Test Drive: Jeep Compass Limited

SUMMIT POINT, W. Va. -- Never could get past the looks of Jeep Compass. Something about that big, reverse-slant rear roof pillar and gratuitous fender bulges triggered the gag reflex.

But the effect was softened with a styling change for the compact crossover SUV in 2011, and improved more by additional styling updates for 2014.

The interior has been improved over time and got 2014 updates, too.

Also for 2014 — we had despaired of ever reporting this bit of joy — a conventional six-speed automatic transmission has replaced the CVT (continuously variable-ratio automatic transmission) on most versions.

CVTs typically are portrayed as more efficient at keeping the engine revved to its just-right speed for more miles per gallon. But the Compass with six-speed automatic is rated higher than the version with CVT.

"Our customers told us they liked the car, and would like it better with a regular transmission," spokesman Kathy Graham says.

Smart bunch, those Jeepers, Test Drive says.

An all-wheel-drive Compass with 2.4-liter four-cylinder, for instance, gets government numbers of 21 mpg in the city, 27 mpg highway and 23 city/highway combined. The CVT version is rated 20/23/21.

Looked at another way, the front-drive Compass with 2.4-liter engine and six-speed auto gets a better rating than the lighter, less-powerful FWD Compass with base 2-liter engine and CVT.

Our drive of the latest Compass, a top-level AWD Limited model, was part of a multi-model Jeep showcase. Those other Jeeps around apparently diluted what Test Drive still thinks is pretty ugly styling, and let us focus on how the Compass drives.

Really well, as it turns out. In fact, it's quite clear why Compass sales have been booming.

The suspension, we discovered on the back roads around this isolated area that's home to a race track and off-road course, is an appealing blend of comfortable ride and a tight, controlled feeling around the kinds of corners most people face most of the ! time.

Not a Porsche, of course, but very satisfying handling, even in frisky motoring.

Steering is quite good, and that's never a certainly nowadays.

The optional engine makes the small, relatively light Compass quick, and — at least by Test Drive's low standards — it doesn't use a ton of gas. Our mileage topped 21 mpg in back-road drives using lots of wide-open throttle (because it's fun) and exercising the manual-shift mode of the six-speed automatic often.

Optional leather upholstery and newly available backup camera give the little Compass a more grown-up feel.

An optional Freedom Drive II off-road package continues to use the CVT with a crawl gear. That version has Jeep's "Trail Rated" imprimatur, so should be a true performer in mud and rock and other challenging terrain.

We kept the Compass on the pavement, and saved our off-roading for the new Cherokee, which was the main reason for the Summit Point gig. Test Drive reviewed the Cherokee late last year.

Most quality time with a vehicle is spent inside it, so driving behavior and interior probably are more important than exterior styling. But despite laudable mechanical and interior changes, Compass' styling would keep it off our list.

However, if your tastes run to a more traditional Jeep look, you can get nearly all the features and changes on the mechanically similar Jeep Patriot compact.

ABOUT THE 2014 JEEP COMPASS

What? Update of compact, four-door, five-seat SUV. Front- (FWD) or all-wheel drive (AWD).

When? On sale since April.

Where built? Belvidere, Ill.

How much? $19,590 with $995 shipping for base Sport FWD to $34,591 for Limited AWD with all options.

What makes it go? 2-liter four rated 158 hp at 6,400 rpm, 141 pound-feet of torque at 5,000 on base only or 2.4-liter four-cylinder rated 172 hp at 6,000 rpm, 165 lb.-ft. at 4,400 optional on base, standard on others.

Transmissions: five-speed manual or six-speed autom! atic most! models. Five-speed or CVT on base. Freedom Drive II off-road group has CVT, crawl ratio.

How big? Similar to Honda CR-V, but, at 3,097 to 3,354 lbs. is lighter. Passenger space: 101.3 cu. ft. Cargo: 22.7 cu. ft. behind rear seat, 62.7 cu. ft. when rear and front passenger seats folded.

How thirsty? FWD models rated 21-23 miles per gallon city, 27-30 highway, 24-26 combined. AWD: 20-23/23-28/21-25.

AWD test vehicle averaged 21.3 mpg (4.69 gallons per 100 miles) driven hard on rural roads.

Burns regular. Tank holds about 13.5 gallons.

Overall: Surprisingly pleasant to drive; styling needs help.

Are You Too Emotional About Advanced Micro Devices (AMD)?

There is something about small cap chip maker Advanced Micro Devices, Inc (NYSE: AMD) that rightly or wrongly just brings out both the bulls and the bears. I should mention that we had an open position in Advanced Micro Devices in our SmallCap Network Elite Opportunity (SCN EO) portfolio from last summer up until late January when we locked in a small loss. We got out not because we have lost faith in AMD, but for sinking once again after its latest earnings report, something it had already done after three other earnings reports. But if you are not a trader and have a long term time horizon, holding the stock will probably bear some fruit and you should be considering the some of the following latest AMD news:  

Does Emotion Trump Reason for AMD Investors? AMD bear Richard Saintvilus has written another critical article about the stock for The Street, noting that:

"As I've said, this company has been in continuous recovery. It's time to ask: When will the ship finally dock?"

He went on to add that its "dangerous to assume" that AMD doesn't face significant pressure from the likes of Intel Corporation (NASDAQ: INTC) and NVIDIA Corporation (NASDAQ: NVDA) even if those companies are "shells of their former selves" because they've done moderately better than AMD in navigating the declining PC market. He also noted that while Apple (NASDAQ: AAPL) has partnered with Intel, there is no such "lifeline"  for AMD to the extent to "justify optimism" about the company's future. Moreover:

"I can't understand how AMD expects to emerge more competitive by not spending more in areas like research and development. Companies don't "save" their way to more revenue and market share. It costs money. The restructuring continues."

Is AMD Loosing Ground to Intel and Nvidia? According to market tracker Jon Peddie Research (JPR), GPU shipments increased in the fourth quarter of last year and during this three-month period, Advanced Micro Devices lost market share against rivals Intel and NVIDIA Corporation:

According to the numbers, AMD's overall units shipped dropped 10.4% while Intel's total shipments increased 5.1% from the third quarter and NVIDIA's increased by 3.4% compared to the third quarter of last year. With year-over-year numbers, AMD's market share slipped 5.4%, Intel's increased by 5.4% and NVIDIA's increased by 0.9%.

AMD Eyes New Growth Segments. Neil Spicer, who was recently promoted from senior sales manager for the EMEA component channel to head up the vendor's EMEA CPU business, has told Channelweb that the entry-level desktop PC market is on vendor's hit list as it predicts the start of the long-awaited upgrade cycle:

"We believe there is an upgrade cycle coming and these days everything is about compute power…It is unusual for a vendor to talk about costs. But there is an opportunity to build an entry-level PC from a starting point of around $70 [£42] with an APU and motherboard."

And he added:

"In 2012/13 we recognised 90 per cent of our revenue in the PC and client market, but by 2015, 50 per cent of the company's revenue will come from emerging growth segments such as consoles and we are moving to new designs in the tablet market…. The big thing for me is that the AMD you thought you knew is not the AMD we are today. We have been through the acceleration stage of our turnaround and are now in the transformation stage."

Share Performance. On Thursday, Advanced Micro Devices fell 0.81% to $3.69 for a market cap of $2.68 billion plus the stock is down 4.65% since the start of the year, up 36.2% over the past year and up 81.8% over the past five years:

Finally, here is a look at the latest technical chart for AMD:

Taking the above news in consideration, there is still plenty for both the bulls and the bears to contemplate.

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

America's most content states have good jobs,…

The well-being of Americans hasn't improved in the past six years, and it even declined slightly in 2013, according to a Gallup study. While national figures remained flat overall, the ranks of the states with the highest well-being scores changed considerably. North Dakota topped the well-being list in 2013 after failing to crack the top 10 in 2012. Hawaii, 2012's top state, fell to No. 8 in 2013. West Virginia, on the other hand, remained at the bottom of the list for the fifth consecutive year.

The Gallup-Healthways Well-Being Index, based on interviews with more than 176,000 people from all 50 states last year, measures the physical and emotional health of Americans across the country. 24/7 Wall St. reviewed the more than 50 metrics comprising the six broad categories Gallup used to identify well-being.

Well-being matters because it effectively reflects health, employment, education and the local environment, Dan Witters, research director of the Gallup-Healthways Well-Being Index, told 24/7 Wall St. Witters suggested that this means that a strong economy and a healthy, educated workforce can improve well-being, just as high well-being may also influence further development.

Because these relationships appear to exist, "there's a lot of things that employers or communities can do structurally, culturally, legislatively, that can positively affect change around well-being," Witters added.

In states with high well-being scores, residents were less likely to smoke and more likely to exercise regularly and learn new things every day. These states also enjoyed the positive outcomes of such behaviors, including lower obesity rates and other common health problems.

The opposite was generally true for states with low well-being, where residents were more likely to have unhealthy lifestyles or limited access to basic necessities. As a result, they tended to feel physically and emotionally unhealthy. In those states, residents were among the most likely in the nation to suffer f! rom health problems such as high cholesterol and blood pressure, as well as obesity. Broadly, residents in these states did not feel they were thriving.

Other factors considered by 24/7 Wall St., in addition to data from the Well-Being Index, may also influence a state's score. The states with the lowest well-being typically had very low median household incomes. Having a stable income is important because it enables people to access basic needs such as healthy food, clean water, medicine and health care. However, the opposite was not the case for the highest ranking states, a number of which were not especially well-off.

"For the most part, well-being goes up with income," according to Witters. While a low income can definitely impair well-being, as incomes rise, factors such as emotional health tend to level out, Witters explained. For individuals, "emotional health scores kind of hit their peak at about $75,000 a year. And after that point, they really don't get any better."

However, while states with high well-being scores did not have necessarily high incomes, they often had other advantages, such as high educational attainment and low unemployment. In each of the top-rated states more than 90% of residents had a high school diploma, vs. just 86.4% of Americans nationwide. Educational outcomes in low well-being states were generally poor. Also, many states with high scores had low unemployment.

Although a number of the states with the highest, and lowest, well-being scores have remained the same, the well-being of a number of states significantly improved in the most recent year. Perceived improvement in the work environment, especially in the supervisor's treatment, was often behind these gains, according to Witters. He cited workplace evaluations as a major reason Hawaii fell in the rankings, as well as a major reason North and South Dakota, the two states with the highest well-being scores, entered the top 10 in 2013.

Regional patterns were also evident, as states ! in some p! arts of the country continued to do better than others in 2013. In particular, the Plains states were disproportionately well-represented among the states with the highest well-being. North Dakota, South Dakota, Minnesota, Nebraska and Iowa were all among the top 10 states. States in the Southeast accounted for seven of the 10 states with the lowest well-being score in the nation. This has been the case in previous years, as well.

