Dow Gains 100 Points as Data Restores Optimism; Inflation Scare to Come?

Stocks are surging today following a benign inflation reading that has helped soothe investor worries over imminent Fed rate hikes. E.I. Dupont de Nemours (DD), ExxonMobil (XOM), Home Depot (HD), International Business Machines (IBM) and Caterpillar (CAT) gained.

REUTERS

The S&P 500 has gained 0.6% to 1,839.20, while the Dow Jones Industrial Average has risen 106 points, or 0.7%, to 16,146. The Dow’s been given a boost by Dupont, which has advanced 1.7% to $65.34, ExxonMobil, which has risen 1.6% to $95.47 as oil trades higher, and Home Depot, which is making back some of yesterday’s housing-related losses while gaining 1.1% to $77.28. International Business Machines has gained 1% to $184.70, while Caterpillar has risen 1.2% to $97.32 after Deutsche Bank initiated it with a Buy rating.

Yesterday, stocks fell because the Fed minutes showed its members debating when to raise interest rates. The data today, however, allayed those worries by showing that while the economy might be improving–the Markit Flash U.S. Manufacturing Purchasing Managers’ Index rose to 56.7, up from 53.7–inflation is not yet a concern–the consumer price index rose 1.6% year-over-year, below the Fed’s 2% target. Sterne Agee’s Lindsey Piegza explains:

Another benign inflation report despite a rise in fuels and utilities costs this winter, on the heels of a tepid rise in producer prices shown in yesterday’s PPI (Producer Price Index). While some Fed officials have voiced concern regarding inflation as a near-term concern, most officials are more concerned about inflation remaining considerably below the Fed’s 2% target. Although the Fed expects inflation to reverse course, nonexistent wage pressures threaten that forecast with ample slack in the labor market and minimal credit creation.

Capital Economics’ Paul Dales thinks inflation might be stronger than it looks. He writes:

January’s US CPI inflation figures were benign, but the unusually bad weather may be hiding a strengthening in underlying price pressures…This could easily explain the 0.3% m/m fall in clothing prices, 0.5% drop in used vehicles prices and 0.3% decline in new vehicle prices. Those falls could be reversed when the weather returns to seasonal norms.

In contrast, price gains in other areas are more likely to be sustained. The 0.3% m/m rise in rent of shelter was partly due to a 1.3% rise in hotel prices. Even so, low vacancy rates and rising wage growth will support rents inflation. And although the 0.3% m/m gain in medical prices was partly due to a 0.6% rebound in prescription drug prices, medical inflation will rise in April when the effects of sequester’s 2% Medicare payment cut drops out of the annual comparison. So although core inflation fell to 1.6% in January from 1.7%, we think it will rise to 2% later this year.

Marketfield’s Michael Shaoul worries that we might be witnessing the end of the Fed consensus. He explains:

In other words despite the firming of guidance towards a prolonged period of monetary laxity even as stated policy goals are reached, there is clearly a risk that the consensus within the Committee is at risk of fracturing later in 2014. This is not a risk which is adequately priced into the US yield curve, which keeps its belly close to the ground between a 2 year yield of 0.31% and a 5 year yield of 1.52%. Although the abnormal weather conditions have served to dampen a number of important economic statistics in early 2014 this actually serves to heighten the risk that a robust springtime bounce will cause a further erosion of the common ground between the various factions within the FOMC.

Now wouldn’t that be fun?

No Reason to Trash Waste Management Stock: Just Hold It

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Welcome to the Stock of the Day.

Waste and environmental services company Waste Management (WM) announced fourth-quarter results and a hefty new stock buyback program. With a 3.3% dividend yield and a firm handhold on the nation’s garbage collection market, could one man’s trash be a treasure in your portfolio?

Let’s find out.

Company Overview

With nearly $14 billion in annual sales, Waste Management is the second largest player in the Industrial Goods industry. Waste Management runs a network of over 350 collection operations, 350 transfer stations, 270 landfills, 130 recycling plants and 110 landfill gas projects. This company also stands apart in terms of its 3.3% dividend yield, which is second-highest in the industry.

Shareholder Value

In 2013, Waste Management returned over $900 million to its shareholders in the form of dividends and stock buybacks, and it clearly intends to continue this trend. Before the opening bell Tuesday, Waste Management announced that its board approved a modest hike in its quarterly dividend, from 36.5 cents per share to 37.5 cents per share. The company will likely declare its first-quarter dividend before the end of the month. Additionally, the company has authorized a new $600 million stock buyback program for 2014.

Earnings Buzz

Waste Management also reported a Q4 loss of $607 million, or a loss of $1.29 per share, on $3.5 billion in revenues. In the year ago period, Waste Management had reported net income of $224 million, or $0.48 per share, on $3.43 billion in sales.

So while WM announced 2% annual sales growth, the company is experiencing margin compression from accruals related to incentive compensation and risk management. Excluding special items, adjusted EPS was 56 cents per share. Analysts had expected 61 cents per share on $3.58 billion in sales, so Waste Management missed both consensus estimates.

Current Ratings

Before you buy any stock, you should always run it through my free Portfolio Grader ratings system. Over the past 12 months, Waste Management stock has wavered between a C-rated hold and a B-rated buy. What Waste Management has been struggling with lately has been its history of beating analyst earnings estimates, its sales growth and cash flow.

And while WM currently receives solid marks for operating margin growth, earnings growth, earnings momentum and analyst earnings revisions, I expect these grades will fall once the latest quarterly results are plugged in.

This should drag down the stock’s B-rated Fundamental Grade. Meanwhile, WM receives a C for its Quantitative Grade because there is lackluster buying pressure for this stock.

Bottom Line: As of this posting I consider Waste Management stock a C-rated hold. While it’s exciting to see the company returning value to its shareholders, there are still lingering problems with sales and earnings growth that cannot be ignored.

Sound Off: What do you think about WM? Are you a buyer at current prices? Let me know what you think by posting on our wall on Facebook.

Would you like to check the fundamentals backing up one of your stocks? For more stock grades, please visit my Portfolio Grader website!

Best Low Price Companies To Invest In Right Now

With shares of Amazon�(NASDAQ:AMZN) trading around $356, is AMZN an OUTPERFORM, WAIT AND SEE, or STAY AWAY? Let�� analyze the stock with the relevant sections of our CHEAT SHEET investing framework.

T = Trends for a Stock’s Movement

Amazon serves its customers through its retail websites and focus on selection, price, and convenience. The company also manufactures and sells Kindle devices. Amazon offers programs that enable sellers to sell their products on the company�� websites, including the sellers��own branded websites, and fulfill orders through them. Amazon also provides platforms that allow authors, musicians, filmmakers, app developers, and others to publish and sell content. Online commerce has been on the rise because of the convenience, efficiency, and relatively low prices offered.

Jim Cramer recently ranked Amazon a Buy. Cramer previously ranked this stock a Buy on October 29. The stock�� 52-week high is $368.40, and its 52-week low is $218.18. Cramer said that Amazon will be a stock that many hedge fund managers who are looking to play catch-up will be trying to add to their portfolios as the year�� end nears. Because it is results that many on Wall Street are looking for on a shorter-term time frame, some names will lose momentum, but Amazon will be a company that will win out this holiday season, Cramer implied.

Best Low Price Companies To Invest In Right Now: PLX Technology Inc.(PLXT)

PLX Technology, Inc. designs, develops, manufactures, and sells semiconductor devices worldwide. It offers semiconductor devices, such as PCI express switches that allow aggregation of multi-channel Ethernet, fiber channel, graphics, and SAS cards to the host; PCI express bridges, which allow devices with other standards to be used in systems that need to interoperate with PCI express; and 10G Ethernet over copper PHY devices that provide a seamless migration from the slower connections to the faster ones. The company?s products also include direct attached storage products, which allow external storage to connect to a PC through USB connection; network attached storage products that provide storage to a local area network; PCI bridges consisting of general purpose bridges that translate and extend the PCI bus; and universal serial bus (USB) interface chips, which are used by computer peripherals and consumer products to interoperate through an external cabled connection. Its semiconductor devices accelerate and manage the transfer of data in microprocessor-based systems, including networking and telecommunications, enterprise storage, servers, personal computers (PCs), PC peripherals, consumer electronics, imaging, and industrial products. The company markets its products through direct and indirect sales force, manufacturers, and distributors to electronics manufacturers. PLX Technology, Inc. was founded in 1986 and is headquartered in Sunnyvale, California.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Seth Jayson]

  PLX Technology (Nasdaq: PLXT  ) reported earnings on April 22. Here are the numbers you need to know.

  The 10-second takeaway
  For the quarter ended March 31 (Q1), PLX Technology met expectations on revenues and beat expectations on earnings per share.

Best Low Price Companies To Invest In Right Now: Renasant Corporation(RNST)

Renasant Corporation operates as the bank holding company for the Renasant Bank that provides various financial and insurance services to retail and commercial customers. The company offers checking accounts, money market accounts, savings accounts, certificates of deposit, time deposits, individual retirement accounts, and health savings accounts. It also provides commercial, financial, and agricultural loans; construction loans, including loans for the construction of single family residential properties, multi-family properties, and commercial projects; residential mortgage loans; home equity loans or lines of credit; consumer loans; and equipment leasing, as well as safe deposit and night depository facilities. In addition, the company offers various fiduciary services; and administers qualified retirement plans, profit sharing and other employee benefit plans, personal trusts, and estates. Further, the company provides annuities, mutual funds, and other investment ser vices through a third party broker-dealer. Additionally, the company offers commercial and personal insurance products through carriers. As of October 21, 2011, it operated approximately 75 banking, mortgage, financial services, and insurance offices in Mississippi, Tennessee, Alabama, and Georgia. The company was founded in 1904 and is based in Tupelo, Mississippi.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Rich Duprey]

  Financial services specialist�Renasant� (NASDAQ: RNST  ) �announced yesterday�its second-quarter dividend of $0.17 per share, the same rate it's paid since 2007.

