Tech giants are countering government spying

SAN FRANCISCO — Google, Facebook, Microsoft and Twitter are engaged in a costly tech arms race, with their businesses and cultures at stake. Not against one another, mind you, but a common foe: the National Security Agency.

The tech juggernauts are investing in security technology, lobbying efforts and good old-fashioned PR to thwart U.S. government snooping of their data systems, often without their cooperation or knowledge.

For months, the narrative has focused on data breaches and spying as tech's biggest players quietly stewed over a sense of government betrayal, while assessing threats to their brands because of consumer outrage over invasion of their privacy. The breaches, and their threat to company reputations, are collateral damage of the government's war on terrorism.

"This may be the first time a computer-security problem has had such sustained interest on a national level," says Stephen Cobb, senior security researcher at cybersecurity firm ESET North America.

Google, Facebook and others are pouring money into security, mirroring an industry-wide trend. Cyber IT budgets are expected to soar from $65 billion this year to $93 billion in 2017, says tech market researcher Gartner. Last week, Microsoft confirmed that it plans to step up its cyberdefenses to thwart the NSA.

The NSA's staggering ability to access rich troves of data at the largest companies strikes at the core of consumers' and businesses' confidence in computer security and privacy. Encryption, the holy grail of security for the largest tech firms — in which digital messages are scrambled and unscrambled so third parties cannot read them — was easily cracked by the NSA through court orders, supercomputers and technical wizardry.

Deeply shaken tech executives, who are increasingly dependent on customer data in their pursuit of advertising revenue and fear a backlash from spooked consumers, have been loath to speak publicly about their efforts to counter government snooping.

The govern! ment routinely pried into the data systems of the largest tech companies in an online surveillance program it says has been necessary to combat terrorism in a post-9/11 world. It has done so largely without the knowledge of those companies.

The NSA initially said that Americans have not been spied upon and that the programs are intended to monitor foreign threats. Yet some Americans were inadvertently spied upon. Robert Litt, general counsel at the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, told the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Privacy last month that the NSA could not say how often Americans' data are accidentally captured.

Other documents leaked to media outlets this year by former NSA contractor Edward Snowden revealed that Google, Facebook, Yahoo, Microsoft, Apple and other tech companies supplied the federal government some information about their overseas customers under a court-monitored program called PRISM. The companies insist that they forked over data only on a small fraction of users and cooperated only when legally required to do so.

Nevertheless, the PRISM program "has materially damaged our reputation and made customers more cautious," says Craig Carpenter, senior vice president of strategy at AccessData.

AN 'OVERNIGHT CHANGE IN BEHAVIOR'

There's good reason for the tech companies' apprehension, The disclosures by Snowden are having real-world impact. A sign of a more gun-shy population: Four out of five people have changed the privacy settings of their social-media accounts in the past few months, and most have made changes in the past six months, according to a Harris poll of about 2,000 people this month.

What's more, the spying revelations have prompted 19% of consumers to do less banking online and 14% to cut back on online shopping, according to a survey of 362 American adults in September. "It's a fundamental, overnight change in behavior — I have not seen this type of reaction to virus or hacking" in more than 20 years, says Cobb o! f ESET, w! hich commissioned the survey in the wake of the NSA flap.

Ordinary citizens are not bashful about expressing their concern.

"I'm not computer literate, but this bothers me," says Clare Rhodes, 59, of San Jose, who is disabled. "I was born during the Cold War and understand the importance of security. The government needs certain information to protect citizens, but how much do they have on people like me?"

Lou Mazzucchelli, 58, of Providence fears that the problem runs deeper. A Cisco Systems shareholder, he saw the stock take a hit as a consequence of the NSA flap and fears blowback from the spying disclosures could damage the tech stock portfolios of everyday people. "The ramifications go far beyond our personal data," he says.

Some see the contretemps as overblown.

"We live in a digital age where people are sharing literally every stupid thing happening in their life," says Sabrina Cognata, 32, a writer in Los Angeles. "But then they suddenly want privacy? If you want privacy, get off Twitter and Facebook, move to a remote area in Montana, and be private.

"But if you are online constantly and griping about having your rights infringed upon, I think you are a moron."

TIGHTENING SECURITY

Still, many online users have expectations of privacy. So tech titans are fighting back by improving their security and using legal and public relations maneuvers to combat government spying.

Here's what some of the biggest companies are doing:

Yahoo. The Internet icon, with some 800 million members worldwide, took the latest, and perhaps boldest, action this month. It had vowed to encrypt its e-mail service by January but now plans to have all of its data encrypted by March to make it more difficult for unauthorized parties to decipher the information.

The campus-network room at a Google data center in Council Bluffs, Iowa.(Photo: Connie Zhou, Google, via AP)

Google. The search giant has taken several steps to protect its data from snooping. It has intensified its program to encrypt data passed between data centers — the physical facilities scattered across the globe that house computer systems — and telecommunications and storage systems. It also employs network links between data centers that run at high speeds — typically on its own fiber-optic lines — that are harder to tap, according to a source familiar with the company who is not authorized to speak publicly.

Additionally, the company now frequently changes its security keys, which unlock encrypted data.

Facebook. The social-networking juggernaut has added an encryption method that limits access to data even if a security key is breached. In July, Facebook said it had turned on secure browsing by default. Yahoo followed suit in August.

Microsoft. The software behemoth has taken a legal and policy approach. In June, it was one of the first companies to file suit against the U.S. government, pressing for greater accountability in how the government views personal data. Microsoft has also shepherded the tech, privacy and security communities to push Congress and the Obama administration for legislative reform, seeking greater accountability by the NSA and tighter oversight by Congress.

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In September, the four companies petitioned the U.S. government to permit businesses to disclose more information about the volume and types of national security-related orders they receive. The U.S. federal court was established in 1978 to oversee requests for surveillance warrants by law-enforcement agencies against suspected foreign intelligence agents in the U.S.

Twitter ! did not r! espond to e-mails seeking comment.

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There's no guarantee that the NSA, which was able to crack the digital codes of tech companies before, will be less successful in the future, given it's enormous resources and IT prowess.

Still, reassuring the public that sensitive information is safe from the prying eyes of the government is crucial to Google, Facebook and other Internet companies. They need people to keep using their services regularly so they can acquire more data and sell more of the digital ads that bring in most of their revenue. Should enough jittery Web surfers flee, it could slow the companies' financial growth and dampen their stock prices.

The surveillance kerfuffle is becoming an ominous asterisk to what has become a data obsession among major tech companies. Nearly every day, Google, Facebook, Microsoft and countless start-ups are carting out new products and services that breathlessly promise to make the most of cloud computing and data.

More than 1.5 billion people volunteer personal information, including photos, their favorite movies and summer vacation plans, on Facebook and Google.

"There is a tension point as long as Google and Facebook base their business models on advertising from people's preferences," says Siobhan MacDermott, chief policy officer at anti-virus computer company AVG. "NSA goes to (them as) the best source. This reinforces people's fears in Google and Facebook.

"We live in a user-driven, technology-adoption curve," says J.J. Thompson, CEO of Rook Security. "As people get shiny new toys like iPhone, general security lags. It has created an issue that is right in front of our face."

A Google data center in Hamina, Finland.(Photo: Google ! via AP)

Best Gold Stocks To Watch For 2014

There is no better way to get people to make big purchases than to offer a product with no money down. That is exactly what SolarCity (NASDAQ: SCTY  ) is planning to do. The company just announced that it will be extending its no-money-down offer to homebuilders and developers. It should come as so surprise that SolarCity is extending this deal, which was previously only available to homeowners, because the company recently signed a financing deal with�Goldman Sachs� (NYSE: GS  ) �for this very kind of move,�

So how does a company that sells solar power make money if customers don't pay for panels? It's all in the contract. SolarCity has a unique business model that separates it from many of the other solar industry plays that are out there today. In this video, Fool.com contributors Tyler Crowe and Aimee Duffy discuss how this unique business model gives it a leg up over several of its competitors, and how SolarCity could be poised to do well in the future.�

Best Gold Stocks To Watch For 2014: Iamgold Corporation(IAG)

IAMGOLD Corporation, together with its subsidiaries, engages in the exploration, development, and production of mineral resource properties worldwide. It primarily explores for gold, silver, zinc, copper, niobium, diamonds, and other metals. The company holds interests in eight operating gold mines, a niobium producer, a diamond royalty, and exploration and development projects located in Africa and the Americas. Its advanced exploration and development projects include the Westwood project in Canada; and the Quimsacocha project, which consists of 3 mining concessions covering an aggregate area of approximately 8,030 hectares in Ecuador. The company was formerly known as IAMGOLD International African Mining Gold Corporation and changed its name to IAMGOLD Corporation in June 1997. IAMGOLD Corporation was founded in 1990 and is based in Toronto, Canada.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Patricio Kehoe]

  In addition to overexpansion at the wrong time, Golden Star�� position has weakened due to its comparably less efficient operations. Unlike industry peers, such as IamGold Corp. (IAG) or Gold Fields Ltd. (GFI), the majority of the Toronto-based miner�� assets contain refractory ore, which is far more expensive to extract than non refractory ore. And, in an attempt to switch production to the lower cost gold ore, and thus increase margins, Golden Star has depleted its mines��non refractory ore. With low reserves and mounting cash costs, the firm inevitably turned to new acquisitions.

• [By Holly LaFon]

  He increased his holdings in gold companies in the fourth quarter accordingly. Gold stocks he found attractive in the fourth quarter are: Novagold Resources (NG), Randgold Resources (GOLD), Iamgold Corp. (IAG), Barrick Gold Corp. (ABX), Agnico Eagle (AEM) and International Tower Hill (THM).