24/7 Wall St. reviewed all 50 U.S. states based on their scores in the Gallup-Healthways 2013 Well-Being Index. Gallup-Healthways calculated a national well-being score as well as one for each state, assigning scores from 0 to 100, with 100 representing ideal well-being. In generating the rank, Gallup combined six separate indices, measuring access to basic needs, healthy behavior, work environment, physical health, life evaluation and optimism, and emotional health. In addition to the index, 24/7 Wall St. considered data from the U.S. Census Bureau's 2012 American Community Survey, including median income, poverty levels, and the percentage of adults with a high school diploma or higher. From the Bureau of Labor Statistics, we reviewed state unemployment rates as of December 2013. We also reviewed 2010 statistics for life expectancy at birth and deaths from heart disease, as well as 2011 data on prescription drugs, published by The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation. We also considered state violent crime rates in 2012 from the FBI's Uniform Crime Report Program.

Nationally, the well-being index dipped slightly in 2013 to 66.2, down from 66.7 in 2012.

These are America's most content (and miserable) states.

America's Most Content States

Maeve Giafagleone and Becca Schumacher of Dubuque, Iowa, swing at Allison-Henderso! n Park on! Jan. 30..(Photo11: Jessica Reilly, AP)

10. Iowa

• Well-being index score: 68.2

• Life expectancy: 79.7 years (16th highest)

• Percentage obese: 28.1% (tied-20th highest)

• Median household income: $50,957 (23rd highest)

• Percentage with high school diploma: 91.6% (8th highest)

Iowa residents were among the most likely in the nation to report having access to basic necessities in 2013. This included among the best scores for access to healthy food, health care and safe neighborhoods. More than 82% of residents felt safe walking alone at night, and 87% felt they had enough money for health care and medicine, both among the highest proportions nationwide. Iowans were in relatively good physical health, with 77% of residents saying their health did not prevent them from going about their daily lives, more than those in any other state except for North Dakota and Nebraska. Working conditions were also quite good, with more than 90% of residents reporting they were satisfied with their jobs last year.

MORE: The most dangerous states in America

9. Washington

• Well-being index score: 68.3

• Life expectancy: 79.9 years (13th highest)

• Percentage obese: 25% (18th lowest)

• Median household income: $57,573 (12th highest)

• Percentage with high school diploma: 90.4% (tied-15th highest)

Washington residents had some of the nation's best outlook for their future. They were also among the happiest Americans at work. Washington's relatively strong economy likely helped to boost residents' opinions about their future and their work. The state's economy grew by 3.6% in 2012, outpacing the rest of the nation. Economic confidence, too, was among the highest in Washington when compared with the rest of the USA. Respondents from the state were especially likely to indicate they practiced healthy behavior. Nearly 62% said their regular diet included fruits and vegetables, and nearly 83% said they did not smoke, b! oth among ! the highest proportions of any state.

MORE: America's most hated companies

A paddle boarder looks out over the Pacific Ocean as the sun sets at Waikiki Beach in Honolulu Dec. 31.(Photo11: Carolyn Kaster, AP)

8. Hawaii

• Well-being index score: 68.4

• Life expectancy: 81.3 years (the highest)

• Percentage obese: 23.7% (9th lowest)

• Median household income: $66,259 (5th highest)

• Percentage with high school diploma: 90.4% (tied-15th highest)

Hawaiians were more likely than most Americans to practice healthy behaviors. More than 62% of residents in the state exercised regularly last year, more than in any state except for Vermont. Also, 59.6% of residents regularly ate fruits and vegetables, higher than a majority of states. Residents were among the most emotionally healthy Americans, leading the nation in the percentage of respondents who smiled or laughed, or learned something new within the last day. While more than a dozen states ranked higher in physical health, life expectancy at birth in Hawaii was 81.3 years as of 2010, the highest in the nation. Incomes in Hawaii were largely higher than the rest of the USA, and the state's 4.5% unemployment rate in December was among the nation's lowest. However, many Hawaiians were unhappy with their work environment. Just 47.8% of respondents felt treated like a partner at work, the second-worst rate in the USA.

7. Colorado

• Well-being index score: 68.9

• Life expectancy: 80 years (11th highest)

• Percentage obese: 20.4% (2nd lowest)

• Median household income: $56,765 (14th highest)

• Percentage with high school diploma: 90.6% (12th highest)

Physical health was among the most important factors contributing to ! Colorado'! s high well-being score. Colorado had the second lowest obesity rate in the nation in 2013. Additionally, just 7% of the state's population had been diagnosed with diabetes as of last year, less than in any other state. State residents were also among the least likely to have had a heart attack. The high marks for good health may have something to do with the population's healthy behaviors. Less than 18% of Colorado residents smoked last year, and almost 60% exercised regularly, both among the best marks in the nation. Respondents from the state were also generally upbeat about their future, giving strong evaluations of both their present lives and their expectations for the next five years.

MORE: Cities where violent crimes are soaring

6. Vermont

• Well-being index score: 69.1

• Life expectancy: 80.5 years (5th highest)

• Percentage obese: 24.8% (12th lowest)

• Median household income: $52,977 (20th highest)

• Percentage with high school diploma: 91.7% (tied-5th highest)

Nowhere in the USA were residents more likely to practice healthy behaviors than in Vermont. Almost 72% of respondents in the state ate healthfully all day within the past day, and more than 65% of residents stated they exercised regularly — both higher than any other state. Additionally, 67.8% of residents had eaten five servings of fruits and vegetables at least four times a week, also more than any other state. Unsurprisingly, Vermont residents surveyed were among the most likely to report being physically healthy. As for the state's labor market, despite slow economic growth in 2012, the state's unemployment rate was just 4.2% last December, among the lowest in the USA. Residents were also more likely than most Americans to enjoy the environment in which they worked. Nearly 92% of adults age 25 and up had a high school diploma in 2012, among the top figures nationwide.

5. Montana

• Well-being index score: 69.3

• Life expectancy: 78.5 years (21st lowes! t)

! • Percent obese: 19.6% (the lowest)

• Median household income: $45,076 (12th lowest)

• Percentage with high school diploma: 92.8% (the highest)

Economic confidence in Montana was exceptionally bad in 2013, among the 10 worst states. Despite that, residents gave high ratings to their work environment. Nearly 94% of adults said they were satisfied with their job, the highest percentage nationally. This was likely due, in part, to feeling fully utilized at work — 89% of respondents said they used their strengths during the work day, more than all but one other state. Montana residents also practiced healthy behavior more than residents of most other states. A majority of the population reported healthy eating habits, weekly exercise routines, and lower-than-average smoking rates in 2013. Montana residents were also the least likely to be obese last year.

4. Minnesota

• Well-being index score: 69.7

• Life expectancy: 81.1 years (2nd highest)

• Percentage obese: 22.0% (4th lowest)

• Median household income: $58,906 (9th highest)

• Percentage with high school diploma: 92.5% (2nd highest)

Minnesotans reported exceptional physical health in 2013. More than 81% of respondents were able to partake in age-appropriate activities, tied for the highest percentage in the USA. Residents were also among the least likely Americans to report being obese. No state had fewer heart disease-related deaths per 100,000 residents than Minnesota in 2010. People surveyed in the state were also exceptionally likely to report having basic access to critical necessities, including medicine, and fruits and vegetables. Residents were also among the most likely Americans to report they had adequate money for food, shelter and health care. Minnesota's median income of $58,906 in 2012 was one of the highest in the USA. Also, 92.5% of adults 25 and over had a high school diploma — among the best in the nation. The state's economy, too, grew at a rapid 3.5% clip! in 2012,! greatly outpacing the nation as a whole.

MORE: America's richest presidents

3. Nebraska

• Well-being index score: 69.7

• Life expectancy: 79.8 years (15th highest)

• Percentage obese: 27.1% (25th highest)

• Median household income: $50,723 (25th highest)

• Percentage with high school diploma: 90.5% (tied-13th highest)

Nebraska had some of the nation's highest scores for both emotional and physical health. Residents were among the least likely to be depressed last year, trailing only North Dakota and New Jersey. More than 81% of residents did not have any health problems preventing them from age-appropriate activities, tied with Minnesota for the best nationwide in 2013. One factor improving Nebraskans' well-being was likely their high-quality living conditions. More residents were satisfied with their city than those in any other state, and most believed their city was improving overall. People in Nebraska were more confident about the future of the U.S. economy than residents of nearly all other states.

MORE: Strange things thieves steal

2. South Dakota

• Well-being index score: 70.

• Life expectancy: 79.5 years (tied-18th highest)

• Percentage obese: 28.3% (17th highest)

• Median household income: $48,362 (22nd lowest)

• Percentage with high school diploma: 90.5% (tied-13th highest)

Respondents from South Dakota were among the most likely people in the USA to report good emotional health. More than 86% of those surveyed reported smiling or laughing within the past 24 hours, second-highest in the USA. Meanwhile, 90% reported enjoying a large portion of their day, and more than 93% felt happy during the previous 24 hours, both more than any other state. The state's 3.6% unemployment rate in December tied for the second lowest in the USA. Not only did much of the workforce have a job, but also people in the state were more likely to enjoy their work environment than residents of any other ! state exc! ept for neighboring North Dakota.

MORE: Cities with the highest and lowest taxes

1. North Dakota

• Well-being index score: 70.4

• Life expectancy: 79.5 years (tied-18th highest)

• Percentage obese: 26.0% (24th lowest)

• Median household income: $53,585 (19th highest)

• Percentage with high school diploma: 91.7% (tied-5th highest)

Due in large part to profitable oil discoveries in the region, North Dakota's economy grew by more than 13% in 2012, by far the fastest growth nationwide. The state's unemployment rate has also been very low in recent years, clocking in at 2.6% in December compared with 6.7% nationally. With such low unemployment, it's perhaps not surprising that economic confidence levels in the state were among the highest 10 in the country. More than nine in 10 adults were satisfied with their jobs in 2013, one of several reasons the state's residents rated their work environment best in the nation. Supervisors in the state were more likely to treat their subordinates as partners than in any other state. With good wages and plenty of jobs, the vast majority of residents had enough money for adequate shelter, food and medicine. The proportion of respondents that were satisfied with their city and believed it was improving, however, was less than the national average.

