North America's Next Energy Hot Spots

With surging oil and natural gas output already making headlines from North Dakota to Pennsylvania, there's reason to believe that the domestic energy boom is really just beginning. The combination of hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, and horizontal drilling now lets energy firms reach deposits locked in shale and other rock layers &emdash; resources once thought too difficult to exploit. As a result, domestic oil output is up 50% since 2008, and the U.S. has become the world's top natural gas producer. So far, mammoth fields such as the Bakken Formation of North Dakota and Eagle Ford in Texas have garnered most of the oil and gas industry's attention.

See Also: Cash In on the Natural Gas Shale Boom

A slew of future drilling hot spots are emerging, suggesting that the domestic energy boom is about to shift into higher gear. Start with the arc of promising finds dotting the South Central U.S., from the Gulf Coast to West Texas to Kansas. The Louisiana Department of Natural Resources reports mounting investment by energy firms in several of the state's oil-bearing shale plays, including the Tuscaloosa Marine Shale, the Brown Dense Formation in northern Louisiana and ultradeep wells being drilled near the coast.

Farther west, Devon Energy is "very excited" about rising oil production from its wells in the Oklahoma portion of the Woodford Shale, according to company spokesman Chip Minty. Meanwhile, Apache Corp. is aggressively increasing drilling in the Cline Shale of West Texas, hoping it can join the ranks of prolific oil plays in the Lone Star State. Apache has leased 520,000 acres in the Cline, and says both the cost and time required to drill a new well there have fallen substantially over the past two years.

Don't overlook the shale potential of America's northern and southern neighbors. In Canada, natural gas output is rapidly expanding, thanks to development of shale fields in British Columbia. Even more is on the way from relatively untapped deposits, such as the Liard Basin in the northern part of the province.

Meanwhile, Mexico is mulling a reversal of its decades-old ban on private companies developing its oil and gas reserves. Older fields are drying up, and Pemex &emdash; the state-run energy monopoly &emdash; lacks the resources to exploit Mexico's huge but untapped shale fields. Diana Negroponte, a nonresident senior fellow at the Brookings Institution and an expert on Mexican politics, figures a change could come as early as the end of 2014. "The politics are complicated," she says, because of Mexican citizens' apprehension about letting in foreign energy companies, but in the long run the country will have little choice but to seek out the expertise of large, international drillers with experience in fracking.

The next wave of shale development spells a huge surge in oil and gas produced either within the U.S. or close to home by stable trading partners, lessening the American economy's dependence on the Middle East and reducing energy costs.

The benefits are already spilling over into energy-intensive industries. The petrochemical sector, in particular, is enjoying a rebirth, thanks to low-cost natural gas and abundant raw materials such as ethane, a building block for plastics, paints and many other everyday products. Petrochemical firms are planning $100 billion in new plants and infrastructure to take advantage of the expanding shale energy boom in coming years, according to Owen Kean, senior director of economic policy at the American Chemistry Council. Low costs and ample supply mean that "the U.S. is the place to do business" for the global chemical industry, and will be for decades, he says.

Home Prices Up 0.9% for August

Home prices headed higher for August, according to an S&P/Case-Shiller Home Price Index report (link opens as PDF) released today.

After bumping up 0.6% for July, the index's seasonally adjusted 20-city home price composite increased 0.9% for August. Following an expectations miss for July, analysts were pleasantly surprised by this month's report, having predicted slightly smaller 0.7% growth. 

According to the report, 14 of the 20 cities and both the 10- and 20-city composites registered increases in annual growth rates from July's numbers. Las Vegas prices increased the most, up 2.9% to their highest level since 2004 .

"Both composites showed their highest annual increases since February 2006," noted David Blitzer, chairman of the Index Committee at S&P Dow Jones Indices, in a statement today. "All 20 cities reported positive year-over-year returns. Thirteen cities posted double-digit annual gains."

But not all of Blitzer's news is good. Detroit home prices remain below 2000 levels, and fewer mortgage applications at higher rates could have contributed to the fact that 16 of the cities recorded smaller absolute price gains for August compared to July.

For the 12 months ending in September, both the 10- and 20-city composites showed average home prices increasing 12.8%. 

link

Violin Memory Inc (VMEM): Nice Opportunity In Flash Storage Space

Violin Memory, Inc. (NYSE: VMEM) is well positioned to take advantage of the strong secular growth of flash in the enterprise. The combination of its proprietary hardware, a growing software portfolio and resulting industry-leading price/performance should translate into robust growth over a multi-year time frame.

Founded in 2005, Santa Clara, California-based Violin Memory makes high-performance flash-based storage systems that are designed to bring storage performance in-line with high-speed applications, servers and networks.

Violin has developed a technology stack to address the rapidly growing all flash array market. In addition, the company is extending its technology position into the PCIe card market with a cost advantage offering that will add to its growth potential in the coming quarters.

"We expect the combination of strong customer adoption of flash based arrays, the migration to 19nm products, entry to the PCIe card market and the conversion of past deferred revenue bookings (Toshiba) to translate into strong revenue / share gains over the next few quarters," Deutsche Bank analyst Chris Whitmore wrote in a client note.

Over long-term, Violin is well positioned to benefit from the strong secular growth of flash in the enterprise due to its unique IP position.

Flash storage is a disruptive technology that challenges the economics of high performance disk storage and alleviates the performance bottleneck in the datacenter. Flash is more cost effective than traditional disk for certain high performance use cases (e.g., database, analytics, virtual desktop and cloud) with a 30-90 percent lower total cost of ownership (TCO) for these high bandwidth applications.

"We believe Violin's total addressable market ("TAM") is ~$6B in 2014 (flash arrays and PCIe) and is growing at a ~30% CAGR," Whitmore said.

Violin's core customers are enterprise accounts, and its primary value proposition is superior performance (5-10x faster than traditional disk with lower ! operating costs) and lower TCO for high demand workloads.

Violin has shown explosive revenue growth from $11 million in fiscal 2011 to $74 million in fiscal 2013 despite disengaging from a large reseller agreement with HP.

"Looking forward, we expect robust growth to continue (+77% Y/Y in FY14E and +56% Y/Y in FY15E) driven by ongoing strength in the array business and a solid ramp in PCIe cards (becomes meaningful in F4Q)," Whitmore noted.

Violin also has a good line of sight into revenues over the next 2-3 quarters as $16 million of deferred revenues booked for development work with Toshiba moves from Violin's balance sheet onto the P&L.

In addition, strong revenue gains should be accompanied by potential gross margin expansion from the current 40 percent plus to about 50 percent in fiscal 2014. Margins would be driven by the ramp of the 6264 array and rollout of 19nm across most of Violin's offerings, mix towards a greater portion of software and the ramp of higher margin PCIe cards.

Violin could launch additional software capabilities in upcoming quarters where its software stack will ultimately include a full suite of enterprise-class data management features.

"As Violin's software offering matures and the hardware migrates to 19nm, we expect Violin's margin profile to improve materially," Whitmore said.

Meanwhile, Violin has a strategic relationship with Toshiba, which has invested about $42 million in Violin and owns about 14 percent of Violin's common equity. Toshiba's commitment to Violin speaks to the company's strong IP position.

Furthermore, Toshiba is Violin's primary supplier of NAND flash, which provides an advantageous cost position, visibility on product supply and a close working relationship with Toshiba's development roadmap.

In addition, Toshiba entered into a development deal with Violin to develop PCIe cards. Violin's PCIe cards are experiencing strong initial traction with new customers and would convert into meaningful or! ders/book! ings in future periods.

"Beyond validating Violin's IP, we believe this relationship provides significant strategic and tactical benefits to Violin in the form of cost, time to market and the potential for significantly expanded market reach. Over time, we expect both parties to realize meaningful value from the partnership," Whitmore noted.

On the other hand, Violin is investing heavily to build out its direct sales force which is producing meaningful losses due to significant opex outlays. Violin has a significant cash burn rate given its heavy investment in sales force expansion and R&D.

Violin also competes in a competitive market against large and established data storage providers such as EMC, NetApp, IBM and HP.

"At current investment rates and growth trajectory, we are modeling Violin to be EBIT and Cash flow positive in FY16 / CY15.," Whitmore added.

Halloween freebies is growing restaurant trend

Halloween, the night when kids rake-in gobs of free candy, is evolving into an occasion when parents also can walk-off with something equally enticing: free meals for the kids.

A growing parade of restaurant chains – from Olive Garden to IHop to Krispy Kreme – will offer free eats around Halloween in order to lure traffic during a seriously slow time.

Halloween evening is a time when most families eat at home. While Halloween is one of the pizza delivery industry's biggest days of the year, it's an evening when many casual dining restaurants are scraping for business.

"Restaurants are like ghost towns on Halloween," says Derek Farley, a restaurant industry PR guru. Much like Labor Day and July 4th, Halloween is a holiday that's not very restaurant-friendly, he says.

So, what's a savvy restaurant to do? Entice families by giving away the kids grub, of course. Although the specific dates, times and rules vary -- so it's best to check restaurant websites for details -- here's some of 2013's Halloween lures:

- Free kids meal with coupon. Three of Darden's most familiar chains, Olive Garden, Red Lobster and LongHorn Steakhouse, all offer free kids meals for much of Halloween week. All require the purchase of an adult entree for each free kids meal. And all require sign-up -- and a coupon -- from the chain's website or Facebook page.

