Saturday, December 28, 2013

What goes into picking a small business name?

Your first name? Last name? A made-up moniker? Or perhaps a clever use of wordplay associated with your product?

Selecting a name for a small business can be fun -- as well as frustrating and time-consuming.

If an entrepreneur accidentally picks a designation already in use by a competitor, or even a name that is close, the other firm's lawyer may send a cease-and-desist demand. Yet if a small business owner makes up a word to brand the business, there's the chance that potential customers won't understand it, will mispronounce it or won't remember it at all.

Best Gold Stocks To Invest In 2014

For the entrepreneur who needs a bit of naming assistance, the Small Business Administration suggests considering these questions:

How will it will look on a website, as part of a logo and on social media? Does it accurately reflect your business philosophy and culture? Is it too corporate or not corporate enough? Will it appeal to your market?Is it unique?

SMALL BUSINESS START-UP: Six secrets to a strong small business name

In this installment of USA TODAY's Smart Small Business series, the four participants talk about what inspired them to come up with their company names.

MEET THE ENTREPRENEURS: These small business owners get a taste of success

SOCIAL MEDIA: Digital tools play big role in small business growth

In future Smart Small Business videos, the participants will weigh in on these questions:

If you could go back in time and change one thing you did as you were launching your business, what would it be?

Where do you go for business advice? Is there one person, one website, one networking group or even one book that really helped you?

Friday, December 27, 2013

Large investors refuse to sell this market

For all of the handwringing in some quarters, the Nasdaq Composite is down all of 1.7% from peak to trough of this soft patch. The S&P 500 appears to be doing much worse, however, even if it is off a meager 3.2% from high to low.

For a larger chart, please click here.

Institutional participants have not shown much interest in selling this market, as the Nasdaq chart below indicates. Monday appeared to be the start of something on the downside, but buying kicked in during the first five minutes of activity to bring prices well off their lows by day's end.

For a larger chart, please click here.

The mark-ups are being driven by expectations of a brighter economy through the first half of 2014. While monetary accommodation is clearly a factor, if it was the only factor, it is doubtful you would be seeing defensive segments such as consumer staples drastically lag the performance of cyclical areas. Gold would likely not be lagging as it has. If the economy was truly thought to be joined at the hip to quantitative easing, with the prospect of a return to Japan-style deflation, defensives would curry favor.

The below chart shows the relative strength of cyclicals to staples. The market is clearly betting on an economic recovery/expansion, not a slowdown.

For a larger chart, please click here.

The Four Horsemen of the liquid glamours, so named due to their being the leading lights among institutional players seeking go-go growth with thick liquidity, act as the best compass of large-investor activity. LinkedIn (LNKD) may have paused to catch its breath over the past three weeks, but considering where it came from (up as much as 133% since early this year), it deserves a break.

For a larger chart, please click here.

Chart created using MarketSmith. ©2013 MarketSmith Incorporated. All rights reserved.

Netflix (NFLX) has also paused, a few weeks ahead of its earnings release. If the action here has been on the staid side, staid is always preferable to fade. Seventy-seven percent in five months is nothing to sneeze at.

For a larger chart, please click here.

Chart created using MarketSmith. ©2013 MarketSmith Incorporated. All rights reserved.

Thursday, December 26, 2013

Jim Cramer's Top Stock Picks: FRT ETFC LNC GNW AIZ SCHW AAPL

Best Value Companies To Own In Right Now

Search Jim Cramer's "Mad Money" trading recommendations using our exclusive "Mad Money" Stock Screener.

NEW YORK (TheStreet) -- Here are some of the hot stocks Jim Cramer talked about on Wednesday's "Mad Money" on CNBC:

FRT ChartFRT data by YCharts

Federal Realty Trust (FRT): Investors looking to add a REIT to their portfolios should consider Federal Realty, said Cramer. It's been a solid performer since the lows of 2008.

ETFC ChartETFC data by YCharts

E*Trade Financial (ETFC), Lincoln National (LNC), Genworth Financial (GNW), Assurant (AIZ) and Charles Schwab (SCHW): Cramer said these top-five, best-performing financials will continue to rally into the end of the year.

AAPL ChartAAPL data by YCharts

Apple (AAPL): Can new iPhones move the needle in the right direction for Apple? Cramer said he thinks they can, at last.

To read a full recap of "Mad Money" on CNBC, click here.

To sign up for Jim Cramer's free Booyah! newsletter with all of his latest articles and videos please click here. To watch replays of Cramer's video segments, visit the Mad Money page on CNBC. -- Written by Scott Rutt in Washington, D.C. To email Scott about this article, click here: Scott Rutt Follow Scott on Twitter @ScottRutt or get updates on Facebook, ScottRuttDC

At the time of publication, Cramer's Action Alerts PLUS had no position in stocks mentioned. Jim Cramer, host of the CNBC television program "Mad Money," is a Markets Commentator for TheStreet.com, Inc., and CNBC, and a director and co-founder of TheStreet.com. All opinions expressed by Mr. Cramer on "Mad Money" are his own and do not reflect the opinions of TheStreet.com or its affiliates, or CNBC, NBC Universal or their parent company or affiliates. Mr. Cramer's opinions are based upon information he considers to be reliable, but neither TheStreet.com, nor CNBC, nor either of their affiliates and/or subsidiaries warrant its completeness or accuracy, and it should not be relied upon as such. Mr. Cramer's statements are based on his opinions at the time statements are made, and are subject to change without notice. No part of Mr. Cramer's compensation from CNBC or TheStreet.com is related to the specific opinions expressed by him on "Mad Money." None of the information contained in "Mad Money" constitutes a recommendation by Mr. Cramer, TheStreet.com or CNBC that any particular security, portfolio of securities, transaction, or investment strategy is suitable for any specific person. You must make your own independent decisions regarding any security, portfolio of securities, transaction, or investment strategy mentioned on the program. Mr. Cramer's past results are not necessarily indicative of future performance. Neither Mr. Cramer, nor TheStreet.com, nor CNBC guarantees any specific outcome or profit, and you should be aware of the real risk of loss in following any strategy or investments discussed on the program. The strategy or investments discussed may fluctuate in price or value and you may get back less than you invested. Before acting on any information contained in the program, you should consider whether it is suitable for your particular circumstances and strongly consider seeking advice from your own financial or investment adviser. Some of the stocks mentioned by Mr. Cramer on "Mad Money" are held in Mr. Cramer's Action Alerts PLUS Portfolio. When that is the case, appropriate disclosure is made on the program and in the "Mad Money" recap available on TheStreet.com. The Action Alerts PLUS Portfolio contains all of Mr. Cramer's personal investments in publicly-traded equity securities only, and does not include any mutual fund holdings or other institutionally managed assets, private equity investments, or his holdings in TheStreet.com, Inc. Since March 2005, the Action Alerts PLUS Portfolio has been held by a Trust, the realized profits from which have been pledged to charity. Mr. Cramer retains full investment discretion with respect to all securities contained in the Trust. Mr. Cramer is subject to certain trading restrictions, and must hold all securities in the Action Alerts PLUS Portfolio for at least one month, and is not permitted to buy or sell any security he has spoken about on television or on his radio program for five days following the broadcast.

Wednesday, December 25, 2013

Top 5 Performing Stocks To Own For 2014

Shares of Microsoft (NASDAQ: MSFT  ) rose 5.34% last week and now rest at $33.49, The last time investors saw prices this high was for a few months during late 2007 and early 2008, before the financial crisis hit. Before that, shares hadn't been much above the $30 mark since 2001.

Year to date, shares of Microsoft are up more than 25%, making it the third best performing component of the Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJINDICES: ^DJI  ) in 2013. Only Walt Disney, which is up more than 30% this year, and Hewlett-Packard (NYSE: HPQ  ) , which has risen 44.77%, have outperformed Microsoft. Furthermore, we have to go back to the third week of February to find the last time shares moved lower during a one-week trading period. So with shares setting new 52-week highs, should investors take their money and run now that they're likely to be in the green, or should they let it ride?

First off, one reason shares have performed so well in 2013 is that investor expectations were set so low that any good news, no matter how small, has seemed to push shares higher. The initial sales numbers for both Windows 8 and the Surface tablet were so poor that now anytime a report indicates that sales are holding firm or growing, the stock is going to pop.

Top 5 Performing Stocks To Own For 2014: Tox Free Solutions Ltd(TOX.AX)

Tox Free Solutions Limited, together with its subsidiaries, provides waste management and industrial services in Australia. The company offers chemical and hazardous waste treatment services for various materials, such as hydrocarbon contaminated soils and sludges, flammable wastes, pesticide wastes, oils and emulsions, coolants and glycols, surfactants and cleaning products, acids and alkalis, laboratory wastes, oxidizers, schedule X compounds, heavy metal bearing wastes, and spent catalysts. It also provides contaminated site remediation services, including assessment and project management; and emergency response services comprising spills and chemical cleanup, controlled and dangerous goods licensed transport, spill response and personal protective equipment, and spills kit. In addition, the company offers industrial services, such as vacuum loading; high pressure jetting, drain cleaning, and de-contamination; concrete demolition; non destructive digging; girth gear cl eaning; tank, pit, and silo cleaning; tank degassing, decommissioning, disposal, and gas free testing and certification; decontamination and clearance of hazardous waste; cleaning and descaling of cold water storage tanks and cooling towers; interceptor and plate separator cleaning and servicing; onsite oil/water separation and sludge separation; and catalyst removal and change out services to mining, oil and gas, civil infrastructure, and manufacturing industries. Further, it provides liquid waste treatment services for a range of hazardous and non hazardous bulk liquid wastes; marine and tank cleaning services consisting of cleaning of tanks, vessels, bilges, and industrial machinery, as well as liquid waste collection and waste treatment; residential, commercial, and industrial solid waste management and recycling services; and household hazardous waste collection and management services. The company was founded in 2001 and is based in West Perth, Australia.

