Friday, December 6, 2013

10 Best Dividend Stocks To Watch Right Now

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Last week I listed the pitfalls that Wal-Mart (WMT) has ahead of it and warned against buying the stock. But the fact remains that we’re approaching what is typically the strongest time of year for stocks, so now’s not the time to be cashing out entirely.

10 Best Dividend Stocks To Watch Right Now: Nordson Corporation(NDSN)

Nordson Corporation manufactures equipment used for precision dispensing, testing and inspection, and surface preparation and curing. Its Adhesive Dispensing Systems segment manufactures equipment for applying adhesives, lotions, and liquids to disposable products; automated adhesive dispensing systems for the food and beverage, and packaged goods industries; hot melt and cold glue adhesive dispensing systems for the paper and paperboard converting industries; adhesive and sealant dispensing systems for bonding or sealing plastic, metal, and wood products; and laminating and coating systems to manufacture continuous-roll goods in the nonwovens, textile, paper, and flexible-packaging industries. The company?s Advanced Technology Systems segment comprises automated gas plasma treatment systems used to clean and condition surfaces for the semiconductor, medical, and printed circuit board industries; controlled manual and automated systems for applying materials in customer pr ocesses requiring precision and material conservation; ultraviolet equipment used in curing and drying operations for specialty coatings, semiconductor materials, and paints; and bond testing and automated optical and x-ray inspection systems used in the semiconductor and printed circuit board industries. Its Industrial Coating Systems segment provides automated and manual dispensing systems used for applying coatings, paint, finishes, sealants, and other materials. Nordson Corporation markets its products in the United States and internationally through a direct sales force, as well as through qualified distributors and sales representatives. It serves various markets, including the appliance, automotive, bookbinding, container, converting, electronics, food and beverage, furniture, life sciences and medical, metal finishing, non woven, packaging, and semiconductor industries. The company was founded in 1935 and is headquartered in Westlake, Ohio.

Advisors' Opinion:
  • [By Travis Hoium]

    What: Shares of industrial product manufacturer Nordson (NASDAQ: NDSN  ) dropped as much as 10% today after the company reported fiscal second-quarter earnings.

10 Best Dividend Stocks To Watch Right Now: New York Mortgage Trust Inc.(NYMT)

New York Mortgage Trust, Inc., together with its subsidiaries, operates as a real estate investment trust (REIT) in the United States. The company engages in acquiring, investing, financing, and managing mortgage-related assets. It primarily invests in agency residential adjustable-rate, hybrid adjustable-rate, and fixed-rate mortgage-backed securities (RMBS); non-Agency RMBS; prime adjustable-rate residential mortgage loans held in securitization trusts; commercial mortgage-backed securities; commercial mortgage loans; and other commercial real estate-related debt investments. The company has elected to be taxed as a REIT and will not be subject to federal income tax if it distributes at least 90% of its REIT taxable income to its stockholders. New York Mortgage Trust, Inc. was founded in 1989 and is headquartered in New York, New York.

Advisors' Opinion:
  • [By Eric Volkman]

    Investors are being rewarded for putting their trust in New York Mortgage Trust (NASDAQ: NYMT  ) . The REIT has declared a common stock dividend for its current quarter of $0.27 per share, to be paid on July 25 to shareholders of record as of June 28. That amount matches each of the company's preceding four distributions, the most recent of which was doled out at the end of April. Before that, it paid $0.25 per share.

Top 5 Bank Companies To Watch In Right Now: UniSource Energy Corporation(UNS)

UniSource Energy Corporation engages in the electric generation and energy delivery businesses. The company?s TEP segment generates, transmits, and distributes electricity to approximately 403,000 retail electric customers, including residential, commercial, industrial, and public sector customers in southeastern Arizona. It also sells electricity to other utilities and power marketing entities. As of December 31, 2010, this segment owned or leased 2,245 MW of net generating capacity, as well as owned or participated in electric transmission and distribution system consisting of 512 circuit-miles of 500-kV lines; 1,087 circuit-miles of 345-kV lines; 379 circuit-miles of 138-kV lines; 478 circuit-miles of 46-kV lines; and 2,621 circuit-miles of lower voltage primary lines. TEP segment generates electricity from coal, gas, oil, and solar sources. The company?s UNS Gas segment distributes gas to approximately 146,500 retail customers in Mohave, Yavapai, Coconino, and Navajo c ounties in northern Arizona, as well as Santa Cruz County in southeastern Arizona. As of December 31, 2010, this segment?s transmission and distribution system consisted of approximately 30 miles of steel transmission mains, 4,211 miles of steel and plastic distribution piping, and 136,439 customer service lines. The company?s UNS Electric segment transmits and distributes electricity to approximately 91,000 retail customers consisting of residential, commercial, and industrial customers in Mohave and Santa Cruz counties. As of December 31, 2010, UNS Electric?s transmission and distribution system consisted of approximately 56 circuit-miles of 115-kV transmission lines, 271 circuit-miles of 69-kV transmission lines, and 3,599 circuit-miles of underground and overhead distribution lines. This segment also owns the 65 MW Valencia plant, as well as 39 substations having an installed capacity of 1,788,050 kilovolt amperes. The company was founded in 1902 and is based in Tucson, Arizona.

