Top 5 Dow Dividend Stocks To Buy Right Now

Top 5 Dow Dividend Stocks To Buy Right Now: API Technologies Corp (ATNY)

API Technologies Corp. (API), incorporated on February 2, 1999, designs, develops and manufactures systems, subsystems, radio frequency (RF) and secure communications products, as well as provides electronics manufacturing and engineering services. Its product lines include engineered products (including unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), aiming systems and synthesizers), secure communications products (including TEMPEST and emanation security, encryption and secure networking products), subsystems and components (including custom hybrids, terminals, transistors and magnetics), RF and microwave products (including custom filters, amplifiers, connectors and antennas), sensors, and power systems. It operates in two segments: Systems & Subsystems, and Secure Systems & Information Assurance. In June 2013, API sold its Data Bus product line to Data Device Corporation.

The Company offers engineering services (including engineering and design for payloads, ground contr ol systems and commercial product design) and electronics manufacturing services (EMS), such as new product introductions (NPI) and prototypes, turnkey manufacturing and printed circuit board (PCB) assembly. It operates in North America, the United Kingdom, Mexico and China.

Systems & Subsystems

The Systems & Subsystems segment includes the products and services of its operating subsidiaries Spectrum, API Defense Inc., API Defense USA Inc., API Systems Inc., SenDEC, National Hybrid Group, API Electronics, Inc., TM Systems, Keytronics, Filtran Limited and Microwave Technology, Inc. (CMT). Its products and services include RF /microwave solutions, Engineered Systems and Products, Subsystems and Hybrids, Electronics Manufacturing Services, Power Solutions, Sensors and Measurement and Engineering Services. It specializes in the developmen! t of custom Integrated Microwave Assemblies (IMAs). It develops and markets engineered systems and products, used fo r force protection, communication, surveillance and reconnai! ssance. Featured solutions include Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) and systems, Unmanned Ground Vehicle (UGV) systems, aiming systems and synthesizers.

The Company's Custom designed and off-the-shelf subsystems from API support mission critical applications, such as communication equipment, aircraft subsystems systems, computer peripherals, process control equipment, and instrumentation. Featured products include custom hybrids, terminals, transistors and magnetics solutions. It deliver Electronics Manufacturing Services (EMS), including: New Product Introductions (NPI) and prototypes, turnkey manufacturing, Printed Circuit Board (PCB) assembly, electro-mechanical assembly, systems integration, test engineering, turnkey box build and supply chain services. Its power products offer commercial and defense customer's superior power and energy efficiency. Products span power systems management, distribution, and panels, and custom-designed power supplies for de fense and aerospace applications.

The Company offers a range of precision sensors and control products, including position sensing solutions for precision guided munitions, gyros, accelerometers, and inertial measurement sensors for defense and aerospace applications, and position and temperature sensors for industrial and commercial applications. It offers a range of design and engineering services for both defense and commercial customers. Featured areas of expertise include payloads, ground control systems, RF, microwave and millimeterwave.

Secure Systems & Information Assurance

The Secure Systems & Information Assurance segment includes the products and services of its subsidiaries Cryptek, Emcon Emanation Control Inc., Secure Systems and Technologies and the Ion Networks division. API offers customers various ! secure ne! twork and hardware solutions, including Emanation Security, Tempest and secures network access, ruggedized systems and secure networking products. Its products are marketed u! nder the ! Cryptek, ION, Emcon, SST and Netgard brand names. These product offerings are sold to governments and other international organizations that require the level of security in the areas of identity validation, network access management, TEMPEST network intrusion prevention, and secure and encrypted fax, computers and telephones.

The Company's products and services include Emanation Security and TEMPEST Products, Secure Networking Products, Encryption and Professional Services. The Company's emanation security products include computing systems, network and communications systems and office systems. Its security appliances and software intelligently enables secure information sharing and systems management across organizations and technologies. Service providers, IT and communications equipment manufacturers, enterprises and government agencies rely on its secure networking products for secure systems for remote management, database guards for secure informatio n sharing and secure virtual enclaves.

The Company's encryption products and services enable Federal, State and Local governments, Department of Defense agencies, the Department of Homeland Security and the Armed Services to interoperate securely across organizational boundaries and untrusted systems. Its professional services include information assurance and secure networking architecture and design solutions, emanation security testing and engineering and security certification and validation.

The Company competes with Aeroflex, Incorporated, Anaren Inc., Data Devices Inc., Kratos Defense & Security Solutions, Inc., DRS.Finmeccanica, Ducommun Incorporated, Cobham plc, Comtech EF Data Corp. and M/A-COM Technology Solutions Inc.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Laura Brodbeck]

  Thursday

  ! Earning! s Expected From: Lindsay Corporation (NYSE: LNN), Emmis Communications Corporation (NASDAQ: EMMS), API Technologies Corp. (NASDAQ: ATNY) Economic Releases Expected: Australian unemployment rate, Japanese consumer confidence, French industrial output, Italian industrial output, Bank of England interest rate decision, US initial and continuing jobless claims

  Friday

source from Top Stocks For 2015:http://www.topstocksblog.com/top-5-dow-dividend-stocks-to-buy-right-now.html

GAO: Trusted-traveler programs are popular

Enrollment in trusted-traveler programs to win expedited processing at border crossings quadrupled during the last five years, according to a Government Accountability Office report Friday.

But Customs and Border Protection has had trouble keeping up with the applications, according to the 76-page report.

Global Entry, a program to expedite the return of air travelers from overseas, led the way by topping 1 million members by January, according to the GAO.

The other programs are Nexus with 950,393 members for crossing the northern border, Sentri with 369,745 members for crossing the southern border and Fast with 78,414 members among commercial truckers at northern and southern borders.

With nearly 1 million people entering land, sea and air borders each day, the advantage to the expedited programs is getting through customs and immigration lines faster.

Global Entry costs $100 for five years. Applicants provide biographical information and travel history for a criminal-background check, then fingerprints and an interview.

If successful, participants can swipe their passport at an airport kiosk, which digitally takes their customs declaration, and then skip the line processing hundreds of other people from the flight.

"Trusted travelers generally experience shorter wait times than regular travelers," the GAO said.

Customs and Border Protection calculated it saved $15.5 million in personnel costs at border inspection booths last year, according to Jim Crumpacker, director of Department of Homeland Security's office dealing with the GAO.

Of the 31 airports with kiosks, the biggest share of travelers using Global Entry are Houston's Bush and Raleigh-Durham at 5% and Chicago's O'Hare, Dallas/Fort Worth, Denver, Newark, Salt Lake City and Washington's Dulles at 4%.

Customs and Border Protection is also allowing citizens of Germany, Qatar, Panama and the United Kingdom to participate in Global Entry, and has agreements to include Israel and Saudi Arabi! a.

Trusted traveler programs have become popular. Applications grew to 895,830 last year from 233,833 in 2009, according to GAO.

Enrollments grew to 857,529 last year from 209,117 in 2009, GAO said.

The use of Global Entry kiosks nearly doubled to 1.9 million entries last year from 1.1 million in 2012. But there is room for growth, with 77 million entries from aboard at airports last year.

By August 2013, Customs and Border Protection had a backlog of 90,000 applications awaiting vetting and 33,000 applicants awaiting interviews. At that point, the agency reduced the maximum length of interviews to 15 minutes from 20.

The agency also eliminated interviews for renewals that didn't have any derogatory material against the applicant. One enrollment center holds group briefings for new members about how the programs work.

Economy shrank 1% in 1Q, first drop since 2011

The U.S. economy shrank in the first quarter for the first time in three years as businesses increased inventories more slowly than initially believed, and bad weather hampered activity.

In the first three months of 2014, the nation's gross domestic product fell at a 1% annual rate, vs. the 0.1% increase first estimated, the Commerce Department said Thursday. Economists expected the report to show that the nation's output declined about a half a percentage point compared with the fourth quarter.

The last time the economy contracted was in the first quarter of 2011.

FIRST TAKE: Weak 1Q growth points to 2Q rebound

Last quarter's drop was largely due to businesses boosting inventories more slowly after aggressively adding to them late last year.

Adverse winter weather also contributed to the contracting economy. Non-residential construction plunged 7.5%, vs. the 0.2% gain initially estimated.

And state and local government spending fell 1.8%, vs. an initial estimate of 1.3%.

On the positive side, consumer spending rose 3.1%, slightly more than the 3% first believed. And housing construction declined 5%, less than the initial estimate of 5.7%.

Exports also fell less sharply — at a 6% annual rate, vs. the 7.6% first estimated.

Economists wrote off the weak quarter as a temporary bump in the road to a faster recovery.

"For those worried about a recession, it's worth remembering that employment increased by nearly 300,000 in April," economist Paul Ashworth of Capital Economics said in a research note. "Those numbers point to a recovery gathering some real momentum at last."

Economists expect growth to accelerate this year now that consumers have shed much of the debt they amassed in the mid-2000's, and federal government spending cuts have eased. The housing recovery, meanwhile, is expected to regain momentum after faltering in the first quarter.

Jim O'Sullivan, chief U.S. economist of High Frequency Economics, predicts economic growth w! ill run at a 4% annual pace in the current quarter as businesses and consumers make up for reduced spending early this year. Many economists expect growth to exceed 3% the rest of this year and in 2015.

Since the recovery began in June 2009, the economy has grown at a lackluster 2% pace but increased to more than 3% the second half of last year, fueling hope that stronger gains were at hand.

Several economic reports for April have been encouraging, with business investment, home sales and employment advancing from previous months.