Top 5 Performing Stocks To Own For 2014: Spirit Airlines Inc.(SAVE)

Spirit Airlines, Inc. provides passenger airline services. It provides travel opportunities principally to and from south Florida, the northeast United States, the Caribbean, and Latin America. The company also offers optional travel-related products or services. As of December 31, 2011, it had a fleet of 37 Airbus single-aisle aircrafts. The company was formerly known as Charter One and changed its name to Spirit Airlines, Inc. in 1992. Spirit Airlines, Inc. was founded in 1964 and is headquartered in Miramar, Florida.

Advisors' Opinion:
  • [By Jonathan Yates]

    A useful way to determine how well a company is being managed for debt and other considerations is to compare it with the "best practices" in the industry. Spirit Airlines (NASDAQ: SAVE) and Alaska Airlines (NYSE: ALK) are, by far, the best run airlines-- �with each having a profit margin of around 9.50 percent. The debt-to-equity ratio for Alaska Airlines is 0.50. Spirit Airlines has no debt.

  • [By Brian Stoffel]

    Notice any airlines left out?
    It's interesting, though, that the article made no mention of airlines like Spirit (NASDAQ: SAVE  ) or Allegiant. Both airlines are classified as "ultra-low-cost" carriers.

Top Gold Stocks To Invest In 2014: First Pursuit Ventures Ltd (FPV.V)

Silver Pursuit Resources Ltd. engages in the acquisition, exploration, and development of mineral properties in Mexico. It holds options to acquire a 100% interest in the La Tuna property comprising 9 exploration mining concessions; a 100% interest in the La Luz property comprising 2 exploration mining concessions; and a 100% interest in the La Quintera property comprising 3 exploration mining concessions, located in Sonora, Mexico. The company was formerly known as First Pursuit Ventures Ltd. and changed its name to Silver Pursuit Resources Ltd. on June 2, 2011. Silver Pursuit Resources Ltd. is based in Vancouver, Canada.

Top 5 Performing Stocks To Own For 2014: Equity Residential (EQR)

Equity Residential (EQR) is a real estate investment trust (REIT). The Company is focused on the acquisition, development and management of multi-family residential properties, which includes the generation of rental and other related income through the leasing of apartment units to residents, in United States. ERP Operating Limited Partnership (or Operating Partnership), which is an Illinois limited partnership, conducts the multifamily residential property business of EQR. All of the Company's property ownership, development and related business operations are conducted through the Operating Partnership. The Operating Partnership holds all of the assets of the Company, including the Company's ownership interests in its joint ventures. As of December 31, 2011, the Company, directly or indirectly through investments in title holding entities, owned all or a portion of 427 properties located in 15 states and the District of Columbia consisting of 121,974 apartment units. In December 2012, it acquired four multifamily properties totaling 1,134 units.

The Company is structured as an umbrella partnership REIT (UPREIT). EQR is the general partner of, and, as of December 31, 2011, owned an approximate 95.7% ownership interest in ERPOP. The remaining 4.3% interest is owned by limited partners. As of December 31, 2012, the Company�� wholly owned properties included 404 properties and 113,157 apartment units. Its consolidated partially owned properties include 21 properties and 3,916 apartment units. The Company�� military housing includes two properties and 4,901 apartment units. As of December 31, 2011, the Company�� properties had an average occupancy of approximately 94.2% (94.7% on a same store basis).

During the year ended December 31, 2011, EQR acquired apartment properties consisting of 20 consolidated properties and 6,103 apartment units and acquired five land parcels; acquired one vacant land parcel in New York City in a joint venture with Toll Brothers, and acquired o! ne unoccupied property in the San Francisco Bay Area consisting of 95 apartment units. During 2011, it also acquired a 97,000-square foot commercial building adjacent to its Harbor Steps apartment property in downtown Seattle, and sold consolidated apartment properties consisting of 47 properties and 14,345 apartment units. Subsequent to 2011, the Company acquired two land parcels, and sold one property consisting of 704 apartment units.

Advisors' Opinion:
  • [By Sean Williams]

    Why buy when you can rent?
    Please forgive me for beating a dead horse twice in the same week, but residential-REIT Equity Residential (NYSE: EQR  ) has absolutely no business trading near a 52-week low.

  • [By gurujx]

    Equity Residential (EQR) Reached the 3-year Low of $50.83

    The prices of Equity Residential (EQR) shares have declined to close to the 3-year low of $50.83, which is 26.3% off the 3-year high of $65.72.

  • [By Rich Duprey]

    Apartment-building operator�Equity Residential (NYSE: EQR  ) announced today its second-quarter dividend of $0.40 per share, the same rate it paid last quarter after raising the payout 18.5%, from $0.3375 per share, in the third quarter of 2012.

  • [By Jonas Elmerraji]

    Apartment landlord Equity Residential (EQR) owns more than 550 communities spread across some of the most attractive markets in the United States. That positioning gives EQR some important advantages – with properties centered around large metro areas, occupancy rates are high, multifamily inventories are low, and barriers to entry keep that arrangement from getting thrown off-balance.

    Zeroed out interest rates have helped spur home buying again, but they haven't eroded the benefits of being a renter in urban areas where EQR's target demographic of younger, often mobile, professionals live. While February's $9 billion acquisition of Archstone is still getting shaken out in shares of EQR, the firm looks well positioned to post impressive increases in sales and profitability once the dust settles.

    Typically, residential REITs offer fewer benefits than their commercial peers. That's because shorter standard leases coupled with regulations that favor residential tenants. Despite that fact, EQR's solid demographics and attractive portfolio gives it returns that few other residential REITs can claim. At last count, the firm pays out a 3.4% dividend yield.

Top 5 Performing Stocks To Own For 2014: Cable & Wireless Plc(CW.L)

Cable & Wireless Worldwide plc, together with its subsidiaries, provides communication infrastructure and services to users of telecommunications services. It offers a range of managed voice, data, and IP-based services and applications to multinational companies, governments, carrier customers, and resellers. The company provides contact centre solutions that include QueueBuster, which offers callers an alternative option to waiting on hold by increasing peak call handling capacity; STORM, a multimedia interactive communications platform; voice interaction; and IP contact centre, which provides a choice of hosted contact centre infrastructure to manage customer interactions across multiple channels. It also provides various data solutions, such as IP-VPN, a private MPLS-based wide area networking service; local area network (LAN) management services; Ethernet Wirleine and Ethernet VPN for extending LAN capability across a wide area network; and National Private Line that links user?s sites in the United Kingdom with dependable leased-line connections. In addition, the company offers infrastructure services, including application performance management, co-location, managed exchange, managed hosting, flexible computing, video conferencing, and security services; and voice products comprising hosted voice, Internet protocol (IP) trunking, and international interconnect services. It serves customers in the banking and financial services, channel business, engineering and exploration, government, insurance, international carriers, investment banking, media, retail, and utilities sectors, as well as system integrators. Cable & Wireless Worldwide plc offers its products and services in the United Kingdom, the Asia Pacific, India, the Middle East, Africa, continental Europe, and North America. The company is headquartered in London, the United Kingdom. Cable & Wireless Worldwide plc operates independently of Cable & Wireless Communications Plc as of March 22, 2010.

Tuesday, December 24, 2013

10 Best Clean Energy Stocks For 2014

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

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

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

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

10 Best Clean Energy Stocks For 2014: Actavis Inc (ACT)

Actavis, Inc., formerly Watson Pharmaceuticals, Inc., incorporated on February 1, 1985, is a integrated global specialty pharmaceutical company engaged in the development, manufacturing, marketing, sale and distribution of generic, branded generic, brand, biosimilar and over-the-counter (OTC) pharmaceutical products. The Company also develops and out-licenses generic pharmaceutical products primarily in Europe through its Medis third-party business. The Company operates in three segments: Actavis Pharma, Actavis Specialty Brands and Anda Distribution. On January 23, 2013, the Company completed the acquisition of Uteron Pharma SA. On October 29, 2012, the Company sold its Rugby OTC pharmaceutical products and trademarks to The Harvard Drug Group, L.L.C. On January 24, 2012, the Company completed the acquisition of Ascent Pharmahealth Ltd.

Actavis Pharma Segment

Actavis Pharma Segment is engaged in the development, manufacturing and sale of generic, branded generic and OTC pharmaceutical products. The Company�� portfolio of generic products includes products it has developed internally and products licensed from and distributed for third parties. The Company sells its generic prescription products primarily under the Watson Laboratories, Watson Pharma and Actavis Pharma labels, and its over-the-counter generic products under private label.

Actavis Specialty Brands Segment

The Company markets a number of branded products to physicians, hospitals, and other markets that it serves. The Company classifies these trademarked products as its brand pharmaceutical products. In April 2012, it launched Gelnique 3% (oxybutynin), a clear, odorless topical gel. Gelnique 3% was obtained through an exclusive licensing agreement with Antares. The Company�� promoted products are Rapaflo, Gelnique, Trelstar, Androderm, Generess Fe and Crinone. The Company�� Actavis Specialty Brands segment also receives other revenues consisting of co-promotion revenue and royaltie! s.

