The Dow Jones Industrial Average is around 20 points lower in early trading. Many hope this could be the week the Dow cross the 17,000 mark for the first time, but it's not looking promising today. It's largely a psychological barrier, but it illustrates that the index has continued unabated the bull run that saw it close above 16,000 for the first time just seven months ago.
The S&P 500 and the Nasdaq are flat to slightly lower.
Here are the top things to watch in today's trading:
1. Turmoil in the fashion industry -- Lululemon & American Apparel: Lululemon shares are bouncing this morning after the Wall Street Journal reported that the company's founder Chip Wilson hired Goldman Sachs to help him strengthen his role at the company, where he is the largest shareholder. Lululemon (LULU) shares are up over 2%
5 Best Transportation Stocks To Invest In Right Now: Agnico-Eagle Mines Limited(AEM)
Agnico-Eagle Mines Limited, through its subsidiaries, engages in the exploration, development, and production of mineral properties in Canada, Finland, and Mexico. The company primarily explores for gold, as well as silver, copper, zinc, and lead. Its flagship property includes the LaRonde mine located in the southern portion of the Abitibi volcanic belt, Canada. The company was founded in 1953 and is based in Toronto, Canada.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By Sally Jones]
The once-troubled Agnico Eagle Mines Ltd. (AEM) is hitting a new record for gold production in the third quarter at 315,828 ounces, according to the Financial Post, and the company�� executives are buying. Here�� a third quarter company update and a look at billionaire stakeholders of AEM, a stock that spiked 23.66% over the past five days.
- [By Ben Levisohn]
Gold miners are getting a boost today from solid earnings from the likes of Barrick Gold (ABX), Goldcorp (GG) and Agnico Eagle Mines (AEM). The exception: Kinross Gold (KGC), which missed earnings forecasts and cut its reserves.
- [By Dan Caplinger]
In the longer term, IAMGOLD could potential challenges from higher taxes on some of its holdings. The Canadian province of Quebec is considering changing the current 16% profit tax either to what amounts to a gross revenue tax or to a more progressive profit tax with higher rates on high-margin mining operations. Under current conditions, those taxes might not have much effect either on IAMGOLD or rivals Agnico-Eagle (NYSE: AEM ) and Goldcorp (NYSE: GG ) , both of which also have projects in the province, but it's hard to predict how a changes might affect future results if they take effect.
- [By Charley Blaine]
Gold mining stocks are pretty much a disaster. Newmont Mining (NYSE: NEM) is down 50 percent in 2013. Agnico Eagle Mines (NYSE: AEM) is off 51 percent. The NYSE Arca Gold BUGS Index is down 56 percent.
Hot Promising Companies To Invest In Right Now: Morgan Stanley Technology Etf (MTK)
SPDR Morgan Stanley Technology (ETF) (the Fund), formerly Morgan Stanley Technology ETF, seeks to replicate as closely as possible the performance of the Morgan Stanley Technology Index (the Index). The Fund utilizes a passive or indexing approach and attempts to approximate the investment performance of its benchmark Index, by investing in a portfolio of stocks intended to replicate the index.
The Fund�� industry breakdown includes communications equipment, software, computers and peripherals, semiconductors and semiconductor equipment, information technology (IT) services, Internet software and services, Internet and catalog retail, and electronic equipment and instruments. The Fund�� portfolio includes AMAZON.COM, INC, FIRST DATA CORP., JUNIPER NETWORKS, INC., APPLE, INC. and EMC CORP.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By Selena Maranjian]
Exchange-traded funds offer a convenient way to invest in sectors or niches that interest you. If you'd like to add some tech-heavy stocks to your portfolio, but don't have the time or expertise to hand-pick a few, the SPDR Morgan Stanley Technology ETF (NYSEMKT: MTK ) could save you a lot of trouble. Instead of trying to figure out which companies will perform best, you can use this technology ETF to invest in lots of them simultaneously.
The basics
ETFs often sport lower expense ratios than their mutual fund cousins. The technology ETF's expense ratio -- its annual fee -- is a relatively low 0.50%. The fund is fairly small, too, so if you're thinking of buying, beware of possibly large spreads between its bid and ask prices. Consider using a limit order if you want to buy in.