U.S. economic growth

Percent change in U.S. gross domestic product, which is the value of all goods and services produced in the United States. Change from previous quarter, annual rate:

Sponsored by %Bureau of Economic Analysis from Haver Analytics

Top Solar Companies To Own In Right Now

Top S olar Companies To Own In Right Now: Hanwha SolarOne Co. Ltd.(HSOL)

Hanwha Solarone Co., Ltd., an investment holding company, engages in the manufacture and sale of silicon ingots, silicon wafers, and PV cells and modules. The company also offers mono crystalline and multi crystalline silicon cells; and provides PV module processing services. It sells its products to solar power system integrators and distributors primarily in Germany, Italy, Australia, the United States, the Czech Republic, Spain, and China. The company was formerly known as Solarfun Power Holdings Co., Ltd. and changed its name to Hanwha SolarOne Co., Ltd. in December 2010. Hanwha Solarone Co., Ltd. was founded in 2004 and is based in Qidong, the People?s Republic of China.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Sean Williams]

  Lights out, China
  China may have its fair share of struggles -- which has caused its strong economy to back off its 30-year average growth rate of 10% -- but when push comes to shove, plenty of investors are still paying close attention to multinational companies making investments in China. However, if there were one sector with a gigantic "beware" stamp attached to it, it would be Chinese solar panel producers like Hanwha SolarOne (NASDAQ: HSOL  ) .

• [By Rebecca McClay]

  The tech market's news today includes a plunge in Hanwha SolarOne Co. Ltd. (Nasdaq: HSOL) shares, which are down 5% in morning trade after its second-quarter loss narrowed to $0.32 per share from a loss of $0.43 in Q1.

• [By Travis Hoium]

  News and notes
  Hanwha SolarOne (NASDAQ: HSOL  ) announced another $100 million in financing this week, this time a term loan from the Export-Import Bank of Korea.

source from Top Penny Stocks For 2015:http://www.seekpennystocks.com/top-solar-companies-to-own-in-right-now.html

Top 5 Transportation Stocks To Own For 2015

Same-day delivery remains an area of intense interest for eBay (NASDAQ: EBAY  ) and Google (NASDAQ: GOOG  ) . It offers the promise of almost instant gratification when shopping online, which could potentially drive more commerce online. Both of these companies have teamed up with local retailers in an effort to save on transportation costs and shipping time. If successful, this could threaten shippers like UPS (NYSE: UPS  ) and FedEx (NYSE: FDX  ) . In this video, Fool contributor Steve Heller sits down with Erin Miller to discuss what same-day deliveries could mean for shippers.

As one of the most dominant Internet companies ever, Google has made a habit of driving strong returns for its shareholders. However, like many other Web companies, it's also struggling to adapt to an increasingly mobile world. Despite gaining an enviable lead with its Android operating system, the market isn't sold. That's why it's more important than ever to understand each piece of Google's sprawling empire. In The Motley Fool's premium research report on Google, we break down the risks and potential rewards for Google investors. Simply click here now to unlock your copy of this invaluable resource.

Top 5 Transportation Stocks To Own For 2015: Expeditors International of Washington Inc.(EXPD)

Expeditors International of Washington, Inc. provides logistics services in the United States and internationally. The company?s services include consolidation or forwarding air and ocean freight; distribution management; vendor consolidation; cargo insurance; purchase order management; and customized logistics information. Its airfreight services comprise the procurement of shipments from its customers; determination of the routing; consolidation of shipments bound for a particular airport distribution point; and selection of the airline for transportation to the distribution point. The company also offers breakbulk services that include receiving and breaking down consolidated airfreight lots and arranging for distribution of the individual shipments. Its ocean freight and ocean services include ocean freight consolidation; and handling full container loads. In addition, the company acts as a customs broker, who assists importers to clear shipments through customs by pre paring required documentation, calculating and providing for payment of duties on behalf of the importer, arranging for any required inspections by governmental agencies, and arranging for delivery; and provides other value added services at destination, such as warehousing and product distribution, time definite transportation, and inventory management. Further, it offers custom clearances for goods moving by rail and truck between the United States, Canada, and/or Mexico; and customs consulting services The company?s customers primarily include retailers, distributors of consumer electronics, department store chains, clothing and shoe wholesalers, manufacturers, and catalogue stores. Expeditors International of Washington, Inc. was founded in 1979 and is based in Seattle, Washington.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Ben Levisohn]

  Like everyone else, Deutsche Bank’s Justin Yagerman starts with his reservations: FedEx has gained 28% during the past three months, trumping the United Parcel Service�� (UPS) 14% advance, the 1.1%rise in�J.B. Hunt Transport Services�(JBHT) and the 3.9% loss in�Expeditors International of Washington�(EXPD).

• [By Ben Levisohn]

  The express-delivery company has gained 28% during the past three months, trumping the 18% return from�United Parcel Service�(UPS), the 4.6% gain in J.B. Hunt Transport Services (JBHT) and the 0.2% rise in Expeditors International of Washington�(EXPD).

Top 5 Transportation Stocks To Own For 2015: C.H. Robinson Worldwide Inc.(CHRW)

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

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By John Divine]

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

• [By Arie Goren]

  After running this screen on May 21, 2013, before the markets' open, I discovered the following eight stocks: Sunoco Logistics Partners LP (SXL), Leggett & Platt Inc (LEG), Copa Holdings SA (CPA), RPC Inc. (RES), Tupperware Brands Corp. (TUP), Herbalife Ltd. (HLF), John Wiley & Sons Inc. (JW.A) and C.H. Robinson Worldwide Inc. (CHRW).

• [By Mark Hulbert]

  The stocks are C.H. Robinson Worldwide (CHRW) �, a freight-transportation company; chip maker Cirrus Logic (CRUS) �; independent oil company Forest Oil (FST) �; investment bank Greenhill & Co. (GHL) �; Intrepid Potash (IPI) �, a fertilizer company; retailer J.C. Penney (JCP) �; Quest Diagnostics (DGX) �, a medical diagnostic company; Strayer Education (STRA) �, a for-profit college; Tower Group International (TWGP) �, an insurance company; and Windstream Holdings (WIN) �, a rural telecommunications firm.

Hot Medical Companies To Own In Right Now: Ryanair (RYAAY)

Ryanair Holdings plc (Ryanair Holdings), incorporated in 1996, is a holding company for Ryanair Limited (Ryanair). Ryanair operates a low-cost, scheduled-passenger airline serving short-haul, point-to-point routes between Ireland, the United Kingdom, Continental Europe, and Morocco. As of June 30, 2012, the Company offered approximately over 1,500 scheduled short-haul flights per day serving approximately 160 airports largely throughout Europe with an operating fleet of 294 aircraft flying approximately 1,500 routes. Ryanair sells seats on a one-way basis. The Company also holds a 29.8% interest in Aer Lingus Group plc. As of June 30, 2012, Ryanair�� operating fleet was composed of 294 Boeing 737-800 aircraft, each having 189 seats. Ryanair�� fleet totaled 294 Boeing 737-800s at March 31, 2012. As of June 30, 2012, Ryanair owned and operated four Boeing 737-800 full flight simulators for pilot training. Ryanair provides ancillary services and engages in other activities connected with its core air passenger service, including non-flight scheduled services, Internet-related services, and the in-flight sale of beverages, food, and merchandise. As part of its non-flight scheduled and Internet-related services Ryanair incentivizes ground service providers at airports it serves to levy correct excess baggage charges for any baggage, which exceeds Ryanair�� published baggage allowances. Excess baggage charges are recorded as non-flight scheduled revenue. Ryanair distributes accommodation services and travel insurance through its Website. For hotel services, Ryanair has a contract with Hotelscombined PTY Ltd. (Hotelscombined), which operates a price comparison Website, pursuant to which Hotelscombined handles all aspects of such services marketed through Ryanair�� Website and pays a fee to Ryanair. Ryanair also has contracts with other accommodation providers that enable Ryanair to offer hostel, bed-and-breakfast, guesthouse, villa and apartment accommodation to its customers. In addition Ryanair has a contract with Hertz, pursuant to which Hertz handles all car rental services marketed through Ryanair�� Website or telephone reservation system. Ryanair also sells bus and rail tickets onboard its aircraft and through its Website. Ryanair also sells attractions and activities on its Website. Ryanair sells gift vouchers on its Website, which are also redeemable online. The Company has an contract with Webloyalty International Ltd, which offers Ryanair�� customers who have a United Kingdom, German or French billing address a retail discount and cash-back program. Ryanair has agreements, pursuant to which the Company promotes Ryanair-branded credit cards issued by MBNA, GE Money, Access Prepaid and Banco Santander on its Internet site. The MBNA agreement relates to Irish residents only, the GE Money agreement relates to Swedish and Polish residents only and the Banco Santander agreement relates to United Kingdom residents only. During the fiscal year ended March 31, 2012, Ryanair rolled out handheld Electronic Point of Sale (EPOS) devices across its route network. These EPOS devices replaced manual and paper based systems on board the aircraft. The EPOS device enables cabin crew to sell and record their on-board sales transactions. The EPOS device also issues bus and rail tickets and tickets for tourist attractions. The Company also offers reserved seating in twenty-one extra legroom seats on each aircraft for a fee on certain routes. Ryanair provides its own aircraft and passenger handling and ticketing services at Dublin Airport. Third parties provide these services to Ryanair at other airports it serves. Servisair plc provides Ryanair�� ticketing, passenger and aircraft handling, and ground handling services at airports in Ireland and the United Kingdom(excluding London (Stansted) Airport where these services are provided by Swissport Ltd.), while similar services in continental Europe are provided by the local airport authorities, either directly or through sub-contractors. Advisors' Opinion:

• [By El Torero]

  Ryanair (RYAAY) just announced record annual profits of €569 million ($736 million). It expects to break that total this financial year, with predicted profits of between €570 million ($737 million) and €600 million ($776 million). The Irish airline had 79 million passengers last year and it plans on expanding that number with an aggressive expansion strategy, including a number of new routes and with legacy airlines in their sights. Importantly, with Europe deep in economic crisis still, increasing numbers of passengers choose to fly low-cost with Ryanair. With a P/E ratio of 18.52 compared to the industry average of 12.43, according to Reuters, the future looks very bright for Ryanair.