Anda Distribution Segment

The Company Anda Distribution business primarily distributes generic and selected brand pharmaceutical products, vaccines, injectables and over-the-counter medicines to independent pharmacies, alternate care providers (hospitals, nursing homes and mail order pharmacies), pharmacy chains and physicians��offices. In addition, it sells to members of buying groups, which are independent pharmacies that join together to enhance their buying power. As of December 31, 2012, the Company distributes products from its facilities in Weston, Florida, Groveport, Ohio, and Olive Branch, Mississippi, as well as a small volume of product from Puerto Rico.

The Company competes with Teva Pharmaceutical Industries, Ltd., Mylan Inc., Sandoz, Inc, McKesson Corporation, AmerisourceBergen Corporation, Cardinal Health, Inc.,

Advisors' Opinion:
  • [By Ben Levisohn]

    While the Paladin deal expands potential growth areas for the company, Endo�� business development focus remains on the heavily fragmented US market, where the company believes it can create the most value by operating acquired assets more efficiently. Management sees a robust pipeline of potential future deals and does not necessarily view other companies that benefit from a low tax rate [(Actavis (ACT), Perrigo (PRGO), Valeant Pharmaceuticals International (VRX))] as direct competitors for the assets it is targeting. We believe business development is likely to accelerate post the Paladin deal and the re-domicile to Ireland, and view Endo as in the early stages of its consolidation strategy…And with greater than $2 billion in capacity to do deals, we expect business development to accelerate.

  • [By Steve Sears]

    New stocks in what Goldman calls the “Hedge Fund VIP list,”�include Actavis (ACT), Baidu (BIDU), Berkshire Hathaway (BRK.B), Crown Castle International (CCI), Entergy Louisiana (ELB), �Equinix (EQIX), Facebook (FB), Fleetcor Technologies (FLT), W.R. Grace (GRA), MetLife (MET), Macquarie Infrastructure (MIC), Micron (MU), Time Warner Cable (TWC), and Time Warner (TWX).

  • [By Rich Smith]

    On Friday, shares of branded pharmaceutical manufacturer Warner Chilcott (NASDAQ: WCRX  ) jumped 20% in response to rumors that the company was in talks to sell itself to larger rival Actavis (NYSE: ACT  ) . Warner also reported steady earnings, where a decline had been expected, and reiterated full-year guidance.

10 Best Clean Energy Stocks For 2014: Carrollton Bancorp(CRRB)

Carrollton Bancorp operates as the holding company for Carrollton Bank that provides various banking products and services to individuals and small and medium-sized businesses. The company accepts various deposit products that include noninterest-bearing demand checking accounts, interest-bearing checking accounts, NOW accounts, savings accounts, money market accounts, demand deposits, certificates of deposit, and individual retirement accounts. It provides commercial loans for businesses, including working capital purpose loans, equipment purchase loans, accounts receivable, and inventory financing; commercial and residential real estate loans for acquisition, refinancing, and construction; consumer loans, such as automobile loans, home equity loans, and lines of credit; and loans guaranteed by the united states small business administration. The company also offers Internet banking, including electronic bill payment; letters of credit and remittance services; credit and debit card services; merchant credit card deposit servicing; remote deposit for commercial customers; wire transfer and automatic clearing house services; brokerage services for stocks, bonds, mutual funds, and annuities; after-hours depository services; safe deposit boxes; and other services, such as direct deposits and wire transfers. As of December 31, 2010, it had 10 full-service branch locations in Maryland with 2 branch locations in Baltimore City, 3 branch locations in Anne Arundel County, 4 branches in Baltimore County, and 1 branch in Harford County, as well as a limited-service branch in Howard County. The company was founded in 1990 and is headquartered in Columbia, Maryland.

5 Best Gold Stocks To Invest In 2014: Cogent Communications Group Inc.(CCOI)

Cogent Communications Group, Inc. provides high-speed Internet access, Internet Protocol, and communications services primarily to small and medium-sized businesses, communications service providers, and other bandwidth-intensive organizations in North America, Europe, and Japan. It offers on-net services to bandwidth-intensive users, such as universities, other Internet service providers, telephone companies, cable television companies, and commercial content providers; and multi-tenant office buildings, including law firms, financial services firms, advertising and marketing firms, and other professional services businesses. The company also provides its on-net services in carrier-neutral colocation facilities, Cogent controlled data centers, and single-tenant office buildings. In addition, it offers off-net services to businesses that are connected to its network primarily by means of last mile access service lines obtained from other carriers primarily in the form of p oint-to-point TDM, POS, SDH, and/or carrier ethernet circuits. Further, the company provides voice services; and Internet connectivity to customers that are not located in buildings directly connected to the company?s network. Additionally, it operates 43 data centers that allow customers to co-locate their equipment and access its network. Cogent Communications Group, Inc. was founded in 1999 and is headquartered in Washington, D.C.

Advisors' Opinion:
  • [By Rich Duprey]

    It won't require any convincing arguments for investors in�Cogent Communications� (NASDAQ: CCOI  ) �to accept the new dividend payment the multinational Tier 1 ISP will pay for the second quarter of 2013.

  • [By Lee Jackson]

    Cogent Communications Group Inc. (NASDAQ: CCOI) provides high-speed Internet access, Internet protocol (IP) and communications services, primarily to small and medium-sized businesses, communications service providers and other bandwidth-intensive organizations in North America, Europe and Japan. The consensus price target for the stock is $35. Investors receive a 1.7% dividend. Cogent closed Thursday at $32.12.

  • [By The GeoTeam]

    We will get more into the plain English version of what GTT does later. GTT's closest comparative publicly traded company is Cogent Communications Group, Inc. (CCOI). Cogent and Global Telecom are forecast to reach revenues of $400 million and $200 million in 2014, respectively.

10 Best Clean Energy Stocks For 2014: Emergeo Solutions Worldwide Inc(EMG.V)

Emergeo Solutions Worldwide Inc. develops, integrates, sells, and supports emergency management, environment health and safety, and security software solutions and services in Canada, the United States, the Middle East, and Australia. The company?s product line includes EmerGeo FusionPoint, a Web-based crisis information management system; EmerGeo Mapping software, an open emergency mapping tool that integrates with customer's existing GIS systems, EmerGeo FusionPoint, and Google earth; and Portable EOC. It also offers training, implementation, and integration services. The company was formerly known as EmerGeo Solutions Inc. and changed its name to EmerGeo Solutions Worldwide Inc. in August 2008. EmerGeo Solutions Worldwide Inc. was founded in 2002 and is headquartered in Vancouver, Canada.

10 Best Clean Energy Stocks For 2014: Covanta Holding Corp (CVA)

Covanta Holding Corporation (Covanta), incorporated in April 16, 1992, is a holding company. The Company is a owner and operator of infrastructure for the conversion of waste to energy ( energy-from-waste or EfW), as well as other waste disposal and renewable energy production businesses. Covanta conduct all of its operations through subsidiaries which are engaged predominantly in the businesses of waste and energy services. The Company has one segment which is Americas and consists of waste and energy services operations primarily in the United States and Canada. The Company owns and holds interests in energy-from-waste facilities in China and Italy. The Company also has investments in subsidiaries engaged in insurance operations in California, primarily in property and casualty insurance. In 2011, it sold two landfill gas projects located in California. In May 2011, it acquired a metals processing facility located on its Dade energy-from-waste facility site.

As of December 31, 2011, it owned 85% interest of Taixing Covanta Yanjiang Cogeneration Co., Ltd. It operates and maintains the energy-from-waste facility located in and owned by the City and County of Honolulu, Hawaii. In December 2011, the Company amended the waste disposal agreement with the Union County Utilities Authority to extend their terms from 2023 to 2031 and to increase the Union County Utilities Authority�� waste disposal commitment. The Company�� EfW facilities earn revenue from both the disposal of waste and the generation of electricity, generally under long-term contracts, as well as from the sale of metal recovered during the energy-from-waste process. In the Americas, it processes approximately 19 million tons of solid waste annually. In total, these assets produce over 10 million megawatt hours of baseload electricity annually. The Company operates and/or has ownership positions in 46 energy-from-waste facilities, which are primarily located in North America, and 15 additional energy generation facilities, i! ncluding other renewable energy production facilities in North America (wood biomass and hydroelectric). The Company also operates a waste management infrastructure that is complementary to its core EfW business.

Energy-From-Waste Projects

Energy-from-waste projects have two purposes: to provide waste disposal services, typically to municipal clients who sponsor the projects, and to use that waste as a fuel source to generate renewable energy. The electricity or steam generated by the projects is generally sold to local utilities or industrial customers. The projects are capable of providing waste disposal services and generating electricity or steam. The Company provides these waste disposal services and sell the electricity and steam generated under contracts, which expire on various dates between 2012 and 2034. Many of its service contracts may be renewed for varying periods of time, at the option of the municipal client.

Tehe Company�� energy-from-waste projects generate revenue from three main sources: fees charged for operating projects or processing waste received; the sale of electricity and/or steam, and the sale of ferrous and non-ferrous metals that are recycled as part of the energy-from-waste process. Its customers for waste disposal or facility operations are principally municipal entities, though it also markets disposal capacity at certain facilities to commercial and special waste customers. Its facilities sell energy primarily to utilities at contracted rates or, in situations where a contract is not in place, at prevailing market rates in regional markets (primarily PJM, NEPOOL and NYISO in the Northeastern United States).

The Company operates, and in some cases has ownership interests in, transfer stations and landfills, which generate revenue from ash disposal fees or operating fees. In addition, it owns, and in some cases operates, other renewable energy projects in the Americas segment, which generate electricity from wood wast! e (biomas! s) and hydroelectric resources. The electricity from these other renewable energy projects is sold to utilities under contracts or into the regional power pool at short-term rates. For these projects, it receives revenue from sales of energy, capacity and/or cash from equity distributions and additional value from the sale of renewable energy credits.