10 Best Dividend Stocks To Watch Right Now: Pitney Bowes Inc(PBI)

Pitney Bowes Inc. provides mail processing equipment and integrated mail solutions worldwide. It offers a suite of equipment, supplies, software, services, and solutions for managing and integrating physical and digital communication channels. The company?s Small & Medium Business Solutions group engages in the sale, rental, and financing of mail finishing, mail creation, and shipping equipment and software; provision of supply, support, and other professional services; and provision of payment solutions. Its Enterprise Business Solutions group sells, supports, and offers other professional services for high-speed production mail systems, and sorting and production print equipment; and sells and provides support services for non-equipment-based mailing, customer relationship and communication, and location intelligence software. This group also offers facilities management services; secure mail services; reprographic document management services; and litigation support and eDiscovery services, as well as provides presort mail services and cross-border mail services; and direct marketing services. Pitney Bowes Inc. markets its products and services through its sales force, direct mailings, outbound telemarketing, and independent distributors and dealers to various business, governmental, institutional, and other organizations. The company, formerly known as Pitney Bowes Postage Meter Company, was founded in 1920 and headquartered in Stamford, Connecticut.

Advisors' Opinion:
  • [By Double Dividend Stocks]

    So, should you abandon steady dividend streams and try to time the market with non-paying stocks? Take a look at the S&P 2013 non- dividend paying winners as of 9/30/13. 4 stocks out of this top 10 group aren't profitable firms, the highest yielding stock, Pitney Bowes, (PBI), has a Price/Book of over 185 and a mountain of debt, and the 2nd best performer, Netflix, (NFLX), has a P/E over 400! PBI also had a Short Ratio of over 15 as of 9/30/13.

10 Best Dividend Stocks To Watch Right Now: CCA Industries Inc.(CAW)

CCA Industries, Inc. engages in manufacturing and selling health and beauty aid products primarily in the United States and Canada. The company primarily offers toothpastes and teeth whiteners under the Plus+White brand; anti-aging skin care products under the Sudden Change brand; nail care treatments under the Nutra Nail and Power Gel brands; medicated topical and shave gels under the Bikini Zone brand; diet supplements under the Mega-T Green Tea brand; and gums and mint products under the Mega?T Green Tea brand. It also provides hair removal and depilatory products under the Hair Off brand; foot-care products under the IPR brand; sun-care products under the Solar Sense brand; shampoos and conditioners under the Wash ?N Curl brand; vanilla fragrances, including perfumes under the Parfume de Vanille brand; ear-care products under the Lobe Wonder brand; topical analgesic products under the Pain Bust*R II brand; and scar diminishing cream under the Scar Zone brand. CCA Indus tries, Inc. markets and sells its products through its sales force, independent sales representatives, and distributors to drug, food, and mass-merchandise retail chains, as well as to warehouse clubs and wholesalers. The company was founded in 1983 and is based in East Rutherford, New Jersey.

10 Best Dividend Stocks To Watch Right Now: Telular Corporation(WRLS)

Telular Corporation designs, develops, and distributes products and services that utilize wireless networks to provide data and voice connectivity among people and machines primarily in the United States and internationally. It provides machine-to-machine and event monitoring services, including Telguard that comprises a specialized terminal unit, which interfaces with commercial security control panels and communicates with event processing servers to provide real-time transport of alarm signals from residential and commercial locations to an alarm company?s central monitoring station; and TankLink solution that combines a cellular communicator, wireless data services, and a Web-based application into a single offering, which allows end-users to monitor the product level in a given tank vessel. The company also offers fixed cellular terminals for voice, fax, and Internet access over the wireless networks. It sells its products to security equipment distributors, cellular carriers, and value added resellers. The company was founded in 1986 and is headquartered in Chicago, Illinois.

Advisors' Opinion:
  • [By Eric Volkman]

    Telular (NASDAQ: WRLS  ) will most likely soon be an asset belonging to another company. It has entered into an agreement to be bought by private equity firm Avista Capital Partners for total consideration of $253 million. This consists of $12.61 per share in cash and roughly $18.5 million in assumed debt.

10 Best Dividend Stocks To Watch Right Now: Lorillard Inc(LO)

Lorillard, Inc., through its subsidiaries, engages in the manufacture and sale of cigarettes in the United States. The company offers 43 different product offerings under the Newport, Kent, True, Maverick, and Old Gold brand names. Lorillard, Inc. sells its products primarily to wholesale distributors, who in turn service retail outlets, chain store organizations, and government agencies, including the United States? Armed Forces. The company was founded in 1760 and is headquartered in Greensboro, North Carolina.

Advisors' Opinion:
  • [By Dan Caplinger]

    Lorillard (NYSE: LO  ) will release its quarterly report on Thursday, and until recently, investors had been very optimistic about the company's long-term prospects, bidding the shares up to all-time highs since its 2008 initial public offering. But bad news from the FDA today threatens to put a stop to the growth that Lorillard earnings have seen lately, and shares tumbled as a result.

  • [By abirk]

    Philip Morris faces stiff competition from Lorillard Inc. (LO). Its flagship brands include Newport, Kent, True, Maverick, Old Gold, Blu electronic cigarettes (e- cigs ), and the recently -acquired British e- cig brand SKYCIG. On October 23, Lorillard reported third quarter EPS of $0.83. Original menthol Newport cigarettes account for 88% of Lorillard's revenue. This is a major concern for Lorillard because regulators are now reviewing evidence to determine whether mentholated cigarettes expose smokers to increased health risks compared to non-menthol cigarettes.