• [By Monica Gerson]

  Renasant (NASDAQ: RNST) is expected to post its Q3 earnings at $0.31 per share on revenue of $60.87 million.

  Posted-In: Earnings scheduleEarnings News Pre-Market Outlook Markets

Top 10 Cheap Companies To Invest In Right Now: Emeritus Corporation (ESC)

Emeritus Corporation operates senior living communities in the United States. The company�s communities offer Alzheimer�s and dementia care, independent living, assisted living, specialized memory care, and skilled nursing care services. It also provides management services to independent and related-party owners of assisted living communities. As of November 15, 2012, the company operated approximately 470 senior living communities in 44 states with a resident capacity for approximately 50,000 residents. Emeritus Corporation was founded in 1993 and is headquartered in Seattle, Washington.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Seth Jayson]

  Calling all cash flows
  When you are trying to buy the market's best stocks, it's worth checking up on your companies' free cash flow once a quarter or so, to see whether it bears any relationship to the net income in the headlines. That's what we do with this series. Today, we're checking in on Emeritus (NYSE: ESC  ) , whose recent revenue and earnings are plotted below.

Best Low Price Companies To Invest In Right Now: Itau Unibanco Holding SA (ITUB.N)

Itau Unibanco Holding S.A., incorporated on September 9, 1943, is a bank in Brazil. The Company has four operational segments: Commercial Banking, Itau BBA, Consumer Credit and Corporate and Treasury. Commercial banking, including insurance, pension plan and capitalization products, credit cards, asset management and a variety of credit products and services for individuals, small and middle-market companies). Itau BBA includes corporate and investment banking. Consumer credit includes financial products and services to its non-accountholders. Corporate and treasury includes the results related to the trading activities in its portfolio, trading related to managing currency, interest rate and other market risk factors, gap management and arbitrage opportunities in domestic and foreign markets. It also includes the results associated with financial income from the investment of its excess capital.

On October 24, 2010, Itau Unibanco completed the integration of customer service locations throughout Brazil. In total, 998 branches and 245 customer site branches (CSB) of Unibanco were redesigned and integrated as Itau Unibanco customer service locations, thus creating a network of approximately 4,700 units in the country under the Itau brand. The Company is a financial holding company controlled by Itau Unibanco Participacoes S.A. (IUPAR). As of December 31, 2010, it had a network of 3,747 service branches throughout Brazil. As of December 31, 2010, it operated 913 CSBs throughout Brazil. As of December 31, 2010, it operated 28,844 automated teller machines (ATMs) throughout Brazil.

Commercial banking

The commercial banking segment offers a range of banking services to a diversified base of individuals and companies. Services offered by the commercial banking segment include insurance, pension plan and capitalization products, credit cards, asset management, credit products and customized products and solu tions. The commercial banking segment comprises the special! i! zed areas and products, such as retail banking (individuals); public sector banking; personnalite (banking for high-income individuals); private banking (banking and financial consulting for wealthy individuals); very small business banking; small business banking; middle-market banking; credit cards; real estate financing; asset management; corporate social responsibility fund; securities services for third parties; brokerage, and insurance, private retirement and capitalization products.

The Company�� credit products include personal loans, overdraft protection, payroll loans, vehicles, credit cards, mortgage and agricultural loans, working capital, trade note discount and export. Its investments products include pension plans, mutual funds, time deposits, demand deposit accounts, savings accounts and capitalization plans. Its services include insurance (life, home, credit/cash cards, vehicles, loan protection, among others), exchange, brokerage and others. Its core business is retail banking, which serves individuals with a monthly income below R$7,000. In October 2010, it completed the conversion of branches under the Unibanco brand to the Itau brand and as of December 31, 2010, it had over 15.2 million customers and 4,660 branches and CSBs. Its public sector business operates in all areas of the public sector, including the federal, state and municipal governments (in the executive, legislative and judicial branches). As of December 31, 2010, it had approximately 2,300 public sector customers. Itau Personnalite�� focus is delivering financial advisory services by its managers, who understand the specific needs of its higher-income customers; a portfolio of exclusive products and services; special benefits based on the type and length of relationship with the customer, including discounts on various products and services. Itau Personnalite�� customer base reached more than 600,000 individuals as of December 31, 2010. Itau Personnalite customers also have access to Itau Unibanco! ne! twor! k of ! branches and ATMs throughout the country, as well as Internet banking and phone.

Itau Private Bank is a Brazilian bank in the global private banking industry, providing wealth management services to approximately 17,951 Latin American clients as of December 31, 2010. The Company serves its customers��needs for offshore wealth management solutions in major jurisdictions through independent institutions in the United States through Banco Itau Europa International and Itau Europa Securities , in Luxembourg through Banco Itau Europa Luxembourg S.A. , in Switzerland through Banco Itau Suisse , in the Bahamas through BIE Bank & Trust Bahamas and in Cayman through Unicorp Bank & Trust Cayman. As of December 31, 2010, it had over 565 very small business banking offices located throughout Brazil and approximately 2,500 managers working for over 1,235,000 small business customers. Loans to very small businesses totaled R$5,981 million as of December 31, 2010. As of Dece mber 31, 2010, it had 374 small business banking offices located nationwide in Brazil and nearly 2,500 managers who worked for over 525,000 companies. Loans to small businesses totaled R$28,744 million as of December 31, 2010.

As of December 31, 2010, it had approximately 115,000 middle-market corporate customers that represented a range of Brazilian companies located in over 83 cities in Brazil. The Company offers a range of financial products and services to middle-market customers, including deposit accounts, investment options, insurance, private retirement plans and credit products. Credit products include investment capital loans, working capital loans, inventory financing, trade financing, foreign currency services, equipment leasing services, letters of credit and guarantees. The Company also carries out financial transactions on behalf of middle-market customers, including interbank transactions, open market transactions and futures, swaps, hedging and arbitrage transactions. It also offers its middle-ma! rket cus!! tomers co! llection services and electronic payment services. The Company is able to provide these services for virtually any kind of payment, including Internet office banking. It charges collection fees and fees for making payments, such as payroll, on behalf of its customers.

The Company is engaged in the Brazilian credit card market. Its subsidiaries, Banco Itaucard S.A. (Banco Itaucard) and Hipercard Banco Multiplo S.A. (Hipercard), offers a range of products to 26 million customers as of December 31, 2010, including both accountholders and non-accountholders. As of December 31, 2010, it had approximately R$16,271 million in outstanding real estate loans. As of December 31, 2010, it had total net assets under management of R$291,748 million on behalf of approximately 2.1 million customers. The Company also provides portfolio management services for pension funds, corporations, private bank customers and foreign investors. As of December 31, 2010, it had R$184,496 mill ion of assets under management for pension funds, corporations and private bank customers. As of December 31, 2010, the Company offered and managed about 1,791 mutual funds, which are mostly fixed-income and money market funds. For individual customers, it offered 154 funds to its retail customers and approximately 287 funds to its Itau Personnalite customers. Private banking customers may invest in over 600 funds, including those offered by other institutions. Itau BBA�� capital markets group also provides tailor-made mutual funds to institutional, corporate and private banking customers.

The Company provides securities services in the Brazilian capital markets. Its services also include acting as transfer agent, providing services relating to debentures and promissory notes, custody and control services for mutual funds, pension funds and portfolios, providing trustee services and non-resident investor services, and acting as custodian for depositary receipt programs. The Company also provides brokerage ! services ! to i! nternatio! nal customers through its broker-dealer operations in New York, through its London branch, and through its broker-dealers in Hong Kong and Dubai. Its main lines of insurance are life and casualty (excluding Vida Gerador de Benefucio Livre), extended warranties and property. Its policies are sold through its banking operations, independent local brokers, multinational brokers and other channels. As of December 31, 2010, it had 9.9 million in capitalization products outstanding, representing R$2,620 million in liabilities with assets that function as guarantees of R$2,646 million. The Company distributes these products through its retail network, Itau Personnalite and Itau Uniclass branches, electronic channels and ATMs. These products are sold by its subsidiary, Cia. Itau de Capitalizacao S.A.

Itau BBA

Itau BBA is responsible for its corporate and investment banking activities. As of December 31, 2010, Itau BBA offered a portfolio of products and ser vices to approximately 2,400 companies and conglomerates in Brazil. Itau BBA�� activities range from typical operations of a commercial bank to capital markets operations and advisory services for mergers and acquisitions. As of December 31, 2010, its corporate loan portfolio was R$ 76,584 million. In investment banking, the fixed income department was responsible for the issuance of debentures and promissory notes that totaled R$18,888 million and securitization transactions that amounted to R$4,677 million in Brazil in 2010. In addition, Itau BBA advised 35 merger and acquisition transactions with an aggregate deal volume of R$16,973 million in 2010.