The Company operates energy-from-waste projects in 16 states and one Canadian province, and are constructing an energy-from-waste project in a second Canadian province. Most of its energy-from-waste projects were developed and structured contractually as part of competitive procurement processes conducted by municipal entities. Its EfW projects can generally be divided into three categories, based on the applicable contract structure at a project: Tip Fee projects, Service Fee projects that the Company owns, and Service Fee projects that it do not own but operate on behalf of a municipal owner. At Tip Fee projects, it receives a per-ton fee for processing waste, and it typically retain all of the revenue generated from energy and recycled metal sales. The Company generally owns or leases the Tip Fee facilities. At Service Fee projects, it typically charge a fixed fee for operating the facility, and the facility capacity is dedicated either primarily or exclusively to the host community client, which also retains the majority of any revenue generated from energy and recycled metal sales. The Company also owns and/or operates 13 transfer stations and four ash landfills in the northeast United States, which it utilizes to supplement and manage more efficiently the fuel and ash disposal requirements at its energy-from-waste operations. The Company provides waste procurement services to its waste disposal and transfer facilities which have available capacity to receive waste.

Biomass Projects

The Company owns and operates seven wood-fired generation facilities and have a 55% interest in a partnership which owns another w! ood-fired! generation facility. The Company�� six facilities are located in California, and two are located in Maine. The combined gross energy output from these facilities is 191 megawatts. The Company generates income from its biomass facilities from sales of electricity, capacity, and where available, additional value from the sale of renewable energy credits. These facilities sell their energy output into local power pools or to local utilities at rates that are either fixed or float with the market.

Hydroelectric

The Company owns a 50% interest in two small run-of-river hydroelectric facilities located in the State of Washington, which sells energy and capacity to Puget Sound Energy under long-term energy contracts. The Company has a nominal investment in two hydroelectric facilities in Costa Rica.

Energy-From-Waste

The Company and Chongqing Iron & Steel Company (Group) Ltd. entered into an agreement to build, own, and operate a 1,800 metric ton per day energy-from-waste facility for Chengdu Municipality in Sichuan Province, People�� Republic of China. The Company also executed a 25 year waste concession agreement for this project. In connection with this project, it acquired a 49% interest in the project company. Construction commenced in 2009 and the facility began processing waste during the year ended December 31, 2011. The electrical output from these projects is sold at governmentally established preferential rates under short-term arrangements with local power bureaus. As of December 31, 2011, the Company owned 85% of Taixing Covanta Yanjiang Cogeneration Co., Ltd. which, in 2009, entered into a 25 year concession agreement and waste supply agreements to build, own and operate a 350 metric tons per day energy-from-waste facility for Taixing Municipality, in Jiangsu Province, People�� Republic of China. The Company will continue to operate its coal-fired facility.

The Company owns a 40% interest in Chongqing Sanfeng Covanta Environ! mental In! dustry Co., Ltd. (Sanfeng), a company located in Chongqing Municipality, People�� Republic of China. Sanfeng is engaged in the business of owning and operating energy-from-waste projects, providing design and engineering, procurement, construction services and equipment sales for energy-from-waste facilities in China. Sanfeng owns minority interests in two 1,200 metric tons per day, 24 megawatts mass-burn energy-from-waste projects (Fuzhou project and Tongqing project), and has a contract to operate the Chengdu project. Chongqing Iron & Steel Group Environmental Investment Co. Ltd., a wholly owned subsidiary of Chongqing Iron & Steel Company (Group) Ltd., holds the remaining 60% interest in Sanfeng. The solid waste supply for the projects comes from municipalities under long-term contracts. The municipalities also have the obligation to coordinate the purchase of power from the facilities as part of the long-term contracts for waste disposal. The electrical output from these projects is sold at governmentally established preferential rates under short-term arrangements with local power bureaus.

The Company owns a 13% interest in a 500 metric tons per day, 18 megawatts mass-burn energy-from-waste project at Trezzo sull��dda in the Lombardy Region of Italy. The project is operated by Ambiente 2000 S.r.l., in which the Company owns 40%. The solid waste supply for the project comes from municipalities and privately-owned waste haulers under long-term contracts. The electrical output from the Trezzo project is sold at governmentally established preferential rates under a long-term purchase contract to Italy�� state-owned electricity grid operator, Gestore della Rete di Trasmissione Nazionale S.p.A.

Independent Power Projects

The Company has a majority interest in a 24 megawatts (gross) coal-fired cogeneration facility in Taixing City, Jiangsu Province, People�� Republic of China. The project entity, in which it holds a majority interest, operates this project. T! he party ! holding a minority position in the project is an affiliate of the local municipal government. While the steam produced at this project is focused to be sold under a long-term contract to its industrial host, in practice, steam has been sold on a short-term basis to either local industries or the industrial host, in each case at varying rates and quantities. The electric power is sold at an average grid rate to a subsidiary of the provincial power bureau.

Advisors' Opinion:
  • [By Dan Caplinger]

    More recently, Waste Management has looked for further innovations in its business. Its landfills give it two potential energy sources, one from the gases that landfills produce, and a second from incinerating garbage to produce electricity. Rival Covanta (NYSE: CVA  ) pioneered the waste-to-energy movement and is the leading company in the space, but both Waste Management and No. 2 landfill operator Republic Services (NYSE: RSG  ) have pressed hard at building up their own renewable energy businesses. Moreover, Waste Management's partnership with Clean Energy Fuels (NASDAQ: CLNE  ) to convert its hauling trucks to use natural gas brings the trash giant's renewable energy efforts full-circle.

  • [By Seth Jayson]

    Covanta Holding (NYSE: CVA  ) reported earnings on July 17. Here are the numbers you need to know.

    The 10-second takeaway
    For the quarter ended June 30 (Q2), Covanta Holding beat expectations on revenues and beat expectations on earnings per share.

  • [By Ian Wyatt, Publisher & Chief Investment Strategist, Wyatt Investment Research]

    Both of these stocks are overlooked, undervalued, and cash flow machines. The companies are Ascent Capital Group (ASCMA) and Covanta Holdings (CVA).

10 Best Clean Energy Stocks For 2014: COMMERCEFIRST BANCORP INC(CMFB)

CommerceFirst Bancorp, Inc. operates as the holding company for CommerceFirst Bank that provides financial services to individuals and corporate customers located primarily in Anne Arundel County, Howard County, and Prince George?s County, Maryland. It accepts various deposit products that include business and personal checking accounts, NOW accounts, premium savings accounts, and tiered money market accounts, as well as certificates of deposit. The company also provides commercial loans for business purposes, including working capital, equipment purchases, real estate, lines of credit, and government contract financing; asset based lending and accounts receivable financing; real estate loans for business and investment purposes; commercial lines of credit; and merchant credit card services offered through an outside vendor, as well as services for business accounts that include remote deposit and Internet banking services. CommerceFirst operates five banking offices in A nne Arundel, Howard, and Prince George?s counties in central Maryland. The company was founded in 1999 and is headquartered in Annapolis, Maryland.

10 Best Clean Energy Stocks For 2014: Nuance Communications Inc.(NUAN)

Nuance Communications, Inc. provides voice and language solutions for businesses and consumers worldwide. It offers dictation and transcription solutions and services, which automate the input and management of medical information; and speech recognition solutions for radiology, cardiology, pathology, and related specialties that help healthcare providers dictate, edit, and sign reports without manual transcription. The company also offers mobile and consumer solutions and services comprising an integrated suite of voice control and text-to-speech solutions, desktop and portable computer dictation applications, predictive text technologies, mobile messaging services, and emerging services, such as dictation, Web search, and voicemail-to-text for manufacturers and suppliers of mobile phones, automotive products, personal navigation devices, computers, and other consumer electronics. In addition, it provides customer service business intelligence and authentication solutions for enterprises in the telecommunications, financial services, travel, entertainment, and government sectors to support, understand, and communicate with their customers. Further, the company offers document imaging, print management, and PDF solutions to multifunction printer manufacturers, home offices, small businesses, and enterprise customers; software development toolkits for independent software vendors; and licenses its software to multifunction printer manufacturers. Nuance Communications, Inc. markets and sells its products through direct sales force; its e-commerce Web site; and a network of resellers, including system integrators, independent software vendors, value-added resellers, hardware vendors, telecommunications carriers, and distributors. The company was formerly known as ScanSoft, Inc. and changed its name to Nuance Communications, Inc. in November 2005. Nuance Communications, Inc. was founded in 1992 and is headquartered in Burlington, Massachusetts. Advisors' Opinion:

  • [By Brian Pacampara]

    What: Shares of speech-recognition software specialist Nuance Communications (NASDAQ: NUAN  ) plummeted 19% today after its quarterly results and guidance missed Wall street expectations.

10 Best Clean Energy Stocks For 2014: Hudbay Minerals Inc (HBM)

HudBay Minerals Inc., an integrated mining company, engages in the exploration and development of copper, zinc, and precious metals mines in North and South America. It primarily produces copper concentrates containing copper, gold, and silver; and zinc metal. The company principally owns underground 777 mine that covers an area of 4,400 hectares and is located in Flin Flon, Manitoba. It also owns ore concentrators and a zinc production facility in northern Manitoba and Saskatchewan. The company was founded in 1992 and is based in Toronto, Canada.

Advisors' Opinion:
  • [By Dan Caplinger]

    Dan, however, does believe CEO Randy Smallwood has the experience necessary to deal with these challenges. Strategies may include obtaining better terms from existing partners such as Barrick Gold (NYSE: ABX  ) , Goldcorp (NYSE: GG  ) , and Hudbay Minerals (NYSE: HBM  ) on future contracts.

