless end market grew strongly in the quarter, increasing approximately 30% sequentially and represented 33% of overall sales. During the quarter we saw a strong growth in China from multiple customers for 4G LTE products. In addition, our connectivity business also performed better than anticipated with only a slight decline in the quarter. Strong mobile platform sales and demand from game consoles were key drivers in the quarter."

The VP of Investor Relations commented:

"So far the uptake of our devices by customers in China has been very solid. We've noticed that subscriber strength in China mobile for LTE has many, many less (indiscernible) so far, but the expectation from what we hear from a lot of our customers for that to pick up as we go throughout the rest of this year."

And:

"I think the market in China is transitioning to LTE, so I think you will probably see a lot more subsidies come to the market starting in the second half of this year. As a result of which I think a lot of our customers are probably going to see a transition over the 4G LTE at a much faster clip."

Later on, the Chairman/CEO said:

"It is very hard for us to be able to predict what is the seasonality and something that just we need to be looking to the market, but one thing about the LTE in China -- one thing that we can make projection is that if our customer overbuild the LTE, what we have over inventory towards the end of the year. That's why when investors are asking us question and when our customer -- when we talk to our customers we always like to temper down the expectation of the ramp of LTE for this year."

And:

"…a year from now, we will have a lot more products portfolios from all the different price points. So there will be higher end devices. There will be lower end devices. So we believe that if LTE becomes successful in China, a lot of parts of the world will take notice that the performance of LTE is going to be -- and the cost of deploying LTEs will be actually lower than deploying the 3G on the pre-user basis."

Otherwise, it should be mentioned that Marvell Technology Group went into earnings with a trailing P/E of 24.75 and a forward P/E of 13.21 along with a forward dividend of $0.24 for a 1.6% dividend yield.

Share Performance: Marvell Technology Group vs. XSD, SOXX vs. SOXL

On Thursday, Marvell Technology Group rose 0.97% to $15.59 (MRVL has a 52 week trading range of $10.57 to $16.65 a share) for a market cap of $7.85 billion plus the stock is up 13.3% since the start of the year, up 36.4% over the past year and up 42.2% over the past five years. Here is a look at Marvell Technology Group's performance verses that of SPDR S&P Semiconductor ETF, iShares PHLX SOX Semiconductor Sector and Direxion Daily Semiconductor Bull 3X Shares:

As you can see from the above chart, Marvell Technology Group has been a bit of a mixed underperformer over the long term, but its recent performance has mirrored that of the benchmarks.

Finally, here are the latest technical chats for Marvell Technology Group, SPDR S&P Semiconductor ETF, iShares PHLX SOX Semiconductor Sector and Direxion Daily Semiconductor Bull 3X Shares:

The Bottom Line. Long term investors who believe in Marvell Technology Group might want to bulk up on shares should they go on sale when the market opens latter, but investors should also keep in mind what the technical charts look like for the stock along with SPDR S&P Semiconductor ETF, iShares PHLX SOX Semiconductor Sector and Direxion Daily Semiconductor Bull 3X Shares.

How Shopping American-Style Will Soon Look

Hointer/APA woman demonstrates shopping technology at a store called Hointer in Seattle. NEW YORK -- When it comes to shopping, more Americans are skipping the stores and pulling out their smartphones and tablets. Still, there's more on the horizon for shopping than just point-and-clicking. No one thinks physical stores are going away permanently. But because of the frenetic pace of advances in technology and online shopping, the stores that remain will likely offer amenities and services that are more about experiences and less about selling a product. Think: Apple's (AAPL) stores. Among the things industry watchers are envisioning are holograms in dressing rooms that will allow shoppers to try on clothes without getting undressed. Their homes will be equipped with smart technology that will order light bulbs before they go dark. And they'll be able to print out a full version of coffee cups and other products using 3-D technology in stores. "Physical shopping will become a lot more fun because it's going to have to be," retail futurist Doug Stephens says. More Services Forrester analyst Sucharita Mulpuru says stores of the future will be more about services, like day care, veterinary services and beauty services. Services that connect online and offline shopping could increase as well, with more drive-thru pickup and order-online, pick-up-in-store services. Checkout also will be self-service or with cashiers using computer tablets. Some stores are taking self-service further: A store in Seattle called Hointer displays clothing not in piles or on racks but as one piece hanging at a time, like a gallery. Shoppers just touch their smartphones to a coded tag on the item and then select a color and size on their phone. Technology in the store keeps track of the items, and by the time a shopper is ready to try them on, they're already at the dressing room. If the shopper doesn't like an item, he tosses it down a chute, which automatically removes the item from the shopper's online shopping cart. The shopper keeps the items that he or she wants, which are purchased automatically when leaving the store, no checkout involved. Nadia Shouraboura, Hointer's CEO, says once shoppers get used to the process, they're hooked. On-Demand Coupons Some stores, including British retailer Tesco and drugstore Duane Reade, now are testing beacons, Bluetooth-enabled devices that can communicate directly with your cellphone to offer discounts, direct you to a desired product in a store or enable you to pay remotely. For example, you can walk into a drugstore where you normally buy face cream. The beacon would recognize your smartphone, connect it with past purchasing history and send you a text or email with a coupon for the cream. "The more we know about customers ... you can use promotions on not a macro level but a micro level," says Kasey Lobaugh, chief retail innovation officer at Deloitte Consulting. A store could offer a mother 20 percent off on Mother's Day, for example, or offer frequent buyers of paper towels a discount on bulk purchases. 3-D Printing Within 10 years, 3-D printing could make a major disruption in retail, Deloitte's Lobaugh predicts. Take a simple item like a coffee cup. Instead of producing one in China, transporting it and distributing it to retail stores, you could just download the code for the coffee cup and 3-D print it at a retail outlet or in your own home. "That starts a dramatic change in terms of the structure of retail," Lobaugh said. And while 3-D printing today is primarily plastic, Lobaugh says there are tests at places like MIT Media Lab and elsewhere with other materials, including fabric. Right now a few stores offer rudimentary 3-D-printing services, but they are very limited. He predicts the shift will come in 10 to 20 years. Order Yourself Steve Yankovich, head of innovation for eBay (EBAY), thinks someday buying household supplies won't take any effort at all. He says someday a connected home could be able to use previous customer history and real-time data the house records to sense when a light bulb burns out, for example, and order a new one automatically. Or a washing machine will order more detergent when it runs low. "A box could show up on porch with this disparate set of 10 things the connected home and eBay determined you needed to keep things running smoothly," he says. "It's called zero-effort commerce." Holograms EBay recently bought PhiSix, a company working on creating life-size 3-D models of clothing that can be used in dressing rooms to instantly try on different colors of clothing or different styles. You can see 30 or 40 items of clothing realistically without physically trying them on. EBay's Yankovich says the technology can be used in a virtual dressing room as well, showing what the clothes look like when you are, say, walking down the street or hitting a golf club. Some companies have been testing this already. British digital agency Engage created a Virtual Style Pod that scanned shoppers and created a life-size image onto which luxury clothing from brands like Alexander McQueen and DKNY were projected. The Pod was displayed in shopping centers in Dubai and Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates.

IA 25 2014: The Threat (or Non-Threat) of Robo-Advisors—Slideshow

It may be reassuring to hear that the big tech experts on our list this year don’t think robo-advisors are too much of a threat. If the only thing you do for your clients is asset allocation, you might need to take a look at your value proposition, but many of our IA 25 honorees agreed that robo-advisors could be an opportunity for advisors to provide services on a broader scale.

That doesn’t mean advisors can lull themselves into a false sense of security. Make no mistake, robo-advisors are a disruptive force. Just because they won’t take away your business doesn’t mean they won’t change it.

Click through the following slides to hear from the IA 25 honorees who shared their thoughts on these new competitors, a topic that, as Editor-in-Chief Jamie Green said, “came up unbidden so often that I began to bring it up on purpose.”

