5 Best Asian Stocks For 2014

Alibaba founder Jack Ma has decided to list his company in the U.S. after negotiations failed with Hong Kong.

HONG KONG (CNNMoney) Chinese tech giant Alibaba's decision to list in the U.S. instead of Hong Kong has raised questions over whether the Asian city will ever regain its IPO crown.

Hong Kong clocked three consecutive years as the global IPO leader between 2009 and 2011, attracting major companies such as Prada, Glencore and Samsonite to the city's exchange.

But in recent years, mega IPOs have been few and far between due to a sluggish global economic recovery and slowing growth in mainland China.

Landing Alibaba would have been a move in the right direction, but the Hong Kong exchange refused to allow the e-commerce giant to list with a corporate structure that would give management unprecedented powers.

10 Best Solar Stocks To Own Right Now: Universal American Corp (UAM)

Universal American Corp., incorporated on December 22, 2010, through its health insurance and managed care subsidiaries, primarily serves the growing Medicare population by providing Medicare Advantage products. It provides a variety of healthcare services, including case management and care coordination, clinical quality and utilization review and behavioral health services to Medicaid agencies and other third parties. The Company�� business segments include Senior Managed Care, which provides Medicare Advantage segment reflects its Medicare Advantage HMO, PPO and PFFS businesses, and Traditional Insurance segment reflects its insurance products not offered through government programs, which includes Medicare supplement, other senior health insurance, specialty health insurance and life insurance. The Company provides medical management services, information and analysis, and other support services to enable its health care partners to serve their patients better.

In addition , it seeks an opportunity to address the high cost of health care for the remaining 75% of the Medicare population enrolled in traditional fee-for-service Medicare and have joined primarily with primary-care and multi-specialty provider groups to form thirty-one Accountable Care Organizations, or ACOs, pursuant to the Medicare Shared Saving Program, or Shared Savings Program.

On March 2, 2012, the Company acquired APS Healthcare, Inc., known as APS Healthcare. APS Healthcare provides specialty healthcare solutions primarily to Medicaid agencies. APS Healthcare offers a broad range of healthcare solutions, including case management and care coordination, clinical quality and utilization review, and behavioral health services that enable its customers to improve the quality of care and reduce healthcare costs.

Senior Managed Care - Medicare Advantage

The Company�� Senior Managed CareMedicare Advantage segment reflects its Medicare Advantage HMO, PPO and PFFS bu! sinesses.. During the year ended December 31, 2012, the Company operated Medicare coordinated care plans including PPOs and HMOs as well as its network-based private fee-for-service (PFFS) and rural PFFS business, which provides coverage to Medicare beneficiaries in 36 states. These businesses provide managed care for persons with Medicare under contracts with CMS. Its HMO plans are offered under contracts with CMS and provide all basic Medicare covered benefits with reduced member cost-sharing as well as additional supplemental benefits, including a defined prescription drug benefit. It operates HMO plans are offered under contracts with CMS and provide all basic Medicare covered benefits with reduced member cost-sharing as well as additional supplemental benefits, including a defined prescription drug benefit. It also has Medicare Advantage HMO operations in locations outside of Southeastern Texas including four counties in North Texas offering TexasFirst Health Plans through SelectCare Health Plans; nine counties in Oklahoma City offering Generations Healthcare through Today's Options of Oklahoma, Inc; and three counties in Indianapolis, Indiana offering Today's Options HMO through SelectCare Health Plans.

The Company�� PPO plans are provided under the name Today's Options PPO, which offered under contracts with CMS and provide all basic Medicare covered benefits with reduced member cost-sharing as well as additional supplemental benefits, including a defined prescription drug benefit. This coordinated care product is built around contracted networks of providers who, in cooperation with the health plan, coordinate an active medical management program. In 2012, the Company offered PPO plans to 41 markets in 120 counties in 17 states.

The Company�� PFFS plans are provided under the name Today's Options, which offered under contracts with CMS and provide enhanced health care benefits compared to traditional Medicare, subject to cost sharing and other limitations. These pl! ans have l! imited provider network restrictions, which allow the members to have more flexibility in the delivery of their health care services than other Medicare Advantage plans with limited provider network restrictions. Some of these products include a defined prescription drug benefit. In addition to a fixed monthly payment per member from CMS, individuals in these plans may be required to pay a monthly premium in selected counties or for selected enhanced products. In 2012, it offered PFFS products in a total of 36 states, which included PFFS products with network restrictions to 51 markets in 280 counties in 18 states and PFFS products without network restrictions to 1,052 counties in 32 states.