  • [By Sean Williams]

    In August, Silver Wheaton reached its most recent deal with HudBay Minerals (NYSE: HBM  ) , securing the rights to its silver production at a low fixed-cost of $5.90 per ounce and 100% of its gold production at its 777 mine through at least 2016 for $400 an ounce In return, Silver Wheaton will fork over up to $750 million in cash for the buildout of HudBay's Constancia mine. Even with the tumble metal prices took this week, Silver Wheaton's margins will continue to remain fat with gold hovering near $1,400 an ounce and silver near $23 an ounce, and its dividend could still head even higher.

  • [By Dan Caplinger]

    Dan also highlights a new agreement with Brazil's Vale (NYSE: VALE  ) as an example of a new partner streaming agreement that features a focus on gold. Can Silver Wheaton continue to profit from future agreements with partners such as Barrick Gold (NYSE: ABX  ) , Primaro Mining (NYSE: PPP  ) , and Hudbay Minerals (NYSE: HBM  ) ?

10 Best Clean Energy Stocks For 2014: Intensity Company Inc(ITT.V)

Intensity Company Inc. sells computer hardware and software products in Canada. The company was formerly known as Flukong Enterprise Inc. and changed its name to Intensity Company Inc. in January 2010. Intensity Company Inc. was incorporated in 1998 and is headquartered in Edmonton, Canada.

10 Best Clean Energy Stocks For 2014: Extenway Solutions Inc. (EY.V)

Extenway Solutions Inc. provides media, connectivity, and communications solutions for the healthcare and hospitality industries primarily in Canada. It offers bedside infotainment terminal solutions that enhance the patient�s hospital experience by providing on demand access to entertainment, including digital TV, video-on-demand, music, Internet radio, Internet access, and video games, as well as educational content. The company also offers interactive TV and guest media solutions, which allow hospitality organizations to manage and coordinate all in-room guest interactions and communications, as well as deliver actionable guest insight for key service and marketing initiatives. In addition, it provides family video conferencing, patient education library, hospital information and administration, marketing, advertising media, integration, and maintenance solutions. The company was formerly known as Infomedia Research Group Inc. and changed its name to Extenway Solutions Inc. in October 2003. Extenway Solutions Inc. is headquartered in Baie-D'Urf茅, Canada.

Monday, December 23, 2013

The iPhone Can't Fix T-Mobile's Identity Crisis

Getting the right to offer the iPhone no longer has the power to lift a mobile carrier above the rest of the field. Despite making their pacts with Apple (NASDAQ: AAPL  ) , Nos. 3 and 4 U.S. mobile carriers Sprint Nextel (NYSE: S  ) and T-Mobile US (NYSE: TMUS  ) , respectively, are still being surprassed by the top two, AT&T (NYSE: T  ) and Verizon (NYSE: VZ  ) .

And nowhere is the lost luster of the iPhone missed more than it is with T-Mobile.

As usual, the real beneficiary of iPhone sales is not the carrier, but Apple. The irony in the T-Mobile/iPhone relationship -- as shown by the latest figures from market research company Kantar Worldpanel -- is that while the iPhone on the T-Mobile network has helped boost the iPhone's share of smartphone sales, T-Mobile has actually seen its smartphone share of sales fall.

For the three-month period ending in May, in the U.S. market, Apple saw its share of smartphones sales rise from 38.4% to 41.9% over the same period last year. T-Mobile's smartphone sales share fell from 13.5% to 10.1%.

Of course, T-Mobile didn't get the iPhone until halfway through the period looked at, and we won't get a more accurate picture until we can look at their sales figures for a full three months.

But even with a shortened selling period, the iPhone 5 was the top-selling T-Mobile smartphone. Those iPhone sales were mostly to first-time smartphone buyers, 53% coming from feature phone owners. For the iPhone market as a whole, 45% of iOS buyers came from a feature phone.

T-Mobile realizes that having the 4G LTE-capable iPhone 5 alone isn't going to attract customers away from AT&T and Verizon, especially with those carriers' considerable edge in number of 4G LTE markets. T-Mobile has only just started powering up its 4G wireless networks in a handful of cities. AT&T is already in 300 or so markets, and Verizon is serving about 500 markets .

Instead, T-Mobile is attempting to differentiate itself by posing as the "uncarrier." Where the Nos. 1, 2, and 3 carriers push for their customers to sign two-year contracts in return for a subsidized phone, T-Mobile touts its no-contract plans.

An iPhone 5 on AT&T and Verizon costs a two-year plans subscriber a subsidized $200. On Sprint it costs $100. On T-Mobile, a subscriber would pay the full retail price of $650 ... or have the option of putting $146 down and financing the rest at $21 a month for 24 months.

But wait. Isn't that second option the same as a two-year contract on the other carriers? Even the "uncarrier" has a carrier-like pricing plan.

Also, will the iPhone continue to keep its allure in the U.S.? In Western Europe, it is continuing to lose out to Android phones. According to market researcher IDC, Apple's market share in the first quarter of the year fell from 25% to 20% over the same period last year. Google's Android OS-driven smartphones took a 69% market share, up from 55% in Q1 2012.

Top Warren Buffett Stocks For 2014

And in India, Apple is really taking it on the chin. Android phones have a 90% share there, according to IDC. Lower cost smartphones are the big sellers in India, a segment that Apple hasn't yet addressed.

Bottom line: iPhones still have a large, if not a majority, share of the U.S. smartphone market. But it is obvious, as shown around the world, that Apple doesn't have the same grip. It is also clear that if the iPhone is not the magic bullet for T-Mobile, the company can't rely on its "uncarrier" disguise for more market traction.

As far as Apple not yet taking advantage of the tremendous potential for sales in emerging markets, such as India, which has the need for lower priced products, Apple has shown a readiness to not only crank out revolutionary products, but also to creatively destroy them with something better ... and often cheaper. Read about the future of Apple in the free report "Apple Will Destroy Its Greatest Product." Can Apple really disrupt its own iPhones and iPads? Find out by clicking here.

Sunday, December 22, 2013

4 Dates for Netflix Investors to Watch This Summer

Netflix (NASDAQ: NFLX  ) is going to have a busy summer. There will be a few interesting dates for investors to watch out for next month. New shows are coming. Old shows are leaving. There's also the theatrical debut of a very important movie, and we have what should be one of the most important quarterly reports in the company's history.

No pressure, Netflix. No pressure.

Let's go over four dates in July that may move Netflix stock.

July 1
Content goes both ways at Netflix. The shows going out never make as much noise as shows being added to the service's growing digital catalog, but licensing deals for shows and movies all have expiration dates on Netflix. The dot-com darling simply has to pick what's worth paying to keep arounjd.

Families with young children found that out the hard way last month, when Viacom's (NASDAQ: VIA  ) Nickelodeon and Nick Jr. content was retired from Netflix's streaming library. Kids said bon voyage to SpongeBob SquarePants and adios to Dora the Explorer.

There were also a few of Viacom's MTV and Comedy Central shows that went away, but the real hit to Netflix came from the departure of the popular Nick programming for kids. Well, come next month adults will get a taste, as Downton Abbey goes away. Netflix's streaming rights end on July 1. In a shrewd coincidence, Amazon.com (NASDAQ: AMZN  ) has picked up streaming rights for both Viacom's content and the popular BBC series.

It there's an outcry about the end of Downton Abbey on Netflix, you can bet that Amazon will be a beneficiary. That's not the kind of attention Netflix wants.

July 11
Thankfully, Netflix isn't just losing content. A smart strategic move by the company has been the push to bankroll deals for original or exclusive first-run content.

After the success of House of Cards in February and Arrested Development last month, don't be surprised if buzz builds for Orange Is the New Black. The show centering on a prison for women is the handiwork of Weeds creator Jenji Kohan.

Sure, Netflix hasn't exactly hit it out of the park in terms of mass appeal with Lilyhammer and Hemlock Grove, but every show is an opportunity for Netflix to remind subscribers why they should stick around. The Orange Is the New Black trailer is also far more compelling than the subject matter, so don't be surprised if it's the first sleeper hit for the service when it rolls out on July 11.

July 17
DreamWorks Animation (NASDAQ: DWA  ) hits theaters everywhere with Turbo on July 17. The latest computer-rendered release out of the studio behind Shrek, Kung Fu Panda, and Madagascar is a movie about an insanely fast snail with dreams of racing in the Indy 500.

Why will Netflix investors want to keep an eye on a movie playing on the big screen? Well, it's not just about the long-term deal with DreamWorks Animation that will bring future releases to Netflix's streaming platform. This movie will be even more important, because Netflix has signed up to be the exclusive home for Tubro: F.A.S.T., a show based on the movie's characters.

Netflix will begin streaming the new show in December, so the hope is that it's a big enough blockbuster that it will help young children forget about the Viacom content that went away in May and has now made a new home at Amazon's Prime Instant platform.

July 24
Netflix has yet to announce the date for its second-quarter report, but it has historically taken place in late July. There's a lot riding on this report. After the blowout subscriber growth and dramatic fiscal improvement during Netflix's first quarter, expectations are high for the good times to keep rolling at Netflix.

After the company topped $1 billion in quarterly revenue for the first time during the first three months of the year, analysts are looking for sequential improvement. Wall Street sees profitability nearly quadrupling since last year's second quarter on a healthy 21% year-over-year spike in revenue.

There have been no indicators that Netflix won't be able to live up to these lofty expectations. The service's popularity is exploding worldwide, with more than 36 million global streaming subscribers. The stock has been one of the market's biggest winners since bottoming out last year, and a strong report will be necessary to keep that momentum going.