• [By Rich Duprey]

  IAMGOLD (NYSE: IAG  ) still has an interest in the�Quimsacocha gold mine it sold to INV Metals last year, which has an indicated mineral resource estimated at 3.3 million ounces gold. China's�Ecuacorriente is also pursing a major copper project at Panantza-San Carlos, and International Minerals will seek out gold and silver at Rio Blanco.

Best Gold Stocks To Watch For 2014: Agnico-Eagle Mines Limited(AEM)

Agnico-Eagle Mines Limited, through its subsidiaries, engages in the exploration, development, and production of mineral properties in Canada, Finland, and Mexico. The company primarily explores for gold, as well as silver, copper, zinc, and lead. Its flagship property includes the LaRonde mine located in the southern portion of the Abitibi volcanic belt, Canada. The company was founded in 1953 and is based in Toronto, Canada.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Hebba Investments]

  Even with rising Q2 costs, GG still has lower true all-in costs than many of its larger competitors' Q1FY13 costs. Compared to Q1FY13 numbers of competitors such as Yamana Gold (AUY) (costs just over $1300), Kinross Gold (KGC) (costs above $1350), Silvercrest Mines (SVLC) (costs below $1100), Newmont Gold (NEM) (costs around $1300) Agnico-Eagle (AEM) (costs around $1400) and Barrick Gold (ABX) (costs around $1200).

• [By Charley Blaine]

  Gold mining stocks are pretty much a disaster. Newmont Mining (NYSE: NEM) is down 50 percent in 2013. Agnico Eagle Mines (NYSE: AEM) is off 51 percent. The NYSE Arca Gold BUGS Index is down 56 percent.

Best Low Price Companies To Own For 2014: Australian Dollar(AU)

AngloGold Ashanti Limited primarily engages in the exploration and production of gold. It also produces silver, uranium oxide, and sulfuric acid. The company conducts gold-mining operations in South Africa; continental Africa, including Ghana, Guinea, Mali, Namibia, and Tanzania; Australia; and the Americas, which include Argentina, Brazil, and the United States. It also has mining or exploration operations in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Guinea, and Colombia. As of December 31, 2010, the company had proved and probable gold reserves of 71.2 million ounces. The company has a strategic alliance with Thani Dubai Mining Limited to explore, develop, and operate mines across the Middle East and parts of North Africa. AngloGold Ashanti Limited, formerly known as Vaal Reefs Exploration and Mining Company Limited, was founded in 1944 and is headquartered in Johannesburg, South Africa.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Dan Caplinger]

  One way Yamana has kept its competitive cost advantage is through extensive sales of base-metal byproducts like copper and zinc, as both it and fellow low-cost rival Goldcorp (NYSE: GG  ) benefit from utilizing those secondary metals to offset the cost of their gold production. Peers Gold Fields (NYSE: GFI  ) and AngloGold Ashanti (NYSE: AU  ) , on the other hand, face much higher costs in part because of their exposure to South Africa and its unstable labor market.

Best Gold Stocks To Watch For 2014: NEW GOLD INC.(NGD)

New Gold Inc. engages in the acquisition, exploration, extraction, processing, and reclamation of mineral properties. The company primarily explore for gold, silver, and copper deposits. Its operating properties include the Mesquite gold mine in the United States; the Cerro San Pedro gold-silver mine in Mexico; and the Peak gold-copper mine in Australia. The company also has development projects, including the New Afton gold, silver, and copper project in Canada; and a 30% interest in the El Morro copper-gold project in Chile. The company was formerly known as DRC Resources Corporation and changed its name to New Gold Inc. in June 2005. New Gold Inc. was founded in 1980 and is headquartered in Vancouver, Canada.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Ben Levisohn]

  Bridges favorite stocks include Goldcorp, Newmont, Eldorado Gold (EGO) and New Gold (NGD).

  Note, however, that these recommendations are all qualified in one way or another. Investors should keep that in mind before going all in on the gold miners.

• [By Ben Levisohn]

  One group of stocks not feeling the optimism today: Gold miners. With fewer concerns that a U.S. attack on Syria will be disruptive and more evidence that tapering will begin this month, the price of the precious metal has dropped 1.6% to $1,388.90 an ounce–and gold stocks are falling with it. New Gold (NGD), for one, has dropped 3% to $6.55, while Barrick Gold (ABX) has fallen 1.3% to $19.25.

Best Gold Stocks To Watch For 2014: Thompson Creek Metals Company Inc.(TC)

Thompson Creek Metals Company Inc., through its subsidiaries, engages in mining, milling, processing, and marketing molybdenum products in the United States and Canada. The company?s principal properties include the Thompson Creek Mine and mill in Idaho; a metallurgical roasting facility in Langeloth, Pennsylvania; and a joint venture interest in the Endako Mine, mill, and roasting facility in British Columbia. It also holds interests in development projects comprising the Davidson molybdenum property and the Berg copper-molybdenum-silver property located in northern British Columbia; the Howard?s Pass property, a lead and zinc project situated in the Yukon territory-northwest territories border; and the Maze Lake property, a gold project located in the Kivalliq district of Nunavut. The company produces molybdenum products, primarily molybdic oxide and ferromolybdenum, as well as soluble technical oxide, pure molybdenum tri-oxide, and high purity molybdenum disulfide. As o f December 31, 2010, its consolidated recoverable proven and probable ore reserves totaled 462.2 million pounds of contained molybdenum in the Thompson Creek Mine and the Endako Mine. The company was formerly known as Blue Pearl Mining Ltd. and changed its name to Thompson Creek Metals Company Inc. in May 2007. Thompson Creek Metals Company Inc. is based in Denver, Colorado.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Jon C. Ogg]

  Thompson Creek Metals Co. Inc. (NYSE: TC) was at 54% discount to its book value of $8.30 per share at the time, and the stock price of $3.90 is up from $3.03 Deutsche Bank’s team nailed upside of more than 28% here. Its price target was $4 at the time versus a consensus target of $4.50 at the time. The 52-week range here is $2.42 to $4.55, but we would point out that the consensus price target is $3.93.

• [By Selena Maranjian]

  The biggest new holdings are Chesapeake Energy�puts, and shares of Discovery Communications. Other new holdings of interest include Halcon Resources (NYSE: HK  ) , and Thompson Creek Metals (NYSE: TC  ) . Oil and gas company Halcon, operating in the promising Bakken region, as well as Texas's productive Eagle Ford shale region, among others, is expected to grow by 30% annually over the coming years. It recently reported 2012 net daily production 128% higher than year-ago levels, and proven reserves up 417%. Halcon was recently one of my colleague Joel South's top two energy holdings, and analysts at Stifel recently upped its rating�from Hold to Buy.

• [By Jim Jubak]

  The stock market liked what it heard Wednesday, August 7, from Thompson Creek Metals (TC) after the close in New York. Second quarter adjusted net earnings of 8 cents a share crushed the Wall Street consensus of a penny a share. Revenue climbed 3.8% to $117.8 million versus expectations for revenue of just $1.3.8 million. The company also said that its new Mt. Milligan mine is on schedule with a start-up for the concentrator expected this month, with first ore-feed by mid-August. The company said it expects commercial production to begin in the fourth quarter of 2013, with production ramping to full capacity over the next twelve months.

Best Gold Stocks To Watch For 2014: Golden Star Resources Ltd(GSS)

Golden Star Resources Ltd., a gold mining and exploration company, through its subsidiaries, engages in the acquisition, exploration, development, and production of gold properties. It owns and operates the Bogoso/Prestea gold mining and processing operation that covers approximately 40 kilometers of strike along the southwest-trending Ashanti gold district in western Ghana; and the Wassa open-pit gold mine located to the east of Bogoso/Prestea in southwest Ghana. The company also has an 81% interest in the Prestea underground gold mine located in Ghana. In addition, it holds interests in various gold exploration projects in Ghana, Sierra Leone, Burkina Faso, Niger, and Cote d?Ivoire, as well as holds and manages exploration properties in Brazil in South America. The company was founded in 1984 and is based in Littleton, Colorado.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Patricio Kehoe] ating price of the commodity, along with the geopolitical risks involved in mining in African nations such as Ghana, are just two of the obstacles the firm is facing. In addition, as one of the smallest gold mining firms in the industry, with a market cap of just $122 million, Golden Star has had a very difficult time financing its latest expansion projects. With share prices tumbling towards all-time lows, gurus such as Steven Cohen, Chuck Royce and Arnold Schneider have already sold out their positions in the troubled firm.

  Why Have Gurus Lost Faith in Golden Star?

  Despite aggressive expansion over the past decade, the Toronto-based gold mining firm has not been able to take advantage of its increased production output. Gold prices might have exploded over a ten-year period, yet the recent six-month decline has put a huge strain on Golden Star. The expedited maturation of its mines is particularly troubling, since the accelerated extraction rates, which allowed for short-term profits, are now falling considerably. The impact of the company�� excessive overproduction on profits and growth is clear: decreasing gold reserves mean less production, and thus reduced revenue for the gold miner. When the decline in metal prices are taken into account, the outlook is even more grim.

  In addition to overexpansion at the wrong time, Golden Star�� position has weakened due to its comparably less efficient operations. Unlike industry peers, such as IamGold Corp. (IAG) or Gold Fields Ltd. (GFI), the majority of the Toronto-based miner�� assets contain refractory ore, which is far more expensive to extract than non refractory ore. And, in an attempt to switch production to the lower cost gold ore, and thus increase margins, Golden Star has depleted its mines��non refractory ore. With low reserves and mounting cash costs, the firm inevitably turned to new acquisitions.