Hot Promising Companies To Invest In Right Now: Kraton Performance Polymers Inc (KRA)
Kraton Performance Polymers, Inc. engages in the production of styrenic block copolymers (SBCs) and other engineered polymers worldwide. The company offers highly-engineered synthetic elastomers that enhance the performance of various end use products by imparting flexibility, resilience, strength, durability, and processability. It also provides isoprene rubber products for use in the production of medical products, adhesives, tackifiers, paints, coatings, and photo-resistors; and isoprene rubber latex, a substitute for natural rubber latex that are used in surgical gloves and condoms. In addition, the company is involved in the development and commercialization of polyvinyl chloride alternatives for wire, cable, and medical applications; polymers for use in slush molding; and membrane polymers for use in water filtration and breathable fabrics. Further, it offers core commercial grades of SBCs; unhydrogenated SBCs, which are primarily used in paving and roofing, adhesive s, and sealants and coatings, as well as footwear applications; hydrogenated SBCs, which are used in soft touch and flexible materials, personal hygiene products, and automotive components; and compounds, other polymers, resins, oils, or fillers that are used in various consumer and industrial applications. Kraton Performance Polymers, Inc. markets its products through various channels, including direct sales force, marketing representatives, and distributors under the Kraton, Cariflex, and Nexar brand names. The company was formerly known as Polymer Holdings LLC and changed its name to Kraton Performance Polymers, Inc. in December 2009. Kraton Performance Polymers, Inc. is headquartered in Houston, Texas.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By Garrett Cook]
Basic materials sector was the top loser in the US market on Tuesday. Top decliners in the sector included Kraton Performance Polymers (NYSE: KRA), Molycorp (NYSE: MCP), and AuRico Gold (NYSE: AUQ).
Hot Promising Companies To Invest In Right Now: Graham Holdings Co (GHC)
Graham Holdings Company, formerly The Washington Post Company, incorporated on July 21, 2003, is a diversified education and media company whose principal operations include educational services, television broadcasting, cable television systems, and online, print and local TV news. The Company owns Kaplan, a provider of educational services to individuals, schools and businesses, serving over one million students annually with operations in more than 30 countries. Its programs include higher education, test preparation, language instruction and professional training. Its Post-Newsweek Stations, Inc owns six television stations which include WDIV-Detroit (NBC), KPRC-Houston (NBC),WPLG-Miami (ABC), WKMG-Orlando (CBS), KSAT-San Antonio (ABC) and WJXT-Jacksonville (independent). The stations also broadcast digital channels focusing on classic television and lifestyle programming, in addition to operating websites, mobile sites and mobile apps delivering breaking news, weather and community news. Its Cable ONE, headquartered in Phoenix, AZ, serves small-city subscribers in 19 midwestern, western and southern states. Cable ONE provides digital video, Internet and phone service to homes and businesses. The Company�� Slate Group is a daily online magazine that offers fresh angles on stories in the news and entertainment coverage, all with its signature wit and irreverence, publishing provocative commentary on topics such as politics, culture, business and technology. Slate V is a daily online video magazine offering original video about politics, culture, and business, technology.
The Company divested its interest in Avenue100 Media Solutions Inc., a digital marketing company headquartered in Woburn, Massachusetts, in 2012. The Company sold its interest in the Bowater Mersey Paper Company Limited to the Province of Nova Scotia in 2012. In March 2013, the Company announced it has completed the sale of The Herald, a daily and Sunday newspaper and its other print and online products to Sound Publ! ishing, Inc.
Education
Kaplan, Inc., a subsidiary of the Company, provides a range of education and related services worldwide for students and professionals. Kaplan conducts its operations through three segments: Kaplan Higher Education, Kaplan Test Preparation and Kaplan International. Kaplan Higher Education (KHE) provides a wide array of certificate, diploma and degree programs on campus and online designed to meet the needs of students seeking to advance their education and career goals. During the year ended December 31, 2012, Kaplan�� United States-based KHE division businesses include Kaplan University and KHE Campuses.
Kaplan University specializes in online education, is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools and holds other programmatic accreditations. Kaplan University�� programs are offered online, while some are offered in a traditional classroom format at 12 campuses in Iowa, Maine, Maryland and Nebraska, and four Kaplan University Learning Centers in four additional states. Kaplan University also includes Concord Law School, a fully online law school. During 2012, Kaplan University had approximately 38,800 students enrolled in online programs and approximately 5,600 students enrolled in its classroom-based programs.