"Halloween isn't a day you're going to see a lot of kids in restaurants—they're trick or treating," notes Jay Spenchian, executive vice president of marketing at Olive Garden. "We see this as an opportunity to help drive additional traffic into the restaurant on an historically slow day."

Last year, 6,000 families came to Olive Garden with kids in costume. While still encouraging costumes, the chain dropped that requirement for the freebie this year.

- Free kids pancake. On Halloween, kids age 12 and under get a free Halloween "Scary Face" Pancake at IHOP. The pancake, with a whipped-cream smile dotted with candy corn, ! is one of IHOP's "most requested holiday promotions," says Natalia Franco, vice president of marketing.

- Cheaper meal with costume. On Halloween, from 4 PM to closing, Chipotle will offer its annual "Boorito" promo. All customers dressed in costumes get a $3 burrito, bowl, salad, or order of tacos. Proceeds of up to $1 million will go to charity. Over the past three years, the program has raised more than $3 million for The Chipotle Cultivate Foundation, says Mark Crumpacker, chief marketing officer.

- Free snack with costume. Krispy Kreme may have the fewest strings of all. Just show up in the store -- adult or kid -- in any costume at participating locations on Halloween day, and walk off with a free doughnut. Ah, you might want to remove your mask before eating it.

B/E Aerospace's Earnings Beat Last Year's by 24%

B/E Aerospace (Nasdaq: BEAV  ) reported earnings on July 23. Here are the numbers you need to know.

The 10-second takeaway
For the quarter ended June 30 (Q2), B/E Aerospace met expectations on revenues and beat expectations on earnings per share.

Compared to the prior-year quarter, revenue grew. GAAP earnings per share grew significantly.

Margins expanded across the board.

Revenue details
B/E Aerospace booked revenue of $850.3 million. The 16 analysts polled by S&P Capital IQ foresaw net sales of $842.8 million on the same basis. GAAP reported sales were 11% higher than the prior-year quarter's $768.1 million.

Source: S&P Capital IQ. Quarterly periods. Dollar amounts in millions. Non-GAAP figures may vary to maintain comparability with estimates.

EPS details
EPS came in at $0.89. The 17 earnings estimates compiled by S&P Capital IQ averaged $0.85 per share. GAAP EPS of $0.89 for Q2 were 29% higher than the prior-year quarter's $0.69 per share.

Source: S&P Capital IQ. Quarterly periods. Non-GAAP figures may vary to maintain comparability with estimates.

Margin details
For the quarter, gross margin was 38.4%, 20 basis points better than the prior-year quarter. Operating margin was 18.7%, 20 basis points better than the prior-year quarter. Net margin was 10.9%, 160 basis points better than the prior-year quarter. (Margins calculated in GAAP terms.)

Looking ahead

Investor sentiment
The stock has a four-star rating (out of five) at Motley Fool CAPS, with 586 members out of 608 rating the stock outperform, and 22 members rating it underperform. Among 156 CAPS All-Star picks (recommendations by the highest-ranked CAPS members), 153 give B/E Aerospace a green thumbs-up, and three give it a red thumbs-down.

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Add B/E Aerospace to My Watchlist.

China’s Wealth Effect

Considering China’s restrictions on foreign investment in the country’s capital markets, it is little surprise that few people appreciate the sheer size of those markets. The only way outsiders can make anything close to a direct investment in Chinese equities or bonds is through Hong Kong-traded instruments or the few Chinese American Depository Receipts listed on US exchanges.

The Chinese equity market is still relatively small, with a capitalization of about $5 trillion. That’s a lasting legacy from when the country’s stock exchange was shut down following the founding of the People’s Republic of China in 1949 and not reopened until 1990. The country’s domestic bond market, on the other hand, is valued at about $4 trillion, a hefty figure.

True, the country’s bond market is smaller than its equity market. But at $4 trillion, it’s the fourth-largest bond market in the world, behind the US, Japan and France, and growing by nearly 30 percent per year.

There are indications that the Chinese government will begin taking a new tack on foreign investment sooner rather than later, though on the Chinese timeline sooner could still be a matter of years. That’s especially true as the government must first address larger structural issues.

Next month will bring the third plenary session of the 18th Central Committee, a meeting during which a package of key economic reforms is to be discussed.

Those reforms are expected to include measures such as the central government taking over social security and some health care spending from local governments, to strengthen the country’s social safety nets. The central government might also begin allowing local governments to begin issuing bonds similar to US municipals rather than relying on more short-term funding vehicles.

Also on the agenda are plans to reform the country’s system fo! r pricing commodities and other resources and ease the household registration system to allow more rural families to move into the cities.

But most importantly for investors, there are signs that Beijing wants to move forward with market-based interest rates and the loosening of capital controls, making it easier to move money in and out of the country. The government has already taken a tentative step in that direction, announcing a free-trade zone in Shanghai in September that will act as a proving ground for more free-market policies.

In the free-trade zone there are more relaxed investment and capital controls in place, including yuan convertibility, freer investment in Shanghai securities and futures markets and the freedom of foreigners to directly trade in local securities.

These plans come at a critical time for the Chinese economy.

It’s no secret that the country is battling a substantial debt problem after it kept interest rates too low for too long, a familiar problem. As a result, China’s state-owned enterprises were able to leverage up their balance sheets using cheap loans which the government basically required state-owned banks to make. It also helped to drive yet another boom in real estate speculation.

That pushed up China’s credit-to-gross domestic product (GDP) ratio to about 220 percent over the past few years, with credit now accounting for more than a third of GDP. At the same time, all of that lending spawns opportunities for raging corruption, particularly at the local government level.

When the central government assumes more of the responsibility for social spending, serious deficits at the local level will eliminate many opportunities for corruption. That’s because localities are heavily reliant on real estate taxes and short-term funding vehicles. The measures will also help slow credit growth in China, ultimately helping to reduce the country’s debt burden.

Loosening foreign investment restrictio! ns will a! lso help spur Chinese economic growth which, while on track to meet the government’s 7.5 percent growth target this year, has been slowing of late. Foreign investment will be a critical component of growth in the years to come, as China’s economy becomes more consumer focused, helping to stimulate spending through a wealth creation effect.

So, one day sooner rather than later, foreign investors may be able to have more direct asset to a securities market valued at nearly $10 trillion, creating more wealth for the Chinese and everyone else.

Wall Street poker: How 6 top investors fared on the felt

NEW YORK (CNNMoney) Six of the world's top investors appear capable of playing great poker -- they're just not doing it yet.

After watching "Poker Night on Wall Street," a charity event that aired Wednesday on Bloomberg TV, it's clear to me these competitors have an aptitude for the game. I make this judgment based on what they said; not so much on what they did.

Matt Matros has won three World Series of Poker bracelets, and his career tournament winnings exceed $2 million. He finds the poker economy a lot more predictable than the actual one.

Take Jim Chanos of Kynikos Associates, who described himself as a "natural-born skeptic." That's a wonderful thing for a poker player to be! Amateurs will readily believe their opponents have good hands, but the stories told by betting patterns are often just that -- stories. His contrarian philosophy has helped make Chanos a lot of money in investing, and it could eventually serve him well in poker. But first he has to learn how to move all-in with a short stack.

Now consider Mario Gabelli of GAMCO Investors. He rated his chances of winning as "slim," and said he didn't consider himself good at bluffing or reading people. Such honest self-assessment is a hugely important quality in poker. Gabelli, though, said he had only played poker once, seven years earlier. Wednesday night he played...well, like someone who'd played poker only once.

Then there's John Rogers of Ariel Investments, who professed that patience at the table was his number one priority. Again, a commendable approach. The biggest sin committed by new players, by far, is impatience. Rookies play way too many hands. Still, if you never pull the trigger on a trade, you'll never make any money in the market, and if you never play a hand of poker (which seemed to be Rogers's strategy), then you have no shot to win.

The good news is that when smart investors apply their talents to poker, they can climb the learning curve quickly. Two of the players ha! ve taken the game seriously, and they have winnings to show for it.

David Einhorn of Greenlight Capital finished third in the million-dollar buy-in One Drop event at the 2012 World Series of Poker, while Bill Perkins of Skylar Capital took home nearly 300,000 British pounds in a London event just a few weeks ago. Neither Einhorn nor Perkins advanced very far in Wednesday night's event, but that was mostly because of bad luck.

Einhorn, in particular, has impressed many regulars on the tournament circuit. Poker pro Mike McDonald, who coached Einhorn for his final table appearance at the One Drop, said of his student: "He's possibly the most active listener I've ever met. Very few people are as good as he is with so few hours played."

The problem is, those extra hours are everything. In the same way years of experience separate Einhorn from talented traders just out of Wharton, many thousands of hours of play and study separate the best poker players from Einhorn. There are no shortcuts in either discipline.

The eventual winner of Poker Night on Wall Street, Steve Kuhn of Pine River, played well enough, and was clearly the most skilled competitor not named Einhorn or Perkins. Kuhn also understood, even in the moments right after he won, that taking up the game in a more competitive manner wouldn't be easy.

When the possibility of playing poker full-time was broached, Kuhn wisely brushed it off: "I kinda like my job already," he said.

Top High Tech Stocks To Watch Right Now

By Moe Zulfiqar

The housing market is one of the biggest challenges currently faced by the U.S. economy. When it improves, or when we see an increase in activity, then it can be assumed that there will be some economic growth.

For example, if there’s activity in the housing market, meaning that home buyers are buying homes, those home buyers are going to need things that are necessary to run households. This phenomenon has long-lasting effects: it increases consumer spending in the U.S. economy and creates jobs.