  Overpriced Acquisitions and Geopolitical Risk

  The purchase

• [By Rich Duprey]

  Clash of the titans
  When bears are raging on the gold bullion market, it's not surprising to see gold stocks getting mauled as well. Golden Star Resources (NYSEMKT: GSS  ) was the biggest loser in the sector, losing a quarter of its market cap on no company-specific news, though a report last Friday indicated that a large number of hedge funds had recently dumped their positions in the mid-tier miner. Yet it wasn't all that much better among the majors, either, as Barrick Gold (NYSE: ABX  ) fell almost 13% and Kinross Gold (NYSE: KGC  ) was down 14%.

• [By Sean Williams]

  Golden Star Resources (NYSEMKT: GSS  )
  It's simple physics: The bigger they are, the harder they fall. When gold prices nosedived earlier this week, gold miners with historically higher operating costs took the brunt of the hit. For the most part, that meant that development-stage miners, and those operating in Africa, where labor and political costs make cost-effective mining a challenge, took it on the chin. Possibly no stock was hammered more than Golden Star Resources, a gold miner in Ghana, which lost about one-quarter of its value on Monday alone.

Best Gold Stocks To Watch For 2014: Goldcorp Incorporated(GG)

Goldcorp Inc. engages in the acquisition, exploration, development, and operation of precious metal properties in Canada, the United States, Mexico, and Central and South America. It produces and sells gold, silver, copper, lead, and zinc. The company was founded in 1954 and is headquartered in Vancouver, Canada.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Heather Ingrassia]

  On Friday, shares of PepsiCo -- which currently possess a market cap of $122.80 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.71, a forward P/E ratio of 16.78, and a forward yield of 2.86% ($2.27) -- settled at $79.73. As of June 30, 2013, and from a cash and debt perspective, Goldcorp (GG) had a total of $8.14 billion in cash and a total of $29.51 billion in debt on its books. Based on Friday's closing price of $29.92, shares of PepsiCo are trading 2.50% below their 20-day simple moving average, 3.60% below their 50-day simple moving average, and 3.40% above their 200-day simple moving average. These numbers indicate a short and mid-term downtrend and a moderate long-term uptrend for the stock, which generally translates into somewhat of a buying mode for most traders.

Best Gold Stocks To Watch For 2014: First Majestic Silver Corp.(AG)

First Majestic Silver Corp. engages in the production, development, exploration, and acquisition of mineral properties with a focus on silver in Mexico. The company owns interests in La Encantada Silver Mine comprising 4,076 hectares of mining rights and 1,343 hectares of surface land located in Coahuila; La Parrilla Silver Mine consisting of mining concessions covering an area of 69,867 hectares; and San Martin Silver Mine comprising approximately 7,841 hectares of mineral rights and approximately 1,300 hectares of surface land rights located in Jalisco. It also holds interests in Del Toro Silver Mine consisting of 393 contiguous hectares of mining claims and an additional 129 hectares of surface rights located in Zacatecas; Real de Catorce Silver Project comprising 22 mining concessions covering 6,327 hectares located in San Luis Potosi state; and Jalisco Group of Properties consisting of mining claims totalling 5,240 hectares located in Jalisco. The company was founded in 1979 and is headquartered in Vancouver, Canada.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Doug Ehrman]

  It is no secret that precious metals companies have been taking a pounding for some time now. The SPDR Gold Trust (NYSEMKT: GLD  ) and iShares Silver Trust (NYSEMKT: SLV  ) , the gold and silver ETFs, have been hard hit and operating companies like First Majestic (NYSE: AG  ) and Barrick Gold (NYSE: ABX  ) have been hit even harder. Through all of these struggles, and in some cases because of them, one precious metals company continues to look attractive for the long term: Silver Wheaton (NYSE: SLW  ) .

The Top Bank Prospect Isn't One of the Majors (BAC, SBCF, C)

Seacoast Banking Corporation of Florida (NASDAQ:SBCF) is certainly no Citigroup Inc. (NYSE:C) or Bank of America Corp. (NYSE:BAC), but then again, that may be a good thing - both larger banks are still dealing with the headaches of their sheer size. The smaller bank is far more nimble, and better still, appears to be on the verge of doling out a huge reward for shareholders.

Seacoast Banking Corporation of Florida is a (as the name implies) a Florida-based regional banking company. For perspective, the $212 million market cap SBCF boasts is dwarfed by the Citigroup market cap of $152 billion, and the Bank of America market cap of the same... $152 billion. As they say, though, all things are relative - SBCF is still packing a potential punch that C or BAC shares aren't right now.

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There are a couple of reasons and clues this is so, one of which is simply the shape of the chart - SBCF bushed a key support level a couple of weeks ago, and has since pushed up and off that floor on higher volume.

The daily chart of Seacoast Banking Corporation of Florida tells the tale. That key line in the sand that prodded a reversal of a lethargic pullback was the 200-day moving average line (green) in early October. All it took was a touch, and poof - the bulls were running again. In the mean time, we've seen no major setbacks, but we have seen two decided accumulation (high-volume buy-in) days since the brush of the 200-day moving average line. Better still, it looks as if all of the shorter-term moving average lines have started to act as a technical floor for SBCF shares.

That's not even the most technically-compelling aspect of Seacoast Banking Corporation of Florida shares right now. When you take a step back and look at a much longer-term weekly chart, you'll see there's a paradigm shift for the better underway. Click here an appropriately-sized image of said chart. What you'll see is a stock that consolidated for more than a couple of years between $1.10 and $1.95, and over the course of the past ten months or so has wiggled its way out of a sideways range and into a rising/bullish channel. The brewing effect of that consolidation phase has already been put into place, though, and we're due for a lot more upside than the 15% rally we've seen above the upper edge of that range at $1.95. The added upside of getting into SCBF right now is that we've just kissed the lower edge of the new rising trading range; there's a lot of near-term upside potential to get us started on the right foot.

The clincher for all the bullishness is the fact that Seacoast Banking Corporation of Florida is supporting it with legitimate earnings growth. The company is projected to swing to a profit of $0.07 per share this year versus a loss of $0.05 per share last year, and continue at that pace in 2014 when it's expected to earn $0.09 per share. It's only 2 cents per share, but it's a 28% increase. Eat your hearts out Bank of America and Citigroup.

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Rieder: Can rich tech guys save journalism?

At a conference last month, journalist and entrepreneur Steve Waldman had an interesting suggestion for financing nonprofit news sites: How about if winners in the new economy reached for their checkbooks?

Waldman nominated Apple, Google and Verizon. But some new economy winners are already deeply involving themselves in trying to secure journalism's future.

Amazon founder and CEO Jeff Bezos has purchased The Washington Post. And now eBay founder Pierre Omidyar is planning to launch an entirely new news organization starring journalist Glenn Greenwald, of Edward Snowden leak fame.

Since the digital revolution blew up the economic model of traditional newspaper journalism, there has been endless discussion about where the money might come from to foster the public service journalism that's critical in a democracy.

Well, part of the answer seems to be: very rich dudes. And rich digital dudes look like a particularly promising subset. There is no shortage of Silicon Valley luminaries who have become very, very wealthy. And clearly some of them are journalistically inclined.

Omidyar's interest in journalism has been clear for quite some time. He has supported various initiatives through philanthropy and three years ago launched Honolulu Civil Beat, an online, for-profit news outlet that covers Hawaii.

In a post on his Omidyar Group website, Omidyar said that over the summer he, too, had explored the possibility of buying The Washington Post. That was the catalyst for his new venture. It got him thinking about what he could do if he used a similar amount of money not to buy the Post but rather to build something from scratch. (Bezos bought the Post for $250 million.)

And while Greenwald is a high-profile get, Omidyar is not thinking just about investigative reporting. He says the as-yet-unnamed news outlet "will cover general interest news, with a core mission around supporting and empowering independent journalists across many sectors and beats. The team will bui! ld a media platform that elevates and supports these journalists and allows them to pursue the truth in their fields."

Omidyar stresses that the initiative is in its early stages. He says he doesn't know yet "how or when it will be rolled out, or what it will look like."

As the eBay founder explored his plunge into news, he decided to talk to Greenwald to determine what journalists like him "needed to do their jobs well." While Greenwald has been reporting for the British newspaper The Guardian and previously wrote for the website Salon, he is much more an independent operative than a typical staff reporter.

Turned out that Greenwald, his collaborator Laura Poitras and Jeremy Schall of The Nation magazine were also contemplating creating a journalism entity. So it made perfect sense for Omidyar to team up with them.

Greenwald, who calls his new if undefined gig a "once-in-a-career dream journalistic opportunity," is an example of a relatively new digital era phenomenon, the journalist as franchise. In July, ESPN lured statistics whiz Nate Silver away from The New York Times. Silver had won acclaim for his spot-on predictions about the 2012 presidential election on his FiveThirtyEight blog. And speaking of dream jobs, Silver's mission is to put together a team to cover sports, culture, economics and tech, not to mention appear on ABC News in campaign season.

Omidyar told New York University journalism professor Jay Rosen, who writes the PressThink blog, that he and Greenwald haven't even talked about what the celebrity journalist's role will be. They just know they want to do this together.

Omidyar also told Rosen that the enterprise would be digital-only, and that his determination to launch it was intensified by concern over the Obama administration's harsh crackdown on leaks and the revelations of wholesale surveillance by the National Security Agency.

(I contacted Omidyar for an interview, but a spokeswoman told me that he wasn't granting any aside from h! is conver! sation with Rosen, whom he has consulted about the start-up. She referred me to Rosen's and Omidyar's posts.)

So, is this ownership by rich dudes a good thing or a bad thing? Depends on the rich dude. The Omidyar/Greenwald collaboration sounds very exciting. For one thing, $250 million is serious money. You can buy a lot of journalism with that.