• [By Jake L'Ecuyer]

  Equities Trading UP
  Ryanair Holdings plc (NASDAQ: RYAAY) shares shot up 6.55 percent to $54.32 after the company reported full-year results. Ryanair's net profit for the year ended March 31 slipped to 522.8 million euros ($716 million), versus a year-ago profit of EUR569.3 million.

• [By Jake L'Ecuyer]

  Ryanair Holdings plc (NASDAQ: RYAAY) was also up, gaining 3.41 percent to $48.86 after the company reported FQ3 results.

  Equities Trading DOWN
  Shares of Ford Motor Co (NYSE: F) were down 3.16 percent to $14.49 after the company reported a 7% drop in its US sales in January.

• [By Jon C. Ogg]

  Ryanair Holdings PLC (NASDAQ: RYAAY) was downgraded to Neutral from Buy at UBS.

  Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE: VZ) was reiterated as Buy and on the Focus List with a $59 price target at Argus, and it was raised to Outperform at RW Baird.

Top 5 Transportation Stocks To Own For 2015: EQT Midstream Partners LP (EQM)

EQT Midstream Partners, LP owns, operates, acquires and develops midstream assets in the Appalachian Basin. The Company provides substantially all of its natural gas transmission, storage and gathering services under contracts with fixed reservation and/or usage fees. The Company focuses its operations in the Marcellus Shale fairway in southern Pennsylvania and northern West Virginia. It provides midstream services to EQT Corporation in the Appalachian Basin across 22 counties in Pennsylvania and West Virginia through its two primary assets: its transmission and storage system, which serves as a header system transmission pipeline, and its gathering system, which delivers natural gas from wells and other receipt points to transmission pipelines.

Equitrans Transmission and Storage System

As of December 31, 2011, the Company�� transmission and storage system included an approximately 700 mile FERC-regulated interstate pipeline system that connects to five interstate pipelines and multiple distribution companies, and it is supported by 14 associated natural gas storage reservoirs with approximately 400 million cubic feet per day of peak withdrawal capability and 32 billion cubic feet of working gas capacity. As of December 31, 2011, its transmission assets had total throughput capacity of approximately 1.0 trillion British thermal units per day.

Equitrans Gathering System

The Company�� gathering system consists of approximately 2,100 miles of FERC-regulated low-pressure gathering lines that have multiple delivery interconnects with its transmission and storage system and a gathering and interstate pipeline system owned and operated by Dominion Transmission, Inc.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Lee Jackson]

  EQT Midstream Partners L.P. (NYSE: EQM) has everything the Oppenheimer team is looking for: low-risk, fee-based contracts in an attractive region, low financial leverage, high distribution growth and coverage and a supportive parent with assets to sell. Oppenheimer has a $55 price target for the stock. The Thomson/First Call estimate is at $54. Investors are paid a 3.4% distribution which Oppenheimer thinks may grow to 4.3% in 2014. Remember, MLP distributions may include return of principal.

• [By Michael Flannelly]

  Goldman Sachs analysts started coverage on EQT Midstream Partners LP (EQM) early on Monday, giving the oil and natural gas distribution company a bullish rating due to its low-risk cash flows.

  The analysts rate EQM as “Buy” and see shares reaching $59. This price target suggests a 22% upside to the stock’s Friday closing price of $48.28.

  Goldman Sachs analyst Theodore Durbin said, “EQM’s FERCregulated pipeline and storage assets offer stable, low-risk fee-based cash flows supported by firm long-term contracts. A robust production outlook in the Marcellus and meaningful inventory of dropdown assets at the parent enhances distribution growth visibility. EQM has a low cost of capital, no debt outstanding, high liquidity and an aligned sponsor that should bolster the partnership�� multi-year double-digit distribution growth outlook.”

  EQT Midstream Partners shares were inactive during pre-market trading on Monday. The stock is up 54.99% year-to-date.

• [By Matt DiLallo]

  Unfortunately for XTO Energy, there was one small and, unbeknownst to anyone, unresolved matter. You see, LINN had a contract to sell its gas through a unit of Dominion Resources (NYSE: D  ) , which was gathering the gas in its system. However, LINN's gas wasn't up to the system's standards, so it began to look for another gatherer and it approached Equitrans, which is now part of EQT Midstream Partners (NYSE: EQM  ) but formerly was a unit of EQT Corp. (NYSE: EQT  ) -- they talked, but nothing was signed. However, an EQT employee later that year thought that it had and began crediting gas to the wrong company.

Top 5 Transportation Stocks To Own For 2015: Nordic American Tanker Ltd (NAT)

Nordic American Tankers Limited is an international tanker company. As of December 31, 2011, the Company owned 20 Suezmax tankers. The Company�� vessels include Nordic Harrier, Nordic Hawk, Nordic Hunter, Nordic Voyager, Nordic Freedom, Nordic Fighter, Nordic Discovery, Nordic Saturn, Nordic Jupiter, Nordic Apollo and Nordic Moon. Its vessels also include Nordic Cosmos, Nordic Sprite, Nordic Grace, Nordic Mistral, Nordic Passat, Nordic Vega, Nordic Breeze, Nordic Aurora and Nordic Zenith. In September 2011, the Company acquired the vessel, Nordic Aurora. It chartered all of its vessels in the spot market pursuant to a cooperative arrangement with Gemini Tankers LLC until November 24, 2011. In November 2011, the Orion Tankers pool was established with Orion Tankers Ltd. as pool manager and its vessels were transferred from the Gemini Tankers LLC arrangement to the Orion Tankers pool. On December 17, 2012, the Company acquired 100% interest in Scandic American Shipping Ltd. Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Roberto Pedone]

  Another shipping player that's starting to trend within range of triggering a near-term breakout trade is Nordic American Tankers (NAT), an international tanker company that owns approximately 20 modern double-hull Suezmax tankers, including four newbuilding vessels. This stock is off to a slow start in 2013, with shares off by 7.7%.

  If you take a look at the chart for Nordic American Tankers, you'll notice that this stock has been downtrending badly for the last month and change, with shares dropping from its high of $10.31 to its recent low of $7.65 a share. During that downtrend, shares of NAT have been consistently making lower highs and lower lows, which is bearish technical price action. That said, shares of NAT have just started to bounce higher off that $7.65 low and it's quickly moving within range of triggering a near-term breakout trade. This bounce could be signaling that the downside volatility for NAT is over at least in the near-term.

  Market players should now look for long-biased trades in NAT if it manages to break out above its 50-day moving average at $8.50 and then once it takes out its 200-day moving average at $8.63 a share with high volume. Look for a sustained move or close above those levels with volume that registers near or above its three-month average volume of 1.01 million shares. If that breakout triggers soon, then NAT will set up to re-test or possibly take out its next major overhead resistance levels at $9.89 to $10.31 a share.

  Traders can look to buy NAT off any weakness to anticipate that breakout and simply use a stop that sits right below some key near-term support at $7.65 a share. One can also buy NAT off strength once it clears those breakout levels with volume and then simply use a stop that sits a comfortable percentage from your entry point.

• [By Jake L'Ecuyer]

  Equities Trading DOWN
  Shares of Nordic American Tankers (NYSE: NAT) were down 10.08 percent to $7.98 after the company announced the pricing of follow-on offering.

Hot Cheap Companies For 2015

Hot Cheap Companies For 2015: 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 c! hanged its name to International Business Machines Corporation in 1924. IBM was founded in 1910 and is base d in Armonk, New York.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By GuruFocus]

  These are the top 5 holdings of Warren Buffett (Trades, Portfolio)

  Wells Fargo & Co (WFC) - 463,458,123 shares, 21.8% of the total portfolio. Coca-Cola Co (KO) - 400,000,000 shares, 14.6% of the total portfolio. American Express Co (AXP) - 151,610,700 shares, 12.9% of the total portfolio. International Business Machines Corp (IBM) - 68,355,084 shares, 12.4% of the total portfolio. Shares added by 0.34% Wal-Mart Stores Inc (WMT) - 58,052,412 shares, 4.2% of the total portfolio. Shares added by 17.32% New Purchase: Verizon Communications Inc (VZ)

  Warren Buffett (Trades, Portfolio) initiated holdings in Verizon Communications Inc. His purchase prices were between $45.98 and $49.3, with an estimated average price of $47.35. The impact to his portfolio due to this purchase was 0.5%. His holdings were 11,022,743 shares as of 03/31/2014.

• [By Tom Taulli]

  True, CSOD has competition. But most of the players are mega companies like Oracle (ORCL) and IBM (IBM), which are far from nimble. Besides, the company has the advantage of being solely focused on talent management and its platform is available for companies of all sizes.

• [By Dan Caplinger]

  On Wednesday, Cisco Systems (NASDAQ: CSCO  ) will release its quarterly report, and once again, investors expect that the networking giant will see its revenue drop. So far, Cisco has been able to keep its profits relatively stable despite the declines in sales, but with ongoing competition from IBM (NYSE: IBM  ) and Oracle (NYSE: ORCL  ) to capture enterprise customers and offer them the widest possible range of products and services -- including those related to networking -- the question Cisco Systems faces is whether it can sustain its leadership role in networks while expandi! ng to ser! ve a greater portion of its clients' overall IT needs.

source from Top Stocks Blog:http://www.topstocksblog.com/hot-cheap-companies-for-2015.html

5 Toxic Stocks to Sell Now

BALTIMORE (Stockpickr) -- On the off chance you're just checking in your portfolio after sitting out of the market for the last five months, you haven't missed much.