Bernie Clark

Executive Vice President, Schwab Advisor Services

Clark feels robo-advisors will exist as a “complement” to traditional advisors. “We’ve done a lot of work that shows most individuals still want a relationship” with a human advisor, he told Editor-in-Chief Jamie Green.

Clark suggested the solution may be for advisors to use some of the robo-advisors’ modeling tools “in their practices,” especially for “clients below their minimums or children of clients.”

If that doesn’t assuage advisors’ concerns about the competitive threat robo-advisors pose, he pointed out that online advice hasn’t had to perform in difficult markets. “If we have five years of the markets heading straight up,” robo-advisors “will do well; if we have three years up and two years down,” investors “will want to talk to somebody.”

(Photo: Tom McKenzie)

Dan Skiles

President, Shareholders Service Group

Robo-advisors may be able to provide simple advice cheaply, but Skiles reminded Editor-in-Chief Jamie Green that your clients have complex lives. “Life is not consistent; questions come up throughout the year that you never anticipated.” Robo-advisors provide a consistent investing experience, but human advisors “are there for those questions.”

For example, Skiles ticked off some issues that advisors help solve for their clients: staying knowledgeable about cost-basis legislation, how to pay for health care, whether the timing is right to do a Roth IRA rollover. He asked, “Can a robo-advisor answer those?”

Yes, if an advisor’s practice is “all about investments, maybe you should be concerned.” If you do more for your clients, though, but have had to turn some away because they don’t meet your minimums, maybe this is an opportunity. “I’d encourage advisors who’ve been raising their minimums year after year to think about a different offering that allows them to serve people with less money,” Skiles said.

Joel Bruckenstein and David Drucker

Founders, Technology Tools for Todoay (T3)

If an advisor isn’t providing much more than asset allocation services, “yeah, I think you’re in trouble,” Bruckenstein told Executive Managing Editor Danielle Andrus, “because robo-advisors are offering those kinds of services, if not for free, for next to nothing.” However, “most good advisors provide many, many services that go beyond just asset allocation.”

Drucker was magnanimous about robo-advisors. He said, “There’s room in the industry for all different sizes of players and all different types of players. We were told about 10 or 15 years ago that by now the industry would be all large shops, and smaller practitioners wouldn’t be able to survive. I think that’s been disproved.”

Skip Schweiss

President, TD Ameritrade Trust Company; Managing Director, Advisor Advocacy & Industry Affairs, TD Ameritrade Institutional

Schweiss said even more than regulation, advisors should maybe be more concerned about what “the rise of the online advice providers.”

“I’ve been in this industry serving advisors since 1989, and for as long as I have been doing this, advisors have told me ‘We can’t serve middle America,’” Schweiss told Editor-in-Chief Jamie Green.

Instead, those lower-net-worth people are “served by the IBD rep or by the insurance broker or a mutual fund company. Now we’re getting an answer to that need” with robo-advisors. “

If advisors don’t think robo-advisors can compete with the gentle touch of a trusted advisor, Schweiss reminded us, “At what point did Barnes & Noble not see Amazon as a threat?”

However, just because it happened to them doesn’t mean it will happen to you—after all, “Turbo Tax didn’t eliminate accountants, and WebMD didn’t kill doctors”—but that doesn’t mean you can ignore robo-advisors as a competitor.

Hackers can 'un-brick' stolen iPhones

A Twitter user in Mexico shows off four iPhones that were unlocked with this hack.

NEW YORK (CNNMoney) Two hackers have figured out a way to unlock lost Apple devices -- a boon for criminals with stolen iPhones and iPads.

The hackers have discovered a method for bypassing a protective feature on Apple (AAPL, Fortune 500) devices. Lost your iPhone? No worries. Something called "Activation Lock" turns it into a useless brick by connecting to Apple servers via its iCloud service.

But a Dutch hacker going by the name AquaXetine and a Moroccan hacker with the name MerrukTechnolog have discovered a way around that.

By plugging your iPhone or iPad into a computer and altering a file inside, you trick the device into connecting to the hackers' server instead. Once connected, the server will tell the iPhone or iPad to unlock.

The process is clunky, but folks around the world are already celebrating that it works.

Related story: eBay hacked

In recent days, the hackers' Twitter pages have been filled with photos of unlocked iPhones and iPads uploaded by grateful people in Brazil, Mexico, Russia, the United States and elsewhere.

A Twitter user in China, @t_ai_ya_ki, posted photo of a liberated iPhone on his bed and wrote, "thanks bro :)" Another in Poland, Maciek Walczykowski, showed his unlocked iPhone with a hacker's Twitter feed in the background. Dozens of others did the same.

  Watch a hacker steal encrypted passwords

The hacking duo, Team DoulCi (iCloud backwards), posted instructions on its website with this caveat: This runaround is only meant to be used for good. The hack was "built with love" for those original owners who lost access to their own devices, they said. No stolen Apple devices, please.

Right. Here's a reality check: So far, most of those taking advantage of this trick are posting photos of several unlocked devices at once.

For example, someone in the Philippines using the name @esonglance showed off six unlocked iPhones. Another user, @illPaick in Mexico, showed off six iPhones and an iPad. Who accidentally locks himself out of a half dozen of his own devices? No one.

Apple did not immediately return calls for comment.

Mark Loman, a malware analyst for cyber! security company SurfRight, described the hack as a "man-in-the-middle attack." To make it work, these hackers place themselves between your device and Apple.

It's inherently unsafe. On their website, the hackers promise "more information" at midnight Thursday (EST).

Top 10 Building Product Companies To Watch In Right Now

Popular Posts: 7 Biotechnology Stocks to Buy Now17 Oil and Gas Stocks to Sell Now4 Pharmaceutical Stocks to Buy Now Recent Posts: 5 Worst Sectors to Avoid This Week 5 Stocks With Ugly Earnings Growth ��KWK GNK SOL CRK LM 3 Building Products Stocks to Buy Now View All Posts

This week, the Computer and Personal Electronics, Energy Services, Computer and Personal Electronics, Oil and Gas, and Marine sectors look weak according to Portfolio Grader.

With 78% of its stocks (74 out of 95) rated “sell,” the Metals and Mining sector is struggling this week. Out of the Metals and Mining stocks, Cliffs Natural Resources (NYSE:), Walter Energy (NYSE:), and Thompson Creek Metals Company Inc. (NYSE:) are near the bottom with F’s. Over the last 12 months, Walter Energy is the worst performer in this sector, with a 74.6% decline.

Top 10 Building Product Companies To Watch In Right Now: Maximus Inc (MMS)

MAXIMUS, Inc., incorporated on October 18, 2007, provides business process services (BPS) to government health and human services agencies under its mission of Helping Government Serve the People. The Company is primarily focused on operating government-sponsored programs, such as Medicaid, Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP), health insurance exchanges and other health care reform initiatives, Medicare, welfare-to-work, child support services and other government programs.

The Company is one of the pure-play health and human services administrative providers to governments in the United States, Australia, Canada, the United Kingdom and Saudi Arabia. The Company�� segments include Health Services and Human Services. Effective July 1, 2013, MAXIMUS, Inc. acquired Health Management Ltd.

Health Services Segment

The Company's Health Services segment provides a variety of business process services, as well as related consulting services, for state, provincial and federal government programs, including Medicaid, CHIP, SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program), Medicare, the Affordable Care Act and Health Insurance BC (British Columbia). In this segment, the Company's BPS and consulting services include government health insurance program administration; Health insurance program eligibility and enrollment services to improve access to health care for citizens and help beneficiaries make the best choice for their health insurance coverage; Eligibility and enrollment modernization for government health benefit programs; Health insurance exchange design and operations; Consumer outreach and education, including multilingual customer contact centers and multi-channel self-service options, such as Web-based portals, for easy enrollment; Application assistance and independent enrollment counseling to beneficiaries; Premium payment processing and administration, such as invoicing and reconciliation; Objective, evidence-based health appeals; Independent medical! reviews; Health plan oversight; eHealth solutions with the Medigent product suite; Medicaid Management Information System (MMIS) planning and oversight, and Specialized program consulting services.