Click here to see America's most miserable states

VW Workers May Still Get Works Council, Despite UAW Vote

Erik Schelzig/AP CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. and WASHINGTON -- Workers at Volkswagen's Chattanooga, Tenn., plant may have voted against joining the United Auto Workers union last week but they may still gain some representation in the company through the formation of a works council. Frank Fischer, chief executive of VW Chattanooga and manager of the plant, emphasized Friday night that while the workers voted against the UAW they didn't vote down the idea of a works council. "Throughout this process, we found great enthusiasm for the idea of an American-style works council both inside and outside our plant," Fischer said. "Our goal continues to be to determine the best method for establishing a works council in accordance with the requirements of U.S. labor law." The power of such a council, which would be a first of its kind in the United States, would be very limited under U.S. labor law. It could be consulted only on some limited matters rather than negotiate with management on working conditions. And some labor experts say if the workers want to participate in a works council they may have to set up their own independent union to avoid the perception of a company-organized union, which is not allowed under the law. In Germany, a works council typically involves both white- and blue-collar workers who elect representatives to participate on a body that is involved in decisions about the workplace environment and rules. However, wages and benefits are usually left for separate negotiations between labor unions and management. Chattanooga is Volkswagen's only plant in the United States. The idea for a works council has the backing of some of the workers at the Chattanooga plant who had opposed the UAW, and also has support from some politicians who had been warning about the dangers of a UAW victory. VW's works council in Germany also said it still wanted one to be set up in Chattanooga and some of its officials would be traveling to the United States to hold talks with labor law experts about the possibility in the next two weeks. Last week's vote at the plant, which was 53 percent to 47 percent against the UAW, dealt a body blow to the union, which has been unable to expand into auto plants in the U.S. South, even as its ranks have declined elsewhere. The UAW had high hopes for the vote because VW at the prodding of IG Metall, the powerful German union that has several representatives on VW's supervisory board, had maintained what it calls a "neutral" stance toward the UAW and did not campaign against the union. It had even permitted UAW representatives limited access to the plant to address workers. If the UAW had been successful, VW planned to form a works council with representatives from the union and representatives from nonunion white-collar employees. Difficult Legal Hurdles Labor experts said they think it will be very difficult, if not impossible, to set up a works council without an independent union. "While it's something novel, they are up against a statutory framework set up to prevent this from happening," said Steve Bernstein, an attorney at Fisher & Phillips, a national labor law firm that represents the management side in labor issues. Bernstein said that as long as any workforce body only "consults" with management, they may meet U.S. labor law but if they "deal" -- or negotiate -- with management then that would not be allowed. "The test is whether they are exchanging ideas and proposals with management. If they refrain from that, you will have a committee with diluted power, but more likely will be accepted" under U.S. labor law, he said. One possibility would be that the workers at the Chattanooga plant form a new independent union themselves and then join a works council, though under U.S. National Labor Relations Board rules they would almost certainly have to wait until at least a year after last week's vote. The UAW could also seek another vote after a year has passed. The discussions have some of those who lined up against the UAW, both at the plant and outside, wondering if there is a new way to worker representation that fits better with a modern America that has moved decisively against traditional labor unions in the past 30 years. In 2013, only 11.3 percent of the American labor force was unionized, down from 20.1 percent in 1983. The latest government statistics show that only 6.7 percent of American workers in the private sector are in unions. Bob Corker, a Republican U.S. senator from Tennessee, who was accused of interfering in the vote by the UAW for comments he made last week, told Reuters on Saturday that there was now the possibility of looking at workplace representation in the United States "in a very different way." Corker, Chattanooga's former mayor who helped lure the Volkswagen factory to that city with substantial tax incentives, said whether a German-style works council is allowed under U.S. law is a tough legal question. He also said that if there was a need for a union then the workers should organize their own.

10 Best Rising Stocks For 2015

U.S. crude oil supplies increased 0.3 million barrels (0.08%) for the week ending June 14, according an Energy Information Administration (EIA)�report�(link opens a PDF) released today.

After increasing 2.5 million barrels�the previous week, these newest numbers put oil supplies slightly closer to reaching late May's record highs. This latest bump was fueled by an increase in imports, up 586,000 barrels per day (bpd) from the previous week.

Source: EIA.gov.

Gasoline inventories eased up a slight 0.2 million barrels after increasing 2.7 million barrels the week before. Demand for motor gasoline is down a seasonally adjusted 0.4% over the last four weeks, and supplies remain "above the upper limit of the average range."

After rising less than a cent the previous week, pump prices fell $0.029 to a national average of $3.626 per gallon. Compared to the same time last year, consumers are paying an average $0.093 more per gallon.

10 Best Rising Stocks For 2015: Silver Mines Ltd(SVL.AX)

Silver Mines Limited engages in the exploration and development of minerals, primarily silver in Australia. The company primarily focuses on exploring and developing its silver-rich polymetallic assets in the New England region of northern New South Wales, Australia, as well as copper, zinc, and lead. Its principal project includes the Webbs Silver Project. Silver Mines Limited is based in Sydney, Australia.

10 Best Rising Stocks For 2015: Baltic Trading Limited (BALT)

Baltic Trading Limited engages in shipping business in the dry bulk industry spot market worldwide. The company operates a fleet of dry bulk ships that transport iron ore, coal, grain, steel products, and other dry bulk cargoes. Its fleet consists of 2 Capesize vessels, 4 Supramax vessels, and 3 Handysize vessels with an aggregate carrying capacity of approximately 672,000 deadweight tons. The company charters its vessels to trading houses, including commodities traders, as well as producers and government-owned entities. Baltic Trading Limited was founded in 2009 and is based in New York, New York.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Tim Melvin]

  Baltic Trading (BALT) got slammed by 17% last week as the Baltic Dry Index continued its decline. The global recovery is going to have fits and starts and the sector will be quite volatile. Baltic Trading works in the spot market for cargo like iron ore, coal, grain, and steel products so the stock price will likely jump around with the BDI reading.

Top Cheap Companies To Invest In Right Now: Hudson Highland Group Inc.(HHGP)

Hudson Highland Group, Inc. provides specialized professional-level recruitment and related talent solutions worldwide. The company provides permanent recruitment services; and contract consulting services, including project management, interim management, and professional contract staffing services. It also offers legal eDiscovery services, such as eDiscovery solutions, which provide information management solutions for transaction and regulatory actions; managed document review comprising logistical deployment, project management, process design and productivity management; and contract attorney staffing services. In addition, the company provides recruitment process outsourcing services, which include complete recruitment outsourcing, project-based outsourcing, contingent workforce solutions, and recruitment consulting; and talent management services, such as talent assessment, interview training, executive coaching, employee development, and outplacement. It serves sma ll to large-sized corporations and government agencies in the Americas, the Asia Pacific, and Europe. The company was founded in 2003 and is based in New York, New York.

10 Best Rising Stocks For 2015: Washington Banking Company(WBCO)

Washington Banking Company operates as the bank holding company for Whidbey Island Bank that provides community commercial banking services in northwestern Washington. Its deposit products include interest-bearing demand and money market accounts, saving deposits, time deposits, NOW accounts, and noninterest-bearing demand deposits. The company?s portfolio of loans comprises secured and unsecured commercial loans for working capital and expansion; real estate mortgage loans, including one-to-four family residential and commercial real estate loans; and real estate construction loans, such as commercial real estate, one-to-four family residential construction, and speculative construction loans. Its consumer loan portfolio include automobile loans, boat and recreational vehicle financing, home equity and home improvement loans, and other secured and unsecured personal loans, as well as SBA guaranteed loans for small and medium sized businesses. In addition, the company pro vides non-deposit managed investment products and services, and sweep investment options. As of December 31, 2010, it operated 30 branches in 6 counties located in northwestern Washington. The company was founded in 1996 and is based in Oak Harbor, Washington.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Eric Volkman]

  Washington Banking (NASDAQ: WBCO  ) is diverting some of its capital to repurchase its own stock. The company announced that its board has authorized a buyback program for up to 775,000 shares. The program is expected to continue through the end of 2014, although the firm stressed that it "is under no obligation to repurchase a specific number or dollar amount of shares and the repurchase program may be discontinued at any time."

10 Best Rising Stocks For 2015: Accelr8 Technology Corporation(AXK)

Accelr8 Technology Corporation focuses on the research and development, and commercialization of proprietary surface chemistry formulation and quantitative bio-analytical measurement instruments. The company is developing BACcel system, a rapid diagnostic platform for diagnosis in life-threatening bacterial infections. It also develops and licenses OptiChem surface coatings for use in microarraying components. The company was founded in 1982 and is based in Denver, Colorado.

10 Best Rising Stocks For 2015: Steamships Trading Company Ltd(PNG)

Steamships Trading Company Limited operates as a diverse trading conglomerate in Papua New Guinea. It involves in shipping, road transport, product manufacture, property, hotels, and information technology businesses. The company?s shipping business includes operation of a fleet of coastal vessels, and providing estuarine and river trades in the Gulf and Western Provinces; short and long term vessel charters, and cargo liner services using vessels ranging from 500DWT to 6000DWT; and stevedoring and shipping agency services. Its road transport business comprises general transport, fuel distribution, and long haul transport services; and customs clearance, handling equipment hire, integrated logistics, and specialist transportation services. Steamships Trading Company?s product manufacture business includes the production and distribution of food stuff comprising ice cream, vegetable oils, condiments, and seasonings; health and beauty goods; and spirits and premixed drinks , as well as involves in distributing imported wines and spirits. Its property business comprises residential, commercial, and industrial property development and leasing activities. The company?s hotel business engages in operating hotels. Its information technology business provides business-critical ICT consulting, solutions and services, IT outsourcing, business process outsourcing, Internet services, electronics and computer retail, and training and wide-ranging technical support. The company was founded in 1924 and is based in Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea. Steamships Trading Company Limited is a subsidiary of John Swire & Sons (PNG) Limited.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Aaron Levitt]

  And more could be in store. PAA has just agreed to swallow its former natural gas storage spinoff PAA Natural Gas Storage (PNG) in a $1.41 billion deal that will instantly be accretive to PAA shareholders. Meanwhile, Plains continues to build new capacity and crude-by-rail services in key refining markets like California.

• [By Jon C. Ogg]

  Plains All American Pipeline L.P. (NYSE: PAA) was maintained as Outperform with a $64 price target (versus $51.44 current) after its announced acquisition of affiliated PAA Natural Gas Storage L.P. (NYSE: PNG) in an all-stock buyout.