More than four dates
Naturally, there will be plenty of important dates for Netflix next month. Analysts will make moves. Content deals will be announced. Rivals will jockey for position. However, we already know these four dates will be material to the company's success this summer for investors.

Hold on tight, Netflix investors. It's going to be a wild summer.

The tumultuous performance of Netflix shares since the summer of 2011 has caused headaches for many devoted shareholders. While the company's first-mover status is often viewed as a competitive advantage, the opportunities in streaming media have brought some new, deep-pocketed rivals looking for their piece of a growing pie. Can Netflix fend off this burgeoning competition, and will its international growth aspirations really pay off? These are must-know issues for investors, which is why The Motley Fool has released a premium report on Netflix. Inside, you'll learn about the key opportunities and risks facing the company, as well as reasons to buy or sell the stock. The report includes a full year of updates to cover critical new developments, so make sure to click here and claim a copy today.

Saturday, December 21, 2013

5 Best Biotech Stocks To Buy Right Now

Popular Posts: 8 “Triple A” Stocks to Buy5 Biotechnology Stocks to Buy Now17 Oil and Gas Stocks to Sell Now Recent Posts: 5 Stocks With Crummy Sales Growth ��NAVB CTEL HKTV CUR IMMU 5 Stocks With Awful Operating Margin Growth ��SYUT CTEL HKTV NYNY IMMU 5 Stocks With Great Sales Growth ��INSY IDCC AGM HGSH ESGR View All Posts

This week, these five stocks have the best ratings in Sales Growth, one of the eight Fundamental Categories on Portfolio Grader.

Insys Therapeutics, Inc. () develops pharmaceutical products that target the unmet needs of cancer patients, with a focus on cancer-supportive care. INSY also gets A’s in Analyst Earnings Revisions, Earnings Surprises, and Equity. .

5 Best Biotech Stocks To Buy Right Now: Algeta ASA (ALGETA)

Algeta ASA is a Norway-based biotechnology company engaged in the development of targeted cancer therapies based on its alpha-pharmaceutical platform. The Company�� principal product is Alpharadin for the treatment of bone metastases resulting from castration-resistant prostate cancer. The Company�� pipeline also includes Alpharadin for the treatment of bone metastases resulting from breast cancer, a combination of Alpharadin with Taxotere for the treatment of bone metastases resulting from prostate cancer and Thorium-227 showing various cancer indications. The Company develops Alpharadin in a development and marketing cooperation with Bayer Schering Pharma. Algeta ASA is active through the two wholly owned subsidiaries, Algeta Innovations AS and Algeta UK Limited. On April 12, 2012, the Company announced that it estabilished a subsidiary active in the United States, Algeta US.

5 Best Biotech Stocks To Buy Right Now: Prosensa Holding NV (RNA)

Prosensa Holding N.V., formerly Prosensa Holding B.V., is a biotechnology company engaged in the discovery and development of ribonucleic acid-modulating (RNA)-modulating, therapeutics for the treatment of genetic disorders. The Company�� primary focus is on rare neuromuscular and neurodegenerative disorders with a large unmet medical need, including Duchenne muscular dystrophy, myotonic dystrophy and Huntington�� disease. The Company�� clinical portfolio of RNA-based product candidates is focused on the treatment of Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD). The Company�� platform technology allows the development of RNA-modulating therapeutics that either interferes with splicing (exon skipping, exon inclusion, or splice mutation correction), remove mutant RNA, or block RNA expression, for different indications.

DMD is a rare, severe muscle wasting disease that occurs in up to 1 in 3,500 male births. It is commonly diagnosed between the ages of three to five, when boys begin to show signs of impaired motor development. PRO044, the Company�� product candidate, addresses a separate sub-population of DMD patients. The Company developed PRO044 using its exon-skipping technology to generate a product candidate with the same mechanism of action that is used by drisapersen.

Advisors' Opinion:
  • [By Keith Speights]

    An "alley-oop" from the opponent
    Prosensa (NASDAQ: RNA  ) shares made something of a slam dunk this week, jumping more than 16%. That dunk was made with what amounts to an "alley-oop" from its primary rival, Sarepta Therapeutics (NASDAQ: SRPT  ) .

  • [By Bryan Murphy]

    Anybody who knows at least something about Prosensa Holding NV (NASDAQ:RNA) will at least know the stock turned into a disaster a few weeks ago, plunging from a close of $24.00 on September 19th to a close of $7.14 on September 20th, thanks to the failure of its MS drug drisapersen, which was jointly developed with GlaxoSmithKline plc (NYSE:GSK). Such is the life of a company with only one drug anywhere close to being approved; drisapersen was in Phase 3 trials - RNA shares could have just as easily gained 70% rather than lost 70% had the drug worked.

  • [By John Udovich]

    Recent news surrounding small cap biotech stocks like�Xencor Inc (NASDAQ: XNCR), Prosensa Holding NV (NASDAQ: RNA),�Puma Biotechnology Inc (NYSE: PBYI),�Geron Corporation (NASDAQ: GERN)
    and TNI BioTech Inc (OTCQB: TNIB) show that while the sector and appetite for biotech�IPOs may have cooled, lottery tickets can still be found or occur in the sector. Just consider the following recent news or trends:

Top 5 Small Cap Companies To Buy Right Now: DiaMedica Inc (DMA)

DiaMedica Inc. (DiaMedica) is a development-stage company. The Company is a biopharmaceutical company engaged in the discovery and development of drugs for the treatment of diabetes and related diseases. DiaMedica's compound, DM-199, is a recombinant human protein for the treatment of both Type I and Type II diabetes and their complications. DiaMedica is starting a Phase I/II clinical trial for DM-199. DM-199 is a recombinant human protein, which improves glucose control, protects beta cells through the expansion of a population of antigen-specific immunosuppressive cells (Tregs), and proliferates insulin producing beta cells through the activation of certain growth factors. The Company�� DM-204 is a G-protein-coupled receptor agonist (GPCR) monoclonal antibody to treat Type II diabetes and some of the associated complication's. activating a receptor resulted in insulin sensitivity, insulin secretion and vasodilation. Advisors' Opinion:
  • [By Richard Rhodes]

    Given this economic backdrop, and developing pressure on corporate revenues, margins, and earnings, we feel that risk is being misplaced at current levels.

    The 14-day and 40-day models are now overbought. Now, the 14-day and 40-day are peaking, which would certainly indicate a correction stands as the highest probability.

    The % of stocks above their 10-day moving average (dma) is at the 70%-level; still a major divergence with prices.

    The % of stocks above their 200-dma stands at 77%. The 87% level marked previous highs. The 50-dma/150-dma cross breakdown now confirms a larger correction. Bottoms form between 30%-40%.

    Overall, the risk-reward remains skewed to the downside, regardless of whether prices remain above trendline resistance, as our model group suggests a correction to the 110-day moving average, currently at S&P 1711.

    A clear breakdown at that level would accelerate the decline towards the wide 200-dma and 380-dma range, between 1657-1571.

5 Best Biotech Stocks To Buy Right Now: CEL-SCI Corp (CVM)

CEL-SCI Corporation (CEL-SCI), incorporated on March 22, 1983, is engaged in the business of Multikine cancer therapy; New cold fill manufacturing service to the pharmaceutical industry, and ligand epitope antigen presentation System (LEAPS) technology, with two products, hemagglutinin type 1 and neuraminidase type 1 (H1N1) swine flu treatment for H1N1 hospitalized patients and CEL-2000, a rheumatoid arthritis treatment vaccine.

Multikine

CEL-SCI's Multikine, is being developed for the treatment of cancer. It is a cancer immunotherapy drugs called Combination Immunotherapy because it combines active and passive immunity in one product. It is the only cancer immunotherapy that both kills cancer cells and activates the general immune system to destroy the cancer. Multikine target the tumor micro-metastases for treatment failure. Multikine is also applicable in many other solid tumors.

New Manufacturing Facility

CEL-SCI's facility manufactures Multikine for CEL-SCI's Phase III clinical trial. CEL-SCI offers the use of the facility as a service to pharmaceutical companies and others, particularly those that need to fill and finish their drugs in a cold environment. Fill and finish is the process of filling injectable drugs in a sterile manner.

LEAPS

CEL-SCI's patented T-cell Modulation Process uses heteroconjugates to direct the body to choose a specific immune response. The heteroconjugate technology, referred to as LEAPS, is intended to stimulate the human immune system to fight bacterial, viral and parasitic infections, as well as autoimmune, allergies, transplantation rejection and cancer. Administered like vaccines, LEAPS combines T-cell binding ligands with small, disease associated and peptide antigens.

Using the LEAPS technology, CEL-SCI has created a peptide treatment for H1N1 (swine flu) hospitalized patients. This LEAPS flu treatment is designed to focus on the conserved, non-changing epitopes of the di! fferent strains of Type A Influenza viruses, including swine, avian or bird, and Spanish Influenza. CEL-SCI's LEAPS flu treatment contains epitopes.

5 Best Biotech Stocks To Buy Right Now: RXi Pharmaceuticals Corp (RXII.PK)

RXi Pharmaceuticals Corporation (RXi), incorporated on September 8, 2011, is a development-stage company. The Company is a biotechnology company focused on discovering, developing and commercializing therapies addressing medical needs using RNA interference (RNAi)-targeted technologies. As of July 12, 2012, RXi was focusing on its internal therapeutic development efforts in fibrosis. RXI-109 is its RNAi product candidate, which is a dermal anti-scarring therapy that targets connective tissue growth factor (CTGF). The Company�� therapeutic platform consists of two main components: RNAi Compounds (rxRNA) and Advanced Delivery Technologies. RNAi compounds include rxRNAori, rxRNAsolo and sd-rxRNA, or self-delivering RNA. On April 26, 2012, it completed the spin-off transaction from Galena Biopharma, Inc. (Galena).