When the housing market in the U.S. economy improved in 2012, we saw the gains; but going forward, we are seeing a significant amount of trouble.

Top High Tech Stocks To Watch Right Now: Stellar Biotechnologies Inc (KLH.V)

Stellar Biotechnologies, Inc., produces and markets keyhole limpet hemocyanin (KLH), as well as develops technology related to the culture and production of KLH and KLH subunit formulations in the United States and Europe. The company�s KLH is an immunogenic high-molecular-weight protein, which is used in cancer and therapeutic vaccines for lymphoma, bladder, breast, colon, sarcoma, small cell lung cancer, Alzheimer�s disease, rheumatoid arthritis, lupus, and post traumatic stress disorder chemical dependencies. It offers Stellar KLH protein for vaccine conjugation, immunotoxicology, and immunological research; Stellar KLH ELISA kits; and custom solutions, which comprise custom KLH formulations, KLH conjugation strategies, KLH assays, protocol development, regulatory dossier support, and reference standards. The company serves medical, academic, and research markets. Stellar Biotechnologies, Inc. is headquartered in Port Hueneme, California.

Top High Tech Stocks To Watch Right Now: Pirelli Ec(PECI.MI)

Pirelli & C. S.p.A., through its subsidiaries, engages in the design, development, manufacture, and marketing of tyres primarily to motor vehicle and motorbike manufacturers worldwide. It offers tyres for motor vehicles, sports utility vehicles, light commercial vehicles, motorbikes, buses, heavy trucks, and agricultural machinery; and steelcord, a fundamental element for radial tyres. The company is also involved in the creation of technologies to reduce emissions from diesel vehicles and heating plants. Its principal products include Gecam white diesel that reduces particulate formation; and Feelpure to retrofit to commercial vehicles, and for installation in new cars. In addition, Pirelli & C. S.p.A. engages in the production of fuel from waste, as well as photovoltaic energy and environmental cleanup activities. The company was founded in 1872 and is headquartered in Milan, Italy.

Top 10 Gold Companies To Own In Right Now: Etrion Corp(ETX.TO)

Etrion Corporation, an independent solar power producer, engages in acquiring, developing, building, owning, and operating solar power plants in Italy. It owns 60 megawatts of operational, ground-based solar photovoltaic power plants. The company was formerly known as PetroFalcon Corporation and changed its name to Etrion Corporation in September 2009. Etrion Corporation was incorporated in 1993 and is headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland.

Top High Tech Stocks To Watch Right Now: Hooker Furniture Corporation(HOFT)

Hooker Furniture Corporation, together with its subsidiaries, designs, develops, imports, and markets residential wood, metal, and upholstered furniture products in North America. The company offers wood furniture products, including home entertainment, home office, accent, dining, bedroom, and bath furniture in the upper-medium price points sold under the Hooker Furniture brand, and sold at moderate price points under the Envision Lifestyle Collections by Hooker Furniture brand. It also provides youth bedroom furniture under the Opus Designs by Hooker brand; and motion and stationary leather furniture. In addition, the company offers various residential leather and fabric upholstered furniture under the Bradington-Young and Seven Seas upholstery brand; specializes in leather reclining and motion chairs, sofas, club chairs, and executive desk chairs; and offers upscale occasional chairs and other seating under the Sam Moore upholstery brand. It serves retailers of resident ial home furnishings, including independent furniture stores, specialty retailers, department stores, catalog and Internet merchants, interior designers, and national and regional retail chains. The company was founded in 1924 and is headquartered in Martinsville, Virginia.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Dividends4Life]

  Memberships and Peers: LEG is a member of the S&P 500, a Dividend Aristocrat, a member of the Broad Dividend Achievers��Index and a Dividend Champion. The company's peer group includes: Hooker Furniture Corp. (HOFT) with a 2.4% yield, Flexsteel Industries Inc. (FLXS) with a 2.7% yield and Ethan Allen Interiors Inc. (ETH) with a 1.4% yield.

Top High Tech Stocks To Watch Right Now: Rusoro Mining Ltd(RML.V)

Rusoro Mining Ltd. engages in the acquisition, exploration, development, and operation of gold mining and mineral properties in Venezuela. The company holds interests in two producing gold mines located in El Callao district in south-eastern Venezuela; and interests in various exploration projects and one development project in Venezuela. Its producing gold mines include the Choco 10 mine, in which the company holds a 95% ownership interest; and the Isidora mine, in which the company holds a 50% ownership interest. The company was formerly known as Newton Ventures Inc. and changed its name to Rusoro Mining Ltd. in November 2006. Rusoro Mining Ltd. was incorporated in 2000 and is headquartered in Vancouver, Canada.

Merck Stock Depends on Januvia More Than Ever

Merck (NYSE: MRK  ) stock has become dependent on its diabetes drug Januvia over the past couple of years for revenue growth. The franchise made up 12% of Merck's sales in the first quarter and probably a larger percentage of its bottom line.

Three for one
Januvia comes in three versions. The base drug is called Januvia, but it's also available as a fixed-dose combination with a couple of generic drugs used by diabetics. Janumet contains Januvia and merformin. Juvisync combines Jaunvia with simvastin.

Sales of Jaumet were about half that of Januvia, which given the size of Junuvia is still a substantial boost to revenue. Janumet, by itself, is on pace to rack up $1.6 billion in sales this year.

Juvisync, which was approved in 2011, doesn't appear to be nearly as popular. Merck doesn't even bother to break out sales. The difference lies in the fact that simvastin isn't actually a diabetes drug; it's Merck's cholesterol-lowering drug Zocor, which went off patent awhile ago. While it's not hard to see why doctors would want to treat high cholesterol in diabetics when it's present, not all diabetics have high cholesterol.

Competition
Januvia faces direct competition from Bristol-Myers Squibb (NYSE: BMY  ) and AstraZeneca's (NYSE: AZN  ) Onglyza, which is in the same DPP-4 class of drugs. Onglyza got off to a slow start, but the companies didn't give up pushing into Merck's stronghold on the oral diabetes market. The effort seems to be paying off. First-quarter sales of Onglyza were up 17% in the U.S., thanks to 8% higher prescriptions and a price boost. Worldwide sales of the drug, which goes by Kombiglyze elsewhere, were up 25% as the drug launched in new regions.

In addition to direct competition from DPP-4 drugs, Januvia faces competition from other drugs. Takeda's Actos is available as a generic, and while it is arguably an inferior drug in terms of risk/benefit, the lower copay for generics can be a big driver of prescriptions.

Johnson & Johnson (NYSE: JNJ  ) recently introduced a diabetes drug with a new mechanism of action called Invokana. In the short term, the new pathway will give doctors pause, and the drug will probably be prescribed when Januvia and other oral diabetes drugs stop working. But as doctors start to get more comfortable with Invokana, it certainly has the potential to take market share away from Januvia.

Side effects
What's helped Januvia grow in to a megablockbuster is the relatively mild side effects the drug produces. Doctors hate prescribing a drug to a patient and then having to deal with calls or returns to the office with complaints about side effects.

Given the relatively clean side-effect profile, recent reports that Januvia might be causing pancreatitis and potentially pancreatic cancer are troubling. If the preliminary findings pan out, the side effects could put pressure on sales.

Why Januvia is so important to Merck stock
Jaunivia is now Merck's top-selling drug after the former top-selling drug, Singulair, recently went off patent protection. In the first quarter, the drop in Singulair sales produced a $1 billion hole that had to be filled. The easiest way to fill that hole is through growth of the top-selling drug. Given the challenges outlined here, I'm not sure Januvia is up for the challenge.

Without revenue growth, you can't expect Merck stock to move higher.

At least there's still a dividend
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At the Close: Stocks Go Nowhere Ahead of Tuesday–Yes, Tuesday–Payrolls Report

Stocks went nowhere today as investors wait for a delayed September jobs report to be released tomorrow.

Getty Images

The S&P 500 rose 0.01% to 1,744.66, while the Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 0.05% to 15,392.20.

Nomura’s Lewis Alexander and team explain what to expect–and why it probably won’t matter:

On Tuesday, 22 October, we expect the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) to report the addition of a net new 180k jobs to nonfarm payrolls in September, in line with the consensus expectation. Our forecast is based on our judgment that there was a modest pickup in labor market momentum in September.

That said, it is important to remember that these data will reflect the state of the labor market in the middle of September, i.e., over a month ago and well before the government shutdown. The data in this report will affect our understanding of how the labor market is evolving and the state of the economy. But given the delay, and what has happened since the source data were collected, this report should not affect our views on the current state of the economy as much as normal. We won't see the impact of the government shutdown on payrolls until the October report, scheduled for release on Friday, 8 November 2013.

Because of such uncertainty regarding the data, many investors are concluding that the Fed will wait to begin cutting back on its bond buying. Capital Economics Paul Ashworth and Paul Dales are not so sure:

The S&P 500 Index remained near a record high on Monday, supported by the growing view among investors that the Fed will maintain the pace of its monthly asset purchases for quite some time. However, on balance we still expect that the Fed will start to taper its purchases before the end of this year.

It certainly seems very unlikely that the Fed will announce a reduction in its purchases at next week's FOMC meeting. There will be a backlog of government data releases that the committee will not have had the opportunity to digest. And Fed officials will also want to see some evidence on how the economy was performing in October, to confirm that the government shutdown only had a minor impact.