>>5 Stocks Under $10 Set to Soar

Since the calendar flipped to January, the S&P 500 has climbed a whopping 2.4%. Breakneck gains those aren't, particularly when compared to the nonstop rally of 2013. But even those paltry returns are wishful thinking for most investors; while the big indices are sitting just a few points shy of all-time highs, the average stock in the S&P has pulled back double-digits from their highs.

I'm not exaggerating when I say that the biggest gains this year haven't come from picking the right stocks. They've come from avoiding the wrong ones.

And as summer approaches, a growing list of names is looking very wrong. Today, I'll show you five big "toxic stocks" you need to unload before the next leg down.

>>5 Dividend Stocks Ready to Pay You More in 2014

Just to be clear, the companies I'm talking about today aren't exactly junk. By that, I mean they're not next up in line at bankruptcy court. But that's frankly irrelevant; from a technical analysis standpoint, sellers are shoving around these toxic stocks right now. For that reason, fundamental investors need to decide how long they're willing to take the pain if they want to hold onto these firms in the weeks and months ahead. And for investors looking to buy one of these positions, it makes sense to wait for more favorable technical conditions (and a lower share price) before piling in.

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

>>5 Stocks Insiders Love Right Now

So without further ado, let's take a look at five "toxic stocks" you should be unloading.

Lockheed Martin

Up first is defense contracting giant Lockheed Martin (LMT), a $52 billion name that's been rallying hard for the last year. Over the trailing 12 months, Lockheed is up more than 52%. But the buying frenzy in LMT could be coming to an end thanks to a classic reversal pattern that's been forming in shares since the middle of February.

Lockheed Martin is currently forming a double top, a bearish reversal pattern that looks just like it sounds. The double top is formed by a pair of swing highs that max out at approximately the same price level. The sell signal comes when the trough that separates the two highs gets violated. For LMT, that breakdown level is right at $155. If $155 gets taken out, it's time to be a seller.

Momentum, measured by 14-day RSI, provides some foreshadowing for downside in LMT. While price was steady over the two tops in this stock, our momentum gauge failed to do the same. That's a big red flag. Short sellers should keep a protective stop at the 50-day moving average.

Gentex

Mid-cap car component maker Gentex (GNTX) is another name that's looking toxic this week -- only that's nothing new for this stock in 2014. Shares of GNTX have been making their way lower all year, dragged down by weakness in the automotive sector as a whole. But this week, a bearish continuation pattern is pointing to even more downside from here.

GNTX is currently forming a descending triangle, a bearish price setup that's formed by downtrending resistance above shares and horizontal support to the downside at $28.50. Basically, as Gentex bounces in between those two technical levels, shares are getting squeezed closer to a breakdown below that $28.50 price floor; when that happens, we've got our sell signal.

Another indicator, relative strength (not to be confused with RSI), is the side signal that's pointing to downside in GNTX in May. Relative strength has been trending lower since January, indicating that this name isn't just moving lower -- it's also woefully underperforming the broad market in 2014. When $28.50 gets violated, GNTX is a sell.

Thermo Fisher Scientific

You don't have to be an expert technical trader to figure out what's going on in shares of Thermo Fisher Scientific (TMO) -- a quick glance at the chart should tell you just about everything you need to know about where this $46 billion scientific equipment maker is heading in the near-term.

TMO is currently bouncing its way lower in a textbook downtrending channel. The setup is formed by a pair of parallel trend lines: a resistance line above shares, and a support line below them. Those two lines on the chart provide traders with the high-probability range for Thermo Fisher's shares to stay within. When it comes to trend channels, up is good and down is bad; it's really as simple as that. And as shares bounce off of trend line resistance for a sixth time in this short span, it makes sense to sell the bounce.

Waiting for that move down before clicking "sell" is a critical part of risk management, for two big reasons: Ot's the spot where prices are the highest within the channel, and alternatively it's the spot where you'll get the first indication that the downtrend is ending. Remember, all trend lines do eventually break, but by actually waiting for the bounce to happen first, you're confirming that sellers are still in control before you unload shares of TMO.

Regions Financial

$14 billion banking stock Regions Financial (RF) is another name that looks toxic to your portfolio in May. Shares of RF have spent the last five months establishing a classical head and shoulders top pattern, an indication that this name could have much lower ground ahead of it. And now, Regions' bears are getting a second chance at a low risk entry to bet against shares.

The head and shoulders pattern is a setup that indicates exhaustion among buyers. The setup is formed by two swing highs that top out at approximately the same level (the shoulders), separated by a higher high (the head). The sell signal comes on a move through RF's neckline, which is currently right above $10. That means that the sell signaled in Regions last week.

Since then, shares of RF have pulled back to re-test newfound resistance at that $10 neckline level. While a pullback might look bullish at first, it's actually quite the opposite -- a bounce lower off of that $10 level in the next few sessions serves as confirmation that sellers still outnumber buyers here. If you're looking to short this name, selling the bounce provides a high reward-to-risk scenario.

Northern Trust

Not surprisingly, we're seeing the exact same setup in shares of another banking name: Northern Trust (NTRS). Like Regions, Northern Trust is currently forming a head and shoulders pattern, but the big difference here is that the setup hasn't triggered yet. For NTRS, the sell signal comes on a breakdown below the stock's $58 neckline.

Why the significance at $58? Whenever you're looking at any technical price pattern, it's critical to keep buyers and sellers in mind. Patterns like head and shoulders setups and double tops are a good way to quickly describe what's going on in a stock, but they're not the reason it's tradable. Instead, it all comes down to supply and demand for shares.

That horizontal $58 neckline level in NTRS is the spot where there's previously been an excess of demand for shares; in other words, it's a price where buyers have been more eager to step in and buy shares at a lower price than sellers were to sell. That's what makes a breakdown below support so significant -- the move means that sellers are finally strong enough to absorb all of the excess demand at the at price level.

For the best risk/reward tradeoff, wait for the next move lower before selling Northern Trust.

To see this week's trades in action, check out the Toxic Stocks portfolio on Stockpickr.

-- Written by Jonas Elmerraji in Baltimore.

RELATED LINKS:

Top High Tech Stocks To Own Right Now

>>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

Best Industrial Disributor Companies To Watch In Right Now

"People think you can just walk right in," the bemused security guard said to his co-worker, who snickered, shook his head and returned to his outpost under the tented area outside the otherwise-regal entrance to the New York Stock Exchange.

The dejected tourist walked away after learning that, no, there is no visitors' gallery at the exchange where he could watch what was happening inside. He then disappeared into a dense crowd of tourists browsing the mall around the exchange one pleasant early April day. Apparently, the man had made multiple efforts ��"guard shopping" as one of the security personnel put it ��to get a look at the trading inside the confines of 11 Wall St.and was unsuccessful each time.

Nearby, folks posed in front of the George Washington statue at Federal Hall, across the walkway from the exchange. They aimed their camera phones curiously around Broad and Wall streets, many drawn to the enormous American flag that flies in front of the NYSE, where it has stood proudly since shortly after the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks.

Best Industrial Disributor Companies To Watch In Right Now: S&P Smallcap 600(PH)

Parker Hannifin Corporation manufactures fluid power systems, electromechanical controls, and related components worldwide. Its Industrial segment offers pneumatic and electromechanical components, and systems; filters, systems, and instruments to monitor and remove contaminants from fuel, air, oil, water, and other liquids and gases; connectors that control, transmit, and contain fluid; hydraulic components and systems for builders and users of industrial and mobile machinery and equipment; critical flow components for process instrumentation, healthcare, and ultra-high-purity applications; and static and dynamic sealing devices. This segment sells its products to original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) and their replacement markets in the manufacturing, transportation, and processing industries. The company?s Aerospace segment provides flight control systems and components, including hydraulic, electrohydraulic, electric backup hydraulic, electrohydrostatic, and electro -mechanical components for precise control of aircraft rudders, elevators, ailerons, and other aerodynamic control surfaces. It also provides electronics thermal management heat rejection systems, and single-phase and two-phase heat collection systems for radar, ISAR, and power electronics. This segment markets its products primarily to OEMs in the commercial, military, and general aviation markets, as well as to end users. Its Climate and Industrial Controls segment offers systems and components primarily for use in the mobile and stationary refrigeration, and air conditioning industry; and in fluid control applications in various industries, such as processing, fuel dispensing, beverage dispensing, and mobile emissions. This segment serves OEMs and their replacement markets. Parker-Hannifin Corporation markets its products through direct-sales employees, independent distributors, wholesalers, and sales representatives. The company was founded in 1918 and is headquartered i n Cleveland, Ohio.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Sue Chang and Ben Eisen]

  Parker-Hannifin Corp. (PH) �shares climbed 5.2% after the motion and control technologies company reported its first-quarter earnings rose to $1.61 a share from $1.57 a share.

• [By Ben Levisohn]

  But don’t just buy any company, DeBlase says. Instead, focus on those that have EPS momentum, which has generated outperformance in 10 of the past 11 years, DeBlase says. As a result, investors should prefer Terex (TEX), her top pick, and Agco (AGCO), which she rates Outperform. John Deere (DE) and Parker Hannifin (PH) get tarred with Underweight ratings.

• [By Marc Bastow]

  Motion and control technology manufacturer Parker-Hannifan (PH) raised its quarterly dividend 7% to 48 cents per share, payable on Mar. 7 to shareholders of record as of Feb. 10.
  PH Dividend Yield: 1.69%

Best Industrial Disributor Companies To Watch In Right Now: Bumi Resources Tbk PT (BUMI)

PT Bumi Resources Tbk is an Indonesia-based company engaged in exploration and exploitation of coal deposits, including coal mining, and oil exploration. It also owns gold, iron, ore, zinc, lead and copper mines thorugh its subsidiaries. The Company and its subsidiaries classify their products and services into four core business segments: coal mining, services, oil and gas, and gold. The coal mining activities comprise exploration and exploitation of coal deposits, including mining and selling coal. The activity of services represents marketing and management services. The activity of gold, oil and gas are still under exploration stage. Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Inyoung Hwang]

  GlaxoSmithKline Plc (GSK) was the biggest drag on the benchmark measure after an executive said some employees may have broken the law in China. Bumi (BUMI) Plc tumbled 8.6 percent after the coal producer at the center of an ownership dispute ended a three-month halt in London trading. Fresnillo Plc and Randgold Resources Ltd. each added at least 3 percent as gold and silver rallied for a third day.