Itau BBA is also active in Banco Nacional de Desenvolvimento Economico e Social (BNDES) on-lending to finance large-scale projects, aiming at strengthening domestic infrastructure. In consolidated terms, total loans granted by Itau BBA under BNDES on-lending represented more than R$9,010 million in 2010. Itau BB A focuses on the products and initiatives! in the i! nternation! al busine! ss unit, such as structuring long-term, bilateral and syndicated financing, and spot foreign exchange. In addition, in 2010 Itau BBA continued to offer a large number of lines of credit for foreign trade.

Consumer Credit

As of December 31, 2010, its portfolio of vehicle financing, leasing and consortium lending consisted of approximately 3.8 million contracts, of which approximately 71.1% were non-accountholder customers. The personal loan portfolio relating to vehicle financing and leasing reached R$60,254 million in 2010. The Company leased and financed vehicles through 13,706 dealers as of December 31, 2010. Sales are made through computer terminals installed in the dealerships that are connected to its computer network. Redecard S.A. (Redecard) is a multibrand credit card provider in Brazil, also responsible for the capturing, transmission, processing and settlement of credit, debit and benefit card transactions. As of December 31, 2010, the Com pany held approximately 50% interest in Redecard�� capital stock.

The Company competes with Bradesco, Banco do Brasil S.A. (Banco do Brasil), Banco Santander, Caixa Economica Federal (CEF), BNDES, HSBC, Banco Citibank S.A, Banco de Investimentos Credit Suisse (Brasil) S.A., Banco JP Morgan S.A., Banco Morgan Stanley S.A., Banco Merrill Lynch de Investimentos S.A., Banco BTG Pactual S.A., Banco Panamericano S.A, Citibank S.A., Banco GE Capital S.A. and Banco Ibi S.A.

Best Low Price Companies To Invest In Right Now: CO2 Group Ltd (COZ.AX)

CO2 Group Limited operates as a carbon solutions company in Australia, New Zealand, and Asia. It designs, develops, and manages greenhouse abatement projects; establishes carbon forests; and provides carbon trading solutions. The company offers carbon services for carbon forests, land management related greenhouse abatement projects, landfill, agricultural systems, rangelands, savannah management, biomass energy systems, and renewable energy projects; and environmental services. It manages approximately 26,400 hectares of forest carbon sink plantings in New South Wales and Western Australia; and protects approximately 4,200 hectares of remnant native vegetation. The company serves energy producers and retailers, as well as industrial consumers. CO2 Group Limited is based in Perth, Australia.

Best Low Price Companies To Invest In Right Now: Noel Gifts International Ltd (543.SI)

Noel Gifts International Ltd provides floral arrangements, gifts, and hampers in Singapore, Malaysia, and China. The company provides its flowers, hampers, and gifting ideas through its Website. The company also operates a franchise program that provides franchisees the right to use the company�s name; creative gift designs; and marketing, sales, operations, and purchasing strategies and systems. Its franchise operations are located in Kuala Lumpur, Johor Bahru, Penang, Jakarta, and Bangkok. In addition, it is involved in the investment and development of properties. The company was formerly known as Noel Hampers and Gifts Pte Ltd and changed its name to Noel Gifts International Ltd in 1993. Noel Gifts International Ltd was founded in 1975 and is based in Singapore.

Best Low Price Companies To Invest In Right Now: Atlantic Power Corp (AT&T)

Atlantic Power Corporation (Atlantic Power) owns and operates a fleet of power generation and infrastructure assets in the United States and Canada. The Company�� power generation projects sell electricity to utilities and industrial customers under long-term power purchase agreements. During the year ended December 31, 2011, its power generation projects in operation had an aggregate gross electric generation capacity of approximately 3,397 megawatts in which its ownership interest was approximately 2,140 megawatts. The Company operates in five segments: Northeast, Southeast, Northwest, Southwest and Un-allocated Corporate. In April 2013, the Company sold its interest in three Florida projects: Auburndale Power Partners Limited Partners (Auburndale), Lake Cogen, Ltd. and Pasco Cogen, Ltd.

Best Low Price Companies To Invest In Right Now: Preformed Line Products Company(PLPC)

Preformed Line Products Company, together with its subsidiaries, designs and manufactures products and systems used in the construction and maintenance of overhead and underground networks for the energy, telecommunication, cable operators, and information industries worldwide. The company offers formed wire and related hardware products to support, protect, terminate, and secure power conductor and communication cables and to control cable dynamics. These products also include hardware for supporting and protecting transmission conductors, spacers, spacer-dampers, stockbridge dampers, corona suppression devices, and various compression fittings for dead-end applications. It also provides protective closures, which include splice cases to protect fixed line communication networks, such as copper cable or fiber optic cable from moisture, environmental hazards, and other potential contaminants. In addition, the company offers data communication cabinets that are used in high -speed data systems to hold and protect electronic equipment; plastic products, including guy markers, tree guards, fiber optic cable markers, and pedestal markers to identify power conductors, communication cables, and guy wires; and other products, such as hardware assemblies, pole line hardware, resale products, underground connectors, solar hardware systems, and urethane products, which are used by energy, renewable energy, communications, cable, and special industries. Its customers include public and private energy utilities, communication companies, cable operators, financial institutions, governmental agencies, contractors and subcontractors, distributors, and value-added resellers. The company markets its products through direct sales force and manufacturing representatives. Preformed Line Products Company was founded in 1947 and is headquartered in Mayfield Village, Ohio.

Best Low Price Companies To Invest In Right Now: Full House Resorts Inc.(FLL)

Full House Resorts, Inc., together with its subsidiaries, develops, manages, invests in, and owns gaming-related enterprises. The company holds interest in Gaming Entertainment (Delaware), LLC, a joint venture with Harrington Raceway, Inc., which has a management contract with Harrington Raceway and Casino that has approximately 1,800 slot machines and 40 table games, a 450-seat buffet, a dining restaurant, a 50-seat diner, and an entertainment lounge area located in Harrington, Delaware. It also owns and operates Stockman?s Casino, which has approximately 264 slot machines, 4 table games, and keno, as well as a bar, a dining restaurant, and a coffee shop situated in Fallon, Nevada. In addition, the company holds interests in Gaming Entertainment Michigan, LLC that has a joint venture with RAM Entertainment, LLC, which has a management agreement with the Nottawaseppi Huron Band of Potawatomi Indians for the development and management of the FireKeepers Casino in Battle Cre ek, Michigan. Full House Resorts, Inc. was founded in 1987 and is based in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Best Low Price Companies To Invest In Right Now: Shaw River Resources Ltd(SRR.AX)

Shaw River Manganese Limited engages in the exploration and development of manganese projects in Australia, Ghana, and Namibia. It holds interests in the Otjozondu project located in Namibia; the Baramine project located in Pilbara, Western Australia; and the Butre project located in Ghana. The company was formerly known as Shaw River Resources Limited and changed its name to Shaw River Manganese Limited in May 2011. Shaw River Manganese Limited is based in West Perth, Australia.

Best Low Price Companies To Invest In Right Now: Anglo Bomarc Mines Ltd NPL (ANB.V)

Anglo-Bomarc Mines Ltd. (N.P.L.) is an e exploration-stag company. The Company is in the business of exploring mineral properties, including the Hercules Silver Property in Idaho and Hughs Lake Property in Saskatchewan. The Company has a 50% working interest in the Silver Bell (21, 22, 45-48, 55), the New Point (2, 4, 6, 18), the Point Six (1-6), and the Hercules Lode 18 group of claims located in Washington County, Idaho, the United States. The Hercules Silver Property is located in South Central Idaho, with its joint venture partner First Idaho Resources Ltd. The Company owns a 10% interest in the Hughes Lake property in Saskatchewan. The Hughes Lake project is a uranium exploration joint venture among Cameco Corporation, Areva Resources Canada Ltd., and the Company. The Hughes Lake project consists of a single mineral lease ML 5459, totalling 2,226 hectares.

Best Low Price Companies To Invest In Right Now: Banro Corp (BAA)

Banro Corporation (Banro) is a Canada-based gold exploration company. The Company holds, through four wholly owned subsidiaries, a 100% interest in four gold properties, which are known as Twangiza, Namoya, Lugushwa and Kamituga. These properties are covered by a total of 13 exploitation permits and are found along the 210 kilometer-long Twangiza-Namoya gold belt in the South Kivu and Maniema Provinces of eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). The Company also holds 14 exploration permits covering an aggregate of 2,638 square kilometers. Its 10 of the permits are located in the vicinity of the Company's Twangiza property and four are located in the vicinity of the Company's Namoya property. During the year ended December 31, 2011, the Company was engaged in the construction of the Company�� Twangiza Phase I oxide mine, and continued its exploration activities at its Twangiza, Namoya and Lugushwa properties. Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Bryan Murphy]

  With the weekend just around the corner - and with folks looking to close the books on what's been a miserable week - most traders have already closed shop and gone home. Big mistake. Some of the best trades I've ever found were uncovered when nobody else cared, or was interested. Enter Banro Corporation (NYSEMKT:BAA)... a name I stumbled cross today when few other were even looking. I think BAA could be an explosive bullish mover over the course of the next few weeks. Though I don't want to get married to it, I sure wouldn't mind dating it for a while.

Best Low Price Companies To Invest In Right Now: Lindian Resources Ltd(LIN.AX)

Lindian Resources Limited engages in the exploration and development of mineral properties in Africa. Its principal project includes the Dinguiraye project, a platinum, nickel, and copper project consisting of 2 granted exploration licenses covering an area of 705 square kilometers located in Faranah region, Dinguiraye prefecture, northeast of Conakry in the central part of Guinea. The company is based in Balcatta, Australia.