Many forecasters have also concluded that there is little chance of tapering being announced at the mid-December meeting, but we are less sure. By that time, Fed officials will have plenty of data showing not only what impact the shutdown had but also how well the economy bounced back in November.

The market in aggregate might have gone nowhere, but that wasn’t for lack of big moves from individual stocks. Parker-Hannifin (PH) gained 2.4% to $115.06 after it was upgraded to Outperform from Neutral at Baird, while Newmont Mining (NEM) gained 2.2% as gold miners headed higher today.

On the downside, Halliburton (HAL) fell 3.5% to $50.66 after beating earnings but underperforming competitors, while Regeneron Pharmaceuticals (REGN) fell 2.4% to $294.89 after it reported positive trial data on Eylea and that it will file an application with the FDA in a few months. And our big loser of the day: PetMed Express (PETS), which plunged 9.8% to $15.21, the biggest drop in the S&P 1500. It reported a profit of 21 cents a share, missing forecasts for a profit of 22 cents.

Hold Your Horses! There Was Good News Today

Existing-home sales increased last month to the highest level since November 2009, and if you exclude the momentary boost from the first-time home-buyer tax credit that year, it was the highest reading since May 2007. Lest there be any doubt, this is unquestionably good news. 

According to the National Association of Realtors, total existing-home sales -- defined as "completed transactions that include single-family homes, townhomes, condominiums, and co-ops" -- increased by 4.2% in May over the preceding month and 12.9% over the same month of last year. In addition, the national median sales price for previously occupied homes rose to $208,000, a 15.4% increase over 2012.

At the same time, however, all is not well in the land of housing. "The housing numbers are overwhelmingly positive," NAR chief economist Lawrence Yun noted. "However, the number of available homes is unlikely to grow, despite a nice gain in May, unless new home construction ramps up quickly by an additional 50 percent."

Yun is referring here to the available supply of homes for sale. And, as you can see in the chart below, it remains significantly depressed. The current inventory of homes on the market equates to only 5.2 months' worth of sales. The long-run average, meanwhile, is 7.2 months, or 39% higher.

Paradoxically, on the heels of this otherwise good news, shares of the nation's largest homebuilders are plummeting. PulteGroup (NYSE: PHM  ) is down by 10.8%, D.R. Horton (NYSE: DHI  ) has lost 8.8%, and Lennar (NYSE: LEN  ) has dropped 7.8%. What gives?

The answer is tied to fear that the U.S. Federal Reserve is on the verge of tapering its purchases of long-term Treasuries and mortgage-backed securities. At a news conference yesterday, Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke hinted that it could do so later this year and into 2014. The net result would be to increase mortgage rates (which have already shot up), which, in turn, would increase the cost of purchasing and owning a home.

Over the past few quarters, all three of these companies have seen new-home sales pick up considerably. On a year-over-year basis, Pulte's are up by 23%, D.R. Horton's have gained 34%, and Lennar's are up 28%. If prices head considerably higher, however, these gains could be in jeopardy. 

The one consolation for these companies is that they aren't alone. The Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJINDICES: ^DJI  ) lost more than 300 points today, with every one of its 30 components trading in the red. This marks the eighth day in a row in which the blue-chip index has notched a triple-digit move. All told, since its high point at the end of May, the Dow is down by 3.4%.

The Motley Fool's chief investment officer has selected his No. 1 stock for the next year. Find out which stock it is in the special free report "The Motley Fool's Top Stock for 2013." Just click here to access the report and find out the name of this under-the-radar company.

American Generics Can't Touch This $8 Billion Drug (Yet)

Intellectual property laws today allow a company 20 years of patent protection from the date of filing. That's a bit different from the former laws that granted 17 years of protection from the date of issuance from the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. Depending on how quickly an application moves through the office, a company today could enjoy an extra year or two of protection compared to the previous precedent. Unless, of course, you are Amgen  (NASDAQ: AMGN  ) .

By the time the last patent for TNF-alpha inhibitor Enbrel expires, it will have been on the market for 30 years! How is that possible? The patent was filed in 1995, reworked, rejected, appealed, reworked again, and finally accepted in late 2011. But because it was originally filed under the old laws, it was granted 17 years of protection from the date of issuance: 2011. So, although Enbrel first hit the market in 1998, it won't face total generic competition until 2028. Not even that has stopped a flurry of generic competition from arising, which Fool contributor Maxx Chatsko explains in the following video. 

Obamacare will undoubtedly have far-reaching effects. The Motley Fool's new free report, "Everything You Need to Know About Obamacare," lets you know how your health insurance, your taxes, and your portfolio could be affected. Click here to read more. 

U.S. Credit Rating Downgraded to Same Level as Brazil?

The U.S. government, after winning World War II for the Allies, was very convincing. It told central banks around the world that they should hold the U.S. dollar as their reserve currency instead of gold, based on the idea the U.S. dollar would be backed by gold. Only limited amounts of U.S. dollars could be printed, because the currency was tied to gold bullion. Central banks bought into the idea.

Unfortunately, a few decades down the road, the concept of a U.S. dollar backed by gold was thrown out the window (thank you, President Nixon). Eventually we were introduced to the modern day printing press—printing money out of thin air at the will of the Federal Reserve without the U.S. dollar being tied to any “hard” currency like gold.

Why would anyone agree to this horrible idea?

Back in those days, the U.S. economy was prospering. Our government was in good shape and didn’t have much debt. And the logistics made sense, too, as time passed. Why wouldn’t a central bank have in its reserves the currency of the world’s strongest economy and military? Why wouldn’t a central banker keep U.S. dollars in his vault as opposed to hard-to-carry and hard-to-store gold?

Years have passed since the U.S. dollar “unglued” itself from gold. Things have changed, too. America is not so glorious anymore. Ever-rising debt and the never-ending printing of U.S. dollars have resulted in some countries changing their policy on U.S. dollar-backed reserves. And the fundamental factors that keep the U.S. dollar strong are deteriorating quickly.

The balance sheet of the U.S. economy does not look as good as it did in the 1950s and 1960s.

Read More : U.S. Credit Rating Downgraded to Same Level as Brazil?

The following article is from one of our external contributors. It does not represent the opinion of Benzinga and has not been edited.

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J.C. Penney to open at 8 p.m. on Thanksgiving

J.C. Penney is now in line with competitors trying to lure shoppers on Thanksgiving night – it's opening its doors for the first time on the holiday as it attempts to present a strong showing during the holiday season after a year of disappointing sales.

The Plano, Texas-based chain will open most of its 1,100 stores at 8 p.m. on the holiday and will be open 25 hours straight, closing at 9 p.m. the following day.

Last year Penney didn't open until 6 a.m. Friday. That made the retailer one of the laggards for the unofficial kickoff to the season. Other retailers have already been opening Thanksgiving night for the past two years. Toys R Us, Target, Sears, Walmart, and Kmart have all started opening at 8 or 9 p.m. Thanksgiving night. Macy's announced earlier this week it would open stores for the first time on Thanksgiving this year, with most stores opening at 8 p.m.

SHOPPING: Most Macy's stores will open at 8 p.m. on Thanksgiving

"Obviously, we were one of the last to open (last year)," said Tony Bartlett, Penney's executive vice president of stores. But he noted this year, "We're all in."

He promised that Penney's deals will be at least as good as two years ago and will be much better than last year, when Penney gave away buttons tied to a prize giveaway. Penney is also bringing back a tradition it ditched last year: It will give away nearly 2 million holiday snow globes starting at 4 a.m. on the Friday after the turkey feast.

Penney is hiring at least 35,000 seasonal workers for the holidays, nearly 50% more than a year ago.

The holiday plan is yet another example of how Penney is unraveling the strategies of its former CEO Ron Johnson, who was ousted in April after 17 months on the job amid a botched up plan to reinvent the retailer. Johnson was fired two months after the company announced horrific fourth-quarter results that covered the holiday shopping season. That ended a fiscal year, which finished Feb. 2, in which Penney amassed almost a billion dollars! in losses and a 25 percent drop in sales.

Penney brought back Johnson's predecessor, Mike Ullman, as CEO. He is restoring frequent sales and basic merchandise that were eliminated by Johnson, who was aiming to attract a more affluent, younger shopper.

Shares of J.C. Penney were down nearly 3% to $7.14 Friday. They have lost 83% of their value since early February 2012.

Stores are ushering the holiday season earlier every year, creeping into Thanksgiving. Last year, Target opened its doors at 9 p.m. on Thanksgiving, three hours earlier than the previous year. Wal-Mart Stores the world's largest retailer, began the early-bird specials at 8 p.m. on the holiday, two hours earlier than in 2011. A growing number of mall-based clothing stores like Gap also have opened their doors on Thanksgiving Day.

Target, Wal-Mart and Gap have not yet announced their plans for the Thanksgiving weekend.

Contributing: Associated Press

Poll: Shutdown KOs investor confidence

NEW YORK -- Political gridlock is starting to whittle away at investor confidence.

Nearly three-quarters -- 72% -- of investors say the government shutdown, now in its eighth day, has begun to "diminish their confidence in the economy's recovery," according to a poll conducted by TD Ameritrade Holding Corporation.

Uncertainty, of course, is starting to take its toll on investors as the government budget impasse has dragged on and fears of a U.S. default have risen as the Oct. 17 deadline to raise the debt ceiling nears. Stocks are down again Tuesday and on track for their 11th decline in the past 14 sessions.

TUESDAY: How markets are doing

Other findings of the investor survey, which was conducted after Day Three of the shutdown last Thursday.