Best US Companies To Watch In Right Now: InterDigital Inc.(IDCC)

Interdigital, Inc. engages in the design and development of digital wireless technology solutions. The company offers technology solutions for use in digital cellular and wireless products and networks, including 2G, 3G, 4G, and IEEE 802-related products and networks. It holds patents related to the fundamental technologies that enable wireless communications. The company licenses its patents to equipment producers that manufacture, use, and sell digital cellular and IEEE 802-related products; and licenses or sells mobile broadband modem solutions, including modem IP, know-how, and reference platforms to mobile device manufacturers, semiconductor companies, and other equipment producers that manufacture, use, and sell digital cellular products. InterDigital?s solutions are incorporated in various products comprising mobile devices, such as cellular phones, tablets, notebook computers, and wireless personal digital assistants; wireless infrastructure equipment, such as base stations; and components, dongles, and modules for wireless devices. The company was founded in 1972 and is headquartered in King of Prussia, Pennsylvania.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Lauren Pollock]

  Wireless digital company Interdigital Inc.(IDCC) lost its patent-infringement case against a group of companies, including Nokia Oyj and Huawei Technologies Co., Bloomberg News reported. Shares dropped 11% to $28.50 premarket.

• [By Bryan Murphy]

  Well, it would be inaccurate to see patent-defense companies like Vringo, Inc. (NASDAQ:VRNG), InterDigital, Inc. (NASDAQ:IDCC), and Acacia Research Corp. (NASDAQ:ACTG) have been forced into going out of business. But, it wouldn't be inaccurate to say some of these so-called patent trolls are now potentially facing a much bigger legal headwind. Investors of companies like IDCC, ACTG, and VRNG may want to reassess the upside of their holdings, now that new laws regarding patent litigation have all but been put into place.

Best Industrial Disributor Companies To Watch In Right Now: Ishares Trust Dow Jones United States (IDU)

iShares Dow Jones U.S. Utilities Sector Index Fund (the Fund) seeks investment results that correspond generally to the price and yield performance of the Dow Jones U.S. Utilities Index (the Index). The Index measures the performance of the utilities sector of the United States equity market. The Index includes companies in industry groups, such as electricity and gas, water and multi-utilities. The Index is a subset of the Dow Jones U.S. Total Market Index and is capitalization weighted. The Index is reconstituted quarterly.

The Fund will concentrate its investments in a particular industry or group of industries to approximately the same extent as the Index is so concentrated. The Fund�� investment advisor is Barclays Global Fund Advisors.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Todd Shriber, ETF Professor]

  Unusual volume (at least 5X ADV): iShares Utilities ETF (NYSE: IDU), First Trust Utilities AlphaDEX Fund (NYSE: FXU), iShares MSCI Germany Small Cap ETF (NYSE: EWGS), iShares MSCI USA ETF (NYSE: EUSA), SPDR S&P Emerging Europe ETF (NYSE: GUR), PowerShares Water Resources (NYSE: PHO) and the Vanguard Industrials ETF (NYSE: VIS).

Best Industrial Disributor Companies To Watch In Right Now: AK Steel Holding Corp (AKS)

AK Steel Holding Corporation (AK Holding), incorporated on December 20, 1993, is an integrated producer of flat-rolled carbon, stainless and electrical steels and tubular products through its wholly-owned subsidiary, AK Steel Corporation (AK Steel and, together with AK Holding, the Company). The Company�� operations consist primarily of nine steelmaking and finishing plants and tubular production facilities located in Indiana, Kentucky, Ohio and Pennsylvania. The Company�� operations produce flat-rolled value-added carbon steels, including coated, cold-rolled and hot-rolled carbon steel products, and specialty stainless and electrical steels that are sold in sheet and strip form, as well as carbon and stainless steel that is finished into welded steel tubing. In addition, the Company�� operations include European trading companies that buy and sell steel and steel products and other materials, AK Coal Resources, Inc. (AK Coal), which controls and is developing metallurgical coal reserves in Pennsylvania, and a 49.9% equity interest in Magnetation LLC (Magnetation), a joint venture that produces iron ore concentrate from previously-mined ore reserves.

The Company�� flat-rolled carbon steel products are sold primarily to automotive manufacturers and to customers in the infrastructure and manufacturing market. The infrastructure and manufacturing market includes electrical transmission, heating, ventilation and air conditioning equipment, and appliances. The Company also sells coated, cold-rolled, and hot-rolled carbon steel products to distributors, service centers and converters who may further process these products prior to reselling them. The Company sells its stainless steel products to manufacturers and their suppliers in the automotive industry, to manufacturers of food handling, chemical processing, pollution control, medical and health equipment, and to distributors and service centers.

The Company sells its electrical steel products in the infrastructure and m! anufacturing market. These products are sold primarily to manufacturers of power transmission and distribution transformers, both for new and replacement installation. The principal driver in the demand for new transformers is housing starts, while the demand for replacement transformers is driven more by age and obsolescence. The Company also sells electrical steel products for use in the manufacture of electrical motors and generators.

The Company owns its research building located in Middletown, Ohio. Steelmaking, finishing and tubing operations are conducted at nine facilities located in Indiana, Kentucky, Ohio and Pennsylvania. All of these facilities are owned by the Company, either directly or through wholly-owned subsidiaries.

Ashland Works is located in Ashland, Kentucky, and consists of a blast furnace, basic oxygen furnaces and continuous caster for the production of carbon steel. A coating line at Ashland also helps to complete the finishing operation of material processed at the Middletown plant.Butler Works is situated in Butler, Pennsylvania, and produces stainless, electrical and carbon steel. Melting takes place in a new, electric arc furnace that feeds an argon-oxygen decarburization unit for the specialty steels. A new ladle metallurgy furnace feeds two double-strand continuous casters. The Butler Works also includes a hot rolling mill, annealing and pickling units and two fully automated tandem cold rolling mills. It also has various intermediate and finishing operations for both stainless and electrical steels.

Coshocton Works is located in Coshocton, Ohio, and consists of a stainless steel finishing plant containing two Sendzimer mills and two Z-high mills for cold reduction, four annealing and pickling lines, nine bell annealing furnaces, four hydrogen annealing furnaces, two bright annealing lines and other processing equipment, including temper rolling, slitting and packaging facilities.Mansfield Works is located in Mansfield, Ohio, and pro! duces sta! inless steel. Operations include a melt shop with two electric arc furnaces, an argon-oxygen decarburization unit, a thin-slab continuous caster and a six-stand hot rolling mill.

Middletown Works is located in Middletown, Ohio, and consists of a coke facility, blast furnace, basic oxygen furnaces and continuous caster for the production of carbon steel. Also located at the Middletown site are a hot rolling mill, cold rolling mill, two pickling lines, four annealing facilities, two temper mills and three coating lines for finishing the product.Rockport Works is located near Rockport, Indiana, and consists of a continuous cold rolling mill, a continuous hot-dip galvanizing and galvannealing line, a continuous carbon and stainless steel pickling line, a continuous stainless steel annealing and pickling line, hydrogen annealing facilities and a temper mill.

Zanesville Works is located in Zanesville, Ohio, and consists of a finishing plant for some of the stainless and electrical steel produced at Butler Works and Mansfield Works and has a Sendzimer cold rolling mill, annealing and pickling lines, high temperature box anneal and other decarburization and coating units.AK Tube LLC (AK Tube), a Company subsidiary, has a plant in Walbridge, Ohio, which operates six electric resistance weld tube mills and a slitter. AK Tube also has a plant in Columbus, Indiana, which operates eight electric resistance weld and two laser weld tube mills.

The Company�� operations consist primarily of nine steelmaking and finishing plants and tubular production facilities located in Indiana, Kentucky, Ohio and Pennsylvania. The Company sells its carbon products principally to domestic customers. The Company�� electrical and stainless steel products are sold both domestically and internationally. The Company also produces carbon and stainless steel that is finished into welded steel tubing used in the automotive, truck, industrial and construction markets.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Ben Levisohn]

  Investors turned bullish on higher steel prices for U.S. producers in 2013, helping to spur stocks like US Steel (X) and AK Steel (AKS) higher during the latter half of the year. They might want to rethink that position this year.

• [By Jake L'Ecuyer]

  Equities Trading UP
  AK Steel Holding (NYSE: AKS) gained 17.86 percent to $7.06 after the company crushed analyst estimates on the bottom line while narrowly beating on the top line in its fourth quarter report.

Best Industrial Disributor Companies To Watch In Right Now: Powershares Buyback Achiever Portfolio (PKW)

PowerShares Buyback Achievers Portfolio (Fund) seeks investment results that correspond generally to the price and yield of an equity index called the Share BuyBack Achievers Index (the Index). The Index is designed to track the performance of companies that meet the requirements to be classified as BuyBack Achievers. To become eligible for inclusion in the Index, a company must be incorporated in the United States, trade on the NYSE, the AMEX or the NASDAQ, and must have repurchased at least 5% or more of its outstanding shares for the trailing 12 months. The Index consists of stocks of companies selected by Mergent, Inc. (the Index Provider) pursuant to its own selection methodology. The Fund�� investment advisor is PowerShares Capital Management LLC.