Human Services Segment

The Company's Human Services segment provides federal, national, state and county human services agencies with a variety of business process services, as well as related consulting services for welfare-to-work, child support, higher education and K-12 special education programs. The Company's services include welfare-to-work services, including eligibility determination, case management, job-readiness preparation, job search and employer outreach, job retention and career advancement, and selected educational and training services, to help disadvantaged individuals transition from government assistance programs to sustainable employment and economic independence; Full and specialized child support case management services, customer contact center operations, and program and systems consulting services; Management tools and professional consulting services for higher education institutions; K-12 special education case management solutions; Program consulting services, including independent verification and validation, cost allocation plans, repeatable management services and other specialized consulting offerings, and Tax credit and employer services.

The Company competes with Serco, Atos Origin and Ingeus.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Dan Caplinger]

  Dow 16,000, S&P 1,800, and Nasdaq 4,000 didn't become reality today, but each of these benchmarks came close to reaching those respective levels as investors continued to respond favorably to the macroeconomic and monetary-policy environment going forward. But despite the market's broad gains, Electronic Arts (NASDAQ: EA  ) , Maximus (NYSE: MMS  ) , and Western Union (NYSE: WU  ) gave up ground today with fairly substantial drops. Let's take a closer look at why these stocks bucked the market's favorable trend today.

• [By Michael Flannelly]

  Analysts at Jefferies initiated coverage on business process services provider Maximus Inc. (MMS) late on Thursday, giving the stock a bullish rating because it has several competitive advantages and should benefit from the Affordable Care Act (Obamacare).

  The analysts rate MMS as “Buy” and see shares reaching $47. This price target suggests a 20% upside to the stock’s Thursday closing price of $39.14.

  “MMS is a leading government outsourced contractor that produces consistently strong results,” Jefferies analyst David Styblo commented. “The company has several competitive advantages and is highly focused on health and human service projects. This positions MMS to enjoy multi-year growth from the ACA and other opportunities with limited risk. The company’s predictable business model, solid balance sheet, and EPS visibility into FY2014 also support a Buy and $47 PT.”

  Maximus shares were inactive during pre-market trading on Friday. The stock is up 23.83% year-to-date.

Top 10 Building Product Companies To Watch In Right Now: Gray Fox Petroleum Corp (GFOX)

Gray Fox Petroleum Corp., incorporated on September 22, 2011, is a domestic oil and gas exploration and development company. The Company focuses on the acquisition and exploration of oil and natural gas properties in the Western United States.

The Company has 100% working interest and an 82% net revenue interest in the 32,723 acre West Ranch Prospect. The Company�� West Ranch Prospect is located in the Butte Valley Oil Play Region of north central Nevada in Elko and White Pine Countries, which has produced over 50 million barrels of oil in Nevada from structures and reservoir horizons similar to those under the West Ranch Prospect. The prospect consists of 22 Federal leases in the Butte Valley Oil Play Region.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Peter Graham]

  On Friday, small cap mining stocks Maverick Minerals Corp (OTCMKTS: MVRM) and Liberty Coal Energy Corp (OTCMKTS: LBTG) plus oil stock Gray Fox Petroleum Corp (OTCBB: GFOX) sank 30.9%, 16.67% and 11.2%, respectively. However, only one of these stocks appears to have been the subject of some kind of paid promotion in the form of an investment in some shares. So will these three small cap mining or oil stocks keep coming up empty for investors this week? Here is a closer look:

Hot Biotech Stocks To Own For 2015: Chiquita Brands International Inc. (CQB)

Chiquita Brands International, Inc., together with its subsidiaries, engages in the distribution and marketing of bananas and fresh produce under the Chiquita and other brand names worldwide. The company operates in three segments: Bananas, Salads and Healthy Snacks, and Other Produce. The Banana segment sources, transports, markets, and distributes bananas to retailers and wholesalers, and chain stores. It also engages in the cultivation and production of bananas. The Salads and Healthy Snacks segment offers value-added salads under the Fresh Express and other labels; and fresh vegetable and fruit ingredients used in foodservice, healthy snacks, and processed fruit ingredient products. This segment also provides fresh-cut products, such as lettuce, tomatoes, spinach, cabbage, and onions to foodservice distributors who resell these products to foodservice operators. It distributes Fresh Express branded products to food retailers, foodservice distributors, and quick-service restaurants; and fresh produce foodservice offerings primarily to third-party distributors for resale principally to quick-service restaurants in the United States. The Other Produce segment engages in sourcing, marketing, and distributing fresh fruits and vegetables other than bananas in Europe and North America. It offers grapes, pineapples, melons, kiwis, tomatoes, and avocados. The company was founded in 1899 and is headquartered in Cincinnati, Ohio.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Michael Lewis]

  In the ever-difficult, commoditized business of produce, Chiquita Brands International (NYSE: CQB  ) has been a constant player, if troubled in recent years. Margin pressure and a shift in industry trends left the company with weak financials and angry shareholders, but in the past 12 months much of that has turned around. In the midst of a restructuring and armed with a (relatively) new CEO, this company is pushing its 52-week highs but may be headed higher. Does the banana brand belong in your portfolio?

• [By Sara Murphy]

  Furthermore, the court's finding does not undermine the use of the ATS in cases of human rights abuses. It just requires a stronger connection to the United States. That means that other ATS cases currently working their way through the legal system, such as Earth Rights International's case against Chiquita (NYSE: CQB  ) for allegedly funding and arming Colombian terrorists, are still on track. That also means that the link from human rights violations to corporate liability remains.

Top 10 Building Product Companies To Watch In Right Now: AmeriGas Partners L.P. (APU)

AmeriGas Partners, L.P. operates as a retail and wholesale distributor of propane gas, and related equipment and supplies in the United States. As of November 8, 2012, it served approximately 2 million residential, commercial, industrial, agricultural, wholesale, and motor fuel customers in 50 states through approximately 2,000 propane distribution locations. The company also sells, installs, and services propane appliances, including heating systems. It markets propane primarily under the AmeriGas, America's Propane Company, Heritage Propane, Titan Propane, and Relationships Matter trade names and related service marks. Its propane is used for home heating, water heating, and cooking purposes; to fire furnaces, as a cutting gas, and in other process applications; as a supplemental fuel and motor fuel; and for tobacco curing, chicken brooding, and crop drying applications. AmeriGas Propane, Inc. serves as the general partner of the company. AmeriGas Partners, L.P. was foun ded in 1994 and is based in King of Prussia, Pennsylvania.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By David Dittman]

  Answer: MLPs that look good based on price and potential for distribution growth include AmeriGas Partners LP (NYSE: APU) and Kinder Morgan Energy Partners LP (NYSE: KMP). Energy Transfer Partners LP (NYSE: ETP) has bounced a bit after management’s announcement of third-quarter earnings and a new plan to grow the payout, but if you’re patient you can step in for good value.

• [By Dan Caplinger]

  Ferrellgas Partners (NYSE: FGP  ) will release its quarterly report on Friday, and shares of the propane distributor have jumped to two-year highs recently. Yet with a somewhat different exposure to the industry than rivals AmeriGas (NYSE: APU  ) and Suburban Propane (NYSE: SPH  ) , will Ferrellgas earnings be able to grow enough to make optimistic investors satisfied?

Top 10 Building Product Companies To Watch In Right Now: CNA Financial Corp (CNA)

CNA Financial Corporation (CNAF), incorporated in 1967, is an insurance holding company. The Company�� core business commercial property and casualty insurance operations operate in two segments: CNA Specialty and CNA Commercial. Its non-core businesses are managed in two business segments: Life & Group Non-Core and Corporate & Other Non-Core. The Company�� insurance products primarily include commercial property and casualty coverages, including surety. Its services include risk management, information services, and warranty and claims administration. Its products and services are marketed through independent agents, brokers and managing general underwriters to a wide variety of customers, including small, medium and large businesses, associations, professionals and other groups. CNA's property and casualty and remaining life and group insurance operations are primarily conducted by Continental Casualty Company (CCC), The Continental Insurance Company, Western Surety Company and Continental Assurance Company (CAC). On June 10, 2011, CNA completed the acquisition of CNA Surety Corporation. In July 2012, the Company acquired Hardy Underwriting Bermuda Ltd. On December 14, 2012, the Company sold SUR Insurance Agency, Inc. and The Bond Exchange to California Contractors Insurance Services.