  • [By Jacob Roche]

    Because cigarette manufacturers in the U.S. are allowed to have more ornate packaging that is harder to duplicate, counterfeits are less of a problem here. However, Altria (NYSE: MO  ) has noted that counterfeits do account for part of the trade and are a problem for American manufacturers like itself, Lorillard (NYSE: LO  ) , and Reynolds American (NYSE: RAI  ) .

10 Best Dividend Stocks To Watch Right Now: Sanofi(SNY)

sanofi-aventis engages in the discovery, development, and distribution of therapeutic solutions to improve the lives of everyone. The company offers a range of healthcare assets, including a broad-based product portfolio in prescription drugs, OTC/OTX, generics, vaccines, and animal health. It has a strategic alliance with Regulus Therapeutics Inc. to discover, develop, and commercialize micro-RNA therapeutics, initially in fibrosis. The company was founded in 1970 and is headquartered in Paris, France.

Advisors' Opinion:
  • [By Dan Caplinger]

    To address those concerns, Lilly has turned to oncology and diabetes treatments, which make up the vast majority of its stable of clinical-stage drugs. Just last week, the company announced favorable results on phase 3 trials of its dulaglutide treatment for type 2 diabetes, including signs of superiority over Sanofi's (NYSE: SNY  ) Lantus. In addition, Lilly is still seeking to address Alzheimer's disease, having made a deal with Germany's Siemens (NYSE: SI  ) to obtain imaging tracers that could help it develop treatments for the disease.

10 Best Dividend Stocks To Watch Right Now: TECO Energy Inc.(TE)

TECO Energy, Inc., an electric and gas utility company, through its subsidiaries, engages in the generation, purchase, transmission, distribution, and sale of electric energy. It provides retail electric service to approximately 672,000 customers in West Central Florida with a net winter system generating capability of 4,684 megawatts. The company also engages in the purchase, distribution, and marketing of natural gas. It serves approximately 336,000 residential, commercial, industrial, and electric power generation customers in Florida. In addition, the company owns mineral rights, owns or operates surface and underground mines, and owns interests in coal processing and loading facilities. TECO Energy, Inc. was founded in 1899 and is headquartered in Tampa, Florida.

Advisors' Opinion:
  • [By Justin Loiseau]

    AEP relies on coal for about 66% of its generating capacity, comparable to TECO Energy's (NYSE: TE  ) 61% coal capacity. TECO takes its coal cravings a step further with vertical integration, pulling 9 million tons of solid black gold annually from its Appalachian mines.

  • [By Justin Loiseau]

    TECO Energy (NYSE: TE  ) is as close to a pure coal pick as utilities get, but even TECO is taking a step back. The utility's Appalachian coal mines churn out 9 million tons annually, and its regulated division relies on coal for 61% of its capacity. But last week, the company announced that it's dishing out $950 million for a regulated New Mexico natural gas utility. The acquisition adds 50% to TECO's customer base and could provide some natural hedging if coal and natural gas continue their price tango.�

  • [By Justin Loiseau]

    As coal prices regain their competitive edge, investors should watch TECO Energy (NYSE: TE  ) , Great Plains Energy (NYSE: GXP  ) , and FirstEnergy (NYSE: FE  ) .

10 Best Dividend Stocks To Watch Right Now: United Community Bancorp(UCBA)

United Community Bancorp operates as the holding company for the United Community Bank that provides banking products and services to individuals and businesses in southeastern Indiana. It offers a range of deposit instruments, including noninterest-bearing demand accounts, such as checking accounts; interest-bearing accounts, consisting of NOW and money market accounts; regular savings accounts; and certificates of deposit, as well as municipal deposits. It also originates one- to four-family residential real estate, multi-family real estate, and nonresidential real estate and land loans, as well as construction and commercial loans. In addition, the company provides a range of consumer loans consisting of home equity loans and lines of credit, as well as loans secured by savings accounts or certificates of deposit (share loans); new farm and garden equipment, automobile, and recreational vehicle loans; and secured and unsecured personal loans. The company is headquartere d in Lawrenceburg, Indiana. United Community Bancorp is a subsidiary of United Community MHC.

Thursday, December 5, 2013

Fast food worker: Protest didn't cost me pay

fast food protests

Karina McClain said she makes $7.25 per hour working at Checker's.

NEW YORK (CNNMoney) Karina McClain, a cashier at fast food chain Checkers in New York City, didn't show up for her shift on Thursday.

Instead, the 22 year-old joined about 100 other people outside of a Brooklyn Wendy's restaurant calling for an hourly wage increase to $15 an hour. She was holding a sign that read "Raise pay, live better."

"I have bills to pay and we don't get enough money," said McClain, who makes the federal minimum wage of $7.25 an hour, and works 20 hours a week. Missing out on a day's pay would be hard for McClain, who can barely pay for diapers and clothes for her five-month old daughter Kamayah.

But on Thursday, McClain was able to afford missing a day at work, because organizers behind the protests compensate workers who walk off work.

McClain said union-backed groups, like Fast Food Forward and Fight for 15, were paying her about $50, or a day's wage, to be at the protest.

"If they weren't paying me, I couldn't afford to be here," she said.