Omidyar seems seriously interested in furthering the cause of good journalism. And Greenwald is obviously very smart and very driven. Yes, he has a political agenda, which is always troubling. But he has done an enormous public service with his work on the Snowden revelations about government snooping.

It reminds me of Bob Woodward's defense of using information from anonymous sources. The issue, he says, isn't the type of source, it's the quality of the information.

But the rich dude model certainly has its pitfalls. I started my journalism career at The Philadelphia Inquirer when it was owned by Walter S. Annenberg, later, the U.S. ambassador to the Court of St. James. It was a mediocre-at-best paper that Annenberg used to reward his friends and punish his enemies.

Today, the Inquirer is owned by not just one but by six rich dudes. And the ugly situation there, with bitter infighting pitting owner against owner and publisher against editor, is truly disheartening.

But make no mistake: The Omidyar emergence, along with forays into the newspaper business by Bezos, investor nonpareil Warren Buffett and free-spending Orange County Register owner Aaron Kushner, are very hopeful signs.

Top 10 Growth Companies To Buy For 2014

On Jul 8, 2013, the shares of Discover Financial Services (DFS) reached a new 52-week high of $50.74, driven by the fundamental strength of the company. This Zacks Rank #2 (Buy) company witnessed a positive earnings surprise of 18.75% in the first quarter of 2013.

Discover Financial follows an inorganic route to fortify its growth profile. The company regularly announces acquisitions and alliances to expand its business and boost earnings. So far in 2013, the company inked agreements with Barclaycard Global Payment Acceptance, Japan Credit Bureau, Cadence Bank and Nigeria-based Interswitch Limited to boost card acceptances and transaction volume.

Discover Financial also reduced its fixed rate on student loans to attract more students, thus boosting the income of the Direct Banking segment. The company continues to launch new products tailored to specific customer needs in order to attract new customers.

Further, Discover Financial has implemented several capital bolstering initiatives, including equity and debt offerings, which have helped the company achieve a strong capital base. The healthy capital and cash position facilitates efficient deployment of excess capital.

Top 10 Growth Companies To Buy For 2014: Crocs Inc.(CROX)

Crocs, Inc. and its subsidiaries engage in the design, development, manufacture, marketing, and distribution of footwear, apparel, and accessories for men, women, and children. The company primarily offers casual and athletic shoes, and shoe charms. It also designs and sells a range of footwear and accessories that utilize its proprietary closed cell-resin, called Croslite. The company?s footwear products include boots, sandals, sneakers, mules, and flats. In addition, it provides footwear products for the hospital, restaurant, hotel, and hospitality markets, as well as general foot care and diabetic-needs markets. Further, the company offers leather and ethylene vinyl acetate based footwear, sandals, and printed apparels principally for the beach, adventure, and action sports markets; and accessories comprising snap-on charms. The company sells its products through the United States and international retailers and distributors, as well as directly to end-user consumers th rough its company-operated retail stores, outlets, kiosks, and Web stores primarily under the Crocs Work, Crocs Rx, Jibbitz, Ocean Minded, and YOU by Crocs brand names. As of December 31, 2010, it operated 164 retail kiosks located in malls and other high foot traffic areas; 138 retail stores; 76 outlet stores; and 46 Web stores. Crocs, Inc. operates in the Americas, Europe, and Asia. The company was formerly known as Western Brands, LLC and changed its name to Crocs, Inc. in January 2005. Crocs, Inc. was founded in 1999 and is headquartered in Niwot, Colorado.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Dan Caplinger]

  Stock investors got rewarded again for their risk tolerance Wednesday as major market benchmarks including the S&P 500 and Dow Jones Industrials rose to new all-time record highs. Even amid the generally bullish sentiment, RealD (NYSE: RLD  ) , Crocs (NASDAQ: CROX  ) , and Sina (NASDAQ: SINA  ) stood out because of their impressive gains. Let's look more closely at these stocks to see why they soared today.

• [By Rich Bieglmeier]

  According to Yahoo finance, Crocs, Inc. (CROX) will release its third quarter financial results on Monday, October 21, 2013; however, the company's investor's relations page makes no note of any impending announcements. That being said, CROX normally reports Q3 EPS around October 24th. So, next Thursday-ish instead of Monday is possible.

Top 10 Growth Companies To Buy For 2014: Eastern Insurance Holdings Inc.(EIHI)

Eastern Insurance Holdings, Inc., through its subsidiaries, provides workers compensation insurance and reinsurance products in the United States. The company?s Workers Compensation Insurance segment provides traditional workers compensation insurance coverage products, including guaranteed cost policies, policyholder dividend policies, retrospectively-rated policies, deductible policies, and alternative market products to employers. This segment distributes its workers? compensation products and services through its independent insurance agents primarily in Pennsylvania, Delaware, North Carolina, Maryland, Indiana, and Virginia. Its Segregated Portfolio Cell Reinsurance segment offers alternative market workers compensation solutions comprising program design, fronting, claims administration, risk management, segregated portfolio cell rental, asset management, and segregated portfolio management services to individual companies, groups, and associations. Eastern Insurance Holdings, Inc. is headquartered in Lancaster, Pennsylvania.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Lauren Pollock]

  ProAssurance Corp.(PRA) agreed to acquire Eastern Insurance Holdings Inc.(EIHI) for about $205 million, expanding the insurance company’s casualty insurance offerings. Eastern Insurance is a domestic casualty insurance group specializing in workers’ compensation products and services, among other things. ProAssurance plans to pay $24.50 in cash for each outstanding Eastern share, a 16% premium over Monday’s closing price.

Top 10 Insurance Companies To Own In Right Now: Checkpoint Systms Inc.(CKP)

Checkpoint Systems, Inc. manufactures and markets identification, tracking, security, and merchandising solutions for the retail and apparel industry worldwide. The company operates in three segments: Shrink Management Solutions, Apparel Labeling Solutions, and Retail Merchandising Solutions. The Shrink Management Solutions segment provides shrink management and merchandise visibility solutions. It offers electronic article surveillance systems, such as EVOLVE, a suite of RF and RFID-enabled products that act as a deterrent to prevent merchandise theft in retail stores; and electronic article surveillance consumables, including EAS-RF and EAS-EM labels that work in combination with EAS systems to reduce merchandise theft in retail stores. This segment also provides keepers, spider wraps, bottle security, and hard tags, as well as Showsafe, a line alarm system for protecting display merchandise. In addition, it offers physical and electronic store monitoring solutions, incl uding fire alarms, intrusion alarms, and digital video recording systems for retail environments; and RFID tags and labels. The Apparel Labeling Solutions segment provides apparel labeling solutions to apparel retailers, brand owners, and manufacturers. It has Web-enabled apparel labeling solutions platform and network of 28 service bureaus located in 22 countries that supplies customers with customized apparel tags and labels. The Retail Merchandising Solutions segment offers hand-held label applicators and tags, promotional displays, and queuing systems. The company serves retailers in the supermarket, drug store, hypermarket, and mass merchandiser markets through direct distribution and reseller channels. Checkpoint Systems was founded in 1969 and is based in Thorofare, New Jersey.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By John Udovich]

  Small cap Checkpoint Systems, Inc (NYSE: CKP) fights shoplifting or retail theft and other forms of�"shrink��that costs retailers over $112 billion worldwide last year (according to a study funded by the company), meaning it might be an interesting stock to take a closer look at and to compare its performance with that of SPDR S&P Retail ETF (NYSEARCA: XRT) and PowerShares Dynamic Retail ETF (NYSEARCA: PMR). Just how bad can shoplifting or shrink be for a retailer? Troubled retailer J.C. Penney Company, Inc (NYSE: JCP) has just reported that shoplifting took a full percentage point off the department store chain's profit margins during the quarter. Moreover and given that tens of millions of Americans are now facing higher health insurance costs thanks to Obamacare (which will likely impact consumer discretionary spending),�retailers�will need to find ways to shore up their margins and bottom lines by preventing�retail theft with solutions from company�� like Checkpoint Systems.

• [By Rich Smith]

  Three months after settling upon a new chief executive officer, it looks like Thorofare, N. J.-based Checkpoint Systems (NYSE: CKP  ) will soon have itself a new CFO as well.

Top 10 Growth Companies To Buy For 2014: Sara Lee Corporation(SLE)

Sara Lee Corporation engages in the manufacture and marketing of a range of branded packaged meat, bakery, and beverage products worldwide. Its packaged meat products include hot dogs and corn dogs, breakfast sausages, sandwiches and bowls, smoked and dinner sausages, premium deli and luncheon meats, bacon, beef, turkey, and cooked ham. It also offers frozen baked products, which comprise frozen pies, cakes, cheesecakes, pastries, and other desserts. In addition, Sara Lee provides roast, ground, and liquid coffee; cappuccinos; lattes; and hot and iced teas, as well as refrigerated dough products. The company sells its products under Hillshire Farm, Ball Park, Jimmy Dean, Sara Lee, State Fair, Douwe Egberts, Senseo, Maison du Caf

Top 10 Growth Companies To Buy For 2014: TrueBlue Inc.(TBI)

TrueBlue, Inc. provides temporary blue-collar staffing services in the United States. It supplies on demand general labor to various industries under the Labor Ready brand; skilled labor to manufacturing and logistics industries under the Spartan Staffing brand; and trades people for commercial, industrial, and residential construction, and building and plant maintenance industries under the CLP Resources brand. The company also provides mechanics and technicians to the aviation maintenance, repair and overhaul, aerospace manufacturing, and assembly industries, as well as to other transportation industries under the Plane Techs brand; and temporary drivers to the transportation and distribution industries under the Centerline brand. It primarily serves small and medium-size businesses. The company was formerly known as Labor Ready, Inc. and changed its name to TrueBlue, Inc. in December 2007. TrueBlue, Inc. was founded in 1985 and is headquartered in Tacoma, Washington.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Jonathan Yates]

  When looking at small cap stocks, it is useful to compare the company with others that have expanded in both share price and size. For those considering investing in the $100 billion staffing industry, the growth of TrueBlue (NYSE: TBI) shows what could be the potential path for Labor SMART (OTCBB: LTNC), as both operate in the $29 billion demand labor sector. Other firms have done well in the staffing industry include Paychex (NASDAQ: PAYX) and ManPower Group (NYSE: MAN).