• 41% said they "haven't made changes to their investments," but may pull back if the budget standoff continues.

• 37% say the shutdown and debt ceiling issue "will pass quickly" so they have not yet taken any action.

• 12% say they are "taking advantage of buying opportunities" as a result of the downturn.

• 10% say they have "moved some money to cash."

"Some investors likely aren't adding positions or taking on new risk yet until there is a clear picture as to how the shutdown and debt-ceiling deadline will settle," says JJ Kinahan, chief strategist at TD Ameritrade."

Nine-year prison term for tax-avoidance scam

Six years ago, William Reed was a Nevada businessman listed as the corporate officer for more than 1,000 companies purportedly headquartered in a lone Las Vegas office suite.

Now he has a new title: federal prison inmate, sentenced to nine years behind bars.

Nevada Senior U.S. District Judge Philip Pro imposed the sentence Tuesday after Reed pleaded guilty to tax conspiracy, attempted tax evasion and aggravated identity theft in a case involving his part in a thriving mini-industry that helps an untold number of clients attempt to hide financial assets from the IRS and other government agencies, creditors and courts.

Pro also ordered Reed, 63, to pay nearly $4.2 million in restitution as part of the sentence.

A Feb. 2007 USA TODAY report showed that Reed and his company, Asset Protection Group, took advantage of gaps in domestic incorporation laws and virtually non-existent government oversight to promote some U.S. states as secrecy rivals of traditional offshore tax havens.

Asset Protection Group attracted clients in part with a promotional video in which actor Robert Wagner warned that without asset protection, "You could lose everything you've worked so hard for, in a flash." Clients paid as much as $9,800 for the firm's asset protection program and became company consultants.

Reed and the firm typically formed new Nevada corporations for the clients that listed him, not them, as the sole officer. The procedure took advantage of laws in Nevada and other states that often do not require the actual owners of corporations to be disclosed.

"Our consultants purchased the corporations, resold them, and I never knew who actually used them," Reed wrote in a statement filed with the court last week. "Some of our customers used the corporations to hide their assets or income from the IRS."

Reed personally owes more than $34.4 million in taxes, and Asset Protection Group transactions add an additional $14 million in tax liabilities, federal court records show.

!

Reed's sentence was more lenient than the 12-year term recommended in a presentencing report. But it was harsher than the six-year term defense attorney attorney Paola Armeni urged in a Oct. 8 sentencing memorandum.

While acknowledging that Reed had "failed to pay his own taxes" and continued to engage in activities that "deprived the IRS from collecting money from many others," Armeni argued in the memo that he deserved a lighter sentence based on his help recovering nearly $3 million for the IRS.

Armeni also cited Reed's help providing evidence against alleged co-conspirators, his age and need to assist with care of his 88-year-old mother.

"As someone with no prior criminal activity, I am humbled and humiliated. I'm truly ashamed," Reed wrote in his court statement.

However, Assistant U.S. Attorney J. Gregory Damm argued in a court filing last week that Reed should get no leniency for satisfying a fraction of his overdue tax bill. "The government has made a good faith evaluation of the defendant's assistance to date and has concluded that he has not yet provided "substantial assistance to authorities," Damm wrote.

Top Growth Companies To Own In Right Now

Family Dollar Stores Inc. (FDO), the operator of self-service retail discount store chains, posted third-quarter fiscal 2013 earnings of $1.05 per share that beat the Zacks Consensus Estimate by a couple of cents but fell by a penny from the prior-year quarter. The earnings however, came near the higher-end of the previously provided guidance range of 98 cents to $1.08 per share.

Consumables category was the driving factor behind the better-than-expected results but the discretionary sales remain a drag in the quarter. Further, management hinted that discretionary sales would remain under pressure as the customers remain cautious on account of higher payroll taxes and soft job market. Moreover, this Zacks Rank #4 (Sell) stock also narrowed its earnings outlook.

Let�� Dig Further

Family Dollar posted a 9% increase in revenue to $2,573.5 million from the prior-year quarter, and reflected sales growth across Consumables (up 14.8%), partially offset by Apparel and Accessories (down 8.9%), Home Products (down 2.1%) and Seasonal & Electronics (down 0.5%). However, total revenue fell short of the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $2,601 million.

Top Growth Companies To Own In Right Now: CNO Financial Group Inc. (CNO)

CNO Financial Group, Inc., through its subsidiaries, engages in the development, marketing, and administration of health insurance, annuity, individual life insurance, and other insurance products for senior and middle-income markets in the United States. The company markets and distributes Medicare supplement insurance, interest-sensitive and traditional life insurance, fixed annuities, and long-term care insurance products; Medicare advantage plans through a distribution arrangement with Humana Inc.; and Medicare Part D prescription drug plans through a distribution and reinsurance arrangement with Coventry Health Care. It also markets and distributes supplemental health, including specified disease, accident, and hospital indemnity insurance products; and life insurance to middle-income consumers at home and the worksite through independent marketing organizations and insurance agencies. In addition, the company markets primarily graded benefit and simplified issue life insurance products directly to customers through television advertising, direct mail, Internet, and telemarketing. It sells its products through career agents, independent producers, direct marketing, and sales managers. CNO Financial Group, Inc. has strategic alliances with Coventry and Humana. The company was formerly known as Conseco, Inc. and changed its name to CNO Financial Group, Inc. in May 2010. CNO Financial Group, Inc. was founded in 1979 and is headquartered in Carmel, Indiana.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By David Fried, Editor, The Buyback Letter]

  Insurance holding company CNO Financial Group (CNO) and its insurance subsidiaries��rincipally Bankers Life and Casualty Company, Washington National, and Colonial Penn Life Insurance Company��erve pre-retiree and retired Americans.

• [By Vanin Aegea]

  I have heard many people comment about the insurance policies for cars, houses, life, assets, etc. The arguments always revolve around the same issue: Is it really necessary? What are the chances to be hit by a Hurricane, or to meet a sudden death? Well, nobody really knows. Some individuals however, sleep better when they know a policy backs their life investments. Here, I will look into three insurance companies that concentrate on different policies, or geographies. These are: China Life (LFC), and Conseco (CNO).

• [By Jonas Elmerraji]

  Up first is CNO Financial Group (CNO), a mid-cap financial stock that's rocketed close to 60% higher since the calendar flipped over to January. Yup, it's been a great year for the market, but it's been a far better one for investors who own CNO. But that strong performance isn't showing any signs of slowing yet. In fact, CNO looks primed for even more upside in the fourth quarter.

  That's because CNO is currently forming a bullish pattern called an ascending triangle. The ascending triangle pattern is formed by a horizontal resistance level above shares -- in this case at $14.75 -- and uptrending support to the downside. Basically, as CNO bounces in between those two technical price levels, it's getting squeezed closer and closer to a breakout above that $14.75 resistance level. When that breakout happens, it's time to become a buyer.

  ACCO's price action isn't exactly textbook. After all, the pattern is coming in at the bottom of a downtrend, not after an uptrend. But ultimately, that doesn't change the trading implications of a move through that $7.50 level.

  Whenever you're looking at any technical price pattern, it's critical to think in terms of those buyers and sellers. Ascending triangles and other pattern names are a good quick way to explain 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 $7.50 resistance level is a price where there has been an excess of supply of shares; in other words, it's a place where sellers have been more eager to step in and take gains than buyers have been to buy. That's what makes a breakout above it so significant. The move means that buyers are finally strong enough to absorb all of the excess supply above that price level.

  Don't be early on this trade.

Top Growth Companies To Own In Right Now: MEDIFAST INC(MED)

Medifast, Inc., through its subsidiaries, engages in the production, distribution, and sale of weight management and disease management products, and other consumable health and diet products in the United States. The company?s product lines include weight and disease management, meal replacement, and vitamins. It also operates weight control centers that offer Medifast programs for weight loss and maintenance, customized patient counseling, and inbody composition analysis. The company markets its products under the Medifast and Essential brand names, including shakes, appetite suppression shakes, women?s health shakes, diabetics shakes, joint health shakes, coronary health shakes, calorie burn drinks, calorie burn flavor infusers, antioxidant shakes, antioxidant flavor infusers, bars, crunch bars, soups, chili, oatmeal, pudding, scrambled eggs, hot cocoa, cappuccino, chai latte, iced teas, fruit drinks, pretzels, puffs, brownie, pancakes, soy crisps, crackers, and omega 3 and digestive health products. Medifast Inc. sells its products through various channels of distribution comprising Web, call center, independent health advisors, medical professionals, weight loss clinics, and direct consumer marketing supported via the phone and the Web; Take Shape for Life, a physician led network of independent health coaches; and weight control centers. The company was founded in 1980 and is headquartered in Owings Mills, Maryland.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Jon C. Ogg]

  Medifast Inc. (NYSE: MED) saw its stock down 5% in evening trading on Tuesday after the weight loss player had soft sales and guided expectations lower. Shares were still indicated down about 5%, but volume has not yet started.

• [By Holly LaFon] ast produces, distributes and sells weight and health management products with the brand names Medifast, Take Shape for Life, Hi-Energy Weight Control Centers and Woman�� Wellbeing.

  Its return on assets in the third quarter of 2011 was 19.6%, which has been increasing in the past several years. The average return on assets for the specialty retail industry is 10.48% for the trailing 12 months.

  The company�� total assets amounted to $94 million in 2010, which increased from $62.8 million in 2009. Net income also increased to $19.6 million in 2010 from $12 million in 2009.