Best Low Price Companies To Invest In Right Now: Arcan Resources Ltd (ARN.V)

Arcan Resources Ltd. engages in the exploration, development, and production of petroleum and natural gas in western Canada. It primarily holds interests in Swan Hills property located in north central Alberta; Hamburg property located in northwest Alberta; and McLeod property located in west central Alberta. The company was incorporated in 2003 and is headquartered in Calgary, Canada.

Why your next home may look like a snow globe

Over the past decade, the world has watched in horror as hurricanes, floods, tornadoes, fires, earthquakes, mudslides, tsunamis and most recently, one of the largest typhoons on record, caused death and destruction in epic numbers. With meteorologists predicting even more intense storms in the future, some homeowners are finding a simple yet ingenious way to minimize their vulnerability: building a dome home.

The dome's balanced shape is self-supporting and strong enough to withstand the force of an EF5 tornado, a monster hurricane or a powerful earthquake. Dome buildings made of concrete can deflect falling buildings and flying debris, even airborne trees and cars. Plus, the roof won't blow off.

"People feel safer in a dome," says design engineer and Texas resident Nanette South Clark. "Domes have a double curvature like an egg so they're very strong. They're the buildings of the future."

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Clark, who helped design space shuttle launch systems, grew up in a dome home herself. It was designed by her father, David South, who was inspired by the intricate balance and symmetry of Buckminster Fuller's geodesic spheres. South created his "Monolithic Dome" as a round, freestanding structure that could be economically built to serve as protection against natural disasters and a unique living space.

"This is an answer," insists Clark's husband Gary, vice president of Monolithic sales and marketing. "It's the strongest disaster-preventative shape that can be built for the dollar."

In fact, today the Monolithic Dome Institute has taken its vision globally to build domes for residential and commercial use. Concentrating on areas prone to natural disasters, the company is currently aiming to build 20 dome shelters in Birmingham, Ala., a city devastated by tornadoes in April 2011. In 2006, Monolithic built 71 dome homes—an entire village—in Indonesia! after the mass destruction caused by an earthquake.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency agrees that domes can play a part in disaster preparedness. In 2012, FEMA spent millions of dollars to build dome shelters in Texas communities that had been hard hit by tornadoes. In May, a photo on the FEMA website showed how well a dome fared compared with a conventional building after the EF5 tornado in Moore, Okla.

The problem, say dome advocates, is that meteorologists are predicting even more violent weather systems and domes are still a rarity. The last decade has seen a tenfold increase in major earthquakes worldwide, according to a recent United States Geological Survey, as well as some of the deadliest hurricanes and tornadoes on record. In 2012 alone, 251 people died in the U.S. in weather-related disasters that cost $104 billion.

MIT scientist Kerry Emanuel, one of the world's top experts on hurricanes, published a paper this year predicting that the world will see even more intense tropical storms in the future, in combination with rising sea levels. Emanuel's 2005 article published in the international science journal Nature foreshadowed 2013's Typhoon Haiyan in the Philippines, (death toll 6,000) and 2008's Cyclone Nargis in Myanmar (death toll 138,000.)

"Hurricane intensity should increase with increasing global mean temperatures. ... This trend is due to both longer storm lifetimes and greater storm intensities. ... My results suggest that future warming may lead to an upward trend in tropical cyclone destructive potential, and—taking into account an increasing coastal population—a substantial increase in hurricane-related losses in the twenty-first century," he wrote in the Nature article.

"In the next 50 years, we do expect to see an increased incidence in the most intense hurricanes," Emanuel told CNBC. "If I were living in the Philippines, I would certainly build stronger buildings and put a lot emphasis on saving lives. I'd certainly build hospitals and st! orm shelt! ers much stronger than I might have built them before.

"Whether it's worth the money to build ordinary homes and buildings stronger is an economic decision; even with global warming, another storm like that might not happen in another hundred years. But I would say that, in a broader sense, building alternative structures that can withstand intense storms is something that urban planners certainly have to think about."

According to Gary Clark, a Monolithic Dome currently costs between $125 and $135 a square foot. Not accounting for architectural enhancements, that figure, $125,000-$135,000, is on par with the average cost of a 1,000-square-foot home in Texas.

"Dome homes are probably about the cost of a standard home, maybe slightly more. But we're really green—that's where we shine. Your energy costs will basically be 50-75 percent less than in a conventional house."

So with all the advantages of dome homes, why are they so rare?

"The shape is the problem," explains South Carolina architect Peter von Ahn. "Domes are very efficient and work well, but the majority of people don't like them. They don't fit people's preconceived notion of what a house should look like."

Often playfully dubbed "ball houses," "bubbles" or "igloos," domes can produce a variety of reactions from passersby, from delight to disgust to just plain old confusion. Sotheby's International Realty is currently selling a rainbow-colored, multi-domed structure in Sedona, Ariz., that is unique, to say the least. Resembling a space-age cartoon dwelling more than a traditional home, it's on the market for a little more than a million dollars.

"It's not for everybody," admits selling agent Ken Robertson. "It takes someone with imagination and creativity to appreciate this home. It's almost like a fantasy home."

Interestingly, even survivors of major storms often say they would not consider moving into something as "weird" as a dome home, regardless of its protective qualities.

"It would! be a rea! l stretch to consider that," says Clark Crabill, a 67-year-old retiree from Cincinnati. "It would be so extreme."

Though his home was decimated by a tornado 14 years ago, ("it took less than 10 seconds to pop the house; it was like an explosion") Crabill says he would never consider buying a dome home. In fact, his reaction to the tornado was to search for the blueprints of his original home and rebuild it exactly like the first.

Crabill acknowledges that he lives in the wide swath of country known as "Tornado Alley," but is convinced, "The probability of a tornado happening here again is low."

Clark's daughter Carrie says she still feels emotional when she thinks about the early morning of April 9, 1999.

"I was thrown out of bed onto the floor," she recalls. "I looked up and saw the sky. My sister was found in the neighbor's yard."

Though her family survived, four people died in that tornado. Carrie says she has never truly felt safe since that day.

"Our home was all gone, except for the basement and the foundation," she says. "Your sense of home and where you belong is taken from you. I will never not be aware of a storm again. Regardless of where I am, I'm always aware of the weather."

© CNBC is a USA TODAY content partner offering financial news and commentary. Its content is produced independently of USA TODAY.

Pre-Market Global Review - 2/14/14 - Comcast Deal Moves Markets

Good Morning Traders,  
 
 As of this writing 5:10 AM EST, here’s what we see:
 
                    
US Dollar –Down at 80.235, the US Dollar is down 143 ticks and is trading at 80.235.           
Energies – March Oil is down at 99.93.       
Financials – The March 30 year bond is up 4 ticks and trading at 133.04.      
Indices – The March S&P 500 emini ES contract is down 1 tick and trading at 1824.00. 
Gold – The April gold contract is trading down at 1308.30 and is up 82 ticks from its close.   
           
 
Initial Conclusion: This is not a correlated market.  The dollar is down- and oil is down which is not normal but the 30 year bond is trading higher.  The Financials should always correlate with the US dollar such that if the dollar is lower then bonds should follow and vice-versa.  The indices are lower and the US dollar is trading down which is not correlated.  Gold is trading higher which is correlated with the US dollar trading down.   I tend to believe that Gold has an inverse relationship with the US Dollar as when the US Dollar is down, Gold tends to rise in value and vice-versa. Think of it as a seesaw, when one is up the other should be down.   I point this out to you to make you aware that when we don't have a correlated market, it means something is wrong.  As traders you need to be aware of this and proceed with your eyes wide open. 
               
Asia traded mainly higher with the exception of  the Nikkei  and Singapore exchanges which traded lower.  As of this writing all of Europe is trading higher.   
 
  Possible challenges to traders today is the following:
                                           
1.  Import Prices m/m is out at 8:30 AM EST.  This is major.     
2.  Capacity Utilization Rate is out at 9:15 AM EST.  This is not major.      
3.  Industrial Production m/m is out at 9:15 AM EST.  This is not major.  
4.  Prelim UoM Consumer Sentiment is out at 9:55 AM EST.  This is major.  
5.  Prelim UoM Inflation Expectations is out at 9:55 AM EST.  This is major.

      
 Currencies                  

Yesterday the Swiss Franc made it's move at around 8:30 AM EST immediately after the Unemployment Claims numbers came in.  Look at the charts below and you'll see a pattern for both assets.  The USD rose at around that time and the Swiss Franc fell.  This was a shorting opportunity on the Swiss Franc.  The key to capitalizing on these trades is to watch the USD movement.  The USD rise only lent confirmation to the move.  As a trader you could have netted 20 ticks on this trade.  To expand the chart, right click and open in a new window.  Kindly view our special video to determine how to capitalize on these trades.  http://youtu.be/lOxBMe09X3Q
 
 Charts Courtesy of Trend Following Trades
 

Swiss Franc - 03/14 - 2/13/14

USD - 03/14 - 2/13/14

Bias

Yesterday we said our bias was to the downside as the markets weren't correlated, Asia had traded down and Europe was trading down.  The markets however had other plans as the Dow gained 64 points and the other indices gained as well.  Today we aren't dealing with a correlated market and in fact the futures aren't giving any sense of direction, therefore our bias is neutral which means it go in any direction today.       Could this change?  Of Course.  Remember anything can happen in a volatile market.
 