Top 10 Growth Companies To Buy For 2014: Nordstrom Inc.(JWN)

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

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Laura Brodbeck]

  Thursday

  Earnings Expected From: Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ: AMAT), CGI Group, Inc. (NYSE: GIB), Kohl�� Corporation (NYSE: KSS), Nordstrom, Inc, (NYSE: JWN), Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. (NYSE: WMT) Economic Releases Expected: French GDP, German GDP, Italian GDP, British retails sales, eurozone GDP, Greek unemployment rate

  Friday

• [By Jonas Elmerraji]

  First up is department store retailer Nordstrom (JWN). By and large, Nordstrom has failed to live up to the broad market's impressive rally this year. While the S&P is up more than 25% since the calendar flipped over to January, Nordstrom has only managed to make half that. But if the price action holds, JWN could be in store for a big move higher.

  Nordstrom is currently forming a cup-and-handle pattern, a classic bullish price setup that's formed by a cup-shaped rounding bottom and a short-duration channel down. So even though JWN has been trending lower for the last two months, the longer-term prognosis is higher ground. The buy signal comes on a move through the pattern's price ceiling at $63.

  The 50-day moving average has been a pretty good proxy for support in the past, so this week's test of that level could be the start of the move back up to $63 resistance. After the breakout, it's also the level when I'd recommend keeping a protective stop.

• [By Mani]

  [Related -Nordstrom, Inc. (JWN): Fundamental Stock Research Analysis]

  Nordstrom EPS results have managed to top the street's view twice in the preceding four quarters while missing in the remaining two periods. Analysts have become bearish on earnings prospects of Nordstrom as the consensus estimate dropped by 8 cents (11 percent) in the past three months. However, one analyst raised the profit estimate in the last month.

Top 10 Growth Companies To Buy For 2014: CNO Financial Group Inc. (CNO)

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

Advisors' Opinion:

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

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

• [By Vanin Aegea]

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

• [By Jonas Elmerraji]

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

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

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

  Whenever you're looking at any technical price pattern, it's critical to think in terms of those buyers and sellers. Ascending triangles and other pattern names are a good quick way to explain what's going on in a stock, but they're not the reason it's tradable. Instead, it all comes down to supply and demand for shares.

  That $7.50 resistance level is a price where there has been an excess of supply of shares; in other words, it's a place where sellers have been more eager to step in and take gains than buyers have been to buy. That's what makes a breakout above it so significant. The move means that buyers are finally strong enough to absorb all of the excess supply above that price level.

  Don't be early on this trade.

Top 10 Growth Companies To Buy For 2014: Buffalo Wild Wings Inc.(BWLD)

Buffalo Wild Wings, Inc. engages in the ownership, operation, and franchise of restaurants in the United States. The company provides quick casual and casual dining services, as well as serves bottled beers, wines, and liquor. As of July 26, 2011, it had 773 Buffalo Wild Wings locations in 45 states in the United States, as well as in Canada. The company was founded in 1982 and is headquartered in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Anh HOANG]

  PepsiCo (NYSE: PEP  ) and Coca-Cola (NYSE: KO  ) have been in a cola war for many years. While PepsiCo targets younger generations of soda drinkers, Coca-Cola's tends to control the older demographics. Coca-Cola has always stayed ahead in the soft drink battle, and it now has more than 40% market share in the carbonated soft drink market. PepsiCo ranks second with only 28% market share. However, PepsiCo has fought�back aggressively, especially in the restaurant chain market. For instance, PepsiCo has recently�replaced Coca-Cola as the beverage supplier of fast-growing restaurant chain�Buffalo Wild Wings (NASDAQ: BWLD  ) .

• [By AnnaLisa Kraft]

  A chicken-wing upstart
  But with success comes competition.�McDonald's (NYSE: MCD  ) is debuting its own Mighty Wings nationally, chicken wings seasoned similarly to Popeye's New Orleans style with cayenne and chili pepper. The huge quantity of wings that McDonald's will need likely driving up prices from $1.44 a pound most recently will of course, affect the entire space including Yum! Brands, AFCE, and chicken focused Buffalo Wild Wings (NASDAQ: BWLD  ) ��

• [By Steve Symington]

  Buffalo Wild Wings (NASDAQ: BWLD  ) investors sure hope so, because Monday marked the official debut of the company's new "Game Changer Ale,"�which was created with the help of the folks at Redhook Brewery.

Top 10 Growth Companies To Buy For 2014: MEDIFAST INC(MED)

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

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Jon C. Ogg]

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

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

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

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

  Boston Beer Inc. (SAM)

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

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

  Alliances Resources Partners (ARLP)

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

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

  Factset Research Systems Inc. (FDS)

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

• [By Robert Hanley]

  Consumer-goods marketer Blyth (NYSE: BTH  ) , owner of weight-loss upstart ViSalus, has been in the doghouse lately, sitting near a 52-week low due to poor results in its weight-loss unit.� Despite a large potential customer base of overweight people worldwide, the industry has had difficulty generating growth lately, with data provider Marketdata Enterprises estimating that industry sales rose only 1.7% in 2012.� However, Blyth caught a bid in late October from a proposed combination with marketing-services provider CVSL, indicating that some people see incremental value in Blyth's businesses.�So, should small investors bet on this small cap or should they focus their attention on Weight watchers International (NYSE: WTW  ) and Medifast (NYSE: MED  ) instead?

Top 10 Growth Companies To Buy For 2014: Intuitive Surgical Inc.(ISRG)

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

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Keith Speights]

  Down on da Vinci
  Long a health-care technology darling, the market doesn't feel the love so much these days for Intuitive Surgical (NASDAQ: ISRG  ) . Shares fell 15% this week after the company announced disappointing preliminary second quarter numbers.

5 Stocks Rising on Unusual Volume

DELAFIELD, Wis. (Stockpickr) -- Professional traders running mutual funds and hedge funds don't just look at a stock's price moves; they also track big changes in volume activity. Often when above-average volume moves into an equity, it precedes a large spike in volatility.

>>5 Stocks Insiders Love Right Now

Major moves in volume can signal unusual activity, such as insider buying or selling -- or buying or selling by "superinvestors."

Unusual volume can also be a major signal that hedge funds and momentum traders are piling into a stock ahead of a catalyst. These types of traders like to get in well before a large spike, so it's always a smart move to monitor unusual volume. That said, remember to combine trend and price action with unusual volume. Put them all together to help you decipher the next big trend for any stock. >>5 Stocks Set to Soar on Bullish Earnings With that in mind, let's take a look at several stocks rising on unusual volume today. Shenandoah Telecommunications Shenandoah Telecommunications (SHEN), with its subsidiaries, provides integrated voice, video and data communications services to end-user customers and other communications providers. This stock closed up 3.9% at $19.81 in Wednesday's trading session. Wednesday's Volume: 245,000 Three-Month Average Volume: 64,788 Volume % Change: 300% >>5 Stocks Under $10 Set to Soar From a technical perspective, SHEN jumped higher here right off its 50-day moving average of $18.97 with strong upside volume. This stock has been uptrending strong for the last month, with shares moving higher from its low of $17.06 to its intraday high of $19.85. During that move, shares of SHEN have been consistently making higher lows and higher highs, which is bullish technical price action. That move is starting to push shares of SHEN within range of triggering a near-term breakout trade. That trade will hit if SHEN manages to take out some near-term overhead resistance levels at $20.26 to its 52-week high at $21 with high volume. Traders should now look for long-biased trades in SHEN as long as it's trending above its 50-day at $18.97 or above more support at $18.50 and then once it sustains a move or close above those breakout levels with volume that hits near or above 64,788 shares. If that breakout hits soon, then SHEN will set up to enter new 52-week-high territory, which is bullish technical price action. Some possible upside targets off that move are $24 to $25.

AMC Network

AMC Network (AMCX) owns and operates several popular and award-winning brands in cable television, including AMC, IFC, Sundance Channel, WE tv and IFC Films. This stock closed up 1.3% at $66.41 in Wednesday's trading session.