The Index is rebalanced on the last trading date of April, July and October based on the constituents��modified market capitalizations as of the last trading day in March, June and September, respectively. The Fund generally will invest in the stocks comprising the Index in proportion to their weightings in the Index. The Fund will normally invest at least 90% of its total assets in common stocks that comprise the Index. The Fund, using an indexing investment approach, attempts to replicate the performance of the Index.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Joon Choi]

  Meanwhile, investors have been flocking to buy PowerShares Buyback Achievers (PKW), pushing the price into overbought territory.

  Currently, the monthly relative strength indicator (RSI) reading is 83.7. (A reading over 70 is considered to be overbought.) To put this figure in perspective, the monthly RSI of the Nasdaq Composite was 85.9 on March of 2000 (the index peak), and we know what happened afterwards.

• [By Elliott Gue]

  Just check out the PowerShares Buyback Achievers ETF (NYSE: PKW), which invests in companies that have bought back at least 5% of their shares outstanding during the prior 12 months. This ETF has more than doubled the returns of the S&P 500 over the past five years.

• [By Jon C. Ogg]

  5. Dividends, stock buy-backs, capex, and M&A all increase at a double-digit rate – This is led by a lot of cash flow, underleveraged balance sheets, and possible great places to use cash. The argument for higher cap-ex is as follows: “Pent-up demand and aging of plant, equipment and technology argue for increases in those key areas.”

  ETF Recommendation: Vanguard Dividend Appreciation ETF (NYSEArca: VIG) for dividend growers, and PowerShares Buyback Achievers (NYSEArca: PKW) for buyback stocks. Hint: the buyback ETF rose by 45.5% in 2013 after dividend adjustments versus 28.8% for the dividend growth ETF.

  6. The U.S. dollar appreciates as U.S. energy and manufacturing trends continue to improve.

Best Industrial Disributor Companies To Watch In Right Now: Manhattan Bridge Capital Inc (LOAN)

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

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Marc Bastow]

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

Best Industrial Disributor Companies To Watch In Right Now: Howard Hughes Corp (HHC)

The Howard Hughes Corporation, incorporated on July 1, 2010, is a developer and operator of master planned communities and mixed use properties. The Company operates three segments: master planned communities, operating assets and strategic developments. The Company specializes in the development of master planned communities and ownership, management and the redevelopment or repositioning of real estate assets generating revenues, also called operating assets, as well as other strategic real estate opportunities in the form of entitled and unentitled land and other development rights, also called strategic developments. In August 2012, the Company purchased 70 Corporate Center office building, located in downtown Columbia, MD.

Master Planned Communities

The Company�� master planned communities segment consists of the development and sale of residential and commercial land, primarily in projects in and around Las Vegas, Nevada; Houston, Texas; and Columbia, Maryland. Revenues are derived primarily from the sale of finished lots and undeveloped pads to both residential and commercial developers. Additional revenues are earned through participations with builders in their sales of finished homes to homebuyers. The Company�� master planned community in Maryland includes four separate communities that are collectively referred to as the Maryland Communities. Its master planned communities include over 12,500 acres of land remaining to be sold.

Residential sales, which are made primarily to home builders, include standard and custom parcels, as well as parcels designated for detached and attached single- and multi- family homes, ranging from entry-level to luxury homes. Commercial sales include land parcels designated for retail, office, resort, services and other for-profit activities, as well as those parcels designated for use by government, schools and other not-for-profit entities. Spanning the western rim of the Las Vegas Valley and located approximately ni! ne miles from downtown Las Vegas, its 22,500 acre Summerlin master planned community is consists of planned and developed villages and offers suburban living with accessibility to the Las Vegas Strip. With 26 public and private schools, five institutions of higher learning, nine golf courses, and cultural facilities, Summerlin was an integrated community, as of December 31, 2011. As of December 31, 2012, there were approximately 40,000 homes occupied by approximately 100,000 residents.

As of December 31, 2012, Summerlin is consisted of hundreds of neighborhoods located in 19 developed villages with nearly 150 neighborhood and village parks, all connected by a 150-mile long trail system. As of December 31, 2012, Summerlin included approximately 2.1 million square feet of developed retail space, 3.2 million square feet of developed office space and three hotel properties containing approximately 1,400 hotel rooms, as well as health and medical centers, including Summerlin Hospital and the Nevada Cancer Institute. Summerlin is divided into three regions or projects: Summerlin North, Summerlin West and Summerlin South. As of December 31, 2012, Summerlin had approximately 5,184 residential acres and 890 commercial acres remaining to be sold. Bridgeland is a master planned community near Houston, Texas consisted of approximately 11,400 acres, as of December 31, 2011. There were approximately 1,800 homes occupied by approximately 6,250 residents as of December 31, 2012.

Bridgeland�� plan includes four villages, which include Lakeland Village, Parkland Village, Prairieland Village and Creekland Village. Bridgeland�� first five neighborhoods are located in Lakeland Village. The Lakeland Activity Center is anchored by a 6,000 square foot community center and features a water park with three swimming pools, two lighted tennis courts and a fitness room. As of December 31, 2012, Bridgeland had approximately 3,635 residential acres and 1,226 commercial acres remaining to be sold. The C! ompany�� s Maryland communities consist of four distinct projects: Columbia, Gateway, Emerson and Fairwood. Columbia, located in Howard County, Maryland. As of December 31, 2012, Columbia was home to approximately 100,000 people. Columbia�� full range of housing options is located in 10 distinct, self-contained villages. Each village is consists of several neighborhoods, a shopping center and community and recreational facilities.

As of December 31, 2012, the Company owned approximately 35 net acres of land in Columbia. The land consists of raw land and subdivided land parcels readily available for new development. Gateway is a 630-acre master planned corporate community located in Howard County, Maryland. Gateway offers office space in a campus setting with approximately 63 commercial acres. Emerson is a master planned community located in Howard County, Maryland and consisted of approximately 520 acres, as of December 31, 2011. There were approximately 1,210 homes occupied by approximately 3,407 residents, as of December 31, 2012. Emerson offers a range of single-family and townhome housing, which is located in Maryland�� public school districts.

As of May, 2012, the residential component of this project has been completely sold out. In addition, 28 of its townhouse lots were under contract, as of December 31, 2012. As of December 31, 2012, it had sold 28 townhouse lots. Fairwood is a developed master planned community located in Prince George�� County, Maryland, consists of approximately 1,100 acres. As of December 31, 2012, 11 commercial acres were available for sale. There were approximately 1,200 homes occupied by approximately 2,600 residents on December 31, 2012. As of December 31, 2012, Fairwood consisted of single-family and townhouse lots, as well as undedicated open space and two historic houses. In addition to the commercial acres remaining to be sold, it owns a few undedicated open space parcels, and 24 acres of unsubdivided land. The Woodlands is a mixed-use master ! planned c! ommunity situated 27 miles north of Houston and consists of 28,400 acres. The Woodlands is a community that integrates recreational amenities, residential neighborhoods, commercial office space, retail shops and entertainment venues.

As of December 31, 2012, approximately 28% of The Woodlands land consisted of green space, including parks, pathways, open spaces, golf courses and forest preserves. As of December 31, 2012, the Woodlands has full or partial ownership interests in commercial properties totaling 436,042 square feet of office space, 201,280 square feet of retail and service space and 393 rental apartment units. It also own and operated a 440 room resort and conference center facility and a 36-hole golf and country club, as of December 31, 2012. As of December 31, 2012, The Woodlands had approximately 857 acres of unsold residential land, representing approximately 2,750 lots, and approximately 961 acres of unsold land for commercial use. The Woodlands includes a waterway, outdoor art and an open-air performance pavilion, a resort and conference center, a luxury hotel and convention center, educational opportunities for all ages, hospitals and health care facilities and office space.

Operating Assets

The Company�� operating assets segment contains 26 properties and investments, consists of commercial mixed-use, retail and office properties. As of December 31, 2012, these assets included nine mixed use and retail properties, seven office properties, a resort and conference center, a 36-hole golf and country club, a multi-family apartment building, two equity investments and five other assets. Ward Centers is consists of approximately 60 acres situated along Ala Moana Beach Park. As of December 31, 2011, Ward Centers included a 665,000 square foot shopping district, which consisted of six specialty centers and over 140 shops, a variety of restaurants and an entertainment center, which included a 16 screen movie theater.

South Street Seaport! is compr! ised of three mid-rise buildings and the Pier 17 pavilion shopping mall located in a historic waterfront district on the East River in Manhattan. The Company also leases 24,000 square feet for sublet to retailers at the base of an adjacent 1.1 million square foot office tower. All of the property except the office tower retail space is subject to a lease with the City of New York. As of December 31, 2012, the total property controlled by us approximates 300,551 square feet of leasable space, substantially all of which is retail. As of December 31, 2011, anchored by Macy�� and Sears, Landmark Mall was an 879,294 square foot shopping mall located in affluent Alexandria, Virginia. This mall is located nine miles west of Washington, D.C. and the Pentagon. Park West is a 249,168 square foot open-air shopping, dining and entertainment destination in Peoria, Arizona.

Park West is approximately one mile northwest of the Arizona Cardinals��football stadium and the Phoenix Coyote�� hockey arena. Park West has an additional 100,000 square feet of available development rights as permitted for retail, restaurant and hotel uses. Rio West Mall is located in Gallup, New Mexico, which is 521,194 square foot shopping center. Riverwalk Marketplace is located along the Mississippi River in downtown New Orleans. The 193,874 square foot shopping center is consists of more than 100 local and national retail shops, restaurants and entertainment venues. Cottonwood Square is a 77,079 square foot community center located in Salt Lake City, Utah. 20 & 25 Waterway Avenue are two retail properties located in The Waterway Square commercial district in The Woodlands Town Center. The properties total 49,972 square feet. Waterway Garage Retail is attached to The Waterway Square Garage located within The Woodlands Town Center.