Yesterday we said our bias was to the downside as the markets weren't correlated, both Asia dn Europe were trading down and the US futures was pointed down. Whereas initially the markets opened lower, it became apparent after 10 AM that they were poised to rise.  So what happened?  None of the economic news met expectation.  It was reported that Comcast is buying Time Warner AOL for a record 45 Billion Dollars and Wall Street loves mega-deals.  It wasn't too long ago that we used to have "Merger Mondays" and most veteran traders used to avoid trading on Mondays for that very reason.   Bottom line is that when we have mega-deals it's more appropriate to maintain a neutral bias as the markets don't operate with a sense of normalcy.

 Each day in this newsletter we provide viewers a snapshot of the Swiss Franc versus the US dollar as a way and means of capitalizing on the inverse relationship between these two assets.  Futures Magazine recognized this correlation as well.  So much so that they printed a story on it in their December issue.  That story can be viewed at:

http://www.futuresmag.com/2013/11/25/correlated-opportunities-in-the-swiss-franc?ref=hp

Many of my readers have been asking me to spell out the rules of Market Correlation.  Recently Futures Magazine has elected to print a story on the subject matter and I must say I'm proud of the fact that they did  as I'm Author of that article.  I encourage all viewers to read that piece as it spells out the rules of market correlation and provides charts that show how it works in action. The article is entitled "How to Exploit and Profit from Market Correlation" and can be viewed at:

http://www.futuresmag.com/2013/08/01/how-to-exploit-and-profit-from-market-correlation

As a follow up to the first article on Market Correlation, I've produced a second segment on this subject matter and Futures Magazine has elected to publish it.  It can be viewed at:

http://www.futuresmag.com/2013/08/16/how-to-exploit-and-profit-from-market-correlation?ref=hp

 
As readers are probably aware I don't trade equities.   While we're on this discussion, let's define what is meant by a good earnings report.  A company must exceed their prior quarter's earnings per share and must provide excellent forward guidance.  Any falloff between earning per share or forward guidance will not bode well for the company's shares.  This is one of the reasons I don't trade equities but prefer futures.  There is no earnings reports with futures and we don't have to be concerned about lawsuits, scandals, malfeasance, etc.
 
Anytime the market isn't correlated it's giving you a clue that something isn't right and you should proceed with caution. Today our bias is neutral.  Could this change?  Of course.  In a volatile market anything can happen.  We'll have to monitor and see.
  

As I write this the crude markets are trading lower and the US Dollar is declining.  This is not normal.  Think of it this way.  If the stock market is trading lower, it's safe to assume that the crude market will follow suit and vice-versa.  Crude trades with the expectation that business activity is expanding.  The barometer of which is the equities or stock market.  If you view both the crude and index futures side by side you will notice this.  Yesterday March crude dropped to a low of 99.48 a barrel but maintained the $100 a barrel mark.  We'll have to monitor and see if crude either goes lower or holds at the present level.   It would appear at the present time that crude has support at $99.25 a barrel and resistance at $100.78.  This could change.  All we need do is look at what happened last fall when crude was trading over $100.00 a barrel.  We'll have to monitor and see.  Remember that crude is the only commodity that is reflected immediately at the gas pump. 

Future Challenges:
- Debt Ceiling - Well we could say it's official and that a "budget" has been passed by both houses of Congress but Obama still has yet to approve it.  If approved this would fund the government until September 30th and remove an uncertainty from the markets.  However Obama hasn't approved this yet and currently Secretary of the Treasury Jack Lew has already testified before Congress warning that our current debt ceiling will expire on February 7th and that the Treasury could do something to extend until the end of February but won't be able to go much beyond that.   Well the State of the Union come and gone yet to our knowledge Obama hasn't approved anything yet.  He meets with Apple, Walmart and others to discuss joblessness yet he does absolutely nothing for the long term unemployed except to talk about it.  Did anyone bother to tell that he could issue an Executive Order to extend?  Yes, it may lead to absolutely nothing but at least the American people will know where he stands.  His lack of leadership in this regard is deplorable...

As an update to this the Senate has voted to extend the Debt Ceiling limit until March, 2015.  This is a clean extension without any hindrances.  Obama has signed an Executive Order to increase the minimum wage of Federal workers.  Too bad he didn't do anything for the rest of us.
 
 
Crude oil is trading lower and the US Dollar is declining.  This is not normal.  Crude typically makes 3 major moves (long or short) during the course of any trading day: around 9 AM EST, 11 AM EST and 2 PM EST when the crude market closes.  If crude makes major moves around those time frames, then this would suggest normal trending, if not it would suggest that something is not quite right.  If you feel compelled to trade consider doing so after 10 AM when the markets give us better direction.  As always watch and monitor your order flow as anything can happen in this market.  This is why monitoring order flow in today's market is crucial.  We as traders are faced with numerous challenges that we didn't have a few short years ago.  High Frequency Trading is one of them.   I'm not an advocate of scalping however in a market as volatile as this scalping is an alternative to trend trading.

Remember that without knowledge of order flow we as traders are risking our hard earned capital and the Smart Money will have no issue taking it from us.  Regardless of whatever platform you use for trading purposes you need to make sure it's monitoring order flow.  Sceeto does an excellent job at this.  To fully capitalize on this newsletter it is important that the reader understand how the various market correlate.  More on this in subsequent editions.
 

Nick Mastrandrea is the author of Market Tea Leaves. Market Tea Leaves is a free, daily newsletter that discuses and teaches market correlation. Market Tea Leaves is published daily, pre-market in the United States and can be viewed at www.markettealeaves.com  Interested in Market Correlation?  Want to learn more?  Signup and receive Market Tea Leaves each day prior to market open.  As a subscriber, you’ll also receive our daily Market Bias video that is only available to subscribers.

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

Posted-In: Futures Forex Pre-Market Outlook Markets

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Top Clean Energy Stocks To Own For 2015

Natural gas is highly touted as a game-changing energy solution.

Not only is natural gas less toxic than crude, it is also less expensive and exists in mass quantity right here in the United States. That has many insiders calling America the "New Saudi Arabia", in position to eclipse the global leader in energy production by next year.

The only problem with the natural gas story is that the country is still struggling to develop the infrastructure to support its wide-spread consumption. Without wide-spread filling stations, natural gas cars and pipelines, demand for the alternative struggles to keep pace with production. But there is one company working hard to change that.

Clean Energy Fuels Corp. (CLNE) designs, builds and operates natural gas filling stations in the United States. The company supplies compressed natural gas (CNG) and liquefied natural gas (LNG), serving a fleet of 650 customers, more than 32,000 natural-gas vehicles while owning or supplying more than 350 filling stations in 32 states.

Top Clean Energy Stocks To Own For 2015: Zillow Inc (Z.O)

Zillow, Inc. (Zillow), incorporated on December 13, 2004, is a real estate and home-related information marketplaces. Zillow provides products and services to help consumers through every stage of homeownership buying, selling, renting, borrowing and remodeling. The Company make home-related decisions, and enabling homeowners, buyers, sellers and renters to find and connect with local professionals. Individuals and businesses that use Zillow have updated information on more than 37 million homes and have added nearly 100 million home photos. These profiles include detailed information about homes such as property facts, listing information, and purchase and sale data. In June 2012, the Company acquired RentJuice Corporation. In October 2012, the Company acquired Buyfolio, an online and mobile collaborative shopping platform. In December 2012, the Company acquired San Francisco-based HotPads, a map-based rental and real estate search site.

Zillow generates r evenues from local real estate professionals, primarily on an individual subscription basis, and from mortgage professionals and brand advertisers. The Company�� revenues include marketplace revenues, consisting of subscriptions sold to real estate agents and advertising sold on a cost per click (CPC) basis to mortgage lenders, and display revenues consisting of advertising placements sold primarily on a cost per thousand impressions (CPM) basis. The Company provides current home value estimates, or Zestimates, and current rental price estimates, or Rent Zestimates, on approximately 100 million United States homes.

Marketplace Revenues

Marketplace revenues consist of subscriptions sold to real estate agents under its Premier Agent program and CPC advertising related to the Company�� Zillow Mortgage Marketplace sold to mortgage lenders. The Company�� premier agent program offers a suite of marketing and business technology solutions to help re al estate agents grow their businesses and personal brands! . ! The premier agent program allows agents to select products and services that they can tailor to meet their business and advertising needs. In Zillow Mortgage Marketplace, participating qualified mortgage lenders make a prepayment to gain access to consumers interested in connecting with mortgage professionals. Consumers who request rates for mortgage loans in Zillow Mortgage Marketplace are presented with personalized lender quotes from participating lenders. The Company charges mortgage lenders a fee when users click on their links for more information regarding a mortgage loan quote. Mortgage lenders who exhaust their initial prepayment can then prepay additional funds to continue to participate in the marketplace.

Display Revenues

Display revenues primarily consist of graphical Web and mobile advertising sold on a CPM basis to advertisers primarily in the real estate industry, including real estate brokerages, home builders, mortgage lenders and home services providers. The Company�� advertising customers also include telecommunications, automotive, insurance and consumer products companies.