Other workers at the protest and across the country confirmed that they were also getting paid similar amounts. Organizers say that workers like McClain are gathering in 100 cities Thursday making similar demands of their employers.

The movement began with a small walkout by fast food workers in New York City in November 2012 and has since picked up steam. Strikes this past August drew fast food workers in 60 cities, organizers said.

Jonathan Westin, executive director of New York Communities for Change, the group at the helm of the Fast Food Forward campaign, said workers who missed a shift in order to be at one of the protests would be compensated. The money comes out of a "strike fund" supported by labor unions, foundations and grassroots organizations.

Unions have been setting up similar strike funds for years as a way to make up for missed wages, while they stand up to employers.

Plight of the fast food worker   Plight of the fast food worker

The median pay for the fast food workers nationwide stands at just more than $9 an hour, or about $18,500 a year. That's roughly $4,500 lower than Census Bureau's povert! y income threshold level of $23,000 for a family of four. That's why most workers can't afford to miss a day or work with no pay, Westin said.

A report released in October by the University of California, Berkeley Labor Center and the University of Illinois found that more than half of families of fast food workers receive some form of public assistance. The report estimated that this aid carries a $7 billion annual price tag for taxpayers.

Checkers spokeswoman Kim Francis said is "a place of opportunity for our employees." She added employees are "paid competitive wages" and "many of our managers, directors, and even franchisees starting their careers as Checkers employees."

McDonald's (MCD, Fortune 500) and Wendy's (WEN) have told CNNMoney that they provide opportunities to learn and grow. The National Restaurant Association contends that the demonstrations are a "coordinated PR campaign engineered by national labor groups," and that "relatively few restaurant workers have participated" in past demonstrations.

-- If you're a worker protesting for higher wages, we'd like to talk to you. Email us your story could be included in CNNMoney's coverage. To top of page

All you need to know about investing in government bonds

Top Gold Stocks To Watch For 2014

Investors in debt funds generally fund it difficult to understand, why their returns over  one year  are less than the returns which they can earn in fixed deposits over a similar period. Investors need to understand the interest rate risk which is embedded even in the perceived safety of instruments like the Government securities. The government securities generally do not carry any credit risk but they come with interest rate risk and liquidity risk.

The returns in Government securities consists of three components

1. The Yield of the instrument
2. The re investment rate of the coupon available half yearly basis
3. The terminal rate when the investor exits

The most important part of the returns in Government securities consists of the Yield to maturity of the instruments subsequent and lower importance may be the terminal rate of investors exit. The re-investment rate and the terminal value rate of exit form a small component of the returns which are generated by investing in a Government security.

Generally higher the accrual of the bond, higher is the protection which the investor may get from investing in Government securities bond as the accrual is able to set off   any losses which the investor incurs during his holding period. Conversely, if the accrual component is lower and interest rates move up, the investor returns may reduce dramatically

I believe a prudent investor should always look at the prevailing yield of the bond before making his investment as it may give him protection against losses due to higher accrual. If interest rate falls, the prudent investor would benefit due to the capital appreciation which he can get from the bond even though the re investment rates of his coupons will be lower.

If the investors feel the Yield on the instrument is attractive, he should buy a longer dated papers as he may be able to lock into the rates for longer period of time. The investors   may be benefited vie capital appreciation on the bond even though the re investment rates would be lower. Conversely, the investor who wants to invest when yields are low and expect yields will go up over a period of time,  can buy shorter dated instruments as the investors may suffer capital loss when yields move up but when the paper matures he can re invest the proceeds at higher yields. He can continue to do this till he feels interest rates have peaked and subsequently lock into higher yields for longer maturity. However, the investors who do not have the time and efforts to track this on a daily basis can invest   through gilt fund schemes of mutual funds . The fund manager of gilt funds can proactively manage the maturity of the  schemes based on the interest rate outlook. The investor should select funds which have low expense ratio as the returns on the debt funds depends on the yield of the portfolio and higher expenses can reduce the returns which the investors may get after deduction of management fees.

Disclaimer: Mutual fund investments are subject to market risks read all scheme related documents carefully.

Wednesday, December 4, 2013

U.S. Dollar Indecisive After ADP, Trade Balance and ISM

The greenback was mixed in Wednesday trading after a slew of U.S. economic data including the ADP Non-Farm Employment Change, U.S. Trade Balance and ISM Non-Manufacturing PMI.

ADP Nonfarm Employment Change

ADP reported that U.S. private-sector employment increased by 215,000 in November, rising from an upwardly revised gain of 184,000 in October. The figure beat analyst expectations of 173,000 by a wide margin.

The Labor Department is due to release the U.S. November employment report on Friday. Analysts are expecting Non-Farm Payrolls to come in at 180K and the unemployment rate to decrease to 7.2 percent from last months reading of 7.3 percent.

U.S. Trade Balance

The Commerce Department reported on Wednesday that the U.S. trade deficit narrowed to a seasonally adjusted $40.6 billion in October, from a deficit of $43.0 billion in September. Analysts had forecast the U.S. trade deficit to narrow to $40 billion in October.

ISM Non-Manufacturing PMI

Institute of Supply Management reported on Wednesday that its Non-Manufacturing Purchasing Manager's Index fell to 53.9 in November from 55.4 in October. The figure missed analyst expectations of 55.0. A number above 50 indicates that the non-manufacturing sector economy is expanding.