Wednesday's Volume: 814,000 Three-Month Average Volume: 445,048 Volume % Change: 120%

>>5 Stocks Ready for Breakouts From a technical perspective, AMCX trended modestly higher here back above its 50-day moving average of $66.06 with above-average volume. This stock recently pulled back sharply from its August high of $72.46 to its recent low of $61.05. Shares of AMCX found some buying interest right above its 200-day, and the stock has now rebounded sharply back above its 50-day. That move is now pushing shares of AMCX within range of triggering a near-term breakout trade. That trade will hit if AMCX manages to take out some near-term overhead resistance at Wednesday's high of $67.25 to more resistance at $68.41 with high volume. Traders should now look for long-biased trades in AMCX as long as it's trending above $65 or $64.50 and then once it sustains a move or close above those breakout levels with volume that hits near or above 445,048 shares. If that breakout hits soon, then AMCX will set up to re-test or possibly take out its 52-weeek high at $72.46. Alamos Gold Alamos Gold (AGI), a gold mining company, engages in the development, exploration, mining, and extraction of precious metals, primarily gold in Mexico and Turkey. This stock closed up 7.7% at $16.89 in Wednesday's trading session. Wednesday's Volume: 517,000 Three-Month Average Volume: 90,013 Volume % Change: 571% >>5 Rocket Stocks to Buy as Mr. Market Climbs From a technical perspective, AGI spiked sharply higher here right off its 50-day moving average of $15.13 with heavy upside volume. This marked the third day in a row that shares of AGI have seen strong upside volume flows. Shares of AGI are now quickly moving within range of triggering a major breakout trade. That trade will hit if AGI manage to take out Wednesday's high of $17 to $17.04 with high volume. Traders should now look for long-biased trades in AGI as long as it's trending above its 50-day at $15.13 or above its 200-day at $14.50, and then once it sustains a move or close above those breakout levels with volume that's near or above 90,013 shares. If that breakout hits soon, then AGI will set up to re-test or possibly take out its next major overhead resistance levels at $19.79 to $20.61.

Xcel Energy

Xcel Energy (XEL) is engaged in the generation, purchase, transmission, distribution and sale of electricity and in the purchase, transportation, distribution and sale of natural gas. This stock closed up 3.1% at $27.94 in Wednesday's trading session.

Wednesday's Volume: 9.37 million Three-Month Average Volume: 3.45 million Volume % Change: 305%

>>5 Hated Earnings Stocks You Should Love From a technical perspective, XEL bounced notably higher here right above some previous support at $26.86 with monster upside volume. This move pushed shares of XEL into breakout territory, since the stock took out some near-term overhead resistance levels at $27.87 to $27.81. Shares of XEL are now trending within range of triggering another big breakout trade. That trade will hit if XEL manages to take out both its 200-day moving average at $28.15 and its 50-day moving average of $28.46 with high volume. Traders should now look for long-biased trades in XEL as long as it's trending above some key near-term support at $26.86 and then once it sustains a move or close above those breakout levels with volume that's near or above 3.45 million shares. If that breakout hits soon, then XEL will set up to re-test or possibly take out its next major overhead resistance levels at $29.75 to $30. AngloGold Ashanti AngloGold Ashanti (AU), a gold exploration, mining and marketing company, holds a portfolio of operations and projects on four continents. This stock closed up 8.9% at $14.30 in Wednesday's trading session. Wednesday's Volume: 10.26 million Three-Month Average Volume: 4.11 million Volume % Change: 325% >>5 Stocks Under $10 in Breakout Territory From a technical perspective, AU exploded higher here back above its 50-day moving average of $13.41 with monster upside volume. This stock recently formed a double bottom chart pattern at $12.69 to $12.50. Following that bottom, shares of AU have started to rebound sharply higher and move within range of triggering a big breakout trade. That trade will hit if AU manages to take out some near-term overhead resistance levels at $14.95 to $15.23 with high volume. Traders should now look for long-biased trades in AU as long as it's trending above its 50-day at $13.41 or above more support at $12.50 and then once it sustains a move or close above those breakout levels with volume that's near or above 4.11 million shares. If that breakout hits soon, then AU will set up to re-test or possibly take out its next major overhead resistance levels at $17 to $18, or even $19.

To see more stocks rising on unusual volume, check out the Stocks Rising on Unusual Volume portfolio on Stockpickr.

-- Written by Roberto Pedone in Delafield, Wis.

RELATED LINKS: >>5 Stocks Under $10 Making Big Moves >>Why Wall Street Got Apple Wrong >>5 Breakout Trades to Take

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.

Fidelity Tests Google Glass App

Fidelity announced Monday that it had launched a preview of an app for use with Google Glass. Fidelity is participating with Google for early access to Glass.

Google Glass is a lens-less device worn like eyeglasses — modeled at left by Google co-founder Sergey Brin — that responds to voice commands. The project is still in development and is being tested by users who applied to be part of the Google Glass Explorer program.

Fidelity Labs, which is part of Fidelity’s Center for Applied Technology, created the app — or “glassware” — to provide hands-free access to end-of-day quotes from four U.S. stock indexes: Dow Jones Industrial Average, S&P 500, NASDAQ Composite and Russell 2000.

“Advisors need to be alerted to changes in the market throughout the day,” Hadley Stern, vice president of Fidelity Labs, told ThinkAdvisor on Wednesday. “When active traders are away from their desk, they feel like they may be missing something.” He noted that for a lot of people a smartphone does that job, but “wearable technology may be more convenient.”

Stern referred to research that estimates people look at their smartphones about 200 times a day. “About 100 of those could probably be replaced by wearable technology,” he said.

Because Glass is still in an experimental phase and only available to a limited number of users, Fidelity’s app, Market Monitor for Glass, can only be previewed by current Glass users. Stern said that they have no schedule for an official launch considering Google has yet to make Glass widely available.

A video is available at FidelityLabs.com that shows an example of what the user experience is like.  

FRT Welcomes WFM at Pleasant Shops - Analyst Blog

Federal Realty Investment Trust (FRT) welcomed the world's leading supplier of natural and organic foods – Whole Foods Market, Inc. (WFM) – at its Mass.-based retail property, Pleasant Shops. The move depicts Federal Realty's focus on enhancing its tenant base and consequently, the value of the property.

Whole Foods, which opened its 23rd store in Massachusetts, occupies 40,000 square feet of space at Pleasant Shops. Notably, Whole Foods is currently among the top tenants at Pleasant Shops, in terms of space occupied. This new store opened on Jul 10, 2013.

Pleasant Shops, spanning 129,000 square feet, is situated at the intersection of Rt. 18 and Pleasant Valley Pkwy in Norfolk County, Weymouth. The property enjoys a footfall of 53,376 people residing nearby (in a 3-mile radius) whose average household income stands at $86,918.

The center was acquired by Federal Realty in 2004 in a joint venture with a client advised by Clarion Partners. Pleasant Shops is already anchored by over 15 well-known tenants such as Starbucks Corporation (SBUX), CVS Caremark Corporation and Marshalls, a subsidiary of The TJX Companies, Inc. (TJX).

Notably, Federal Realty has a strong tenant base with most of its top tenants being grocery stores and low-end discount retailers that fare comparatively better than the luxury segment, as consumers have become more price conscious post recession. Consequently, the company enjoys a stable source of rental revenue. Therefore, we view this deal with this high-end grocer – Whole Foods – to be a strategic fit for Federal Realty.

The company is scheduled to report second-quarter 2013 results on Aug 1, after the closing bell. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for second-quarter 2013 FFO is pegged at $1.12 per share. Federal Realty has an Earnings ESP (Read: Zacks Earnings ESP: A Better Method) of negative 0.89% and a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold). Thus, we are not so confident of a positive earnings surprise.

10 healthiest housing markets in America

The aftermath of the housing bubble will likely be debated for years to come. Many analysts say the realestate market is on a path to recovery, but some are waiting for the house of cards to collapse once again, when the Federal Reserve steps back from the table. One thing is certain: Some housing markets in the country are currently stronger than others.

A new housing gauge called the Zillow Market Health Index aims to illustrate the current health of a region's housing market relative to other markets across the nation. The index combines 10 measures capturing home value movements, the time homes stay on the market, and the financial health of homeowners. It assigns a value for each region ranging from 0 to 10. For example, if a metro area has a value of 8 on the Market Health Index, the metro is healthier than 80% of all metro areas covered by Zillow in the United States.

While the index can help determine which metros are witnessing strength, it's important to note that rapid appreciation in home values could cause significant housing affordability issues in the longer term. There's also no telling how long before today's winners turn into tomorrow's losers. This was seen during the housing bubble, when the hottest markets quickly turned into the worst. With that said, let's take a look at the 10 healthiest housing markets in the United States.

5 Best Casino Stocks To Invest In Right Now

1. San Jose, California

Market Health Index: 9.04
Share of Homes Sold for Gain: 86%
Mortgages in Negative Equity: 7.6%
Days on Market: 45

2. San Francisco, California

Market Health Index: 8.85
Share of Homes Sold for Gain: 86%
Mortgages in Negative Equity: 12.4%
Days on Market: 47

3. Los Angeles, California

Market Health Index: 8.64
Share of Homes Sold for Gain: 86%
Mortgages in Negative Equity: 13.2%
Days on Market: 65

4. San Diego, Cal! ifornia

Market Health Index: 8.41
Share of Homes Sold for Gain: 81%
Mortgages in Negative Equity: 14.7%
Days on Market: 61

5. Denver, Colorado

Market Health Index: 8.1
Share of Homes Sold for Gain: 86%
Mortgages in Negative Equity: 11.9%
Days on Market: 62

6. Boston, Massachusetts

Market Health Index: 7.43
Share of Homes Sold for Gain: 57%
Mortgages in Negative Equity: 12%
Days on Market: 83

7. Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

Market Health Index: 7.37
Share of Homes Sold for Gain: 87%
Mortgages in Negative Equity: 12.1%
Days on Market: 103

8. Portland, Oregon

Market Health Index: 6.49
Share of Homes Sold for Gain: 80%
Mortgages in Negative Equity: 16.9%
Days on Market: 66

9. New York, New York

Market Health Index: 6.01
Share of Homes Sold for Gain: 79%
Mortgages in Negative Equity: 17.3%
Days on Market: 146

10. Sacramento, California

Market Health Index: 5.99
Share of Homes Sold for Gain: 79%
Mortgages in Negative Equity: 23.4%
Days on Market: 64

MORE: Will your retirement savings afford basic living expenses?

MORE: Will these 4 housing market predictions come true?