Traditional Insurance

The Company�� traditional insurance segment reflects the results of its Medicare supplement, other senior health insurance, specialty health insurance, and life insurance. It designed the products in this segment primarily for the senior market and market them through its career agency force and its network of independent general agencies. The Company discontinued marketing and selling traditional insurance products after June 1, 2012. This segment also includes other products that it stopped selling several years ago, such as long-term care, medical insurance and disability insurance, as well as previously produced or acquired term, universal life, and whole life insurance products and single and flexible premium fixed annuities.

The Company competes with United Healthcare, Humana, Wellpoint, Aetna and Cigna

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Brian Orelli]

  Health insurers such as Universal American (NYSE: UAM  ) and Humana (NYSE: HUM  ) that offer supplementary Medicare insurance could be hurt if seniors decided to drop the added coverage, but I doubt the increased premiums will put a major dent in seniors' budgets. Retirees making more than $85,000 per year will have to pay about $250 more per year than they do right now. Any losses will be more than be made up for by the�Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services' decision this month to reverse its �previously announced cuts to reimbursement rates.

5 Best Asian Stocks For 2014: ThyssenKrupp AG (TKA)

ThyssenKrupp AG is a Germany-based technology holding company operating in seven business areas. The Steel Europe division produces carbon steel flat products. The Steel Americas division is engaged in production, processing and marketing of high-grade carbon steels. The Materials Services division is engaged in global distribution of materials and the provision of complex technical services for the production and manufacturing sectors. The Elevator Technology division is engaged in the area of passenger transportation systems. The Plant Technology division focuses on specialty and large-scale plant construction. The Components Technology division is engaged in manufacturing components for the automotive, construction and engineering sectors as well as for wind turbines. The Marine Systems division focuses on naval and civil shipbuilding. Apart from its business areas, it provides business services, which are diversified into Business Services and Information Technology (IT) Services. Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Corinne Gretler]

  ThyssenKrupp AG (TKA) slumped 9.3 percent after Germany�� largest steelmaker raised 882.3 million euros ($1.21 billion) through a share sale. Standard Chartered Plc lost 8.1 percent. Sage Group (SGE) Plc, the U.K.�� biggest software maker, rose 6.8 percent after reporting revenue growth that exceeded analysts��estimates. AZ Electronic Materials SA surged 43 percent after Merck KGaA (MRK) agreed to buy it for about 1.6 billion pounds ($2.6 billion).

5 Best Asian Stocks For 2014: Senior Housing Properties Trust (SNH)

Senior Housing Properties Trust (SNH) is a real estate investment trust (REIT). As of December 31, 2011, the Company owned 369 properties located in 38 states and Washington, D.C. Its portfolio includes 249 senior living communities with 29,678 living units / beds and two rehabilitation hospitals with 364 licensed beds; 108 properties leased to medical providers or medical related businesses, clinics and biotech laboratory tenants (MOBs), and 10 wellness centers with approximately 812,000 square feet of interior space plus outdoor developed facilities. The first operating segment provides short term and long term residential care communities that offer dining for residents. Properties in this segment include leased and managed independent living communities, assisted living communities, skilled nursing facilities and rehabilitation hospitals. The second operating segment provides properties where medical related activities occur but where residential overnight stays or dining services are not provided. Properties in this segment include those leased to medical providers or medical related businesses, MOBs. On December 31, 2013, the Company sold two rehabilitation hospitals to a joint venture consisted of affiliates of The Sanders Trust, LLC and Harrison Street Real Estate Capital, LLC.

During the year ended December 31, 2011, the Company made the following acquisitions: six properties containing 737,000 square feet, and one MOB with 84,474 square feet located in Mendota Heights, Minnesota (January); one MOB with 49,809 square feet located in Shoreview, Minnesota, and one senior living community located in Rockford, Illinois with 73 assisted living units (May); three MOBs with 125,990 square feet located in Alachua, Florida, and 14 communities (June); three communities (July); one community and 47 acres of land (August); 13 MOBs located in eight states (September); two MOBs with 45,645 square feet located in Richmond, Virginia (November), and eight communities, one senior living community! located in Walnut Creek, California with 57 assisted living units, and one MOB with 94,238 square feet located in Greenwood, Indiana (December). In May and June 2011, the Company sold seven properties, including four skilled nursing facilities, one assisted living community and two MOBs. In February 2012, it acquired one senior living community located in Priceville, Alabama with 92 assisted living units.