10 Best Rising Stocks For 2015: Tengion Inc.(TNGN)

Tengion, Inc., a regenerative medicine company, focuses on discovering, developing, manufacturing, and commercializing a range of neo-organs to address unmet medical needs in urologic, renal, gastrointestinal, and vascular diseases and disorders. The company creates these human neo-organs from a patient?s own cells or autologous cells, in conjunction with its Organ Regeneration Platform. Its principal product candidates include Neo-Urinary Conduit, a Phase I clinical trial product to replace the use of bowel tissue in bladder cancer patients requiring a non-continent urinary diversion after bladder removal surgery or cystectomy. The company also develops Neo-Bladder Augment, a Phase II clinical trial product for the treatment of neurogenic bladder resulting from spina bifida in pediatric patients, as well as neurogenic bladder resulting from spinal cord injury in adult patients; Neo-Bladder Replacement to serve as a functioning bladder, eliminating the need for an ostomy bag, for patients who have their bladders removed due to cancer; and Neo-Kidney Augment to prevent or delay dialysis by increasing renal function in patients with advanced chronic kidney disease. In addition, it is involved in developing Neo-GI Augment, a gastrointestinal development program; and Neo-Vessel Replacement, which targets various blood vessel applications consisting of vascular access grafts, arterio-venous, and shunts for patients with ESRD (end stage renal disease) undergoing hemodialysis treatment, as well as for vessel replacement for patients undergoing coronary or peripheral artery bypass procedures. The company was founded in 2003 and is headquartered in Winston-Salem, North Carolina.

10 Best Rising Stocks For 2015: CarMax Inc(KMX)

CarMax, Inc., through its subsidiaries, operates as a retailer of used vehicles in the United States. It also sells vehicles that do not meet its retail standards to licensed dealers through on-site wholesale auctions, as well as sells new vehicles under franchise agreements. In addition, the company provides customers financing alternatives through its finance operation, CarMax Auto Finance, as well as through its third-party financing providers. Further, it offers a range of other related products and services, including the sale of extended service plans, guaranteed asset protection, and accessories; the appraisal and purchase of vehicles directly from consumers; and vehicle repair services. As of December 21, 2011, the company operated 107 used car superstores in 52 markets. CarMax, Inc. was founded in 1993 and is headquartered in Richmond, Virginia.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Anora Mahmudova]

  Shares of CarMax Inc. (KMX) �fell 9.4% after the used-car seller�� third-quarter profit missed Wall Street�� expectations. Profits rose to $106.5 million, or 47 cents a share, from $94.7 million, or 41 cents a share, in the year-ago period. Revenue rose to $2.9 billion from $2.6 billion.

• [By Rex Moore]

  In this installment of Investor Beat, Motley Fool analysts Matt Koppenheffer and Jason Moser explain why they're keeping a close eye on shares of CarMax (NYSE: KMX  ) and Facebook (NASDAQ: FB  ) .

• [By Seth Jayson]

  When judging a company's prospects, how quickly it turns cash outflows into cash inflows can be just as important as how much profit it's booking in the accounting fantasy world we call "earnings." This is one of the first metrics I check when I'm hunting for the market's best stocks. Today, we'll see how it applies to CarMax (NYSE: KMX  ) .

• [By Ben Eisen and Saumya Vaishampayan]

  Shares of CarMax (KMX) �took a beating, finishing down 9.4% for the worst loss among S&P 500 components. The used-car seller said Friday its third-quarter profit rose to $106.5 million, or 47 cents a share, from $94.7 million, or 41 cents a share, in the year-ago period. Revenue rose to $2.9 billion from $2.6 billion. The company�� per-share profit missed expectations of 48 cents a share.

Top 10 Semiconductor Companies To Buy For 2015

Friday saw the S&P 500 Index (SNPINDEX: ^GSPC  ) break its five-day streak of gains, as investors yawned at the GDP numbers released by the Commerce Department today. Not only was the 2.5% growth rate in the first quarter underwhelming and below most expectations, but corporate earnings also failed to spark much optimism, and the S&P lost 2 points, or 0.2%, to close at 1,582 Friday. A few notable laggards led the way lower.

Only on Wall Street can a company like Amazon.com (NASDAQ: AMZN  ) beat expectations, only to see its shares crater 7.2% afterwards. The bearish tone came on fears that the online retail giant's slowing sales growth spells a not-so-rosy future. The trend is hard to deny: Sales rose 22% in the most recent period, compared with a 34% surge in the same period a year ago.�

With shares in semiconductor companies among some of the day's biggest losers, KLA-Tencor (NASDAQ: KLAC  ) fit right in, slipping 6.8%. If there's one thing investors hate more than falling sales, it's a mix of falling sales and declining profits, a double-whammy of negativity that shareholders clearly weren't expecting Friday. Several analysts lowered their price estimates on the shares following the earnings report, which certainly didn't help the stock's performance.

Top 10 Semiconductor Companies To Buy For 2015: Analog Devices Inc (ADI.O)

Analog Devices, Inc. (Analog Devices), incorporated on January 18, 1965, is engaged in the design, manufacture and marketing of a range of analog, mixed-signal and digital signal processing integrated circuits (ICs). The Company produces a range of products, including data converters, amplifiers and linear products, radio frequency (RF) ICs, power management products, sensors based on micro-electro mechanical systems (MEMS) technology and other sensors, and processing products, including DSP and other processors, which are designed to meet the needs of a base of customers. The Company's products are embedded inside many different types of electronic equipment, including industrial process control systems; instrumentation and measurement systems; wireless infrastructure equipment, and aerospace and defense electronics. The Company designs , manufactures and markets a range of ICs, which incorporate analog, mixed-signal and digital signal processing technologies. The Comp any's product portfolio includes both general-purpose products used by a range of customers and applications, as well as application-specific products. On March 30, 2012, the Company acquired Multigig, Inc.

Analog Products

The Company's product portfolio includes several thousand analog ICs. The Company's analog IC customers include original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) and customers who build electronic subsystems for integration into larger systems. The Company is a supplier of data converter products. Data converters translate real-world analog signals into digital data and also translate digital data into analog signals. The Company is also a supplier of amplifiers. Amplifiers are used to condition analog signals. The Company provides precision, instrumentation, intermediate frequency/radio frequency (RF), broadband, and other amplifiers. The Company also offers a range of precision voltage references, which are used in a range of application s. The Company's analog product line also includes a range! p! ortfolio of RF ICs covering the RF signal chain, from RF function blocks, such as phase locked loops, frequency synthesizers, mixers, modulators, demodulators, and power detectors, to broadband and short-range single chip transceiver solutions.

The Company's RF ICs support the requirements of cellular infrastructure and a range of applications in the Company's target markets. Also within the Company's analog technology portfolio are products, which are based on MEMS technology. This technology enables the Company to build small sensors, which incorporate an electromechanical structure and the supporting analog circuitry for conditioning signals obtained from the sensing element. The Company's MEMS product portfolio includes accelerometers used to sense acceleration, gyroscopes used to sense rotation, inertial measurement units used to sense multiple degrees of freedom combining multiple sensing types along multiple axis, and MEMS microphones used to sense audio . The Company's current revenue from MEMS products is derived from the automotive end market. In addition to the Company's MEMS products, its other analog product category includes isolators. The Company's isolators have been designed for applications, such as universal serial bus isolation in patient monitors, where it allows hospitals and physicians to adopt the advances in computer technology to supervise patient health and wirelessly transmit medical records. In smart metering applications, the Company's isolators provide electrostatic discharge performance. In satellites, where any malfunction can be catastrophic, the Company's isolators help protect the power system while enabling designers to achieve small form factors. Power management & reference products make up the balance of the Company's analog sales. Those products, which include functions such as power conversion, driver monitoring, sequencing and energy management, are developed to complement analog signal ch ain components across core market segments from micro ! power,! e! nergy-s! ensitive battery applications to power systems in infrastructure and industrial applications.

Digital Signal Processing Products

Digital Signal Processing products (DSPs) complete the Company's product portfolio. DSPs are optimized for numeric calculations, which are essential for instantaneous, or real-time, processing of digital data generated, from analog to digital signal conversion. The Company's DSPs are designed to be fully programmable and to execute specialized software programs, or algorithms, associated with processing digitized real-time, real-world data. Programmable DSPs are designed to provide the flexibility to modify the device's function using software. The Company's DSP IC customers write their own algorithms using software development tools provided by the Company and third-party suppliers. The Company's DSPs are designed in families of products, which share common architectures and therefore can execute the same software across a range of products. The Company's customers use the Company's products to solve a range of signal processing challenges across its core market and segment focus areas within the industrial, automotive, consumer and communications end markets. As an integrated part of the Company's customers' signal chain, there are other Analog Devices products connected to its processors, including converters, audio and video codecs and power management solutions.

The Company competes with Broadcom Corporation, Maxim Integrated Products, Inc., Cirrus Logic, Inc., Microchip Technology, Inc., Freescale Semiconductor, Inc., NXP Semiconductors, Infineon Technologies, ST Microelectronics, Intersil Corporation, Silicon Laboratories, Inc., Knowles Electronics, Texas Instruments, Inc. and Linear Technology Corporation.

Top 10 Semiconductor Companies To Buy For 2015: Broadcom Corporation(BRCM)

Broadcom Corporation designs and develops semiconductors for wired and wireless communications. It provides a portfolio of system-on-a-chip (SoC) and software solutions for the manufacturers of computing and networking equipment, digital entertainment and broadband access products, and mobile devices, which enable the delivery of voice, video, data, and multimedia content to the home, office, and mobile environment. Its broadband communications products include cable modem SoCs; femtocell SoCs; MPEG/AVC/VC-1 encoders and transcoders; xDSL, passive optical network, and cable modem customer premises equipment and central office solutions; powerline networking SoCs; digital cable, direct broadcast satellite, terrestrial, and Internet protocol (IP) set-top box integrated receiver demodulators; high definition television and standard definition TV SoCs; and Blu-ray disc SoCs. The company?s mobile and wireless products comprise Wi-Fi and Bluetooth SoCs, wireless connectivity com bo chips, global positioning system SoCs, multimedia processors, applications processors, power management units, VoIP SoCs, mobile TV SoCs, and near field communications tags. Its infrastructure and networking products include Ethernet copper transceivers, Ethernet controllers and switches, backplane and optical front-end physical layer devices, security processors and adapters, and broadband processors. The company markets and sells its products through direct sales force, distributors, and manufacturers? representatives in the United States, as well as through regional offices, and a network of independent distributors and representatives in Asia, Australia, Europe, and North America. The company was founded in 1991 and is headquartered in Irvine, California.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Paul Ausick]

  Big Earnings Movers: Broadcom Corp. (NASDAQ: BRCM) is down 2.9% at $26.36 after weak guidance. Cree Inc. (NASDAQ: CREE) is down 16.9% at $61.78 on even darker guidance. Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE: CAT) is down 6% at $83.82 on poor earnings and a softer outlook. Boeing Co. (NYSE: BA) is up 5.4% at $129.04 after posting a new 52-week high of $129.99 on good earnings and raised guidance.