The Company owns a 99% joint venture interest in an entity that has a ground leasehold interest in the land underlying a 226,000 square foot office building located at 110 N. Wacke! r Drive i! n downtown Chicago. It owns five office buildings and is a master tenant of a sixth office building. The buildings consists of approximately 491,000 square feet in the heart of downtown Columbia including American City Building (master tenant), the Columbia Association Building, the Columbia Exhibit Building, the Ridgley Building, the newly acquired building known as 70 Columbia Corporate Center, and the Columbia Regional Building. This group also consists of the Merriweather Post Pavilion, an outdoor amphitheater and concert venue. 4 Waterway Square is a nine-story office building located within The Woodlands Town Center, which totals 218,551 square feet. 9303 New Trails is a four-story office building located within the Research Forest district of The Woodlands. The property totals 97,705 square feet.

1400 Woodloch Forest Drive is a five-story office building located at the entrance to The Woodlands Town Center, which totals 95,667 square feet. 2201 Lake Woodlands Drive is a two-story office building located in the East Shore commercial district of The Woodlands. The property totals 24,119 square feet. The Woodlands Resort and Conference Center is located approximately two miles south of The Woodlands Town Center. As of December 31, 2012, the property operated 440 hotel rooms, has 90,000 square feet of meeting space. The Club at Carlton Woods is located within the communities in The Woodlands. As of December 31, 2012, the Club at Carlton Woods included an 18-hole Jack Nicklaus Signature Golf Course and an 18-hole Tom Fazio Championship Course, in addition to two clubhouses, spa, tennis, and fitness facilities. The wholly owned Waterway Square Garage, located within The Woodlands Town Center, is a five-story parking garage, which includes1,933 parking spaces and 21,513 square foot of retail space.

As of December 31, 2012, the Company had an 83.55% interest in a 393-unit apartment building located within The Woodlands Town Center. Forest View apartments are a 216 unit, multi-f! amily ren! tal community. Timbermill apartments are a 256 unit multi-family rental community. The Company owns 100% interests in Hexalon Real Estate, LLC (Hexalon). Hexalon owns a 1.42% interest in Head Acquisition, LP, a joint venture between GGP, Inc. (GGP), Simon Property Group, L.P. and Westfield Group. The partnership owns certain retail mall interests. It owns a 20% interest in three office/industrial buildings located in The Woodlands Research Forest district within The Woodlands. The portfolio consists of 132,050 square feet. The Company has an indirect ownership interest of approximately 6.8% in the Summerlin Hospital Medical Center. This property is a 450-bed hospital located on a 32-acre medical campus near Las Vegas. It owns a 50% interest in Stewart Title, a company located in The Woodlands, which handles the residential and commercial land sale closings for The Woodlands.

Strategic Developments

The Company�� strategic developments segment is made up of near, medium and long-term development projects for 21 of the Company�� real estate properties. As of December 31, 2012, its development projects included Ala Moana Condo Project, Bridges at Mint Hill, Columbia Parcel Done, 3 Waterway Square, Alameda Plaza, AllenTowne, Century Plaza, Circle T Ranch and Power Center, Cottonwood Mall, Elk Grove Promenade, Fashion Show Air Rights, Kendall Town Center, Lakemoor (Volo) Land, Maui Ranch Land, Nouvelle at Natick, Redlands Promenade, The Shops at Summerlin Centre, Village at Redlands and West Windsor. It owns the rights to develop a residential condominium tower over a parking structure at Ala Moana Center in Honolulu, Hawaii. Bridges at Mint Hill property consists of vacant land located southeast of Charlotte, North Carolina. The parcel is approximately 210 acres and consists of 120 developable acres and is zoned for approximately 1.3 million square feet of retail, hotel and commercial development.

Alameda Plaza is located in Pocatello, Idaho at the intersection of ! Yellowsto! ne Park Highway and Alameda Road. The 22-acre site contains 190,341 square feet of mostly vacant retail space. AllenTowne consists of 238 acres. Century Plaza is located on the eastern side of Birmingham, Alabama. Circle T Ranch is 20 miles north of downtown Fort Worth, in Westlake, Texas. The property is approximately 279 total acres on two parcels. The Circle T Ranch parcel contains 128 acres while the Circle T Power Center parcel contains 151 acres.

Cottonwood Mall is located 7.5 miles from downtown Salt Lake City, in the city of Holladay, Utah. Kendall Town Center is a mixed-used site located at the intersection of North Kendall Drive. It owns the 70 acres, which are entitled for 621,300 square feet of retail, 60,000 square feet of office space, and a 50,000 square foot community center. Lakemoor (Volo) Land is 40-acre vacant land parcel is located 50 miles north of Chicago in a growing suburb. Maui Ranch Land consists of two, non-adjacent, 10 acre undeveloped land-locked parcels located near the Kula Forest Preserve on the island of Maui, Hawaii. The land is zoned for native vegetation.

Nouvelle at Natick is a luxury condominium community consists of 215 residences located in the Natick Collection in the Boston suburb of Natick, Massachusetts. Nouvelle at Natick�� amenities include a 4,000 square foot private club, a 2,800 square foot fitness center and a 1.2-acre rooftop garden with winding boardwalks, native grasses, flowers and trees. As of December 31, 2012 the condominium units were sold out. Redlands Promenade is a 10 acre site located at Eureka, which is entitled for 125,000 square feet of retail development.The Redlands Mall is a single-level, 174,787 square foot enclosed shopping center at the intersection of Redlands Boulevard and Orange Street. As of December 31, 2012, anchored by CVS, Denny�� and Union Bank, the site is located in downtown Redlands two blocks south of the Redlands Promenade site. West Windsor is a former Wyeth Agricultural Research & Deve! lopment C! ampus on Quakerbridge Road. The land consists of 658 total acres.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By George Putnam]

  With a new CEO and board of directors it emerged from court protection in November, 2010 as two companies, General Growth, a REIT, and Howard Hughes Corp. (HHC), which focuses on master planned communities.

Best Industrial Disributor Companies To Watch In Right Now: Santos Ltd (STOSF)

Santos Limited is an oil and gas producer, supplying Australian and Asian customers. The Company is primarily engaged in the exploration for, and development, production, transportation and marketing of, hydrocarbons. The Company develops major oil and gas liquids businesses in Australia, and operates in all mainland states and the Northern Territory. The Company has exploration-led Asian portfolio, with a focus on three core countries: Indonesia, Vietnam and Papua New Guinea. The Company operates in four business units of Eastern Australia; Western Australia and Northern Territory; Asia Pacific, and Gladstone LNG (GLNG). The Asia Pacific operating segment includes operations in Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, Vietnam, India and Bangladesh. Advisors' Opinion:

• [By MARKETWATCH]

  LOS ANGELES (MarketWatch) -- Australian stocks fell early Wednesday, tracking a weak lead from the U.S. but with a few blue-chip miners higher after gains for some commodities overnight. The S&P/ASX 200 (AU:XJO) retreated 0.4% to 5,237.80 after similar losses for the main Wall Street indexes, with the Australian benchmark trading around its lowest level since October. Among the major decliners, Qantas Airways Ltd. (AU:QAN) (QUBSF) lost 2.5%, Harvey Norman Holdings Ltd. (AU:HVN) (HNORY) gave up 1.3%, and Incitec Pivot Ltd. (AU:IPL) (ICPVY) fell 1.8%. Santos Ltd. (AU:STO) (STOSF) fell 2.6% on indication it will miss its lowered production guidance for 2013, according to the Australian Financial Review. On the upside, top miners BHP Billiton Ltd. (AU:BHP) (BHP) and Rio Tinto Ltd. (AU:RIO) (RIO) rose 0.3% and 0.7%, respectively, while Fortescue Metals Group Ltd. (AU:FMG) (FSUMF) traded 1% higher. Shares of global shopping-mall developer Westfield Group Australia (AU:WDC) (WEFIF) were on halt

Top 5 Semiconductor Companies To Watch For 2015

Top 5 Semiconductor Companies To Watch For 2015: Advanced Semiconductor Engineering Inc (ASX)

Advanced Semiconductor Engineering, Inc. is principally engaged in the manufacture, assembly, processing, testing and distribution of integrated circuits (ICs). The Company provides semiconductor packaging and testing services, including plastic leaded chip carriers (PLCCs), quad flat packages (QFPs) and flip chip packaging technology, among others, which are applied in the manufacture of household electrical appliances, communication devices, automobile components, personal computers, set top boxes, servers, memory integrated circuits (ICs), mobile phones, digital cameras, game consoles, projectors, high definition (HD) televisions, wireless communication network products and power management ICs, among others. The Company operates its businesses primarily in Taiwan, Europe and the Americas. In August 2010, the Company acquired a 100% interest in EEMS Test Singapore.

The Company is focused on packaging and testing logic semiconductors. The Company offers its customers turnkey services, which consist of packaging, testing and direct shipment of semiconductors to end users designated by its customers. The Company's global base of over 200 customers includes semiconductor companies across a range of end use applications, including Altera Corporation, ATI Technologies, Inc., Broadcom Corporation, Cambridge Silicon Radio Limited and Microsoft Corporation. During the year ended December 31, 2008, the Company's packaging revenues accounted for 77.7% of its net revenues and its testing revenues accounted for 20.1% of its net revenues.