Also residing within Kaplan University is the School of Professional and Continuing Education (PACE). PACE offers a range of education solutions to assist professionals in advancing their careers by obtaining professional licenses, designations and certifications. This includes solutions for insurance, securities, real estate, mortgage and appraisal licensing exams and for advanced designations, such as CFA and CPA exams. PACE serves more than 2,900 business-to-business clients, including more than 70 Fortune 500 companies. In 2012, approximately 510,000 students used PACE's exam preparation offerings. As of December 31, 2012, the KHE Campuses business consis! ts of 59 ! schools in 17 states, which provides classroom-based instruction to approximately 21,100 students.
Kaplan International operates businesses in Europe and the Asia Pacific region. In Europe, Kaplan operates in the businesses, which are all based in the United Kingdom and Ireland: Kaplan UK, Kaplan International Colleges (KIC) and a set of higher education institutions. The Kaplan United Kingdom business in Europe is a provider of training, test preparation services and degrees for accounting and financial services professionals, including those studying for ACCA, CIMA and ICAEW qualifications. In addition, Kaplan United Kingdom provides legal and professional training, including the operation of a United Kingdom law school in collaboration with Nottingham Trent University�� Nottingham Law School. In 2012, Kaplan United Kingdom provided courses to approximately 66,000 students, of whom 49,000 were dedicated to accounting and financial services coursework.
The KIC business consists of university pathways business and an English-language training business. The university pathways business offers academic preparation programs especially designed for international students who wish to study in English-speaking countries. KIC operates university pathways programs in collaboration with nine U.K. universities. As of December 31, 2012, KIC�� university pathways business was serving approximately 2,700 students. The English-language business (previously operated as Kaplan Aspect) provides English-language training, academic preparation programs and test preparation for English proficiency exams, principally for students wishing to study and travel in English-speaking countries. KIC operates a total of 41 English-language schools, with 19 located in the United Kingdom, Ireland, Australia, New Zealand and Canada, and 22 located in the United States, where they operate under the name Kaplan International Centers. During 2012, the English-language business served approximately 65,000 stud! ents.
!Kaplan also operates three higher education institutions in Europe, located in the United Kingdom and Ireland. These institutions are Dublin Business School, Holborn College and Kaplan Open Learning. As of December 31, 2012, these institutions enrolled an aggregate of approximately 6,500 students. In the Asia Pacific region, Kaplan operates businesses in Singapore, Australia, Hong Kong and China. In Singapore, Kaplan operates three business units, Higher Education, Financial and Professional, which serve more than 16,700 students from various countries throughout Asia.
Kaplan Singapore�� Higher Education business provides students with the opportunity to earn bachelor�� and postgraduate degrees in various fields on either a part-time or full-time basis. Kaplan Singapore�� students receive degrees from affiliated educational institutions in Australia, the U.K. and the U.S. In addition, this division offers pre-university and diploma programs. Kaplan Singapore�� Financial business provides preparatory courses for professional qualifications in accountancy and finance, such as the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA) and the Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA).
In Australia, Kaplan delivers a broad range of financial services education and professional development courses. In 2012, this business provided courses to approximately 17,400 students through classroom programs and to more than 44,800 students through distance-learning programs. In 2012, Kaplan Australia underwent operational restructuring and offers its programs through three business units: English Language and Pathways; Vocational Education; and Higher Education.
The Vocational Education business of Kaplan Australia includes Kaplan Professional Education (KPE), Carrick Education Group and Franklyn Scholar. KPE offers financial services education programs and continuing professional development courses primarily to a business-to-business market, including banks and numerous! industry! sectors.. Approximately 43,000 students are taught through KPE each year. Carrick has traditionally offered English-language programs, vocational training and higher education courses in Australia. Kaplan is evaluating various strategic alternatives with respect to the Carrick business lines. As of December 31, 2012, Carrick was providing services to approximately 1,300 students. Franklyn Scholar offers a wide range of custom-developed programs to business clients. More than 16,000 students are taught through Franklyn Scholar each year.