December Federal Reserve Meeting

The dual mandate of the Federal Reserve is to pursue maximum employment and stable prices, making Friday's employment report a focal point for upcoming policy decisions. The next Fed policy meeting is on December 17-18.

ICE U.S. Dollar Index Daily Chart

Looking at the daily U.S. Dollar Index chart we can see that an inside day has formed. Inside bars occur where the high point of the bar is lower than the previous bar's high, and the low point is higher than the previous bar's low. Traders often look for breakout opportunities following an inside bar or a series of inside bars. The 50 period simple moving average is forming potential support to the downside in the area of 80.42.

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Posted-In: News Forex Economics Federal Reserve Markets Best of Benzinga

(c) 2013 Benzinga.com. Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved.

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Tuesday, December 3, 2013

TNI Biotech's Opportunity is Much Bigger - and Closer - Than You Think (TNIB)

It's easy for U.S.-based investors to forget that the rules and standards and agencies biotech companies must deal with here in North America aren't the same ones the biopharma industry must navigate overseas. Fortunately, the savvy marketing team at young biotech outfit TNI Biotech Inc. (OTCMKTS:TNIB) knows there's a whole world of opportunity out there outside the borders of the United States, and they're tapping into it quite nicely. Indeed, TNIB added another foreign profit center today, making it an increasingly international company... with real revenue just around the corner.

If you're reading this, then odds are you already know TNIB is ready to make a big sales splash in Nigeria next year. Back in early October TNI Biotech announced a partner company in that country - AHAR Pharma - was taking the Lodonal ball and running with it in that country.

Lodonal is the trade-name for low-dose naltrexone, for which TNIB owns a great number of marketing rights and IP. The drug, though not yet approved in the U.S., has been approved in several other countries as a treatment for everything from HIV to multiple sclerosis to some forms of cancer. It can effectively combat those ailments because rather than being built from the ground up to find and kill one specific type of diseased cell, it can enhance a patient's entire immune system to fight a variety of illnesses.

More important to TNI Biotech Inc. shareholders, the deal with AHAR Pharma guarantees at least $53 million in revenue for the company this year via sales of Lodonal, with $1 million worth of orders to be placed before the end of January. (It's possible that order has already been shipped, and perhaps even payment has been booked.)

Here's the thing... the Nigerian market isn't even close to being the only overseas market where Lodonal is ready to legally sell.

Fast forward to today's news. Per this morning's press release, TNI Biotech Inc. - through its manufacturing partner in that country - will be able to sell Lodonal in Nicaragua, making it the fifth country where the low-dose naltrexone product can be marketed. In addition to Nigeria and Nicaragua, LDN can be marketed in Equatorial Guinea, Malawi and Gabon.

Nicaragua's population is about 6 million, and Nigeria is home to about 169 individuals. Between Equatorial Guinea, Malawi and Gabon, that's another 18 million people in need of a treatment like TNI Biotech's low-dose naltrexone. All told, TNIB now has access to 193 million residents and potential patients in markets that are largely underserved and until now didn't have a great deal of access to top-of-the-line healthcare choices. That's a big coup for TNI.

Yes, the proverbial big Kahuna is still the United States healthcare market, and then perhaps the EU. TNI Biotech is working on them; LDN is ready to begin Phase 3 testing as a therapy for Crohn's next year, with a possible FDA approval coming as soon as 2017. Lodonal as a therapy for multiple sclerosis could be approved as soon as 2018. In the meantime, TNIB has something that few other small biotech companies have... access to revenue to fund its future R&D. Indeed, it's conceivable that TNI Biotech would never need to go out and raise money by issuing stock again, as it's pieced together a viable, revenue-generating, overseas customer base. That alone could make TNIB a worthy trade here (as if the biotechnology itself wasn't enough).

For more about TNI Biotech, visit the company website here.

Monday, December 2, 2013

10 Foods You'll Have to Give Up to Avoid Eating GMOs

5 Best Safest Stocks To Invest In Right Now

Blonde geek holding cooking pot.Getty Images About 20 years ago, a company now owned by Monsanto (MON) introduced the Flavr Savr tomato -- the first genetically modified organism approved for consumption in the United States. Since then, farmers across the country have been using more and more GMOs every year. It's a practice that has come under increasingly intense scrutiny. Activists who are worried about the potential for human health problems, as well as environmental damage, have started demanding that food containing GMOs be labeled as such. Prop 37, a California ballot measure to mandate GMO labeling, failed at the polls in 2012, and a similar measure lost last month in Washington state. In both campaigns, the largest makers of GMOs -- Monsanto, DuPont (DD), and Dow Chemical (DOW) -- provided the ad funding that helped turn the tide. But what many people don't realize is that they've been consuming products with GMO ingredients for years. The Institute for Responsible Technology has a brochure breaking down GMO presence in many different types of foods. Here are 10 of the most popular foods that likely contain GMOs. Pre-made soups can contain a large number of ingredients containing GMOs. For instance, Campbell's (CPB) popular condensed Tomato Soup lists high fructose corn syrup as its second biggest ingredient. According to the Non-GMO Project, nearly 88 percent of all corn planted in the United States is GMO.