• [By Chris Neiger]

  Broadcom (NASDAQ: BRCM  ) introduced the first quad-core HSPA+ processor with 5G Wi-Fi, near-field communication, GPS, and indoor positioning. The company said the BCM23550 processor is designed for high performance entry-level phones, and is built for the Android 4.2 Jelly Bean mobile operating system.�

• [By Evan Niu, CFA]

  The analyst is reiterating a "buy" rating on the company while adding a couple bucks to his price target, bringing it to $85. Walkley believes that Qualcomm's core businesses are holding up admirably to recent assaults from Broadcom (NASDAQ: BRCM  ) , Intel, and NVIDIA (NASDAQ: NVDA  ) . In fact, he's even raising his market share estimates.

Top Sliver Companies To Watch For 2014: Sunedison Inc (SUNE)

SunEdison Inc, formerly MEMC Electronic Materials, Inc., incorporated on October 1, 1984, is engaged in the development, manufacture and sale of silicon wafers. The Company is a developer and seller of photovoltaic energy solutions. Through Solar Materials and Solar Energy (SunEdison), it is a developer of solar energy projects. The Company operates in two segments: semiconductor materials and solar energy. The Company�� Solar Energy segment includes the operations of its old Solar Materials segment, as well as its SunEdison business. In the Semiconductor Materials, the Company offers wafers with a variety of features. The Company�� wafers vary in size, surface features, composition, purity levels, crystal properties and electrical properties.

Semiconductor Materials

The Company�� monocrystalline wafers for use in semiconductor applications range in size from 100 millimeter to 300 millimeter and are round in shape for semiconductor customers because of the nature of their processing equipment. Its wafers are used as the starting material for the manufacture of various types of semiconductor devices, including microprocessor, memory, logic and power devices. In turn, these semiconductor devices are used in computers, cellular phones and other mobile electronic devices, automobiles and other consumer and industrial products. Its monocrystalline wafers for semiconductor applications include four general categories of wafers: prime, epitaxial, test/monitor and silicon-on-insulator (SOI) wafers.

The Company�� prime wafer is a polished, pure wafer with an ultraflat and ultraclean surface. The Company�� epitaxial (epi), wafers consist of a thin silicon layer grown on the polished surface of the wafer. Typically, the epitaxial layer has different electrical properties from the underlying wafer. This provides customers with isolation between circuit elements than a polished wafer. Its AEGIS product is designed for certain specialized applications requiring high resis! tivity epitaxial wafers and its MDZ product feature. The AEGIS wafer includes a thin epitaxial layer grown on a standard starting wafer. The AEGIS wafer�� thin epitaxial layer eliminates harmful defects on the surface of the wafer, thereby allowing device manufacturers to increase yields. The Company supplies test/monitor wafers to its customers for use in testing semiconductor fabrication lines and processes. An SOI wafer is a different starting material for the chip making process.

Solar Energy

The Company�� Solar Energy segment provides solar energy services that integrate the design, installation, financing, monitoring, operations and maintenance portions of the downstream solar market to provide a solar energy service to its customers. As of December 31, 2012, SunEdison interconnected over 675 solar power systems representing 989 megawatt of solar energy generating capacity. As of December 31, 2012, SunEdison had 73 megawatt of projects under construction and 2.6 gigawatts in pipeline. In support of its downstream solar business, its Solar Energy segment manufactures polysilicon, silicon wafers and solar modules. Additionally, its Solar Energy segment will sell solar modules to third parties in the event the opportunity aligns with itsinternal needs. It provides its downstream customers with a way to purchase renewable energy by delivering solar power under long-term power purchase arrangements with customers or feed-in tariff arrangements with government entities and utilities. Its SunEdison business is dependent upon government subsidies, including United States federal incentive tax credits, state-sponsored energy credits and foreign feed-in tariffs. The Company�� solar wafers are used as the starting material for crystalline solar cells.

The Company competes with Shin-Etsu Handotai, SUMCO, Siltronic and LG Siltron, SunPower Corporation, First Solar, Inc., Enerparc, Sharp Corporation (Recurrent Energy), Phoenix Solar, BELECTRIC, JUWI Solar Gmbh, and S! olar City! .

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Paul Ausick]

  SunEdison Inc. (NYSE: SUNE), the company formerly known as MEMC Electronics, announced Thursday morning that it would spin off its semiconductor unit in an initial public offering (IPO) tentatively scheduled for early next year. The company plans to file documents with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission in the current quarter. The IPO is, of course, subject to market conditions.

• [By Travis Hoium]

  SunEdison, a subsidiary of MEMC Electronic Materials (NYSE: SUNE  ) , announced an agreement with Fox Energy, a subsidiary of Foxconn Technology, to manufacture 350 MW of solar modules. This is part of a virtual integration plan where SunEdison will have agreements with outside suppliers to provide product, allowing the company to focus on project installations.

• [By Rich Smith]

  MEMC (NYSE: SUNE  ) isn't MEMC anymore.

  Late last week, MEMC Electronic Materials confirmed that it will officially change its name to SunEdison today and adopt the "SUNE" ticker symbol for itself. Stockholder support for the change was said to be "overwhelming."

Top 10 Semiconductor Companies To Buy For 2015: IEC Electronics Corp (IEC)

IEC Electronics Corp. (IEC) is a provider of electronic contract manufacturing services (EMS) to advanced technology companies. The Company specializes in the custom manufacture of circuit cards and system-level assemblies; an array of cable and wire harness assemblies, and precision sheet metal components. The Company utilizes automated circuit card assembly equipment together with a manufacturing stress testing methods. On December 17, 2010, IEC acquired Southern California Braiding, Inc. Its wholly owned subsidiaries include IEC Electronics Wire and Cable, Inc. (Wire and Cable), IEC Electronics Corp.-Albuquerque (Albuquerque) and Southern California Braiding, Inc. (SCB).

The Company manufactures a range of assemblies that are incorporated into many different products, such as military and defense systems, transportation products, wireless communication systems, and medical systems and instruments. The Company supports multiple divisions and product lines for many of its customers and frequently manufactures successive generations of products.

The Company competes with Flextronics International LTD., Benchmark Electronics, Inc. and Plexus Corp.

Top 10 Semiconductor Companies To Buy For 2015: NVIDIA Corp (NVD)

NVIDIA Corporation (NVIDIA), incorporated on February 24, 1998, is engaged in creating the graphics chips used in personal computers (PCs). The Company operates in three segments: graphics processing unit (GPU) Business, professional solutions business (PSB) and consumer products business (CPB). Its mobile processors are used in cell phones, tablets and auto infotainment systems. Designers use GPUs to create visual effects in movies and create everything from golf clubs to jumbo jets. NVIDIA solutions are based on two technologies: the GPU and the mobile processor. GPUs are the engines of visual computing, the science and art of using computers to understand, create and enhance images. It has three GPU product brands: GeForce, which creates visual experiences for gamers; Quadro, which is engaged in visual computing for designers and digital artists, and Tesla, which accelerates applications for scientists and researchers. Tegra is its mobile processor and is built for applications ranging from smartphones, tablets and notebook PCs to televisions and cars. During the fiscal year ended January 29, 2012 (fiscal 2012), it acquired Icera Inc.In fiscal 2012, it launched Project Maximus, which uses the compute power of Tesla with the visualization power of Quadro to merge the design and simulation stages into one workstation. In May 2012, the Company and Intellectual Ventures announced that they jointly acquired a set of patents developed and owned by IPWireless. The portfolio comprises approximately 500 patents granted and pending in the wireless communications area, including concepts in LTE, LTE-Advanced and 3G/4G technologies.

GPU Business

The Company�� GPU business revenue includes primarily sales of its GeForce discrete and chipset products that support desktop and notebook PCs plus license fees from Intel and sales of memory products. It also accelerates video editing and high definition (HD), content creation by consumers. GeForce GPUs power PCs made by or distributed by ! PC original equipment manufacturers (OEMs), in the world. Its media and communications processor (MCP) chipsets primarily comprised of its ION motherboard GPUs, a product reaching the end of its life cycle.

Professional Solutions Business

The Company�� PSB consists of its Quadro professional workstation products and its Tesla computing products. Its Quadro products are designed to deliver the graphics performance and application compatibility for professionals. Tesla applies the processing power of its GPUs to general-purpose computing problems. Quadro products add functionality, such as photorealistic rendering, to computer-aided design workstations, and are used in professional video editing applications and for generating special effects in movies. Tesla is used in supercomputing centers and in oil exploration; other applications include accelerating drug discovery, weather simulations and derivative price modeling.

Consumer Products Business

The Company�� CPB includes its Tegra system-on-chip products for smartphones, tablets, automotive infotainment systems, and other similar devices, and Icera baseband processors. The Tegra revenues are generated by sales in smart phones and tablets. CPB also includes license, royalty, other revenue and associated costs related to video game consoles and other digital consumer electronics devices. NVIDIA Tegra mobile products implement design techniques, both inside the chips and at the system level. These technologies enhance visual display capabilities, connectivity and minimize chip and system-level power consumption. During fiscal 2012, it launched Tegra 3, quad-core mobile computing chip, bringing PC levels of performance within the power envelope of a cellular phone chip. It also launched DirectTouch.

The Company competes with Advanced Micro Devices (AMD), Intel, Matrox Electronics Systems Ltd., VIA Technologies, Inc., ARM Holdings plc, Broadcom Corporation, Freescale Semiconductor Inc., ! Fujitsu L! imited, Imagination Technologies Ltd., Intel, Marvell Technology Group Ltd., NEC Corporation, Qualcomm Incorporated, Renesas Technology Corp., Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd., Seiko Epson Corporation, ST-Ericsson, Texas Instruments Incorporated, Toshiba America Electronic Components, Inc., Imagination Technologies Group plc., HiSilicon Technologies Co., Ltd., Mediatek, Qualcomm Incorporated, Spreadtrum Communications Co., Ltd and ST-Ericsson.

Top 10 Semiconductor Companies To Buy For 2015: China Electronics Corporation Holdings Co Ltd (85)

China Electronics Corporation Holdings Company Limited is an investment holding company. The Company, through its subsidiaries, is engaged in design, research and development and sale of integrated circuits. The Company�� integrated circuits design business consists of the design of integrated circuits chips and the development of application system. Its products are used in smart cards, such as identity cards, social security cards, telecommunications cards and electric cards. Its products are also applied in wireless local area networks (WLAN). During the year ended December 31, 2011, the Company obtained 17 new patents, and registered another 16 computer software copyrights and 11 integrated circuits layout designs. Its subsidiaries include CEC Integrated Circuit (Beijing) Co., Ltd, CEC Huada Electronic Design Co., Ltd and others.