CNA Specialty

CNA Specialty provides professional and management liability and other coverages through property and casualty products and services, both domestically and abroad, through a network of brokers, independent agencies and managing general underwriters. CNA Specialty provides solutions for managing the risks of its clients, including architects, lawyers, accountants, health care professionals, financial intermediaries and public and private companies. Product offerings also include surety and fidelity bonds and warranty services.

CNA Specialty includes four business groups: Professional & Management Liability, International, Surety, and Warranty and Alternative Risks! . Professional & Management Liability provides management and professional liability insurance and risk management services and other specialized property and casualty coverages in the United States. This group provides professional liability coverages to various professional firms, including architects, real estate agents, small and mid-sized accounting firms, law firms and technology firms. Professional & Management Liability also provides D&O, employment practices, fiduciary and fidelity coverages. Products within Professional & Management Liability are distributed through brokers, agents and managing general underwriters. Professional & Management Liability, through CNA HealthPro, also offers insurance products to serve the healthcare delivery system. Products include professional liability and associated standard property and casualty coverages, and are distributed on a national basis through brokers, agents and managing general underwriters. Customer segments include long term care facilities, allied health care providers, life sciences, dental professionals and mid-size and large health care facilities.

International provides similar management and professional liability insurance and other specialized property and casualty coverages in Canada and Europe. Surety consists primarily of CNA Surety Corporation (CNA Surety) and its insurance subsidiaries and offers small, medium and large contract and commercial surety bonds. CNA Surety provides surety and fidelity bonds in all 50 states through a combined network of independent agencies.

Warranty and Alternative Risks provides extended service contracts and related products that provide protection from the financial burden associated with mechanical breakdown and other related losses, primarily for vehicles and portable electronic communication devices. These products are distributed through and administered by a wholly owned subsidiary, CNA National Warranty Corporation, or through third party administrators.

! CNA Comme! rcial

CNA Commercial works with an independent agency distribution system and a network of brokers to market a range of property and casualty insurance products and services to small, middle-market and large businesses and organizations domestically and abroad. Products include standard and excess property coverages, as well as marine coverage, and boiler and machinery. Casualty products include standard casualty insurance products such as workers��compensation, general and product liability, commercial auto and umbrella coverages. It also offers pecialized loss-sensitive insurance programs to those customers viewed as higher risk and less predictable in exposure.

The Business insurance group serves smaller commercial accounts and the Commercial insurance group serves middle markets and larger risks. In addition, CNA Commercial provides total risk management services relating to claim and information services to the insurance marketplace, through a wholly owned subsidiary, CNA ClaimPlus, Inc., a third party administrator. The International insurance group primarily consists of the commercial product lines of its operations in Europe, Canada, as well as Hawaii.

CNA Select Risk (Select Risk) includes excess and surplus lines coverages. Risk provides specialized insurance for selected commercial risks on both an individual customer and program basis. Select Risk�� products are distributed throughout the United States through specialist producers, program agents and brokers.

Life & Group Non-Core

The Life & Group Non-Core segment includes the results of the life and group lines of business that are in run-off. It retains block of group reinsurance and life settlement contracts.

Corporate & Other Non-Core

Corporate & Other Non-Core primarily includes certain corporate expenses. This also includes interest on corporate debt, and the results of certain property and casualty business in run-off, including CNA Re and ! A&EP.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Namitha Jagadeesh]

  Centrica Plc (CNA), the biggest energy supplier to U.K. homes, slipped 4.1 percent to 375.6 pence, the biggest drop since May 2010. Ed Miliband, the leader of the Labour Party, yesterday pledged to freeze energy bills if he wins the next general election. He added that rising prices have enriched power companies at the expense of consumers.

• [By Tom Stoukas]

  Centrica Plc (CNA), the largest energy supplier to U.K. homes, lost 2.3 percent to 366.9 pence. JPMorgan Chase & Co. downgraded the shares to neutral from overweight, citing proposals from Britain�� Labour Party to freeze energy bills and break up the country�� six biggest power suppliers.

• [By Ben Levisohn]

  The overwhelming majority of Loews can be valued as the sum of its three largest subsidiary businesses that also have publicly trading stock: CNA Financial (CNA), Diamond Offshore (DO) and Boardwalk Pipeline�(BWP). The sum of these stakes is equivalent to 97.7% of the market capitalization of Loews. For almost ��ree,��imknvestors also get ownership of Boardwalk�� B shares and general partnership, a small national hotel chain, natural gas and oil E&P HighMount and the $4B in fungible assets on Loews�� corporate balance sheet…

Top 10 Building Product Companies To Watch In Right Now: Domino's Pizza Inc(DPZ)

Domino?s Pizza, Inc., through its subsidiaries, operates as a pizza delivery company in the United States and internationally. The company sells and delivers pizzas under the Domino?s Pizza brand name. As of January 1, 2012, it operated through a network of 9,742 stores, including 394 company-owned stores and 9,348 franchise stores located in the 50 states and approximately 70 international markets. Domino?s Pizza, Inc. was founded in 1960 and is headquartered in Ann Arbor, Michigan.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Rich Smith]

  That's less than half the rise of the broader S&P 500 index of companies. It's four times less than the 37% gain seen at Papa John's (NASDAQ: PZZA  ) , and less than a tenth of the gains at skyrocketing Domino's Pizza (NYSE: DPZ  ) . But why is Pizza Hut's owner underperforming, and why might its laggard performance continue for longer than investors expect?

• [By Damian Illia]

  Recognized world leader Pizza Company Domino�� Pizza Inc. (DPZ) sells and delivers pizza through the U.S. and internationally, operating its business in three segments: Domestic Stores, Domestic Supply Chain and International. As of Dec. 31, 2013, the domestic stores comprised 4,596 franchised stores and 390 company-owned stores. The International segment consists of 5,900 franchised stores outside the U.S. Generating nearly $3.8 billion in the U.S. and $4.2 billion internationally during 2013, Domino�� fourth-quarter 2013 results beat estimated figures for both earnings and revenues. Same-store sales popped 3.7% domestically and 7% internationally, while diluted earnings per share leaped 21.9% to $0.78. It was the 80th quarter and 20th full year in a row of international same-store sales growth for Domino's.

Top 10 Building Product Companies To Watch In Right Now: Vitamin Blue Inc (VTMB)

Vitamin Blue, Inc. (Vitamin Blue), incorporated on May 25, 1999, is engaged in designing, manufacturing and distributing surf wear board shorts, t-shirts and fleece jackets) and surfing accessories (surf boards bags, roof rack pad and surf backpacks). The Company focuses on four types of retail outlets: surfboard manufacturers, surf shops, specialty stores and department stores. Vitamin Blue distributes the majority of its products through surfboard manufacturers and surf shops. The primary focus of Vitamin Blue is surf wear and surfing accessories. The Company�� primary distribution focuses on retail outlets in North America (the United States, Canada and Mexico). Vitamin Blue manufactures most of its surfing accessories and all of its surfwear in-house.

Surfboard Manufacturers

The Company�� surfboard manufactures retail outlet generally consists of single shops, where surfboards are designed, manufactured and marketed. It is the source for surfing accessories. This distribution channel focuses on the core surf market. The Company has relationships with manufacturers, such as Hap Jacobs, Bing Surfboards, Bark Boards and Ron House Shapes, Dewey Weber, Stewart Surfboards. Vitamin Blue surfing accessories are sold through this channel.