Sunday, December 1, 2013

4 Stocks Under $10 Moving Higher

DELAFIELD, Wis. (Stockpickr) -- At Stockpickr, we track daily portfolios of stocks that are the biggest percentage gainers and the biggest percentage losers.

>>5 Stocks Set to Soar on Bullish Earnings

Stocks that are making large moves like these are favorites among short-term traders because they can jump into these names and try to capture some of that massive volatility. Stocks that are making big-percentage moves either up or down are usually in play because their sector is becoming attractive or they have a major fundamental catalyst such as a recent earnings release. Sometimes stocks making big moves have been hit with an analyst upgrade or an analyst downgrade.

Regardless of the reason behind it, when a stock makes a large-percentage move, it is often just the start of a new major trend -- a trend that can lead to huge profits. If you time your trade correctly, combining technical indicators with fundamental trends, discipline and sound money management, you will be well on your way to investment success.

>>5 Big Stocks to Trade for Big Gains

With that in mind, let's take a closer look at a several stocks under $10 that are making large moves to the upside today.

Sophiris Bio

Sophiris Bio (SPHS) is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company that develops and commercializes innovative products for the treatment of urological diseases. This stock closed up 5.1% to $4.51 in Tuesday's trading session.

Tuesday's Range: $4.25-$4.53

52-Week Range: $4.08-$17.68

Tuesday's Volume: 15,000

Three-Month Average Volume: 71,077

From a technical perspective, SPHS spiked higher here right above some near-term support at $4.08 with lighter-than-average volume. This stock has been trending sideways and consolidating for the last two months and change, with shares moving between $4.08 on the downside and $5.11 on the upside. Shares of SPHS are now starting to trend within range of triggering a big breakout trade above the upper-end of its recent sideways trading chart pattern. That breakout will hit if SPHS manages to take out some key near-term overhead resistance levels at $4.65 to $4.85 to some past overhead resistance at $5.11 with high volume.

Traders should now look for long-biased trades in SPHS as long as it's trending above Tuesday's low of $4.25 or above its 52-week low of $4.08 and then once it sustains a move or close above those breakout levels with volume that hits near or above 71,077 shares. If that breakout hits soon, then SPHS will set up to re-test or possibly take out its next major overhead resistance level at $5.91.

Zhone Technologies

Zhone Technologies (ZHNE) designs, develops and manufactures communications network equipment for telecommunications, wireless and cable operators worldwide. This stock closed up 5% to $3.95 in Tuesday's trading session.

Tuesday's Range: $3.70-$4.06

52-Week Range: $0.40-$4.58

Tuesday's Volume: 567,000

Three-Month Average Volume: 871,360

From a technical perspective, ZHNE trended higher here right above its 50-day moving average of $3.56 with lighter-than-average volume. This stock recently pulled back off its 52-week high of $4.58 to its recent low of $3.61. Shares of ZHNE have now started to find some buying interest each time it has traded near its 50-day over the last few weeks. This action is now starting to push shares of ZHNE within range of triggering a major breakout trade. That trade will hit if ZHNE manages to take out some key near-term overhead resistance at $4.10 and then once it clears more resistance at $4.48 to its 52-week high at $4.58 with high volume.

Traders should now look for long-biased trades in ZHNE as long as it's trending above its 50-day at $3.56 or above more support at $3.25 and then once it sustains a move or close above those breakout levels with volume that hits near or above 871,360 shares. If that breakout hits soon, then ZHNE will set up to enter new 52-week-high territory, which is bullish technical price action. Some possible upside targets off that breakout are $5.50 to $6.50

Aeropostale

Aeropostale (ARO) operates as a mall-based retailer of casual apparel and accessories for young women and men in the U.S. This stock closed up 3.9% to $9.51 in Tuesday's trading session.

Tuesday's Range: $9.07-$9.61

52-Week Range: $7.78-$17.10

Tuesday's Volume: 3.37 million

Three-Month Average Volume: 3.74 million

From a technical perspective, ARO trended higher here right off its 50-day moving average of $9.24 with solid upside volume. This move is quickly pushing shares of ARO within range of triggering a near-term breakout trade. That trade will hit if ARO manages to take out some key near-term overhead resistance levels at $9.68 to $9.92 with high volume.

Traders should now look for long-biased trades in ARO as long as it's trending above some near-term support at $9 or above $8.50 and then once it sustains a move or close above those breakout levels with volume that hits near or above 3.74 million shares. If that breakout hits soon, then ARO will set up to re-test or possibly take out its next major overhead resistance level at $10.47. Any high-volume move above $10.47 will then give ARO a chance to tag $11 to $11.50.

Dynavax Technologies

Dynavax Technologies (DVAX), a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company, discovers and develops novel products to prevent and treat infectious and inflammatory diseases. This stock closed up 5.7% to $1.45 in Tuesday's trading session.

Tuesday's Range: $1.39-$1.47

52-Week Range: $0.98-$3.39

Tuesday's Volume: 12.96 million

Three-Month Average Volume: 2.76 million

From a technical perspective, DVAX trended higher here with monster upside volume. This move briefly pushed shares of DVAX into breakout territory, since the stock flirted with some key overhead resistance levels at $1.43 to $1.46. Shares of DVAX closed just below the latter at $1.45. Market players should now look for a continuation move higher in the short-term if DVAX can manage to take out Tuesday's high of $1.47 to some key past resistance at $1.50 with high volume.