  Boston Beer Inc. (SAM)

  Boston Beer Inc. is the largest brewer of handcrafted beers in America. Boston Beer is a growing company that recently saw a large increase in its return on assets. It increased from 19.3% in 2010 to 29.7% in 2011, and was negative as recently as 2008. The average return on assets for the beverages industry in the trailing 12 months is 9.47%.

  In 2011, the company�� total assets increased to $272.5 million from $258.5 million in 2010. Net income increased to $66 million from $50 million.

  Alliances Resources Partners (ARLP)

  Alliance Resources Partners is a coal producer and marketer primarily in the eastern U.S. Its ROA has been increasing since 2008 and increased to 22.5% in 2011 from 21.4% in 2010. The average return on assets for the oil, gas & consumable fuels industry in the trailing 12 months is 24.47%.

  In 2011, its total assets increased to $1.7 billion from $1.1 billion in 2010. Its net income increased to $389 million from $321 million.

  Factset Research Systems Inc. (FDS)

  Factset researches global market trends and develops analytical tools for investors. Of all of GuruFocus��5-star predictable companies, it has the highest return on assets at 27%. ROA has been increasing over the past several years. The average return on assets for the software industry for the trailing 12 m

Best Cheap Companies For 2014: Nordstrom Inc.(JWN)

Nordstrom, Inc., a fashion specialty retailer, offers apparel, shoes, cosmetics, and accessories for women, men, and children in the United States. It offers a selection of brand name and private label merchandise. The company sells its products through various channels, including Nordstrom full-line stores, off-price Nordstrom Rack stores, Jeffrey? boutiques, treasure & bond, and Last Chance clearance stores; and its online store, nordstrom.com, as well as through catalog. Nordstrom also provides a private label card, two Nordstrom VISA credit cards, and a debit card for Nordstrom purchases. The company?s credit and debit cards feature a shopping-based loyalty program. As of September 30, 2011, it operated 222 stores, including 117 full-line stores, 101 Nordstrom Racks, 2 Jeffrey boutiques, 1 treasure & bond store, and 1 clearance store in 30 states. The company was founded in 1901 and is based in Seattle, Washington.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Ben Levisohn]

  The day’s winners include Nordstrom (JWN), which gained 3.4% to $60.79 and is scheduled to report earnings on Thursday, and Mosaic (MOS), which jumped 3.2% to $43.85 and continued its strong showing following a Friday upgrade.

Top Growth Companies To Own In Right Now: Thoratec Corporation(THOR)

Thoratec Corporation engages in the development, manufacture, and marketing of proprietary medical devices used for circulatory support. The company?s primary product lines include ventricular assist devices, such as HeartMate II, an implantable left ventricular assist device consisting of a rotary blood pump to provide intermediate and long-term mechanical circulatory support (MCS); and HeartMate XVE, an implantable and pulsatile left ventricular assist device for intermediate and longer-term MCS. Its ventricular assist devices also comprise Paracorporeal Ventricular Assist Device, an external pulsatile ventricular assist device, which provides left, right, and biventricular MCS approved for bridge-to-transplantation (BTT), including home discharge, and post-cardiotomy myocardial recovery; and Implantable Ventricular Assist Device, an implantable and pulsatile ventricular assist device designed to provide left, right, and biventricular MCS approved for BTT comprising hom e discharge, and post-cardiotomy myocardial recovery. The company also provides CentriMag, an extracorporeal full-flow acute surgical support platform that offers support up to 30 days for cardiac and respiratory failure. In addition, it offers PediMag and PediVAS extracorporeal full-flow acute surgical support platforms designed to provide acute surgical support to pediatric patients. The company sells its products through direct sales force in the United States, as well as through a network of distributors internationally. Thoratec Corporation was founded in 1976 and is headquartered in Pleasanton, California.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Brian Pacampara]

  What: Shares of medical device company Thoratec (NASDAQ: THOR  ) sank 12% today after its quarterly results missed Wall Street expectations. �

Top Growth Companies To Own In Right Now: Waste Management Inc.(WM)

Waste Management, Inc., through its subsidiaries, provides waste management services to residential, commercial, industrial, and municipal customers in North America. It offers collection, transfer, recycling, and disposal services. The company also owns, develops, and operates waste-to-energy and landfill gas-to-energy facilities in the United States. Its collection services involves in picking up and transporting waste and recyclable materials from where it was generated to a transfer station, material recovery facility, or disposal site; and recycling operations include collection and materials processing, plastics materials recycling, and commodities recycling. In addition, it provides recycling brokerage, which includes managing the marketing of recyclable materials for third parties; and electronic recycling services, such as collection, sorting, and disassembling of discarded computers, communications equipment, and other electronic equipment. Further, the company e ngages in renting and servicing portable restroom facilities to municipalities and commercial customers under the Port-o-Let name; and involves in landfill gas-to-energy operations comprising recovering and processing the methane gas produced naturally by landfills into a renewable energy source, as well as provides street and parking lot sweeping services. Additionally, it offers portable self-storage, fluorescent lamp recycling, and medical waste services for healthcare facilities, pharmacies, and individuals, as well as provides services on behalf of third parties to construct waste facilities. The company was formerly known as USA Waste Services, Inc. and changed its name to Waste Management, Inc. in 1998. Waste Management, Inc. was incorporated in 1987 and is based in Houston, Texas.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Geoff Gannon]

  For example, a company involved in a mundane business like running hair salons ��like Regis (RGS), dentist offices ��like Birner Dental (BDMS), grocery stores ��like Village Supermarket (VLGEA), or garbage dumps ��like Waste Management (WM), may be easy to estimate as essentially a no-growth business.

• [By Jonas Elmerraji]

  Investors think Waste Management (WM) is a garbage stock right now. Why else would WM's short interest ratio hover around 12.6? Of course, Waste Management is in fact a garbage stock of sorts -- it is the largest waste management service provider in the country. The firm boasts more than 270 landfills and a massive fleet of trash collection vehicles that spans the U.S.

  When I think garbage firms, the first thing that comes to mind is dividends: WM and its peers historically have generous, recession-resistant dividend payouts. Currently, Waste Management's yield adds up to 3.36% annually. Don't forget, dividends are like kryptonite to short sellers.

  WM's willingness to embrace innovation has big potential in the years ahead. Right now, the firm's portfolio includes 22 waste-to-energy plants that are designed to turn the waste that WM literally gets paid to collect into renewable energy that the firm gets paid for again. At this point, the firm's energy plants make up a very small part of its total business, but waste-to-energy projects and the recent acquisition of small oil service firms should look attractive to investors right now.

  Earnings in two months look like the next big catalyst for a short squeeze in WM.

• [By Selena Maranjian]

  It can be good, though, with kids, to add a few individual company stocks to the mix, to keep things more interesting. A solid, dividend-paying blue chip such as Waste Management (NYSE: WM  ) can be a smart choice, in part because it's relatively easy to understand. It's reliable because garbage collection is likely to be in great demand for a long time, and the company has become a major recycler, too, even generating energy from some waste.

Top Growth Companies To Own In Right Now: Intuitive Surgical Inc.(ISRG)

Intuitive Surgical, Inc. designs, manufactures, and markets da Vinci surgical systems for various surgical procedures, including urologic, gynecologic, cardiothoracic, general, and head and neck surgeries. Its da Vinci surgical system consists of a surgeon?s console or consoles, a patient-side cart, a 3-D vision system, and proprietary ?wristed? instruments. The company?s da Vinci surgical system translates the surgeon?s natural hand movements on instrument controls at the console into corresponding micro-movements of instruments positioned inside the patient through small puncture incisions, or ports. It also manufactures a range of EndoWrist instruments, which incorporate wrist joints for natural dexterity for various surgical procedures. Its EndoWrist instruments consist of forceps, scissors, electrocautery, scalpels, and other surgical tools. In addition, it sells various vision and accessory products for use in conjunction with the da Vinci Surgical System as surgical procedures are performed. The company?s accessory products include sterile drapes used to ensure a sterile field during surgery; vision products, such as replacement 3-D stereo endoscopes, camera heads, light guides, and other items. It markets its products through sales representatives in the United States, and through sales representatives and distributors in international markets. The company was founded in 1995 and is headquartered in Sunnyvale, California.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Brian Stoffel]

  Intuitive Surgical (NASDAQ: ISRG  )
  Most of the time, when a company handily beats expectations for revenue and earnings, its stock gets a pretty nice bump. Such was not the case, however, for Intuitive Surgical, maker of the daVinci Surgical Robotic system.

• [By Selena Maranjian]

  Among holdings in which Viking Global increased its stake was Intuitive Surgical (NASDAQ: ISRG  ) , a specialist in robotic surgical equipment. The company has had a bumpy year, thanks to bearish comments from a research firm and questions about the efficacy of its systems. Some legal worries were eased recently, with a victory in court. While some wonder whether the company's growth prospects are slowing down, others love Intuitive's competitive advantages and dominance in its promising market. It has been posting double-digit revenue and earnings growth rates for quite a while and has a forward P/E ratio near 23, which is not exactly nosebleed territory.

Is Inhalable Insulin Assured To Be Approved By The FDA?

If you have followed the diabetes drug market for very long, chances are high that you have run across the possibility of an inhalable form of insulin ultimately being approved by the Food & Drug Administration. This is where the controversial company called MannKind Corp. (NYSE: MNKD) comes into play. The company’s stock has traded higher after it has asked the FDA to approve its Afrezza.