Packaging Services

The Company offers a range of package types to meet the requirements of its customers, with a focus on packaging solutions. Within its portfolio of package types, the Company focuses on the packaging of semiconductor! s. These include advanced leadframe-based package types, such as quad flat package, thin quad flat package, bump chip carrier and quad flat no -lead package, and package types based on substrates, such a! s flip-chip ball grid array (BGA) and other BGA types, as well as other packages, such as wafer-bumping products. Leadframe-based packages are packaged by connecting the die, using wire bonders, to the leadframe with gold wire. The Company's leadframe-based packages include quad flat package (QFP)/ thin quad flat package (TQFP), quad flat no-lead package (QFN)/microchip carrier (MCC), advanced quad flat no-lead package (AQFN), bump chip carrier (BCC), small outline plastic package (SOP)/thin small outline plastic package (TSOP), small outline plastic j-bend package (SOJ), plastic leaded chip carrier (PLCC) and plastic dual in-line package (PDIP). Substrate-based packages employ the BGA design, which utilizes a substrate rather than a leadframe. It also assembles system-in-a-package products, which involve the integration of more than one chip into the same package. The Company's substrate-based packages include Plastic BGA, Cavity Down BGA, Stacked-Die BGA, Flip-Chip BGA and land grid array (LGA).

The Company's wafer-level packaging products include wafer level chip scale package (aCSP) and advanced wafer level package (aWLP). The Company offers module assembly services, which combine one or more packaged semiconductors with other components in an integrated module to enable functionality, typically using surface mount technology (SMT) machines and other machinery and equipment for system-level assembly. End use applications for modules include cellular phones, personal digital assistant (PDAs), wireless local area network (LAN) applications, bluetooth applications, camera modules, automotive applications and toys.

The Company provides module assembly services primarily at its facilities in Korea for radio frequency and power amplifier modules used in wireless commu! nications! and automotive applications. Interconnect materials connect the input/output on the semiconductor dies to the printed circuit board. Interc onnect materials include substrate, which is a multi-layer m! iniature ! printed circuit board. The Company produces substrates for use in its packaging operations.

Testing Services

The Company provides a range of semiconductor testing services, including front-end engineering testing, wafer probing, final testing of logic/mixed-signal/radio frequency (RF) and memory semiconductors and other test-related services. The Company provides front-end engineering testing services, including customized software development, electrical design validation, and reliability and failure analysis. The Company provides final testing services for a variety of memory products, such as static random access memory (SRAM), dynamic random access memory (DRAM), single-bit erasable programmable read-only memory semiconductors and flash memory semiconductors.

The Company provides a range of additional test-related services, including burn-in testing, module sip testing, dry pack, tape and reel, and electric interface board and mec hanical test tool design. The Company offers drop shipment services for shipment of semiconductors directly to end users designated by its customers.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Jeff Reeves]

  Next Page

  Best Stocks to Buy for Around $5: Advanced Semiconductor Engineering (ASX)

  Advanced Semiconductor Engineering (ASX) builds and distributes integrated circuits and other electronics. While that's not as sexy as other chipmakers that play to mobile, it's still a good business, considering the general demand for microchips in everything from cars to computers to TVs.

• [By David Dittman]

  Crown Resorts is a buy all the way up to USD16.50 on the Australian Securities Exchange (ASX) using the symbol CWN and on the US over-the-counter (OTC) market using the symbol CWL! DF.

• [By Namitha Jagadeesh]

  The FTSE 100 Index (UKX) fell 1.31 points, less than 0.1 percent, to 6,679.77 at 10:12 a.m. in London, trimming an earlier decline of as much as 0.6 percent. The gauge has climbed 13 percent this year as central banks maintained stimulus measures to support the global economy. The broader FTSE All-Share Index (ASX) was also little changed today, while Ireland's ISEQ Index retreated 0.3 percent.

• [By Jeff Reeves]

  Advanced Semiconductor Engineering (ASX) builds and distributes integrated circuits and other electronics. It's not as sexy as some mobile chipmakers, but thankfully it doesn't have to be — ASX is simply capitalizing on the general demand for microchips in everything from cars to computers to TVs.

source from Top Stocks Blog:http://www.topstocksblog.com/top-5-semiconductor-companies-to-watch-for-2015.html

GM recalls 500 new pickups, SUVs over airbags

General Motors announced on Friday that it is recalling about 500 of its redesigned full-size pickups and SUVs from the 2014 and 2015 model years because a supplier provided a potentially faulty part in the control module for the trucks' airbags.

If you are keeping score, this is GM's 7th recall this week and 30th since Jan. 1. The 2014 recalls so far cover about 13.79 million vehicles in the U.S.

The company said that the 500 trucks -- which it has determined have not yet been shipped from their plants or are still on dealer lots -- cannot be sold until the repairs are made. But it said that the so-called "stop-sale" order applies only to this specific group of vehicles and that no other similar vehicles are affected.

That's good news for dealers, going into the Memorial Day selling weekend.

GM spokesman Alan Adler said, "The announcement of this recall demonstrates GM's commitment to quickly identifying recall conditions to minimize the impact on customers."

Hot Valued Companies To Own In Right Now

The recall comes a day after GM announced that global product chief Mark Reuss will lead a new team of five executives charged with determining when and if the GM should recall vehicles -- moving that responsibility unequivocally into the top executive ranks.

The creation of the Reuss team is meant to accelerate GM's response to safety problems and improve communication with customers and government regulators. It's the latest in a series of organizational changes since February when the first of several recalls was issued for defective ignition switches now tied to 13 deaths.

Jeff Boyer, GM's recently appointed global safety chief, said in an interview Thursday that GM's expanded team of 55 product investigators is reexamining existing defect data and also sifting through other sources, such as social media to spot potential issues being talked about online by custome! rs and others.

Reuss told Barclays analyst Brian Johnson on Thursday that the flurry of recall announcements resulting from this reexamination effort might continue through mid-summer.

Contributing: Nathan Bomey, Detroit Free Press

3 Stocks Breaking Out on Unusual Volume

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

>>5 Hated Earnings Stocks You Should Love

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

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

>>5 Rocket Stocks Ready for Blastoff

Top 5 Quality Stocks To Own For 2015

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

Eaton Vance

Eaton Vance (EV), through its subsidiaries, engages in the creation, marketing and management of investment funds in the U.S. This stock closed up 5.7% to $37.51 in Wednesday's trading session.

Wednesday's Volume: 1.01 million

Three-Month Average Volume: 786,229

Volume % Change: 268%

From a technical perspective, EV ripped sharply higher here back its 50-day moving average of $36.81 with heavy upside volume. This move pushed shares of EV into breakout territory, since the stock took out some near-term overhead resistance levels at $36.96 to $37.02. Shares of EV recently formed a major bottoming chart pattern, since the stock found buying interest each time it pulled back to around $35 a share. Shares of EV are now quickly moving within range of triggering another big breakout trade. That trade will hit if EV manages to take out Wednesday's high of $38.04 to some more key overhead resistance levels at its 200-day moving average of $38.87 to $38.98 with high volume.

Traders should now look for long-biased trades in EV as long as it's trending above Wednesday's low of $35.76 or above $35 and then once it sustains a move or close above those breakout levels with volume that hits near or above 786,229 shares. If that breakout gets underway soon, then EV will set up to re-test or possibly take out its next major overhead resistance levels at $41 to $42, or even $43.

Qualys

Qualys (QLYS) provides cloud security and compliance solutions to enterprises, government entities and small and medium-sized businesses in the U.S. and internationally. This stock closed up 2.9% at $22.04 in Wednesday's trading session.

Wednesday's Volume: 545,000

Three-Month Average Volume: 184,147

Volume % Change: 201%

From a technical perspective, QLYS spiked higher here right above some near-term support at $20.51 with above-average volume. This stock has been uptrending a bit for the last few weeks, with shares moving higher from its low of $18 to its recent high of $22.44. During that move, shares of QLYS have been making mostly higher lows and higher highs, which is bullish technical price action. This spike higher on Wednesday is quickly pushing shares of QLYS within range of triggering a near-term breakout trade. That trade will hit if QLYS manages to take out some key overhead resistance levels at $22.44 and then once it clears its 50-day at $22.83 and its 200-day at $23.18 with high volume.

Traders should now look for long-biased trades in QLYS as long as it's trending above some near-term support at $20.51 or above more support at $19 and then once it sustains a move or close above those breakout levels with volume that this near or above 184,147 shares. If that breakout materializes soon, then QLYS will set up to re-test or possibly take out its next major overhead resistance levels at $25 to $26.74. Any high-volume move above those levels will then give QLYS a chance to tag its next major overhead resistance levels at $29 to $30.

FireEye

FireEye (FEYE) provides products and services for detecting, preventing and resolving advanced cybersecurity threats. This stock closed up 2.6% at $31.12 in Wednesday's trading session.

Wednesday's Volume: 18.28 million

Three-Month Average Volume: 5.70 million

Volume % Change: 197%

From a technical perspective, FEYE jumped higher here with heavy upside volume. This stock has been uptrending a bit over the last few weeks, with shares moving higher from its low of $25.58 to its recent high of $32.08. During that uptrend, shares of FEYE have been consistently making higher lows and higher highs, which is bullish technical price action. That move has now pushed shares of FEYE within range of triggering a big breakout trade. That trade will hit if FEYE manages to take out some near-term overhead resistance at $32.08 with high volume.

Traders should now look for long-biased trades in FEYE as long as it's trending above $29 and then once it sustains a move or close above $32.08 with volume that hits near or above 5.70 million shares. If that breakout hits soon, then FEYE will set up to re-fill some of its recent gap-down-day zone from earlier this month that started just above $40.

To see more stocks rising on unusual volume, check out the Stocks Rising on Unusual Volume portfolio on Stockpickr.

-- Written by Roberto Pedone in Delafield, Wis.

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

Roberto Pedone, based out of Delafield, Wis., is an independent trader who focuses on technical analysis for small- and large-cap stocks, options, futures, commodities and currencies. Roberto studied international business at the Milwaukee School of Engineering, and he spent a year overseas studying business in Lubeck, Germany. His work has appeared on financial outlets including

CNBC.com and Forbes.com. You can follow Pedone on Twitter at www.twitter.com/zerosum24 or @zerosum24.