Top Clean Energy Stocks To Own For 2015: Gannett Co. Inc. (GCI)

Gannett Co., Inc. operates as a media and marketing solutions company in the United States and internationally. Its Publishing segment publishes 83 U.S. daily newspapers with affiliated online sites, including USA TODAY, a national, general-interest daily newspaper; USATODAY.com; USA WEEKEND, a magazine supplement for newspapers; Clipper Magazine, a direct mail advertising magazine; bi-weekly Nursing Spectrum and NurseWeek periodicals; and military and defense newspapers. This segment also includes 17 paid-for daily newspapers; approximately 200 weekly newspapers, magazines, and trade publications; and approximately 600 non-daily publications, as well as involves in commercial printing, newswire, marketing, and data services operations. The company?s Digital segment owns and operates CareerBuilder, an employment Web site, which offers online recruitment and career advancement services for employers, employees, recruiters, and job seekers; ShopLocal, which provides multicha nnel shopping and advertising services; Planet Discover, which offers hosted search and advertising services; PointRoll, which provides digital marketing services and technology; and Schedule Star, which offers scheduling solution for high school athletic departments. Its Broadcasting segment operates 23 television stations and affiliated Web sites, which produce local programming, such as news, sports, and entertainment programming. This segment also includes Captivate Network, a national news and entertainment network that delivers programming and full-motion video advertising on video screens located in elevators of office towers and select hotel lobbies in North America. The company has strategic business relationships with online affiliates, including Classified Ventures, ShopLocal.com, Topix, and Metromix LLC, as well as strategic marketing agreement with Microsoft. Gannett Co., Inc. was founded in 1906 and is headquartered in McLean, Virginia.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Laura Brodbeck]

  Earnings reports expected on Monday include:

  Netflix, Inc. (NASDAQ: NFLX) is expected to report third quarter EPS of $0.48 on revenue of $1.10 billion, compared to last year�� EPS of $0.13 on revenue of $905.09 million. Discover Financial Services (NYSE: DFS) is expected to report third quarter EPS of $1.19 on revenue of $2.07 billion, compared to last year�� EPS of $1.21. W.R. Berkley Corporation (NYSE: WRB) is expected to report third quarter EPS of $0.71 on revenue of $1.57 billion, compared to last year�� EPS of $0.61 on revenue of $1.42 billion. Gannett Co., Inc. (NYSE: GCI) is expected to report third quarter EPS of $0.44 on revenue of $1.27 billion, compared to last year�� EPS of $0.56 on revenue of $1.31 billion.

  Economics

• [By Ben Levisohn]

  Gannett (GCI) rose 3.6% to $26.67 after Belo (BLC) shareholders approved a merger of the two companies. Belo’s stock fell 0.6% to $13.72.

  Carnival (CCL) fell 5.3% to $32.70 today, a day after falling nearly 8% on disappointing earnings. Barron’s says it’s time to buy.

• [By Sue Chang and Saumya Vaishampayan]

  Gannett Co. (GCI) �shares shed 2.8%. USA Today on Monday said it reached a content and technology partnership with CineSport that will provide a video-technology platform as well as create video content.

Top Oil Stocks To Watch Right Now: Leyshon Resources Ltd(LRL.AX)

Leyshon Resources Limited engages in the exploration of gold and other mineral properties in the People?s Republic of China. It also focuses on reviewing various copper and gold projects in China and Australia; and thermal coal projects in Western China and seaborne thermal coal projects in East Kalimantan, Indonesia. The company is based in Beijing, the People?s Republic of China.

Top Clean Energy Stocks To Own For 2015: De La Rue(DLAR.L)

De La Rue plc operates as an integrated commercial security printer and papermaker. It provides printed banknotes, banknote papers, and banknote security features. The company also offers cash processing solutions, including sorters for central banks, as well as provides consultancy services; and enterprise software for remote cash centre monitoring and inventory management. In addition, it offers secure documents, such as travellers cheques, tax and postage stamps, authentication labels, certificates, vouchers, and passports, as well as high security papers, security threads, and tear tapes. Further, the company is involved in the production of passports comprising ePassports, together with other secure identity products, as well as designs, originates, and manufactures holograms that are instantly recognisable for their quality and imagery. It serves financial institutions and central banks in the United Kingdom and internationally. The company is headquartered in Basing stoke, the United Kingdom.

Top Clean Energy Stocks To Own For 2015: SINOPEC Shangai Petrochemical Company Ltd.(SHI)

Sinopec Shanghai Petrochemical Company Limited engages in the production of polypropylene compound products, polypropylene products, acrylic fiber products, petrochemical products, synthetic fibers, resins and plastics, and petroleum products in China and internationally. It also involves in the import and export of petrochemical products and equipment. The company was founded in 1972 and is based in Shanghai, the People's Republic of China. Sinopec Shanghai Petrochemical Company Limited is a subsidiary of China Petroleum & Chemical Corporation.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Arjun Sreekumar]

  Notable foreign joint ventures
  The practice has been quite common among foreign companies engaging in joint ventures with U.S. firms. For instance, the use of a drilling carry was a feature of Chesapeake Energy's (NYSE: CHK  ) transaction with China's largest energy company, CNOOC (NYSE: CEO  ) , back in 2010, though it was noticeably absent from its most recent joint venture agreement with Sinopec (NYSE: SHI  ) .

• [By Tyler Crowe and Aimee Duffy]

  After selling about $10.8 billion in assets throughout 2012, it looks as though Chesapeake Energy (NYSE: CHK  ) is on track for more big sales in 2013. The company just announced this week that it plans to sell 98,000 acres in the Utica shale region of Ohio. Once the sale is completed, it will be the third large influx of capital this year, after the company inked $3.2 billion in joint ventures with Sinopec (NYSE: SHI  ) and Total (NYSE: TOT  ) this year.�

Top Clean Energy Stocks To Own For 2015: SONY CORP COM STK NPV (SON.L)

Sony Corporation designs, develops, manufactures, and sells electronic equipment, instruments, and devices for consumer, professional, and industrial markets worldwide. It offers consumer products and devices, such as LCD televisions; home and car audio, Blu-ray disc and DVD players/recorders, and memory-based portable audio devices; compact digital, home-use video, and interchangeable single-lens cameras; and personal computers. The company also develops, produces, markets, and distributes PlayStation3, PlayStation Vita, PlayStation Portable, and PlayStation 2 hardware and related software. In addition, it provides professional devices and solutions, such as broadcast- and professional-use products, and other B2B business solutions; CMOS image sensors, CCDs, system LSIs, and other semiconductors; batteries, audio/video/data recording media, storage media, optical pickups, and optical disk drives; and materials and components for electronic devices, such as anisotropic con ductive films. Further, the company engages in the acquisition, production, and distribution of television programs, motion pictures, and animated films; operation of television networks and studio facilities; creation and distribution of digital content; development of new entertainment products, services, and technologies; and music publishing business. Additionally, it provides various financial services, including life and non-life insurance, savings products, and loans; engages in the research, development, design, production, marketing, sale, distribution, and servicing of mobile phones, accessories, and applications, as well as original equipment manufacture of mobile phones; offers Blu-ray, DVD, and CD media replication services; and provides Internet broadband network services to subscribers. The company was formerly known as Tokyo Tsushin Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha and changed its name to Sony Corporation in 1958. Sony Corporation was founded in 1946 and is headquarter ed in Tokyo, Japan.

Top Clean Energy Stocks To Own For 2015: McCormick & Company Inc (MKC)

McCormick & Company, Incorporated (McCormick) manufactures, markets and distributes spices, seasoning mixes, condiments and other flavorful products to the food industry, retail outlets, food manufacturers and foodservice businesses. The Company�� sales, distribution and production facilities are located in North America and Europe. Additional facilities are based in China, Australia, Mexico, India, Singapore, Central America, Thailand and South Africa. The Company operates in two business segments: consumer and industrial. During the fiscal year ended November 30, 2011, the Company�� consumer business contributed 59% of sales and 79% of operating income and the industrial business contributed 41% of sales and 21% of operating income.

McCormick�� products are sold directly to customers and also through brokers, wholesalers, and distributors. In the consumer segment, products are resold to consumers through a range of retail outlets, including grocery, mass merchandise, warehouse clubs, discount, and drug stores under a range of brands. In the industrial segment, products are used by food and beverage manufacturers as ingredients for their finished goods and by food service customers as ingredients for menu items to enhance the flavor of their foods. Customers for the industrial segment include food manufacturers and the foodservice industry supplied both directly and indirectly through distributors.

Consumer Business

The Company�� brands in the Americas include McCormick, Lawry�� and Club House. The Company also markets brands, such as Zatarain��, Thai Kitchen and Simply Asia. In Europe, the Middle East and Africa (EMEA) its brands include the Ducros, Schwartz and Kamis brands of spices, herbs and seasonings and a line of Vahine brand dessert items. In the Asia/Pacific region its primary brand is McCormick, with the exception of India where its joint venture owns and trades under the Kohinoor brand. The Company�� customers span a variety of retail o! utlets that include grocery, mass merchandise, warehouse clubs, discount and drug stores, served directly and indirectly through distributors or wholesalers. In addition to marketing its products to these customers, the Company is also a supplier of private label items, also known as store brands. More than 250 other brands are sold in the United States with additional brands in international markets.

Industrial Business

In its industrial business, the Company provides a range of products to multinational food manufacturers and foodservice customers. The foodservice customers are supplied both directly and indirectly through distributors. Its range of products include seasoning blends, natural spices and herbs, wet flavors, coating systems and compound flavors. In addition to a broad range of flavor solutions, we strive to achieve customer intimacy.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Johanna Bennett]

  Corporate earnings took a back seat today to the Fed�� latest policy decision. Still, quarterly financial results, and other news sent shares of McCormick & Co. (MKC) and Tupperware (TUP), falling during regular market hours�Here�� a rundown of several of today�� moves:

• [By Brian Pacampara]

  Based on the aggregated intelligence of 180,000-plus investors participating in Motley Fool CAPS, the Fool's free investing community, spices and seasonings specialist McCormick & Co. (NYSE: MKC  ) has earned a coveted five-star ranking.