Traders should now look for long-biased trades in DVAX as long as it's trending above some near-term support at $1.30 or above its 50-day at $1.23 and then once it sustains a move or close above $1.47 to $1.50 with volume that hits near or above 2.76 million shares. If we get that move soon, then DVAX will set up to re-test or possibly take out its next major overhead resistance levels at its 200-day of $1.73 to its gap down day high from June just above $1.80. Any high-volume move above $1.80 will then give DVAX a chance to re-fill some of its previous gap down zone that started at $2.60.

To see more stocks that are making notable moves higher today, check out the Stocks Under $10 Moving Higher portfolio on Stockpickr.

-- Written by Roberto Pedone in Delafield, Wis.


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Follow Stockpickr on Twitter and become a fan on Facebook.

At the time of publication, author had no positions in stocks mentioned.

Roberto Pedone, based out of Delafield, Wis., is an independent trader who focuses on technical analysis for small- and large-cap stocks, options, futures, commodities and currencies. Roberto studied international business at the Milwaukee School of Engineering, and he spent a year overseas studying business in Lubeck, Germany. His work has appeared on financial outlets including

CNBC.com and Forbes.com. You can follow Pedone on Twitter at www.twitter.com/zerosum24 or @zerosum24.


2 Triple-A Tech Stocks to Buy

Facebook Logo Twitter Logo RSS Logo Louis Navellier Popular Posts: MSFT – Microsoft’s Boom More Than Just Ballmer StorylineJNJ – Johnson & Johnson Remains a Blue-Chip BuyWMT – Watch Out For a Falling Stock Price at Wal-Mart Recent Posts: 2 Triple-A Tech Stocks to Buy Home Depot’s Rise Built on a Solid Foundation What Happens to Stocks When Disaster Strikes? View All Posts

Best Financial Companies For 2014

When we talk about tech stocks the attention often falls on the larger, more established tech stocks. However, as the market advance thins out investors might want to focus on the smaller, fast-growing tech stocks.

When these smaller tech stocks attract the attention of Wall Street, the massive buying pressure provided by the large pools institutional money can turn these stocks into rocket ships. We can use an objective research tool like Portfolio Grader to find stocks with the very best fundamentals that are likely to attract buying pressure and help power your portfolio higher.

Broadridge Financial Solutions (BR) is the leading provider of investor communications and technology-driven-solutions to banks, broker-dealers, mutual funds, and corporations globally. BR makes the back-office systems that allow these companies to process forms and communicate with their customer base on critical matters.

Broadridge provides services to retail and institutional brokerage firms, global banks, specialty trading firms and more. The company is on fire, with earnings up 72% so far this year and up 67% in the latest quarter. This type of performance was picked up by Portfolio Grader, and last month the stock was upgraded to the highest grade. This “triple-A” stock — which earns "A" grades for fundamentals, quantitative, and overall grade — is a “strong buy.”

Sparton Corporation (SPA) provides electromechanical systems and operates in three segments: medical devices, complex systems and defense and security systems. The medical devices segment makes devices used in diagnostic, therapeutic, surgical, and laboratory applications. Complex devices makes printed circuit assemblies used in military, aerospace, industrial and commercial OEMs, while the defense and security segment designs products for defense applications.

SPA has shown earnings growth of 42% so far this year and continues to accelerate with a 67% increase in its latest quarter. The company has also posted two consecutive positive earnings surprises. This type of superior fundamental performance is reflected in its “triple-A” Portfolio Grader ranking, and the stock remains a “strong buy.”

The stock market is focusing on best of the best fundamentals right now, and these two “triple-A” tech stocks are demonstrating the very best fundamental performance.

Louis Navellier is the editor of Blue Chip Growth.

On Fannie, Freddie Reform, Wall Street Is Left of Maxine Waters

Top 10 High Tech Stocks To Invest In 2014

NEW YORK (TheStreet) -- It is a strange world when the call to keep bailed-out mortgage finance giants Fannie Mae  (FNMA) and Freddie Mac  (FMCC) alive and preserve the government's legacy contribution to American homeownership comes not from Washington liberals but from Wall Street.

Practically every reform proposal being considered in Congress supports the winding down of the government-sponsored entities or GSEs, ending the implicit government subsidy that fueled an unsustainable growth in homeownership in the run up to the bubble.

Yet, big institutional investors are arguing that the companies, which are now making record profits and will have paid out dividends almost equal to the $188 billion in bailout money by December, should be rehabilitated and privatized.

"In this country we fix valuable businesses by restructuring; we do not simply throw them away," Fairholme Fund's Bruce Berkowitz said last week. The billionaire investor is proposing that the mortgage insurance businesses of the agencies be recapitalized and spun off into two private, state-regulated insurance companies. The new companies would be capitalized with $34.6 billion from the conversion of the GSE's junior preferred stock to common shares. At least another $17 billion of new capital would be raised from the junior preferred stockholders in a rights offering. The proposal was touted as an answer to the broad bipartisan call for more private capital in the private sector, but the likelihood of it being accepted appears slim. "An offer of this nature would not be in the public interest," Senator Bob Corker (R.,Tenn) told Bloomberg in an email. "Without meaningful legislative reform we would still have dominant entities owned by the private sector but operating with an implied government guarantee, leaving taxpayers at great risk." Berkowitz is one of a small group of professional investors who, in recent years, have scooped up Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac common and preferred shares for pennies on the dollar. Early investors bet that the companies would return to profitability and repay the government, a la AIG (AIG), but their hopes were quashed when the Treasury amended the bailout agreement in 2012. Under the revised terms of the agreement,the companies had to sweep almost all of their profits to the Treasury as dividends. This effectively prevented them from building capital that would allow them to repay the government.