Top 10 Semiconductor Companies To Buy For 2015: NVIDIA Corporation(NVDA)

NVIDIA Corporation provides visual computing, high performance computing, and mobile computing solutions that generate interactive graphics on various devices ranging from tablets and smart phones to notebooks and workstations. It operates in three segments: Graphic Processing Unit (GPU), Professional Solutions Business (PSB), and Consumer Products Business (CPB). The GPU segment offers GeForce discrete and chipset products, which support desktop and notebook personal computers plus memory products. The PSB segment provides its Quadro professional workstation products and other professional graphics products, including its NVIDIA Tesla high-performance computing products used in the manufacturing, entertainment, medical, science, and aerospace industries. The CPB segment offers Tegra mobile products, which support tablets, smartphones, personal media players, Internet television, automotive navigation, and other similar devices. This segment also licenses video game consol es and other digital consumer electronics devices. The company sells its products to original equipment manufacturers, original design manufacturers, add-in-card manufacturers, consumer electronics companies, and system builders worldwide that utilize its processors as a core component of their entertainment, business, and professional solutions. NVIDIA Corporation was founded in 1993 and is headquartered in Santa Clara, California.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Paul Ausick]

  We have tracked the key short interest changes as of September 30 in the following semiconductor leaders: Intel Corp. (NASDAQ: INTC), Advanced Micro Devices Inc. (NYSE: AMD), Micron Technology Inc. (NASDAQ: MU), SanDisk Corp. (NASDAQ: SNDK), Qualcomm Inc. (NASDAQ: QCOM), ARM Holdings PLC (NASDAQ: ARMH), Broadcom Corp. (NASDAQ: BRCM), Marvell Technology Group Ltd. (NASDAQ: MRVL), Nvidia Corp. (NASDAQ: NVDA), Texas Instruments Inc. (NASDAQ: TXN) and Applied Materials Inc. (NASDAQ: AMAT). We also chose to look at how the Market Vectors Semiconductor ETF (NYSEMKT: SMH) has held up.

• [By Evan Niu, CFA]

  This year, Intel (NASDAQ: INTC  ) will launch its Haswell chips. One of the most important performance improvements of Haswell will be power efficiency and battery life. Meanwhile, Microsoft� (NASDAQ: MSFT  ) created Windows RT to run on�ARM-based� (NASDAQ: ARMH  ) �chips for better battery life. Microsoft's Surface RT runs an�NVIDIA� (NASDAQ: NVDA  ) Tegra processor, and has better battery life than the Surface Pro, which sports an Intel chip.

Top 10 Semiconductor Companies To Buy For 2015: On Track Innovations Ltd (OTIV.W)

On Track Innovations Ltd. (OTI) designs, develops and markets solutions based on its secure contactless microprocessor-based smart card technology to address the needs of a range of markets. The Company�� products combine the benefits of both microprocessors and contactless cards. In addition to contactless microprocessor-based smart cards, it also sells products that are based on other card technologies. The Company has focused on the development of its technologies and its products based on its technological platform that consists of smart cards, smart card readers, software tools and secure communication technology. As of December 31, 2012, it offers three lines of solutions, each of which constitutes a complete system, as well as components (such as smart cards and readers) that we sell to original equipment manufacturers (OEMs), for incorporation into their own products. OTI�� three vertical markets include Payment Solutions, Petroleum Systems and SmartID Solution s.

Top 10 Semiconductor Companies To Buy For 2015: Sunedison Inc (SUNE.N)

SunEdison Inc, formerly MEMC Electronic Materials, Inc., incorporated on October 1, 1984, is engaged in the development, manufacture and sale of silicon wafers. The Company is a developer and seller of photovoltaic energy solutions. Through Solar Materials and Solar Energy (SunEdison), it is a developer of solar energy projects. The Company operates in two segments: semiconductor materials and solar energy. The Company�� Solar Energy segment includes the operations of its old Solar Materials segment, as well as its SunEdison business. In the Semiconductor Materials, the Company offers wafers with a variety of features. The Company�� wafers vary in size, surface features, composition, purity levels, crystal properties and electrical properties.

Semiconductor Materials

The Company�� monocrystalline wafers for use in semiconductor applications range in size from 100 millimeter to 300 millimeter and are round in shape for semiconductor cust omers because of the nature of their processing equipment. Its wafers are used as the starting material for the manufacture of various types of semiconductor devices, including microprocessor, memory, logic and power devices. In turn, these semiconductor devices are used in computers, cellular phones and other mobile electronic devices, automobiles and other consumer and industrial products. Its monocrystalline wafers for semiconductor applications include four general categories of wafers: prime, epitaxial, test/monitor and silicon-on-insulator (SOI) wafers.

The Company�� prime wafer is a polished, pure wafer with an ultraflat and ultraclean surface. The Company�� epitaxial (epi), wafers consist of a thin silicon layer grown on the polished surface of the wafer. Typically, the epitaxial layer has different electrical properties from the underlying wafer. This provides customers with isolation between circuit elements than a polished wafer. Its AEGIS product is des igned for certain specialized applications requiring high ! re! sistivity epitaxial wafers and its MDZ product feature. The AEGIS wafer includes a thin epitaxial layer grown on a standard starting wafer. The AEGIS wafer�� thin epitaxial layer eliminates harmful defects on the surface of the wafer, thereby allowing device manufacturers to increase yields. The Company supplies test/monitor wafers to its customers for use in testing semiconductor fabrication lines and processes. An SOI wafer is a different starting material for the chip making process.

Solar Energy

The Company�� Solar Energy segment provides solar energy services that integrate the design, installation, financing, monitoring, operations and maintenance portions of the downstream solar market to provide a solar energy service to its customers. As of December 31, 2012, SunEdison interconnected over 675 solar power systems representing 989 megawatt of solar energy generating capacity. As of December 31, 2012, SunEdison had 73 megawatt of projects under construction and 2.6 gigawatts in pipeline. In support of its downstream solar business, its Solar Energy segment manufactures polysilicon, silicon wafers and solar modules. Additionally, its Solar Energy segment will sell solar modules to third parties in the event the opportunity aligns with itsinternal needs. It provides its downstream customers with a way to purchase renewable energy by delivering solar power under long-term power purchase arrangements with customers or feed-in tariff arrangements with government entities and utilities. Its SunEdison business is dependent upon government subsidies, including United States federal incentive tax credits, state-sponsored energy credits and foreign feed-in tariffs. The Company�� solar wafers are used as the starting material for crystalline solar cells.

The Company competes with Shin-Etsu Handotai, SUMCO, Siltronic and LG Siltron, SunPower Corporation, First Solar, Inc., Enerparc, Sharp Corporation (Recu rrent Energy), Phoenix Solar, BELECTRIC, JUWI Solar Gmb! h, an! d ! Solar C! ity.

Top 10 Semiconductor Companies To Buy For 2015: Labat Africa Ltd (LABJ.J)

Labat Africa Ltd. is a South Africa-based company engaged in the provision and delivery of management, business and retail services to commerce, industry, national and local government, the international market and all other organizations and individuals having a need for such services. Its subsidiaries included South African Micro-Electronics Systems (Pty) Ltd., Integrated Circuit Design Center (Pty) Ltd. and SAMES Properties (Pty) Ltd.

Campbell Soup Company Beats Estimates; Guides Above Views; Shares Surge (CPB)

Before the opening bell on Friday morning, Campbell Soup Co. (CPB) reported its second quarter earnings, posting higher sales and higher earnings than last year’s same quarter.

CPB’s Earnings in Brief

Campbell’s reported second quarter revenues of $2.281 billion, which were up from last year’s Q2 revenues of $2.162 billion. Net earnings for the quarter came in at $318 million, up from $187 million reported for last year’s Q2. CPB reported EPS for the quarter of 74 cents, a large increase from last year’s Q2 EPS of 54 cents. Campbell’s came in above analysts’ estimates of 73 cents EPS on revenues of $2.27 billion. Looking ahead to FY2014, the company sees EPS in the range of $2.53 to $2.58, which is above analysts’ expectations.

CEO Commentary

Campbell’s president and CEO, Denise Morrison, had the following comments about the company’s earnings results: "We remain focused on strengthening our core business and expanding into higher-growth spaces as we reshape our portfolio to improve Campbell's long-term growth trajectory. We made progress on both fronts in the second quarter after a slow start to the year. In the quarter, we delivered 6 percent reported net sales growth and 15 percent adjusted EBIT growth, driven by our core business and the Kelsen Group acquisition. We also closed on the divestiture of our European simple meals business. Finally, we maintained our steadfast focus on driving productivity and managing costs.”

CPB’s Dividend

Campbell Soup most recently raised its dividend in October 2013, boosting its quarterly payout from 29 cents to 31 cents. We expect CPB to declare its next dividend within the coming weeks.

Stock Performance

CPB stock was up $1.38, or 3.37%, in pre-market trading. YTD, the company’s stock is up down 4.81%.

OncoGenex: Progress Cancer Treatment

One of our recommended biotech stocks provided an interesting surprise by revealing that the final survival results from a Phase III Synergy trial for custirsen in prostate cancer patients has been moved up to a mid-year event from a year-end event, notes John McCamant, in The Medical Technology Stock Letter.

2014 is shaping up to be the most important year for OncoGenex Pharmaceuticals (OGXI), and, we believe, it can very well represent a major inflection point for the company with positive Synergy results.

The firm now has expectations for the primary endpoint events to occur in late Q1 or early Q2, with the final survival results due by mid-year.

The company will follow up the release of this Synergy trial with results from Borealis-1, their Phase II survival trial for apatorsen in 180 bladder cancer patients, in H2:14. These two data events will go a long way towards validating OGXI and their cancer platform.

We also prefer that Synergy will report before Borealis-1—as the latter would have largely been ignored by the Street—and investors are understandably fixated on the Phase III Synergy results.

With Phase II apatorsen results right behind Synergy, we have two significant catalysts occurring for the company this year. It is also important to remember that custirsen is a novel target for treating castrate-resistant prostrate cancer (CRPC) that is differentiated from both of the new androgen-based drugs.

Because there is no cure for CRPC, patients will continue to progress despite the new drugs, leaving a substantial market opportunity for custirsen, as it delivers positive data from the Synergy readout.

OGXI is catalyst-rich in 2014 and substantial upside potential for risk-seeking biotech investors.

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Shh: GoPro Submits Confidential Filing for IPO

GoPro Inc., maker of a hands-free, high-definition video camera that can be attached to a variety of objects, animals, or people in motion, filed a confidential registration for an initial public offering (IPO) on Friday with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. The confidential filing was made under rules enacted as part of the Jumpstart Our Business Startups (JOBS) Act that allows companies posting revenues of less than $1 billion in the previous fiscal year to initiate the IPO process without disclosing financial information.