MORE: 5 reasonable economic predictions for 2014

Wall St. Cheat Sheet is a USA TODAY content partner offering financial news and commetary. Its content is produced independently of USA TODAY.

Should GM Kill the Chevy Volt?

Chevrolet Volt. Photo credit: General Motors Co.

Few cars have taken more flak from media critics in recent years than General Motors' (NYSE: GM  ) innovative green car, the Chevrolet Volt.

Of course, few of those critics are auto reviewers. Those reviewers, like most folks who try a Chevy Volt, tend to like the car. It's a great product, one of GM's best -- and believe it or not, GM's best are now as good as anybody's. It's comfortable, well made, and does what GM says it will.

I've talked to plenty of Volt owners, and every single one sings the car's praises. That's apparently typical: The Volt is tops among compact cars in J.D. Power's APEAL customer-satisfaction survey.

In fact, the Volt has delivered on every one of GM's major goals for it. Every goal, that is, except one: the sales goal.

And that's where the problems start.

Is the Volt really a big money-loser for GM?
Nobody disputes that the Volt hasn't met the ambitious sales goals announced for it in more optimistic days. It didn't come close to the company's target of 45,000 U.S. sales last year, and it isn't doing much better in 2013.

In fact, Tesla Motors' (NASDAQ: TSLA  ) expensive electric sedan, the Model S, appears to have outsold the Volt in the first quarter, at least in North America.

That's more ammo for partisan critics who contend that the Volt is a money-losing boondoggle that is somehow subsidized by taxpayers (never mind that -- officially speaking, at least -- GM paid off its bailout ages ago) and should be killed off.

What's holding up sales isn't the car, it's the price: With a list price of nearly $40,000, the Volt is expensive for a compact Chevy, even a high-tech one. The sticker shock turns off a lot of potential buyers before they can hear the case for the car.

But is it really a money-loser for GM?

Why the "GM loses X dollars for every Volt sold" argument is flawed
No automaker, including GM, will tell you how much it's making (or not making) on any specific vehicle line. Critics doing flawed back-of-the-envelope calculations have contended that GM must be losing tens of thousands of dollars on every Volt sold.

But retired GM product chief Bob Lutz, who drove the Volt's development, has argued persuasively that the Volt is probably priced appropriately to cover its incremental costs.

In other words, each Volt sold probably pays for itself in terms of the parts and labor that went into that particular car. It probably also contributes a little toward paying down the big investment ($750 million, give or take) that GM made upfront to develop the model.

That's how the car business works.

So the real question isn't "How much is GM losing on every Volt?" The real question is whether GM will sell enough Volts over time to pay back GM's upfront investment in the Volt's technology with a profit. (It almost certainly hasn't so far.)

That makes the suggestion that GM should kill the Volt right now kind of a dumb one. GM absolutely shouldn't kill the Volt.

At least not yet.

Every Volt sold probably reduces GM's loss
Even if Volt sales don't pick up, the program's numbers will look better and better as more GM models incorporate the technology that was developed for the Volt. GM already sells a Volt sibling in Europe, the Opel Ampera. And the Cadillac ELR, a luxury coupe that uses the Volt's technology, is set to make its debut early next year.

Any sales of those models represent additional payback on GM's initial investment in developing the Volt's technology. And as Lutz argues, the knowledge (and green cred) GM gains from the Volt program has a value in and of itself.

So whether the Volt program ultimately turns a profit or not, it's really not a financial boondoggle for GM (or for taxpayers). There's no good argument for killing the program now: Most of the money has been spent, and every additional sale narrows the loss.

But should there be another Volt?
Here's the thing: The Volt's technology is unique. To oversimplify a bit, it's an electric car with an onboard gas-powered generator -- an arrangement no other automaker uses. It's innovative and works well in practice, but it was expensive to develop.

But functionally, the Volt is a plug-in hybrid: You charge it up at home, and then you can drive a moderate distance (38 miles on the latest Volt, says GM) on the battery before the gas engine kicks in.

If you have a short commute, you might only buy gas a few times a year. But for longer drives, you'll need to fill up more often -- just as you would with the plug-in versions of Toyota's (NYSE: TM  ) Prius or Ford's (NYSE: F  ) Fusion hybrids.

And that raises this question: Should GM push forward with this unconventional technology?

The truth is, GM is already pushing forward. GM CEO Dan Akerson said this week that he expects the next Volt to be significantly less expensive (and to be profitable), which suggests that its development is already well under way.

But in terms of technology, is this really the right direction for GM to be going in? Does it really offer advantages over conventional plug-in hybrids that are worth its cost?

I don't know the answer to that question, at least not yet. But I'd like to hear GM address it.

Invest in GM? Seriously?
Few companies lead to such strong feelings as General Motors. But ignoring emotions to make good investing decisions is hard. The Fool's premium GM research service can help, by telling you the truth about GM's growth potential in coming years. (Hint: It's bigger than you might think. But it's not a sure thing, and we'll help you understand why.) It might help give you the courage to be greedy while others are still fearful, as well as a better understanding of the real risks facing General Motors. Just click here to get started now.

Stocks Going Ex-Dividend on Wednesday, December 18 (LVS, TIF, AEO, More)

Ex-dividend dates are very important to dividend investors, since you must purchase a stock prior to its ex-dividend date in order to receive its upcoming dividend payout. For more information, check out Everything Investors Need to Know About Ex-Dividend Dates.

Below are seven big stocks going ex-dividend on Wednesday, December 18.

Las Vegas Sands Corp.
Casino resort operator Las Vegas Sands Corp. (LVS) offers a dividend yield of 1.81% based on Monday’s closing price of $77.38 and the company’s quarterly dividend payout of 35 cents per share. The stock has gained 67% year-to-date. Dividend.com currently rates LVS as a “Neutral” with a Dividend.com DARS™ rating of 3.4 out of 5 stars.

Advance Auto Parts, Inc.
Auto parts retailer Advance Auto Parts, Inc. (AAP) offers a dividend yield of 0.22% based on Monday’s closing price of $109.27 and the company’s quarterly dividend payout of 6 cents per share. The stock has gained 51% year-to-date. Dividend.com currently rates AAP as a “Neutral” with a Dividend.com DARS™ rating of 3.4 out of 5 stars.

Tiffany & Co.
Jewelry maker Tiffany & Co. (TIF

Top 5 Value Stocks For 2014

German car manufacturers such as Volkswagen AG (VLKAY) and Daimler AG (DDAIF) have a great reputation in the global auto industry. As the U.S. economy recovers and China experiences great demand for imported vehicles, both these firms anticipate huge benefits. However, while Daimler is on a straight path to success, Volkswagen has been struggling as of late.

Sluggish Sales in Europe and North America

Volkswagen has been disputing the position of largest car manufacturer with General Motors Co. (GM) and Toyota Motors (TM) for years. Its global strategy has delivered great results over the years, especially due to its manufacturing system, which enables great cost savings. However, the third quarter of 2013 saw revenue drop 6.4% in one of its most important markets, the U.S., with unit volume decreasing by 13.5%. The company�� Volkswagen brand was especially weak, with sales dropping by 30%.

The relative strength of the euro versus the U.S. dollar has been troublesome for Volkswagen, shrinking revenue even further. The decline in sales, which extends to Latin America, might be temporary. With free cash flow taking on negative values, and debt levels rising, the company could be facing a difficult start to 2014.

Top 5 Value Stocks For 2014: Schlumberger N.V.(SLB)

Schlumberger Limited, together with its subsidiaries, supplies technology, integrated project management, and information solutions to the oil and gas exploration and production industries worldwide. The company?s Oilfield Services segment provides exploration and production services; wireline technology that offers open-hole and cased-hole services; supplies engineering support, directional-drilling, measurement-while-drilling, and logging-while-drilling services; and testing services. This segment also offers well services; supplies well completion services and equipment; artificial lift; data and consulting services; geo services; and information solutions, such as consulting, software, information management system, and IT infrastructure services that support oil and gas industry. Its WesternGeco segment provides reservoir imaging, monitoring, and development services; and operates data processing centers and multiclient seismic library. This segment also offers variou s services include 3D and time-lapse (4D) seismic surveys to multi-component surveys for delineating prospects and reservoir management. The company?s M-I SWACO segment supplies drilling fluid systems to improve drilling performance; fluid systems and specialty tools to optimize wellbore productivity; production technology solutions to maximize production rates; and environmental solutions that manages waste volumes generated in drilling and production operations. Its Smith Oilfield segment designs, manufactures, and markets drill bits and borehole enlargement tools; and supplies drilling tools and services, tubular, completion services, and other related downhole solutions. The company?s Distribution segment markets pipes, valves, and fittings, as well as mill, safety, and other maintenance products. This segment also provides warehouse management, vendor integration, and inventory management services. Schlumberger Limited was founded in 1927 and is based in Houston, Texas.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Teresa Rivas]

  As for companies with the most upside, Marathon Petroleum (MPC) tops the list, with 63.6%, followed by Autodesk (ADSK), Ventas (VTR), salesforce.com (CRM) and American Tower (AMT). Outside the top five, the list also includes big names like Schlumberger (SLB), Halliburton (HAL), Expedia (EXPE) and General Motors (GM).

• [By WALLSTCHEATSHEET.COM]

  Schlumberger is best of breed in its industry, but the industry�� potential might not be as strong as advertised. There is a theory that decreasing energy prices will lead to increased demand, but that�� like saying someone flushed the toilet and then went to the bathroom. The truth is that global demand is on shaky ground, and if it falters, it will lead to a chain reaction that won�� benefit Schlumberger. In a somewhat related matter of importance, Schlumberger�� stock was hit hard during the financial crisis. The fact that it was deemed the financial crisis isn�� important in this case. What�� important is that it was a deflationary environment and Schlumberger couldn�� maintain its strength in that�environment. If the Federal Reserve removed all monetary stimulus, would a deflationary environment present itself once again? Nobody knows for sure, but it�� a possibility. In the meantime, potential rewards outweigh downside risks for Schlumberger. Therefore, Schlumberger is an OUTPERFORM.