The higher education business of Kaplan Australia comprises Kaplan Online Higher Education (KOHE) and Kaplan Business School (KBS), which offers diploma, bachelor�� and master�� degree programs. As of December 31, 2012, KBS has opened a new school in Brisbane and operates in four states in Australia teaching approximately 700 students each year. KOHE teaches approximately 1,800 students annually in postgraduate courses primarily in the financial services sector.
In Hong Kong, Kaplan offers a comprehensive array of programs, ranging from language education and standardized test preparation to corporate and financial training and higher education degree courses. During 2012, Kaplan�� Hong Kong business provided courses to more than 15,700 students.
In China, Kaplan provides foundation programs to Chinese students through partnerships with prestigious Chinese universities and high schools. Kaplan China offers foundation programs at 11 campuses and had more than 1,100 students enrolled at the end of 2012. Kaplan China also cooperates with several Chinese universities to provide ACCA training programs to the students. Cable ONE offers broadband Internet access service on virtually all of its cable systems and is the sole Internet service provider on those systems.
Kaplan International also includes the Kaplan Global Solutions business unit, which continues to develop partnerships with colleges, universities and non-p! rofit corp! orations and foundations. Kaplan Global Solutions, through its Colloquy business, enables its university partners to develop online educational programs by providing an array of research, marketing and design services. Through its Global Pathways programs, Kaplan Global Solutions enables its partner institutions in the Americas to enhance their brand globally and increase international student enrollments by designing and marketing custom programs aimed at student success.
Cable Television Operations
Through its subsidiary Cable One, Inc. (Cable ONE), the Company owns and operates cable television systems that provide video, Internet and voice service to subscribers in 19 midwestern, western and southern states. At the end of 2012, Cable ONE provided cable service to approximately 593,600 video subscribers, representing about 41% of the 1,439,740 homes passed by the systems, had approximately 459,200 subscriptions to high-speed data (HSD) service and 184,500 subscriptions to VoIP (digital voice) service. The video services offered by Cable ONE include certain premium, cable network and local over-the-air channels in high-definition television (HDTV) format. Cable ONE offers voice over Internet Protocol service, which permits users to make voice calls over broadband communications networks, including the Internet.
Other Activities
WaPo Labs is a digital team focusing on experimenting with emerging technologies. In 2012, WaPo Labs launched several projects in partnership with the Company�� media properties: Personal Post, a feature on washingtonpost.com that delivers personalized article recommendations based on a user�� interests and past reading behavior; The Fold, a video news program available on washingtonpost.com, Google TV and Android tablets, and The Root 100, which comprises 100 Android apps aggregating content about the Root 100 honorees, chosen for their impact and influence within the African-American community. In addition to working clo! sely with! the Company�� news websites, WaPo Labs oversees Washington Post Social Reader (Social Reader) and Trove. Social Reader is a Facebook-connected Website that delivers news articles based on a user�� interests and what their friends are reading. Social Reader aggregates content from the Post, Slate, Foreign Policy, Express, the Root and more than 90 other content partners to create a social stream of articles.
Social Code LLC (Social Code) is a marketing solutions company helping Fortune 500 brands maximize their marketing efforts on social media platforms. Celtic Healthcare, Inc. (Celtic) is a Medicare-certified provider of home health and hospice services headquartered in Mars, PA. Through its subsidiaries, Celtic is licensed to provide home health and hospice services throughout Pennsylvania and Maryland. These services include skilled nursing, physical therapy, occupational therapy, speech therapy, social work, nutrition, chaplain and aid services. In addition, Celtic provides virtual care services to patients throughout its service territories. Celtic derives 74% of its revenue from Medicare, with the remaining sources of revenue being Medicaid, commercial insurance and private payors.
The Company competes with Edmunds.com, AutoTrader.com, Realtor.com, Zillow.com, Yelp, OpenTable, Google, Monster.com, CareerBuilder.com and Yahoo!.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By Damian Illia]
Graham Holdings (GHC), formerly the Washington Post Company, is a diversified media and education company which operates chiefly in two areas of the media business: television broadcasting and cable television.
- [By Paul Ausick]
Kaplan booked more than $2 billion in revenues in 2013, down slightly from 2012. Kaplan is owned by Graham Holdings Co. (NYSE: GHC), which was spun out of the Washington Post Co. when Jeff Bezos, CEO of Amazon.com Inc. (NASDAQ: AMZN) bought the newspaper last year
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