According to reports, the company will seek to raise about $400 million. The company and underwriters hope to come up with share pricing that would value the company at well above $2.3 billion, the level at which the company last raised venture funding in 2012. Taiwan manufacturing giant Hon Hai Precision Industry Co. Ltd. (aka Foxconn) pumped $200 million into GoPro at that time.

GoPro has picked a good time for its announcement. There is every reason to believe that Olympic athletes will be using the company's cameras to record their performances and those of their competitors over the course of the Games, and those videos will find their way to the public via posts on YouTube and other sites. In a 2013 interview with Forbes, founder Nick Woodman said the company sold 2.3 million cameras in 2012, generating revenue of $521 million. Revenue has doubled every year since its 2004 founding, he added.

The company's "moat," if it has one, is that its cameras are better suited for the rough-and-tumble of filming action sports than are the more fragile cameras included with virtually every smartphone currently on the market. Mounting your smartphone to your skiing helmet with duct tape doesn't have the same appeal as using a high-tech gizmo designed specifically for the purpose. To say nothing about how many smartphones you might have to replace.

GoPro is expected to start pitching its IPO to investors in the first half of this year. Underwriters for the offering include J.P. Morgan, Citigroup, and Barclays.

Small-Caps with Dividend 'Upside'

We are always on the lookout for small- and mid-cap dividend payers, and we view a history of dividend growth as a favorable indicator, explains Richard Moroney; here, he highlights three stocks on the buy list of Upside, which offer dividend-growth prospects.

Aceto (ACET) announced a 9% increase in its per-share dividend in August, the first increase since it switched to a quarterly payout schedule in 2012.

At $0.24 per share, the new annual dividend represents less than 26% of trailing 12-month earnings, so continued dividend growth is likely if Aceto can maintain its operating momentum.

For the September quarter, the maker of pharmaceutical and chemical products reported a 122% increase in per-share earnings on nearly 16% growth in sales. Aceto, reasonably valued at less than 17 times the two-analyst consensus profit estimate of $1.20 per share for the year ending June, is a Best Buy. The stock yields 1.2%.

When HanesBrands (HBI) initiated a quarterly dividend in April, the underwear maker said the move reflected its debt-reduction progress, cash-flow growth, and margin-improvement prospects.

The October acquisition of Maidenform Brands for $583 million means the bulk of free cash flow is likely slated for debt reduction.

But the annual payout represents less than 21% of expected 2013 per-share earnings, and the Maidenform deal has the potential to drive margins substantially higher over the next two to three years.

HanesBrands, yielding 1.1% and trading at a reasonable 15 times expected 2014 earnings, is a Best Buy.

Penske Automotive (PAG) announced a 6.3% increase in its quarterly dividend on October 23, saying the move reflected its confidence in the "strength of the auto retail marketplace."

Six days later, the company reported a nearly 22% increase in per-share profits on a nearly 15% sales gain for the September quarter. While pricing and gross profit margins were roughly flat, operating profit margins improved as overhead costs were spread over a bigger sales base.

Consensus expectations, calling for 15% per-share-profit growth in 2014, seem reasonable. Penske, yielding 1.6% and trading at 14 times expected 2014 earnings, is a Buy.

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Google ad chief may step up revenue push at…

SAN FRANCISCO -- YouTube has been a huge success in terms of traffic and even social impact since Google acquired it for $1.65 billion in 2006. But the online video service has not been a big source of revenue, and certainly not profit, for the world's largest Internet search provider.

This may be about to change as Susan Wojcicki, the long time head of Google's huge advertising business, becomes head of YouTube, replacing co-founder Salar Kamangar.

Wojcicki and Sridhar Ramaswamy have been jointly running the ads business at Google for a while and he will continue in that role when she moves to YouTube.

Wojcicki was Google's 16th employee and she famously rented her garage to co-founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin as they built their search engine in the late 1990s in Silicon Valley.

As Google grew, Wojcicki took on more responsibilities and now oversees all of the company's ad products, including AdWords, AdSense and DoubleClick. In this role, she has been responsible for well over half of Google's revenue, which totaled $55 billion last year.

"Given her high profile at the company, and experience with monetizing the core assets, this suggests Google is raising the bar at YouTube in terms of revenues and contribution," said Colin Sebastian, an analyst at RW Baird. "I would assume a bigger push with advertising, but also a higher profile role for YouTube at the executive table."

Wojcicki's move comes as YouTube woos more big brands which traditionally have spent heavily on TV advertising. The total brand advertising market, which includes digital, TV and more traditional offline ads, is worth at least $300 billion a year. As more of this spending shifts online, YouTube will be an important tool for Google to grab a big share of the money.

YouTube brought in $5.60 billion in gross ad revenue in 2013. After paying back ad partners and video content creators, the company netted $1.96 billion in ad revenue last year, up 66% from 2012, according to eMarketer estimates! .

During a speech at an advertising technology conference in San Francisco last year, Wojcicki said Google is trying to give users more control over what ads they see online.

She highlighted TrueView, a type of YouTube ad that runs before a user's selected video begins. Advertisers only pay if the user chooses to watch the ad. If they skip it, no money changes hands.

"They are trying to bring in fresh perspective and figure out better ways to monetize YouTube," said Ben Schachter, an analyst at Macquarie. "While it's been remarkably successful, the user interface and general experience should have evolved more by now."

Why Disney Just Gave Dividend Investors a 15% Raise

It's time to rejoice, dividend investors, because Walt Disney (NYSE: DIS  ) just raised its annual payout by 15% to $0.86 per share.

For those of you keeping track, this marks the fourth year in a row Disney has given dividend-hungry shareholders a boost, and investors who bought a little over three years ago have seen their dividend payments rise 146% from just $0.35 per share.

In the following video, the Fool's Steve Symington not only sheds additional light on Disney's current dividend situation, but also fills investors in on whether they should expect similar increases going forward.

3 more dividend powerhouses for your portfolio
But Disney's not the only solid dividend-paying stock our market has to offer. If you're looking for more great long-term investing ideas, you're invited to check out The Motley Fool's brand-new special report, "The 3 Dow Stocks Dividend Investors Need." It's absolutely free, so simply click here now and get your copy today.

Best Building Product Stocks To Invest In Right Now

Management at footwear retailer DSW (NYSE: DSW  ) raised guidance 5.5% for the full year to $3.60 to $3.80 per share, and said it would split its Class A stock 2-for-1.

If approved by shareholders, DSW will issue one share of Class A stock for each Class A or Class B share outstanding. The split is expected to create a total of approximately 90.2 million shares, comprised of approximately 81.6 million Class A shares, which�will continue to hold one vote per share,�and 8.6 million Class B shares, which�will hold eight votes per share, with the�voting control of the Class B shareholders reduced from 65% to approximately 46% post-split.

The split was brought about as a result of second-quarter revenues jumping 9% from the year-ago period to $558 million as same-store sales rose 4.3% year over year with the anticipation they would continue to grow in the low-single-digit range.

In conjunction with the stock split, the board will also seek�an amendment to allow DSW to increase the number of authorized Class A shares from 170 million to 250 million.

Best Building Product Stocks To Invest In Right Now: Astivita Renewables Limited(AIR.AX)

AstiVita Renewables Limited, through its subsidiaries, imports, warehouses, and distributes bathroom, kitchen, and solar products for retailers, plumbing merchants, hardware suppliers, and licensed dealers in Australia and New Zealand. It offers tap ware, bath spouts, shower heads, bathroom vanities, baths and spas, basins, shower cubicles, bathroom accessories, mirrors and cabinets, bathroom toilets, plugs and wastes, kitchen sinks, kitchen appliances, and solar hot water and home solar electricity products. AstiVita Renewables Limited was founded in 2004 and is based in Rocklea, Australia.

Best Building Product Stocks To Invest In Right Now: China Minzhong Food Corp Ltd (K2N.SI)

China Minzhong Food Corporation Limited, an investment holding company, operates as an integrated vegetable processing company. It cultivates, produces, and sells processed and fresh vegetables. The company�s processed vegetables include air-dried, freeze-dried, fresh-packed, and brined products, as well as fruit and vegetable juices, vermicelli, water-boiled vegetables, and other products. It also offers fresh vegetable products and mushroom spores. The company sells its products in 26 countries and regions, including the Americas, Asia, and Europe. China Minzhong Food Corporation Limited was founded in 1971 and is headquartered in Putian, the People's Republic of China.

Best Safest Companies To Watch In Right Now: Galena Biopharma Inc (GALE)

Galena Biopharma, Inc. (Galena), formerly RXi Pharmaceuticals Corporation, incorporated on April 3, 2006, is a biotechnology company focused on discovering, developing and commercializing therapies addressing unmet medical needs using targeted biotherapeutics. The Company is pursuing the development of cancer therapeutics using peptide-based immunotherapy products, including its main product candidate, NeuVaxTM (E75), for the treatment of breast cancer and other tumors. NeuVax is a peptide-based immunotherapy intended to reduce the recurrence of breast cancer in low-to-intermediate HER2-positive breast cancer patients not eligible for trastuzumab (Herceptin; Genentech/Roche). On January 19, 2012, the Company initiated enrollment in its Phase 3 PRESENT clinical trial for NeuVax (E75 peptide plus GM-CSF) vaccine in low-to-intermediate HER2 1+ and 2+ breast cancer patients in the adjuvant setting to prevent recurrence (Clinicaltrials.gov identifier NCT01479244). The Prevention of Recurrence in Early-Stage, Node-Positive Breast Cancer with Low to Intermediate HER2 Expression with NeuVax Treatment study is a randomized, multicenter, multinational clinical trial that will enroll approximately 700 breast cancer patients. The Company�� Phase 2 trial of NeuVax achieved its primary endpoint of disease-free survival (DFS). On April 13, 2011, the Company completed its acquisition of Apthera, Inc.,(Apthera).

The Company focuses to start a Phase 2 trial comparing NeuVax in combination with trastuzumab (Herceptin) versus trastuzumab, alone, in a 300-patient, randomized study in the adjuvant breast cancer setting. The Company's second product candidate, Folate Binding Protein-E39 (FBP), is a vaccine, consisting of the peptides E39 and J65, aimed at preventing the recurrence of ovarian, endometrial, and breast cancers. On February 14, 2012, the Company announced the initiation of a Phase 1/2 clinical trial in two gynecological cancers: ovarian and endometrial adenocarcinomas. Folate binding protein has ! very limited tissue distribution and expression in non-malignant tissue and is over-expressed in more than 90% of ovarian and endometrial cancers, as well as in 20% to 50% of breast, lung, colorectal and renal cell carcinomas.