What investors need to know is that Afrezza is MannKind’s inhalable insulin. Investors also need to remember that this product has been in the works for years, and prior inhaled insulin products from other companies were not approved. The approval process goes back to 2009, but the company was hit in 2011 when the FDA demanded that more clinical studies were required.

So when you see a gain of 5% to $5.38 against a 52-week trading range of $1.82 to $8.70 for MannKind shares, we have to ask if there is an assured outcome here. It seems that there is a growing belief that Afrezza will be approved. Based on “seems” we have to make the reminder that there are certainly no assurances that the FDA is going to approve its inhalable insulin.

Our understanding is that the FDA has a negative bias against inhalable insulin compared to the safety of the insulin treatments already on the market. The FDA has also proven to be less than predictable regarding many drug approvals.

MannKind is worth only $1.57 billion as of now. This could be substantially higher of Afrezza is approved. Unfortunately, that is still far from a certainty.

Goldman Sachs Stock Price May Be Vulnerable

A new lawsuit against the Federal Reserve of New York accentuates the difficult current climate for Wall Street giants and regulators alike. The lawsuit for improper termination was filed by former Fed bank examiner Carmen Segarra. In the suit, Segarra claims she was fired from her senior position for refusing to change her critical findings in regards to Goldman Sachs Group (GS).

Segarra elaborates that through seven months of auditing Goldman Sachs, she indisputably determined that the bank was not meeting regulatory restrictions against financial conflicts of interests. Her presentation of findings was the first step in a regulatory downgrade that could have led to more serious actions. Though it's not publicly clear if that downgrade took place, Segarra claims that New York Fed officers Michael Silva and Michael Koh acted improperly to hinder any regulatory actions. Along with Segarra's former boss Johnathon Kim, both Silva and Koh are named defendants in Segarra's unfolding suit. Seeking redress, Segarra claims she was fired primarily to protect the Goldman's reputation, although her investigations of Solyndra and Capmark factored in as well.

Representatives from the New York Fed denied all allegations and the fate of Segarra's course are uncertain. However the lawsuit plays out, it comes at a time when Federal Reserve and government regulators are under increasing fire for aiding and abetting Wall Street excess. Though Wall Street firms like J.P Morgan & Chase (JPM) have recently fielded major fines, some critics argue this is too little, too late after years of poor oversight and growing moral hazard.

It is fascinating to ponder what star investor Warren Buffett (BRK.A, BRK.B) thinks about the latest controversy featuring Goldman Sachs. Buffett famously came to Goldman's aid in 2008, using his massive investment to help show that the ailing company could survive its serious calamities. Today, Buffett is still a major stockholder with deep interest in the firm. Known as &qu! ot;the Wise Man of Omaha" for his consistent successes, Buffett may well be wondering if his efforts for Goldman Sachs helped perpetuate a broken system.

As Wall Street lawsuits and controversies pile up, it is clear that the financial sector contains many who lack caution or accountability. Whether one thinks these players are outliers or institutionally entrenched largely depends on one's general attitude towards modern Wall Street.

So far, the investing public has shown remarkable latitude towards troubled Wall Street stalwarts. For example, J.P Morgan faced one crisis after another over last summer and early fall. Despite these issues, the firm's stock price remains positive for the year. Since Goldman Sachs has a troubled history of instability, this company is far more vulnerable to negative publicity and falling stock prices. In the coming weeks and months, the company may once again experience hard times and uncertainties. Whatever Goldman's ultimate fate, it is doubtful that Wall Street executives and their regulators will learn to change their bad habits without steady external pressure. If whistleblowers like Carmen Segarra cast light on Wall Street's institutional instability, they are doing a difficult but critical service for the financial industry and the investing public.

Summary

Given the run up in the stock price of Goldman Sachs over the past year, it may be an appropriate time to take some profits. The market is also up substantially and the dark climate in Washington could lead to a correction in the large financial stocks and the market in general over the next several months.

Source: Goldman Sachs Stock Price May Be Vulnerable

Disclosure: I have no positions in any stocks mentioned, and no plans to initiate any positions within the next 72 hours. I wrote this article myself, and it expresses my own opinions. I am not receiving compensation for it (other than from Seeking Alpha). I have no business relationship with any company whose stock is mentioned in this article. (More...)

Additional disclosure: This article is neither a recommendation to buy or sell shares, and investors should always do their own research.

Top 10 Penny Stocks To Watch Right Now

Jamba (NASDAQ: JMBA  ) investors had better not get too excited when they pull up a stock quote on Monday.

The shares may be trading in the low to mid teens, but it doesn't mean that the smoothie chain operator has come through with a fivefold pop in value. The Jamba Juice parent is simply the latest company to execute a reverse split.

After today's close, Jamba will complete a 1-for-5 reverse split. Every five shares will be exchanged for a single share worth five times as much. In theory, the move should prop up Jamba's share price from $3 to $15, but the value of the company will remain the same. It's a zero-sum game.

Executing a reverse split does have negative connotations, but that's not entirely fair.

A lot of companies going this route are fading companies that have seen their share prices fall below the $1 mark. These penny stocks go through reverse splits to maintain exchange listing requirements, but the fundamentals are still a mess.

Top 10 Penny Stocks To Watch Right Now: BNC Bancorp(BNCN)

BNC Bancorp operates as the holding company for Bank of North Carolina, which provides a range of commercial banking products and services to individuals, and small to medium size businesses in North Carolina. The company offers various deposit products, including checking and savings accounts, negotiable order of withdrawal accounts, money market demand accounts, noninterest-bearing accounts, and fixed interest rate certificates with varying maturities. Its loan portfolio comprises business loans secured by real estate, personal property, and accounts receivable; unsecured business loans; consumer loans that are secured by consumer products, such as automobiles and boats; unsecured consumer loans; commercial real estate loans; and commercial, installment, and personal loans. The company also offers safe deposit boxes and other associated services. As of December 31, 2009, it operated a main office in Thomasville, 15 other branch offices, and 1 limited services office. The company was founded in 1991 and is headquartered in High Point, North Carolina.

Top 10 Penny Stocks To Watch Right Now: Cornerstone Progressive Return Fund(CFP)

Cornerstone Progressive Return Fund is a closed-ended equity fund of fund launched and managed by Cornerstone Advisors, Inc. The fund invests funds investing in the public equity markets of the United States. It invests in stocks of companies operating across diversified sectors. Cornerstone Progressive Return Fund was formed on April 26, 2007 and is domiciled in the United States.

Best Performing Stocks To Invest In 2014: Kulicke and Soffa Industries Inc.(KLIC)

Kulicke and Soffa Industries, Inc. designs, manufactures, and sells capital equipment and expendable tools used to assemble semiconductor devices, including integrated circuits, high and low powered discrete devices, light-emitting diodes, and power modules. It also services, maintains, repairs, and upgrades its equipment. The company operates in two segments, Equipment and Expendable Tools. The Equipment segment manufactures and sells a line of ball bonders, heavy wire wedge bonders, stud bumpers, and die bonders. Its Ball bonders are used to connect very fine wires, primarily made of gold or copper, between the bond pads of the semiconductor device or die, and the leads on its package; Heavy wire wedge bonders are used in the power semiconductor and automotive power module markets; and Die bonders are used to attach a die to the substrate or lead frame, which will house the semiconductor device. This segment?s Stud bumpers mechanically apply bumps to die, while still in the wafer format, for some variants of the flip chip assembly process. The Expendable Tools segment manufactures and sells various expendable tools for a range of semiconductor packaging applications. Its products include capillaries, bonding wedges, and saw blades. The company?s customers primarily comprise semiconductor device manufacturers, outsourced semiconductor assembly and test providers, other electronics manufacturers, and automotive electronics suppliers in the United States and the Asia/Pacific region. Kulicke and Soffa Industries sells its products through manufacturers? representatives and distributors. The company was founded in 1951 and is headquartered in Singapore.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Brian Pacampara]

  Based on the aggregated intelligence of 180,000-plus investors participating in Motley Fool CAPS, the Fool's free investing community, chip equipment maker Kulicke and Soffa Industries (NASDAQ: KLIC  ) has earned a coveted five-star ranking.

Top 10 Penny Stocks To Watch Right Now: Synergetics USA Inc.(SURG)

Synergetics USA, Inc., a medical device company, engages in the design, manufacture, and marketing of microsurgical instruments and consumables primarily for ophthalmology and neurosurgery markets in the United States and internationally. The company?s product lines focus upon precision engineered, microsurgical, handheld devices, and the microscopic delivery of laser energy, ultrasound, electrosurgery, aspiration, illumination and irrigation that are delivered in multiple combinations. It offers retinal surgical items, including handheld disposable and reusable forceps and scissors, fiberoptics for illumination and photocoagulation, cannulas, scrapers, and other reusable and disposable surgical devices. The company also provides bipolar electrosurgical generators; lesion generators used for minimally invasive pain treatment; and directional laser probes, as well as offers gauge instrumentation to the vitreoretinal surgical market. It sells its products through direct sale s employees, distributors, and independent sales representatives. The company was founded in 1991 and is headquartered in O?Fallon, Missouri.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Monica Gerson]

  Synergetics USA (NASDAQ: SURG) reported its FQ4 earnings of $0.06 per share on revenue of $17.9 million. However, analysts were projecting earnings of $0.05 per share on revenue of $17 million. Synergetics USA shares dipped 11.82% to $4.40 in the after-hours trading session.