In January 2011, the Company announced research results in collaboration with Generex Biotechnology Corporation, and RXi�� wholly owned subsidia ry Antigen Express, Inc., in developing vaccine formulations for immunotherapy. In January 2011, it announced initial results as part of its collaboration with miRagen Therapeutics, Inc. in creating microRNA mimics, or artificial copies of microRNAs, using the Company�� sd-rxRNA technology. In February 2011, it announced the initiation of RXi�� development program for RXI-109.

Friday, December 20, 2013

Hot Safest Companies To Buy For 2014

NEW YORK (CNNMoney) -

A weekly collection of design, data and interactive links. Design/Data viz inFORM | MIT's Dynamic Shape Display renders 3D content physically What is the safest time to drive? | New statistics show the safest and most dangerous times to drive The Latest | An automatic list of links from Twitter Sorting algorithms visualized | Video visualization of 15 different sorting algorithms Waterbear Playground | Code in ProcessingJS using just blocks Photo/Video Robot Cars | Toymaker brings robot cars to market 20 years early The Mill VFX | The Mill VFX showreel 2013 Drum machines | Greatest drum machines ever made Synth Kit | littleBits Synth Kit in collaboration with KORG Illustration Roman Muradov | Illustrations by Roman Muradov

See last week's links Have a nice weekend! @dubly and @talyellin

Hot Safest Companies To Buy For 2014: Petroleo Brasileiro S.A.- Petrobras(PBR)

Petroleo Brasileiro S.A. primarily engages in oil and natural gas exploration and production, refining, trade, and transportation businesses. The company?s Exploration and Production segment involves in the exploration, production, development, and production of oil, liquefied natural gas (LNG), and natural gas in Brazil. This segment supplies its products to the refineries in Brazil, as well as sells surplus petroleum and byproducts in domestic and foreign markets. Its Supply segment engages in the refining, logistics, transportation, and trade of oil and oil products; export of ethanol; and extraction and processing of schist, as well as holds interests in companies of the petrochemical sector in Brazil. The Gas and Energy segment involves in the transportation and trade of natural gas produced in or imported into Brazil; transportation and trade of LNG; and generation and trade of electric power. In addition, the segment has interests in natural gas transportation and d istribution companies; and thermoelectric power stations in Brazil, as well engages in fertilizer business. The Distribution segment distributes oil products, ethanol, and compressed natural gas in Brazil. The International segment involves in the exploration and production of oil and gas, as well as in supplying, gas and energy, and distribution operations in the Americas, Africa, Europe, and Asia. Further, the company involves in biofuel production business. Petroleo Brasileiro was founded in 1953 and is based in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

Advisors' Opinion:
  • [By WALLSTCHEATSHEET.COM]

    Petrobras participates in an area that is essential to many consumers, businesses, and overall global growth. The stock has been in a range this past quarter, but is currently trading at highs slightly below its all time highs. During the last four quarters, the stock has seen decreasing earnings and revenue figures, leaving investors with mixed feelings. Relative to its peers and sector, Petrobras has trailed in performance by a significant margin. STAY AWAY from Petrobras for now.

  • [By Arjun Sreekumar]

    Offshore exploration risk
    Deepwater locations, especially off the coasts of Brazil and West Africa, have emerged as popular hotspots. For instance, Brazilian oil major Petrobras (NYSE: PBR  ) is planning to drill exploratory wells off the coast of Tanzania, where it holds 50% stakes in two offshore exploratory blocks, while Chevron (NYSE: CVX  ) recently announced that it will move forward with the development of the Moho Bilondo "phase 1 bis" and Moho Nord projects located offshore the Republic of Congo.

Hot Safest Companies To Buy For 2014: Goldman Sachs Group Inc.(The)

The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc., together with its subsidiaries, provides investment banking, securities, and investment management services to corporations, financial institutions, governments, and high-net-worth individuals worldwide. Its Investment Banking segment offers financial advisory, including advisory assignments with respect to mergers and acquisitions, divestitures, corporate defense, risk management, restructurings, and spin-offs; and underwriting securities, loans and other financial instruments, and derivative transactions. The company?s Institutional Client Services segment provides client execution activities, such as fixed income, currency, and commodities client execution related to making markets in interest rate products, credit products, mortgages, currencies, and commodities; and equities related to making markets in equity products, as well as commissions and fees from executing and clearing institutional client transactions on stock, options, and fu tures exchanges. This segment also engages in the securities services business providing financing, securities lending, and other prime brokerage services to institutional clients, including hedge funds, mutual funds, pension funds, and foundations. Its Investing and Lending segment invests in debt securities, loans, public and private equity securities, real estate, consolidated investment entities, and power generation facilities. This segment also involves in the origination of loans to provide financing to clients. The company?s Investment Management segment provides investment management services and investment products to institutional and individual clients. This segment also offers wealth advisory services, including portfolio management and financial counseling, and brokerage and other transaction services to high-net-worth individuals and families. In addition, it provides global investment research services. The company was founded in 1869 and is headquartered in New York, New York.

Hot Small Cap Companies To Invest In 2014: Under Armour Inc.(UA)

Under Armour, Inc. develops, markets, and distributes performance apparel, footwear, and accessories for men, women, and youth primarily in the United States, Canada, and internationally. It offers products made from moisture-wicking synthetic fabrics designed to regulate body temperature and enhance performance regardless of weather conditions. The company provides its products in three fit types: compression (tight fitting), fitted (athletic cut), and loose (relaxed) extending across the sporting goods, outdoor, and active lifestyle markets. Its footwear offerings comprise football, baseball, lacrosse, softball, and soccer cleats; slides; performance training footwear; and running footwear. The company also provides baseball batting, football, golf, and running gloves, as well as licenses bags, socks, headwear, custom-molded mouth guards, and eyewear that are designed to be used and worn before, during, and after competition. Under Armour sells its products through retai l stores, as well as directly to consumers through its own retail outlets and specialty stores, Website, and catalogs. The company was founded in 1996 and is headquartered in Baltimore, Maryland.

Advisors' Opinion:
  • [By Cole Campbell]

    Under Armour (NYSE: UA  ) has performed tremendously in the stock market since it first went public in 2005, and it looks to sustain its rapid rate of growth over the coming years. With a market cap that is roughly one-tenth of its rival Nike's, Under Armour has plenty of room to grow and increase its market share in the athletic apparel and footwear market. The company continues to innovate by introducing new products and materials, such as its recent "Alter Ego" line of shirts that have sold extremely well.

Hot Safest Companies To Buy For 2014: Fluor Corporation(FLR)

Fluor Corporation, through its subsidiaries, provides engineering, procurement, construction, maintenance, and project management services worldwide. Its Oil & Gas segment offers design, engineering, procurement, construction, and project management services to upstream oil and gas production, downstream refining, chemicals, and petrochemicals industries. This segment also provides consulting services comprising feasibility studies, process assessment, and project finance structuring and studies. The company?s Industrial & Infrastructure segment offers design, engineering, procurement, and construction services to the transportation, wind power, mining and metals, life sciences, manufacturing, commercial and institutional, telecommunications, microelectronics, and healthcare sectors. Its Government segment provides engineering, construction, logistics support, contingency response, management, and operations services to the United States government focusing on the Departme nt of Energy, the Department of Homeland Security, and the Department of Defense. The company?s Global Services segment offers operations and maintenance, small capital project engineering and execution, site equipment and tool services, industrial fleet services, plant turnaround services, temporary staffing services, and supply chain solutions. Its Power segment provides engineering, procurement, construction, program management, start-up and commissioning, and operations and maintenance services to the gas fueled, solid fueled, plant betterment, renewables, nuclear, and power services markets. The company also offers unionized management and construction services in the United States and Canada. Fluor Corporation was founded in 1912 and is headquartered in Irving, Texas.

Advisors' Opinion:
  • [By CRWE]

    Fluor Corporation�� (NYSE:FLR) Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, David Seaton, and Chief Financial Officer, Biggs Porter, will give a presentation to investors at the Credit Suisse 2012 Engineering & Construction Conference in New York on Thursday, June 7 at 9:00 a.m. Eastern Daylight Time.

  • [By The Energy Report]

    JH: One of the areas where the U.S. for decades has been the leading technological power is in small nuclear reactors. We've used them on our aircraft carriers and on our nuclear submarines safely and efficiently. The U.S. has an advantage in understanding small modular nuclear reactors. One of the companies that we have followed for a long time that's working on that is Babcock & Wilcox Co. (BWC). There's also Fluor Corp. (FLR), which is working on small modular nuclear reactors. President Obama and the Department of Energy are funding research on the implementation of small modular nuclear reactors.

Wednesday, December 18, 2013

Gold shakes off Fed fears to post gains

LOS ANGELES (MarketWatch) — Gold returned to positive territory on Wednesday, ahead of an announcement later in the day from the Federal Reserve as to whether the central bank will keep its pedal pressed to the floor with its bond-buying program.

AFP/Getty Images Enlarge Image

Aside from a few outliers, the general consensus was that no tapering of the Fed's monthly bond purchases would be put into action just yet.

Just 11% of fund managers were forecasting that Wednesday's Fed decision, due at 2 p.m. U.S. Eastern time, would feature a tapering. Meanwhile, 32% expected the Fed to begin tapering in January, and 42% tipped such a move in March. Read more from The Tell .