Top Clean Energy Stocks To Own For 2015: Kwg Resources Inc. (KWG.V)

KWG Resources Inc., an exploration stage company, engages in the exploration and evaluation of base and precious metals in Canada. It explores for copper, zinc, nickel, chromium, PGE, and diamond deposits. The company holds interests in various mineral exploration properties in Northwestern Ontario. KWG Resources Inc. was incorporated in 1937 and is headquartered in Montr茅al, Canada.

Top Clean Energy Stocks To Own For 2015: Alkaline Water Company Inc (WTER.OB)

The Alkaline Water Company Inc., formerly Global Lines Inc, incorporated on June 6, 2011, is a developer of electrolysis beverage process, packaged and branded as Alkaline84. Alkaline84 is the Company's flagship product designed to encourage daily consumption of Alkaline Water through a consumer oriented bulk delivery system. The Company is engaged in the development of a national retail bulk distribution network delivering Electrochemically Activated Water (ECA) to consumers everywhere. The Company is focused on the business of distributing and marketing the retail sale of its packaged Alkaline84 branded beverage products.

Alkaline84 is available in two sizes: three liters and one gallon. Alkaline84 is a pH balanced bottled alkaline drinking water enhanced with 84 trace minerals and electrolytes. Alkaline84 is available for consumer sales at a number of major retail locations across the southwestern United States.

Top Clean Energy Stocks To Own For 2015: Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory Inc.(RMCF)

Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory, Inc. operates as a franchiser, confectionery manufacturer, and retail operator. It offers a range of chocolate candies and confectionery products. The company?s products include clusters, caramels, creams, mints, and truffles. As of March 31, 2010 it operated 11 owned, 29 franchised/licensed owned, and 305 franchised Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory stores in 36 states in the United States, Canada, and the United Arab Emirates. The company was founded in 1981 and is headquartered in Durango, Colorado.

Top Clean Energy Stocks To Own For 2015: Savant Explorations Ltd (SVT.V)

Savant Explorations Ltd., a junior mineral exploration company, engages in the exploration and development of mineral resource properties in Canada, Chile, and the United States. It primarily explores for zinc, copper, lead, silver, and gold ores. The company holds interests in the Yuby Gabriela property located in the prolific Paleocene Porphyry Copper district in Northern Chile; and the Blue Moon polymetallic massive sulphide property covering approximately 179 hectares in Mariposa County, California. It also has an interest in the Yava property that consists of a mineral lease totaling approximately 1,281 hectares with an additional 4,449 hectares of mineral claims in Nunavut. Savant Explorations Ltd. was incorporated in 2007 and is headquartered in Vancouver, Canada.

Top Clean Energy Stocks To Own For 2015: Clearbridge Energy MLP Total Return Fund Inc (CTR)

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Top Clean Energy Stocks To Own For 2015: Intertek Group(ITRK.L)

Intertek Group plc provides quality and safety solutions for a range of industries worldwide. The company operates through five divisions: Commodities, Industry & Assurance, Consumer Goods, Commercial & Electrical, and Chemicals & Pharmaceuticals. The Commodities division provides independent cargo inspection, analytical assessment, and calibration and related research and technical services to the petroleum, mining, minerals, and biofuels industries. This division also provides services to governments and regulatory bodies to support trade activities that enable the flow of goods across borders. The Industry & Assurance division offers a range of services, including asset integrity management, engineering, inspection, auditing, certification, consulting, training, staffing, and testing services. This division serves a range of industries, including oil, gas, petrochemical, power, renewable energy, and civil and infrastructure, as well as provides services to customers in the food and agricultural sectors. The Consumer Goods division provides testing, inspection, auditing, advisory, quality assurance, and hazardous substance testing services to the textiles, toys, footwear, hardlines, and retail industries. The Commercial & Electrical division provides safety, performance and quality testing, and certification services to manufacturers in home appliances, consumer electronics, lighting, medical, building, industrial and heating, ventilation, air conditioning and refrigeration, information communication and technology, renewable energy, and automotive industries. The Chemicals & Pharmaceuticals division provides measurement and consulting services that support business processes, including new drug development, development of new materials, polymers composites, and packaging. This segment serves clients in aerospace, automotive, and pharmaceuticals industries. Intertek Group plc was founded in 1885 and is based in London, the United Kingdom.

Top Clean Energy Stocks To Own For 2015: Ntg Clarity Networks Inc (NCI.V)

NTG Clarity Networks Inc. provides network, telecom, information technology, and infrastructure solutions worldwide. Its products include NTS, an operations support system/business support system, which provides service providers with a range of provisioning and management capabilities; Knowledge Management-Virtual Nervous System, a central repository for data that allows access to up-to-date information for those who need to view and/or maintain it; Smart2Go, an enterprise software platform to deliver e-business applications; and NTS-Smart Compound System, an operations support and billing system for real estate complex needs. The company�s products also comprise Vendor Parts Management System, which automates manual processes for parts management and purchasing; Universal Invoicing system, which enables clients to create, manage, and print invoices/statements and cashing; Mall Kiosk Information System, which provides mall visitors with essential information about the ma ll; Corporate Online Ordering, a Web-based application that supports online ordering and e-care responsibilities for corporate accounts; Network Service Manager, which enables telecom service providers to automatically provision multi-vendor and multi-platform data networks, and perform fault and performance monitoring; Filling Station and Trucks Management system, which controls the supply and distribution of water and gas to commercial and residential customers; and Health Management Information System, which helps clients in managing health care information and in making payments to service providers. In addition, it provides wireless engineering and integration, business process re-engineering, data migration, project management, network, and training services. NTG serves telecommunications service providers; health care, oil and gas, financial, and utility companies; and government departments. The company was founded in 1992 and is headquartered in Markham, Canada.

Top Clean Energy Stocks To Own For 2015: (CAPA)

Capital Art, Inc., an intellectual property management and exploitation company, engages in the acquisition, edition, marketing, and management of iconic photographic images from museum-quality limited editions to mass-market reproductions in the United States. It primarily sells and distributes classic and contemporary, limited edition photographic images, and reproductions. The company sells its product lines in the editorial, art and commercial photography markets through its wholesale, retail, and dealer/representation networks. It licenses and distributes its collections primarily to media owners and publishers, galleries, museums, auction houses, education networks, interior decorators, gift stores and multiple retailers, hotels, restaurants, and Internet sites. Capital Art, Inc. is based in Culver City, California.

Top 10 Low Price Companies To Watch For 2015

Our featured stocks are selected based on the investing criteria of several legendary investors. Telecom Argentina SA (TEO) has a guru score of 100% based on the price-to-sales strategy of Kenneth Fisher.

Indeed, based on the Kenneth Fisher's price-to-sale strategy, Telecom Argentina would be considered a "Super Stock".

Under Kenneth Fisher's strategy, the prospective company should have a low Price/Sales ratio. Companies with Price/Sales ratios below 0.75 are tremendous values and should be sought.

Telecom Argentina's P/S of 0.63 based on trailing 12 month sales, is below 0.75 which is considered quite attractive. It passes this methodology's P/S ratio test with flying colors.

Top 10 Low Price Companies To Watch For 2015: Ferchem Egypt Fertilizers and Chemicals (FERC)

Ferchem Egypt Fertilizers and Chemicals is an Egypt-based company engaged in the establishment and operation of a factory for mixing and packaging of chemical fertilizers, pesticides, insecticides and hormones, as well as other agricultural related activities.

Top 10 Low Price Companies To Watch For 2015: Delcath Systems Inc.(DCTH)

Delcath Systems, Inc., a development stage company, operates as a specialty pharmaceutical and medical device company. It focuses on cancers in the liver. The company involves in the development and clinical study of the Delcath chemosaturation system. Its clinical trial include a Phase III multi-center study for patients with unresectable metastatic ocular or cutaneous melanoma exclusively or predominantly in the liver; and a multi-arm Phase II clinical trial of the Delcath chemosaturation system with melphalan in patients with primary and metastatic liver cancer, which comprise neuroendocrine tumors, hepatocellular carcinoma, ocular or cutaneous melanoma, and metastatic adenocarcinoma. Delcath Systems, Inc. was founded in 1988 and is based in New York, New York.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By John Udovich]

  Biotech in general has been one of the market�� hottest sectors this year thanks to plenty of mostly good news�along with�new IPOs while small cap biotech stocks Delcath Systems (NASDAQ: DCTH), ZIOPHARM Oncology Inc (NASDAQ: ZIOP), Recro Pharma (NASDAQ: REPH), TetraLogic Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ: TLOG)�and TNI BioTech (OTCMKTS: TNIB) have also produced their share of news�this week or in recent weeks. Just consider the following:

Hot Companies To Invest In 2014: Cal Bay International Inc (CBYI.PK)

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Top 10 Low Price Companies To Watch For 2015: Trelawney Resources Inc(TRR.V)

Trelawney Mining and Exploration Inc. engages in the acquisition, exploration, and development of gold and copper properties in Canada. It primarily focuses on the exploration and development of the Chester property consisting of 2 leased mining claims covering approximately 151 hectares located in Chester Township, Ontario. The company was formerly known as Trelawney Resources Inc. and changed its name to Trelawney Mining and Exploration Inc. in April 2009. Trelawney Mining and Exploration Inc. is based in Toronto, Canada.