Berkowitz and other investors including hedge fund Perry Capital have filed lawsuits against the Treasury, arguing that it violated shareholder property rights when it amended the agreement. The Treasury says it has acted appropriately. Despite the likelihood of a long-drawn legal battle with the government, the investor interest in GSE shares has only grown. On Friday, activist investor Bill Ackman's Pershing Square Capital Management disclosed that it had a roughly 10% stake in Fannie and Freddie common shares. The fund said in a filing that it would be in discussions with the management and the government about the restructuring of the companies. The Fannie/Freddie trade may have attracted major league investors but political analysts believe the bets could backfire as there is no appetite in Washington to a) return the agencies to their former avatars as publicly- traded companies with a federal charter and b) allow Wall Street firms to profit off their restructuring.

Both the Corker-Warner bill, the bipartisan reform effort put forward by the Senate Banking Committee and the PATH bill, advanced by House Financial Services Committee Chairman Jeb Hensarling, call for a new mortgage finance system to replace the GSEs.

What's surprising is that these proposals to kill Fannie and Freddie, two agencies that helped subsidize homeownership for decades, have elicited little protest from the far left.

Even Congresswoman Maxine Waters (D.,Calif.), the House Financial Services Committee's top ranking Democrat, who was once an avid supporter of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, appears to have accepted a future without the agencies and is proposing an alternative model.

"Both sides of the aisle absolutely believe that we have got to do reform because of what happened with the subprime meltdown that we experienced in this country," she said at a recent housing policy forum organized by the Bipartisan Policy Center. "But I have to tell you, even if I wanted to say 'look how well Fannie and Freddie are doing, let's just leave them alone and let them keep going,' we are past that point now. We can't do that. Despite the fact that they are doing well, everyone remembers what happened. They remember the debt, they remember the meltdown, they remember the foreclosure and the fact that Fannie and Freddie undermined their own [underwriting] criteria when they were challenged." Waters is expected to introduce a proposal that calls for a cooperative-owned securities issuer that would address the "perverse incentives created by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac's ownership structure of private shareholders." So what makes these big investors think the government will change its mind, given that even the most liberal policymakers are against the status quo? Perhaps they believe that it is only a matter of time before policymakers are swayed by populist sentiment. Winding down and replacing the GSEs with a brand new, untested housing finance model could be hugely disruptive to the mortgage market and could destabilize housing, they argue. Does the government really want to risk rocking the housing market, which has just begun to recover? Even if the government was to continue offering a limited guarantee, analysts say the cost of mortgage credit may rise as much as 100 basis points as private capital would demand a higher return for their risk than the GSEs.



Policymakers who promise reform have the tough job of explaining to their constituents that their mortgage rates are going to go up.

Sure, that may be the price taxpayers have to pay for a safer housing market. But political observers also know how difficult it is to roll back subsidies.

Consider the recent efforts to raise flood insurance premiums to repair the finances of the National Flood Insurance Program. The Briggert-Waters Flood Insurance Reform Act of 2012 was a bipartisan plan that instructed the Federal Emergency Management Agency or FEMA to phase out subsidies so that premiums more accurately reflect risk.

About 20% of policyholders are likely to see their premiums increase annually, though only a fraction of them will see really steep hikes. But there is a big push to delay the implementation of the rules from none other than Maxine Waters, who co-authored the reform bill. "I am outraged by the increased costs of flood insurance premiums that have resulted from the Biggert-Waters Act," she said in a statement. "I certainly did not intend for these types of outrageous premiums to occur for any homeowner. When I agreed to coauthor this legislation, our goal was to create a bipartisan solution to repair our National Flood Insurance Program. Neither Democrats nor Republicans envisioned it would reap the kind of harm and heartache that may result from this law going into effect." It is not hard to see this kind of pushback happening in the debate over housing finance reform.

Investors are betting that as the cost of mortgage reform sinks in, there will be a shift in thinking in Washington. Housing reform measures would likely be diluted and an increasing number of politicians might favor just "rebranding" Fannie and Freddie. That sounds plausible, especially if it happens to be an election year. But in trying to advance a populist agenda in Washington, Wall Street seems to have underestimated their own unpopularity. "We believe the prospects for significant recoveries on the GSE junior preferreds is inversely proportional to the amount of lobbying and public pressure fund managers exert. No matter the type of fund -- hedge, mutual, or private equity -- the bulk of lawmakers will publicly distance themselves from any proposal which could be framed as "enriching" money managers no matter its merits," Isaac Boltansky, an analyst with Compass Point said in a note last week. "Simply put: Wall Street is not viewed as a sympathetic constituency in D.C. and that fact will not change as the 2014 midterm election comes into focus."

Right now in D.C. it  apparently pays to be anti-Wall Street even more than it does to be pro-homeownership.

-- Written by Shanthi Bharatwaj in New York.
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Disclosure: TheStreet's editorial policy prohibits staff editors and reporters from holding positions in any individual stocks.