• [By Matt DiLallo]

  Along with announcing earnings, both Halliburton (NYSE: HAL  ) and Schlumberger (NYSE: SLB  ) announced multi-billion-dollar stock buybacks. With so much money on the line, investors have to ask if this is the right move for these two oil-field service giants. Are these stocks cheap enough to warrant the buybacks or should these companies consider other options for those funds?

• [By Taylor Muckerman and Joel South]

  Gulf of Mexico delivering boatloads of profit
  Already, several companies have spoken glowingly about activity levels in the Gulf of Mexico. Not just drillers like Noble Corp (NYSE: NE  ) �but also equipment and service companies like Halliburton (NYSE: HAL  ) and Schlumberger (NYSE: SLB  ) . What we are seeing here is a steady increase in both dayrates and utilization rates, which are both�very�positive signs for drillship operators.

Top 5 Value Stocks For 2014: Tupperware Corporation(TUP)

Tupperware Brands Corporation operates as a direct seller of various products across a range of brands and categories through an independent sales force. The company engages in the manufacture and sale of kitchen and home products, and beauty and personal care products. It offers preparation, storage, and serving solutions for the kitchen and home, as well as kitchen cookware and tools, children?s educational toys, microwave products, and gifts under the Tupperware brand name primarily in Europe, Africa, the Middle East, the Asia Pacific, and North America. The company provides beauty and personal care products, which include skin care products, cosmetics, bath and body care, toiletries, fragrances, nutritional products, apparel, and related products principally in Mexico, South Africa, the Philippines, Australia, and Uruguay. It offers beauty and personal care products under the Armand Dupree, Avroy Shlain, BeautiControl, Fuller, NaturCare, Nutrimetics, Nuvo, and Swissgar de brand names. The company sells its Tupperware products directly to distributors, directors, managers, and dealers; and beauty products primarily through consultants and directors. As of December 26, 2009, the Tupperware distribution system had approximately 1,800 distributors, 61,300 managers, and 1.3 million dealers; and the sales force representing the Beauty businesses approximately 1.1 million. The company was formerly known as Tupperware Corporation and changed its name to Tupperware Brands Corporation in December 2005. The company was founded in 1996 and is headquartered in Orlando, Florida.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Dan Caplinger]

  Where growth will come from
  One area that Newell Rubbermaid still has to tap fully is emerging markets. The company has done a good job of expanding overseas, with 17% annual growth in Latin America. But with barely a quarter of its sales coming from outside the U.S. and Canada, the company has a lot further to go. Storage rival Tupperware (NYSE: TUP  ) gets fully 60% of its total revenue from emerging markets, and it too has seen impressive gains in South America as well as the Asia-Pacific region.

• [By Monica Gerson]

  Tupperware Brands (NYSE: TUP) is expected to report its Q3 earnings at $1.03 per share on revenue of $623.34 million.

  Varian Medical Systems (NYSE: VAR) is projected to post its Q4 earnings at $1.12 per share on revenue of $779.02 million.

• [By Arie Goren]

  After running this screen on May 21, 2013, before the markets' open, I discovered the following eight stocks: Sunoco Logistics Partners LP (SXL), Leggett & Platt Inc (LEG), Copa Holdings SA (CPA), RPC Inc. (RES), Tupperware Brands Corp. (TUP), Herbalife Ltd. (HLF), John Wiley & Sons Inc. (JW.A) and C.H. Robinson Worldwide Inc. (CHRW).

10 Best High Tech Stocks To Watch For 2014: Caterpillar Inc.(CAT)

Caterpillar Inc. manufactures and sells construction and mining equipment, diesel and natural gas engines, industrial gas turbines, and diesel-electric locomotives worldwide. It operates through three lines of businesses: Machinery, Engines, and Financial Products. The Machinery business offers construction, mining, and forestry machinery, including track and wheel tractors, track and wheel loaders, pipelayers, motor graders, wheel tractor-scrapers, track and wheel excavators, backhoe loaders, log skidders, log loaders, off-highway trucks, articulated trucks, paving products, skid steer loaders, underground mining equipment, tunnel boring equipment, and related parts. It also manufactures diesel-electric locomotives; and manufactures and services rail-related products and logistics services for other companies. The Engines business provides diesel, heavy fuel, and natural gas reciprocating engines for Caterpillar machinery, electric power generation systems, marine, petrol eum, construction, industrial, agricultural, and other applications. It offers industrial turbines and turbine-related services for oil and gas, and power generation applications. This business also remanufactures Caterpillar engines, machines, and engine components; and offers remanufacturing services for other companies. The Financial Products business provides retail and wholesale financing alternatives for Caterpillar machinery and engines, solar gas turbines, and other equipment and marine vessels, as well as offers loans and various forms of insurance to customers and dealers. It also offers financing for vehicles, power generation facilities, and marine vessels. The company markets its products directly, as well as through its distribution centers, dealers, and distributors. It was formerly known as Caterpillar Tractor Co. and changed its name to Caterpillar Inc. in 1986. Caterpillar Inc. was founded in 1925 and is headquartered in Peoria, Illinois.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Dan Caplinger]

  Moreover, Manitowoc has managed to maintain a healthy backlog of orders that show the company's potential to sustain its long-term growth. With $776 million of outstanding crane orders as of March, the backlog represents about four months' worth of revenue for the segment, roughly in line with what industry giant Caterpillar's (NYSE: CAT  ) $20.4 billion in order backlog equates to as a proportion of its much larger total revenue. Yet Manitowoc hasn't seen Caterpillar's substantial contraction in sales recently, pointing to the crane-maker's greater resiliency.

• [By Dan Caplinger]

  Among Dow stocks, the obvious victim of gold's decline is Caterpillar (NYSE: CAT  ) , which has dropped 2.7%. The maker of construction and mining equipment will suffer both from slowing growth in China, one of its primary markets, and from reduced mining activity among gold producers that will suddenly find their operations much less profitable than they were before the plunge in precious metals.

• [By Dan Carroll]

  Earnings season has hit the Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJINDICES: ^DJI  ) with a pair of misses today, as both AT&T (NYSE: T  ) and Caterpillar (NYSE: CAT  ) couldn't live up to Wall Street's expectations. The blue-chip index has fallen about 49 points as of 2:20 p.m. EDT, with the two earnings losers leading a large cadre of stocks lower. Let's catch up on all the stories and movers you need to know from around the Dow.

• [By Ben Levisohn]

  Is Caterpillar (CAT) really in the Dow? The beaten down industrial stock has gained 3.1% to $89.95 today, more than one percentage point more than Alcoa (AA), the next biggest winner with a 1.9% gain. The Travelers Companies (TRV) has gained 1.9% to $81.99, and 3M (MMM) has climbed 1.5% to $116.78. The Dow Jones Industrial Average has risen 0.9%.

  To put Caterpillar’s gain in perspective, its the stock’s largest jump since May 3, when it rose 3.2%. And with time still remaining today, it could advance even higher.

  We’ll chalk the big move up to the better economic news out of China last night, as well as sentiment that the global economy is picking up steam. The Caterpillar is also an industrial stock, and those are pretty popular right now.

  I wouldn’t make too much of the move just yet, however. For starters, Caterpillar has been stuck in a range since March, as the following chart shows:

  And, as Morgan Stanley reminded investors last week, the market might be expecting too much from Caterpillar. On Sept 5, analyst�Nicole DeBlase and team wrote:

  While we agree that Mining destocking activity should cease, we see risk to Construction restocking based on our survey work ��41% of both US and China Construction dealers still think inventory is too high, and plan to reduce throughout the remainder of 2013e. Should Construction activity not pick up materially in early 2014e, we see the potential for this to remain a headwind next year ��but we do still give CAT credit for 5ppts of top-line Construction benefit from restock in 2014e. We are more bearish on Mining CapEx as we do not expect the second derivative of cuts to turn positive until 2016e.

  Mogran Stanley initiated the stock as an Equal Weight with an $89 price target.

Top 5 Value Stocks For 2014: Dollar Tree Inc.(DLTR)

Dollar Tree, Inc. operates discount variety stores in the United States and Canada. Its stores offer merchandise primarily at the fixed price of $1.00. The company operates its stores under the names of Dollar Tree, Deal$, Dollar Tree Deal$, Dollar Giant, and Dollar Bills. Its stores offer consumable merchandise, including candy and food, and health and beauty care, as well as household consumables, such as paper, plastics, household chemicals, in select stores, and frozen and refrigerated food; variety merchandise, which includes toys, durable housewares, gifts, party goods, greeting cards, softlines, and other items; and seasonal goods, such as Easter, Halloween, and Christmas merchandise. As of April 30, 2011, it operated 4,089 stores in 48 states and the District of Columbia, as well as 88 stores in Canada. The company was founded in 1986 and is based in Chesapeake, Virginia.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Jacob Roche]

  With the economy starting to improve, you might think Dollar Tree's (NASDAQ: DLTR  ) fortunes will reverse. The deep discounter provided unemployed and lower-income consumers a safe place in the storm, but with the economic weather clearing up, it would be reasonable to expect consumers to venture out again to higher-end retailers. However, that assumption would be wrong.

• [By Mani]

  Dollar Tree, Inc. (NASDAQ:DLTR) is one of the companies that are set to exploit the ongoing trend of consumers' increasing focus on value with significant opportunity to grow its store base, and expand margins.