Surf Shops

The Company�� surf shops are generally single to multiple shops located in or near beach cities, focused on the central surf market. It tends to be privately owned. Surf shops also focus on the core surf market and provide an authentic retail source for complete lines of surfwear and surfing accessory products. The Company has relationships with manufacturers, such as Freeline Design (Santa Cruz, California), The Frog House (Newport Beach, California), Infinity Surfboards (Dana Point, California), Legends Surf (Carlsbad, California), Hi-Tech Surf Sports (Maui, Hawaii), Second Wind Sail and Surf (Maui, Hawaii), Hawaiian Island Surf and Sport (Maui, Hawaii) Kennedy Surfboards (Woodland Hills, California),! Malibu Surf Shack, (Malibu, California), E.T. Surf (Hermosa Beach, California), Spyder (Hermosa Beach, California), Costa Azul (Laguna Beach, California), Icons of Surf (San Clemente, California), Encinitas Surfboards (Encinitas, California), Nor Easter Surf Shop (Scituate, Massachusetts), Air & Speed Surf Shop (Montauk, New York), Xtreme Surf & Sport (East Northport, New York) and Marsh�� Surf Shop (Atlantic Beach, North Carolina). The complete line of Vitamin Blue products (surfwear and surfing accessories) is distributed through this channel.

Specialty Stores

The Company�� specialty stores type of retail outlet generally consists of single, regional and nationwide stores, and tends to be located in or near beach or resort communities, shopping centers, and shopping malls. Specialty stores distributing surf products primarily include tourist/vacation shops, sporting good stores (including Sports Chalet, Inc. - SPCHB), and regional and national retail stores (including Pacific Sunwear of California-PSUN and Zumiez, Inc.-ZUMZ). Vitamin Blue intends to use this type of retail outlet to distribute its surfwear.

Department Stores

The Company�� department stores type of retail outlet generally has stores located nationwide. It is located in shopping malls, such as Bloomingdale��, Macy��, Saks Fifth Avenue and Nordstrom. Vitamin Blue intends to use this type of retail outlet to distribute its surfwear.

Vitamin Blue�� surfing accessories include surfboard travel bags, which offer surfboard protection and can be used daily or for long distance surf trips; surf gear travel bags, which are duffle bags used to carry surfing essentials on surf trips; surf backpacks, which are specially, designed wet bag backpacks for wetsuit storage, and roof-rack pads, which is used on existing car roof racks for surfboard protection and security on daily surf outings.

The Company competes with Quicksilver, Inc., Billabong Intl, Hurley and! Volcom I! nc.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Peter Graham]

  Small cap stocks Green Endeavors Inc (OTCMKTS: GRNE), Global Links Corporation (OTCMKTS: GLCO) and Vitamin Blue Inc (OTCBB: VTMB) were all making noticeable moves at the end of last week. On Friday, Green Endeavors Inc rose 8.11% and Global Links Corporation rose 13.96% while Vitamin Blue Inc fell 10%. Of course, small cap OTC stocks making large single digit or double digit moves in either direction aren�� all that unusual. Moreover, all of these small caps have been the subject of paid promotions. With that in mind, here is a closer look at all three to help you decide on an investing or trading strategy:

• [By Peter Graham]

  Small cap marijuana stocks Smart Ventures Inc (OTCMKTS: SMVR) and Vitamin Blue Inc (OTCMKTS: VTMB) jumped 40.28% and 38.6%, respectively, while hemp stock Astika Holdings Inc (OTCBB: ASKH) fell 13.75% on Friday. Moreover, only one of these small cap stocks seems to have been the subject of a few paid promotions or investor relations types of activities. So will all three of these marijuana or hemp stocks keep producing highs or lows for investors and traders alike? Here is a quick reality check:

Top 10 Building Product Companies To Watch In Right Now: Tree.com Inc.(TREE)

Tree.Com, Inc., through its subsidiaries, engages in lending business in the United States. It owns various brands and businesses that provide information, tools, advice, products, and services for consumers looking to comparison shop for loans, real estate, and other services from businesses and professionals. The company?s LendingTree Loans segment originates, processes, approves, and funds various types of residential real estate loans primarily under the LendingTree Loans brand name. It offers a range of adjustable and fixed rate mortgage loans, including conforming and prime loans, as well as non-conforming and FHA loans. This segment sources its leads through online and telephone services, as well as through various non-LendingTree channels, such as third-party online lead aggregators and direct mail marketing campaigns. Its Exchanges segment consists of online lead generation networks under the LendingTree.com, GetSmart.com, DegreeTree.com, HealthTree.com, LendingT reeAutos.com, DoneRight.com, and InsuranceTree.com brands; and call centers that connect consumers and service providers, principally in the lending, higher education, home services, insurance, and automobile marketplaces. This segment also provides unsecured loans, automobile loans, credit cards, and various consumer insurance products, as well as opportunities for students seeking institutions of higher education, and home improvement professional services with contractors. The company is based in Charlotte, North Carolina.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By WWW.DAILYFINANCE.COM]

  Casper1774 Studio/Shutterstock You may not have noticed it, but recently, it's gotten easier to buy a new home. Last year, a strong housing market combined with fears that the Federal Reserve would eventually begin tapering its purchases of mortgage bonds. Together, these factors helped drive up the cost of a 30-year fixed-rate mortgage from about 3.3 percent in January 2013 to nearly 4.6 percent by September. Since then, mortgage rates have backed off those recent highs, bobbling back and forth between 4.5 percent or so, and, recently, 4.2 percent. This has helped to keep housing affordable for those who want to buy a home. But it did pose the bankers a dilemma: How could they get more people to want to buy homes in the first place, so that they could sell more mortgages? Answer: Make it easier to apply for a mortgage. Mortgage Down Payments Live Down to Their Name Last spring, lending data website LendingTree.com (TREE) released a report showing that the average down payment demanded by mortgage bankers to obtain a 30-year fixed-rate mortgage had fallen 9.4 percent since mid-2011. At 16.1 percent, it was nearly 4 full percentage points shy of the old rule of thumb that a home buyer should put 20 percent down on a new home. Six months later, average down payments had fallen to 15.73 percent of the value of a home. Now, LendingTree has put out an updated report showing that after down payment demands inched back up in 2013 (to 16.01 percent), they've begun to fall once more. At last report, mortgage bankers on average want to see a 15.78 percent down payment -- a bit more than what we saw last fall, but still continuing the downward trend in down payments. Why? One clue may be found in recent comments from Freddie Mac vice president and chief economist Frank Nothaft, who's been highlighting declines in existing-home sales, in new-home sales as well, and even in permits taken out to build houses, in a series of reports through April. If home-buying is

• [By Jake L'Ecuyer]

  Meanwhile, top decliners in the sector included Tree.Com (NASDAQ: TREE), down 4.7 percent, and Hilltop Holdings (NYSE: HTH), off 6.7 percent.

  Top Headline
  Office Depot (NYSE: ODP) reported upbeat first-quarter results and announced its plans to close at least 400 stores in the United States. For the full year, Office Depot also lifted its adjusted operating income outlook to at least $160 million versus $140 million. Office Depot posted a quarterly net loss of $109 million, or $0.21 per share, versus a year-ago loss of $17 million, or $0.06 per share.