Independent living communities, or congregate care communities, provides privacy to residents. Assisted living communities have one bedroom units, which include private bathrooms and kitchens. Services bundled within one charge usually include three meals per day in a central dining room, housekeeping, laundry, medical reminders and around-the-clock availability of assistance with the activities of daily living, such as dressing and bathing. Professional nursing and healthcare services are usually available at the property on call or at regularly scheduled times. Nursing homes generally provides nursing and healthcare services. A typical purpose built nursing home includes mostly rooms with one or two beds, a separate bathroom and shared dining facilities. Licensed nursing professionals staff nursing homes around-the-clock per day.

Rehabilitation hospitals, also known as inpatient rehabilitation facilities (IRFs), provide intensive physical therapy, occupational therapy and speech language pathology services. Patients in IRFs generally receive a minimum of three hours of rehabilitation services daily. IRFs often also provide outpatient services to patients who do not remain overnight. Its two rehabilitation hospitals have beds available for inpatient services and provide outpatient services from the hospitals' premises, such as rehabilitation services for amputees, brain injury, cardio-pulmonary conditions, orthopedic conditions, spinal cord injury, stroke and neurorehabilitation. The MOBs are office or commercial buildings constructed for use or operated as medical office s! pace for ! physicians and other health personnel, and other businesses in medical related fields, including clinics and laboratory uses. Wellness centers typically have gymnasiums, strength and cardiovascular equipment areas, tennis and racquet sports facilities, pools, spas and children's centers. Professional sport training and therapist services are often available.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Dan Caplinger]

  Finally, you need to consider going where services you want are offered. For instance, health-care real-estate investment trusts Senior Housing Properties (NYSE: SNH  ) , LTC Properties (NYSE: LTC  ) , and Health Care REIT (NYSE: HCN  ) , which recently acquired Sunrise Senior Living, all offer facilities in various places across the nation to provide for retirees who need health-care assistance in their living arrangements. But if your particular medical needs require specialists that are concentrated in particular cities, it's far more important for your health to be close to those specialists -- even if it means paying more in taxes.

5 Best Asian Stocks For 2014: Xerox Corporation(XRX)

Xerox Corporation provides business process and information technology (IT) outsourcing, and document management services worldwide. Its business process outsourcing services include human resources services; finance and accounting services; healthcare payers and pharma; customer management solutions; healthcare provider solutions; technology-based transactional services for retail, travel, and non-healthcare insurance companies; programs for federal, state, county, and town governments; transportation solutions; and government healthcare solutions. The company is involved in designing, developing, and delivering IT solutions, such as comprehensive systems support, systems administration, database administration, systems monitoring, batch processing, data backup, and capacity planning services; telecommunications management services; and desktop services. Its document outsourcing services comprise managed print services that optimize, rationalize, and manage the operation of Xerox and non-Xerox print devices; and communication and marketing services that deliver design, communication, marketing, logistic, and distribution services through SMS, Web, email, and mobile, as well as print media. The company also manufactures and sells products, including desktop monochrome, color and compact printers, multifunction printers, copiers, digital printing presses, and light production devices for small/mid-size businesses and large enterprises. In addition, it sells paper, wide-format systems, network integration solutions, and electronic presentation systems. The company sells its products and solutions through its sales force, as well as through a network of independent agents, dealers, value-added resellers, systems integrators, and the Web. Xerox Corporation was founded in 1906 and is headquartered in Norwalk, Connecticut.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Sean Williams]

  Xerox (NYSE: XRX  ) Don't call it a comeback, but Xerox shares are nearly at a two-year high as the company is in the midst of a transformation from merely a print services company to an information technology and services provider. Since the beginning of the trailing decade, Xerox has seen its free cash flow expand from an average of $1.5 billion to an average of $1.9 billion in the past four years. One area where Xerox should be cleaning up in the future is with the Medicaid expansion under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, since it already processes all of California's Medicaid claims.