In April 2011, the Company acquired Apthera Inc and its NeuVax product candidate. The Company focuses on developing a pipeline of immunotherapy product candidates for the treatment of various cancers based on the E75 peptide, the advanced of which is NeuVax, which is targeted at preventing the recurrence of breast cancer. NeuVax has had positive Phase 1/2 clinical trial results for the prevention of breast cancer recurrence in patients who have had breast cancer and received the standard of care treatment (surgery, chemotherapy, radiotherapy and hormonal therapy as indicated). The Company had also initiated its Phase 3 PRESENT clinical trial of NeuVax for the prevention of breast cancer recurrence in early-stage low-to-intermediate HER2 breast cancer patients. NeuVax directs killer T-cells to target and destroy cancer cells that express HER2/neu, a protein associated with epithelial tumors in breast, ovarian, pancreatic, colon, bladder and prostate cancers. NeuVax is comprised of a HER2/neu-derived peptide called E75. E75 is a nine-amino acid sequence that is immunogenic (produces an immune response) and GM-CSF is a commercially available protein that acts to stimulate and activate components of the immune system such as macrophages and dendritic cells.

The Company also develops novel applications for NeuVax based on preclinical studies and phases 2 clinical trials which suggest that combining NeuVax and trastuzumab (Herceptin; Genentech/Roche) can increase antigen presentation by tumor cells by promoting receptor internalization and subsequent proteosomal degradation of the HER2 protein. The Company also is pursuing additional therapeutic indications for NeuVax that are in Phase 1/2 clinical trials. RXI-109, is a dermal anti-scarring therapy that targets! connecti! ve tissue growth factor (CTGF) and that may inhibit connective tissue formation in human fibrotic disease.

The Company competes with Roche Laboratories, Inc., Pfizer Inc., Bayer HealthCare AG, Sanofi-Aventis, US, LLC, Amgen, Inc., GlaxoSmithKline plc, Renovo Group plc, CoDa Therapeutics, Inc., Sirnaomics, Inc., FirstString Research, Inc., Merz Pharmaceuticals, LLC, Capstone Therapeutics, Halscion, Inc., Garnet Bio Therapeutics, Inc., AkPharma Inc., Promedior, Inc., Kissei Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd., Eyegene, Derma Sciences, Inc., Healthpoint Biotherapeutics, Pharmaxon, Excaliard Pharmaceuticals, Inc., Alnylam Pharmaceuticals, Inc., Marina Biotech, Inc., Tacere Therapeutics, Inc., Benitec Limited, OPKO Health, Inc., Silence Therapeutics plc, Quark Pharmaceuticals, Inc., Rosetta Genomics Ltd., Lorus Therapeutics, Inc., Tekmira Pharmaceuticals Corporation, Arrowhead Research Corporation, Regulus Therapeutics Inc. and Santaris.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By James E. Brumley]

  It may look like little more than a choppy mess with just a quick glance at Galena Biopharma Inc. (NASDAQ:GALE). But, the more you study the chart - and the company - the more you realize there's enough long-term potential from the company's pipeline to keep spurring GALE in a generally-upward direction. In fact, the bulls look like they're on the verge of taking Galena Biopharma out of second gear and putting it into third. As such, it may not be a bad bet at this point.

• [By Paul Ausick]

  Stocks on the move: Galena Biopharma Inc. (NASDAQ: GALE) is down 15.4% at $1.93 after pricing a secondary offering of 17.5 million units at $2.00. Safeway Inc. (NYSE: SWY) is up 6.1% at $28.21, after an analyst�� upgrade which sent shares to a new 52-week high of $28.88 earlier. Avanir Pharmaceuticals Inc. (NASDAQ: AVNR) is down 18.2% at $4.08.

• [By Sean Williams]

  The waiting game
  The tables are clearly stacked against small biotech companies developing cancer drugs. History has shown that few (if any) have successfully had the Food and Drug Administration approve a late-stage cancer drug. While mid-stage trials of Galena Biopharma's (NASDAQ: GALE  ) HER2-targeting breast cancer vaccine have been promising thus far, the chances of an approval seem a long way off.

Best Building Product Stocks To Invest In Right Now: HCC Insurance Holdings Inc. (HCC)

HCC Insurance Holdings, Inc. underwrites non-correlated specialty insurance products worldwide. The company operates in five segments: U.S. Property & Casualty, Professional Liability, Accident & Health, U.S. Surety & Credit, and International. The U.S. Property & Casualty segment provides aviation, small account errors and omissions liability (E&O), public risk, contingency, disability, residual value, employment practices liability (EPLI), technical property, primary and excess casualty, and brown water marine insurance products, as well as title and mortgage reinsurance products in the United States. The Professional Liability segment offers directors� and officers� (D&O) liability, large account E&O liability, fiduciary liability, fidelity and bankers blanket bonds, and EPLI for the United States and International-based policyholders. The Accident & Health segment provides medical stop-loss, short-term domestic and international medical, HMO reinsurance, and medical excess coverages in the United States. The U.S. Surety & Credit segment offers contract surety bonds, commercial surety bonds, and bail bonds; credit insurance policies for export trade transactions and structured trade transactions; and political risk and letters of credit insurance products. The International segment provides energy, property treaty, liability, surety, credit, direct and facultative property, ocean marine, accident and health, and other smaller product lines for international customers. The company markets its products directly to consumers, as well as through a network of independent agents and brokers, producers, and managing general agents. HCC Insurance Holdings, Inc. was founded in 1974 and is headquartered in Houston, Texas.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By WWW.GURUFOCUS.COM]

  HCC Insurance Holdings Inc. (HCC) underwrites non-correlated specialty insurance products worldwide. The company operates in five segments: U.S. Property and Casualty, Professional Liability, Accident and Health, U.S. Aug. 21, the company increased its quarterly dividend 36% to $0.225 per share. The dividend is payable October 1, 2013 and will be paid on or about Oct. 15, 2013. The yield based on the new payout is 2.1%.

Best Building Product Stocks To Invest In Right Now: Angoss Software Corp. (ANC.V)

Angoss Software Corporation provides predictive analytics software and solutions primarily to financial services, insurance, retail, health care, and information communication and technology organizations. The company�s products include KnowledgeHUB, a cloud-based analytical platform that combines technologies with deployment processes and professional services, which allows clients to convert analytical insight into action; KnowledgeCLOUD industry solutions, through KnowledgeHUB, deliver predictive analytics in the cloud for organizations in the areas of sales, marketing, and risk management; and KnowledgeSCORE, a cloud-based predictive sales analytics solution for customer relationship management. Its products also comprise KnowledgeEXCELERATOR, a visual data discovery and prediction tool for business analysts and knowledge workers; and KnowledgeSTUDIO, a predictive analytics solution, which along with text analytics integration enables mining and analyzing unstructured data, such as social media, call center logs, emails, and other forms of text-based communications, as well as KnowledgeSERVER, a deployment platform. In addition, the company offers other predictive analytics software, including KnowledgeSEEKER and StrategyBUILDER; and data mining consulting, engineering, and user-training services. It primarily operates in North America and Europe. Angoss Software Corporation is based in Toronto, Canada.

Best Building Product Stocks To Invest In Right Now: Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide Inc.(HOT)

Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide Inc. operates as a hotel and leisure company worldwide. The company operates luxury and upscale full service hotels, select-service hotels, extended stay hotels, resorts, retreats, and residences under St. Regis, The Luxury Collection, W, Westin, Le M�idien, Sheraton, Four Points, Aloft, and Element brand names. It also engages in the development and operation of vacation ownership resorts; marketing and selling vacation ownership interests in the resorts; and provision of financing to customers who purchase such interests. In addition, the company develops, markets, and sells residential units at mixed use hotel projects. As of December 31, 2011, its hotel portfolio included 1,076 owned, managed, or franchised hotels with approximately 315,300 rooms; and 13 stand-alone vacation ownership resorts and residential properties. The company was founded in 1969 and is headquartered in Stamford, Connecticut. Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwid e Inc. operates independently of ITT Corporation as of December 19, 1995.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Matt Thalman]

  In the following video, Fool contributor Matt Thalman discusses a few metrics and areas investors should focus their attention on when looking at Starwood's (NYSE: HOT  ) upcoming earnings report.

• [By Sarah Jones]

  Hochtief AG (HOT) advanced 5.9 percent to 56.51 euros. Germany�� largest construction company agreed to sell its airports division to Public Sector Pension Investment Board of Canada for about 1.5 billion euros as it streamlines its business to focus on more profitable units.

Best Building Product Stocks To Invest In Right Now: Shore Gold Inc Com Npv (SGF.TO)

Shore Gold Inc., an explorations stage company, engages in the acquisition, exploration, and development of mineral properties. It principally explores for diamond. The company primarily focuses on the exploration of the Star � Orion South diamond project located in the Fort � la Corne Provincial Forest, Saskatchewan, Canada. It also holds a 33% interest in the Buffalo Hills property located in northern Alberta, Canada. The company was formerly known as Shore Gold Fund Inc. and changed its name to Shore Gold Inc. in August 1994. Shore Gold Inc. was incorporated in 1985 and is headquartered in Saskatoon, Canada.

Best Building Product Stocks To Invest In Right Now: Amazon.com Inc.(AMZN)

Amazon.com, Inc. operates as an online retailer in North America and internationally. It operates retail Web sites, including amazon.com and amazon.ca. The company serves consumers through its retail Web sites and focuses on selection, price, and convenience. It also offers programs that enable sellers to sell their products on its Web sites, and their own branded Web sites. In addition, the company serves developer customers through Amazon Web Services, which provides access to technology infrastructure that developers can use to enable virtually various type of business. Further, it manufactures and sells the Kindle e-reader. Additionally, the company provides fulfillment; miscellaneous marketing and promotional agreements, such as online advertising; and co-branded credit cards. Amazon.com, Inc. was founded in 1994 and is headquartered in Seattle, Washington.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Chuck Saletta]

  Wal-Mart (NYSE: WMT  ) recently announced that it was adding lockers to many of its stores to enable same-day pickup of items ordered online. In this video, Fool contributor Chuck Saletta talks about how that strategy copycats one that Amazon.com (NASDAQ: AMZN  ) has already launched and notes that if Wal-Mart really wants to win, it needs to think leapfrog instead.

Best Building Product Stocks To Invest In Right Now: Los Andes Copper Ltd. (LA.V)

Los Andes Copper Ltd. engages in the identification, acquisition, exploration, and development of mineral properties in Latin America. It focuses on the Vizcachitas porphyry copper�molybdenum project located 120 kilometers north of Santiago, Region V, Chile. The company is headquartered in Vancouver, Canada.