Top 10 Low Price Companies To Watch For 2015: Seafield Resources Ltd (SFF.V)

Seafield Resources Ltd., a development stage mineral exploration company, focuses on gold exploration in Colombia, Mexico, and Canada. The company focuses on its Miraflores deposit located in Colombia. It also owns a 100% interest in the Quinch铆a gold project covering 6,757-hectares in Department of Risaralda, Colombia; a 100% interest in 14 patented parcels of mining land and 1 license of occupation located in the Kenora Mining Division of northwestern Ontario; and a 100% interest in the silver-gold Picachos property located in Durango state in Mexico. In addition, the company has a NI 43-101 compliant resource estimate for its Dosquebradas gold-copper deposit in Colombia. Seafield Resources Ltd. is headquartered in Toronto, Canada.

Top 10 Low Price Companies To Watch For 2015: Pacific Gold Corp (PCFGD.PK)

Pacific Gold Corp. (Pacific Gold), incorporated on December 31, 1996, is engaged in the identification, acquisition, and development of mining prospects that contain gold and/or tungsten mineral deposits. Pacific Gold owns 100% of four operating subsidiaries: Nevada Rae Gold, Inc. (NRG), Fernley Gold, Inc. (Fernley Gold), Pilot Mountain Resources Inc. (Pilot Mountain), and Pacific Metals Corp. through which it holds various prospects in Nevada and Colorado. NRG has staked 67 placer claims and 13 lode claims covering approximately 1,340 acres in Lander County, Nevada. The Company also owns 13.67 acres of land in Lander County, Nevada. Fernley Gold leased 640 acres, including 35 placer claims, with the right to mine for placer, lode and other minerals and metals, located 34 miles east of Reno, Nevada. The lease includes two water wells and water rights. Pilot Mountain owns 45 lode claims, within the project area covering approximately 900 acres. Through its other subsidia ries, the Company also has other federal mining claims. In October 2013, Pacific Gold Corp. merged its wholly owned subsidiary Pilot Mountain Resources Inc. into Pacific Gold Corp.

Nevada Rae Gold, Inc.

The prospects held by NRG are located among the Crescent Valley placer deposits, in the bullion mining district of Lander County, Nevada. They are about two miles from the town of Crescent Valley, and 50 miles west of Elko, Nevada. The area is about 175 miles northeast of Reno, Nevada. The property consists of federal mining claims and leased private land. The federal mining claims are managed by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM).

NRG has staked prospects covering approximately 1,340 acres of the alluvial deposits among the Crescent Valley projects. In addition, it leased approximately 440 acres of land adjacent to its staked prospects from Bullion Monarch Mining. The lease covers acreage in Section nine, Township 29 North, Range 47 Ea st, Mount Diablo Meridian, Bullion Mining District, and La! nd! er County, Nevada. NRG has the right to the gold, silver, platinum, palladium and other precious and base metals within the placers and gravels of the leased premises, with right to prospect and explore for, mine by open pit methods, mill, prepare for market, store, sell and dispose of the same. The lease term is 10 years, renewable for an additional 10 years.

Fernley Gold, Inc.

Fernley Gold, Inc.�� area known is for placer gold mineral deposits and commonly referred to as the Olinghouse Placers. The lease includes two water wells and water rights. The lease includes two water wells and water rights. The Butcher Boy placer mine is hosted by a conglomerate sequence of pliopleistocene age.

Pilot Mountain Resources Inc.

Pilot Mountain has acquired Project W, which is primarily a tungsten project located in Mineral County, Nevada. The property is located approximately 21 miles east of the town of Mina. The claims are located at an average elevation of 6,500 feet. The Company has claims within the project area covering approximately 900 acres. Project W encompasses three occurrences of tungsten mineral deposits, such as Desert Scheelite, Gunmetal and Garnet.

Top 10 Low Price Companies To Watch For 2015: VDM Group Ltd(VMG.AX)

VDM Group Limited operates as a design and construction company in Australia. The company?s Construction division services include civil and mechanical construction; mining, resources, and infrastructure construction; commercial and industrial construction; Hyparspace steel roof and wall structural system; and structural fabrication services. Its Contracting division services comprise civil contracting and bulk earthworks; mobile crushing and screening; dam construction and management; feed/ROM pad management; marine based civil contracting; drilling, blasting, and rock placement; port breakwater construction; and seawall construction services. The company?s Consulting division services consist of master and town planning; environmental, security, and building services consulting; project management and building design; and civil, structural, marine, traffic, and acoustic engineering services. It serves mining, oil and gas, infrastructure, civil, and transportation secto rs. VDM Group Limited is headquartered in Osborne Park, Australia.

Top 10 Low Price Companies To Watch For 2015: O'Charley's Inc.(CHUX)

O?Charley?s Inc. operates as a multi-concept restaurant company in the United States. The company owns and operates a network of casual-dining restaurants under the O?Charley?s, Ninety Nine, and Stoney River Legendary Steaks names. As of December 25, 2011, it operated 221 company-owned O?Charley?s brand restaurants in 17 states in the east, southeast, and Midwest, as well as 6 franchised O?Charley?s restaurants in 4 states; 105 Ninety Nine brand restaurants in 7 states in New England and upstate New York; and 10 Stoney River restaurants in 6 states in the east, southeast, and midwest regions. O?Charley?s Inc. was founded in 1983 and is headquartered in Nashville, Tennessee.

Top 10 Low Price Companies To Watch For 2015: Amerigon Incorporated(ARGN)

Amerigon Incorporated engages in the design, development, and marketing of electronic components and systems based on thermoelectric device technologies for heating and cooling applications. The company principally offers the Climate Control Seat, a variable temperature seat climate control system that provides temperature comfort to automobile passengers. It also provides automotive seat comfort systems, including automotive seat heaters, climate comfort systems for automotive seats, automotive steering wheel heater systems, and integrated electronic components; and specialized automotive cable systems comprising ready-made wire harnesses and related wiring products. The company sells its products to automobile and light truck original equipment manufacturers or their tier one seating suppliers, as well as to the automotive aftermarket, ski lifts, and sports stadiums primarily in the United States, Germany, Korea, China, Japan, Mexico, Canada, the United Kingdom, and Taiw an. Amerigon Incorporated was founded in 1991 and is headquartered in Northville, Michigan.

Top 10 Low Price Companies To Watch For 2015: Synodon Inc. (SYD.V)

Synodon Inc., a remote sensing technology company, develops a leak detection system to detect ground-level gas concentrations. It provides a proprietary platform technology, known as realSens, which is used for the remote measurement of ground-level gas concentrations, such as hydrocarbon emissions, pollution monitoring, industrial emission inventory, hazardous gas monitoring during emergencies, greenhouse gas emission inventory, illegal drug manufacturing detection, chemical weapon monitoring, and other military and security based applications from an aircraft flying up to 300 meters in altitude. The company also focuses on the provision of various datasets, including aerial imagery, thermal and terrain mapping, and vegetation and ground type to energy companies. Synodon Inc. was founded in 2000 and is headquartered in Edmonton, Canada.

Top 10 Low Price Companies To Watch For 2015: Nmc Resource Corporation(NRC.V)

NMC Resource Corporation engages in the exploration, development, and production of natural resources in South Korea. It owns interest in the NMC Moland Molybdenum property that consists of 3 claims covering approximately 822 hectares located in Seoul. The company is based in Vancouver, Canada. NMC Resource Corporation is a subsidiary of Dong Won Corporation.

Top 10 Low Price Companies To Watch For 2015: Equinix Inc.(EQIX)

Equinix, Inc. provides data center services for the protection and connection of information assets to enterprises, financial service companies, and content and network service providers worldwide. It connects businesses with partners and customers through a platform of high performance data centers, containing dynamic ecosystems and the broadest choice of networks. The company operates International Business Exchange (IBX) centers, or IBX data centers, across 38 markets in the Americas, Europe, the Middle East, Africa, and the Asia-Pacific. Equinix offers data center services, including premium data center co-location; interconnection and exchange services; network connectivity; business continuity; and outsourced IT infrastructure services. The company connects approximately 4,000 enterprises, cloud, digital content, and financial companies, including 680 network service providers to help them grow their businesses, improve application performance, and protect their vita l digital assets. It markets its products and services through direct sales force and channel marketing program. Equinix was founded in 1998 and is headquartered in Redwood City, California.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Lee Jackson]

  Equinix Inc. (NASDAQ: EQIX) is expected to be one of the companies in the space looking to employ a merger or acquisition strategy in the near future. The company announced last Friday that it has opened its second International Business Exchange (:IBX) in Rio de Janeiro, based on the platform provided by ALOG Data Centers of Brazil. This new Rio de Janeiro data center, popularly known as RJ2, will enable Equinix to meet the growing demand for data center services in the region. The consensus price target for this top stock is $230.50. Equinix closed Thursday down almost 4% at $166.61.

• [By Tom Taulli]

  Innovation: Innovation is a major priority at AT&T. And so far, it looks like the company is making savvy moves, particularly with its push into the cloud. To this end, AT&T has rolled out NetBond, which involves alliances with top providers like IBM (IBM), Microsoft (MSFT), CSC (CSC) and Equinix (EQIX). But perhaps the most interesting growth initiative is Digital Life, which allows customers to use their smartphones as remote control devices with homes and cars. All in all, the opportunity could be huge, adding another nice revenue stream — AT&T already has agreements with companies like GM (GM), Ford (F), Nissan, Audi, BMW and Tesla (TSLA)