Top 10 Penny Stocks To Watch Right Now: Crown Crafts Inc.(CRWS)

Crown Crafts, Inc., through its subsidiaries, offers infant and toddler products primarily in the United States. Its products include crib and toddler bedding, blankets, nursery accessories, room d

Top 10 Penny Stocks To Watch Right Now: China North East Petroleum Holdings Limited(NEP)

China North East Petroleum Holdings Limited engages in the exploration and production of crude oil in northern China. As of December 31, 2010, it operated 295 producing wells with proven reserves of 5,476,200 barrels of crude oil at Qian?an 112, Hetingbao 301, Daan 34, and Gudian 31 oilfields. The company, through its subsidiary, Song Yuan Tiancheng Drilling Engineering Co., Ltd., provides contract land drilling and other oilfield services for state-owned and non-state-owned oil companies. China North East Petroleum Holdings Limited is headquartered in Song Yuan City, the People?s Republic of China.

Top 10 Penny Stocks To Watch Right Now: Air T Inc.(AIRT)

Air T, Inc., through its subsidiaries, provides overnight air cargo, ground equipment sales, and ground support services. Its Overnight Air Cargo segment offers small package overnight airfreight delivery services on a contract basis to the air express delivery services industry. The company?s Ground Equipment Sales segment manufactures, sells, and services aircraft ground support and other specialized equipment products, including aircraft deicers, scissor type lifts, military and civilian decontamination units, glycol recovery vehicles, and other special purpose mobile equipment. This segment offers its products to domestic and international passenger and cargo airlines, ground handling companies, the United States Air Force and Navy, airports, and industrial customers. Its Ground Support Services segment provides ground support equipment maintenance and facilities maintenance services to domestic airlines and aviation service providers. As of March 31, 2010, the company operated 80 cargo aircrafts under dry-lease service contracts in the United States and the Caribbean. Air T, Inc. was founded in 1980 and is based in Maiden, North Carolina.

Top 10 Penny Stocks To Watch Right Now: IRIS International Inc.(IRIS)

IRIS International, Inc. manufactures in vitro diagnostic (IVD) products for urinalysis and body fluids. The company?s IVD segment offers iQ analyzer, an automated urine microscopy and body fluids analyzer; iQ Body Fluids Module; Optional iWare Software; iChem VELOCITY and iRICELL, an automated urine chemistry analyzer; 3GEMS Urinalysis and Body Fluids; and 3GEMS Hematology, a blood count analyzer. This segment also provides consumables for microscopy systems, test strips, calibrators, controls, and urine chemistry analyzers. Its Sample Processing segment offers benchtop centrifuges, small instruments, and supplies used for applications in coagulation, cytology, hematology, urinalysis, and DNA processing. This segment provides Express centrifuge line for clinical diagnostic market; ThermoBrite, a DNA workstation for FISH procedures; Cytofuge 2, a centrifuge for layer cell preparation; Cytofuge 12, a 12 placement centrifuge used for thin layer cell preparation; IDEXX Drive and IDEXX whole blood separator for use in IDEXX chemistry analyzers; and OvaTube, an ova and parasite testing for veterinarian market. The company?s Personalized Medicine segment offers oncology and molecular diagnostics services. This segment?s products include Arista Molecular Tests for the diagnosis and prognostication of pathologic entities; Flow cytometry, a cell analysis platform; FISH for the detection of DNA on chromosomes; NADiA ProsVue used in prognostication of patients; NADiA HIV to monitor HIV viral load; and NADiA CECs for the detection of circulating epithelial cells. It serves medical institutions, commercial laboratories, clinics, doctors? offices, veterinary laboratories, and research facilities. IRIS International sells its products through a direct sales and service force in the United States, as well as through distributors internationally. The company was founded in 1979 and is headquartered in Chatsworth, California.

Top 10 Penny Stocks To Watch Right Now: Capital Bank Corporation(CBKN)

Capital Bank Corporation operates as the holding company for Capital Bank that provides general commercial banking products and services in North Carolina. Its deposit products include checking, savings, negotiable order of withdrawal, money market, and individual retirement accounts, as well as certificates of deposit. The company?s loan products portfolio comprises loans for real estate, construction, businesses, agriculture, personal use, home improvement, and automobiles, as well as equity lines of credit, mortgage loans, credit loans, consumer loans, and credit cards. It also offers safe deposit boxes, bank money orders, Internet banking services, traveler?s checks, and notary services, as well as electronic funds transfer services, including wire transfers and remote deposit capture. In addition, the company provides automated teller machine access to its customers; and a line of uninsured investment products and services. It operates 32 branch offices in North Carol ina, including 5 in Raleigh, 4 in Asheville, 4 in Fayetteville, 3 in Burlington, 3 in Sanford, 2 in Cary, and 1 each in Clayton, Graham, Hickory, Holly Springs, Mebane, Morrisville, Oxford, Pittsboro, Siler City, Wake Forest, and Zebulon. The company was founded in 1997 and is headquartered in Raleigh, North Carolina. Capital Bank Corporation is a subsidiary of North American Financial Holdings, Inc.

Top 10 Penny Stocks To Watch Right Now: Anthera Pharmaceuticals Inc.(ANTH)

Anthera Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a development stage biopharmaceutical company, focuses on developing and commercializing therapeutics to treat diseases associated with inflammation, including cardiovascular and autoimmune diseases. Its primary product candidates include varespladib methyl (A-002), which has completed its Phase 2 clinical studies for the treatment of acute coronary syndrome; varespladib sodium (A-001) that is in a Phase 2 clinical study for the prevention of acute chest syndrome associated with sickle cell disease; and A-623, which has completed Phase 1 clinical studies for the treatment of B-cell mediated autoimmune diseases. The company has license agreements with Eli Lilly and Company, and Shionogi & Co., Ltd. to develop and commercialize secretory phospholipase A2 or sPLA2 inhibitors for the treatment of cardiovascular disease and other diseases; and Amgen Inc., to develop and commercialize A-623. Anthera Pharmaceuticals, Inc. was founded in 2004 and is headquartered in Hayward, California.

Apple Has Many Aces Up Its Sleeve

According to a post by ex. WSJ reporter Jessica Lessin, Apple (AAPL) recently purchased for an undisclosed amount Passif Semiconductor, a small Silicon Valley company specializing in low energy chip design. Passif develops communication chips that use very little power. Its technology, which includes a radio that works with a low-energy version of Bluetooth called Bluetooth LE, is promising for health-monitoring and fitness devices that need extra-long battery life.

The interesting thing about this company is that it was purchased some months ago under everyone's noses. That's correct, exactly when Apple made this purchase is unclear. Passif is not the only semiconductor company that has been bought by Apple. In 2008 it acquired P.A. Semi Inc., a designer of low-power processors that deliver more computing power per watt of electricity.

Naturally, what comes to mind is that Apple is interested in this technology for the iWatch. When making any type of wrist device, the most important issue is battery life. No one will buy any type of wrist device (smart or otherwise), if the user has to recharge it every now and then. So assuming that Apple has a technology that uses very little energy to emit radio Bluetooth waves, then that opens up a world of possibilities.

Obviously the iWatch is one thought, but why stop there? Imagine for example if you can implant a small device to monitor you heart or blood and send the data via Bluetooth to you iPhone and the data is automatically monitored by you doctor from his iPhone or from a desktop computer in his office.

While the idea is not new (for example here and here), all these devices require some sort of external power source. Imagine however if these devices could work for months at a time, or can even be recharged via some sort of wireless recharging technology in the future

While it is unclear what Apple is aiming to produce with such technology, we cannot rule out the medical and health devices industry. This is an extremely b! ig industry and I am surprised that Apple has not used its cash hoard to get into this sector as of yet.

Nike (NKE) for example has already devolved FuelBand. I mean Apple is a devices and gadgets company, I see no reason why it has restricted its focus to smartphones alone.

Very recently Credit Suisse issued a report on the rise of the wearable devices and personal accessories industry, that use embedded sensors, displays and other digital technology. Credit Suisse said today this is a $3-$5 billion market, but it will balloon between $30 and $50 billion in the next 3-5 years from now.

If indeed this forecast proves to be correct (and I think it will), we are talking about a lot of money to be made. And guess what, the company that has the technology to power and make these devices communicate for very long periods of time, will probably end up taking a big piece of this market.

And while we know that Apple is pushing ahead and hiring people for the iWatch, I do not think that the iWatch is the only product it is working on, or the only product we will see from Apple in the wearable devices category.

With companies like Google (GOOG), Microsoft (MSFT), Samsung (SSNLF.PK) and even Dell (DELL) all working on making small wrist like devices and bracelets, at the end of the day, success will be determined by the power source and semiconductor components that use extremely low power.

Will Apple be one of these companies that will profit in this fast growing sector? The verdict is still out, however judging from Apple's latest round of acquisitions, I think it is at least preparing the ground work for making a wide variety of devices and gadgets, and medical devices cannot be ruled out.

And while I think Google will also surprise us in the gadget business in the future, I think only Apple has the potential to come out with a gadget that will rival the success of the iPhone.

And I am not talking about the iWatch, but something else that will be really revolution! ary and m! ake our lives better.

Source: Apple Has Many Aces Up Its Sleeve

Disclosure: I have no positions in any stocks mentioned, and no plans to initiate any positions within the next 72 hours. I wrote this article myself, and it expresses my own opinions. I am not receiving compensation for it (other than from Seeking Alpha). I have no business relationship with any company whose stock is mentioned in this article. (More...)