Top 10 Building Product Companies To Watch In Right Now: MWI Veterinary Supply Inc.(MWIV)

MWI Veterinary Supply, Inc., together with its subsidiaries, engages in the distribution of animal health products to veterinarians in the United States and the United Kingdom. It primarily offers pharmaceuticals, vaccines, parasiticides, diagnostics, capital equipment, supplies, specialty products, veterinary pet food, and nutritional products. The company?s pharmaceutical products include anesthetics, analgesics, antibiotics, ophthalmics, and hormones; vaccine products consist of small animal, equine, and production animal biologicals; and parasiticides are used for control of fleas, ticks, flies, mosquitoes, and internal parasites. Its diagnostics products comprise consumable in-clinic tests for detecting heartworm, lyme, feline leukemia, and parvovirus, as well as consumable products for measuring blood chemistry, electrolyte balance, and cell counts; capital equipment products include anesthesia machines, surgical monitors, diagnostic equipment, dental machines, cage s, lights, and x-ray machines; and supplies consists of syringes, instruments, bandages, IV products, surgical consumables, grooming materials, and other small equipment items. The company?s veterinary pet foods products include foods for specialty diets and premium pet foods; and nutritional products comprise dietary supplements, vitamins, dental chews, and specialty treats. As of September 30, 2011, it served approximately 24,000 veterinary practices in the United States; and 1,500 veterinary practices in the United Kingdom. The company was formerly known as MWI Holdings, Inc. and changed its name to MWI Veterinary Supply, Inc. in April 2005. MWI Veterinary Supply, Inc. was founded in 1976 and is headquartered in Boise, Idaho.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Rupert Hargreaves]

  Pet-related companies are highly sought after
  Having said that, it would appear that in comparison to the rest of the pet-related sector, Zoetis is fairly valued. Peer MWI Veterinary Supply (NASDAQ: MWIV  ) trades at 27 times forward earnings, and again the company is highly defensive, engaging in the distribution of animal health products to veterinarians in the United States and the United Kingdom. Veterinary supply is exposed to the same demand factors as Zoetis -- greater demand for animal treatments will lead to more demand for the distribution of animal health products.

• [By Ben Levisohn]

  Overvalued companies include MWI Veterinary (MWIV) and�Stericycle (SRCL), while companies with attractive valuations include Cardinal Health (CAH), Selected Medical (SEM). He’s not a fan of Intrexon (XON) but calls�Aratana (PETX) a “hidden gem.”

• [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 MWI Veterinary Supply (Nasdaq: MWIV  ) , whose recent revenue and earnings are plotted below.

Top 10 Building Product Companies To Watch In Right Now: Clean Energy Fuels Corp.(CLNE)

Clean Energy Fuels Corp., together with its subsidiaries, provides natural gas as an alternative fuel for vehicle fleets in the United States and Canada. The company designs, builds, operates, and maintains fueling stations, as well as supplies compressed natural gas (CNG) and liquefied natural gas (LNG) fuel for medium and heavy-duty vehicles. Its CNG is used in automobiles, light to medium-duty vehicles, refuse trucks, and transit buses as an alternative to gasoline and diesel. The company also sells non-lubricated natural gas compressors and related equipment used in CNG and LNG stations; and produces renewable natural gas, which is used as vehicle fuel or sold for power generation. In addition, it offers vehicle finance services for the purchase of natural gas vehicles, as well as for the conversion of gasoline or diesel powered vehicles to operate on natural gas. Further, the company provides natural gas conversions, alternative fuel systems, application engineering, service and warranty support, and research and development services for natural gas vehicles. As of December 31, 2011, it served approximately 530 fleet customers with approximately 25,000 natural gas vehicles; and owned, operated, or supplied 273 natural gas fueling stations in 23 states within the United States, and British Columbia and Ontario within Canada, as well as in Peru. Clean Energy Fuels Corp. was incorporated in 2001 and is headquartered in Seal Beach, California.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Matthew DiLallo]

  Another major future demand driver will come from transportation, where gas-to-liquids and compressed natural gas, or CNG are expected to sop up another 3.1 Bcf/d of incremental demand. Driving this demand, at least on the CNG side, is Clean Energy Fuels (NASDAQ: CLNE  ) , which is building America's Natural Gas Highway. What should be noted, though, is that Clean Energy has a lot more potential outside the CNG market. While CNG has the potential to displace 5.5 billion gallons of fuel per year in transit buses and garbage trucks, the bigger market is the LNG potential for the long-haul truck market, which is a 25 billion-gallon-a-year market. If Clean Energy can make inroads into that market, it could add significant demand for natural gas in the coming years that's not reflected on the next chart.

• [By Matthew DiLallo]

  On the other hand, one company has already built the highway of the future. Clean Energy Fuels (NASDAQ: CLNE  ) expects to have 150 natural gas refueling stations open by the end of the year as part of its plan to build America's Natural Gas Highway. These stations would refuel a truck in the same amount of time as conventional gasoline. So when compared with Tesla, which currently has only about two dozen Supercharger stations open, natural gas is faster and more readily available.

• [By Arjun Sreekumar]

  One stock to play the shift to NGVs
  One company investing heavily in natural gas fueling stations in Texas, as well as across the country, is Clean Energy Fuels (NASDAQ: CLNE  ) . The California-based company is the largest provider of natural gas fuel for transportation in North America and already fuels tens of thousands of vehicles every day at various locations across the United States and Canada.

• [By Doug Ehrman]

  The LNG highway
  LNG is not only impacting rail, but trucking as well. Clean Energy Fuels (NASDAQ: CLNE  ) is championing America's Natural Gas Highway to build LNG fueling stations across the country to allow truck freight to move solely on the alternate fuel. While Union Pacific stock is not heavily reliant on intermodal ��shipping containers that can move by ship, rail, or truck ��the appeal for intermodal is obvious. As companies become less reliant of diesel and more reliant on LNG, Clean Energy may be able to expand to supply major railroads as well. The interconnectedness between rail and trucking is long-established and should not be overlooked.

Target says pay for ousted CEO too high

Bowing to shareholder complaints that Target CEO Gregg Steinhafel's pay was too high, Target's board slashed his 2013 compensation by 37% and said the since-fired executive will have to pay back more than $5.4 million in retirement benefits.

Steinhafel, a 35-year Target veteran, was ousted May 5 following a computer hacking scandal that impacted millions of customers, plunging earnings and an ill-fated store expansion into Canada. In his last full year as CEO, Steinhafel's compensation sank to $12.9 million from $20.6 million in 2012, Target said Monday it its annual proxy.

In an era of increasingly large CEO pay packages, Target's board said it had "exercised negative discretion'' last year, giving Steinhafel and other senior managers no short-term incentive awards. Other execs, including interim CEO John Mulligan, had compensation fall 10% to 16%.

Target's proxy terms Steinhafel's exit as an "involuntary termination," but he remains in an advisory role until August and is bonus-eligible based on the company's 2014 financial performance. And while he's losing about $1.5 million from his pension, Steinhafel's golden parachute is worth more than $54 million, including $43 million in deferred compensation, $7.2 million in severance and $4 million in stock. Steinhafel also gained nearly $14 million from stock options and vested shares last year, Target said.

The company did not disclose which shareholders had pressured the board on executive pay, but said it had met with two proxy advisory firms and those representing 40% of outstanding shares.

Target's board will also make it harder for executives to receive generous pay packages. It's ending stock option grants and replacing restricted stock grants with performance-based equity awards based on shareholder return.

Two other shareholder proposals are heading to a vote at Target's annual meeting on June 11.

Richard Will wants Target eliminate company paid perks, including car allowances, personal use of company a! ircraft, financial management expenses, executive physicals, parking and spousal travel. "Their total compensation seems to be sufficient to enable these executives to be able to pay easily for these perquisites,'' Will says.

Target, which wants Will's proposal rejected, says eliminating executive perks would "put the company at a competitive disadvantage by eliminating a common pay element."

Another shareholder, long-time activist John Chevedden, wants Target to split the roles of CEO and Chairman, saying companies who have separate board chairs have improved corporate governance.

Target says separating the jobs would not deliver additional shareholder benefits.

Target's total shareholder return over the past three years is 11%.

Next Round: The pursuit of hoppiness

Big, bold, hoppy beers have a massive following, and brewers continue to experiment, coaxing new expressions from that key herbaceous ingredient.

One outcome is a growing number of lower-alcohol ales that boast big hop flavor. At the same time, other hop-heavy beers achieve tasty results by balancing other ingredients with culinary precision.

The result means more stops on your search for the perfect quaff:

Flying Dog Easy IPA (out now in the mid-Atlantic and elsewhere by May 15, on draft and in six-packs, flyingdogbrewery.com). This fresh, lemongrassy India Pale Ale has a formidable and unique bitterness – Flying Dog says a proprietary hop blend is used – but a low-alcohol profile at only 4.7%.