Ahead of the decision Wednesday, gold for February delivery (GCG4)  added $2.50, or 0.2%, to $1,233.60 an ounce, while March silver (SIH4)  tacked on 7 cents, or 0.3%, to $19.91 an ounce.

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"It is unclear at this stage what impact the Fed statement will have on the markets, but we may not get any adverse reactions one way or the other in most markets, as most investors may have already started to discount some imminent tapering, with the only question being when," INTL FCStone analyst Edward Meir wrote in a note to clients.

A day earlier, gold futures saw their modest two-day winning streak come to an end, closing the New York Mercantile Exchange session with a loss of more than 1%.

Elsewhere in metals trading, January platinum (PLF4)   jumped $5.50, or 0.4%, to $1,350.10 an ounce, while March palladium (PAH4)  rose 95 cents, or 0.1%, to $702.

High-grade copper for March delivery (HGH4)  dipped a penny, or 0.3%, to $3.31 a pound.

More MarketWatch news

Fed never grabs punch bowl in December, analyst points out

Line between grief and greed on Wall Street: Weidner

Tuesday, December 17, 2013

Is Bank of America a Solid Portfolio Play?

With shares of Bank of America (NYSE:BAC) trading around $15, is BAC an OUTPERFORM, WAIT AND SEE, or STAY AWAY? Let's analyze the stock with the relevant sections of our CHEAT SHEET investing framework:

T = Trends for a Stock’s Movement

Bank of America is a financial institution serving individual consumers, small- and middle-market businesses, corporations, and governments with a range of banking, investing, asset management, and other financial and risk management products and services. With its banking and various non-banking subsidiaries throughout the United States and international markets, the company provides a range of banking and non-banking financial services and products through several business segments: consumer and business banking, consumer real estate services, global banking, global markets, global wealth, investment management, and other.

The attorney general of Vermont is suing Bank of America Corp for some alleged violations of foreclosure mediation as well as consumer protection laws in Vermont. The lawsuit that has been filed by William Sorrell's office had alleged that Bank of America Corp either refused or failed to comply with the mediation settlements in the state of Vermont's court foreclosure-actions to which it had previously agreed.

T = Technicals on the Stock Chart Are Strong

Bank of America stock has been flying higher in recent quarters. The stock is currently trading sideways and may need time to consolidate before heading higher. Analyzing the price trend and its strength can be done using key simple moving averages. What are the key moving averages? The 50-day (pink), 100-day (blue), and 200-day (yellow) simple moving averages. As seen in the daily price chart below, Bank of America is trading above its rising key averages, which signal neutral to bullish price action in the near-term.

BAC

(Source: Thinkorswim)

Taking a look at the implied volatility (red) and implied volatility skew levels of Bank of America options may help determine if investors are bullish, neutral, or bearish.

Implied Volatility (IV)

30-Day IV Percentile

90-Day IV Percentile

Bank of America options

30.16%

96%

93%

What does this mean? This means that investors or traders are buying a very significant amount of call and put options contracts as compared to the last 30 and 90 trading days.

Put IV Skew

Call IV Skew

January Options

Flat

Average

February Options

Flat

Average

As of today, there is an average demand from call buyers or sellers and low demand by put buyers or high demand by put sellers, all neutral to bullish over the next two months. To summarize, investors are buying a very significant amount of call and put option contracts and are leaning neutral to bullish over the next two months.

On the next page, let’s take a look at the earnings and revenue growth rates and the conclusion.

E = Earnings Are Mixed Quarter-Over-Quarter

Rising stock prices are often strongly correlated with rising earnings and revenue growth rates. Also, the last four quarterly earnings announcement reactions help gauge investor sentiment on Bank of America’s stock. What do the last four quarterly earnings and revenue growth (Y-O-Y) figures for Bank of America look like and more importantly, how did the markets like these numbers?

2013 Q3

2013 Q2

2013 Q1

2012 Q4

Earnings Growth (Y-O-Y)

5 Best Blue Chip Stocks To Buy For 2014

20.00%

68.42%

233.30%

-77.15%

Revenue Growth (Y-O-Y)

-1.52%

3.46%

4.13%

-25.02%

Earnings Reaction

2.24%

2.80%

-4.72%

-4.24%

Bank of America has seen improving earnings and mixed revenue figures over the last four quarters. From these numbers, the markets have had conflicting feelings about Bank of America’s recent earnings announcements.

P = Excellent Relative Performance Versus Peers and Sector

How has Bank of America stock done relative to its peers, JPMorgan Chase (NYSE:JPM), Wells Fargo (NYSE:WFC), Citigroup (NYSE:C), and sector?

Bank of America

JPMorgan Chase

Wells Fargo

Citigroup

Sector

Year-to-Date Return

44.09%

33.02%

32.28%

37.38%

37.69%

Bank of America has been a relative performance leader, year-to-date.

Conclusion

Bank of America is a bank and financial services giant that operates in a recovering financial industry, the backbone of the United States economy. The attorney general of Vermont is suing Bank of America Corp for some alleged violations of foreclosure mediation as well as consumer protection laws in Vermont. The stock has been exploding to the upside in recent quarters, but is currently trading sideways. Over the last four-quarters, earnings have been rising while revenues have been mixed, which have produced conflicting feelings among investors about earnings announcements. Relative to its peers and sector, Bank of America has been a year-to-date performance leader. Look for Bank of America to OUTPERFORM.

Monday, December 16, 2013

Avoid These 3 Energy Stocks in 2014

2013 has been a fascinating year for the energy space, and many signs point to 2014 being a great year as well. Of course, not every company has as much potential as others, and some companies may not be slated to do as well as others. Here are three companies that may not be too exciting for investors during 2014

Cheniere Energy (NYSEMKT: LNG  ) : There are some certainties that make Cheniere Energy an attractive company. It has a major leg-up in the U.S. liquefied natural gas export market with the first facility slated to come online in 2015. It also has started up the construction of a second facility in Corpus Christi evident in the recent $9.5 billion deal with construction company Bechtel. This second facility is slated to come online in 2018. Add these things together and you get a company that will have a strong cash-generating machine that will fuel its strong dividend yield once Cheniere Energy Partners (NYSEMKT: CQP  ) starts to generate surplus operational cash.

Best Cheap Companies For 2014

At the same time, this is what makes Cheniere Energy such a difficult investment in 2014, it is still not generating any revenue from these ventures yet. Sure, the company receives some contract royalties from Total (NYSE: TOT  ) and Chevron (NYSE: CVX  ) from when its facilities were geared for LNG import, but in no way do they cover the capital expenditures necessary to get these facilities up and running. 

There is also the chance that much of the earnings power for this company is already priced into the stock. Based on its investor presentations, EBITDA from liquefaction trains 1-4 -- the ones that have export license approval -- is expected to be about $1.95 billion. Using that figure, its total enterprise value-to-EBITDA is 8.66 times. Compare that to refiners, which for all intents and purposes follow a similar business model of upgrading a raw energy source. Companies in this industry have an average total enterprise value-to-EBITDA of 5.5 times. 

Again, this isn't to say that in the long run Cheniere Energy will be a bad investment, but it's awfully hard to justify investing in a dividend player that doesn't have asset-generating cash to pay that dividend. 

InterOil (NYSE: IOC  ) : In many ways, the issue with investing in InterOil over the next year or so is very similar to investing in Cheniere Energy. Both of these companies are plays on assets that have not yet generated any revenue from those assets that makes it an attractive investment. 

The great news for InterOil is that it finally signed a deal that will make it possible for the company to produce natural gas from its Elk/Antelope field that may have as much as 9 trillion cubic feet of natural gas according to the company. The not-so-great news is that it gave up operational control of the field to its new partner, Total.

Also, part of the deal requires a few appraisal wells to be drilled, which will not be complete until 2015, and Total will not make a final investment decision on these fields and a potential LNG export facility until 2016. Add that up and you get InterOil waiting as many as five years until it actually generates revenue from producing natural gas.

Based on that, any changes in InterOil's stock is probably not going to be correlated with the actual fundamentals of the business because earnings will be based solely on payments from Total, which we know already. Perhaps in a few years InterOil will turn out to be a major success, but we are still years away and any bets on that now are pure speculation.

Alpha Natural Resources (NYSE: ANR  ) : It's pretty easy to be down on coal companies right now, but of all of them, Alpha Natural Resources seems to be struggling the most. Alpha's biggest problem is a real estate problem: location, location, location.

A majority of the company's operations are in the Central Appalachia region of the United States, which has been the region of the country that has suffered the most from the downturn in coal prices. So far, Alpha has reduced its Central Appalachian coal production by 50%, and the price it can get for thermal coal from this region does not even cover the cash costs to produce it at this time.

Alpha and almost every other coal company's CEO have talked about the coal market turning the corner and demand picking up soon. As a coal investor, there is one issue that should give you pause heading into 2014: Several companies shuttered operations and slowed production during the downturn, and they all will be clamoring to increase volumes once demand picks up. That fight for increase volumes could also keep prices from growing, and hamper the prospects of companies like Alpha for much longer than many would hope.

What a Fool believes
Energy companies had a great run in 2013, and the prospects of the industry look like the good times could continue into 2014. Overall, though, it doesn't look like these three companies will be invited to the party, though, and you would probably be better off looking to invest in other places. 

The stock to own in 2014
The Motley Fool's chief investment officer has selected his No. 1 stock for 2014, and it's one of those stocks that could make you rich. You can find out which stock it is in our special report: "The Motley Fool's Top Stock for 2014." Just click here and we will give you free access to the report and find out the name of this under-the-radar company.