Originated as a staff-chosen, limited release beer, Easy IPA will now now available year-round. And, as with other Flying Dog beers, the label features eye-catching, iconic artwork created by Ralph Steadman.

Goose Island The Ogden (available nationally, on tap and in four-packs, gooseisland.com). The beloved brewer offers a visa to those who have yet to explore the Belgian Tripel, a classic beer style. A spicy, yeasty aroma with hints of bubblegum and banana greets the nose here.

STORY: New trends in craft beer

The time-honored sweetness and complexity of the style gets a twist from this beer getting a dose of Citra hops near the finish of its fermenting process. The Ogden, named after the first mayor of Chicago, increases in flavor as it warms, as does the evident heft of its 9% alcohol level.

Terrapin Hopzilla (available regionally 11 states and Washington, D.C., terrapinbeer.com) Just in time for the latest cinematic iteration of Godzilla – out Friday and evidently an improvement over the 1998 sequel –comes this Athens, Ga.-based brewery's double India Pale Ale. (So-called DIPAs deliver bitterness and booze levels that surpass typical IPAs).

Despite the beer's monstrous name, you need not flee to salvage your taste buds. Hopzilla doesn't devast! ate your palate with overpowering hoppiness, despite its whopping 110 IBUs (International Bitterness Units, a measurement of bitterness) – a typical IPA comes in at about 55 to 70, according to The Oxford Companion to Beer by Garrett Oliver, brewmaster for Brooklyn Brewery.

The traditional English malt used helps achieve a harmonic caramel, nutty aroma and taste. And there's a citrusy essence from the Citra dry-hopping, done here as was done with The Ogden. Even with the 10.7% alcohol level, this is a smooth sipper.

Next Round will take a regular look at new and recently released craft beers. If there's one on your radar, or if you have suggestions or questions, contact Mike Snider via e-mail. And follow Snider on Twitter: @MikeSnider.

Top Blue Chip Companies To Watch In Right Now

Bloomberg News

Stocks rallied the most in 10 months Thursday in a relief rally touched off by signs that lawmakers were moving toward an agreement to increase the debt ceiling and avoid a default.

Based on preliminary numbers, the blue chip Dow Jones industrial average gained 323.09 points, or 2.2%, to 15,126.10. The broad market S&P 500 index added 32.36 points, or nearly 2%, to 1,688.76 and the Nasdaq composite index surged 82.97 points, or 2.25%, to 3,760.75.

Dow up 300 points! Do investors really think we were that close to default yesterday, and that far away from default today? #stillshutdown

Top Blue Chip Companies To Watch In Right Now: International Business Machines Corporation(IBM)

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

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Dividends4Life]

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• [By Matt Koppenheffer]

  Brendan Mathews: Toward the end of the meeting, a shareholder asked about IBM's (NYSE: IBM  ) moat. Warren basically sidestepped the question, saying he didn't understand IBM's moat as well as Coca-Cola's (NYSE: KO  ) . According to Buffett, He likes IBM's financial policies and thinks it will do well, but he feels more conviction in Coca-Cola, Wrigley, Heinz (NYSE: HNZ  ) , and Burlington Northern Santa Fe.

• [By Selena Maranjian]

  Alamy April is Financial Literacy Month, and our goal is to help you raise your money IQ. In this series, we'll tackle key economic concepts -- ones that affect your everyday finances and investments -- to help you make smarter choices with every dollar decision you face. Today's term: net worth. In a nutshell, net worth is what you get when you subtract liabilities from assets -- what you owe from what you own. Like many economic and financial terms, net worth can apply in a variety of situations. If you're evaluating a company for your portfolio,you might glance at its balance sheet to get a handle on its net worth. Balance sheets break out assets (such as cash, inventory, and receivables) and liabilities (such as debt and accounts payable). Subtracting the latter from the former gives you net worth, which is also referred to in this context as shareholders' equity or book value. Here's an example: As of the end of 2012, IBM's (IBM) assets totaled $119 billion, and its liabilities totaled $100 billion. Thus, its net worth, or shareholders' equity, was $19 billion. Net Worth in Our Lives Each of us has an individual net worth, too, and it's arrived at in similar fashion. First, grab a sheet of paper and list all your assets. These would include the contents of your bank accounts, your investments, the equity you have in your home, your retirement accounts, the current value of your car(s), the value of your jewelry, the contents of your wallet or purse, and so on. Be thorough -- your sizable board game collection might be worth several thousand dollars, for example. Next, list all your liabilities, or debts. These would include what you owe on your mortgage or car loan, your credit card debt, any school loans outstanding, and any other debt, such as a home equity loan. Finally, subtract the liabilities from the assets. What's left is your net worth. Ideally, your net worth is positive and will grow over time. If your net worth is in negative territory,

Top Blue Chip Companies To Watch In Right Now: Apple Inc.(AAPL)

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

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Rex Moore]

  The much-hyped Samsung Galaxy S4 smartphone will be available in the U.S. beginning this week with some carriers. In this multipart series, Fool analysts Rex Moore and Andrew Tonner talk about what the launch means in the marketplace. Today, they discuss whether BlackBerry (NASDAQ: BBRY  ) is falling farther behind Samsung and Apple (NASDAQ: AAPL  ) .

• [By Evan Niu, CFA, CFA, Erin Kennedy, and Eric Bleeker, CFA]

  With�Apple's (NASDAQ: AAPL  ) iPhone event on Tuesday, the next major version of iOS won't be far behind. iOS 7 is the biggest revamp to date of Apple's critically important mobile operating system and could be considered a catalyst in its own right.�Google� (NASDAQ: GOOG  ) Android offers a compelling alternative at lower price points, but iOS is more differentiated.�

• [By Rick Munarriz]

  June 10
  Apple (NASDAQ: AAPL  ) is in an unusual position as it heads into next week's WWDC 2013 powwow for developers.

  The consumer tech giant was on top of the world during last year's five-day showcase for developers, but now -- with the stock off by more than 20% since last year's fete -- it's time for answers.

• [By James Brumley]

  JCPenney’s woes have been more than adequately documented. Ron Johnson effectively drove the company into the ground in an effort to make the value-oriented retailer look and feel like Apple (AAPL) stores, and it didn’t work. While he was finally ousted and former CEO Mike Ullman stepped back into the role in April, by that time it was too late.

Top Cheapest Stocks To Invest In Right Now: Visa Inc.(V)

Visa Inc., a payments technology company, engages in the operation of retail electronic payments network worldwide. It facilitates commerce through the transfer of value and information among financial institutions, merchants, consumers, businesses, and government entities. The company owns and operates VisaNet, a global processing platform that provides transaction processing services. It also offers a range of payments platforms, which enable credit, charge, deferred debit, debit, and prepaid payments, as well as cash access for consumers, businesses, and government entities. The company provides its payment platforms under the Visa, Visa Electron, PLUS, and Interlink brand names. In addition, it offers value-added services, including risk management, issuer processing, loyalty, dispute management, value-added information, and CyberSource-branded services. The company is headquartered in San Francisco, California.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Chris Hill]

  Visa (NYSE: V  ) and Under Armour (NYSE: UA  ) hit new all-time highs. General Motors (NYSE: GM  ) appears to be turning the corner in Europe. And second-quarter profits for Crocs (NASDAQ: CROX  ) fell a whopping 43%. In this installment of Investor Beat, Motley Fool analysts David Hanson and Jason Moser discuss four stocks making moves on Thursday.

• [By Matt Thalman]

  Before we get to the Dow's biggest losers of the week, let's review its top performer. Visa (NYSE: V  ) gained 4.99% this past week, following a big gain on Friday after American Express reported better-than-expected results for the fourth quarter and a massive increase in customer spending. If the same spending trend holds true for Visa, it should see a huge boost in revenue and, more importantly, profits when it reports earnings on Jan. 30. �

• [By Wallace Witkowski]

  This will be a ��ow-a-day��week of quarterly results with Merck & Co. (MRK) �on Monday, Pfizer Inc. (PFE) �on Tuesday, Visa Inc. (V) �on Wednesday, Exxon Mobil Corp. (XOM) �on Thursday, and Chevron Corp. (CVX) �on Friday.

• [By Grace L. Williams]

  Many critics of that settlement have said Amex’s existing surcharging rules would prevent them from surcharging Visa (V) and MasterCard (MA) credit cards.

Top Blue Chip Companies To Watch In Right Now: McDonald's Corporation(MCD)

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

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Louis Navellier] Popular Posts: 3 Stocks That Just Aced Their Exams3 Stocks to Avoid On Their Way Down – TZOO, UIS, ISRGGoogle Stock Split Is All Good For GOOG Investors Recent Posts: MCD Earnings Clouds McDonald’s Stock Outlook (MCD) 3 Media Stocks Lighting Up Your Entertainment World Buzz Words You Need to Know to Profit This Earnings Season View All Posts

  Welcome to the Stock of the Day.

• [By Wallace Witkowski]

  Other earnings highlights in the coming week include Dow components McDonald�� Corp. (MCD) , DuPont (DD) , AT&T Inc. (T) , and Procter & Gamble Co. (PG) . Notable S&P 500 companies include Halliburton Co. (HAL) , Netflix Inc. (NFLX) �, Amgen Inc. (AMGN) �, TripAdvisor Inc. (TRIP) �, Amazon.com Inc. (AMZN) �, Colgate-Palmolive Co. (CL) �, Ford Motor Co. (F) �, Dow Chemical Co. (DOW) �, and United Parcel Service Inc. (UPS) �

• [By Garrett Baldwin]

  Sin Stocks to Buy: McDonald's Corp. (NYSE: MCD)

  McDonald's Corp. (NYSE: MCD), home of the Big Mac, remains one of the most reliable streams of income for international investors.

• [By Mike Deane]

  McDonald’s (MCD) announced a 0.5% rise in its global comparable sales for November, with a decrease in U.S. sales offset by an increase in sales overseas.

  The U.S. comps declined 0.8%, due to competition and flat industry traffic trends. In Europe for November, sales rose 1.9%, bolstered by sales in the U.K., �France and Russia. European sales made this small increase due to McDonald’s focusing on the pricing tiers of its menu, and promotional events. The company’s APMEA market (Asia/Pacific, Middle East and Africa) fell 2.8%, because of falling sales in Japan. The company is now “pursuing customer-focused initiatives that broaden accessibility and enhance value across all daypart,” according to its new release.

  McDonald’s President and CEO Don Thompson had the following comments about November’s sales: “Throughout the McDonald’s System we’re focused on satisfying our customers by providing a differentiated experience that delivers high-quality food and meaningful value in a comfortable and modern environment. As consumer expectations and the marketplace continue to evolve, we are making investments in our menu, restaurants and service to strengthen our connection with customers and build our business for long-term profitable growth.”

  McDonald’s stocks were down just 65 cents, or 0.67%, in pre-market trading Monday morning. YTD, the company’s stock is up 7.41%.

Top Blue Chip Companies To Watch In Right Now: Colgate-Palmolive Company(CL)

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

• [By Dan Caplinger]

  Procter & Gamble (NYSE: PG  ) will release its quarterly report on Friday, and investors have watched the stock hit new all-time record highs in November before falling back in the past two months. Despite the optimism, Procter & Gamble earnings face pressure from international giant Unilever (NYSE: UL  ) as well as domestic rivals Colgate-Palmolive (NYSE: CL  ) and Kimberly-Clark (NYSE: KMB  ) . The question facing investors is whether P&G can sustain its longtime competitive advantages against its rivals and bolster its growth.

• [By Dan Caplinger]

  One concern, though, is how the company handled news of Venezuela's currency devaluation. Clorox (NYSE: CLX  ) and Colgate-Palmolive (NYSE: CL  ) also felt the pinch, with Clorox taking about a $0.05 to $0.10 per-share earnings hit and Colgate losing about $0.50 per share. But they also addressed the potential devaluation more proactively than P&G did. Clorox actually�anticipated�the devaluation in its February earnings report, projecting the potential hit if a devaluation took place. Colgate didn't provide specific guidance in advance but clearly saw it as an issue, delivering on a promise to give prompt guidance revisions after the devaluation occurred.

• [By Lee Jackson]

  Colgate-Palmolive Co. (NYSE: CL) is a top consumer staples name to make the UBS. Colgate sells its products in more than 200 countries and makes more than 75% of its revenue outside the United States, which provides geographic diversification and growth opportunities in emerging markets for the company. This diversity, matched with a huge list of consumer products, keeps revenues and dividends growing. Investors are paid a 2.3% dividend. The consensus target is $67.14. Colgate closed Tuesday at $64.34.

Top Blue Chip Companies To Watch In Right Now: Chevron Corporation(CVX)

Chevron Corporation, through its subsidiaries, engages in petroleum, chemicals, mining, power generation, and energy operations worldwide. It operates in two segments, Upstream and Downstream. The Upstream segment involves in the exploration, development, and production of crude oil and natural gas; processing, liquefaction, transportation, and regasification associated with liquefied natural gas; transportation of crude oil through pipelines; and transportation, storage, and marketing of natural gas, as well as holds interest in a gas-to-liquids project. The Downstream segment engages in the refining of crude oil into petroleum products; marketing of crude oil and refined products primarily under the Chevron, Texaco, and Caltex brand names; transportation of crude oil and refined products by pipeline, marine vessel, motor equipment, and rail car; and manufacture and marketing of commodity petrochemicals, plastics for industrial uses, and fuel and lubricant additives. It a lso produces and markets coal and molybdenum; and holds interests in 13 power assets with a total operating capacity of approximately 3,100 megawatts, as well as involves in cash management and debt financing activities, insurance operations, real estate activities, energy services, and alternative fuels and technology business. Chevron Corporation has a joint venture agreement with China National Petroleum Corporation. The company was formerly known as ChevronTexaco Corp. and changed its name to Chevron Corporation in May 2005. Chevron Corporation was founded in 1879 and is based in San Ramon, California.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Charley Blaine]

  Chevron Corp. (NYSE: CVX) shares are trading at $111.70. That is about 1% above the 52-week low of $110.54 and down about 10.5% on the year. The second-largest oil company reported a 26% decline in fourth-quarter profits, thanks to low oil prices, and it has seen oil and gas production levels decline. The consensus price target is $130.53, which is 16.7% above the current price.

• [By WALLSTCHEATSHEET]

  Chevron provides essential energy products and services to a wide range of companies operating in different industries around the world. The stock has been on a bullish run for the last several years and is now trading near all-time high prices. Earnings and revenue figures have been mixed but investors have been pleased during most of the last four quarters. Relative to its peers and sector, Chevron has led in year-to-date performance by a wide margin. Look for Chevron to continue to OUTPERFORM.

• [By Tyler Crowe]

  Even though the country has so much oil, it has struggled to keep up production growth and has asked for outside help. This week, Venezuela has signed financing deals with Chevron (NYSE: CVX  ) , Schlumberger (NYSE: SLB  ) , and Russia's Rosneft that will total $5.6 to expand production. The country hopes to increase production from 3 to 5 million barrels per day by 2015.

Top Blue Chip Companies To Watch In Right Now: Philip Morris International Inc(PM)

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

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Tim McAleenan Jr.]

  And lastly, Mankiw mentions emerging markets. If you want to bet against the United States dollar and own a company that generates all of its profits outside the United States, it could be useful to take a look at Philip Morris International (PM). Asia makes up 37% of its profits. The Middle East, Africa, and Eastern Europe make up 27% of its profits. Smoking rates in countries like Indonesia are increasing at 10-25% annual rates. The Marlboro brand is gaining market share in Asia. The company is planning aggressive expansion into Central Africa. If you want emerging markets exposure, Philip Morris International could be a decent way to cover your bases.